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TTie Galactic Milieu
and the Pliocene Exile

THE GREAT INTERVENTION OF 2013 OPENED HUMANITY S WAY

to the stars By the year 2110, when the action of the first
volume in this saga began, Earthlings were fully accepted mem-
bers of a benevolent confederation of planet colonizers, the
Coadunate Galactic Milieu, who shared high technology and
the capability of performing advanced mental operations known
as melafunctions The latterâ€”which include telepathy, psy-
chokinesis, and many other powersâ€”had lurked in the human
gene pool from time immemorial, but oniy rarely were mani-
fest

The five founding races of the Milieu had observed hu-
manity's development for tens of thousands of years After
some debate, they decided to admit Earthlings to the Milieu
"in advance of their psychosocial maturation" because of the
vast metapsychic potential of humanity, which might eventually
exceed that of any other race With the help of nonhumans,
people from Earth colonized more than 700 new planets that
had already been surveyed and found suitable

Earthimgs also learned how to speed the development of
their metapsychic powers through special training and genetic
engineering However, even though the number of humans with
operant metaftmctions increased with each generation, in 2 HO
the majonty of the population was stiii "normal"â€”that is
possessing metafiinctions that were either meager to the point
of nullity or else latent, unusable because of psychological
barriers or other factors Most of the day-to-day socioeconomic
activities of the Human Polity of the Milieu were earned on by
"normals", but human metapsychics did occupy privileged po-
sitions in government, in the sciences, and in other areas where
high mental powers were valuable to the Milieu as a whole

At only one period between the Great Intervention and 2110
xin

XIV

SYNOPSIS

did it seem thai the admission of humanity to the Milieu had
been a mistake This was in 2083, during the brief Metapsychic
Rebellion Instigated by a small group of Earth-based humans,
this attempted coup narrowly missed destroying the entire Mil-
ieu organization The Rebellion was suppressed by loyalist
metapsychic humans and steps were taken to insure that such
a disaster never would occur again A certain number of bat-
tered rebel survivors did manage to evade retribution by passing
through a unique kind of escape hatch, a one-way time gate
leading into Earth's Pliocene Epoch, six million years in the
past

The time-gate was discovered in 2034, during the heady
years of the scientific knowledge-explosion subsequent to the
Great Intervention But since the time-warp opened only back-
ward (anything attempting to return became six million years
old and usually crumbled to dust), and since it had a fixed
focus (a point in France's Rhone River Valley), its discoverer

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sadly concluded that it was a useless oddity without practical
application

After the time-gate discoverer's death in 2041, his widow,
Angelique Gudenan, learned that her husband had been mis-
taken

The Intervention had seemed to open a Golden Age for
humanity, giving it unlimited lebensraum, energy sufficiency,
and membership in a splendid galaxy-wide civilization But
even Golden Ages have their misfits in this case, humans who
were temperamentally unsuited to the rather structured social
environment of the Milieu As Madame Gudenan was to dis-
cover, there were fair numbers of these, and they were willing
to pay handsomely to be transported to a simpler world without
rules Geologists and paleonlologists knew that the Pliocene
was an idyllic period, just before the dawn of rational life on
our planet Romantics and nigged individualists from almost
all of Earth's ethnic groups eventually discovered Madame's
"underground railroad" to the Pliocene, which operated out of
a quaint French inn located outside the metropolitan center of
Lyon

From 2041 until 2106, the rejuvenated Madame Gudenan
transported clients from Old Earth to "Exile," a presumed nat-
ural paradise six million years younger After suffenng belated

THE NONBORN KING

qualms of conscience about the fate of the time-travelers, Ma-
dame herself passed into the Pliocene and operation of her inn
was taken over by the Milieu, which had found the time-warp
to be a convenient glory hole for dissidents By 2110, nearly
100,000 time-farers had vanished into an unknown destiny

On 25 August 2110, eight persons, making up that week's
"Group Green," were transported to Exile Richard Voorhees,
a grounded starship captain, Felice Landry, a disturbed eigh-
teen-year-old athlete whose violent temperament and latent mind-
powers had made her an outcast, Claude Majewski, a recently
widowed elderly paleontologist. Sister Amene Roccaro, a phy-
sician and burnt-out pnest, Bryan Grenfelt. an anthropologist
following his lover. Mercy Lamballe, who had preceded him
through the gate, Elizabeth Orme, a Grand Master metapsychic
who had lost her stupendous mental powers after a brain trauma,
Stem Oleson, a misfit planet-crust driller who dreamt of life
in a simpler world, and Alken Drum, an engaging young crook
who, like Felice, possessed considerable latent metapsychic
power

Group Green discovered, as other time-travelers had before
them, that idyllic Pliocene Europe was under the control of a
group of mavenck humanoids from another galaxy The exotics
were also exiled, having been dnven from their home because
of their barbarous battle-religion

The dominant exotic faction, the Tanu, were tall and hand-
some In spite of a thousand-year sojourn on Earth, there were
still less than 20,000 of them because their reproduction was
inhibited by solar radiation Since their plasm was compatible

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with that of humanity, they had for nearly seventy years utilized
the time-travelers in breeding, holding Pliocene humanity in
benevolent serfdom

Antagonistic to the Tanu and outnumbenng them by at least
four to one were their ancient foes, the Firvulag Often called
the Little People, these exotics were mostly of short stature,
although there were plenty of human-sized and even gigantic
individuals among them They reproduced quite well on Pli-
ocene Earth

Tanu and Firvulag actually constituted a dimorphic raceâ€”
the former metapsychicaily latent, and the latter possessed of
operant metafimctions, mostly limited in power The Tanu.

XVI

SYNOPSIS

with their higher technology, had long ago developed mind-
amplifiers, collars called golden lores, which raised their latent
mind-powers up to operancy Firvulag did not require tores to
exercise their metafunctions Certain of their great heroes were
the mental equals of the Tanu in aggressive action, but most
Firvulag were weaker

For most of the thousand years that Tanu and Firvulag re-
sided on Earth (which they called the Many-Colored Land),
they were fairly evenly matched in the ntual wars fought as
part of their battle-religion The greater finesse and technology
of the Tanu tended to counterbalance the superior numbers of
the cruder Firvulag But the advent of time-traveling humanity
tipped the scales in favor of the taller exotics Not only did
Tanu-human hybrids turn out to have unusual physical and
mental strength, but humans also enhanced the rather decadent
science establishment of the Tanu by injecting the expertise of
the greatly advanced Galactic Milieu It had been strictly for-
bidden for time-travelers to carry sophisticated weaponry back
to the Pliocene, and the Tanu were very conservative in the
types of military hardware that they permitted their human
slaves to build Nevertheless, it was human ingenuity that even-
tually gave the Tanu almost complete ascendency over their
Firvulag foes (who never mated with humans and generally
despised them)

Most of the enslaved time-travelers actually lived a pretty
good life under their Tanu overlords All rough work was
done by ramapithecines, small apes who wore simple tores
compelling obedience and who were, ironically, part of the
direct hommid line that would climax in Homo sapiens six
million years in the future Humans who occupied positions of
trust or engaged in vital pursuits under the Tanu wore gray
tores These did not amplify the mind, but did allow telepatmc
communication with the Tanu, who were also able to administer
punishment or reward through the device If psychological test-
ing showed that an arriving tune-traveler possessed significant
latent metafunctions. the lucky person was given a silver tore
This was a genuine amplifier similar to die golden collars worn
by the exotic race, but having control circuits Silver-tore hu-
mans were accepted as conditional citizens of the Many-Col-
ored Land Rarely, and only if they proved themselves, the
silvers might be granted golden tores and full freedom

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THE NONBORN KING xvn

The expanded tore technology, developed from the original
golden devices worn by the Tanu, was the fruit of a single
misfit geniusâ€”Euseblo Gomez-Nolan, a human psychobiol-
ogist who was eventually granted gold and who rose to become
the President of the Coercer Guild, one of the five metapsychic
quasi clans that formed me basis for Tanu society Under the
sobriquet of Lord Gomnol, Gomez-Nolan played a manipula-
tive role in the power politics of the Many-Colored Land until
he fatally overreached himself

The overall destiny of both the Tanu and the Firvulag was
subtly guided by a mysterious woman who belonged to neither
race but served as guardian to both This was Brede the Ship-
spouse With her mate, the Ship, a gigantic rational organism
of mtergalactic travel, she had originally brought the exotics
to Pliocene Earth Brede could foresee the futureâ€”although
not perfectly â€” and she came to know that the destinies of Tanu,
Firvulag, and time-traveling humanity were inextricably united
A pivotal point in thisJOint destiny was reached with the arrival
of the eight members of Group Green at the Tanu reception
center. Castle Gateway

It was Tanu custom to test all arriving time-travelers im-
mediately for metapsychic latency Latents, and those with
unusual talents of other kinds, were sent south to the Tanu
capital of Munah. located on the Aven (Balearic) Peninsula in
the nearly empty saline basin of the Mediterranean Normal
humans were shared out among the Tanu cities, taking their
places in the working or (in the case of presentable women)
breeding pools Presorted caravans, escorted by gray-tore hu-
man troops, normally left Castle Gateway each week

Group Green proved to be anything but typical when ex-
amined by the Tanu overseers in residence. Lord Creyn and
Lady Epone

Most notable was Elizabeth Onne The tnp through the time-
gate had restored her to metapsychic operancy, a fact which
Creyn was instantly aware of Elizabeth's awesome power of
farsensmg and redaction (mind-alteration) were convalescent.
but when she recovered, it was evident that she would be far
superior to any Tanu having those particular powers Creyn
predicted that a "wonderful life" lay ahead for Elizabeth m the
Many-Colored Land She herself was not so sure The Milieu

XV111

SYNOPSIS

had expressly forbidden the time-travel of any operant meta-
psychics, since such persons would be in a position to exercise
unfair mental domination over normal humans in a primitive
environment mat lacked the mental restraints of the Milieu's
"Unity." Elizabeth was a totally nonaggressive personality as
well as a self-centered one, and the only way she found to
defend herself from what she regarded as a temptation to hubris
was flightâ€”either physical or mental.

A second member of Group Green, the recidivist youth

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Aiken Drum, was found to possess powerful latencies. He was
collared with a silver tore and promised that if he behaved
himself (a dubious prospect) he would enjoy special privileges
after being trained in Muriah. Aiken's friend, the huge ex-
driller Stein Oleson, tried to escape from imprisonment in the
castle, killing several guards with his Viking axe. Stein was
subdued with a controlling gray tore and was earmarked, be-
cause of his heroic physique, to become a kind of gladiator in
Muriah.

Richard Voorhees, the disgraced starship captain, also tried
to escape. He stumbled into the chamber of the Tanu coercer
Lady Epone, who brain-burned him and consigned him to a
prison dormitory where other "normals" awaited the departure
of the weekly caravan to Epone's city of Finiah, situated far
northeast of the castle, on the River Rhine-

The anthropologist Bryan Grenfell had no metapsychic la-
tencies, but Creyn was nevertheless impressed by his profes-
sional credentials. It seemed the Tanu had a certain urgent need
for a cultural anthropologist! Bryan was also destined for Mu-
riah and accepted the prospect with equanimity, since he ex-
pected to find his beloved Mercy Lamballe in the capital.

Claude Majewski. the old paleonlologist, and the female
priest Sister Amerie were tested and showed no latencies. But
when Lady Epone attempted to test the girl Felice Landry, the
little athlete seemed to go into hysterics. Her agitation made
an accurate mental calibration impossible. Felice perpetrated
this charade because she knew very well that she possessed
very strong latent mind-powers; but she had no intention of
being subjugated by a lore, especially after she discovered that
both she and Sister Amerie were to be used as brood stock by
the Tanu. In a private moment with the nun, Felice grimly
resolved to "take" the entire Tanu race. Ludicrous though this

THE NONBORN KING xix

vow of revenge seemed at the time, Sister Amerie felt no
inclination to doubt Felice's ability to carry out her threat.

When caravans left Castle Gateway that evening. Group
Green had been split in half. Bound northward for Finiah with
a sizable group of normals were Felice, Sisler Amerie, Claude,
and the still groggy Richard. Six gray-lore soldiers and Lady
Epone conducted the train, which rode horselike Pliocene beasts
called chalikos. Also in this group were Basil, a mountain-
climbing former don; Yoshimitsu and Tatsuji, who wore sa-
murai garb reflecting their heritage; and one Dougal, who had
been driven half-mad by the unwelcome attentions of Lady
Epone.

The southbound caravan was much smaller. Led by Creyn
with a minimum two-guard escort, it consisted of the unforced
Elizabeth and Bryan, Aiken Drum in his silver collar, uncon-
scious Stein wearing a gray tore, and two other latent humans
who had been gifted with silver: Sukey Davies, a former ju-
venile officer from a colonial satellite, and Raimo Hakkinen,
a glum Finno-Canadian forester.

The caravan heading for Muriah look ship at the River Rhone
and made a fairly uneventful trip south. Creyn proved to be a

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tolerant overlord, deeply sympathetic to Elizabeth. Aiken Drum
and Raimo became buddies and co-conspiralors, and Aiken
discovered that the latencies inside his brain were unfolding at
a wondrous pace that boded all kinds of fun and games. Stein
recovered from wounds inflicted during the fracas at the castle.
and he and Sukey pledged themselves to each other after she
entered his mind and helped lo heal a severe psychic trauma.
In the riverside city of Darask, Elizabeth helped a human gold-
tore woman, Estella-Sirone, give birth to twinsâ€”one Tanu and
one Firvuiag. And when the party eventually arrived in Muriah,
they were greeted by a triumphal procession of magnificent
Tanu chivalry, all clad in glowing, multicolored glass armor-
The welcome was primarily for Elizabeth, who was soon to
discover herself a pawn between several scheming factions at
the Tanu court.

Meanwhile, on the trail north of Castle Gateway, the other
four members of Group Green were plotting a prisoner revolt.
Felice, a professional athlete, was abnormally strong, and her

SYNOPSIS

latent metapsychic powers enabled her to mind-control animals
She also had a small steel dagger, little more than a toy. which
had been overlooked by searchers

When the caravan reached a remote shore of the Lac de
Bresse. Felice's plan for escape was put into action Richard,
disguised in Amene's religious garb, surprised the head guard
and stabbed him to death Then Felice compelled the caravan's
escorting pack of huge bear-dogs to attack Lady Epone and the
other soldiers In the ensuing fray, the samurai Tatsuji was
killed, as well as the entire escort of gray troops Richard
approached Epone. thinking that she, too, was dead But the
exotic woman seized him with her powerful mind, in spite of
the fact that she was nearly torn to pieces Richard would have
perished had he not stabbed her with Felice's little dagger

(Much later, the nun, who was a physician, deduced that
the nearly invulnerable Tanu were fatally poisoned by iron
weapons For this reason, they had proscribed the use of iron
in Pliocene Europe, making do with copper alloys and a kind
of supertough glass, vitredur, in its place )

Felice coveted Epone's golden tore. knowing that the mental
amphfer was capable of releasing the great metafaculties now
locked within her brain But before she could take the tore
from the Tanu woman's body, mad Dougal grabbed it and
threw it into the lake Amene had to drug Felice with a sedative
to prevent her from killing Dougal

Bewildered and frightened, the ex-pnsoners realized that
news of the fight must have been tetepathically flashed by the
dying Epone to the nearest fort They would have to disperse
quickly One group elected to follow Basil, the ex-don They
would sail in small boats down the Lac de Bresse to the Jura
Mountains

Claude, the 133-year-old paleontologist, was more wilder-
ness-wise after years of roughing it on wild planets in the

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Milieu He advised his friends of Group Green to avoid the
open lake and instead head into the heavily forested Vosges
Mountains, which were much closer than the Jura The sur-
viving samurai wamor, Yosh, decided to go his way alone,
heading north in hopes of reaching the sea

The large group of escapees out on the lake was eventually
almost entirely recaptured and taken in chains to the city of
Finiah But Claude, Richard, Amene, and Felice went deep

THE NONBORN KING xxi

into the Vosges, where they Finally made contact with a group
of free outlaw humans, fugitives from Tanu settlements, who
called themselves Lowlives

The Lowlife leader was an old woman, Angelique Gudenan,
former keeper of the time-gate and the ultimate author of Pli-
ocene humanity's degradation Around her neck was a golden
lore, the gift of the Firvulag, those deadly enemies of the Tanu,
who had formed a very tentative alliance with the Lowlives
Madame had modest metapsychic powers

The killing of Epone by the escapees were unprecedented
Never before had a mere human been able to bnng about the
demise of one of the tough exotics, who normally enjoyed life
spans of hundreds of years Tanu searchers, under Lord Velteyn
of Finiah, now swarmed the Vosges region, looking for the
ones who had done the deed The remnant of Group Green,
together with Madame Gudenan and some 200 Lowlives, hid
in a great hollow tree until things should cool off Inside the
refuge, Madame explained to the newcomers her great plan to
free Pliocene humanity from the Tanu yoke, a task she had
undertaken in order to expiate her own guilt

Madame's deputy, a Native Amencan named Peopeo Mox-
mox Burke, who had once been a judge, was keenly interested
in Amene's theory about the deadliness of iron to the exotic
race This might be an invaluable secret weapon in the liberation
of humanity

A friendly Firvulag named Fitharn Pegleg joined the Low-
lives inside their sanctuary and told Group Green the legend
of the Ship's Grave The great space-going organism that was
Brede's mate had died in making the leap from its home galaxy
to our own Tanu and Firvulag, passengers in the Ship led by
Brede. escaped from the hulk m small flying machines just
before it impacted upon the Earth, making a great crater known
as the Ship's Grave

For some time. Lowlives, working with Firvulag, had
searched for this ancient site Even though a thousand years
had passed, it was possible that some of the sophisticated flying
machines left at the Grave might still be operational And inside
one of them, entombed after a ntual duel, was the body of
Lugonn, Shining Hero of the Tanu. together with his sacred
weapon, the Spear The latter was not a blade, but rather a

XX11

SYNOPSIS

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photonic projector that delivered laserlike blasts of energy. This
Spear, in the hands of Lowlife humanity, could turn the balance
of power -

Madame's people had looked in vain for the Ship's Grave.
But Claude, knowledgeable in future geology, told them that
the crater could only be the astrobleme known as the Ries,
located some 300 kilometers to the east, beyond the Black
Forest, on the northern shore of the Danube River.

It was decided to mount a new expedition at once. With
luck, the searchers might return before the end of September.
The Hcvulag would then Join humanity in a joint attack against
the city of Finiahâ€”provided that me fighting took place before
the start of the Grand Combat Truce, which began at dawn on
October 1. Unknown to Filham, who agreed to accompany the
party, the Lowlives who remained behind intended to go to
another site designated by Claude, where they hoped iron ore
might be found. They would smelt whatever iron they could
and then forge weapons to be used in the Finiah attack. The
iron was to be kept a secret from the Firvulag, since Madame
was dubious of their loyalty.

After receiving permission from Yeochee IV, King of the
Firvulag, the expedition set out. Itcomprised Madame Guderian,
Richard, Felice, Chief Burke, a former aircraft technician named
Stefanko, a dynamic-field engineer named Martha, Claude, and
Fitham. Felice was especially anxious to go. She was certain
that the body of the ancient hero, Lugonn, would have a golden
tore about its neck that she could appropriate.

Disaster struck the party even before it reached the Black
Forest. In a Rhineside swamp, a giant pig killed Stefanko and
badly wounded Chief Burke. Frail Martha, who had borne four
children in quick succession as a Tanu slave, began to hem-
orrhage from the shock. It seemed that the expedition would
have to be abandoned. But Martha insisted that she would
recover, and Felice agreed to carry the sick woman if need be.
Martha was a vital member of the group, now the only one
with the technical skill to put the photon Spear and/or a flyer
into operation once the expedition found them. The Firvulag
Fitham agreed to take Chief Burke back to the Lowlife village
of Hidden Springs, where Amerie was recuperating from a
broken arm.

After many vicissitudes, the reduced expedition crossed the

THE NONBORN KING

XXlll

Black Forest range and came into the territory of a certain
Sugoll. Only nominally under the authority of the Firvulag
King, Sugoll ruled a large band of grotesque mutant Firvulag
called Howlers. His own hideously deformed body was hidden
beneath a handsome illusion- Sugoll at first scorned to assist
the expedition and threatened to kill the humans. But when
Claude pointed out the source of Howler deformityâ€”radio-
active rocks among which they had lived for many genera-
tionsâ€”the ruler relented. Claude hinted that the Howlers might
relieve their plight by seeking help from human geneticistsâ€”
if such persons were released from Tanu slavery. The liberation

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of humanity (and helping out the expedition) was thus to the
Howler advantage- Sugoll finally agreed to assist the party in
finding the River Danube, on which the humans could easily
voyage to the Ship's Grave. Once again the four travelers set
off.

On 22 September they arrived at last at the crater. Richard
and Martha, who had become lovers, set about repairing one
of the flying machines and the great Spear. Feiice, after a fit
of rage brought on by her discovery that Lugonn's skeleton
had no golden tore, calmed herself and was a model of co-
operation. Even so, time was getting desperately short if they
were to meet the deadline before the Grand Combat Truce.
Martha's old affliction returned and she grew dangerously weak
from loss of blood; but she would not let them return to Hidden
Springs until the testing of the photon weapon was complete.

Meanwhile, a great Firvulag army had gathered on the bank
of the Rhine opposite the Tanu city of Finiah- Additionally,
several hundred Lowlives had been recruited from scattered
wilderness hamlets and surreptitiously armed with iron- At dusk
on the twenty-ninth the flyer finally landed at Hidden Springs
with the Spear ready for use. But Martha was in shock from
hemorrhaging, and Amerie could only rush her away for trans-
fusions and pray for a miracle. The distraught Richard could
not even remain with his beloved; he had to pilot the flyer in
its bombardment of Finiah. ^

Screened by Madame Guderian's limited metapsychic power,
the flyer hovered over the city while Claude blasted holes in
both city walls. Then he turned the Spear on Finiah's barium
mine, the only source in the Many-Colored Land of the elemeni

XXIV

SYNOPSIS

thai was vital in making all kinds of tores- The mine was
destroyed, and waves of Firvulag, wearing the illusory shapes
of hideous monsters, invaded the city alongside Chief Burke
and his Lowlife forces. After a desperate fight, Finiah fell. Its
surviving Tanu populace, including the ruler. Lord Velteyn,
fled in the direction of Castle Gateway. The erstwhile human
slaves (some of whom had been quite content in their bondage)
were given the choice of freedom or death. Those wearing gray
or silver tores had to submit to their removal with an iron chisel,
a painful process that left many of them in a state of profound
nervous collapse.

Both Claude and Madame were wounded by bolts of Vel-
teyn's psychoenergy during the air attack. Richard lost the sight
of one eye, but managed to return the flyer safely to Hidden
Springs- There he discovered that Martha had died. Mad with
grief, he took her body and soared away in the gravomagnet-
ically powered aircraft, to wait for his own death in an orbit
thousands of kilometers above Pliocene Earth.

Below, Felice was walking toward the ruins of Finiah. She
bitterly regretted missing the war; but she knew that she would
find her long-sought golden tore somewhere in the devastated
city, and then she would attain the powers needed to fulfill her
vow to destroy the Tanu race. Felice finally did find a tore; it

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raised to operancy her latent powers of farsensing, psyhcho-
kinesis, coercion, and creativity. Some time would have to
elapse before she learned to use these powers correctly, and
so she returned to Hidden Springs in order to assist Madame
Guderian in the next phases of the liberation of humanity.

Meanwhile, far to the south in the Tanu capital of Muriah,
the other four members of Group Green encountered an utterly
different face of the Many-Colored Land.

Upon their arrival, the Green quartet and their fellow hu-
mans, Raimo and Sukey, were presented to the Tanu aristocracy
at a lavish feast. Elizabeth learned from Thagdai the High King
that she was to be taken to Brede Shipspouse in order to be
initiated into Tanu waysâ€”an unprecedented honor. After the
initation, which might take a month, she would be impregnated
by the King and found a new dynasty of fully operant (i.e.,
torcless) Tanu-human hybrids. Queen Nontusvel seemed en-

THE NONBORN KING xxv

rirely agreeable to this arrangement and Elizabeth herself showed
no emotion as Thagdai unfolded his plans-

The other honored prisoners learned their own fates. Bryan
the anthropologist was commanded to make a careful study of
me impact of humanity's advent upon the Tanu socioeconomy.
A certain faction, headed by Nodonn Battlemasler, the most
powerful son of Thagdai and Nontusvel and heir presumptive,
maintained that the coming of humanity had been detrimental
to Tanu culture rather than beneficial, as Thagdai and most of
the Tanu aristocracy believed. Bryan, using the advanced an-
alytical methods of the Milieu, was to settle the matter. It went
without saying that Thagdai felt confident that Bryan would
confirm the royal policy.

The gigantic Viking Stein, Raimo Hakkinen, and Sukey
Davies were forced to display their talent before the company,
Sukey's silver tore had activated a powerful latent faculty of
redaction. She would be apprenticed to the Redactor Guild,
headed by the compassionate and civilized Dionket, and learn
the art of mental healing. Poor Raimo, who possessed only a
weak psychokinetic power, found out that he was destined to
become the sexual plaything of Tanu women, who found it
difficult to conceive by their own males. Stein was presented
to the festal throng as a gladiatorial candidate for the Grand
Combat, the annual rituai war between the Tanu and Firvulag
in which certain humans also participated. Stein was about to
be auctioned off to the highest Tanu bidder when an incredible
event threw the entire mass of Tanu aristocracy into a turmoil.

Aiken Drum put in his bid for Stein-

This charming young rogue's awesome latent mind-powers
had been released in a psychic torrent by the donning of the
silver tore. So great was the power of Aiken's liberated mind
that he had actually burned out the control circuits of the silver
tore. He was now in the process of going fully operantâ€”
metafunctional without artificial augmentation. Only Elizabeth,
who had been a masterclass teacher of young metapsychics
back in the Milieu, knew what was happening. The Tanu re-
alized that Aiken Drum was far above the usual type of human

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latent; but they were not yet aware just how menacing his
potential would be.

As the Tanu nobles began to bid for his friend Stein, Aiken

XXV]

SYNOPSIS

was aware that the big Viking was in mortal danger Not only
had Stein taken Sukey as his life-mate (an action that the Tanu
deemed treason for a silver-lore woman), but he was also one
of those individuals fundamentally incompatible to the tore's
operation If Stein wore his gray collar for very long, he would
go mad and sink into death Most humans who wore gray were
tested for compatibility before being torced Stein had received
his collar as a means of subjection after his bloody battle in
Castle Gateway The Tanu did not really care how long he
lived Alken, however, did, and so he entered the bidding
against the Tanu, pledging to the King that as payment he
would dispose of a Firvuiag monster, a certain Delbaeth, who
had been terrorizing the adjacent Spanish mainland

The King was stunned, not only by Alken's audacity but
also by the glimpse of power he had perceived upon bnef
examination of the young trickster's mind It hardly seemed
possible and yet this little human mountebank, who wore a
gold-fabric suit all covered with pockets, just might be a threat
to Thagdal himself

The King's sense of hovenng doom was reinforced when a
member of the Tanu High Table, Mayvar Kingmaker, the head
of the Farsensor Guild, declared that she was in favor of Alken's
bid and would see that he was trained for the task as her protege
Thagdal viewed Mayvar as a mischievous old crone who might
simply be making a gesture On the other hand, she was not
called "kingmaker" for nothing

Shaken, Thagdal accepted Alken's bid for Stein Delbaeth
was a menace that the King should have dealt with long ago,
and now the monarch was backed into a comer by the wily
human's maneuver Both Alken and Stem would be introduced
to Tanu chivainc practice by the Lord of Swords, and then
they and a large troop of knights would go on a Quest against
the formidable Delbaeth

Following the portentous banquet, there was desperate re-
active scheming among the so-called Host of Nontusvelâ€”chil-
dren of Thagdal and the reigmng Queen Thagdal had had other
wives during his two-millennium lifetime, and he had had thou-
sands of other children by both Tanu and human women, since
his germ plasm was considered peerless (This was the basis

THE NONBORN KING xxvu

for his sovereignty ) But the Host considered themselves to be
the elite, and had long entertained dynastic aspirations contrary
to ancient Tanu custom

The Host leader was Nodonn, greatest battle hero of the
Tanu, head of the Psychokmetic Guild, and ruler of Gonah. a
nch city situated on the coast of Armonca (Bnttany) Unlike

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his totipotent father, however, Nodonn suffered from a repro-
ductive handicap His offspring, who were not numerous, did
not display important metapsychic powers Nodonn was a
member of the Tanu hierarchy, the High Table, as were other
Host notables such as the twins Fian and Kuhal, who shared
the post of Second Lord Psychokmetic, Culluket the Interro-
gator, Second Redactor to Dionket, Imidol the Second Coercer,
who was the reluctant subordinate to the human Coercer Guild
President Gomnoi. and Riganone, a female wamor who in
tended to challenge old Mayvar for leadership of the Farsensors
There were some 200 other members of the Host, but not all
of them were first-class mental powers, nor did the Host have
a majority of High Table seats But their dynasty might attain
supreme power if Nodonn succeeded Thagdal

Now, however, this succession seemed to be endangered
not by Alken Drum, whom the Host dismissed as a mere meta-
psychic nova who would burn out almost as soon as he fiared
upâ€”but by Elizabeth

If King Thagdal had fully operant children by her, these
would undoubtedly form the nucleus of a hybrid elite, more
powerful physically and mentally than the pureblooded Tanu
The scheme to use Elizabeth in breeding had been proposed to
the King by Gomnol The Host rightly suspected that this de-
vious human Coercer Lord intended to make a place for himself
in any new order that included human operants After anxious
consultation, the leaders of the Host decided that Elizabeth
would have to die This would not be easy to accomplish, since
she was an operant Grand Master whom no single Tanu could
overcome by means of mental attack If the Host acted together,
however, using the multimind thrust called metapsychic con-
cert, they might be able to destroy her (Unfortunately for this
plan. the individualistic Tanu found such cooperation to be
very difficult Only under the most firm coordination could
they achieve metapsychic concert Culluket the redactor and

XXV111

SYNOPSIS

Imidol the coercer would finally succeed in organizing the
effort )

Several weeks passed Elizabeth was subjected to rather
inept attacks by the Host Knowing that the attacks would
increase in effectiveness, she escaped by accompanying Brede
Shipspouse into the latter's room without doors, a chamber
proof against mind-penetration Brede had plans of her own
for Elizabeth that had nothing to do with the schemes of Thag-
dal, Gomnoi, or the Host The Shipspouse, guardian of both
the Tanu and Firvulag races, perceived Elizabeth as one who
might lead them (as Brede apparently could not) out of their
barbarous and feckless battle-culture into a truly civilized so-
ciety of the mind

Elizabeth was in no mood for Brede's large-hearted hopes
She was sunk in despair, feeling that she was the only meta-
psychic adult in a population of malignant children, who had
no response to a superior being other than trying to kdl it out
of fear Elizabeth rejected any thought of spiritual motherhood
or sharing Brede's guardian role All she wanted, she told the

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Shipspouse, was to sail away in the great red balloon she had
brought with her to the Pliocene to sail away and be left alone,
at peace

Alken Drum, under the tutelage of Mayvar Kingmaker,
became more and more adept in the use of his melafunctions
Mayvar gave him his initiate's golden tore, but he was quick
to show the elderly Tanu woman that he had no need of any
artificial amplifier He would wear the tore to deceive the other
Tanu, however Mayvar also gave Alken a certain simple de-
vice that she guaranteed would give him victory over the mon-
ster Delbaethâ€”provided he could use the weapon without any
Tanu member of the Quest finding out about it

Stem. loo, received training as a Tanu man-at-arms He
womed about Sukey, separated from him as she prepared to
begin her redactor apprenticeship Stein's fears were confirmed
when he perceived a telepathic cry of fear emanate from his
wife He rushed to the headquarters of the Redactor Guild and
found her recovering from an operation A traitorous human
physician. Tasha-Bybar, had reversed the sterilization proce-
dure obligatory to all time-traveling women, making Sukey

THE NONBORN KING xxix

ready for King Thagdal's droit du seigneur (Tasha, a great
heroine to the Tanu, had perfected this restoration of fertility,
making possible the Tanu breeding scheme that utilized human
women Her students did their work in each Tanu city as female
newcomers arrived Because of the female sterilization require-
ment originally promulgated by Madame Gudenan, only one-
fourth as many women as men elected to time-travel to the
Pliocene )

Stein was reunited with Sukeyâ€”only to discover that the
infamous Tasha was spying upon them Realizing by Sukey's
telepathic confession what Tasha had doneâ€”not only to his
own wife but to thousands of other human women â€”Stem killed
the doctor on the spot

His deed was discovered by the redactor Creyn, who seemed
oddly sympathetic Creyn promised to conceal their part in
Tasha's death, giving Stein and Sukey the first hint of the
existence of a Peace Faction among the normally bellicose
Tanu This group cherished the heretical notion that one day
Tanu and Firvulag would be brothers in sun as well as in
shadow

At the September Sport Meeting in Munah, both Alken and
Stem were required to display their fighting prowess in the
arena, before the grand and petty nobility of the Many-Colored
Land If the pair passed muster, they would be accepted as
members of the Tanu battle-company and the Delbaeth Quest
would proceed

Stem fought first and dispatched a monstrous hyenalike an-
imal with his battleaxe Then it was Alken's turn His antagonist
was a species of crocodile seventeen meters long It had been
brought to the Munah arena just for him by Nodonn Battle-
master, who had recognized Alken as a force to be reckoned
with

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The anthropologist Bryan Grenfetl had been spending his
days studying Tanu culture in company with a genial hybrid,
Ogmol On the night of Aiken's testing, Bryan was in the royal
box together with the King and Queen, Aluteyn Crartsmaster,
the President of the Creator Guild, the fey human Genetics
Master Greg-Donnei (ne Gregory Prentice Brown), and other
notables Bryan was introduced to Nodonn upon the Battle-
master's arrival, but he had eyes only for Nodonn's new wife,

XXX

SYNOPSIS

Lady Rosmarâ€” who was none other than the bewitching Mercy
Lamballe, Bryan's own love-at-first-sight, whom he had help-
lessly followed to the Pliocene. Mercy now wore a golden tore
and had developed tremendous psychocreative powers.

In the arena, Aiken met the giant crocodile. Astride a chal-
iko, wearing golden glass armor and armed only with a glass
lance, the trickster was terrified. He lost control of his mount
and was thrown to the sand. The rules permitted no use of
overt mental power against the beast, but Aiken eventually
conquered it, using only his native cunning. The Tanu spec-
tators went wild at his bold performance. King Thagdal and
Nodonn had a more chilly response.

Having proved themselves, Aiken and Stein now undertook
the Delbaeth Quest- The expedition consisted of several hundred
knights and was led by the King himself- Nodonn was there
to keep an eye on Aiken. Two High Table members, Tanu-
human hybrids of great mental power, became partisans of the
trickster. They were Alberonn Mindealer and Bleyn the Cham-
pion.

The colorful troop began the Quest at the large city of
Afaliah, at the base of the Aven Peninsula. Its crusty old lord,
Celadeyr, no particular friend of the Host, was nevertheless
scornful of the notion that a human such as Aiken might get
the better of the awful Delbaeth. For three weeks the Quest
chased the monster, who bombarded the knights with lethal
fireballs and effectively kept them at a distance. Finally the
Firvulag disappeared into a vast network of caverns out on the
Gibraltar Isthmus, and King Thagdai and Nodonn demanded
that Aiken admit he was beaten.

Aiken refused. He and Stein stripped themselves of their
glass armor and prepared to follow Delbaeth underground. By
law, the Quest had to end in three days, when the Grand Combat
Truce would begin and Tanu and Firvulag would forswear
fighting until the start of the ritual war- Aiken demanded that
he be allowed those three days; and supported by his partisans,
he was given his chance. Using his psychocreative power,
Aiken turned himself and Stein into bats and they flew into the
depths.

They encountered Delbaeth two days later and killed him
by means of the secret device Mayvar had given Aiken. Just

THE NONBORN KING xxxi

before they left the Firvulag's cave. Stein pointed out to Aiken

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that the waters of the Atlantic were pounding against the west-
ern wall. The narrow Gibraltar Isthmus, forming a sill between
Spain and Africa, was all that separated the ocean from the
deep empty basin of the Mediterranean.

With the start of the month-long Truce, both Tanu and
Firvulag from all parts of the Many-Colored Land began to
converge on Muriah's White Silver Plain, a large salt flat where
tent cities, grandstands, lists, and the battlefield for the Combat
proper were located. Because they had adopted war-mounts
and other human innovations, the Tanu had won the Grand
Combat for forty years running, and the Firvulag had become
more and more bitter. However, the recent fall of Finiah cheered
the Little Peopleâ€”and inspired them to adopt a few Lowlife
fighting customs themselves in hopes of changing their luck.
The new tactics were opposed by the old Firvulag Battlemaster,
Paliol One-Eye; but he was forced to bow to the will of the
younger generals Sham and Ayfa, a husband-and-wife team.

In the Lowlife village of Hidden Springs, Madame Guderian
discussed her plan for liberating humanity from the Tanu yoke.
Phase One had been successful. Finiah with its barium mine
was a deserted ruin.

Phase Two would be more audacious. Under cover of the
Truce, a small group of Lowlives would infiltrate the tore
factory down in Muriah and sabotage the irreplaceable ma-
chinery. The undertaking would be hazardous in the extreme,
since the factory was situated inside the fortresslike Coercer
Guild complex, presided over by the renegade human. Lord
Gomnol.

Phase Three involved the permanent closing of the time-
gate. Madame had a plan for doing this herself, and Claude
insisted upon helping her.

An implied fourth phase of the liberation involved the mak-
ing of iron weapons by humanity. It was arranged that the freed
human population of Finiah, as well as some of the Lowlives
who had come from other parts of Europe to join in the Finiah
fight, would found several Iron Villages. They would mine.
smelt, and forge the "blood metal" in preparation for the ul-
timate bid for human freedom.

Eleven people, including Madame and the Group Green

XXX11

SYNOPSIS

survivors, left Hidden Springs to implement Phases Two and
Three. They were disguised as loyalist human refugees from
Finiah. At the city of Roman, Madame and Claude separated
from the others and went off to hide near Castle Gateway,
while the others proceeded south to the capital The two groups
would try to synchronize strikes against the time-gale and tore
factory.

The Muriah-bound group included Felice, Sister Amerie,
Chief Burke, the alpinist don Basil Wimbome (liberated from
a Finiah prison), and five other dedicated Lowlives. Felice's
metapsychic powers were developing nicely and the longer she

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wore her golden tore, the stronger her mental faculties became.
She also carried the photonic Spear- It had been totally dis-
charged in the Finiah fight, but the saboteurs hoped that their
former Group Green companion, Aiken Drum, would find some
way of putting it back into action. As the group approached
the Tanu capital, a telepathic call was sent to Aiken, telling
him of the Lowlife conspiracy. The saboteurs took for granted
that Aiken would be loyal to humanity and eager to assist them.
But they were wrong.

Down in Muriah, Aiken and Stem and Elizabeth learned at
the same lime of the impending assaults on the tore works and
the time-gate. Elizabeth had reluctantly helped Brede attain
metapsychic operancy; but she was still determined to escape
from Muriah in her red balloon and live alone. Stein eagerly
welcomed the prospect of a strike against the Tanu; but Aiken
feared that the exotics would read Stein's simple mind and
discover the plot, and so he and his new ally Gomnol (who
professed to be sympathetic to humanity) put a mind-block into
the big Viking. Neither Gomnol nor Aiken anticipated that Stein
would leak the sabotage plot to his redactor wife, Sukey -

The alliance between Aiken and Gomnol Lord Coercer was
a devious one. Neither man really trusted the other, but they
had been forced into a coalition of necessity. Aiken aspired to
be King of the Many-Colored Land and would need plenty of
help to fulfill his ambition. Gomnol, cordially hated by the
present heir to the throne, Nodonn, knew that his previous
position of strength as a supporter of King Thagdal was crum-
bling. The Tanu monarch was on a downhill slide and might
very well take Gomnoi with him

THE NONBORN KING XXX111

The King had believed that the Tanu race benefited by the
admixture of human genes and the utilization of human tech-
nology- But now Bryan Grenfeli's cultural survey, recently
completed but still secret, showed that humans would even-
tually dominate the Many-Colored Land if Thagdal's policy
continued. The King suspected (correctly) that his eldest son
Nodonn planned to use the survey to discredit him publicly
during the Grand Combat. Additionally, the King had suffered
another blow to his prestige when Brede forbade the imple-
mentation of Gomnol's mating scheme between Thagdal and
Elizabeth. Elizabeth was now taboo, and the King would not
become the father of an operant superrace as he had hoped.
On the contrary, that honor might very likely fall to Aiken
Drum!

Sunk in despair, Thagdal confided his fears to Queen Non-
tusvel, who knew just what kind of diversion would cheer her
spouse. By royal command, she demanded that Sukey be given
to the King. Dionket was forced to yield the young woman up.
As Thagdal took his pleasure, Sukey let slip a vengeful thought
about the northern saboteurs soon to invade Muriah. The Queen
overheard this thought and notified Nodonn's brother Culluket
the Interrogator, a sinister and powerful member of the Host
faction. Culluket wrung from Sukey all that Stein had inad-
vertently told her of the plot, with the result that Stein and
Sukey were both condemned and thrown .into prison to await
death at the Combat's finale-

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Aiken, even though he was known to be Stem's close friend,
managed to convince Culluket that he knew nothing of the plot.
But the Host continued to believe that both Aiken and Gomnol
were in league with the Lowlife conspirators.

Meanwhile, the party of saboteurs had reached Muriah and
were ready to strike. They called Aiken to their hiding place
and rather reluctantly turned the inoperative Spear over to him.
He promised to attempt to recharge it, but really had no inten-
tion of giving it back to the saboteurs. It was to be a key
element in his own schemes later. When Aiken failed to return
at the appointed hour with the Spear, the Lowlife party began
its penetration without him, trusting that Felice's growing
metapsychic powers would be strong enough to destroy the tore
factory

XXXIV

SYNOPSIS

The Lowlives entered the Coercer Guild complex in dis-
guise. Felice melted the factory door with a bolt of mental
energyâ€”only to find that some sixty knights of the Host, led
by Imidol the Second Coercer and Culluket the Interrogator,
were waiting in ambush. The humans managed to kill fifteen
Tanu, either with iron weapons or with Felice's mindbolts- But
the girl herself was eventually stunned, and the rest of the
saboteurs, saving only Sister Amerie, Chief Burke, and Basil,
were killed. The tore factory was undamaged.

Gomnol arrived when the fighting was over and coolly told
the Host that he had everything in hand. But they refused to
believe his protestations of innocence. Having improved their
teamwork in metapsychic concert during the futile attacks on
Elizabeth, they now combined to mind-blast Gomnol to death,
knowing that the terrible Felice would be blamed. The girl was
then divested of her golden lore and taken off by Culluket for
interrogation. The other three saboteurs, badly wounded, were
cast into the same prison as Stein and Sukey to await the end.

Far to the north of Muriah, in the vicinity of the time-gale
at Castle Gateway, Madame Guderian and Claude prepared to
act. They had made message holders from amber, a material
known to pass successfully through the reversed time-warp,
and enclosed notes warning the twenty-second-century opera-
tors to halt all time travel because of the enslaving of humans
by me Tanu. As the sun rose, the two old people, rendered
invisible by Madame's metapsychic power, rushed toward the

gate area.

High in the sky, Aiken was searching for them. He did not

want the time-gate closed, since this would deprive him of
potential subjects once he became King- Before Aiken could
spot his quarry he was seized by a miniature tornado and flung
far away. He had been anticipated by Nodonnâ€”who had plans

of his own for the old couple.

As Claude and Madame approached the gate, the image of
Nodonn filled their minds. He was not there to stop them, but

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to explain why he was permitting them to succeed. Because
of Tanu popular sentiment. Nodonn had not dared to close the
time-gate himself; yet he knew that it posed a mortal threat to
his race's survival. He now told Claude and Madame that they
must do their work visibly, so that there would be no doubt

THE NONBORN KING XXXV

where the responsibility for the gate's closure lay. Then he let
them go.

Hand in hand, the two old people stepped into the recycling
time-warp and returned to the twenty-second century. Their
bodies crumbled to dust, but the amber message holders sur-
vived. The time-gate was shut down forthwith.

Now the time of the Grand Combat had almost arrived. The
petty nobility of the Tanu showed a strange liking for Aiken
Drum, and his kingly aspirations had become a very serious
matter. Also, he now had the photonic Spear in working order.
This sacred weapon had last been used officially in a duel of
two great heroes back at the Ship's Grave, when Tanu and
Firvuiag first arrived on Earth a thousand years earlier. The
Tanu hero Bright Lugonn had wielded the Spear; the Firvuiag
hero Sharn the Atrocious had used a similar laserlike weapon
called the Sword. In later years, the Sword had been used as
the Grand Combat trophy and currently it was in the care of
Nodonn Battlemaster. Aiken's possession of the Spear gave a
further air of legitimacy to his aspiration. According to Tanu
chivalric usage. Aiken would be permitted to fight Nodonn,
Spear to Sword, if he managed to attract a suitable number of
adherents during the Grand Combat.

A threat to Aiken now materialized from a strange source:

his friend Stein- Suffering in prison with Sukey, who had mis-
carried of their son, Stein's mind was failing under the malig-
nant influence of his gray lore. At the same time, the mental
block installed by Gomnot began to weaken. It seemed that
Stein would unwittingly betray Aiken's link with the saboteurs
and his conspiracy with the late human Lord Coercer.

Resisting the temptation to kill Stein and Sukey, Aiken
begged Mayvar to get the pair out of Muriah, beyond the range
of the Host's mental snooping. Mayvar agreed to this, then
went to a meeting of the clandestine Tanu Peace Faction, which
hoped that Aiken would succeed in his bid for the kingship and
bring a new era of peace and civilization to the Many-Colored
Land-

Besides Mayvar, the Peace Faction included the hybrid High
Table members Bleyn, Alberonn, and Kattinel the Darkeyed
(who announced that she was betrothed to none other than
A Sugoll, ruler of the Howlers), Dionket the Lord Healer, Creyn,

XXXVI

SYNOPSIS

and two banished Tanu stalwarts who might play special roles
in the upcoming Grand Combat- One of these was Leyr, father
of the hybrid Katlinel, who had been Lord Coercer before being

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deposed by Gomnol. Now that the latter was dead and his post
vacant, the Host would put Imidol forward as a presidential
candidate. The Peace Faction urged Leyr to challenge young
Imidol in order to keep the Coercer Guild from Host control.
Leyr was much older, but it was known that Imidol was weaker
than Gomnol, so there seemed a slim chance that Leyr might
win. The other banished Tanu present at the secret meeting
was Minanonn the Heretic. Five hundred years before, he had
been Battlemaster. But his pacifistic temperament was anti-
thetical to the barbaric Tanu battle-religion, and he had been
forced into exile deep in the Pyrenees. The Peace Faction hoped
that, in the event Aiken defeated Nodonn, Minanonn would
fight against Kuhal Earthshaker for the presidency of the Psy-
chokinetic Guild- However, Minanonn refused to compromise
his principles. Leyr did agree to go up against Imidol.

Later that same night, on a mountain above Muriah, Eliz-
abeth and her great hot-air balloon awaited the arrival ofCrcyn.
He was to bring Stein and Sukey to her and the balloon would
carry all three to safety. Bul when the Tanu redactor arrived,
he brought not two people but three. Curled up unconscious
in the carriage was Felice. Creyn had found her in a cell next
to the others, near death after torture by Culluket. Felice, like
Stein, now wore a gray tore- But Sukey had been given a pair
of iron shears to remove the devices once they were safely off

the ground.

There was only one problem: The balloon gondola carried

only three.

Elizabeth was despairing and furious. Both Brcde and Dion-

ket had pleaded with her to remain with them, doing important
work that only a Grand Master metapsychic such as herself
was capable of. But Elizabeth did not want the responsibilityâ€”
especially if it meant that the Host would never relent in trying
to kill her. Faced with the wretched Felice, Stein, and Sukey,
she felt caught in the Shipspouse's web.

Finally, Elizabeth sent the three freed prisoners away in her
balloon. Then she returned to Brede's room without doors and

THE NONBORN KING XXXV11

withdrew into a fiery mental cocoon that isolated her from all
other minds,

The First Day of the Combat began.

It was a day of bloodless sporting events and ceremony.
Mercy came to watch the thrilling contests with Bryan, who
was literally dying for love of her. Then she left him in order
to challenge old Aiuteyn Craftsmaster for the presidency of the
Creator Guild.

At the same time, the balloon carrying Felice, Stein, and
Sukey drifted westward and landed alongside the Long Fjord
east of Ml. Alboran. Felice recovered her sensesâ€”and more.
In his tortures, Culluket had unwittingly duplicated a drastic
mind-altering technique that Elizabeth had used on Brede to
raise her to operancy; now Felice had gone operant, too. She

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no longer needed a tore in order to exercise her metapsychic
powers; and these powers, at least the destructive aspects of
psychokinesis and creativity, were greater than those of any
other person in the world.

Felice was finally in a position to take revenge on the Tanu.
Her plan was to blast open the Gibraltar Isthmus with psy-
choenergy, letting the Atlantic flood the empty Mediterranean
Basin- The battleground of the White Silver Plain below Muriah
was well below sea level. It did not bother Felice that thousands
of Firvulag and humans would also drown in the cataclysm.
She did not trust the Firvulag protestations of friendship (neither
had Madame Guderian), and most of the humans in Muriah
were creatures of the Tanu. In order to implement her plan,
Felice required Stein's help- As an ex-driller of the Earth's
crust, he had the technical knowledge to instruct her where to
blast. At first. Stein refused to consider Felice's terrible scheme.
He had no grudge against the Tanuâ€”none, thai is, worth such
a hideous retribution.

At that point, Felice triumphantly told Stein that King Thag-
dal was responsible for Sukey's miscarriage, the guilt for which
Stein had mistakenly borne himself. In his rage, Stein gave
Felice all the help she needed. He showed her how to steal the
fjord so that a head of water would build up in the Alboran
Basin. Then he had her begin to blast open the Gibraltar Isth-
mus.

XXXV111

SYNOPSIS

Powerful as she was. Felice faltered before the job was
complete. In her extremity of hatred, Felice prayed help from
whatever powers of darkness might existâ€”and the help came
from somewhere, and she was able to open the Gibraltar Gate
at last. A monstrous cascade of seawater began to fill the
Alboran Basin, backing up behind a loose rubble dam near the
Long Fjord.

On the Second Day of the Grand Combat, the culminating
event was the selection of the Combat leaders by means of a
manifestation of powers. The nine Firvulag leaders of long
standing were unchallenged and accepted by acclamation.
Wicked old Pailol One-Eye, the Firvulag Battlemaster. gave a
demonstration of his formidable metapsychic power.

The selection of Tanu leaders was not so orderly. Things
began tamely enough when Bleyn, Alberonn, Lady Bunone
Warteacher, and Tagan Lord of Swords stood forth unchal-
lenged. And then Dionket appointed Culluket his deputy, as
was expected; and Nodonn similarly deputized his brother Ku-
hal Earthshaker since he himself would serve as Battlemaster.
But a furor broke out when Gomnol's empty place was claimed
by both Imidol and the exiled Leyr. The two agreed to duel
for the coercer leadership on the field of battle rather than to

manifest powers at that time-
Then it was the turn of Aluteyn Craftsmaster, Lord of the

Creators. He was challenged by Mercy, and in the subsequent
manifestation she was victorious. Rather than banishment, proud

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Aluteyn chose death. He went off to a huge glass vessel called
the Great Retort, in which those condemned to die at the Com-
bat's end awaited their fate. Mercy, the new Lady Creator,
declined to fight in the Combat. She deputized Veiteyn, erst-
while Lord of devastated Finiah, as her champion.

The final Tanu leader to stand forth was Mayvar, President
of the Farsensors. She chose Aiken as her deputy rather than
the Host's nominee, Riganone. After King Thagdal designated
Nodonn as Battlemaster, all of the company retired to feasting
and entertainment. Tomorrow the actual Combat would begin,
lasting for two and a half days with only a few recesses. During
that time, the sump behind the rubble dam across the Medi-
terranean Basin would fill with ever-deepening water...

The last, fateful psychocreative blast that had let in the sea

THE NONBORN KING

XXXIX

also caused Felice to fall from the balloon. Stein and Sukey
could find no trace of the girl. After cutting off his wife's silver
tore so she could not transmit a telepathic warning to Muriah,
Stein guided the balloon into a northerly current of air and
soared far away, heading for freedom in a remote part of France.

The only person at the Grand Combat with an intimation of
approaching disaster was the deposed Creator, Aluteyn Crafts-
master. As the Grand Combat proper began, he perceived subtle
geophysical hints of the encroaching sea and tried to give warn-
ing while imprisoned inside the Great Retort- He was ignored.
Tanu and Firvulag met in their ritual war with no thought except
for their ancient rivalry. The human Raimo Hakkinen, forced
to lake part in the battle, was rescued from slaughter by Aiken
Drum- Then Raimo attempted to desert, but he was found out
and condemned to the Retort for cowardice.

Unlike the previous forty Grand Combats, which the Tanu
had won easily, this contest showed signs of being a squeaker.
The Firvulag used new tactics, learned at Finiah, against the
battle-mounts of Tanu and torced humanity. The Little People
pulled ahead in the body-count scoring, even though the Tanu
retained a lead in the more significant banner-capture tally.
Veiteyn of Finiah, too anxious for vengeance after the loss of
his city, was responsible for a Tanu fiasco. Aiken Drum, on
the other hand, engineered a number of triumphs by means of
tricky maneuvers, which delighted the more progressive Tanu
but enraged the reactionaries of the Host, most notably Nodonn

Battlemaster.

The rivalry between Aiken and Nodonn for the battlemas-
tership became more heated during the second day of fighting.
At a war feast, Nodonn tried to discredit Aiken by dramatically
producing Bryan Grenfell and his adverse study of humanity's
impact upon the Many-Colored Land. Some of the Tanu aban-
doned Aiken because of this; but large numbers still were prag-
matic enough to stick with him. In the duel between coercers,
Imidol of the Host defeated the elderly Leyr- Tough old Ce-
ladeyr of Afaliah took the place of the defunct Veiteyn as
Second Creator under Mercy.

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Shortly before the Combat's start, Brede Shipspouse had
secretly taken healing Skin to the prison cell in Muriah where

SYNOPSIS

Chief Burke, Basil, and Amerie lay dying. The three were fully
recovered by the last day of the Combat and Brede ted them,
mystified, to a room high on the Mount of Heroes inside the
Redactor Headquarters, which overlooked the White Silver
Plain. Inside this room were lockers full of twenty-second-
century equipment that the Tanu had confiscated from time-
travelers- More important, Elizabeth was there, apparently in
a deep coma. Brede instructed the three to take charge of the
equipment and Elizabeth, and wait until the following morning,
when they would know what to do. On no account were they
to leave the room until then.

The Grand Combat approaches its finale, in which the cham-
pions of the Tanu and Firvulag armies would meet hand to
hand. The generalized phase of fighting had given the Tanu a
narrow lead over the Little People, but this could be upset
during the Heroic Encounters. The Firvulag were especially
hopeful because neither Nodonn nor Aiken could participate in
the first round of Encounters. Each battlemaster-candidate now
had four heroes (leaders) pledged to him, and the candidate
whose people won the most duels against the Firvuiag heroes
would stand forth in the culminating Encounter of Battlemasters
against Pallol One-Eye.

In the Encounters, Aiken's partisans won two and lost two.
Nodonn's won one, lost two, and tied one. This meant that
Aiken would meet Pallol. If he lost, the Firvulag would win
the entire Grand Combat. Aiken maintained that he could beat
the Firvulag ogre if the Tanu High Table allowed him to do it
in a human way, using the same trick he had used to overcome
Delbaeth- Reluctantly, Nodonn and his people had to agree-
Aiken went out and downed the Firvulag Baitlemaster just as
he had promised, and the Tanu were declared winners of the
Grand Combat.

Heartbroken by their narrow loss, most of the Firvulag de-
cided to leave the battlefield before the award ceremonies. Not
even the prospect of seeing Aiken and Nodonn battle it out
with Spear and Sword seemed worth waiting for. Only the
Firvulag royalty and their attendants remained for the finale.

The Tanu victory was ceremoniously proclaimed and Aiken
awarded the trophy Sword of Sham (a photon weapon like the
Spear). Instead of offering it in fealty to King Thagdal. thus

THE NONBORN KING xli

acknowledging the Tanu's overlordship, Aiken drove the Sword
into the ground. Thagdal signed to Nodonn to take it up as
King's Champion. Meanwhile, Aiken's allies girded him in
the harness of the Spear. The two squared off and began their
duel just as the catac'ysmic flood from the encroaching Atlantic
swept over the White Silver Plain.

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The mind-cries of the thousands of drowning people roused
Elizabeth from her self-imposed coma. She and her three human
companions looked out from the mountain refuge upon dev-
astated Muriah and a submerged White Silver Plain- Redactor
House contained a number of survivors and Chief Burke pre-
pared for their evacuation.

Not all of those combatants and spectators caught on the
White Silver Plain perishedâ€”although a majority of the Tanu,
who were especially vulnerable to immersion, did lose their
lives- Some few Tanu were cast ashore by the flood wave or
managed to use their metapsychic powers to save themselves.
Humans and hybrids in fair numbers swam to safety. Aiken
Drum climbed aboard the ceremonial Krai cauldron and later
rescued Mercy. The Great Retort, with its load of condemned,
floated on the surge and, ironically, brought salvation to Alu-
teyn Craftsmaster, Raimo Hakkinen, and numbers of others,
mostly human.

At the end of Volume 2, it was evident that an entirely new
balance of power would now prevail in the Many-Colored Land.
The Firvulag were strong under their new co-monarchs. King
Sham-Mes and Queen Ayfa. The Tanu cities, stripped of their
most powerful metapsychic talents, were now vulnerable to
attacks by Lowlife humans or the Little People. Most of the
Tanu leadership, including Brede Shipspouse, had perished.
Those Tanu remaining alive would have to decide whether or
not to pledge allegiance to a human usurper who promised that
he could save them from annihilation.

Now begin Volume 3, which, after a brief review of times
gone by, picks up the chronicle in the period following the
Great Flood.

THE DEAD AND THE WOUNDED AND THE BRAIN-BURNED HAD

all been evacuated, and the highland forest lay innocent in
Pliocene moonlight- Spicebush and orchids mingled their fra-
grance in the undergrowth. Flying squirrels came out of their
hiding places and began to soar among the rowans and birches.

Up against the slope of the Mont-Dore volcano, where the
trees thinned, the deadly hemisphere was motionless, faintly
glimmering- It had a diameter of about fifteen meters. Its mirror
surface gave it the aspect of a colossal witch ball partially buried
in the mounta'inside, punctured by a tall, slender snag.

A single heroic squirrel came sailing out of the woods,
zoomed, stalled out, and made an expert landing on the snag
not far above the mirrored curve.

"Nervy little bugger," muttered Leyr Lord Coercer.

"No. just curious," the human Sebi-Gomnol said mildly -

The little animal darted down the barkless trunk, extended
a paw, and touched the hemisphere. Nothing happened. Head
down, the squirrel sniffed, then appeared to come to a conclu-
sion. It dropped onto the mirror, immediately lost its purchase,
and went sliding to the ground, landing in an aggrieved heap.

Bitter laughter broke from the observers as the creature

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scuttled off.

"Now he knows as much as we do," Bormol of Roniah
observed. "If only we had learned our lesson as cheaply'"

There were six shining personages standing at a respectable
distance from the hemisphere. One was a human being with
an extraordinarily large nose and the others were members of
the handsome Tanu race, more than two heads taller than the
man. All of them wore fantastic glass armor studded with
faceted spikes and gemstones, the open helmets crested with
1

2 THE NONBORN KING

horn? or heraldic beasts. The figures glowed with a soft internal
radiance. The human was smoking a cigar.

"Sixteen warriors of the Roniah battle-company slain," said
Condateyr. Bormol's chief deputy. "To say nothing of the
twenty or thirty grays and silvers killed back at Castle Gateway
before we could even bring up the Hunt. Operant humans'
Great Tana, they've never let operants come through the time-
gate before! That's why we called on you at once, Battlmasler."

Nodonn inclined his head in acknowledgment. The rosy-
gold light suffusing his magnificent form dimmed the blue-
and green-glowing armor of the others. His mind, as usual,
wore an enigmatic smiling overlay, and his spoken words were
very soft. "The time-gate. The damned time-gate."

Bormol said, "The mental thrusts that overwhelmed the
castle guardians were easily screened off by stalwarts of my
Hunt, Battlemaster. But the Lowlife invaders had some kind
of high-technology weapon as well, one that projected a co-
herent energy beam. When we finally cornered them, they used
the thing on us. Our metapsychic shields were impotent against
it until Condaieyr and I thought to coordinate a massed mind-
defense according to the ancient discipline. Barely in time, at

that."

Sebi-Gomnol grinned at the Lord of Roniah around his cigar.
"And you made a strategic withdrawal behind the barrier. Very
prudent. Coercive Brother."

"I have learned to be prudent where you humans are con-
cerned ... Coercive Brother."

Gomnol ignored the insulting little pause and addressed
himself to Nodonn. "Battlemaster, the weapon used by these
human metapsychic operants is undoubtedly some type of port-
able photon cannon. Its operation is similar to that of your
sacred Sword of Sham, the trophy of the Grand Combat."

Nodonn indicated the mirrored hemisphere. "And that thing
they're hiding behind?"

"What the science of my future world would call a sigma
forcefield. I presume that it took a while for the invaders to
get the generator working."

Bormo! said, "None of our weaponry or psychocreative

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energies can penetrate that bloody silver bubble. You can far-
sense dimly through it if you really work at it, but these aliens
use a thought-mode that's all but incomprehensible. Most of

PROLOGUE 3

them have been asleep for several hours now ... much good il
does us."

Aluteyn, President of the Guild of Creators, asked Gomnol:

"Just how strong is this sigma-field, son?"

"It would be completely impervious to any attack we could
mount against it, Craftsmaster." The human's smile had a touch
of chauvinism.

Leyr Lord Coercer glared down at his human Second. "I
thought the rules of your human time-gate establishment for-
bade taking such equipment out of your world?"

"That's true. Coercive Lord. No modern weaponry is al-
lowed to be exported to the Pliocene. Strictly forbidden by the
Concilium of the Galactic Milieu." Gomnol shrugged his sap-
phire epaulieres. "Of course, the Concilium also proscribed the
translation of operant metapsychics."

Stout old Aluteyn exploded in a picturesque blasphemy-
"But somehow, more than a hundred of the bastards have sneaked
through! And beat the baltocks off our brother Bormol, here!
Now what? I say, now whaiT' He brandished a radiant emerald
fist at the rounded forcefield, which reflected a miniature moon
and an anamorphically distorted forest skyline.

"I summoned you here hoping for useful advice. Creative
Brother," Bormol responded with dignity, "not rhetorical ques-
tions. The alien invaders sleep now, but they'll wake up- And
when they do... I presume they have a way of shooting their
weapon from inside that sigma-field."

"It depends on the type of generator," Gomnol said. "But
we can assume they do,"

The six of them united in a crude metapsychic concert to
scan the hemisphere with their farsense; but the interior was
an inchoate blur. Straining with the mind's ear yielded only
the cycling mind-waves of the sleepers and a single steely thread
of awarenessâ€”a watcherâ€”whose mental emanations were al-
most completely outside the normal Tanu limit of perception-

Finally, Gomnol said to the Lord of Roniah, "Recapitulate
the day's melancholy events once again. Coercive Brother.
Leave out no details."

Bormol's mind, with Condateyr assisting, showed the four
others a full-sensory reprise of the disaster. The arrival of the
crowd of alien operants was first discovered by a gray-lore
soldier on the battlements of Castle Gateway. (Luckily, he

4 THE NONBORN KING

survived the enusing massacre.) The invaders passed through
the time-portal at the unprecedented time of eleven-hundred

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hours, rather than at dawn, as had been the unvarying custom
for the more than forty years of temporal translation- There
was no one outside the castle waiting to intercept them during
the brief period of disorientalion following exit from the time-
warp; and when gray soldiers from the castle finally did emerge
to investigate, they were felled by a powerful metacoercive
blast. This alerted the silver-tore castellan, who in turn notified
the two Tanu overlords in residence at the time.

The operant newcomers had then turned their mental weap-
ons, as well as some type of low-power photonic sideanns,
against the castle staff. A farspoken alarm went out to Roniah,
which lay a little over 30 kilometers away. But by the time
Bormol and Condateyr arrived with a Grand Hunt two hours
later, the invaders were gone, the Tanu overlords and about
half the Castle Gateway personnel were dead, and the ordinary
time-travelers in their prison compound were catatonic from
some kind of redactive brain-drain that the operants had in-
flicted-

Bormol's pursuing force was hampered by metapsychic bar-
riers and mirages thrown up by the operants; but eventually
these weakened, and the trail of the invaders' small all-terrain
vehicles could be readily followed. The aliens headed west,
across the steppe of the Plateau du Lyonnais and down into the
forest that lay between the tableland and the enormous Mont-
Dore stratovolcano. The chaliko mounts of the Hunt were more
efficient than the alien ATVs in cross-country travel, once the
chase took to the lowland. Nearly a dozen of the fat-wheeled
contrivances were abandoned by their drivers in a hellishly
dense bamboo swamp; and two more were found later on a
game trail, stomped into bloody junk amid the spoor of hoe-
tusker elephants.

It was shortly after sunset that the fleeing operants made
the mistake of following a westward-trending valley that nar-
rowed to a box canyon as it ascended a steep slope. Fatigued,
frightened, and trapped, the operants had let their metapsychic
screen waver for a brief moment, allowing Bormol's keenest
farsensors to discern the nature of the enemyâ€”one hundred
and one human beings, all operant, some in very poor physical
condition and all suffering from profound mental trauma. They

PROLOGUE 5

were equipped with eighty-nine miniature trailered vehicles that
were jammed to the rolibars with twenty-second-century ma-
teriel.

A cautious offensive probe by Bormol and his top coercers
brought forth only feeble metapsychic retaliation. The skirmish
at the castle and the long pursuit had seemingly worn the in-
vaders out. And now they were cornered.

Disdaining to fight mentally, the Roniah Hunt had charged,
mind-yelling its exuberant battle-cry.. - only to be met by the
photon cannon.

After the shambles of retreat, rescue of the wounded, and
regrouping, it was learned that the operants had zapped one
canyon wall, built a ramp with the debris, and escaped the cul-
de-sac. At nightfall, scouts reported to Bormol the new phe-

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nomenon of the giant mirrored hemisphere; and at that point,
the Lord of Roniah decided to pack it in and call for help from
the Battlemaster and his senior advisors...

Nodonn said, "There is one point 1 find curiously disturbing.
The human prisoners at Castle Gateway. The ordinary time-
travelers detained in the holding area. You say they were
drainedT

Bormol was emphatic. "Minds wiped cleaner than the White
Silver Plain, Battlemaster. Tabutae rasae. Damnedest thing I
ever saw. It's a good thing it was early in the week and we
only had two days' worth of prisoners. Those sixteen Lowlives
are nothing but vegetables now. Whoever did that job had to
be the devil's own redactor."

"And he found out everything that the prisoners knew about
us" growled Leyr.

"And wiped them clean," Gomnol added, "which implies
that the recently arrived time-travelers might have been able
to tell us something useful about these emigre operants. Inter-
esting."

"We know that some of the aliensâ€”if not all of themâ€”
are-what the humans term 'masterclass'," said Condateyr. "Oth-
erwise they would not have been able to kill the Tanu overlords.
Lord Moranet and Lady Senevar were highly skilled in both
coercion and redaction."

Nodonn Battlemaster opened his mind and shared his stately
train of thought with the others:

Certain of these aliens have awesome metapsychic powers

6 THE NONBORN KING

greater than our own. However, they did not use them to the
fullest potential against Bormol's Hunt, but relied instead upon
a physical weapon. Additionally, they chose to flee our forces,
rather than taking a stand. Some of the aliens show evidence
of being weakened. Hurt. These human metapsychics, the elite
of their race, have been driven to the extreme of Exile, a course
officially forbidden to them. Ergo, they can only be outlaws
from the Galactic Milieu. But that is a contradiction in terms!
All metapsychics of the future world partake of a mental fel-
lowship called Unity. There can be no outcasts. No rebels.

"None that we know about, Battlemaster," said Gomnol
aloud. "But Tanu knowledge of the Elder Earth comes perforce
from human time-travelers. And what did normal humansâ€”
even latents like myselfâ€”really know what the metapsychic
faction and the inner workings of the Galactic Concilium?" His
smile had a wry twist as he touched the golden tore behind the
blue-glass gorget of his armor. "We had to come here, to the
Pliocene, to find the true kinship of shared thought, the exercise
of godlike powers. Thanks to you Tanu."

â€¢ The sun-flood that was Nodonn's mind illumined dark cysts
of malice deep within the human coercer's heart; but Apollo's
face was serene, as always.

"Your gratitude to us is noted. Adopted Brother. Now dem-

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onstrate it tangibly! You arc capable, as we are not, of asking
these alien invaders who they are and what they want. You
will use the human mode of farspeech that we Tanu cannot
perceive."

Gomnol's guilty spurt of fear brought insouciant reassurance
from the Battlemaster. "Oh, yes, Eusebio Gomez-Nolan. We
know about it. A harmless bit of schoolboy secrecy to bolster
the pride of you human gold-tores. But now it can be useful.
Mindspeak to these invading Lowlives, Second Coercer. And
be sure that you tell me truthfully what response they make."

Gomnol's glowing blue form seemed to toner, his face went
ashen within the fantastic helmet, and the cigar fell from his
mouth. The metapsychic grip of the Battlemaster, compounded
of ali five mental faculties focused in precise neural assault,
closed upon him for the briefest instant. It was the most frightful
pain that Gomnol had ever experienced. It was replaced at once
by lingering pleasure.

Nodonn waited patiently until the human recovered his cqui-

PROLOGUE 7

librium. Then he repeated, "Mindspeak, Second Coercer-"

Gomnol slowly exhaled. His own mental screens were up
now to mask his discomfiture, his hatred. "You - -. and the
Craftsmaster must stand by. In case the invaders react aggres-
sively. That photon cannon couldâ€”"

Old Aluteyn said, "Nodonn and I can act in concert and put
up a tough little shield. As long as we know what to expect.
we can shelter the lot of us. Get on with your job, son."

Gomnol's confidence rapidly restored itself. He nodded
gravely, struck a pose, and reached out with all of his coercive
power. His thought-pattern was now indecipherable to the Tanu;

but they were hilly aware of its superlative techniqueâ€”the
gentle insinuating flow through the force-field, the abrupt con-
centration into a tidal thrust, and the irresistible impact of the
Second Coercer's mind upon that weary-alert pattern of cold
consciousness lurking inside the mirrored sphere. Gomnol spoke
and the hidden watcher was constrained to answer.

Leyr's bitter commentary on the performance of his sub-
ordinate crackled on the Tanu intimate mode;

Just look at that pushy little runt's operation. Brothers! Only
len years since we gave him gold, and already his powers of
coercion nearly rival my own! How long will he be content to
be Second, eh?

The others kept their minds shuttered. It was an uncom-
fortable question.

After a time, Gomnol withdrew his mind from the hemi-
sphere and spoke to the others with great effort. "He says.. his
people only want to be let alone. They'll leave Europe, because
of the Tanu hegemony. They'll go to North America. Never
return."

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"Tana be thanked!" Bonnol growled. "And speed the day."

But Gomnol made urgent protest. "You don't understand.
This whole group.. -all of them arc masterclass operants! There's
been some kind of failed metapsychic coup d'etat in my world,
six million years in the future. This group is what's left of the
losers- But they nearly won! This small group of human rebels
almost overcome the metapsychic magnates of all six races of
the Galactic Milieu! -.. They're in terrible shape now, but they'll
recover- And when they do, if we could ally them to usâ€”"

"The aliens must be destroyed." Nodonn's thought and voice
were storm-loud.

8 THE NONBORN KfNG

"But think of the advantage of an aliiance' The Firvu-
lagâ€”"

"Any advantages would accrue to humanity. Second Coer-
cer' These operant humans do not wear the golden tore They
can never be part of our fellowship "

"Of course you're right, Battlemaster'" Leyr exclaimed He
threw Gomnoi a monitory thought "You get a gnp on yourself,
Number Two "

Aluteyn Craftsmaster's mind-tone was withering "Dammit,
sonâ€”why should these operant humans join with us when
they're probably capable of taking over the whole Many-Cot
ored Land, given a little rest and recuperation7"

"And another photon cannon or two put into operation,"
muttered Bormol

"If we all act in metapsychic concert, our wil! can prevail,"
Gomnoi insisted "There are thousands of us gold-lores and
only a handful of operant invaders Some of them are dying
The others are devastated by failure and world-toss They'd
jump at an offer of friendship, I tell you'"

The Battlemaster said repressively, "I have farspoken the
King He concurs with my decision "

In a last effort, Gomnoi sent a plea arrowing to Nodonn on
the intimate mode

Think Battlemaster think' Unique opportunity' Leadenn-
vaders is magnateConcilium MarcRemiIIard Whole fanuly-
Renullard operated highestlevel HumanPoiityMiIieu' Marc/
recovered + others potential KEY HostNontusvel ambitions
vs Firvulag

I saw Marc traumatizedvulnerable Others muchweaker
Acting metaconcertcoercion Host + Me easily

Marc is JonRemillardbrother' And Jon =â€¢ Jack the Bodi
less" Marc nearly match for brother I remember Milieupol-
icking

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Moonlight glistened on the sweat droplets trickling down
Gomnol's face From the dark forest came a faint whickering
sound and the thud of clawed feet The armored chaliko mounts
of the party came trotting forward at Leyr's telepathic com-
mand Nodonn vaulted into his saddle, kindling his own faene

PROLOGUE 9

aura of rose and gold about the beast's jeweled caparisons

"I have also farspoken my Host-brothers," Nodonn said,
looking down on Gomnoi "Hual Greatheart and Mitheyn, Lord
of Sasaran, will coordinate a Grand Quest Hual will bring the
Sword of Sham down from Gonah, and I will wield it against
this Lowlife crew Milheyn will come north from Sasaran with
a land force strong in psychokinesis, creativity, and coercion
We will allow the invaders to move westward into the Valley
of Donaar Somewhere in the Grotto Wilderness, at a place of
our choosing, we will annihilate them "

"As Tana wills," said Gomnoi in resignation After wiping
his face with a white handkerchief, he reached for a fresh cigar,
mounted his own chaliko, and rode away with the others

Three days later, near a nver that would one day be called
the Dordogne, a massed body of Tanu chivalry swept down
upon the crawling tram of twenty-second-century vehicles, but
since the operant humans, even in their weakened state, far
surpassed the exotics in the faculty of farsensing, the Tanu
attempt at ambush was unsuccessful Sophisticated equipment,
initially unfamiliar to the fleeing metapsychic rebels and clum-
sily stowed to boot, was now arrayed competently Solar pow-
erpacks were fully charged, small arms and personal force-
screens were at the ready, and the photon cannon was emplaced
for tactical advantage

Four hundred and nineteen Tanu knights, including the Lord
of Sasaran and Hual Greatheart, were slain in the ensuing
conflict Twice that number of exotics, virtually the entire roster
of survivors, fell wounded

Nodonn Battlemaster saw his Flying Hum decimated and
his favonte chaliko blasted out from under him in midair He
narrowly missed dropping the precious Sword of Sharn into
the Donaar River, and lost not only his Apolloman dignity but
his temper as well

Leyr Lord Coercer forfeited an arm, half a leg, and the left
lobe of his liver He had to spend eight months recuperating
in Skin, during which time his subaltern, the human Sebi
Gomnoi, consolidated his own position and resolved to chal
lenge his fading supenor in the next year's Manifestation of
Powers

The invading operants made their way to the Atlantic Coast

10 THE NONBORN KING

There they linked their modular ATVs to form boats, whistled
up a fair psychokinetic wind, and vanished into the sunset

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After a two-month hiatus, the lime-gate resumed normal
operations

Heeding the Battlemaster's counsel, Thagdal, High King of
ihe Many-Colored Land, decreed that the entire alien invasion
debacle had never happened

And for the next twenty-seven years, the Tanu kingdom in
exile prospered until the Gibraltar Gale was opened and the
Empty Sea filled

-L13Â£
POST

DILWIVIM

THE GREAT RAVEN OVERFLEW THE DESOLATION OF MURIAH.

She had to travel far from her mountain these days in her
searches, since the near coasts of Spain and shrinking Aven
were nearly picked clean of booty, the bodies buried ever more
deeply in silt beneath the rising Mediterranean. She had scav-
enged the easily accessible golden tores months ago, and found
the great treasure. The pickings were now all the more precious
for their rarity-

Muriah, below her, had its ruin softened by a spreading
verdurous shroud. After nearly four months of the rainy season,
the former Tanu capital of the Many-Colored Land seemed to
have surrendered to rampant Pliocene vegetation. Tendrils and
runners and shoots from ornamental shrubsâ€”unrestrained now
that most of the little rama gardeners had perishedâ€”smothered
the courtyards, the grand stairways, and the filigreed walls of
white marble. Fresh growth even probed open doors and win-
dows and clambered onto the roofs, thrusting the red and blue
tiles awry. Trees sent out erratic withes from their splintered
trunks. Spores and seeds, washed or blown into the crevices
of pavement and masonry, sprouted in ghoulish abandon.

The sweeping esplanades, the sporting arena, the Square of
Commerce, the mansions, and all the proud structures built by
the Tanu and their clever human slaves were being inexorably
pushed and pried apart. Fungi, mosses, and vulgar flowering

14 THE NONBORN KINO

weeds loosened the once gleaming courses of alabaster and the
dulled mosaics- The colonnade of King Thagdal's palace had
its heavy pillars unseated by the irresistible growth of little
brown mushrooms. Unlit silver torcheres along the deserted
boulevards were tarnished black by sea mist. The facades of
the five metapsycnic guild-halls had their heraldic colors de-
faced by dark splotches of mildew. Even the lofty glass spires,
their faerie lights dark forever, were encrusted with dried salt
and scabby lichen.

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Circling, the raven concentrated her search along the north-
ern perimeter of the ruined city. The entire docks area was now
submerged. Sullen waves lapped halfway up the escarpment
below the Coercer Guild Headquarters. Skylights in one section
of the huge structure had been smashed and the tore factory
inside held no treasure now. The raven had seen to it.

Her farsensing eye bored deep, seeing through water and
rock into me submarine caves that once had been high and dry
above saline Hals rimming the Catalan Gulf. Months ago when
Muriah city was alive, she had hidden in one of those caves
with her doomed friends. There the trickster had come, robbing
her! (But she had seen to thai matter as well.)

And sooner or later she would see to the other unfinished
business, for she was a creature methodical in her unsanity,
this bird that glided in a gray March sky over a gray new sea,
endlessly searching.

She scanned cavern after cavern where flotsam lay piled,
cast up by the Flood's first cataclysmic surge and later en-
tombed as the waters rose. Some of the caves still had air in
their upper chambers. It was in one of these that she at last
perceived the telltale density-signature of precious metal.

Gold.

Her harsh joy-cry echoed from the Aven cliffs. She plum-
meted, coming out of the dive just above the leaden water, and
poised motionless with great ebony wings outspread. Then a
small woman with a cloud of fair hair appeared in place of the
raven; a woman dressed in a cuirass, greaves, and gauntlets of
gleaming black. Felice laughed out loud and was abruptly na-
ked, pale as salt-rime except for her wide dark eyes.

THE POSTDILUVIUM

She pierced the water as cleanly as an arrow of flesh. A
single torpedotike movement took her through the sea-tunnel
and into the cave. Shining like a wan bluish corposant, she
walked over the water to a narrow ledge where the body lay.
She laughed again at the sight of the dead enemyâ€”until she
realized that the dingy glass armor was not amethyst, as her
deceiving blue light made it seem, but ruby-red. Redactor Guild
red.

"No!" she shrieked, dropping to her knees beside the corpse
of the Tanu knight. His jaw hung slack and his wrinkled eyelids
were closed. He wore no helmet. Lank fair hair still clung to
his half-exposed skull. His golden tore was befouled in adi-
pocere from the decomposing head and neck.

"Oh, no," she wept. "Not yet."

She scratched away the moldy matter hiding the breast-
plate's heraldic motif, gasping and whimpering until the design
was fully visible. It was a stylized tree laden with jeweled
fruits, not the transfixed caput mortuum of Culluket the Inter-
rogator.

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Peal after peal of laughter rang in the dank cave. What a
fool she was. Of course it wasn't him.

Felice jumped to her feet, grasped the hinged gorget plates
of the ruby armor, and ripped them from place. They fell to
the rock floor with a loud chiming sound. And then the severed
head fell, for she pulled away the tore so violently that the
vertebrae were disarticulated.

She held the tore high. It blazed incandescent and was clean.
She plunged back into the water and in a moment the raven
was rocketing skyward, gripping a golden circlet in powerful
talons. Her mind's voice shouted triumph and profound relief-
She called out to her Beloved as she had done so often, using
the declamatory mode of mental speech that could span con-
tinents and oceans and reverberate around the world like the
sonorities of dying thunder.

Culluket!

She called. High in the featureless gray above drowned Aven
she called.

The devils answered.

THE NONBORN KING

Felice's exaltation changed to terror. She shrank within an
opaque thought-screen and sent the bird body hurtling in the
direction of the Spanish mainland, protected from friction-bum
by a subconical psychocreative shield. Only when she reached
the vicinity of Mount Mulhacen did she slacken the furious
dash and venture a cautious peep to see whether or not the
devils had tracked her-

They had not. Once again, she had eluded them.
She dropped all the screens and voiced a raucous, defiant
croak. Then she flew home, the newest bit of treasure secure
in her claws.

MORE THAN EIGHT THOUSAND KILOMETERS WEST OF EUROPE,

the great bulldog tarpon of the Pliocene Epoch had once again
begun their spring migration to the spawning grounds around
Ocala Island and the Still-Vexed Bennoothes. It was time for
the saint's elder brother to suspend his weary star-search in
favor of his sole form of relaxationâ€”hunting the silvery mon-
sters.

The man in the skiff watched the fish come with his farsense
He was motionless and made no sound, hidden behind a mass
of mangroves and flowering epiphytes in the Suwanee estuary
on the west side of the island. He deliberately limited his mind's
stupendous vision to the river channel within a few hundred
meters of his hiding place, for he had his rules in the stalking
of the big tarpon and he would not violate them. Not con-
sciously-
In the manner of their kind, the fish surfaced and rolled in
the sparkling blue water, taking gulps of air. Scales larger than

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a handspan reflected the tropical sun like mirrors. With their
undershot jaws, glaring black eyes. and bristling gills of lurid
scarlet, the tarpon resembled cruising dragons rather than or-
dinary fish. Numbers of them exceeded three meters in length
and they were capable of attaining an even greater size as the
fisherman knew only too well. When hooked, a bulldog tarpon
would fight with maniacal ferocity, sometimes for twenty hours.

18 THE NONBORN KING

He watched them parade by while the sun soared higher,
bringing a sheen of sweat to his deeply tanned skin He wore
only a pair of stagged dungarees, bleached by age and sail
water His self-rejuvenating body was as powerful and firmly
muscled as ever; but his face showed, as on a chart of flesh
and bone, the pain-etched odyssey of the failed idealist. Only
when one particularly large specimen of tarpon glided past, its
jaw-plates scarred from an enconnter several seasons past. did
the fisherman's mouth curve in a reminiscent, one-sided smile
of peculiar sweetness.

Not you, he told the huge fish. You've had your turn on
the hook. Another A greater.

Engrossed as he was in the study of the tarpon, he was
instantly aware of the featherlight scrutiny" the farsense of the
children, spying on him again, even though all of the inhabitants
of Ocala knew that it was strictly forbidden to disturb him when
the tarpon were running. None of the surviving senior rebeis
would dream of it, remembering only too well the capabilities
of the one who had led them in their challenge of the galaxy.
But the second generation, now grown to restless young adult-
hood, was less inclined to reverence. Even his own children,
Hagen and Cloud (never having been told of his aborted plans
for them had the Rebellion succeeded), believed that his mental
powers were diminished by timeâ€”and by his thus-far futile
scrutiny of some 36,000 Pliocene solar systems in an attempt
to locate other coadunate minds-

The disdain of the youngsters had been shaken only once:

last fall, when Felice Landry in her extremity besought help
from what she believed were dark forces- So powerful had been
the girl's projection of need that the operant metapsychics of
Ocala, there on the other side of the world, had clearly farsensed
what she was trying to accomplish at Gibraltar He had smiled
at her temerarious rage in that whimsical manner of his. and
said: "Why shouldn't the Angel of the Abyss take care of his
own?" And forthwith he had combined and focused the psy-
choenergies of the forty-three surviving conspirators of the
Metapsychic Rebellion, plus the uncoadunate but immense

THE POSTDILUVIUM 19

creativity of their thirty-two mature children, and vouchsafed
the totality to the madwoman. And the Empty Sea filled.

This had been a mere hint, a shadow of his potential. But
it was enough to make the more imaginative of the youngsters
reassess their derogation of the lonely star-searcher.

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Sitting there in the skiff, he felt them sweep him again, ever
so discreetly He knew what they were up to They were bored
with their exile on Ocala, bored with the murderous intrigues
and harsh restrictions of their elders, and above all bored by
their own lack of coadunale menial Unity (for none of the
fleeing rebels had possessed the specialized training required
of metapsychic preceptors). Now that Europe, the mysterious
and alluring Many-Colored Land, was known to be in a slate
of chaos, the more ambitious members of the second generation
were hatching callow schemes of conquest. Not for them the
patient search of planet after planet for kindred minds, the
dream of a rescue from exile The children had hopes of achiev-
ing power and Unity right here on Pliocene Earth. And the
bolder ones entertained an even greater ambition. An unthink-
able one.

Out in the channel, the enormous fish cavorted in the sun.

He lifted his rod from its case, opened the tackle box,
inspected the reel mechanism with his deep-vision, mounted
it, and began to thread the line. The fly rod was laminated
bamboo. Grafted by himself more than twenty years ago. He
had made the reel as well. But that fishing line was the product
of a world six million years removed from the Pliocene Su-
wanee estuary. Tapered, balanced, and irreplaceable, subtly
armored in the trace against the tarpon's steely jaws. it merged
to a vulnerable 6.75-kilo test tippet that gave the fish an almost
overwhelming sporting advantage over the angler. To catch
even the least of those splendid brutes on a flyrod with such a
gossamer thread (and without using any metapsychic forceâ€”
that went without saying!) was a supreme achievement. But
this season, he intended to aim beyond supremacy toward the
ultimate. He was going to take one of the Old Ones, the glit-
tering leviathans of the tarpon clan thai approached four meters
in length and nearly three hundred kilos in weight. He was

20 THE NONBORN KING

going to bring in one of those fish on the frail tine, with his
homemade fly rod-

1 can do it, he told himself, smiling the attractive one-sided
smile One old monster against another.

The farsense of the children slid over him again.
Closing his mind to every other input. Marc Remillard set-
tled down m the skiff in the sunshine, waiting for his prey.

IN GORIAH, AFTER MIDNIGHT WHEN THE MOON WAS DOWN,

the cloud cover broke along the Bntlany shore and the meteors
of March appeared in all their splendor. In a fit of playfulness,
Aiken Drum ordered the lights in the city to be extinguished
and had Mercy roused from sleep and brought to where he
waited on a narrow parapet surmounting the highest spire of
the Castle of Glass.

She stepped out into the amazing night and cned, "Ah!"

Spraying among the western constellations were countless

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arching white sparks, and larger meteors with lucent silver tails,
and occasional orange fireballs slashing the sky with bold strokes
of afterglow. All of them rushed outward from a tight central
focus like spokes in a starry wheel, or petals unfurling endlessly
from some astral chrysanthemum. The meteors flew over the
heads of Aiken and Mercy and dived behind the mass of Breton
Island across the strait. Some of them quenched themselves in
the black sea. The night was filled with a faint rustling sound,
like ethereal whispering.

"For you!" Aiken exclaimed magniloquently, compassing
the spectacle with a possessive sweep of his hand. "One of my
more modest productions, but still worthy of a Tanu queen!"

Laughing, she came to him. "Not yet a queen, my shining
braggart, in spite of all your saucy promises. But the star-

THE NONBORN KING

shower is lovelyâ€”not that I believe for a moment that you
caused it "

"Doubting me again, woman^" The small man in the gleam-
ing suit all covered with pockets lifted both arms A dozen of
the meteors seemed to plummet straight down at him, emitting
a scorching hiss, and shrink to form a coronet of white lights
that scintillated insanely He held it out to her with a triumphant
gnn "I crown you Queen of the Many-Colored Land'"

"Illusions'" she cned "Thai for your shifty love-gift. Lord
Lugonn Alken Drum'" She snapped her fingers at me starry
diadem and it died to embers, sifting through Alken's hands
like dwindling coais through a grate But as his face fell she
suddenly smiled at him there in the blazing darkness, making
his heart heel half-seas over

"But I do love the real meteors, and you're a dear trickster
to have called me out to see them "

She kissed him full and long, with her wild eyes wide open,
and while he was disarmed and his mind-shields awry, she
caught him unprepared with a redactive probe

"You do love me'" she exclaimed

"The hell I do!" He mustered his defenses, reasserting self-
control, trying to escape her mental scrutiny without hurting
her The great metapsychic faculties that had continued to grow
throughout the winter monthsâ€”those powers that had evoked
admiring subservience or sullen awe from the surviving Tanu
Great Onesâ€”failed before Mercy-Rosmar "I don't love you'"
his mind and voice protested "It isn't necessary "

Her memment bubbled up "Necessary7 But you'd take my
pleasure-gifts, wouldn't youâ€”love or not, you archdeceiver'
And you want them now Admit it' Well, then

The fading redactive lancet softened to a sweet searing burst
that coursed along his nerves and sent him falling, aflame like

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the meteors m helpless sexual transport "Enchantress," he
groaned, flat on the giass floor of the turret with his feet tangled
in the skirts of her flowing peignoir Then, as he recovered.
he began to laugh to cover the other emotion

Mercy knelt beside him. cradling his head and kissing his

THE POSTDILUVIUM 23

eyelids "Don't be afraid," she said "It will all work as you
planned '

"I'm not afraid of anything'" he protested "Together, we'll
lick 'em all. Lady Wildfire '

"I don't mean that, you schemer ' She looked down at him.
relaxed in her lap with his head against her swollen belly "But
you do almost make me believe you can bring the glory back "

"I can' Trust me I've got everything worked out How to
handle the Firvulag, the way to win the loyally of the Tanu
diehards, the restoration of the economyâ€”all of it I'll be king
and you'll be queen, and our winter dreams will alt come true "

His face with its golliwog gnn was bright with jacky-lan-
thom radiance He felt Mercy's mind start with an abrupt sense
of de]'a vu that was so intense that it made even the sleeping
fetus stir

"I've seen your face before," she said wondenngly "Back
in the Old World I'm sure of it It was in Italy in Firenze "

"Not bloody likely The only time I came to Old Earth was
on my tnp to the auberge and I went right to France with no
detours That was after you'd already gone through the time-
gate '

'I saw you, she insisted "Or was it a picture of you7
Perhaps in the Palazzo Vecchio^ But whose portrait'7"

"Not an Italian gene in my bod," he murmured, reaching
up to stroke her hair Meteors sketched a surreal hdio behind
her head "Dalnada, where I grew up, was a Scottish world
And all of us test-tube brats had certified tartan chromosomes "

He levitated until their lips met She melted into him again,
as he knew she would, triggering the neural conflagration that
he could not help craving in spite of his fear When he regained
his senses, still lying in her lap, the baby was kicking him in
the ear and the damn meteors exploding in pyrotechnic mock
ery

"Shame on you for disturbing my darling Agraynel," Mercy
said

Alken felt her maternal thought-song soothe the unborn girl
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, his eyes filled with tears
Mortified, he whirled his most impregnable mental barrier into

24 THE NONBORN KING

place so that Mercy would not know how much he envied the
baby. He said. "Only one more month until it's born. And then

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I'm going to have you, my Lady Wildfire! Find out how you
knock me out of orbitâ€”and give you some of your own back
with interest!"

"Not until May," she chided him. "At the Grand Loving,
as we agreed."

"Oh, no! That's just the official wedding- You aren't going
to hold me off that long! -. And come to think of itâ€”why
shouldn't I lake you metapsychically right now, just the way
you've been mind-screwing me?" His arms closed around her
shoulders, pulling her strongly down. His coercive power began
to bore into her softness "Show me how you do your magic
sex! Show meâ€”or I'll just find out by experimenting!"

"You may not!" she cned, countering him with a psycho-
creative riposte that atl but blinded him. "It would make a
fearful womb-quake in addition to the neural surge. That's the
way we women are made- It would be bad for the baby."

He released her. The damned fear came again, and so did
the tears. "To hell with the baby."

Her face came close to his. Her expression of indignation
changed into tenderness. "Ah, poor little one. I see. I see."

Her lips descended to drink his tears.

He thrashed wildly to escape her physical embrace, sprawl-
ing onto the floor. His mouth lightened to a thin slot and his
eyes were wide and black. "1 don't want that from you! Ever."

"Ah, well." She shrugged. "But you needn't fear it, really.
It's quite natural for the two womanly functions to combine in
the loving."

"You don't love me, and I don't love you. So why pretend?
And I don't need your pity, dammit!" He cast about desper-
ately, to put her in the wrong. "Why haven't you ever let me
pleasure you? Not once! Always ready to blast me into a comaâ€”
but never letting me touch you. Am I so disgusting?"

"Don't be silly. It's the baby, I tell you."

"When Nodonn was with you, the two of you fucked up a
bloody hurricaneâ€”and no worry about the baby, then. And
that poor bastard of an anthropologist had all the sweet hough-

THE POSTDILUVIUM 25

magandy he wanted from you The whole damn capital knew
what you two were up to'"

Her smile was easy. "Agraynel didn't mind then, in the
second trimester But now she's all close-crowded and impa-
tient to be born "

"Don't give me that " He got to his feet, his face no longer
alight and his voice metallic "You won't let me get into you
because you're still mourning for Nodonn "

"How could 1 not?" she admitted coolly She levitated and
stood before him The pale chiffon of her gown seemed to

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npple in the sidereal concussions

He shouted in fury "Mayvar told me all about your precious
Sun-Face! A fine king he would've made' The Tanu ruler is
supposed to pass on his superior genes to the peopleâ€”but do
you know that your wonderful Nodonn was damn near stenie7
The great Battlemaster' He lived eight hundred years and had
only a handful of children. And not a first-class power in the
lot! Mayvar Kingmaker rejected him He was only declared
crown prince because the Host of Nontusvel forced him on the
Thagdal- Why do you think Mayvar was so glad to see me
come along'7 Why do you think she named me Lugonn, after
the real crown pnnce?"

Mercy clasped his waving hands They stood face to face
in bare feet and she was several centimeters the taller

Softly, she said, "It's true that you are the chosen ot the
Kingmaker And perhaps you would have won your duel with
the Battlemaster on the White Silver Plain . and perhaps not
Nodonn is dead Drowned. But you're alive, Lord Alken-Lu-
gonn, and master of Gonah m Nodonn's place Who would
have thought that would happen, when we met all drenched
and puking like puppies, adnft in a golden cauldron in the
midst of the Great Flood! Less than five months we've been
togetherâ€”and yet I feel I've known you an age, you Lord of
Misrule You'll be king! Don't doubt it I seeâ€”i know' There
isn't a Tanu or a human gold in the Many-Colored Land with
menial prowess to equal your own No other could have picked
up the pieces of this shattered world as you did and begun the
rebuilding That's why I'll stay with you, work with you And

26 THE NONBORN KING

after 1 bear the Thagdal's daughter I'll marry you and be your
queen. In May, at the Grand Loving, as we agreed As for
your own children, we'll see what the good Goddess sends "

The rage rushed out of him, leaving only a wayward thought:

But if only you loved me. I'd be safe

Her mind smiled back, changeable as the western sea. All
during their time together they had played this game; and until
now, he had believed himself the winner, immune to the en-
chantment that had bound the others to her.

She said, "You fear me, and you hope to gain control through
love But are you willing to love me in return, giving and
sharing? Or would you only rule?"

The deep barriers that hid the truth crumbled within him.
"You know I already love you."

"Enough to demand nothing of me in return? Unselfishly?"

"i don't know."

Her voice and mind-tone became fey and heedless. "And
what if I won't return your love, you Hermes Chrysorapis?
What will you do with me then?"

He folded her in his arms, burying his face in the fragrant

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hair cascading over her shoulder, sensing the ironic tnumph
behind her question. She knew She knew

He broke away and stood alone The sky was graying with
false dawn. The meteors diminished- He said, "1 didn't really
cause the star-shower. The meteors come every spring at this
time. They mark the end of the rainy season. But I wanted to
surprise you with them."

"What will you do with me if I won't love you?" she re-
peated

"1 think you know."

He gave her his hand and they entered the lightless lower,
leaving the last of the meteors exploding in cool darkness.

JUST ONE MORE DAY. AND TONY WAYLAND WOULD HAVE MADE

his escape. Just one more day, and he could have gone out
normally with the caravan to Fort Rustyâ€”then made his get-
away with nobody the wiser.

But the Howlers had attacked the iron Maiden Mine before
the caravan left- And now Tony knew he was going to die ...

As that Pliocene rara avis, a metallurgical engineer and fully
sane ex-silver (his psychocreative faculty was modest at best;

he owed his high status under the Tanu to an improved refining
technique introduced at the Finiah banum mine), Tony was
under strictest orders from his new bosses in the Lowlife Steer-
ing Committee to avoid life-threatening situations He usually
undertook troubleshooting tours among the Iron Villages only
during daylight, when hostile exotics were seldom abroad. Sir
Dougal, the stalwart bodyguard assigned to him by Old Man
Kawai, shadowed him everywhere Dougal's pseudomedieval
eccentricities were more than counterbalanced by a fanatical
devotion to duty and by expertise with the compound bow
And, truth to tell. Tony was also gratified to have at least one
person left who still addressed him as "Lord." The majority of
the Lowlife iron-working community were offensively egali-
tanan, if not downright contemptuous of a declasse silver such
as himself. He had cooperated with the Tanuâ€”and done it
willingly Thus he was a traitor to the human race.

THE NONBORN KING

Not that anyone dared snub Tony to his face' Far from it.
since his talents were invaluable If the free humans of the
Vosges wildernessâ€”Lowhves and Finiah refugees, now united
â€”were to avoid Tanu enslavement, the Howler menace, and
possible Firvulag treachery, iron production was a strategic nec-
essity The "biood-metal" was poisonous to all branches of
the extragalactic race that shared Pliocene Europe with em
battled humankind, and the use of iron weapons had been a
key factor in the destruction of Tanu Finiah by a coalition of
Lowlives and Firvulag Tony Wayland had been one of the top
prizes in that human triumph Most of the other noncombatant

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silvers had been flown safely to Tanu territory when Lord
Velteyn evacuated his doomed city But Tony had been un-
lucky

A sneering band of Lowlife invaders had caught him fla-
grante delicto in the Finiah Pleasure Dome, too besotted after
an interlude with a Tanu charmer to distinguish the skyrockets
going off in his head from the noise of the city's Gotterdam-
nierung So they frogmarched him off, hauled him before a
Lowlife tribunal, and gave him the choice faced by every other
torced human following the fall of Fmidh. Live free or die
Tony, a total pragmatist, had submitted to the abscission of
his silver tore and the ensuing weeks of agonizing psychic
adjustment But he hadn't forgottenâ€”or forgiven He would
have run away to the Tanu in a tnce, except for the still greater
disaster that had destroyed the exotics' capital of Munah and
snuffed out most of the ruling nobility The Great Flood had
bred such havoc that he was at a loss to sort out the main
chance Fort Onion River and the other gray-tore guard stations
along the track to Castle Gateway were long abandoned The
stronghold itself, useless now that the time-gate had closed,
was reputed to have been taken over by the Firvulag The Little
People had also seized the small citadel of Burask on the dan-
gerous western trail leading to Armonca and Gonah

By and large. Tony had little choice but to remain in the
Vosges with free humanity He pretended to cooperate whole-
heartedly with the Lowlife insurgents, even though life in the

THE POSTDILUVIUM 29

newly established Iron Villages along the Moselle was a brutish
comedown irom the fine-honed delights of Finiah

There were six of the settlements, with a total population
of about 400â€”mostly male Five villages were clustered in
the vicinity of the future French city ot Nancy Their names
were Iron Maiden, Hematite, Mesabt, Haul-Foumeauvilie, and
Vulcan Each had an open-pit mine and a simple smeltery inside
a heavy log stockade Iron Maiden, the largest, served as a
storage depot for iron produced by the others It was situated
adjacent to an area of disease-killed conifer forest, and on
Tony's suggestion, had a naval-stores distillery operating on
the side Vulcan and Haul-Foumeauvi lie had small primitive
blast furnaces and rolling mills Upstream and south of this
quintet, approximately midway between them and the Lowlite
headquarters at Hidden Springs, 90 kilometers distant, was the
largest new settlement. Fort Rusty Here was the principal
metalworkmg establishment, where the pigs and bar-stock were
turned into weapons The fort also had a lime-burner and d
cluster of charcoal ovens These vital raw materials were sent
down the Moselle to the mining and smelting towns via raft,
as were food and other supplies Caravans of draft chalikos
and girarfid helladothena hauled the iron into Fort Rusty

Since the setup was so new, very little attempt had been
made as yel to export iron weapons to other Lowlife bands
But the word had gone out And all through the rainy season
hardy expeditions from the Pans Basin and (he High Helvetides,
and even from Bordeaux and Albion, had come slinking into
the Vosges, demanding their share of blood-metal The new-
comers were pressed into the labor force, crushing limestone

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or stoking the insatiable coke ovens for a few weeks, then paid
off in cold iron and sent back to their own haunts ready for
action

All winter long, ever since late November, Tony Wayland
had labored twelve and fourteen hours a day He was a one-
man training program, an analytical laboratory, a production
supervisor, quality controller, and all-around soot-stained dogs-
body Everybody praised him, but no one was his friend except
demented Dougai, who popped in and out of his knight-errant

THE NONBORN KING

persona like a Shakespearean actor who kept forgetting his
lines Tony could only bide his time in patience, waiting for
the political situation in ihe Many-Colored Land to shake down

If the rumors brought in by the last gang of iron seekers
could be credited, the times were finally ripening' An upstart
human was said to have installed himself as ruler of the late
Nodonn Battlemaster's nch domain of Gonah in Brittany There
were hints that this usurper was acceptedâ€”even welcomedâ€”
by the demoralized remnant of the Tanu High Table It was
said that he would marry the Battlemaster's widow, that he
would elevate forced humanity to a parvenu aristocracy' (And
how poor Tony's bare neck had itched at that last intimation,
and how searing had been the memory of his lost tore's ecsta-
cies )

As the rainy season neared its end, Tony planned to make
his move Perhaps when that group of Lowlives from the Upper
Laar finished their tnck and departed from Fort Rusty with a
load of axes, knives, and iron arrowheads, he could follow
them secretly, then join up at a safe distance from the Vosges,
when the inevitable posse sent after him got fed up and returned
home Loyal, unquestioning Dougai would go along with him
if he pulled his liege-lord act, and if they reached the Laar they
could sail down it to the Atlantic and be practically on top of
Gonah Tony never doubted that he and Dougai would receive
a fine welcome from the new human monarchâ€”as well as a
pair of shiny golden tores

It all might have happened just as he planned, had not this
Howler attack left him well and truly fucked

A pumpkin-sized boulder came rolling down the gully,
through the broken palisade, and smashed against the log wall
of the barracks like a cannonball

"Dammit, boys, they're still out o' crossbow range'" The
mine foreman, a lantern-jawed crypto-hillbilly named Onon
Blue, coughed and hawked and spat The chinking between
the half-meter-wide oak boles exploded inward with each im-
pact The beleaguered men inside the liny fortress choked in
a swirling cloud of pulverized clay, moss fibers, and sawdust

Sir Dougai ignored the bombardment Muddy sweat dnpped

THE POSTDILUVIUM 31

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from his ginger beard into the meshes of his titanium chain
mail His knightly surtout with its blazon (gules, a lion's head
erased or) was spotless as always The twenty-second-century
fabric was ionized to repel soil

"Hell-hounds' Show thyselves'" quoth he, sending bolt after
bolt from his powerful compound bow through the embrasure
Another bouider slammed the wall, making the entire fort trem-
ble As the vibration died away, a faint screech could be heard
m the distance

"Aha' Aha'" cned Dougal "Die, misbegotten Howler scum'"

Onon Blue squinted through the loophole next to the me-
dievalist "They're totm' up a big un', Doogie Can you stop
'em from rollin' it7"

"Out of range," said the knight flatly From upslope came
a thunderous rumble

Bemammo, his voice gone falsetto with panic, fell back
from his loophole shrieking "Back' Get back' This next moth
er's bigger than a VW egg' And dead on the mark'"

The defenders flung themselves to the sides, cursing Tony
Waytand alone stood at his slit, paralyzed, unable to tear his
gaze from the huge chunk of granite bounding down upon them
Far up the hill. safe from the miners' iron-tipped arrows, a
horde of goblins leaped and cheered They glowed faintly in
the morning mist

"'Ware, milord'" Dougai shouted Tony felt himself scooped
up in mailed arms and flung several meters to the right Almost
simultaneously there was a cataclysmic impact One of the great
logs in the western wail buckled inward The logs above it
sagged fractionally with a hideous squeal The structure still
held finnâ€”for the moment, but if one of those missiles hit the
root, which was of a much weaker barky-pole-and-slab con
struction, the place would come down around their ears

Onon, sprawling in the dirt, didn't even bother to get up
He crawled toward the northeastern comer of the barracks,
where most of the surviving miners crouched behind a wall of
leather sacks filled with iron arrow blanks "We're done tor,
boys Only nine of us mother's sons left agin that whole passei

THb NONBORN KING

o' spooks! They'll bust up this place, then mind-fly us like
they done the other poor bastards outside."

Tony crept to join the others, useless crossbow slill clamped
under one arm. Only Dougal still stood defiantly at the western
wall, where smaller rocks continued to thud against the splin-
tering oak. He smote the golden lion on his breast- 'Then,
childish fear avaunt' Wilt thou stand craven before night's dark
agents, thou whoresons? Not I!" He grabbed a fresh handful
of arrows "Now, gods, stand up for bastards'"

At his next shot, the bowstring snapped and set all the
weapon's pulleys spinning impotenlly. Douga! said, "Oh, shit."

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He came back to the despairing huddle and dropped to one
knee in front of Tony, drawing a steel dirk and holding it point-
up before his face. "I have failed you. Exalted Lord My life
is forfeit But if you command it, I will use this misencord to
spare you and these minions agonizing death at the hands of
the Howler demons."

"Who you callin' a minion?" snarled Orion

Several of the other men, mouths gaping, shrank back from
the kneeling figure. "Goddam loony'" one muttered "Call him
off, Wayland'" said another. But at that moment three huge
rocks impacted, and the vee of the broken log jutted inward
more acutely. Little Beniamino licked his lips and rolled blood-
shot eyes. "Doogie's got a point, guys. The ones that were
ambushed outside died quick. But if the friggerty Howlers
capture us, they might take their sweet time with the snuffin'
partyâ€”like when they grabbed poor Alt and Veng Hong last
month."

Dougal lowered the point of the dagger until it was level
with Tony's diaphragm. "Say but the word, milord. We will
meet again before the throne of Asian."

"Hold it!" the metallurgist exclaimed, cringing against the
eastern wall. He held out his crossbow- After a pause, Dougal
sheathed his blade and took the weapon with a courteous bow.
Tony told him, "We still have the arbalests. Sir Dougal, even
though they don't have the range of your compound bow. And
the logs may be bending, but they're still in place. Fort Rusty
and the other villages should know by now that we're in trouble.

THE POSTDILUVIUM 33

We missed the ten-hundred-hour sked. If we can just stand fast
until they send reinforcementsâ€”"

"Keep dreaming, Wayiand," a miner said bitterly. Another
man curled up, head between his knees, shaking with soundless
sobs Hamid, who ran the turpentine still, consulted his wrist
gyrocompass to ascertain the direction of Mecca six million
years into the future, then prostrated himself and began his
final prayers.

Orion Blue went to one of the eastern apertures that over-
looked the Moselle and scanned the mist-hung waters through
a small monocular

"Hellfar an' white lightnin'!" he ejaculated, drawing back
from the loophole as though electroshocked "There is suthin'
comin'' But sure's shit it ain't no troops from Rusty."

Everybody except Hamid and the weeping miner crowded
for a look A large raft was drawing up to the landing stage
It bore a towering wooden apparatus resembling a derrick on
a wheeled platform. The upper part of the contraption had a
pivoting arm with a scooplike container at one end and an
amorphous bulky object at the other A complex web of rope
tackle linked the arm to the carnage- When the barge was made
fast, three monstrous Howlers attached cables to the wooden
engine, settled themselves into a troika hitch, and began hauling

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the thing toward the village's open gate

"Maledizione!" wailed Beniamino "Una bombarda!"

"What the hell is that?" Tony asked.

Sir Dougal studied the machine with professional interest
"A mangonel. Or could il be a perrier^ A bncole? Funny. . I
never heard of Howlers using mechanical devices before."

"What does it rio?" Tony yelled in exasperation.

"It just might be an onager," Dougal mused. He turned
gravely to Orion Blue "May I borrow your spyglass for half
a tick?"

The mine foreman turned it over without a word Douga!
stared intently, muttering beneath his breath. "Not a classical
ballista- Counterweigh ted Od's bodikinsâ€”I think I've got it'
It's a trehuchet'." Beaming, he handed the monocular back to
Onon.

34 THE NONBORN KING

Tony was nearly screaming. "Whatâ€”doesâ€”itâ€”do?"

The knight shrugged. "Well, it's a medieval catapult, you
see. They'll finish us by lobbing rocks at the roof."

"Hell/or!" Orion groaned

Tony watched the approach of the siege engine with fatalistic
awe. The middle monster of the hauling team was a hideous
prodigy that Dougal identified as a "fachan." It moved m awk-
ward hops because it had only a single columnar leg. An arm-
less hand more than a meter wide, equipped with black claws,
sprang directly from its chicken-breasted trunk. Its head had a
cyclopean eye and a froggy mouth from which an obscenely
prehensile tongue lolled. The fachan's yokemates were some-
what more conventional horrors: a two-meter crested lizard with
fiery carbuncle eyes, and a tall warthog, sky-blue, that walked
on its hind legs.

As the Howler trio toiled into the village compound, they
filled the air with valorous hoots. Their compeers on the high
ground above the fort responded gleefully, then sent a veritable
avalanche of stone cascading down on the log barracks. The
sheer volume of the fresh assault now provided an ironic respite
to the trapped miners. Enough rocks had piled in front of the
western wall to form a salient angle, a wedge-shaped mass that
tended to deflect rolling missiles to the nght or left of the target.
When it became clear to the exotic foe that the boulder-bowling
maneuver had lost its effectiveness, the Howlers on the hill cut
off their bombardment to await the arrival of the trebuchet.

Dougal raised his arms. The glittering links of mail and
scarlet surcoal made him a splendid figure in the dusty gloom-
"Mount, mount, my soul, thy seat is up on high' Whilst my
gross flesh sinks downward, here to die " He closed his eyes
with a sigh of theatrical melancholy -

"Damn ree-tard'" Orion grabbed up the crossbow, which
the knight had discarded, and a leather bucket of iron-tipped

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quarrels. "Snap out of it, Doogie! Haul yer ass over yonder to
the front wall. Those spooks on the machine are comin' in
range of a crossbow shot!"

Dougal shed his aura of detachment "What sayest thou, 0
lean unwashed artificer7"

THE POSTDILUVIUM 35

"They got their internal slingshot over next t' naval-stores
shop' And they're ciunbin' all over it Gettm' ready, I 'spect.
But they're exposed, and you kin pot the suckers if you calc'late
a good trajectory "

Dougal, Tony, and most of the miners rushed to join Onon
at the northern wall. The flat area between the barracks and
the industrial buildings was strewn with bodies, both human
and chaliko. When the Howlers launched their surprise attack,
a caravan loaded with pig iron had been on the point of leaving
for Fort Rusty. The trebuchet now rested in a position about
90 meters from the barracks, partially screened by one comer
of the wood-distillation shed. A large pile of conifer stumps
next to the naval-stores shop provided partial cover for the
enemy, but the men inside the barracks could see a dark shape
moving in the upper part of the siege engine, probably adjusting
its tackle.

"Enemy on the move!" Bemammo peered through one
of the western loopholes. "They're coming down the hillâ€”
circling to the north. Gonna help their buddies with ammo for
the bombarda, I bet."

Shapes far out of crossbow range now drifted between the
far section of the village palisade and the iron pit, where the
red ore made a shocking contrast to the jungle greenery, like
an open wound in the land An eene silence had fallen, broken
only by creaking noises as the Howler engineer tinkered with
the trebuchet

Douga! took aim. Wunng went the crossbow. On the other
side of the compound, something let out a gurgling bellow. A
sky-blue carcass tumbled from the trebuchel tower, seeming
to shrink to a much smaller black form before disappearing
from view A chorus of angry howls went up from behind the
stump pile.

"Hee-ya/i!" Onon smote his thigh joyously, still holding the
monocular to his eye- "Look sharp' T'other side o' the pile!
Suthin' movin' in that palmetty thicket!"

Wunng.

An apparition like a tanged furry pushball leaped into the
air, vestigial limbs flailing, uttering screeches like a catamount

36 THE NONBORN KING

As it dropped out of sight it. too, shape-shifted into a different
form

"A hit. a very palpable hit'" quoth Dougal

"That's two," Onon chuckled

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Tony clapped the big knight on one mailed shoulder "Well
done, my man "

"Your servant, milord "

Bemammo drew in a sharp breath "Heyâ€”the throwing
arm on the machine is moving They must be getting ready to
fire "

Dougal squinted desperately through the arbalest sight "I
can't see a fuckin' thing I mean, the foe eludes mine eye,
Goodman Napoli, and Iâ€”hoo boy' Here she comes'"

The counterweighted lever was drawn fully down The en-
tire mechanism vibrated Abruptly, the counterweight fell, the
arm whipped up, and a block of granite that must have weighed
50 kilos came whistling over the roof of the barracks It landed
on the far side with an echoing crash

"Bismallah'" cned the Son of the Prophet, falling to his
knees once more "That's cooked us "

"Do something, Dougal'" Tony urged his heroic vassal But
the ginger-bearded head wagged in helpless chagrin "I cannot
descry the demons clearly, milord They skulk behind the still-
shed "

"Still'" Tony's face lit up "The naval stores' Tar, pitch,
turpentineâ€”barrels of the stuff in the wood-distillation shop
if you could hit it with a flaming arrowâ€”"

A heavy thud betokened the fall of another rock less than
five meters short of the barracks

"They got us bracketed," groaned Onon "Get outa the line
o' fire, ever'body'"

They scattered Tony cursed wildly, trying to modify an
arrow shaft so that it could be launched by the crossbow
Somebody found a parfleche full of flammable pitch and Bem-
dimno used his skill as camp cook to quickly kindle d light

The first missile to find its mark fell through the roof JUS!
as Tony solved the arrow problem The place became a bedlam
of noise and swirling debns A falling timber struck one of the

THfc POSTDILUVIUM 37

miners across the shoulders, pinning him to the floor As men
struggled to rescue the victim, shouting and coughing. Tony
finished lashing the pitch-smeared wad to the shaft and touched
it off He thrust the firebrand at Douga!

"Only one chance Right through the open window of the
still-shop Kill, big fella'"

Dougal aimed and let flyâ€”and then everything seemed to
happen at once Another great rock shattered the roofjust above
the loophole where Tony and Dougai were standing Planks
and rafters rained down while they tned to shield their heads
Tony felt himself falling, there was a tremendous whoomp, a
prolonged clatter, a ragged chorus of distant exotic screams

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As Tony fetched up in a tangle of roof poles like a broken
doll caught in a pile of giant's pick-up-sticks, he heard Orion's
Johnny-Reb yell and presumed that the fire-arrow had found
its target Then oblivion claimed him

He woke up, splinted and bandaged The face of Denny
Johnson, Lowlife Warlord Pro Tern, beamed down at him like
a bitumen-painted mask The Hidden Spnngs medic named
Jafar was there, too, and so was the chief honcho. Old Man
Kawai himself

Tony tned to speak His mouth would not open "Wha'
hop'n^" he inquired mushtly

The doctor lifted Tony's head, proffered a glass of water
with a straw, and helped him to dnnk "Your broken jaw's
wired shut Take it easy "

"Aths muths be'er " The metallurgist managed a crooked
smile "So cav'ry 'nve juths in thime, eh'7"

Denny nodded "Our barge from Fort Rusty landed a gang
of fighters while the spooks were trying to douse the burning
catapult and rescue their wounded We finished them all off "

Old Man Kawai said, "You and the other defenders put up
a magnificent resistance, Wayland-san Free humanity owes
you a priceless debt "

"Thumfnggin' vic'ry, "Tony muttered weanly "Thpookths
nailed thir'y, for'y of uths "

Kawai hastened to explain His sallow, incredibly wnnkled

38 THE NONBORN KING

face trembled with animation "The human losses are lamen-
table. Wayland-san. but even so, these comrades have not died
in vain We gained invaluable intelligence from this encoun-
ter "

Tony interrupted with an invalid's petulance "Doogy'
Where'ths Doogy9"

The doctor messed around with some kind of monitor device
stuck onto Tony's forehead "He's becoming overexcited "

Tony tned to nse up His eyes were wide "Don' mean ol'
Doogy 'ths decuf"

Kawal said, "Sir Dougal is alive and recovering So are five
other of your companions "

Tony gave a sigh and relaxed "Rm' " He began to drift
offâ€”but then his eyes snapped open and he regarded the aged
Japanese with piercing intensity "Intelhgenths9 Wha' intelti-
genths9"

Denny Johnson bent over the bed "All these months, we've
blamed the spook attacks on Howlersâ€”the deformed mutants
who never accepted the alliance between humanity and the
Firvulag We knew the hostiles had to be Howlers, because

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the Little People have been our bosom buddies ever since the
Fall of Fmiah That's what we thought "

"You mean those thpookthsâ€”"

Kawai's black button eyes glittered angnly "The dead bod-
ies of your attackers shape-shifted back to their normal form
What Denny and his troops discovered during the mopping up
was not the remains of mutants, but of normal Firvulag Our
putative allies " He shook his head "Madame Gudenan never
trusted the Little People Her doubts have been confirmed The
Firvulag have mounted these treacherous strikes hoping to force
us to abandon the Iron Villages They fear the blood metal, in
spite of our avowals that we would never use iron weapons
against our friends "

Tony blinked "Mebbe juths Firv'lag hotheadths "

Denny said, "The corpses wore obsidian armor They were
regulars in me army of King Sham and Queen Ayfa And their
use of the siege engine shows that they aren't wasting any time

THE POSTDILUVIUM 39

in adopting new methods of warfare now that the balance of
power has shifted in their favor "

"We would never have discovered this,' Kawai added, "if
you had not withstood them so valiantly "

Tony moaned He turned away

"He's got to rest now,' the doctor insisted

The wounded metallurgist mumbled one last phrase, then
subsided into sleep

Kawai's brow wrinkled anxiously "Doctor Jafar9 What did
he say9"

"i think"â€”the physician frowned in puzzlementâ€”"it was
'Take me back to Finiah'"'

LADY ESTELLA-SlRONE, THE WIDOWED HUMAN CHATELAINE OF

Darask, had been so certain that Elizabeth would approve the
chalet that she sent her major domo on ahead to make prepa-
rations. together with those who had volunteered for the do-
mestic and security staff. The main body of refugees remained
encamped at the western end of Lac Provencal. From there it
was only a half-day's ride to the hunting lodge on Black Crag,
in the midst of the Montagne Noire region of southern France.

By the time that Elizabeth and her four friends and their
escort of loyal human and Tanu gold-tores arrived for their
inspection tour. the redoubtable Hughie B. Kennedy VII had
his mistress's rustic retreat swept and garnished and ready for
guests A table in the pnvate dining room adjoining the master
suite (which was proposed as Elizabeth's apartment) had been
set with the Irish major dome's idea of a light lunch- marinated
mushrooms, poached froglegs in champagne aspic, stuffed green

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olives, smoked salmon, plovers' eggs a la Christiana, ham
souffle with asparagus tips, glazed quails cerisette, cold roast
hippanon, Waldorf salad, pat6 de foie gras, sourdough bread-
rolls, oranges rubanees, and carob-chip cookies-
It was the first festive and civilized meal that the five leaders
of the Munah evacuation had seen in months They fetl to in
an atmosphere of bittersweet celebration.

It was evident that the mountain hideaway was eminently

THE POSTDILUVIUM 41

suitable for Elizabeth's needs, and Creyn would stay with her
The others, however, would continue to Hidden Spnngs as
they had planned It was possible that the separation would be
permanent, despite their being able to communicate through
the golden tores now worn by Basil and Chief Burke. Thus the
conversation was desultory, with the pain of parting spoiling
everyone's appetite

Finally they left off the attempts at false cheer and remi-
nisced about the terrible journey that was now virtually at an
end The interminable trek along the devastated Aven Penin-
sula, during which the tnracial mob of evacuees grew to a
logistic and psychosocial nightmare. The treacherous moon-
light flit of the Firvulag contingent, who absconded with the
bulk of the survival gear just as the worst of the rainy season
came upon them The struggles with sick and injured and de-
feated and exploitative refugees The headlong flight from Cel-
adeyr of Afaliah and his gang of ancien regime fanatics- The
dreadful tnp across the Catalan Wilderness, following a little-
used track that degenerated into a quagmire alive with ven-
omous snakes, giant mosquitoes, and biting leeches- - -

And then sanctuary The foothills of the eastern Pyrenees,
rich in mines and plantations, and the dangerously depleted
cities of Tarasiah and Geroniah eager to welcome new citizens
(By then news of the Firvulag seizure of Burask in the distant
north had seeped southward, and there were hints that other
inadequately defended cities were next on the hit-list.) Perhaps
a third of the 3700 displaced humans and Tanu decided to
resettle in Spain. The rest, hoping to reach their old homes,
continued to the smiling shores of Lac Provencal, where the
generosity of Estella-Sirone of Darask showered them with
every comfort. (They were, after all, the companions of Eliz-
abeth, who had saved the Lady's life in childbirth.)

The decimated Languedoc cities vied with one another in
sending recruiters to the refugee camp Even more intriguing
offers came from distant Gonah in Armorica, where Aiken
Drum was consolidating his position, offering high status and
nches to any rootless Tanu who rallied round, and a golden
tore to any human fighter who pledged fealty to Lord Alken-

42 THE NONBORN KING

Lugonn Alken had sent his persona] farspoken invitation to
Elizabeth herself, promising her complete autonomy "under his
protection " She had declined with cool thanks

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Dionket Lord Healer and other surviving members of the
Peace Faction went off to join Minanonn the Heretic in his
remote Pyrenean enclave, where the erstwhile Tanu Battle-
master presided over a tiny population of Tanu, Firvuiag, and
a few free humans, all dwelling together in Spartan amity
Dionket had urged Elizabeth, for her own safety, to go with
them But she knew, even without metapsychic foresight, that
pacifistic withdrawal could never be her destiny in the Many-
Colored Land Later, n had been more difficult to tell Chief
Burke and Basil Wimbome and Sister Amene Roccaro that she
could not accompany them to the Lowlife center at Hidden
Springs She required an isolated retreat, where she could stay
for the immediate future, recuperating and meditating upon the
new role she had freely chosen

"And so," Elizabeth said, rising from the luncheon table,
smiling as she brushed crumbs from her black gown. 'the fatal
moment is almost upon us Shall we go and explore the bdl-
cony9 I think it goes all around the chalet "

Creyn was out of his seat and opening the half-glazed doors
before the others could stir The Tanu had put off his rough
traveling clothes for the meal and wore again the scarlet and
white formal robes of a high-ranking redactor As he followed
the others into the sunlight, his pupils shrank to pinpoints, the
inses within his deep eyesockets becoming an unearthly, opaque
blue His fair hair had been cut short for the exodus, and he
towered behind Elizabeth like some attenuated El Greco seraph,
looking both worldly and vulnerable He was six hundred and
thirty-four years old, and he was prepared to stay at Black Crag
Lodge for the rest of his life, if need be, acting as the senior
servant of the human woman whom Brede Shipspouse had
called "the most important person in the world "

Basil leaned on the railing, affecting to admire the eastern
panorama "I should think this place would suit you admirably,
Elizabeth'" His voice was too hearty "Isolation, security, d
magnificent natural settingâ€”and our friends at Darask on the

THE POSTDILUViUM

other end of the lake near enough to keep you comfortably
supplied Lady Estella-Sirone was quite right The lodge is a
perfect hermitage It's an Odin-seat' A perch for scanning the
world'"

All of them laughed at the mental image he projected, except
torcless Amene, who growled, "Not another damn mindread-
ers' in-joke'"

"A funny picture " Elizabeth took the nun's arm "Imagine
a third-rate production of a Wagner opera A plaster mountain
with a lot of strobe lightning and tinny thunder And me as a
Nordic goddess, posed on top of my fake Asgard, wearing a
winged helmet and a tembly portentous expression as i survey
Middle Earth down below If I spot any mortal jiggery-pokery,
I have this handy basketful of thunderbolts to smite with "

"Except, you don't," Amene said

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"No "

"And therein lies the bloody rub " Peopeo Moxmox Burke
spoke fiercely, even resentfully, all the while trying to shore
up the inexpert mental screen that decently veiled his emotions
from Elizabeth Damn the golden tore' !f it weren't neces-
sary

Good old Basil caught wind of his floundenng, the im-
pending gush of anxiety and maudlin sentiment that was going
lo make things even worse for Elizabeth and all the rest of
them And with hih donnish tact. Basil bespoke Creyn on the
intimate mode

Help him Help us all put a lid on it

There was no overt sign that the Tanu had heard But im-
mediately the two human men found that it was possible to
rein in their misgivings and present a civilized front, both
externally and in the outermost, "social" aspect of their mental
auras Basil was the epitome of practical common sense Burke,
the former judge, was the archetypal Red Man, all stoic and
stem like a carving in cedar

If Elizabeth was aware of the metapsychic maneuvering,
she let none of them perceive it She walked along the balcony
inspecting the quaint woodwork, marveling at the breathtaking
vista In the southwest, glittering against the sky and dividing

44 THE NONBORN KING

it from the dark lowlands, was the white fess of the high
Pyrenees The air was calm, faintly oppressive, with that pre-
ternatural transparency that often forecasts a storm in the moun
tains

"I can farsee Minanonn's country," she said "A valley,
with tall snowy peaks all around it, like Shangn-La "

"You would have been safer with him and Dionket," Amene
said "Or even up in Hidden Springs, with us We can't trust
that bastard Celadeyr He can fly, you know, and carry one
person What's to prevent him from coming up here and kid-
napping you9 You'd make a great hostage And our tncky little
pal Alken Drum might just have similar plans "

Elizabeth faced her three human friends, projecting a great
wave of comfort and reassurance Creyn hovered in the back-
ground She said, "I've tned to explain why 1 can't live with
Minanonn, or even up in the Vosges with free humanity I
can't show partiality I must remain approachable by all factions
in the Many-Colored Land if my new role is to be successful
And that especially includes Atken Drum and Celadeyr of Af-
aliah "

With one finger, Basil traced the features of a grotesque
carving on the balustrade It was a goblin face "And what
about the Firvulag7 They outnumber us nearly ten to one now,
and Sham and Ayfa are quite a different breed of cat from poor
old King Yeochee Lady Estella's man Kennedy told me that
Little People from the Helvetides have been farsensed gathering
in the vicinity of Bardelask That's a rather small citadel on

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the Rhone, about 80 or 90 kloms north of Lac Provencal The
place is exceptionally vulnerable, with Lord Daral and most of
his banner-knights having been drowned in the Flood Kennedy
thinks that the Firvulag plan to pick off the weaker cities one
by one m spite of our cardboard armistice agreement Sham
and Ayfa can always blame the attacks on Howlers "

"If you came to Hidden Springs with us," Burke said, "we
could protect you with iron "

Elizabeth taid a small hand on one oi the Native American's
massive, scarred forearms "I have my own methods of defense

THE POSTDILUVIUM 45

now, Peo Believe me The Firvulag won't harm me Neither
will anyone else "

Burke scowled, touching his new golden tore with a ritu-
alistic gesture "If there should be the slightest threatâ€”from
any quarterâ€”you must call on us We can't forget what Brede
said about you "

"Brede'" Elizabeth laughed, turning away from them "The
Shipspouse always was a melodramatic old soul And she knew
very well how to manipulate the lot of us'" The Grand Master
metapsychic whirled around, arms opening She seemed to
embrace the three of them, enfolding their souls in great wings
"But manipulation's not my way I'm going to be a magnetâ€”
not a force majeure "

Amene appealed lo the Tanu redactor "If she needs us,
Creynâ€”will you calP"

"I will. Sister " He hesitated, then added with regret, "If
you intend to continue on to Sayzorask with the caravan today,
you must leave here very shortly I'll wait downstairs to say
goodbye " He withdrew with a courteous nod

Tears gleamed in Amene's eyes The symbolic separation
of the three human friends from Elizabeth had been made in
an instant, with none of them expecting it until the finality was
upon them

"Don't worry " Elizabeth's face and mind still smiled "It'll
be all right We all have our jobs to do Thai will help "

Basil broke the spell, stepping forward to take Elizabeth's
hand "Creyn fine chap Human as they make 'em He and
his people will take good care of you I'm confident "

"Dear Basil " She kissed him on his weathered cheek

He moved back, then paused at the balcony door "You can
coun' on me to do my utmost in the Sugoll matter And when
this is over and things have quieted down, I'm going to take
you mountain climbing, just as I promised "

She projected mock skepticism "You're going to have to
prove to me that there's a Pliocene Everest over there in the
Alps' I can't farsense anything of the sort, you know "

"It exists'" He waved an admonishing index finger "Very

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difficult for amateurs to estimate height, you know Especially

46 THE NONBORN KING

with the mind's eye " With a last farewell gesture, he vanished
inside the chalet

It was Burke's turn He loomed over the woman in black,
his face immobile, and spoke haltingly through the unfamiliar
mind-amplifying device

1 will learn farspeech technique Talk you overkilometers

My dearest Peo I am still not sure that it was wise for
you and Basil to take the golden tores

Creyn tested us Wecompatible he proved You not worry
aboutus Only answer when weneed advice

"You know FH always be ready to advise you," she said
aloud "That is my way But you and Basil and the other strong
ones must lead humanity and the exotics of good will I can't
The evacuation of Munah was only the beginning, but it was
a good start, thanks mostly to you Even the Firvulag who ran
away learned that friendship between the human and exotic
races is possible Necessary "

"Hah " The Native American let all his lawyer's cynicism
show "The exotics were docile enough nght after the disaster,
when they were still glassy-eyed from shock None of those
Tanu and Firvulag ever had their world pulled out from under
'em before " Unlike us poor time-traveling human schmucks'
"So they were willing enough to follow my leadership on the
trek out of Aven But you saw how fast things deteriorated
once we approached Afaliah on the mainland Just one sniff
of business-as-usual, one psychological anchorâ€”and kapow'
Same old arrogant Tanu and bloody-minded Firvulag mindset
as before Things couid have turned very nasty if the Little
Folks hadn't scarpered off into the bushes about then "

They communed wordless reassurance for a moment Then
she asked, "How many human refugees do you plan to take
all the way to Hidden Springs9"

"We've narrowed it to thirty stout hearts and true Useful
technicians, daredevils who won't stick at our little aircraft
salvage expedition We've scraped up twelve former gravomag
specialists with flightdeck training "

"Wonderful' And if Sugoll and Katlmel will helpâ€”"

THE POSTDILUVUJM 47

'They'd belter " Burke was somber "Felice and the others
who knew the precise location of the Ship's Grave are dead "

Elizabeth and Burke had forgotten Amene But at the men-
tion of Felice's name, the nun could not help uttering a low
cry Burke's thoughts were written on his face Oh, hell Me
and my big mouth Aloud he said, "It's time for me to go "
He wrapped his great arms about Elizabeth, said. "Mazel lov'"
and strode rapidly into the lodge

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"I'm sorry that I interrupted," Amene said stiffly "But when
he reminded me thatâ€”that Felice wasâ€”" Anguish drew the
nun's face taut "And with Gibraltar on her sou!â€”to die that
wayâ€”"

Elizabeth said, "1 thought it best for the others to believe
that But you loved her You deserve to know the truth "

The pnest stood stock-still before the mmdreader Sister
Amene Roccaro wore no golden tore, possessed no overt meta-
psychic powers, but at that moment the temble knowledge
passed from the other woman's brain to her own

"Felice isn't dead,' said Amene

"No "

"How long have you been sure of it'7"

"Perhaps six weeks I'd been hearingâ€”farsensing, that is
to sayâ€”these peculiar calls They hardly seemed human at
first I paid little attention The day-to-day problems ot the
journey were so overwhelming You lend to screen out other
mind-emanations to conserve your own energies, otherwise
you'd go crazy from the mental static But this callingâ€”"

"You're certain it was Felice7"

"She farspoke me only once, when you were all on your
way down the Rhone to invade the tore factory But I remember
her mind-signature " Elizabeth turned away, stanng at the dis-
tant mountains "It's a thing we Grand Masters are rather good
at "

"Elizabeth, whyâ€”whyâ€”" Amene's voice broke ah she
tned to regain control of herself "Why did she do it^ 1 knew
she wanted revenge, of course When we were first tested
together in Castle Gateway, when the Tanu woman told us
we'd have to bear Tanu children like the rest of the human

48 THE NONBORN KING

slaves, Felice was beside herself with fury It was as if the
enslavement of humanity in the Pliocene was a personal af-
front "

"You're a doctor as well as a pnest Do 1 have to spell it
out to you9 You love herâ€”but you know what she is "

"Yes " The nun's tone was desolate

Elizabeth began to move along the balcony, with Amene
following They came to the eastern side of the chalet Lac
Provencat was an azure expanse fading to slate near the horizon
The storm would come from that direction

"Do you remember Culluket, the King's Interrogator9" Eliz-
abeth asked

"I saw him only once After our stnke at the tore works
failed and we were capturedâ€”he was the one who clapped
gray slave-torcs on us and sent us away to die in prison Yes,
I remember the Interrogator He wore glowing red-glass armor

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and he was the most beautiful Tanu male I've ever seen "

"He look Felice and tortured her "

"Oh, Jesus "

"He worked her over quite a bit more than was necessary
to extract information Dionket told me about it during the
evacuation As the head of the Redactor Guild, Dionket knew
what Cull was up toâ€”but there was no way Dionket could
interfere in the private affairs of the Host The tortureâ€”the
algesisâ€”is what forced Felice into metapsychic operancy and
enabled her to take a full measure of vengeance According to
her lights " Elizabeth paused "Cull's handiwork also seems to
have forged some perverse link between the two of them That's
why she looks for him, keeps calling his name on the declam
atory mode Felice isn't sure that her dear torturer survived the
Flood Unfortunately, I am Cull is alive, and he's gone to
Gonah, where he hopes Alken will be able to protect him from
Felice God help Cull if she ever tracks him down "

The physician warred with the lover in Amene, momentar-
ily, the professional won "Yes, I see what you mean Felice's
character is profoundly sadomasochistic, of course The Inter-
rogator gave her not only temble pain but also the mental power

THE POSTDILUVIUM 49

she'd been searching for ail her life No wonder she loves
him

Elizabeth said nothing

"Whatâ€”what's to be done about Felice'' Her powersâ€”'
My God, not even Saint Jack the Bodiless or Diamond Mask
could have blasted out that Gibraltar cut* Not single-minded "

"Felice hasn't used her destructive power since the deluge
Perhaps she can't Most of the time, she imagines that she's
a black scavenger bird She gathers golden tores and hides
them I don't know where She's very clever at screening,
except when she calls to Cull "

The women stood side by side at the railing, Elizabeth in
her long black gown and tall Amene in a white coverall with
a clerical rabat and dog collar at the neck A breeze had begun
to stir the dark firs that crowded close to the lodge's isolated
knoll A rock thrush, invisible, gave plaintive warning of
changing weather

"Could you help Felice with your deep-redact faculty9"
Amene asked "Cure the psychosis7"

"Possibly If she gave full cooperation But it might be safer
to let her stay as she is, if it means restraining her use of the
psychoenergetic functions This is one of the matters 1 have
to think deeply about '

The nun drew back, looking at the other with dawning
horror Elizabeth only smiled, resigned Amene said, "You'll
have to decide so many things

Elizabeth lifted a wry shoulder She had turned so that the

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pnest could not see her face "It's cold and lonesome on Olym-
pus "

Amene said. "If only I could help If any of us couldâ€”'"

Elizabeth's hands were clutching the wooden rail, the ten
dons while "You can do one thing Again For the sake of
my scruples "

"Yes Of course '

From one pocket of her coverall Amene took a narrow violet
nbbon kissed it, and hung it about her neck like a yoke She
recited the ancient formula againâ€”as she had recited it for the
sleeper wakened in the mountain sanctuary where they had

THE NONBORN KING

watched the Flood; as she had recited it on countless nights
during the long exodus while Elizabeth wept along with the
winter rain pounding their improvised shelter

"Only believe it. Elizabeth."

"I try." i try-

Amerie blessed the head still turned away "Come, child of
God, and lay your burden down For he has said to his Church.
'Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them.'"

"Bless me. Sister, for I have sinned."

"Let the person who is thirsty come. Let whoever wants it
accept the gift of the water of life."

"I confess pnde I confess hubns, the sin of surpassing
arrogance. I confess blasphemy of the healing Spirit. I confess
contempt for lesser minds. 1 confess refusing love to other
rational beings. I confess despair I confess the unforgivable
sin and ask forgiveness. I am sorry- Help me to believe it!
Help me to believe that there's a God who forgives the unfor-
givable."

Help me believe that I'm not alone.

Help me

THE BIG WILD CHALIKO WAS TEARING UP THE SQUEF.ZE CHUTE

with his claws, screeching and blowing, flinging his massive
barrel against the stout wooden planks until the spikes fastening
them seemed about to give way There were four gray-tore
wranglers trying to hold himâ€”two on the hackamore ionge-
line and two on a foot rope They were broadcasting sheer
panic when Benjamin Barrett Travis led the three Exalted Ones
over to the corral to watch the breaking.

"You really gonna face down that clawfoot killer, Brazos?"
Alken Drum inquired, awestricken. "Sweet houghmagandy!"

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The penned chaliko reared up on its unfettered hind leg and
gave a ringing bellow. It was a blue roan standing at least
twenty hands, with black fetlock feathering and mane and a
startling biack-rimmed walleye.

"Tana's left tit!" blasphemed Alberonn Mindeater. "It's as
big as a rhino!"

Brazos Ben fingered his silver tore The chaliko settled back
into the chute with a wooof\ "Hell, he ain't near as snorty as
some wild ones I've suppled out. He ain't even mean by nature.
Just scared."

'Travis is quite right," said the Interrogator "The animal's
mind is awash with profound fear. The bndling device, the
equipment affixed to its feet, the saddleâ€”these, combined with
its loss of freedom and the presence of people, have nearly

52 THE NONBORN KING

driven it insane Only its natural intelligence, and the fact that
it has not actually been hurt, restrain it from suicidal violence "

Brazos Ben smiled thmly at the redactor "And don't you
forget I been talkin' to him for a week, Lord Cull. You saw
how he eased back when I give him a farsqueak Chalikos are
smarter'n horses at recogmzin' a friendly mind "

"Then why not Just mind-bend the beast to tame it^"
Alberonn wanted to know. "Why go through all this nde-
'em-cowboy physical tosh?"

"A chaliko's gotta be broke both ways. Lord Alby Oth-
erwise he's only good for gold or silver nders. No gray or
bareneck could even touch him. After a chaliko's been suppled
and trained to the usual body and voice commands, then he
gets mind-broke. Course, i speak to my cntters all along the
way, even m the physical schoohn'. But with my method, you
can tram up twenty times the wild stock you could mmd-
bendin'â€”and take less time doin' it. You can use gray and
bareneck trainers steada silvers right up until the final postgrad
telepathic autopilot programmm' It's a little different tramin'
domesticated beasts. Easier But the Banlemaster"â€”Brazos
Ben broke off, eyeing Alkenâ€”"I mean, the late Battlemaster
wanted Goriah to be the best-mounted outfit in the Many-
Colored Land come Combat time. And that meant usin' plenty
o' wild stock."

Across the corral, the chaliko neighed Brazos Ben extracted
a small tin of snuff from his breast pocket and tucked a pinch
behind his cheek- "Wellâ€”you Exalteds ready for some ac-
tion9"

"Sic 'em, BB!" Aiken chortled

The breaker went off to the chute while Aiken, Culluket the
Interrogator, and Alberonn Mindeater approached the fence of
the round enclosure and found a spot that was not too muddy
Although it was not raining, the sky was dark and louring and
a cold wind blew in from the Strait ofRedon beyond the stables
The three men wore traditional Tanu storm-suits of colored

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leather with peaked capuchons and over-knee boots Alken's
suit was gold with black piping, the Interrogator's deep red.
and Alberonn's turquoise to indicate his status as a creator-

THE POSTDIUJVIUM 53

coercer. Alberonn's human heritage showed in his chocolate
skin, which was a sinking foil to his green Tanu eyes and the
bush of fleecy blond hair that escaped from his hood- The
hybrid High Table member was half a head taller than Culluket
and towered over diminutive Aiken like a fairytale giant.

"My late brother Nodonn counted this man Travis as one
of the most valued of all his servants," Culluket remarked.
Across the corral, Brazos supervised the removal of the hind-
foot hobble.

"I wish we had fifty more like him," Aiken said. "Getting
large numbers of trained mounts will be critical to my strategy
against the Firvulag At least, until I track down those aircraft."

"It's a bad sign that the Little People have chucked their
old prejudice against riding," Culluket said.

Aiken nodded. "One of my spies reported that they're even
trying to domesticate those little hippanons for the gnomies to
nde! And we know they've been stealing tame chalikos from
all the outlying plantations around the eastern cities for the
warrior-ogre battalions."

Alberonn said, "Bleyn farspoke me that the same thing is
going on down around Rocilan. Raids, sneak attacks, am-
bushes- All blamed on Howlers, of course. But the situation
is getting beyond makeshift countermeasures down there in
Candy City. The petty lordlings and the forced humans just
aren't responding to Bleyn's leadership, not even when Lady
Eadnar commands it. Bleyn's an outsider, even if he is her
brother-in-law, and he has no authority. Dammit, Aikenâ€”'
I've a good mind to go down and marry Eadnar now, not wait
until the Grand Loving in May!"

"You cannot. Creative Brother," said the Interrogator "It
would be even more inflammatory than Bleyn's action. Old
Lady Moma-Ia is mulish about respecting the mourning period
for her late son. She thinks that even May is too soon for a
wedding."

Alberonn was glum. "I should have let the old bat drown
But there she was on the floating wreckage with Eadnarâ€”so
what could 1 do?"

"Here comes trouble," Aiken observed, poking his head

54 THE NONBORN KING

through the corral bars. The wranglers were opening the chute.
Brazos Ben, chewing meditatively, now held the longe-line in
his left hand and another rope, attached in some complex fash-
ion to the chaliko's front ankles, in his right. The animal skit-
tered out Into the heavy mud, its walleye rolling and its prancing
claws making loud squushing sounds.

"What the hell's that rig on its feel?" Alberonn asked. "1

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thought Ben was going to ride the beast."
"Shut up and watch," ordered Aiken.
Brazos Ben was no longer soothing the chaliko's mind
through his silver tore. in fact, he seemed to be deliberately
provoking the creature to misbehavior, tugging sharply on the
hackamore line. The animal's flanks began to heave- Its neck
twitched and its head strained. Just as Ben maneuvered it to
the center of the corral, it exploded into a frenzy of bucking.
The stirrup-pieces of the big, chairlike saddle slapped against
its withers. Mud flew to the four winds and Aiken hastily
slammed up a PK shield-
Now Ben carefully drew in the foot line, which ran from
the right side of the saddle down through a ring on the right
ankle hobble, up through a pulley at the cinch, down to the
left hobble, up over me high stirrup plate, and out to the breaker.
"BB calls it a running W," Aiken said. "You gotta use it right,
or you ruin the chaliko. But it really puts the fear o' God into
uppish brutes."

With the line tightened, the huge chaliko perforce fell to its
knees in the muck- Ben held him there, talking softly and
making a clucking sound. He rubbed the creature on both sides
of its neck but didn't try to catch its panicked eye. After a few
minutes, he slacked off the W-line and let the chaliko rise. Still
speaking to it, he urged it to begin walking with a gentle tug
on the longe. The chaliko reared, shrieking, and gathered itself
to run; but before it could step out, Ben pulled the W-line.
Once again the big animal stumbled slowly to its knees, sinking
deeply into black ooze.

"Now Travis is back in the beast's mind," Culluket said,
admiration brightening the somber beauty of his face. "Telling
it who the master isâ€”but gently. See? The animal responds.

THE POSTDILUVIUM 55

It's no fool. But it's going to try to break loose again, just to
be sure."

The procedure was repeated, with Brazos Ben now hum-
ming tunelessly as he managed to have the chaliko move a
dozen obedient steps at the end of the longe-line before it
erupted into defiant bucking and claw-slashing. Ben spat to-
bacco juice and tipped the animal ignominiously into the slop-
Hunching down, he massaged the chaiiko's face, remonstrating
and clucking- The skinned-back ears turned forward and the
corded neck muscles relaxed. Ben let the big roan up, flicked
the longe. and stood with a satisfied smile as it trotted slowly
around him, responding now to the command of the hackamore.
And the dry thought came;

He's all broke, Exalteds.

They gave him a heartfelt Slonshal1. The trainer motioned
to one of his assistants to take over the two ropes, stood for a
few minutes probing the chaliko's mind to insure that it plotted
no more deviltry, then waded out of the soupy,corral back to
Aiken, Culluket, and Alberonn.

"You won't ride him today, then?" the hybrid asked, dis-
appointed.

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"I could, usin' the W. But I'd rather not. Those claws can
cut a rope too easy at a trot. All he really needed was to figger
out who was boss. A few days now to gel him halter-wise and
we'll start ridin'. I don't think this baby'll need any more
hobbles."

"Terrific work, BB!" said Aiken.

"I presume you handled livestock back on Elder Earth," said
Alberonn-

Benjamin Barren Travis spat politely over his shoulder.
"Hell, no. Lord Alby. Wouldn't I've loved to. though' Nawâ€”
1 inherited my daddy's desk as comptroller of Westex Foodex
of El Paso, the biggest exporter of Hispano-American food-
stuffs in the Milieu." His pale eyes twinkled. "Never want to
see another retried bean long 's 1 iive - -." He hitched up his
jeans. "I plan to mosey over'n' begin mind-breakin' a really
top-notch white stallion, lords. Y'all wanta help? If you ride
longside, it reinforces the programmin'-"

THE NONBORN KING

"Sounds great'" Alberonn enthused

"You go on with Ben, Alby," Alken said "Cull and I have
some things to discuss " To the breaker he said, "You come
on up to the Castle of Glass for supper tonight, BB And bnng
Sally Mac "

"Right y'are, Battlemaster " With a casual wave, the man
in the mud-caked Levis ambled off in the company of the titan
warrior, reminiscing telepathically over omery steeds he had
known

"Commander Congreve just farspoke me." Alken told the
Interrogator "There's a whackin' big batch of recruits just
arrived, and you and me better get back to check 'em out
Thirty-eight Tanu and nearly a hundred humansâ€”including
twelve golds and a gang of silver technicians Most of 'em are
from Afahah Old Celadeyr has instigated some kind of purgeâ€”
thrown out all his human executives and managing technicians,
and made things so hot for the hybnd aristocracy that they fled
lock, stock, and barrel "

"I'll find out soon enough what's going on down there "

"The rest of the arrivals are from that Spanish town the
Craftsmaster took over Calamosk "

"Bleeding Goddess' They'd be cravens from the Retortâ€”
the nff-raff scheduled to be executed at the end of the Combat'
You'd accept such trash7"

Alken's beady gaze was cold "Bull me no shit, Pretty-
Face It's all a new deal in this Many-Colored Land You
forget7 And once upon a time, I was considered a bit nff-rafry
myself Let's fly "

They pulled down the transparent face-shields of their cap-
uchons and soared into the air Little splatters of rain ticked

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against their moving bodies They flew over the chaliko farm,
which was north of Gonah alongside the strait, crossed or-
chards, olive groves, and gardens, and approached the city
itself

Gonah was built upon a great nse and covered nearly four
square kilometers Most of the buildings, except the magnifi-
cent central citadel and certain dwellings of the Great Ones,
were built of cleanly whitewashed stone roofed in rose-red tile

THE POSTDILUVIUM 57

The mansions of the Tanu were adorned with spires and filigree
buttresses of rose and gold, honoring the Psychokmetic Guild
heraldry of the late Nodonn Formerly, the glass castle had
featured the same color scheme, but smce the coming of the
usurper, most of the rosy elements had been stripped away and
replaced with accents of jet-black or midnight-purple, these
unique tinctures having been adopted by the new Battlemaster
At night, every dwelling of the commonalty was picked out in
a mynad of small oil lamps strung along roofs and garden
walls The Tanu structures were completely outlined in meta-
activated faene lights of many different colors, and the Castle
of Glass blazed golden and amethystâ€” bnghter than it had
ever shone during Nodonn's tenureâ€”a beacon visible all the
way to the disemboguement of the River Laar 30 kilometers
away

As the two levitants descended toward the main receiving
area near the eastern city gate, Alken observed, "Commander
Congreve has discovered a really big human gold in the net
today His name is Sullivan-Tonn, originally from Finiah on
the River Rhine Ever heard of him7"

The Interrogator blasphemed lundiy 'That fat funk-pisser'
If he'd only used his powers as a warnor should, Finiah might
have withstood Gudenan's attack' Do I know himâ€”'' And
the data were spread out for Alken to study

Aloysius X Sullivan, yclept Sullivan-Tonn Ninety-six years
old, rejuvenated, resident in the Pliocene nearly thirty-two years
Once Kung Professor of Moral Theology at Fordham Univer-
sity, and later a highly placed supervising psychokmetic under
Lord Velteyn of Finiah Tonn' s primary metafunction was enor-
mous (he was capable of levitating forty people or nearly five
tons of inert matter), but his usefulness to the Tanu was limited
by his pacifism, which masked an invincible timidity He was
notorious for having refused point-blank lo use his PK in Grand
Combats, Hunts, or any other aggressive activity, but he had
performed his other duties faithfully After the fall of Finiah
he assisted in the aerial evacuation of noncombatants and ul
innately made his way to Castle Gateway, which was then
being used as a relief center for refugees When the deluge

THE NONBORN KING

came, Tonn was safely ensconced in the small Spanish city of
Calamosk, attendant upon his teenaged Tanu fiancee Lady
Olone, who had been forced to miss the Grand Combat because
she was recuperating in Skin, having broken her back in an ill-

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considered attempt to fly on her own Olone, a luscious honey
blonde and a coercer of formidable raw talent, had accompanied
Tonn to Gonah

"I'll deep-probe the pair of them for you." Culluket said.
"but it's obvious why they've come Clone's father died in the
Flood and the Craftsmaster's too tough to give in to her win-
some wiles Tonn can be a self-nghteous ass and Oly is a sly
chit, but 1 think we can count on their loyalty "

Alken and Culluket descended to the receiving barracks,
where the Tanu and gold-tore human newcomers had been
segregated from the humbler arrivals Congreve, a hulking gold
wearing full blue coercer armor, smote his breastplate in salute
and lost no time in presenting his telepathic appraisal.

Greetings Battlemaster and Exalted Lord Interrogator' Aside
from Sullivan-Tonn and Lady Olone, the day's tot-up in the
gold includes mostly minor powers Those from Afaliah are
respectable hybrid nobility who couldn't stomach the reaction-
ary dictates of Lord Celadeyr Eleven pureblood Tanu from
Calamosk are former fellow prisoners with Aluteyn in the Great
Retort [classification]

Thanks Congreve Suffering shit Four traitors six wife-
murderers and a tax-evader among our exotic jailbirds But
with so few Tanu survivors every one who's willing to follow
me has to be made welcome Cull you give 'cm a good
vetting Especially the traitors'

That goes without saying Shining One And I will also take
pains with these twenty lesser human golds from Calamosk in
like manner Retort-fodder condemned for cowardice during the
Combat Now please give courteous attention to Tonn and his
doxy who take their detention here with ill grace.

"All hail to you, conquering Battlemasler Alken-Lugonn!"
declaimed a portly individual attired in splendorous vestments
of cense and gold But before Sullivan-Tonn could continue.
there was a guttural shoul

THE POSTDILUVIUM 59

"Aik' Aikâ€”is it really you9"

From the motley group of gold-tore humans burst a scrawny
man with tow-colored hair and flat, vaguely Mongoloid fea-
tures He wore a plaid flannel shirt, twill trousers, and heavy
forester's boots with lug soles Dropping to his knees before
the diminutive usurper of Gonah. he mumbled, "I mean. Lord
Lugonn Sorry to bust in on this other guy's shtick, butâ€”"

Thunderstruck, Alken threw back the golden hood of his
rain-suit "Raimo' You ol' woodchopper, you'"

"If you want me, kid, I'm all yours And I brought some
pals, too "

"If I want youâ€”" yelled the Shining One The two fell into
each other's arms, giggling like maniacs

"Well'" Sullivan-Tonn drew himself up in frosty hauteur

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The tender reunion was interrupted as Culluket's mind be-
spoke Alken on the intimate mode

Congreve prehmprobe finds thisRaimoHakkmen loaded hot-
data urge you permit me fulldeep ream him immediately

'"Forget it Indignation "Ray, babyâ€”you mean they were
gonna roast you'5 Just for going over the hill in the Combat^"

Listen ShimngOne thisone muchinfo PeaceFaction Dionket
+ MmanonnHeretic countertactic CeloAfaliah alsoâ€”

Sullivan-Tonn brayed, "Lord Alken-Lugonn, please let me
continue'"

The thoughts of Alken and the Interrogator crackled on the
intimate mode

Cull question sillyfartTonn not Raimo handsoff MINE

I know Raimoyourfnend ShmingOne but he knows much-
value even re Felice Allow squeezeoutâ€”

You keep clawsoff Raimo FehceobsessedsadistCullu-
tortugator

Raimo rumor Felice took SPEAR from botlomNewSea

Christ'

Selfjustificalion Thought that get yourattention Well'7 You
agree interrogation1'

Raimo know where Felice + Spear are9

THE NONBORN KING

Nodata. DeadpalRaimo saw Birdgirl flying Belies. Local-
Firvulag bespoke pal re FelicehavingSpear Musl deepdig to
get straights. You agree ream?

No!... Yes... shit'. Later then. But when / say so and with
My supervision reamout job and you fullrepair his brain after.
You hear Redactive Brother/Grand Vizier/CullPretty Face?

I hear and affirm your authority King. (But you/I must find
scatophilousalgolagniacbitchgoddess before she comesafter US
why did I notkill her when I had chance?)

Scorn. Don't you know?

"Now!" Aiken exclaimed brightly out loud. The mental
repartee with the Interrogator had lasted approximately ten sec-
onds. Aiken thrust the continuing mental admonitions of Cul-
luket aside and let the full wattage of his charm flow out upon
Raimo, Sullivan-Tonn, the willowy Lady Olone (who had been
watching Aiken intently ever since his arrival), and all of the
other Tanu and human newcomers standing about the cheerless
reception chamber. Emboldened, Sullivan-Tonn exclaimed:

"We've been treated outrageously by this military flunky of
yours. Lord Lugonn- His men have presumed to examine our

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baggageâ€”and a clumsy oaf dropped a priceless bottle of twenty-
four-year-old Jameson's Reserve! I was barely able to rescue
it in time with my PK."

"Shocking," said Aiken, frowning. He tipped a subliminal
wink to the commandant. "Surely you know, Congreve, that
an Exalted Personage of Lord Suilivan-Tonn's rank is exempt
from such procedures. You are rebuked."

Congreve gave the chest-high salute. "I abase myself, Bat-
tiemaster. Such examinations have been a standard security
precaution taken with all human persons seeking permanent
residence in Gonah Because of the blood-metal peril, the rul-
ing was enforced stringently under Lord Nodonn."

"Nodonn," Aiken noted, "is fish food. And 1 say that from
now on, both human and Tanu arrivals will be given an equally
cordial welcome. Remember that, or you'll answer to me."

Sullivan-Tonn simpered with pleasure He drew the demure
Olone forward and presented her to Aiken and the Interrogator
"Lady Olone of Calamosk, daughter of the late Lord Onedan

THE POSTDILUVIUM 61

Trumpeter, who is to become my bnde at this year's Grand
Loving "

A momentary flash of fire from the girl's mind was hastily
curtained She bowed gracefully Grinning, the Shining One
planted a lingering kiss in the palm of her hand In a low voice,
she asked, "Is it true. Lord Battlemaster, thai you will be king?"
The black eyes sparkled "As Tana wills, lovie!"
"With all the kingly prerogatives?" A smile stole over
her coral lips Sullivan-Tonn's face was immobile

"The game," Aiken assured her, "goes with the name."
He strode over to the smirking Raimo, draped one arm over
his old pal's shoulder, and called out: "Now, all you folks_
be of good cheer' Aiken Drum is here! No more detention, no
more searches, no more nasty interrogations You're all coming
along with me to my Castle of Glass, and we're going to have
a party.'"

OLD ISAK HENNING NAGGED AND NAGGED AND FINALLY HUL-

dah agreed to make the weary climb up to the promontoryâ€”
even though she knew it was going to rainâ€”and keep watch
until midnight.

"We're the only ones left to give warning, girl!" Bony
thumbs dug into her strong upper amis. Isak's filmed eyes
rolled anxiously in the direction of the cave's inner chamber.
"It's the most dangerous time of all! Full moon after the vernal
equine?! The Hunt's bound to come. Every year it happens
Now you listen to me, girl! When you spot 'em flying over
the lagoon from Aven, you light the signal fire- All Kersic is
depending on you'"

"Yes, Grandpa "

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"He might be calling to 'em! Even in his sleep!" The old
man's voice was a malignant hiss.

"Yes, Grandpa."

Trembling, Isak scooped up glowing coals from the cooking
fire into a ceramic beaker. He heaped on ashes to slow com-
bustion. Huldah took the beaker and the thick torch of tallow-
soaked reeds he had prepared.

"Now you know what to do with these!" he barked at her.

"What?" she asked.

"The signal, you damn stupid cow!" he exploded "If you

THE POSTDILUVIUM

see the Flying Hunt, you use the hot coals to light the torch.
Then use the torch to light the big pile of wood!"

Huldah smiled. "Light the torch- Light the wood. Yes,
Grandpa."

The old man fairly screeched. "But only if you see the Hunt,
dammit! Only if you see them coming at us from among the
starsâ€”all twisting and rising and falling like a knotted snake
made of rainbow light!"

"All nght." She stood slanng down at him with an air of
detachment There was no physical beauty about her, only
strength and health Her lips and cheeks were shiny from the
butter-fat roast dormice they had had for supper. Her doeskin
shift was still fairly clean. Her breasts, swelling now for a
reason Isak could well guess, stretched the leather between
their outthrust nipples.

"Well?" he roared. "Get going, you overgrown bitch!"

She remained standing in the cave antechamber. Her bur-
dened hands hung slackly at her thighs. "You will not hurt the
God while I'm gone, Grandpa."

Isak's glance shifted. "You just get going on up to the
promontory. Do your duty and leave him to me." He was
breathing rapidly. 'The Flying Hunt could be on its?, way to
Kersic right now!"

"You will not hurt the God."

Huldah set the pot of coals and the unlit torch down on the
rock floor. Isak tried to dodge away but she was too fast for
him, seizing his sticklike arms and pressing them against the
sides of his rib cage as she lifted him up. He kicked and howled
and spat rage at her, dangling in the air, held at arm's length
by the titaness. Finally he burst into tears. She put him down
with great solicitude, crouched beside him as he collapsed, and
wiped his face with one comer of her slit skirt.

"You will not hurt my God from the Sea," she said, satisfied.

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"No." He could not stop shuddering. The musky smell of
her was overpowering-

"I'll go then," she said. "And if I see the Flying Hunt, I'll
light your signal fire. Even though there are no other people
left on Kersic to see."

64 THE NONBORN KING

"There are, there are," wailed the old man. He covered his
face with his hands-

"No," Huldah told him. "They sailed away when the salty
water rose. There's only you and me and the God now." She
gave Isak a tender pal on his sun-freckled bald crown and picked
up the firemakmg things "And the Flying Hunt won't ever
come again. The water's loo deep It's deep enough lo pour
into the slot where the sun goes down, so the Hunters can't
come through any more to get us "

"Damn crazy cow," Isak mumbled "Go, Go Keep a sharp
watch."

"All right. Il won't do any harm."

She left him still huddled in a heap and set off into the dusk.
The sky was the color of a duck's egg over the water, deepest
blue lashed with violet mare's tails above the spine of Kersic
A few stars, fuzzy, were coming out. Huldah hummed tune-
lessly as she strode along. It was damp and chilly, but she
didn't mind. And the God was well-covered with his rug of
woven rabbitskin strips-

Her heart lifted with thinking of him. So beautiful, so joy-
bringing even in the endless sleep! (His poor lost hand would
soon be fixed when lazy Grandpa finished the last sanding and
smoothing ) If she humed back after the futile vigil there would
still be time to worship him, and Grandpa would wake up and
watch and groan

"I hate you. Grandpa," she said

Pushing through the high marquis, she came at length to
the land's end where there was a cleared space among twisted
umbrella pines, and a tall silver-gray pile of wood Huldah put
down the firepot and the torch and went to the sheer western
up of the promontory- She sal on the edge with her strong legs
dangling and the rising wind tickling as it blew up her skirt.

Down there in that cove, in a place of sharp reefs that the
waters now covered, she had found him The wonder. The
marvel. The joy. The God from the Sea. His eyes had never

THE POSTDILUVIUM 65

opened during the months she had nursed him; but she knew
that they would some day, now that his terrible hurts were
healed He would awaken and love her.

"Then we will kill Grandpa," Huldah decided

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ON THE MAGHREB SHORE OF AFRICA. BLACK WAVES LAPPED

at the base of the Rif Range and the old volcanic hills that had
once anchored the southern end of a broken rubble dike. A

thin drizzle had started.

Kuhal Earthshaker, Second Lord Psychokinetic. had camped
in the most sheltered spot he could find, a steep-walled wadi
carrying a trickle of water that vanished into beach shingle
before ever reaching the New Sea. There were palms and
blooming acacia trees, and a poignant cluster of pink narcissus
nodding in deep shadows beside a little spring.

He had propped the Firvulag coracle up like a dome above
a fairly dry niche. Fian rested beneath it. Kuhal had managed
to light a fire with his feeble creativity, but the supper pickings
were meager: a palm heart, a couple of baked bird's eggs with
their embryos, some delicious bui insubstantial acacia flowers
fried in the last of the hamster fat. A snake of mouth-watering
dimensions had got away. Kuhal knew better than to cook the
abundant but poisonous narcissus bulbs-

Fian moaned. The drizzle was turning into sharp gusts of
rain that tapped on the coracle skins.

COLD!

cold

COLD

COLDCOLD
cold

THE POSTDILUVIUM

i/i know.

cold cold
COLD

COLDCOLD
cold

The sleeping-robe that Kuhal had made from small animal pelts
was now almost falling to pieces. Its sinew threads had rotted
and most of the fur had fallen from the fragile leather- He had
tried to mend it with fresh skins, but the older portions tended
to tear away from the patches. He tucked the ragged thing as
closely as he could about Fian, then went off to scout more
wood for the fire. He found dead branches on a tree up the
arroyo. Thorns ripped his hands as he broke them up and heaped
them onto the smoking fire. He crept back under the coracle's
shelter and took off his soaked and slimy poncho, draping it

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over a thwart to serve as a curtain and heat-trap. The antelope
hide stank abominably.

Fian stirred, plucking at the bandages of dirty rose-gold
fabric that covered his dreadful head wounds. Kuhal restrained
his brother's hands and pressed them firmly back beneath the
fur coverlet. They were clammy, the skin stretched tight over
stark bones and tendons, pulse fluttering in the web of blood
vessels.

dying.
No.

we die together...
No.

we die cold?...
No!

socoldbloodsiowsheartslows
NO I/I WARM US!!

The conjoined mind struggled. One half was frantic to cut
loose and make an end to months of suffering. The other,
remorseless in love, commanded life.

THE NONBORN KING

[psycho A kinetic]
[vaso A dilator}
\stimu A lation}
A
A
H

The pain was coming mostly from the infected facial nerves-
Thai and the damp cold- Having mustered up barely enough
PK to boost his brother's impeded circulation, Kuhal now steeled
himself to assume the pain again with his redactive faculty.
His strength was almost inadequate to manage the shunt. This
would be his tenth night in a row without sleep, the outer limit.
They would have to lay up here tomorrow. Rest well, gel warm
and dry, find some substantial food. Plan's will to live had
diminished almost to nullity,

Sleep, Fian.

yes
Sleep, dearbrother.

yes
Sleep, soulmirror.

yes
Sleep, gentleintuitor.

yes
Sleep, lovedselfwounded

yes
Sleep, Fianmindofmymind, sleep.

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[slow-wave thela rhythm]
Sleep.

For most of the day, Fian had been delirious, and the mental
tempests of the right hemisphere of the Brain assaulted the
fatigue-drugged defenses of the left until Kuhal himself suffered
a hallucination.

He had trudged along the eternal beach, towing Fian through
the shallows in the derelict Firvulag coracle. Suddenly he had

THE POSTDILUVIUM 69

seemed to see a city in the mists far out on the water. It was
as luminous as an earthbound sunâ€” Muriah, reborn in splen-
dor! Kuhal heard the Tanu women singing the Song, cheering
arena crowds at the Spring Sport Meeting, glass trumpets
sounding, and me clangor of jewel-bright swords beating on
glass shields.

Bewitched, he dropped the coracle rope. Home! They were
almost home! After months of creeping westward along the
African shore, wretched castaways, half-crazed and starving,
battered into metapsychic impotence, a miracle had happened.

Arms outstretched, Kuhal waded toward the vision, into
deep water.

The more seriously injured brother, with greater intuitive
power in his share of the Brain, recognized the phantom for
the sham it was. Summoning up a pulse of coercive force, he
had compelled Kuhal to return, to take the rope in hand.

"Now we will go to the Blessed Isle together," Fian had
said.

But Kuhal's brainstorm had passed. Obstinately, he chose
life for them. They came ashore.

"I am dying slowly," Fian had said. "Why not make an end
to it?"

"You won't die. I won't let you. We're going to get back
to the European mainland. Just as soon as the rains stop, the
wind will shift to the south. I'll rig a sail for the coracle."

"It won't do us any good to cross to the other shore. The
others are all dead in the Flood."

"We don't know that! Our farsensing power is too weakened
to perceive beyond earshotâ€”if that far."

"Kuhal! Mind of my mind. Death is all there is for us... if
we are to remain united."

Screaming, Kuhal had denied it. Death was unthinkable.
Separation was unthinkable- "Trust me! You've always trusted
me, followed me. We're one."

And the pain flowed forth, and hopelessness, and Fian said,
"If you won't follow me, I may have to go alone,"

"No!" At Kuhal's lowest conscious level the truth crept out:

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/ am afraid...

THE NONBORN KING

Sitting in the rain-beaten shelter, Kuhal Earthshaker who
had been Second Lord Psychokinetic to the great Nodonn held
his sleeping twin tightly. The fire was hissing; soon the rain
would put it out. Fian's brainwaves were slow and peaceful.
He felt no pain. But for the wakeful brother it was otherwise:

[slow thera]

[slow theta]
FEAR

[slow theta}

IT WAS POURING AND GETTING PRETTY DARK BY THE TIME THAT

the ronin Yoshimitsu Watanabe came to the twelfth troll-gate
on the Redon Track.

"Rotten Firvulag extortionists," he grumbled.

He reined in and considered the matter with weary disgust.
He'd lost so much time already, swimming flooded fords and
detouring around washouts and landslides- If he reached Goriah
at all tonight it would be in the wee hours, when hospitality
was hard to come by. even if a traveler had money. And if he
was broke...

Yosh's famished chaliko took advantage of the halt to scratch
up a few chufas from the muddy earth. He urged her forward
again with a soft, "Hup, Kiku." She came to the edge of a
precipice and looked down at the foaming torrent below, whick-
ering uneasily. The defile was narrow but extremely steep,
clogged by downed timber. It was spanned by a simple bridge
of adze-flattened logs. At either end of this were the "gates,"
man-high cairns, each topped by a pole from which dangled a
colored parchment lantern shaped like a fantastic horned skull.
Large fireflies imprisoned inside were a fitful source of illu-
mination.

If a wayfarer wanted to use the bridge, it was obligatory to
drop the customary offering into holes at the base of the cairns.
Gate-crashers were subject to being eaten by the troll.

THE NONBORN KING

Yosh unfastened his capelike straw mino and let it slide off
so that the ominous magnificence of his red-laced uma-yoroi
would be clearly visible to any nocturnal predator. In two swift
movements he replaced his straw rain hat with the armored

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kabuto. When his hands came down from his head, they gripped
the makeshift (but lethal) nodachi that had been sheathed behind

his right shoulder.

He held the longsword before him. He and Kiku stood as
motionless as an equestrian statue. The ghostly lanterns bobbed
and flickered. Tepid rain rattled on the jungle greenery and a
few tree frogs peeped a spring madrigal.

"Now, listen here, you!" Yosh said in ringing tones. "I'm
a man of honor. I hold to the Human-Firvulag Alliance- I've
paid your damn tolls all the way from the Paris Basin without
a mumbling word. But now I've got only three silver bits left-
If I give them to you, I'll be flat skinned when I pull into
Goriah city tonight- No money for a bed, for food, fodder for
my mount, anything. So I'm not paying! You'll have to take

it out in trade!"

The frogs fell silent, leaving only the sound of rain and the
cascade's muffled drone. Suddenly a green glow sprang into
being at the near end of the log bridge. Something tall and
dripping and hideous bounded onto the trail, menacing the
Japanese warrior and his horselike steed. The apparition was
reptilian, with webbed hands and a scaly body. The head re-
sembled the homed skull of the lanterns, covered in pebbly
hide, and there were enormous bulging eyes that shone like

green searchlights.

Before the thing could pounce, Yosh opened his mouth. He
summoned forth the kiaiâ€”the spirit-shout of the ancient bu-
jutsu mastersâ€”a vocal vibration of such stupefying volume
and horrific timbre that it seemed to strike the troll like a
physical blow. The creature staggered and fell back on one
knee, clapping its taloned flippers over the sides of its head.

Urged on by Yosh, the chaliko mare leaped- She was a huge
animal, more than nineteen hands. Her forefeet, armed with
semiretractiie claws larger than a man's palm, landed only

THE POSTDILUVIUM 73

centimeters from the troll's paralyzed body. The point of Yosh's
great nodachi hovered above the belly of the Firvulag.

"The sword is ironâ€”not bronze or glass," Yosh said. "You
speak Standard English? This is a blood-metal weapon! Nopar
o beyn! One prick, and you're warm meat. I've killed twenty-
two Howlers and two Tanu with this nodachi, and I'm ready
to pop for my first Firvulag if you just blink ugly."

The troll let its breath out in a fluttering gasp. "Youâ€”say
you hold to the Alliance, Lowlife?"

"1 have so far. Are you going to be reasonable about the
toll?"

The creature's eyes blazed. "Don't I deserve to make a
living? Three times the bridge washed out this winter and I had
to fix it! Two bits is cheap. I'm not even making my main-
tenance expenses. And besides, the royal tax gougers take a

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thirty percent rake-off."

The sword didn't waver. "I can't afford it. Times are hard
in the North Country with the world turned upside down since
the Flood. That's why I'm going to Goriah. Well? You ready
to die for a lousy two bits?"

The monster's radiance dimmed. "Oh, hell. Pass and be
damned lo you. Lookâ€”can I shape-shift and get up? This cold
mud is murder on my lumbago."

Yosh nodded and lifted his sword. The reptilian form quiv-
ered and seemed shot through with sparks of color that co-
alesced into the softly gleaming body of a medium-sized exotic.
His face was seamed, his nose long and pointed, and his beady
little eyes glowered from under extraordinarily bushy red brows.
He wore a conical scarlet cap with matching breeches (now
soaked with mud), a ruffled shirt laced at the throat, a leather
jerkin embroidered in exquisite designs of twined stylized an-
imals, and hobnail jackboots with turned-up tips.

"Look, we can make a deal," the troll said. "You're still
more than thirty Lowlife leagues from the City of the Shining
One. A long way to go on a bad night. And like you said,
your wallet's short of the jingties. You'd need even more than
those three bits to find decent up-putting in Goriah. But my
brother-in-law Malachee runs a nice lavem just a few kloms

THE NONBORN KING

from here where you can gel a good meal and a flop and a bag
of roots for your brute for only two bits- Then in the morning
I'll let you across for a cut rale: one silver piece instead of the
usual two. What say?"

Yosh's eyes narrowed. "No shit?"

The Firvulag turned up his hands. "Humans and Little Peo-
ple are allies! King Sham and Queen Ayfa made it official.
Nobody'll zap you in your bed at Malachee's."

"But a human staying at a Firvulag tavernâ€”"

"Not so common in the hinterlands, but getting pretty usual
around this neck of the woods, especially since the Shining
One sent out his call for recruits. Our people can use the
business! Look, I sent two other Lowlives to Malachee's al-
ready tonight. Footsloggers- You'll have company."

Yosh grinned. He slid the longsword back into its scabbard
on his back. A touch of his heels and a slight body movement
on his pan caused the chaliko to draw away from the bedraggled
exotic. "Okay. I accept the deal. How do I find this place?"

"Go back along the trail until you come to that turn leading
to the cliffs alongside the Strait of Redon. Hang a right at the
cork-oak grove, then follow the ley until you run smack into
a tumulus. That's it- Malachee's Toot. Tell 'em Kipol Green-
teeth sent you."

He shambled to the edge of the gorge, then looked back

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over his shoulder. "That battle-yell of yours is really a tradi-
tional Firvulag gag, you know. But the old tricks are the best.
No hard feelings." Giving a sardonic salute, Kipol Greenteeth
sank into the ground.

The tumulus, when Yosh found it, was the size of a large
circus tent and overgrown with brush. It looked utterly deserted
there in the stormy night, isolated on a wind-swept heath per-
haps half a kilometer from the strait. The rain had quit for the
moment. Tom bits of wrack scudded across the sky like squad-
rons of witches. Along the southwestern horizon was a pearly
glow that silhouetted low coastal hills. That tantalizing light
behind the headland came from Goriah, Aiken Drum's new
headquarters, now the de facto capital of the Many-Colored

THE POSTDILUVIUM 75

Land. With a human operant ruling the old Tanu kingdom, it
was going to be a whole new ball game in the Pliocene Exile.

"And I can hardly wait to play!" Yosh told patient Kiku.

He'd make a more impressive entrance arriving al Goriah
in daylight, anyhow. Kiku would be fresh and sporting the
handsome garniture that he'd made. They'd tow a gaudy stack
of hawk kites right up to the city gates to catch people's at-
tention. Then he'd ride into Goriah dressed to the nines in his
gorgeous Muromachi Period samurai armor, with his sword at
present-arms. He'd offer thai sword of. hand-wrought iron to
Lord Aiken-Lugonn. And at last Yoshimitsu Watanabe would
no longer be a ronin, a masterless wave-man adrift on the sea
of life. He'd be a goshozamuraiâ€”an imperial warrior!

Briefly, Yosh wondered what his twenty-second-century
colleagues at Rocky Mountain Robotics back in good old Den-
ver, Colorado, would say if they could see him in that hour of
glory.

Reality brought him back to Pliocene Earth. His laminated
armor was heavy and leaked like a sieve. His belly flapped
empty against his spine. Poor Kiku was reduced to mouthing
a scraggly broom bush.

Where could the damn tavern be? He rode around the hil-
tock, shining his solar-battery torch into depressions and shrub-
bery. All he found was a little standing stone, thin and about
half a meter high, with a black ideograph painted on it. As he
leaned from the saddle, studying this, he heard distant coarse
laughter and music.

Coming from inside the hillâ€”?

"Hello!" he shouted.

The congenial sounds melted into the whistling wind.

"Is anybody in there? Is this Malachee's Toot? Uhâ€”Kippy
Greenteeth sent me!"

There was a grating rumble and the chaliko shied back. A
rectangle outlined in dim yellow light, measuring nearly three
meters high and somewhat less in width, appeared on the slope
before him. The earth sank to reveal a sizable tunnel lit with

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flaming wall cressets. Passageways led off right and left. Al
the far end was a big wooden door with two peepholes like

THE NONBORN KING

crimson eyes, from behind which came muffled noises of ine-
briate laughter, singing, clinks and smashes, and other indi-
cations of rampant conviviality

"You stand there all night, Lowlifeâ€”or come in7"
A Firvulag adolescent, hunched and slightly spotty, but
wearing a superior smile, beckoned Yosh forward As the war
nor followed the exotic youth into the nghthand passage, the
entrance to the hollow hill sealed behind him Keeping his
panic in check (as well as Kiku, who had gone skittish in this
novel environment), Yosh rode into a dry earthen chamber
where all manner of bales, sealed jars, filled sacks, and odd-
ments of domestic equipment were lying about

The stripling slouched against a barrel, picking at an in-
flamed blackhead on his nose with one grubby fingernail He
indicated a space along one wall where straw covered the floor

"You put animal there Tie to nng in wall Roots to eat in
sacks You do feeding, grooming Chalikos no like me " He
giggled and a shadow of sinister fehnity distorted his features
Kiku snorted and showed the whites of her eyes

Yosh dismounted As he tended to the animal's needs, he
felt the gaze of the exotic seeming to bore into the backplate
of his corselet, where the great curved nodachi was still strapped

The boy's halting English was truculent "You leave blood-
metal sword here In storeroom "

Yosh didn't look at him He continued to rub down Kiku
with a handful of straw "No I keep my weapons and my
armor with me And in the morning, I check to be sure that
none of the gear I stashed out here has been misplaced I'd
really be cut up if any of my things got lostâ€”"

In a split second he whirled about, the sword chopping down
in a lightning laijutsu motion to stop just short of the stunned
Firvulag's forehead

"â€”and you might be cut up, too. kid If you fuck around
with my chaliko Understand7"

"Maia-cAee1" the youth screeched

Yosh was using the sword innocently to slice open a sack
of roots when the dwarfish exotic innkeeper came bustling in

"Now, now' What's this commotion, Nuckalam, my lad7

THE PosTDruJvruM 77

A new arrival7 Welcome, human fnend'" Malachee's face was
plump and rosy His pointed ears protruded from a crown of
silky white hair He had sleeves rolled to the elbow, very clean
hands, and wore a bibbed leather apron Giving the sword a

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brief glance, he winked at Yosh "Of course you may keep
your weapon with you. sir But sheathed at all times, please
No demonstrations of martial art are allowed in Malachee's
Toot "

The boy Nuckalam, his face broken out in ugly white fear-
patches in addition to the original spots, curled his lip with
forced bravado

"He say he cut me up with blood metal' Sonabitchmg Low-
life'"

Malachee hoisted a reproachful eyebrow at Yosh

"A misunderstanding "The wamor beamed suavely at Mala-
chee, ignoring the epithets that the Firvulag youth mumbled
in his own tongue After his sword was cased on his back
again, he took two silver slugs from his uchi-bukuro and held
them out to the innkeeper "Permit me to pay in advance as a
measure of good faith Your good brother-in-law recommended
your establishment highly "

Malachee twinkled, took the money, and led the way to the
public room As the wooden door swung open, Yosh had an
impression of pulsing ruddy light, tumultuous noise, a smell of
roasting meat and spilled beer, and a press of exotic merrymakers
who ranged in size from apple-cheeked manikins carousing un-
derfoot to chandelier-grazing ogres Not one of the Firvulag wore
an illusory aspect, as was the almost invariable custom of the race
when having commerce with humankind Yosh was interested
to see that in spite of the size variance, none of these Firvulag
were physically deformed, like the mutant Howlers, nor were
they meanly dressed The medium-sized individuals, had they
been attired in twenty-second-century garb, would have passed
unnoticed in a typical barroom crowd on Elder Earth

Malachee had to shout above the din "Right this way to a
nice table' You can sit with two compatriots of yours'"

The decor of the public room featured polished gnarled

THE NONBORN KING

roots, slabs of ornamental minerals, massive supporting timbers
embellished with gargoyle carvings, and ingenious use of fun-
goid motifs. As Yosh followed his host through the throng,
Firvulag patrons drew away with wary expressions. Some
scowled and muttered. For all the royal decrees, detente was
obviously still a fragile thing.

In the hazy glare at the other end of the room a gigantic
tosspot was flailing his arms in the air like a demented windmill.
He sang out a single imploring word in a surprisingly rich
baritone:

"Vaaf-na!"

The rest of the company chorused: "Vafna! Vafna!"

Yosh felt himself being pushed down onto one of the mush-
room-shaped wooden stools at a wall table. Malachee yelled

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in his ear. "Enjoy the entertainment! I'll have your supper sent
out! The two bits includes all you want to eat and drink! You'll
share your sleeping room with these travelers, here! Thanks

for coming!"

The deep red light was brightening to orange at the far side
of the room. Yosh cast an appraising glance at the two humans
seated with him. One was a strapping youngster with a peach-
fuzz beard, wearing shabby fringed buckskins. The shy smile
with which he welcomed Yosh hinted at a childish simplicity.
The other man was considerably older. His threadbare blouse
and torn cape were of the type worn by gray trooper noncoms-
He had a stubbled underthrust jaw, greasy hair falling over
eyes slitted in hostility, and the coiled-spring demeanor of an

incorrigible hard case.

"Hey, guy," the young man exclaimed to Yosh. "That's a
hell of a bonzo outfit! And didn't those spooks give you room]
Shooo!" He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial rasp. "Is that
a sword on your back? Heyâ€”is it iron?"

"Yes," said Yosh.

The hard case glowered above the rim of his beer mug.
"You some kinda Mongolian, slaunch-eyes?"

"Japanese extraction," said Yosh equably. "North American

native."

"Man, are we ever glad to meet up with you!" said the

THE POSTDILUVIUM

youth. "All's we got's between us is a bronze pig-tickler and
a vitredur skinning knife. I's sure we'd get massacreed in our
bed tonight, y'know? Shooo! But with your iron, we'll rate
respect'. Heyâ€”I'm Sunny Jim Quigley, and this here's Vilkas.
Who you be?"

"My name is Watanabe." Yosh's reply was almost drowned
out by the reiterated musical howl of the big Firvulag.

"Vaaaaf-naV

"Vafna! Vafna! Vafna! Vafna!" chanted the other patrons.
They thumped beakers, knife handles, and fists on the tables-
Unseen drummers took up the beat. There was an abrupt hiss,
a poof, and a flash. The tavern rocked with cheers.

A pianolike instrument struck up a strong bass figure and
five little Firvulag women came prancing coltishly into the area
of fiery radiance. They sang teasing challenges in the exotic
language, and the male tavemgoers responded in mellow har-
mony. The damsels wore full skirts reminiscent of bucolic
Mitteleuropa. Their headpieces, bodices, and the cuffs of their
scarlet boots were lavishly adorned with gemstones that gave
off hypnotic glints, filling the room with whirling tiny lights
as the dancers circled to accelerating tempo.

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Yosh strained to see clearly in the red murk. Those women!
Were they reallyâ€”?

The singing grew wilder. The dancers' challenge and the
response of the Firvulag men blended into a rapport of almost
palpable eroticism- One short musical phrase, almost shouted
by the spectators, cued the women to leap one by one into the
air. As they rose, their costumes vanished like smoke and it
seemed that smooth-skinned nymphs with blazing hair writhed
inside an inferno of hot colors. Percussion instruments clashed
and rang and the mixed voices reached a hammering crescendo.
And then the incandescent bodies were consumed. The sound
fell away, lost in languor, melancholy as the fall of bright
ashes-

The light cooled- A different female form materialized, sol-
itary and rarefied, her breasts and thighs scarved in flowing
vapor- She sang a brief lyric of heart-stopping purity and sad-
ness. When the last note died, so did the auroral light.

80 THE NONBORN KING

There was silence. Then every exotic in the place leaped
up to utter a final deafening "Vafna?"

"My God," said Yosh.

Drops of sweat trickled down the youth's brow. "Shooo!"

The rough-hewn bareneck named Vilkas emptied his mug,
slammed it onto the table, and blasphemed the Tanu Goddess.
"Gave you a nice little buzz, didn'ey? Real tum-onâ€”right?
Well, enjoy it, suckers, and eat your hearts out. 'Cause that
all you're gonna get. All any of this peg-up lot'll get." He
swept his arm wide to indicate the mob of bleary-eyed, grinning
habitues, slowly emerging from the dance's spell. "Damn Fir-
vulag bitches! They only do it by remote control till their
menfolk marry 'em. And us humans're on the wrong frequency,
so we don't get noneâ€”and they know we can never force 'em
because of the goddam teeth. So the spook cunts laugh at us!
They know we got hardly any Lowlife women."

"Teeth?" said Yosh blankly. "1 never got close enough to
a Firvulag female to look one in the mouth. What's special
about their teeth?"

Sunny Jim looked away, abashed.

Vilkas gave a bark of mirthless laughter. "Not regular teeth,
slaunch-eyes." He glared meaningfully at Yosh for a moment,
then whispered, "Other teeth. Down there,"

"Ah." The ronin smiled coolly. "1 can see how that would
cramp your style. You don't look like the type to ask politely.
Or get many offers of free samples."

A serving lad materialized at Yosh's elbow and began to
unload a tray. There was a platter of big broiled ribs coaled
with pungent sauce, a bowl of something smelling like oyster
stew, a loaf of purple-tinted bread, and an enormous tankard
of beer. As a final touch the waiter set down a saucer filled
with tiny mushrooms, the caps scarlet with white flecks.

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Yosh reached out- "What's this? The appetizer?"

A hairy hand clamped his wrist- "Go easy on those hoobies,
slaunch-eyes- Firvulag get high on 'em, but they'll send a
human to hell faster 'n' methyl alcohol." Vilkas released his
grip with insolent slowness. "Unless cheap fungo trips are your
style." He scowled at the waiter. "More beer, dammit!"

THE POSTD[LLIV[UM

Sunny Jim ventured a conciliatory smile. "Aw, Vilkas. Hey'
Why'n'cha stash that crap?" His eyes appealed to Yosh. "Vilkas
don't mean nothin'. He's just a li'l squiffed from too much
spook beer. Past month's been mighty rough on him. He was
in Burask when the Howlers tore the town to pieces, and before
thatâ€”"

"Shut up, Jim," said Vilkas. His beer arrived and he downed
a liter without pausing for breath.

Yosh regarded Vilkas without passion. "Kampai!" he toasted,
taking a swallow of the brew- "Ah, Burask. I missed the fes-
tivities, worse luck. But a week or so afterward I did meet up
with a party of Tanu fleeing the city." He began to spoon up
the oyster slew. It was fit for the Galactic Gourmet.

Jim's eyes bugged. "Holy blue shit, guy! What happened?"

"Theiroffensive mind-powers were weak. I decapitated two.
The others fled. Unfortunately, the golden tores of the van-
quished were damaged by my sword. But I did acquire a fine
chaliko for my efforts."

"Lucky bastard," muttered Vilkas through the suds. "Lucky
slaunch-eyed friggerty bastard. You wanna know what my luck's
been?"

Jim interrupted what was evidently a familiar tirade. "And
now you're on your way to Goriah, are you?" At Yosh's nod,
he exclaimed, "Hey! So are we! When the word come that this
human who wants to be king was passin' out gold collarsâ€”
why, I like to busied my butt hittin' the trail outa the home
swamp! And ol' Vilkas ... well, he didn't need that much per-
suadin' to come along after Burask."

"And Finiah before that!" shouted the man who wore the
blouse of a gray trooper. "I escaped the soddin' Lowlives after
they barenecked me, but the Tanu at Burask treated me like a
traitor! Never have any luck. Not hereâ€”not back 'n the Milieu.
Lithuanians just born stone losers. Wouldn' even give us our
own planet! Hellâ€”even fuckin' Albanians got a planet, but
not us. Y'know what the highass Concilium toid us Lithuani-
ans? 'Go colonize a Cosmop world!' Said we di'n have nuff
ethnic dynamism, fchrissake. So we could go share a planet
with a lot of lousy Letts and Costa Ricans and Sikkimese'" He

THE NONBORN KING

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choked down the last of his beer and slumped forward, head
on the stained tableboards. "Bloody Yanks got twelve planets.
Bloody Japs got nine. But nothin' for the poor Lithuanians."
He began to sob.

"Aw, Vilkas," said Sunny Jim. "Heyâ€”come on."

Yosh considered the precious pair. They weren't much to
look at, but even a couple of scruffy ashigaru would give him
greater face than if he arrived at Goriah unattended. He had
enough extra gear to fix them up. The boy could manage the
string of hawk kites while the reprobate soldier bore the stan-
dard and the mesh bag with the Tanu heads.

'The track between here and Goriah is still somewhat haz-
ardous," Yosh said. "You can come along with me tomorrow.
Jim, if you like- Vilkas, too. All I'd ask is that you carry a
few of my things."

"Heyâ€”that's damn nice of you, guy!" Sunny Jim was ju-
bilant. "No spook gonna mess with us if we stick close to you
and that iron sword' Isn't that a great idea, Vilkas?"

The greasy head lifted. "Super." The bloodshot gaze fixed
on Yosh had become horribly sober. "What did you say your
name was, slaunch-eyes?"

Yosh put down the rib he had been chewing and smiled, as
if at a peevish child.

"You can call me Yoshi-sama." he said.

THE RECEPTION PARTY WAITED ON THE GORIAH QUAY AS THE

ship from Rocilan was slowly warped into its slip.

All the sable banners emblazoned with Lord Aiken-Lu-
gonn's impudent golden finger hung sodden in the thin rain.
The aristocratic riders on their elaborately caparisoned mounts
were quite drenched; but Mercy had warned Aiken against
tampering with the elements today, even in the interests of
hospitality. Screening off the rainâ€”or indeed any extraordi-
nary manifestation of metapsychic prowessâ€”would be a sole-
cism in Tanu eyes, marking the kingly aspirant as deficient in
humility.

The gray-tore docking crew wrestled an ornamental gang-
way into position, in a fine show of pageantry, Aiken's new
company of gold foot soldiers took up honor-guard formation.
their gleaming brass-and-black-glass half-armor looking all the
more resplendent for the sparkling drops of water beading it.
Flunkies brought a mounting stool to the foot of the ramp.
Alberonn Mindeater himself led forward four white chalikos
for the disembarking guests.

On board the ship, a single hom note sounded. Several
Tanu ladies in Aiken's train raised their glass carnices and
responded with a fanfare. Eadnar, widow of the late Lord
Gradlonn of Rocilan, began to descend the gangplank, fol-
lowed by her venerable mother-in-law Lady Moma-Ia, her

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84 THE NONBORN KING

sister Tirone Heartsinger, and Tirone's husband Bleyn the
Champion

Alken doffed his golden hat with its dripping black plume,
levitated discreetly until he stood full upright on his saddle,
and threw wide his arms in a gesture of welcome

"Slonshai'" cned the mind and voice of the diminutive
usurper of Gonah, and the power of his utterance made the
rocky harbor walls reverberate "Slonshai'" he said again,
reaching out to join Mercy's greeting with his own as the
visitors mounted the waiting chalikos And "Slonshai'" he
roared for the third time, making the ship's sails billow and
the gulls nse up from all the piers and pilings like a confetti
cloud of gray and pink and white From the throats and minds
of those assembled on the quay came the haunting strains of
the Tanu Song, its melody so strangely familiar to the exiles
of the twenty-second century

Li gan nol po'kone niesi,
'Kone o lan li pred near,
U taynel compn la neyn,
N1 blepan algar dedone

Shompn pone. a gabnnel,

Shal u car metan presi,
Nar metan u bor taynel o pogekone,
Car metan sed gone mon

There is a land that shines through life and time,
A comely land through the length of the world's age,
And many-colored blossoms fall on it,
From the old trees where the birds are singing

Every color glows there, delight is commonplace,

Music abounds on the Silver Plain,
On the Gentle-Voiced Plain of the Many-Colored Land,
On the White Silver Plain to the south

There is no weeping, no treachery, no gnef,
There is no sickness, no weakness, no death
There are riches, treasures of many colors,

THE POST-DILUVIUM 85

Sweet music to hear. the best of wine to dnnk

Golden chanots contend on the P!am of Sports,
Many-colored steeds run in days of lasting weather
Neither death nor the ebbing of the tide
Will come to those of the Many-Colored Land

The honored guests from Rocilan Joined in the singing, but
at the last verse, bereaved Alberonn and Eadnar wept openly,
and old Lady Moma's seamed visage hardened into a mask of
gnef, and Mercy's mind-voice lost its music and keened instead
the Celtic lament, Ochone, ochone'

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They all fell silent The seabirds drifted back to their resting
places The harbor waters were dead calm. a rain-pocked leaden
sheet

Alken said, "Welcome, Most Exalted Ones of Rocilan " His
mind declaimed The laughter and the joy will come againâ€”
and the love and the sport and the many-colored treasures of
the heart The Shining One promises it'

Lady Moma-Ia peered at him sharply "You are shorter of
stature in person than your farseen image hints, Battlemaster
And much younger "

"I'll be twenty-two years old on the day before the Grand
Loving. Farseemg Lady," said the rogue "On my home world,
Dalnada, I'd already be four years into my majority And old
enough for elected office if my fellow-citizens hadn't banished
me as a menace to the public welfare'"

Morna's subvocalization was still mentally audible Under-
standable

"As for my size," he added, smu-king, "I was quite big
enough for Mayvar Kingmaker, your late guild-sister " She
bridled dangerously at the innuendo, but he swept on "And if
the Flood hadn't interrupted my duel with Nodonn, I'd have
cut him down to size, too "

"So you say," the lady retorted "Lofty talk seems to be
a commodity in iong supply about Gonah this time of the
year That, and the flouting of sacred tradition " Her glance
fell on her widowed daughter-in-law, Eadnar, communing
wordlessly with Alberonn, who still held the bndle of her

THE NONBORN KING

chahko "It is your shameless example, Battlemasler, pre-
suming to affiance yourself to Mercy-Rosmar in defiance of
our mourning customs, that has led Eadnar lo profane my late
son's memory "

Alken shifted elocutional gears abruptly, abolishing any hint
of saucy bravado and speaking to the older woman on the
intimate telepathic mode with all of the earnest charm he could
conjure

Farseeing Lady Moma-Ia, you're a First Comerâ€”a pillar
of your guild, a person of great wisdom as well as metapsychic
strength You're aware of the danger we face, with so many
of the battle-company having perished in the Flood The Foe
is poised to take advantage of any show of weakness now
that they outnumber us, and they will not scruple to go against
tradition if it will hasten our downfall' Consider the so-called
Howler attack that devastated Burask, in which the invaders
made unprecedented use of bows and arrows And the skir-
mishes in the alpine foothills around Bardelask where ogres
and imps have been seen mounted on chalikos and hippanons,
m contravention of their most ancient custom'

The Foe are planning to pick off, one by one, those cities

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that have lost their strong lords and fighting ladies Even Ro-
cilan, on the Atlantic coast and a protectorate of Gonah, is
vulnerable to the Fuvulag of the Grotto Wilderness The lovely
Eadnar is a creative genius in textiles and the confectionery
artsâ€”but she is hardly the person to undertake the defense of
your city against a well-armed force of mounted monsters' This
is why, at my insistence, Alberonn Mmdeater has pressed his
suit in spite of your mourning customs You know he's emi-
nently qualified Whyâ€”it's to Rocilan's honor that it be gov-
erned by a High Tabler, and a fighting specialist, to boot' Add
to this the fact that Alberonn saved Eadnar's life, and your
own, m the Flood

"We owe the Lord Mmdeater more than we can repay,"
Morna said aloud, stiff-faced "We welcome him with humility
and Joy Neverthelessâ€”"

Aha I see what you take little (rouble to hide' It's Me
you really object to My meddling in Rocitan affairs My

THE POST-DILUVIUM 87

trampling your tradition My taking of Gonah and aspiring
to be king'

You are a human

And a rascal' I know But if you'll just use your great
ultrasenses to look past my sawed-off body and my humanity
and my youth and my bragging, naughty ways you'd see
that I'm the very one this kingdom needs now to lead it I'm
the one who can rebuild at the same time that I send the Foe
packing' Who believes it9 Bleyn and Alberonn do, and follow
me now as they did in the last Grand Combat Mercy-Rosmar,
the President of the Creator Guild, has agreed to be my wife
And here's the Second Redactor, Lord Culluket, come to Go-
nah just this past month to throw in his lot with the Shining
One Four of the five eligible High Table survivors accept me
at my word' Won't you9

"it's true what they say aboul your sly mind and forked
tongue " But the old woman's face had softened into a wintry
smile "One moment you're a disingenuous mountebank, and
the nextâ€”"

"Not all that impossible a candidate for High King'" He
giggled, clapped his broad-bnmmed golden hat back onto his
head, and squinted at the wet plumes that now dnpped in front
of his eyes 'At home on dear, soggy Dalnada, we'd call this
a fine soft morning Whai say. lady dear, that we take a jaunt
of inspection9 Just a wee detour on our way to the Castle of
Glass9 I'd like you and the other Exalted Ones of Rocilan to
see all the great things I've done, refurbishing the Grove of
May for this year's Loving You'll be amazed'"

"Oh, very well," said Morna

The other guests and the members of the welcoming party,
who had been mingling and chatting gravely, now felt silent
and expectant Mercy, sitting her white chahko sidesaddle. took
up Alken's suggestion as though n were a spur-of-the-moment
thing and not something the two of them had planned from the

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start Psychocreative force streamed from her, and her wild
opalescent glance made even the lovely sisters of Rocilan look
almost wan in comparison

"Let's fly'" Mercy exclaimed "It's a grand day for d

THE NONBORN KING

Faery Rade'" She threw back the hood of her velvet Kinsale
cloak, so that her fine auburn hair darkened and coiled in
ringlets from the rain "Away with all you soldiers and at-
tending lords and ladiesâ€”we'll not be needing your company
until we return to Gonah You dear guests, follow me' Fly
away' Fly away'"

She mounted aloft into the downpour, leaving Alken mo-
mentarily open-mouthed This detail of flying had definitely
not been planned, and of the others, only Culluket was capable
of self-levitation Alken would have to carry the four Rocilan
guests and Alberonn himself, violating the humility precept
No stigma attached to the pregnant Mercy, who by Tanu custom
was permitted any caprice, but she'd put d right one across
him

"What the hell," Alken said, shrugging "Up. up and away'
I'll be breaking a whole raft more of your holy fewkm' rules
to save you from the Firvulag, so we might as well wipe the
slate of this piece of silliness right now "

He waggled both hands The rain slopped falling on the
Tanu aristocrats and the trickster, deflected by his psycho-
kmetic power "If we were on Dalnada," he said, "we could
nde in nice comfy aircraft instead of on these overgrown
turnip eaters But hang tight' I'm working on that little prob-
lem, too'"

Effortlessly, he drew them all along with him, the chalikos
seeming to canter through the moisture-laden clouds They
caught up quickly with Mercy, who only laughed, and soared
eastward over a low range of heavily wooded hills Beyond
them the broad River Laar made a northerly bend before curving
down to the Tainted Swamp and its outlet to the Atlantic A
well-graded roadway from Gonah paralleled the nver at this
point, and it was alive with traffic Carts drawn by hellads and
chaliko caravans brought loads of dressed stone, carved tim-
bers. rolls of sod, and bailed-and-burlapped ornamental plant
stock into a raw clearing adjacent to the Laar The eight flying
nders swooped low, decelerated to a walking pace, and drifted
JUS[ above the crowns of big magnolia and black-gum trees
Workers were everywhere down below Humans, both bare

THE POSTDILUVIUM 89

neck and gray tore, supervised gangs of diligent, child-sized
ramapithecme apes who dug and raked, cleared and planted,
fetched and carried

This area along the river is all new since Tirone and 1
were married." Bleyn remarked 'What's it going to be,
Alken^'

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A fancy campground for the Firvulag guests Surprise'"

Bleyn's jaw dropped He looked like a thunderstruck Sieg-
fried Tana s Teeth' You can't invite them''"''

"it goes against all precedent'" Moma said "Firvulag would
neverâ€”

"They've already accepted," the Shining One interrupted
her blithely "Only the biggies, of course King Sham and
Queen Ayfa and their close henchfolks We kept the guest list
modest Two or three hundred With luck they'll bring pres-
ents

Tirone Heartsmger protested, "But the Little People always
have their own Grand Loving celebration Tanu and Firvulag
join in the Combat as is proper for Foes But never in the
Loving'"

Alken said, "The common ruck of Firvulag can do as they
please, dear lass But 1 have special reasons of state for getting
the royals to attend our bash It'll be very educational for em
to see how the Tanu and torced humanity have rallied round
Me'"

"If we can be sure that the city-lords will ' Atberonn growled,
his mind troubled and showing it clearly

Alken now brought the party wafting down They rode
along a broad tanbarked way that wound through the riverside
grove Mercy said, 'My Lord Lugonn and 1 have devoted a
lot of thought to this year's Maying We've been planning
all winter long to show the people of the Many Colored Land
a Loving such as they've never seen before Her mind opened
to them, showing the work she had done on Elder Earth,
where she had directed historical pageants recreating the her
itage of medieval Europe for sentimental colonials The tncks
of Mercy's theatrical trade would lend a fresh and erotic luster
to what had been, in Tanu tradition, a charming but rather

90 THE NONBORN KING

naive fertility festival Thanks to Alken, that poiymathic jack
of all-trades, and to her own expertise as President of the
Creators, she had been able to translate her most fantaslic
designs into reality No matter that it meant looting Gonah
of resources and lying up the city's labor force for most of
the winter and spring A spectacle had been announced, and
would be duly produced

"We'll keep all the good old aspects of the Grand Loving,"
Mere) said, projecting reassurance at Lady Moma "The
pledging of hearts and the Maypole Dance and the marrying
and the lovemakmg on the dew-starred grass of May But
there'll be wonderful new delights as well " The visions rolled
forth from her mind in a flamboyant cascade The old trystmg
grounds will be gloriously redecoratedâ€”finer than our dear
people ever dreamt of There 11 be fresh entertainments as
well as the familiar onesâ€”new songs and dances and comical
skits and dramas of romance, and bright masquerade costumes
for everyone in our innovation of the Night of Secret Love

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And the foodâ€”' You know how I adore creating good things
to eat Wait until you taste our new picnic lunches and
moonlight feasts, and the grand aphrodisiac wedding banquet
to climax the nuptial celebration' Even the visiting Firvulag
will find our hospitality impossible to resist You know what
perfume fetishists they are well, we've transplanted nearly
sixty cartloads of orchids and night jasmine and scented wa-
terlilies for the riverside lagoons The Little People should
be almost embalmed in fine fragrance'"

"And when they finish exercising their noses," Alken said,
'they can try out other parts of their anatomy Back against
the slope we've built a whole rabbit warren of new mossy
grottos Just the kind of nooky-nooks the Wee Folk fancy for
their spring jollification "

"With an added feature " Culluket the Interrogator smiled
coldly within the shadow of his hooded burgundy cloak "Ob-
serve the fine line of sight through that northwestern notch
between here and the high turrets of the Castle of Glass back
in Gonah Do you perceive it. Lady Morna7"

"Very clever," said the farsensmg dame "No rock forma-

THE POSTDILUVIUM 91

lions to block your surveillance of the Foe I'm glad to see
some evidence of prudence amid this frantic ostentation "

Alken grinned indomitably in the face of her disapproval
"It's all for prudence's sweet sake. Lady Moma, don't you
see9"

"Perhaps I do," she admitted grudgingly

"Let's see how the main amphitheatre is shaping up'" Mercy
suggested And she was off and galloping

The company followed the lanbarked avenue inland An-
cient plane trees with mottled trunks, some more than four
meters in diameter, stood sentinel on either side of the arrow-
straight traditional Tanu ley that extended off into the mist On
either side of the allee ramas worked on flowerbeds, or pruned
shrubs, or scraped moss off the benches of the soon-to-be-
refurbished bowers More little apes clambered over the roofs
of the many vine-hung pergolas, removing wasp nests, killing
bird-hunting spiders, and driving off the colonies of bats that
had made free with the Grove of May since last year's Grand
Loving

They rode on more slowly, and finally the focal point of
the pleasance loomed ahead "A new maypole'" exclaimed
Eadnar delightedly "And so tall'" She went dashing off to
examine it. followed after a moment's hesitation toy her laugh-
ing sister. Tirone They ignored the rain that pelted them as
they left the shelter of Aucen's PK bubble Casually, he ex-
panded the mental force-field's radius to nearly half a kilo-
meter

"Tana's mercy'" cned Lady Moma in spite of herself "You
surpass the powers of Kuhal and Fian of the Host. when they
used to roof over the sports arena in Munah'"

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"You don't say7" chirped Alken He cocked his head at
distant Eadnar, who had now stopped, together with Tirone,
to accept a bouquet of daffodils from one of the silver-tore
landscape architects "Nice to see the little widow acting more
cheery Perhaps she's looking forward to May "

He gave Alberonn Mindealer a playful mental jab, to which
die hybrid responded with decently veiled emotions

Moma said, "My daughter-in-law is youngâ€”scarcely sev-

THE NONBORN KING

enty-lhreeâ€”and bears up under our tragic loss more readily
than I " Morna studied a goldfinch with a bright red face
that sat on a budding bush, singing sweetly "But life must
go on "

"Especially in spring," said Alken

Mercy, nding sedately at his side, had her thoughts enclosed
in bright opacity A secret smile turned up the comers of her
mouth

They rode into an open area that had been a mere meadow
before Mercy's imagination got to work on it Now it was
transformed into a smardgdine bowl, a gently sloping amphi
theatre that swept down to a flat dancing ground Flocks of
sheep cropped the lawn Beyond was a turfed earthwork stage
framed in evergreens, and in back of this. Jutting from a trun-
cated knoll, rose the towenng maypole The tip of the bare
wooden spar was lost in low-hanging mmbostratus Some 30
meters to the left of the pole waited a heavy-duty cart with a
crew of grays

"Now for my biggest surprise'" said Alken He wmked at
Mercy "I had this up my sleeve, etiquette or no etiquette'"

Eadnar and Tirone now rejoined the party "It's a splendid
maypole." said Tirone "1 wonder you could find a slender tree
of such imposing height "

"We couldn't," Alken admitted laconically "It's an artifact
Reinforced But that's just for starters. Creative Sister Here
comes the real scouseroo'" He called out in farspeech You
guys all set1'

The teamsters chorused Ready boss'

The jester made a mesmeric pass in the air Tarpaulins
whipped from the cart, revealing squat wooden crates Another
pass, and lids flew off, to pile into a clattering heap Alken
frowned, pushed back his hat, unbuttoned the cuffs of his
golden suit, and shoved up his sleeves

"Stand back'" he bellowed Every smew tensed as he gath-
ered his psychokinesis "Shazoom'"

From the open boxes flew hundreds of thin metallic sheets
that fluttered in the misty air like golden leaves A directorial

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gesture from Alken made them nse and fall. dancing in a

THE POSTDILUVIUM 93

butterfly swarm The gold foil formed a stream, split, twined,
braided, and writhed Like glittering fluid the sheets circled
the pole, then those nearest the base spun faster, seeming to
melt onto the wood More swiftly than the eye could follow,
the rest of the gold blended into place, gilding the tall spar
from butt to tip in a seamless sheath of yellow brilliance
The psychocreative welding job having been accomplished,
the maypole stood steaming in the rain while the workmen
cheered

"There has never been such a splendid maypole." breathed
Eadnar "You know its symbolism, do you not. Shining One^"

Alken nodded solemnly "Oh, yes That's why I worked so
hard It's got to be extra glonous if it's to represent Mine "

"And how much of Gonah's treasury was expended in this
quest for verisimilitude'7" inquired Lady Moma archly

Alken was polite "Not so much that we won't replace
it twenty times over with what I'm going to take away from
the Firvuiag And not by plunder, either' Fair and squareâ€”
almostâ€”provided I can con Sham and Ayfa into agreeing to
my modification of the Grand Combat come next October "

"Another human novelty^" Moma was almost resigned

"I'mjust loaded with 'em," Alken told her warmly "You'll
get the complete scoop at the Loving "

Mercy said, "This is why the festival this year must be the
most magnificent in all the history of the Tanu exile on Earthâ€”
to lift the spirits of our people and to impress the Firvulag To
force them aft to take our new regime senously We'll have
three days of nonstop celebration "

"And at the grand finale," said Culluket the Interrogator.
"all of the guestsâ€”Tanu and Firvulag and humanâ€”will wit-
ness the coronation of Lord Alken-Lugonn and Lady Mercy-
Rosmar as King and Queen of the Many-Colored Land "

The minds of the hybnds, their ladies, and the dowager of
Rocilan were frozen in astonishment Nobody noticed that the
PK shelter had evaporated with Alken's pole-gilding ploy and
the rain was softly falling on them once again

"Too soon'" cned Bleyn "Eventually, yes But the full-
blooded Tanu aren't ready to accept a human king, Alken' It

94 THE NONBORN KING

was more than sixty years before Alberonn and I were admitted
to the High Tableâ€”and Kathne! only last yearâ€”because of
our human genes "

"The High Table admitted Gomno!," Alken said "He was
human "

"He forced acceptanceâ€”and was hated for it." Momd

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snapped

"Mercy's human," Alken said

"Is she7" the interrogator murmured, smiling "My late
brother, the Battlemaster, thought not "

This was news to Alken On the intimate mode he bespoke
her Say what^

Telepathic mirth Nodonn had GregDonnei do my geneti-
cassay Olddear claimed I more Tanugenes lhan human
PoorGreggy mad ofcourse

Later I winkle this LadyWildfire'

Aloud Mercy said, "There are only twenty-five hundred or
so pure-blooded Tanu left aliveâ€”and most of those are minor
powers Nearly twice as many hybrids survived because of
their greater physical endurance My Lord and I have estimated
that he will have a clear advantage in petty-nobility acclama-
tion "

"Celadeyr of Afaliah and his traditionalists might fight rather
than acquiesce," said Lady Moma gnmiy "And I can well
understand their feeling Celo and I are both First Comersâ€”
and you. Young Baltlemaster, flout the very religious principles
that drove us to this exile in the first place'"

Tirone, who had secretly been a member of the Peace Fac-
tion, now interjected a thought that was soft but clear That
old battle-religion must pass away now dearest Kinsmother
Brede herself said it And many of us see Lord Alken-Lugonn
as the agent of this change

Moma's consternation flared "You It see what battle means.
my girl, if this human youth tries to seize the throne without
High Table consensus'"

Eadnar's objections were practical "Even if you count a
majority of the High Table electors on your side. Shining One,
the obduracy of Celadeyr may provoke a fatal division in our

THE POSTDILUVIUM 95

cities' chivalry The Firvulag would take advantage of any
infightingâ€”and perhaps finish what the Flood began "

Bleyn said, "All we ask, Atken, is that you act prudently'
Don't declare yourself until you're sure that the city-lords will
follow you and not Celo If you seize the crown and the dis-
sidents ignore your proclamations and commands, you'll look
tike a fool "

Morna said, "The entire Tanu power structure is based on
unanimous loyalty to the sovereign He's not a mere ruler,
elected in the way the Little People choose their vulgar dem
ocratic monarchs Our king is a father to us all'"

Alken was still grinning, but contempt burned behind his
black eyes Softly he said, "There are more than eighty thou
sand Firvulag waiting to pounce on our asses, friends Do you
want a king and battlemaster7 Or would you prefer a daddy to

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tuck you in while the demons howl outside the window7 Some-
one to wipe your little twats when your bowels gush the fear
of death7"

"We want you," the Interrogator stated His probing ultra-
sense flicked over the others like an icy beacon "Only you
have the fullness of aggressive power and the ability to de-
velop the metapsychic concert that we must have to defeat
our enemies " He paused "And the Firvuldg are not the only
Foe "

The scathing mental face of the trickster underwent a light-
ning transformation Now his loyalty, his willingness to defend
them if they would only accept and love him shone incontro-
vertible For an instant he let them glimpse his vast metapsychic
strength before veiling it with an acid drape of self-mockery
And then he conjured up memories for them to ponder, and
wooed them with that lilting menial eloquence that so rarely
earned over into his spoken words

Away with your doubts and fears, my friends' Remember
the Kingmaker s prophecy about me She never lost confi-
dence in the man of her choice Remember how I killed
Delbaeth the Shape of Fire, and the Firvulag Battlemaster
Pallol One-Eye' And if you hesitate because I conquered them
by trickery, then recall how 1 triumphed on the field of the

THE NONBORN KING

Grand Combal, and how the great captains and the petty lords
flocked to my impudent banner Tagan Lord of Swords hailed
me' And Bunone Warteacher, greatest of the fighting tacti-
cians' And you, Alberonnâ€”and you, Bleyn' Remember how
the commons and nobles alike loved me for my audacity and
daring^ Remember the mysterious way that the Spear of
Lugonn came to my hands7 (And even though that sacred
Spear is lost for the moment, I know where it must be and
I'll have it backâ€”never fear')

Remember how my right to challenge Nodonn was ac
knowledged by the whole battle-company7 And by Brede' 1
would have won the Duel of Battlemasters if Tana hadn't had
her own ideas about sweeping the chessboard clean and setting
up a new game

You still hesitate7 Have you no religion, then7 Consider,
my fnends Alken Drum is alive and well, lord of the Castle
of Glass and ruler of Gonah by manifest usurpation, suzerain
over Rocilan and Sasaran and Amalizan and sundry other set
tiements about Bordeaux and Armonca' And where is the one
who once held all that7 Drowned

(Mercy could not help the mind-cry, and Alken heard No-
donn' My Nodonn')

Oh, fnends You know the Tanu must have a kingâ€”and
if it's not me, then who7 Do you want Celadeyr of Afaliah7
He says he doesn't aspire to the throne, and I believe him
My sources have told me that the poor old boy is convinced
that the Flood presages the end of the Many-Colored Land'

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He's training his little army for something called the Nightfall
Warâ€”and as I understand it, that's a kind of Rdgnarok or
Armageddon that'll nng down the curtain on both the Tanu
and Firvulag And it's balderdash' Sharn and Ayfa aren't
anticipating any apocalypse They re out to win and stomp
our necks'

(And they had to respond It's true No fatalism in the Little
People They're scuttling the traditions that held them back
The Flood was a Goddessgift to them )

Listen to me' If" we stand on our hind legs and fight them,
we must have a leader You High Tablers know that I'm stronger

THE POSTDILUVIDM

than you Then who f Mmanonn the Heretic7 I understand
he was a real npper when he was Battlemasler But he's d
pacifist nowâ€”no more suitable to defend you trom the Firvulag
than Dionket the Healer' The only other High Tablers eligible
are Kdtlmel the Darkeyed and Aluteyn Craftsmasterâ€”if you
want to forgive her treason in marrying the Lord of the Howlers,
and his deposition by Mercy

(And once again they had to say No None of those could
lead us against the Firvulag )

Alken Drum sat his big black chaliko A single drop of
water clung comically to the tip of his long well-shaped nose
The mouth that could tense in an instant to a malignant slot
now smiled as he mind-embraced them ail, letting his power
shine forth

Aloud, Alken said, "You see how things stand In the king
sweepstakes, I'm the only candidate who hasn't been scratched
Those who object to a human ruler on principle may kick and
scream and cussâ€”but in the end, they'll be forced to accept
me Hellâ€”even old Celo might come to his senses if he thinks
we have a real chance to lick the Foe "

Culluket said, "My redactive knowledge of the Lord of
Afaliah affirms the last comment of the Shining One Celadeyr
is stubborn, and he has been incredibly stupid to expel his
human technicians But he is by no means insane Nor suici
ddl "

But Bleyn was still inclined to cavil "The trouble is, the
reactionaries just don't know you as well as we do. Alken
That's why they're balking Whyâ€”eight cities have yet to
reply to your Grand Loving invitation, and Celo's turned you
down flat If you announce a May coronation you're laying
yourself open to a fiasco '

"Somehow," Alberonn said, we must force the hand of the
fence straddlers and win as many of the dichdrds as possible "

Alken's brow screwed and his visage glowed with intense
cogitation Then his eyes began to dance and he turned to his
affianced bnde "Merce, lovie. d'you remember when we were
noodlmg all this, and you told me some of the canny things
the old English monarchs did to keep their vacillating vassals

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THE NONBORN KING

m hand9 Henry VIII and Good Queen Bess especially How
they traveled around the realm, stopping at one city after an-
other, putting the arm on the wishy-washy and exerting the
royal charm and even rattling a sword or two^"

Mercy saw Alken's drift at once "Royal progresses, they
were called A grand political tool'" And again there came to
her that strange feeling of dqa vu, the tantalizing certainty that
she had seen Alken's crafty and triumphant face before Italy'
The portrait in the palace in Firenze

"I'll do my royal progress before the coronationâ€”not after,"
he was saying "I'll visit each city in turn and explain just how
things are in this Many-Colored Land, using my own brand of
friendly persuasion and sweet reason And a few surprises I've
been cooking up'"

"And who could deny you to your face, my devious Shmmg
One?" A current passed between Alken and Mercy Was the
old wariness weakening against her better judgment9 But he
was a rare one'

"This maneuver could work." Culluket said "It has just the
nght mix of humble pie and regal condescension and blatant
gall You go to the cities First, as an aspirant should, and then
the city-lords may come confidently to you in recognition of
your power "

Aiberonn nodded to the Interrogator "And we three to pro-
vide High Table prestige as we accompany Alken The Lady
Creator's absence will be understandable "

"I like it," said Bleyn tersely "We have enough Tanu and
human gold recruits now in Gonah to mount a respectable show
of strength "

Alken refastened his cuffs and straightened his hat With
an offhand PK chicane, he banished the moisture from all their
garments and recreated the metapsychic umbrella "We'll sneak
up the Garonne Valley very quietly, and ooze over into Spam
And the first place we hit is Afaliah'"

Lady Moma was speechless Eadnar and Tirone radiated
strong anxiety

"There's not that much danger." Alken reassured them
"Celo's gang of mind-benders are strictly second-rate, and 1

THE POSTDILUVIUM 99

can easily put the clamp on the old gaffer himself We'll put
a fine face on it Pretend that we don't know how he's been
undermining me I meanâ€”he's never come nght out with
any blatant provocation Even his refusal of the Loving in
vitation was medium-polite, and I can say we never received
his letter "

Culluket said, "If Celo cracks, the others should fail into

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your lap like npe oranges "

"Ready for juicmg," the jester agreed "Well, how about
it7 What say we get back to Gonah and start polishing up the
fancy armor'"

He launched them and their animals into the air, still fending
off the rain, saying to Mercy, "I hope old Peliei and his sages
are right about the rainy season being almost over I'm still a
little green at levitating big groups And there aren't any com-
puterized flight vectors to help a guy fly through soupy moun-
tain passes in this Pliocene Exile "

Mercy laughed gaily "You'll manage somehow, my tricksy
one " You nonbom kinglmg from far Dalnada six million years
hence' And had some fine Italian genes migrated to stern Scot-
land9 And had they gone on, frozen in vitro, to burgeon again
in an obstetnc lab on a Milieu planet, engendering this strange
young man who was determined to make her his queen'5

Whose portrait had worn Alken's face''

The train of nders sped through the sky toward Gonah,
where glass turrets shone against a widening patch of blue The
obsessive question gnawed at Mercy and spilled over into an
madvertently projected thought

Alken's mind was elsewhere, but the Interrogator responded
with flawless courtesy, on her intimate mode

May I assist your recollection with my special talent Lady
Creator9

If you would Redactive Brother This maddening image'
If you could sort out my memones and let me put a label to
it

A matter of utmost simplicity for a redactive specialist

Oh'

100 THE NONBORN KING

I'm glad the revelation amuses you Lady I must agree that
the resemblance is remarkable What a dangerous-looking fel
low that Florentine politician seems to be' Some day you must
tell me all about him

THE FARSEEING RAVEN RANGED ABOVE THE MAGHREB SHORE

The rains had brought grass and drifts of pink and yellow
flowers to the slopes, and all the gullies were turned into slim
oases that seemed to point in astonishment toward the new blue
sea The bird rejoiced.m the many-colored landscape Natural
beauty, more than anything else, helped her to keep the terrors
at bay Aloft in spring sunlight, climbing the wind above this
world she had helped to create, there was sanity and forget-
ful ness

She detected sentient lifeâ€”and gold

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Her mind engendered a psychokinetic gale and she sped
eastward The initial flare of life-aura fell below her farsensing
threshold, but the predatory bird managed to track it into a
wooded ravine with steep sides The scent of precious metal,
living and dead, excited her to the point of madness She
accelerated her metapsychic wind until black feathers npped
from her pinions and she shrieked with pain and elation And
then she arrived, calmed the air, and landed on an outcropping
of rock near a trickling spring

There in a tittle clearing, one Tanu castaway knelt beside
another's body The raven studied them, feeling that she knew
this pair

They were identical twins This was clear in spite of the
fearful head wounds that disfigured the corpse The weeping

101

THE NONBORN KING

102

survivor was still beautiful, with the classic features of the Host
of Nontusvei. He had evidently just returned from hunting, for
the body of a fawn gazelle and a crude spear fashioned from
a glass dagger tied to a sapling lay on the ground beside him-
He wore rose-gold rags, and the dead twin was similarly dressed
in remnants of Psychokinetic Guild finery.

It seemed that the dead man had been unwilling to wait for
his brother to return with food- A clump of deadly pink nar-
cissus growing beside the spring had been partially grubbed
up, and one half-eaten bulb lay on the ground-

The gigantic raven lifted her shoulders. Her harsh callâ€”
pruuk pruukâ€”caused the mourner to look up, trembling and
wide-eyed. With great interest, the raven perceived that this
twin was literally half-wined. He and his brother had evidently
shared a mental symbiosis of the utmost intimacy; they must
have been capable of mighty feats before the Rood had smashed
them and marooned them here in North Africa. But with the
death of his brother, the living twin was reduced to a state of
latency even lower than that of a "normal" human being.

The enormous bird glided down to stand near the head of
the corpse. The bereaved Tanu stared mutely at the bird, his
green eyes dim with tears and his mouth a taut square of an-
guish. Only when the raven's beak poised above the dead man's
throat did the other cry out:

"Fian!"

She did know them, these rose-gold twins! A paroxysm of
anger dissolved the bird body, and a slender human woman
wearing blue glass armor stood there. She wore no helmet and
her hair was a buoyant platinum cloud. Her eyes flashed with
the wrath of Hecate.

Kuhal Earthshaker recognized her, too. He remembered the
vast dark room inside the Coercer Guild stronghold, the massed
force of Nontusvel's Host awaiting the human assault on the
tore factory, the Lowlife saboteurs armed with iron. They had

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been led by this small awful woman. Kuhai remembered psy-
chocreative detonations, falling masonry, mental and physical
strifeâ€”and the glory of the Host victorious amid the smoke
and blood, in spite of this female monster's power. This was

THE POSTDILUVIUM 103

Felice, who had slain his sister Epone and vowed lo destroy
the entire Tanu raceâ€”only to fail defeated in Imidol's ambush
and then submit to Cullukel's torture.

Felice laughed. She held his puny consciousness as if in a
pair of tweezers and poked among the wreckage.

Kuhal and Fian! My Beloved's brothers. What a funny kind
of mind ... you were the left hemisphere and he was the right.
A syzygy, an aion couple' Kuhat Earthshaker the Second Lord
Psychokinetic and Fian Skybreaker his better half!

Her mad giggling coarsened into grating croaks. The great
raven again flapped black wings and Kuhal cringed away, both
hands gripping his golden tore.

Felice's mind-voice turned petulant:

But where is the Beloved where is he? 1 call and call and
only the faraway devils and the nonbom Shining One answer.
They try to trick me' 1 reject them. He is the only one I love
and want! Where is he who willed my destruction and instead
raised me to operant life?

Kuhal whimpered aloud. His broken identity teetered on the
edge of dissolution.

Cull is gone! And Imidol is gone and Mayvar and the King
and the Queen and the glorious Battlemaster' They are all gone.
As dearFian my Self is gone and i/-am alone and powerless.
You have conquered avenging DeathBird.

The raven's glittering eye seemed to wink. Once again her
cruel beak approached dead Fian's throat. The knobbed catch
of his golden collar rotated, impelled by Felice's PK, and the
semicirelets opened. The bird jerked the gold free-
Now the living twin groveled on the ground. His arms were
wrapped protectively about his own neck. Derision colored the
raven's thought:

Oh ... keep your tore for a while. Earthshaker.

She leapt into the air, carrying the gold, and set off for the
Spanish mainland. Kuhal uttered a single mind-cry, so pro-
found in its desolation that it rang from one end of the New
Sea to the other. Then he collapsed unmoving.

104 THE NONBORN KINO

Felice crossed the Mediterranean and flew tirelessly into the
Betic Range, up the valley where the swollen Prolo-Andarax
raged through jungles on the flank of Mount Mulhacen. Even
in the time of the Galactic Milieu, Mulhacen thrust above the
rest of the Sierra Nevada and had small glaciers on its shaded
slope. In the gentler Pliocene Epoch the mountain rose some
4200 meters, with snowfields only on the summit.

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The bird flew higher and curved around to approach the
north face. The growth of tropical hardwoods gave way lo
laurel thickets. In more arid places there were pines and tangled
rhododendrons bearing clusters of white or carmine blossoms.
A sabertooth cat sunning itself on a rock yawned. Its slitted
eyes followed the giant raven, puzzled by the glint of gold
against the sky.

She rode an upwelling air current that let her view the distant
turquoise embayment of the Gulf of Guadalquivir to the north.
Beyond that hunched the Dark Mountains where wild Firvulag
lived. She sideslipped, lost altitude, and dived toward the in-
viting gorge of the River Genii, nearly home at last after the
long day's hunt- Rock thrushes and warblers trilled a welcome.
Fat brown trout leaped in the river As usual, her friends waited
outside the entrance to her lair. Otter with his gift of fish. Roe
Deer and her child, who would share sweet milk. Yellow Panda
holding tender bamboo shoots fetched all the way from the
lowlands. Squirrel and Woodrat with nuts and mealy tubers.
Dwarf Mastodon cheerfully waving a branch with gleaming
purple fruits.

Felice stood before them and smiled, holding the golden
tore- "See? Another one!"

The lynx. Pseudaelurus, rubbed adoringly against her bare
legs. The other fnends, basking in the warmth of her mind,
crowded close with their offerings. She accepted them all: the
food, the garlands of flowers brought by the weaverbirds, the
fragrant dned grass that the mice and coneys had heaped for
a fresh sleeping couch. "Thank you! All of you," she said,
dismissing them after they had had their fill of communion.

The sun set and a chilly wind began to blow from the Genii
Canyon Several of the song sparrows lingered to sing to her

THE POSTDILUVIUM 105

while she kindled her fire with mental flame and got supper
cooking. As often happened in the evening, the devil voices
started in again, telling their lies and displaying their marvels,
reminding her how they had helped when her strength failed
at the sundering of the Gibraltar Isthmus

She ignored them, and presently the devils fell silent Mad
she might be; but she wasn't foolish enough to mindspeak them
on a far-carrying mode that might betray her precise where-
abouts. Let them just try to tnangulate her' Let any of them
tryâ€”the faraway devils, Aiken Drum, or even futile Elizabeth!
Felice knew how to hide from them. (And she only called for
the Beloved from high in the sky where there was no danger.)

The cooking fire fell to embers. She made the verandah
area of her lair neal and then stood quietly for a moment under
the brightening stars. It was good that the rain was nearly over.
The flowers in her hair and around her neck exhaled a richer
perfume now that they had begun to die, and that was good,
too

Felice took Fian's golden tore and entered the cleft in the
mountain She could see quite well in pitch-darkness, but she

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wanted to enjoy the treasure at its best, and so she lifted two
fingers and generated a bright flame of psychoenergy. The
mica-laden rocks glistened. Her den was a talus-cave, not one
carved by water, and the interior was perfectly dry Beyond
her steeping place the way was blocked by a slab of rock
weighing many tons. Felice waved the tore at it negligently
and the rock slid aside

In the smaller chamber behind, gold lay piled m heaps higher
than her head: a Niebelung hoard acquired through four months
of patient searching These thousands of exquisitely fashioned
mind-amplifiers had once clasped the necks of Tanu and their
privileged human minions, liking their latent brainpowers into
metapsychic operancy. But now those proud tore wearers were
dead in her Rood, their bodies swept from the submerged White
Silver Plain and flung up for the scavengers to findâ€”and
Felice. She had robbed bodies rotting in the shallows and sought
out skeletons buried in sill And when this plunder dwindled
she hunted down wretched survivors and seized gold from those

THE NONBORN KING

106

too weak to defend themselves from a bird with a body longer
than a human ami. She fought them fairly and refrained from
using her operant powers in offense. Beak and talons alone
were usually sufficient to defeat the demoralized castaways
who once had lorded it over the Many-Colored Land-
Felice pitched her new acquisition onto the nearest pile,
There was a rich clang as the equilibrium was upset- Golden
tores went slipping and rolling in all directionsâ€”to reveal
something else, haif'hidden in the tangle of precious metal-
She lifted it easily in spite of its considerable weight. It was
a great lance of gold-lustre glass, attached by a cable at its butt
to a jeweled case, from which hung broken straps. Felice bran-
dished the Spear and pressed one of the studs on the armrest.
As usual, there was no result. Immersion in sail water had
shorted out the photon weapon's power-supply module. It was
as inoperative as it had been when Felice took it from the real
Bright Lugonn at the Ship's Grave.

The false Shining One had duped her later and got the Spear
away; but the Flood fixed him. Now the Spear was hers again
forever.

She lay the trophy gently on its bed of gold and left the
treasure-cave for her own couch of dry grass- The middle of
the night brought cold air from the mountain summit, and she
had the nightmare again. But toward dawn, when the lynx
curled up at her feet to keep warm, Felice slept in peace.

Kuhal Earthshaker lay insensible throughout most of that
day, crushed by bereavement and Felice's desecration. When
he finally awoke, evening had come, and with it small things
seeking his brother's body. Cursing, he drove them away, and
then set about washing and preparing. There were no fresh
clothes; but around Fian's neck he hung the heavy Janus-face
medallion of their joint escutcheon, the only ornament that they
still retained.

He carried Fian to the shore, then brought down the coracle.

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Setting his brother adrift, he knelt on the salt-crusted rocks and
tried to sing the Song. But without Fian, there would never be
music again, so he merely recited the words. Once again, out

THE POSTDILUVIUM

107

over the water, he seemed to see a glowing city in the haze.
Fian in his skin boat followed the light-path that led to it, going
home.

After a long time Kuhal summoned up his last reserve of
strength. His farspeaking voice shouted: Wail for me Brother!

And a disembodied answer came;

... So there you are!

The reverie of grief vanished and Kuhal again knew terror.
He stood paralyzed, staring at the luminosity out over the sea.
It was no pearly mirage this time but a harsh glare, krypton-
discharge green, rapidly growing in intensity. A farspoken voice
emanating from the light spewed obscenities about the aether
and addressed Kuhal on the intimate mode:

Why the bloodyhell you been hiding in frogfucking basalt
ravine instead of staying in open where 1 could track you down?
We heard your Fiandeathshout allway over in Afaliah!

A Tanu knight all armed in glowing aquamarine and riding
an enormous chaliko materialized out of the mist and floated
down to earth.

"Celo? Is it you?" Kuhal's physical voice was a cracked
whisper.

"Of course it's me, you poor stupid shithead. Who else?
I'm the only levitant left with the power to carry another, short
of that little gold rapscallion or Tonn the Turncoat. And small
chance they'd come and save your ass!"

"I thought,.. Fian and I thought that we were atone. The
only ones left."

The fierce old face with its silver brows glowered. Celadeyr
of Afaliah sent an inexpert redactive probe into the younger
man's deranged mind. "Great Goddess, what an idea! But 1
don't wonder you thought so. considering the state you're in.
We've managed to rescue other survivors, but all from Aven
or the European shore. How in Tana's Name did you ever get
yourself marooned in Africa?"

But Kuhal did not reply. He had fainted.

The old hero of Afaliah gave vent to his pity in more curses.
He spotted the coracle far out on the water and used his creative

108 THE NONBORN KING

power lo englobe it in a pyre of astral flame. When he had
sung the Song for the dead twin, he loaded the living one behind
him on the chaliko's broad back and launched them into the

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air,

ELIZABETH RELAXED HER CONCENTRATION AND SMILED. "I'M

glad he was finally rescued. Poor man. Imagine him thinking
he and his brother were the last Tanu alive."

Creyn could not help the thought: I remember Another who
also despaired at being alone.

"I learned how wrong I was." (The deep doubt persisting
was far beneath Creyn's perception.)

The Tanu healer reached across the table with his long arm
and poured more coffee for both of them. Thunder grumbled
around the heights of the Montagne Noire. Rain started again,
spraying the small leaded window panes on the eastern side of
the chalet until it was impossible to see outside.

"Aside from Culluket," Creyn observed, "Kuhal Earth-
shaker is the only High Table survivor of the Host of Nontusvel.
The other fifteen members of the Host who escaped the Flood
are minor talents."

"I presume that Celadeyr will put Kuha! into the Skin and
try to cure him so that he can be enlisted into the disloyal
opposition. After all, the Second Lord Psychokinetic would be
quite an ally if his powers were restored. What are the odds
for full recovery?"

"Not high. The Skin depends not only upon the skill of the
practitioner but also upon the patient's own willpower. And
Kuhat has lost half his mind. Celo's healer is Boduragol. a

109

THE NONBORN KING

110

competent enough operatorâ€”but I doubt whether even Dionket
himself could restore Kuhal completely Even under the most
favorable prognosis, he'll be laid up for the better part of a
year "

"His power of teiepathic projection was almost nil," Eliz-
abeth said "I had no idea the twins were there in Africa until
Kuhal gave that temble cry last night "

There was a simultaneous flash and explosion as lightning
struck Black Crag Lodge for the fourth time that stormy eve-
ning The electrical charge drained harmlessly away

"With all these atmospherics," Creyn remarked, "I wonder
that you're able to farsense to Africa at all I find that my own
mental vision is completely blocked beyond Amalizan But
then, 1 am not a Grand Master "

She smiled at him, setting down her cup "No But it's time
I began teaching you some of the specialized techniques of
higher farsensing The static filter is well within your com-

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petence, given practice " She demonstrated the program and
worked with him, strengthening and correcting, while his wide-
field farsight strained to penetrate the lomzation of the storm

Finally, she told him Enough

He sank back into his chair, his ageless seraph's face bathed
in perspiration "Yes I see " The mind-tone was rueful "1
also see that I have a depressing amount to leam before I can
be of much assistance to you in your surveillance "

"Have some more coffee," she suggested "It helps We're
lucky that the bush thrives here in the Pliocene' But sen-
ously, you can be a real help to me, even now I'm still not
as strong as I was back in the Milieu I must use a dispropor-
tionate amount of effort just to maintain the focus at great
distances You can be an extra set of mental eyes if you link
up with me during observationâ€”seeing details I might miss "

"I understand " For a moment his mmd was silent, private
"Will my helping you increase your chance of locating Felice''"

Elizabeth's brow tensed The image of the Raven Girl was
ominously clear in both their minds "Creyn, I don't know
what we're going to do about her She presents the most ap-
palling danger' No metapsychic of the Galactic Milieu pos-

THE POSTDILUVIUM tl

sessed such creative and psychokmetic powers As far as 1
know, there has never been such potential for physical destruc-
tion concentrated in a single individual before "

"Not even in your patron saints9 Or their adversaries in the
Metapsychic Rebellion9"

"No single operant of our Milieu could have done what
Felice did " Rain beat upon the black windows "Especially
that last psychocreative stroke that opened Gibraltar 1 never
had an opportunity to examine Felice's mind after she attained
operancy But if we could locate her, and if I could do a deep-
redact, it's just barely possible that the danger from her could
be neutralized " Even though the operation might be fatal
to both of us

Creyn's mind cned out You must not sacrifice yourself
That is not your destiny' You are to be our guide 0 Brede
Revenant'

"Don't call me that'" she cned, her mind shrinking away
"I don't know my destiny and neither did Brede, damn her'"
The old bitterness glared from Elizabeth's subliminal levels
"The Shipspouse was very confident in her self-nghleous-
ness but perhaps her transporting you here to Earth was a
great objective evil Ii seems obvious to me now that you Tanu
and Firvulag will survive here on Earth long enough to affect
human development in some manner But my race might have
been better off if the lot of you had snuffed each other out a
thousand years ago back in the Dual Galaxy'"

"Brede's prescience foresaw a greater good for both races,"
Creyn said

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' After how much suffering9 For how many millions of
years9" Elizabeth's voice broke She had erected a featureless
curtain hiding her emotions, but Creyn. as an expenenced red-
actor, perceived the pndeful truth

He said, "If Brede's meddling with the destiny of our races
was presumptuousâ€”evilâ€”then surely the manifest results show
that her action was a fortunate sin What your philosophy would
call a felix culpa "

Elizabeth's laugh was brittle "You're getting to know hu-

112 THE NONBORN KING

manity quite well, aren t you7 Even to playing our little ca-
suistical games "

"I only know," he said simply, "that the motivation ofBrede
and her Ship was noble and unselfish As was her guidance of
us until the end "

"We all know she meant well Even when she dragooned
me A lot of autarchs have been convinced that they knew what
was best for their subjects The human rebels in the Milieu had
that sense of conviction Very top-lofty they were' You see,
they knew for a fact that human minds have the greatest meta-
psychtc potential among the races of our galaxy Therefore, it
was logical to them that humanity must play the dominant role
in the galactic civilization Immediately The Milieu was far
too important to be left to the guidance of inferior mentali-
ties But the Milieu could not be force-fed into accelerated
mental evolution, any more than children could be matured to
superadulthood by Ihe insane techniques that the rebels advo-
cated To force maturation is not only evil but ultimately fu-
tileâ€”whether we speak of the advancement of a single child
or the perfection of a galactic Mind "

She showed the Tanu healer a brief glimpse of the havoc
engendered by Marc Remillard and his cabal, and the price
paid to restore mental equilibrium "And this is why I am
afraid "

"You see an analogy," he said, "between the Metapsychic
Rebellion and Brede's manipulation of Tanu and Firvulag des-
tiny You fear that if you take Brede's place, you may abet
herâ€”sin "

Elizabeth sighed "If that's what it is Back in the Milieu,
the Concilium had billions of minds to provide a consensus
The Mind knew it was right, and the rebels were wrong But
what do I know9"

The wind rising outside the chalet made a noise like coursing
beardogs on a demonic Hunt A gust came down the chimney,
scattering baisam-scented smoke from the fireplace, and il was
Creyn who had to block the swirling ashes, since Elizabeth
seemed helpless to deflect them and even welcomed the stinging
tears that they evoked After the distraction, when she had

THE POSTDILUVIUM 113

wiped her eyes, the two of them settled down to the senous

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business of the night

It was by far Ihe most favorable time for farsearching, when
the sunâ€”a much greater obstacle to uitrasensitivity than any
stormâ€”was blocked by the mass of the planet At night a mind
could roam more freely, delve more readily into secret places,
hsten to the remotest whispers, speak most persuasively to the
reluctant mind's ear Even in premetapsychic days this was
common folk knowledge Night was when the sorcerers did
their work, when unseelie beings prowled and danced, and
when mortal men most fitly let their consciousness rest along
with their bodies, breaking free of the day's pain and tedium
in dreams

As Elizabeth's mind linked to that of Creyn, the room around
them seemed to dissolve, leaving them suspended above the
tempest-washed massif of the Montagne Noire Concentrating
all volitional force into her farsensmg faculty, towing him along
with her as easily as a kite, she ranged afar

Observe and leam'

See below us, huddled against Black Crag, small islets of
life-aura marking the mining settlements Concentrate this ul-
trafaculty and zoom in to view individual people, one by one
or in small groups Use this power to hear ordinary speech or
the declamatory or conversational modes of telepathy (It is
virtually impossible, even for a Grand Master, to probe the
deep thought levels at distance It is also difficult or impossible
to farsense a person who has erected a supenor thoughlshield
There are certain artificial screening devicesâ€”for example,
Brede's "room without doors" projectorâ€”thai similarly block
farsight)

Now observe how we search for a known mind We have
stored its signature, so our coarse searching faculty can range
swiftly afar, ignoring all the other auras, until we home in on
the soughl-for personality And there he is'

It is Chief Burke, asleep with the other members of his party
in acampjustoffthe Great South Road, some thirty kilometers

114 THE NONBORN KING

below Roniah. (Blessings on you, loved brothers and sisters.
Rest safely and well.)

And now, Creyn. it is your turn to work. Join me and
strengthen me as we attempt a much more difficult search,
pinpointing a known mind that is certain to be half-screened
and wary. We will do this so insmuatively that he will not
detect us. We will make no attempt to eavesdrop upon his
words or thoughts.

Range northeastâ€”for he is most likely in residence at his
capital of High Vrazel in the Vosges Mountains. See Sham-
Mes, the new young monarch of the Firvulag, who has im-
pudently styled himself High King of the Many-Colored Land.

Behold the doughty general at home... His six children
roast chestnuts at the fire and use a hot poker to mull another
mug of cider for their hard-working daddy. The fierce genera)

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wields a sharp obsidian blade, mutters a blood-chilling oath.
We are sure of this, even though we can't hear him, from the
disapproving expression on the face of his wife. Queen Ayfa,
leader of the Warrior Ogresses. Again Sham's black-glass knife
flashes. Chips of wood fly. The axle slips sweetly into its socket
and the children cheer. Sham sets the completed wooden chal-
iko onto the living-room tiles and the children crowd around
the wheeled beast, each one eager to be the first to break
tradition by nding the novel toy. Tradition is a frangible and
sometime thing in High Vrazel these days ...

And now let us attempt the most difficult search of all:

Felice.

Consider her signature. Consider potential modes of screen-
ing- Untrained in metapsychics, her concealment mechanisms
would be primitive; but the great creative potential resident in
the madwoman makes refinement of technique unimportant.
We will not likely succeed in our search. Nevertheless, we will
try. On each and every pervigUium we will try-
Range south. South beyond Amalizan, beyond Tarasiah.
Curve westerly, afar. Beyond Aluteyn Craftsmaster's new es-
tablishment on the River Iberia. Beyond the frowning turrets
of Afaliah where the grim old creator-coercer lurks behind

THE POSTDILUVIUM 115

strong stone ramparts, brooding over the broken-minded one
who now sleeps drcamlessly in Skin

Soon it will be dawn. The approaching sun is heralded by
a distinctive aethenc thunder There is a program to counter
solar ionization, but it is much more difficult than the storm-
emendator- Observe and follow. Cling fast and look sharp.

We search! This is her aura thai we seek, and it is known
that she hides in the Betic Cordillera, the southernmost range
in Spam. Sweep. Scan Ignore the fuzzy mental blobs of the
Firvulag, of the scattered Howlers, of the tiny colonies of
outlaw humans, of the occasional outpost of Afaliah depen-
dents. Focus wide, focus narrow! Use the mind's eye and ear
and the special seekersense that tunes only to the aura ..

There is nothing

(But why? Sham was screened, and you found him easily )

Sham's powers are those of an infant. But we'll wait. The
black bird flies at dawn, and sometimes it calls- When thai
happens, her mind opens as she listens for him, for her Beloved.
She would not respond to us. but she may let fall an inadvertent
clue to her eyne's location Then we canâ€”

(Elizabeth. Thai.)

I see. I see and hear. Above Mount Mulhacen! Of course
. She would be holed up there' And now come forth to call.

Cultukel!

The raven soars toward the stratosphere The sky above the
Sierra Nevada is cloud-free and lucent in dawn.

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Culluket! I know you're alive.

She calls to him who joined with her in mutual thanatophilia,
satisfying himself but unaware that her fulfillment would also
come, after she had escaped from him, when she did to the
helpless earth what had been done to her

Culluket, answer!

See her wheeling in the high light, glistening. No mind-
screens cover her now, no psychocreative wall guards her cast-
ing Ursense as she seeks the hated love. But he is a redactor,
a mind-changer, a mind-borer, a mind-masker. He is guileful
and strong and the shadow of the bird passes over him unaware

THE NONBORN KING

116

Cullukel.. -you must be there. Help me So find him, YOU!

(Elizabeth! Has she perceived us?)

No. Creyn, be silent!

You helped me before 1 turn again to you now! Help me
find my Beloved. Tell me where he is. Talk to me! Do you see
me flying here? If you speak to me, this time I'll answer you'

See her triumphal replay of the love-deed, the opening of
the Gibraltar Gate- See, through her memory, exactly how the
cataclysm was accomplished. 0 God, how (In simultaneous
relief and shock, for her power was not singular after all, but
augmented.)

Help me again I won't hide from you. We can be friends.

Listen, Creyn! No. waitâ€”1 must phase in still another emen-
dator. Not only is this transmission faint, but it is also mulliple-
an inexpert metaconcerted effort, poorly aimed, coming from
a vast distance. And it is not on the exotic thought-mode. Nol
on the bastard mode of the torced humans here in the Pliocene
It is on the unique human-operant mode . God almighty, my
own mode' Help me, Creyn. Prop me up, dear friend. Trace
this, identify its source, find oul anything you can about it

Devils? Is that you?
Yes, Felice.

Hello, Devils.

Hello, Felice We've called you for such a long time

/ know But 1 didn't trust you. I have so many enemies
Poor Felice. We only want to help. We did help you.

Help me again. Show me where Cull's hiding.
Who? ... Ah So. How interesting.

Never mind thai. Show me now!

Dear Felice We would if we could But we're far
away from you. Far from him, too. To find him, we'd

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have to come to you All the way from North Amer-
ica.

Ohhhh

Not to worry. We'll be glad to do it. We've been so
anxious to meet you.

THE POSTDILUVIUM 117

No.' You could steal... could try to trick me' Just like
that damn little gold swindler. Aiken Drum!

We wouldn't do that, Felice. We're not like Aiken

or your other enemies. We'll prove our friendship

We'll do more than find your lover- We'll bring him

to you!
You could do that?

One of us is a coercer-redaclor of masterclass stature.

The rest of us are strong, too. And we're young,

Felice. Like you! We believe in action.
You won't mess around with ME.

Of... of course not We want you to be our leader -

You're stronger than any of us.
Maybe. But when you act together, l^isien. Only one
of you can come.

That won't work, Felice. We'll need at least five to

coordinate the retrieval of your Culluket.
Five? All right. But that's all. You understand?

Perfectly. We can help you in other ways, too, you

know. And you can help us! . Now indicate your

precise location in Spain.
I'm here. Do you see my lair on Mount Mulhacen7

We do. We'll come to you in fifteen days. Wait for

us Goodbye, Felice our friend.
Goodbye, Devils.

Elizabeth sat across the table from Creyn. The storm was
gone. Sunbeams from the eastern windows struck the embers
in the hearth, turning them into dusty white lumps

"When i first arrived in the Pliocene," Elizabeth said, "I
farsearched the entire planet hoping to find other operant human
beings like myself."

"I remember It was the evening thai we rode from Castle
Gateway to Roniah. You pul a strong barrier up, but I was
aware that you were ranging."

Elizabeth slumped in her chair, her face haggard. Creyn

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sent a telepathic summons lo Mary-Dedra, the gold-lore human

118 THE NONBORN KING

woman who had once been a confidant of Mayvar, who now
served as Elizabeth's personal attendant.

The farspeaker said, "I detected only a single ambiguous
trace on the human mode. It seemed to be clear over on the
other side of the Earth. I knew my scan was incompetent be-
cause my ultrasenses were still convalescent, and so 1 dismissed
that faint indication as an echo- But it was real."

"You were unable to scrutinize it closely?"

"Long-distance farsensing is a specialized business requiring
great stamina. A healthy Grand Master can make brief stabsâ€”
something like the way human swimmers make deep skin-
dives. But it's impossible to sustain the effort without special
supportive equipment or help from a number of other minds."
She passed a weary hand over her forehead. "Now, with your
help, i should be able to gain some information about these
so-called devils. But I know who they must be." God, I know
too well.

They shared the knowledge. Creyn said, "They have been
out of the Tanu mind for a long time. Twenty-seven years.
When the group of operant humans came through the time-
gate and contended against our battle-company, we suffered a
terrible defeat. The affair was expunged from the official record
when the invaders left Europe. Only a few of usâ€”most notably
the late Gomno!â€”actively speculated on what had become of
the human operants. We can guess why he would be interested!
But Gomnol's farsensing ability was only moderate. He never
tracked them down."

"The rebels are in the Western Hemisphere. In a region that
was called Florida on Elder Earth." Elizabeth's eyes closed
and she drifted in pained abstraction. "I was only seventeen at
the time of the Metapsychic Rebellion. An apprentice preceptor
on an obscure little snowy planet. But I was already a part of
the Unityâ€”and I'll never forget the reaction of those three
hundred billion exotic minds to the attempted coup- The Milieu
had taken such a chance with us, Creynâ€”admitting humanity
to their wonderful civilization while we were still psychoso-
cially immature. And we betrayed their trust."

THE POST-DILUVIUM 119

"I understand that the Rebellion was brief, that the active
phase lasted only a few months."

"True. Nevertheless, the scars took years to heal. It was
humanity's most profound humiliation.. .The Human Polity
acted as ruthlessly as it had to do to put down the conspiracy.
There was great suffering among the innocent. In the end,
though, the Milieu was stronger than ever."

"Another felix culpa?"

She opened her eyes and regarded the exotic man quizzi-
cally. "Human history seems to abound with them."

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An inner door opened. Mary-Dedra, carrying a tray with
breakfast, entered with a diffident mental greeting. Creyn rose
to leave.

"Will you be strong enough to range out again tonight?" he
inquired.

"Oh, yes." Elizabeth was resigned. "We'll have to track
Felice's devils to their home ground. Count them, identify them
positively if we can, then decide how best to counter their
threat- You rest up and join me at seven." She smiled mor-
dantly- "Then we'll try our first little trip to hell and gone."

IN A BAYOU OF THE SUWANEE ON THE WEST COAST OF OCALA

Island, it was two o'clock in the morning The gigantic silver
fish was quiet for the moment, sulking deep in the moon-
dappled black water, taking a recess from its contest with Marc
Remillard

For sixteen hours the bulldog tarpon had fought to break
free of the pertinacious tether linking it to the man The tarpon
was 430 centimeters long and weighed 295 kilos Set in one
comer of its jaw was a 5/0 hook with a strongly armored leader
(for the tarpon of the Pliocene Epoch had sharp teeth) The
tippet, that section of the tine that actually held the fish, was
so weak that it could be snapped by a 7-kilo weight Never-
theless, the tarpon had been unable to free itself, so great was
the skill of the angler who had played it Now both man and
fish were reaching the limits of their endurance Before long,
either the fisherman would make a mistake in judgment, be-
trayed by his agonized muscles, and the line would breakâ€”
or the tarpon would succumb to syncope and float helpless at
the end of the fatal thread while the gaff descended

Marc eased the butt of his big flyrod in the heavy leather
cup of his belt, waiting for the fish to recommence the fight
The only sounds were distant splashes of leaping mullet and
the squawk of a night heron Marc's breathing was slow and
controlled as he exerted a biofeedback maneuver to flush fatigue

120

THE POSTDILUVIUM 121

products from the cells of his burly shoulders and arms His
ultrasenses were deaf and blind He could not perceive the
lurking tarpon's movements because he would not Even at this
climactic juncture, he gave the fish the sporting advantage he
deemed suitable He did not track n with farsight, nor attempt
to coerce its movements, nor exert any psychokmetic force
upon it. nor strengthen rod, reel, or line beyond their normal
specifications by means of his creativity In one way only did
Marc deviate from the angling technique of nonmetapsychics
He fished alone, and so he exerted mental power to steady the
skiff so that it would not founder dunng the struggle

Now Marc was aware of a subtle change in the tension of
the line One moment the water of the channel was as flat as
a pool of inkâ€”and the next, it blew open with volcanic vio-

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lence An immense writhing shape, glistening under high
moonlight, cannoned more than six meters into the air, turning
end over end Its saucer-sized eyes reflected a funous orange
and its gill covers rattled like a gigantic raganella

Marc bowed to the fish, lowering the tip of the fly rod to
ease the line while it was vulnerable in the air The great silver
creature crashed back into the water with a splash like a falling
grand piano A split second later it was up again, twisting and
thrashing in a second leap The skiff rocked Streaming with
water from head to toe. Marc shouted encouragement to his
adversary It was the largest tarpon he had ever hooked, and
it was nearly his

The fish ran at him Marc took in slack As he expected,
the tarpon erupted again, this time in a soaring saltation that
earned it on an impact trajectory with the skiff Laughing
uproariously, Marc sen! the craft whizzing out of the wayâ€”
just barely The tarpon's reentry sent a wave over the gunwale
that half filled the boat Marc banished the water with his PK
a moment before the tarpon came up on the opposite side and
whirled on the surface like a runaway dynamo, trying to throw
the hook

It went down again and the reel whined as the fish raced
for the flats on the left side of the channel Marc guided the
skiff after it, alert for the next leap And it came, with the

THE NONBORN KING

122

enormous plated body climbing up, up, as if in slow motion,
tossing diamond drops to the moon in an expanding cloud,
clashing its jaws, uttering an explosive grunt at the top of its
leap, and then falling back with an impact that nearly sent Marc
overboard- But the hook was still secure.

The tarpon ran again and the man followed. The next leap
was half-heaned, the great body leaving the water for only a
fraction of its length. Its subsequent surface struggles seemed
weaker, not even raising foam. Marc could not resist calling
out to the fish on the declamatory mode:

Now you gorgeous bastard! Now I've got you...
A powerful beam of light stabbed out of the darkness upriver.
It transfixed Marc standing there in the boat, ready to make
the delicate adjustment of line tension. Physically as well as
mentally blind, he froze-
The tarpon leaped.
The fragile 6.75-kilo test tippet snapped.
Papa we've found her we've found Felice!
Too late, the psychoenergelic beacon died. It was Hagen's,
as was the thought projection so jubilant and heedless, rapt in
its own triumph. The launch carrying the young people came
knifing down the bayou, then slammed to a halt as though
meeting a glass wall. It fetched up wallowing and shuddering
in a mass of chop some 150 meters away from the fisherman.

Off the bow of the skiff, the giant tarpon was rolling, gulping
air, savoring freedom. Marc scanned it carefully, making sure
it had sustained no serious injury during the long battle, and

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then disengaged the hook with his PK. The fish sank slowly
into the black water. Marc's farsight saw it swim off in the
direction of the gulf.
Papa...

Cloud knew, even if her brother did not, what their intrusion
had cost. Her regret and apology welled out only to strike
another barrier. The metapsychic wall that had restrained the
launch now dissolved and the current carried the larger craft
down upon the skiff.

Marc reeled in the slack line, watching the launch approach.
The three other occupants were, as he had expected, the arch-

THE POSTDILUVIUM 123

conspirators among the younger generation: Etaby Gathen, Jil-
lian Morgenthaler, and Vaughn Jarrow. These were attempting
to put a bold front on their blunder. It was plain that none of
them had anticipated anything other than welcome when they
sped out from Lake Serene to "surprise" Marc with their news.

The two craft met. Jillian stopped the launch with her PK,
dropped the anchor, and ran to the stem to take the skiff in
low. Hagen put the ladder down, mind still asmile, stubbornly
determined to tough out the faux pas-

"Felice is in Spain, Papa. just as we suspected. Holed up
in a cave on Mount Mulhacen in the Sierra Nevada." Picture.
Bearing. "And, get this! She's freely invited us to come to
her!"

The wall remained up in Marc's mind- He grasped the ladder
and vaulted into the launch, disdaining levitation. The young
people fell back, their minds now united clumsily in apology,
Only Cloud showed an overlay of genuine sorrow at the loss
of the great fish.

The children of rebellion, all in their mid-twenties, were
formally dressed. There had been a party that night at Lake
Serene, the culmination of which had been the successful con-
tact with Felice. Hagen and Elaby were elegant in tropical
dinner jackets; Vaughn, sporting the same outfit, managed to
look disheveled and oafish as usual. Dark Jiflian wore a batik
pareu of soft barkcloth. Cloud's gown was as luminous as her
mind. shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

The erstwhile challenger of the galaxy, naked to the waist
and barefoot, dripping water onto the polished deck, confronted
the five.

"You were told not to come. Never to come when the tarpon
are running."

Hagen expostulated, "The hell with the fish. Papa' We've
got her! Feliceâ€”"

He broke off, hands clamped to the sides of his head,
screaming. The sharp odor of vomit rose in the warm night
air, and in the aether was the stench of terror as Hagen saw
for the first time the true aspect of Abaddon. But then came
Cloud, rushing at their terrible father with her sweet coercion

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THE NONBORN KING

124

fully arrayed and her redactive faculty flung wide to curtain
the worst of the reality, and dull its memory.

Hagen staggered backward and fell into the arms of Elaby
and Vaughn. The fisherman, his mind veiled again, waited-
Under Cloud's ministry Hagen's retching and his sobs quieted.
He steadied on his feel, pulled away from the others, and stood
swaying, covered in filth.

"Papaâ€”youâ€”mustâ€”listen," he gasped.

Marc had to smile at the persistence- The slight cleft in his
chin was emphasized by oblique moonlight and the shadows
made his heavy brows appear winged. The thick curly hair that
lately had become frosted in defiance of his self-rejuvenating
faculty was still sopping wet. False tears of salt water shone
on his prominent cheekbones and the thin-bridged nose with

its finely flared nostrils.

Marc refused to accept the data proffered by Hagen's mind.

"Tell me." he demanded.

"Sheâ€”she's agreed to let us come to Europe. To meet with
her. We promised we would help her locate and destroy some
Tanu redactor who put her to the torture. Papaâ€”you've got

to let us go!"

The mind-vise settled softly into place once again and ex-
erted minimal pressure, causing the young man to catch his
breath in apprehension. He was a less emphatically drawn rep-
lica of his father, without Marc's bull neck and dark-socketed
eyes. Like his sister, Hagen had inherited the reddish-gold hair
of the long-dead Cyndia Muldowneyâ€”and her reckless per-
severance as well. "It's a priceless opportunity for us' Felice
can be manipulated, I tell you. If we can trick her into accepting
some of your docilization equipment, then Elaby and Jillian
and Cloud and I have the watts to pin her down! It'll be dan-
gerous. since she'll only let five of us get close to her. But if
you advise us on tactics through farspeech, I know we can bag

her."

The brain-screws lightened. Hagen groaned and clenched

his fists until the nails bit inio his palms. He felt Cloud's
ameliorating redaction ready itself to assume the full pain-
burden if need be.

THE POSTDILUVIUM

125

"Five of you," Marc repeated-

"Onfy five can come, she said. I don't know whether she's
telling the truth about being able to detect any extras, but we
daren't chance it."

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"You and Cloud, Elaby and Jillianâ€”and Vaughn for the
farspeech conferences, I presume."

"Yes."

The gentle one-sided smile grew more chilling. "And what
will you do with the dragonâ€”presuming you can subdue her?"

"Use her to dominate Europe! To force Elizabeth to raise
all of us to adept statusâ€”full coadunation!" Papa we can't slay
here rotting with you oldones we can't we won't we'll die here
on this damnisland!

The mind-ctamp eased. Marc spoke mildly- "I had planned
to begin training you this summer to assist me in the star-
search. Of all the second generation, you have the greatest
potential competenceâ€”the stamina combined with broad-spec -
tnim metafunction."

"Damn you!" screamed Hagen Remillard. "Won't you ever
admit that there's nobody oui there^. This Pliocene galaxy's too
immature for coadunalion of its Mind! You're alone. Papaâ€”
you and the rest of them. And we're alone with you! This
Elizabeth is some kind of a Grand Master preceptor who can
at least put us on the first steps toward coadunation right here
on Earth."

Marc turned to his daughter. "And you think that my way
is futile, too?"

She threw open her uttermost mental depths: Yes Papa.
There is no coadunate nonhuman race in this galaxy to rescue
us from exile- All that there is is here.

"And you support this kidnapping foray? This buccaneer's
raid?"

Cloud turned away, walls again in place, voice incisive.
"There are other human beings in Europe. People of our culture,
who would sympathize with our aims. Now that the Flood has
undermined the Tanu society, it seems likely that the entire
region will fall under Firvulag domination if we don't intervene-
And the Firvulag are operants. Papa. Remember that. Their

THE NONBORN KING

126

mental development has been stalled by pig-headed custom up
until now, and they've never learned to act in true metaconcert
because of individualist traditions But their attitudes arc chang-
ing rapidly Even if the Tanu arc led by Alken Drum, they arc
too greatly outnumbered by the Firvulag to prevail But humans
and Tanu together could withstand the Firvulag easily with our
help "

"And with some of the weaponry you have stored away,"
Hagen added

Marc said, "There is something else in Europe "

The five young people stared at him

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"The site of the temporal singularity The time-gale "

Opacity

"Your real ambition is to reopen it From this side That's
the ultimate goal of this entire adventure' Did you really think
you could conceal the truth from me7"

Resignation, a perverse relief, flooded Hagen's mind "Of
course you're nght. Papa We'd do anything to have what you
threw away' Now kill me if you think it'll help coerce the
others into believing in you But it won't, you know "

Before Marc could react, Elaby Gathen thrust Hagen aside
His thought-projections burst forth in a compelling blaze, as
irresistible as it was unexpected, staying Abaddon's wrath Just
long enough to provoke curiosity and a wry appreciation In
that illuminating instant. Marc knew that the plan of conquest,
the search for Fehce, the time-gate designâ€”all of itâ€”was not
Hagen's conception at all, but Elaby's Elaby Gathen the un-
obtrusive one, the efficient one, the synthesizing one The
clever one who now wailed with mind wide-open for Marc's
redactive probe (and who did not flinch at the brutality of it)
Elaby Gathen who dared to love his daughter and exert puppet-
mastery over his son In the young man's mind was smcerc
respect for the leader of the Metapsychic Rebellion, together
with regret for the great dream gone agiey But there was also
in Gathen a determination, as implacable as Marc's own, that
he and his young contemporaries be given the chance to direct
their own fate

THE POSTDILUVIUM 127

Marc said, "I wish I had noticed you before Before all this
had solidified "

Elaby Gathen said, "Sir, we have Gudenan's entire body
of data in the computer archives We have the technological
parameters and the manufacturing specs for all components of
the device If we gained control of Europe, we'd have access
not only to the lime-gale site, but to the raw materials Gudenan
used, the rare earths and the niobium and cesium that are
inaccessible m Pliocene North America Based in Europe, we
could compel the assistance of whatever Milieu technicians still
survive among the time-traveler population II would take time
and organization, bul Gudenan's device could be built "

Marc laughed "Thus effectively setting up a two-way gate
And you expect me to agree to this^ The agents of the Mag-
istratum have no interest in you children But I assure you that
even after twenty-seven years, they would have a lively interest
in me'"

Elaby's mind and voice evoked the most exquisite tact
"After we've passed through to the Milieu, we would naturally
arrange for the destruction of both pieces of apparatus The
sites themselves could be obliterated You know that there's a
unique geological factor at work in the generation of the sin-
gularity, restricting it to that small region of the Rhone Valley
If the geology is significantly altered, the time-gate will be
permanently closed "

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"You'd still be safe, Papa," Cloud said, moving close to
Elaby "And we " Her voice trailed away, but her mental
speech completed the phrase We could go home

Elaby Gathen said, "You could supervise the demolitions
on the Pliocene end of the time-warp yourself, sir "

The launch turned on its cable The tide was nsing in the
estuary, countering the sluggish flow of the Suwanee Soon
the tarpon would leave their feeding in the gulf reefs and come
up the nver again But Marc had lost interest in the btg fish
now The frustration coming just at the brink of victory had
left him tight-coiled and cheated of catharsis He had failed to
master the adversary, and now it was gone To begin all over
again was insupportable

128 THE NONBORN KING

Gather) was outlining his scheme with cool reasonableness.
"We'll need two days to gather equipment and finish stocking
Jillian's ketch in Manchineel Bay. The actual voyage to Europe
will take up to eleven days. Phil says the Atlantic weather
systems are perfect. There'll be no adverse winds to counter
our PK. Vaughn will keep you informed of our every move.
Once we've contacted Felice, you can advise us precisely how
you wish us to carry on."

Marc said, "All of you may goâ€”except Hagen."

"Papaâ€”no!" the son cried.

The eyes of Abaddon burned under winged brows. "This
escapade is highly dangerous â€” foolhardy, even. You have badly
underestimated Felice. But I know her only too well, since I
was the one who forged the metaconcert linkage. Your plan
of binding her with the docilization equipment is futile. None
of the devices would hold herâ€”any more than they'd hold
me!... You'd have to use guile, act on her unsane aspects and
force her to chain herself."

His mind turned to Cloud; You would have the redactive
skill Daughter virtually equal to my own. I am not sure you
would have the courage.

She replied; Papa 1 would do anything to reach this goal.

I know.

His cast of mind darkened, sorrowing- He would have to
let her go, even if this venture led to her death. He dared not
risk her taking Cyndia's way. The daughter was lost. But the
sonâ€”

"Why must 1 stay here?" Hagen demanded truculently -

"In case the others fail. There must be a successor for the
star-search."

The young man raged, "You old fool! Can't you ever stop
living in a dream world? I'll be damned if I spend the rest of
my life shackled to that fucking equipment, hunting for some-
thing that doesn't exist!"

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The other four drew back, appalled. There was an intolerable
flash of light and a gush of heated air. Hagen's body wavered,
melting in the effulgence- His cries rose in pitch, changing to
harsh, rhythmic hisses. Something huge and silvery, burning

THE POSTDILUVIUM

129

in a coat of astral Fire. fell over the stem of the launch with a
colossal splash-
Marc said to Elaby, "You will take Owen Blanchard with
you to Europe in Hagen's place- He was the best of my coercers
in the Rebellion and he'll do for a backup farsensor in the all
too possible event that something happens to Vaughn, here.
Owen will carry my own authority, and he'll see that I receive
an accurate account of your actions."

"But, sir, he's so frail," Elaby began to say.

"Then you'll take very special care of him!" Marc thun-
dered. "Blanchard goes."

"Yes, sir."

Cloud's mind was weeping. "Papa, poor Hagen ..."

Marc's hand suddenly held a severed leader with a big
artificial fly dangling from it. Among the grizzly streamers and
scarlet hackle was a glint of pointed steel. "Don't worry about
him. I've decided to begin training him tonight instead of wait-
ing until summer."

Out on the black water, a tarpon rolled and gulped air,
making a patch of glistering bubbles. The fish's scales had an
eerie luminescence- Marc Remillard observed the creature with
satisfaction. He began to climb over the transom back into his
skiff.

"I'm sure Hagen will be ready to settle down and apply
himself to his education. After he's had a little time on the
hook."

THE END OF PART ONE

^BÂ£

G^mp

LOUIhG

IN THE EARLY WEEKS OF THE PoSTDfLUVIUM, SUGOLL OF

Meadow Mountain sought and obtained full franchise for his
subjects, the deformed outcast Firvulag known as Howlers.
These mutants, who had split off from the main body of Little
People some hundreds of years previously, now once again
pledged fealty to the Firvulag throne at High Vrazel and ratified

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the election of the co-monarchs Sharn and Ayfa. Sugoll also
agreed to abide by the Firvulag-Lowlife Entente engineered by
the late Madame Guderian and King Yeochee IV, as well as
the armistice between the Tanu and Firvulag that had been
promulgated by the usurper, Aiken Drum.

Because of the isolated location of his domain east of the
Black Forest Range, Sugoll remained unaware thai Firvulag
forces continually violated both peace accords all during the
winter months, attacking Tanu cities and Lowlife settlements
and putting the blame on renegade Howlers- King Sham and
Queen Ayfa otherwise gave little serious thought to their remote
mutant subjects until early in January, when the following
communication was delivered to High Vrazel:

TO THEIR APPALLING HIGHNESSES AYFA AND SHARN-MES,

Sovereign Lords of the Heights and Depths, Monarchs
of the Infernal Infinite, Mother and Father of All Fir-
vulag, and Undoubted Rulers of the Known World

133

4 THE NONBORN KING

FELICITATIONS FROM SUGOLL, Lord ofMeadow Mountain
and Chief Among Those Called Howlers, Your Obedient
Vassal.

May I humbly invite you to rejoice with me upon the
occasion of my nuptial celebration, in which the Most
Exalted Creative Lady Katlinel the Darkeyed, late of the
Tanu High Table, condescended to become my spouse.
for which grace praise be to Teah the Almighty.

Know now. Highnesses, of a matter of gravity that has
claimed my attention for many months and lately ap-
proaches full resolution: In times preceding the last Grand
Combat there came to my lands an expedition of Humans
under mandate of your lamented predecessor, Yeochee
IV. seeking the site of the legendary Ship's Grave. A
certain scientist of this party vouchsafed to me infor-
mation that has proved to be of vital import to my people.

Namely: That our principal settlements in and about the
Water Caves of Meadow Mountain have inadvertently
been located adjacent to deposits of dangerously radio-
active minerals; and these have, in the course of our
centuries of sojourn, affected the germ plasm of my
people, occasioning deleterious mutations whose mel-
ancholy manifestations are only too well known.

The hypothesis of this scientist was subsequently con-
firmed by another. Lord Greg-Donnet Genetics Master
aka Gregory Prentice Brown, formerly of Muriah and
now an honored citizen of Meadow Mountain, who was
paramount among the human genetic specialists in the
Many-Colored Land and who once held a prestigious
position in a noted medical school of the Galactic Milieu.

Greg-Donnet has, during the past month, undertaken an
analysis of our situation with a view toward amelioration.

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You will rejoice with us. Highnesses, when I tell you
that there is indeed hope now for our poor afflicted peo-
ple. Some might be restored to an approximately normal

THE GRAND LOVING I

aspect through a modification of the Tanu "Skin" healing
technique if suitable practitioners among our erstwhile
Foe can be persuaded to cooperate with us. Others of
our mutant subjects must look to the future, which may
see the normalization of generations yet unborn by the
abolition ofteratogenetic factors, by genetic engineering,
and by other eugenic measuresâ€”some of which may be
implemented even now under your benevolent auspices.

Know, Highnesses, that Greg-Donnet has declared that
we must go forth from this hazardous dwelling place into
lands free from radioactive contamination. We have re-
solved, therefore, to quit our domain here in Meadow
Mountain just as soon as the rains abate, and to present
ourselves to you in High Vrazelâ€”loyal subjects prepared
to occupy such demesnes as it may please you to grant
us for resettlement.

Know further that Greg-Donnet advises that our pool of
damaged genes must be reconstituted with an influx of
normal Firvulag germ plasm, this to be an adjunct of the
more difficult genetic engineering operations, which must
await the training of skilled technicians. To this view,
our people avow to you that they hereby renounce the
old antagonism that precluded social and sexual inter-
course between us and our normal brothers and sisters.

At this year's Grand Loving of Firvulag, I intend to lead
forth in the mating rituals a contingent of winsome vir-
gins from our most distinguished families, who will take
husbands in the traditional manner from the ranks of your
stalwart lads- The damsels will, of course, be adorned
with the most alluring of illusory bodies, and they will
come lavishly dowered with Meadow Mountain's con-
siderable material substance. As a further expression of
our affection, gratitude, and goodwill, and so that all
Little People may share with us our joy at reunion with
long-separated kinfolk, we are prepared to underwrite

136 THE NONBORN KING

the entire expense of this year's Grand Loving of Fir-
vulag.

Expect us at High Vrazel about two weeks after the spring
equinox. At that time you will doubtless have selected
a suitable site for our habitation, as well as given thought
to the matter of interim fosterage of the brides with the
families of suitable bridegrooms-elect.

I am, ever at your service. Highnesses, SUGOLL.

"I call that nerve!" exclaimed Sham, fetching his writing-desk
a smash with one massive fist. Sealing wax and account books
and memo-plaques and a twenty-second-century voicewriter and
the King's favorite goblet (the one made from Lord Velteyn's

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skull) went dancing over the polished oak planks. "Call in that
Howler courier, dammit! I'll give him a return reply that'll zorch
that misbegotten Sugoll from his stinking deformed toenails to
his homy crested occiput! Move in on us, will he? And with a
sex-mad mob of monster brides I'm to foist off on our people at
the Loving? Ten thousand tumbling turds!"

"But he sounds rich," Afya remarked meditatively. Sitting
at her own desk adjacent to that of her husband, she nibbled
the end of a silver Parker pen with delicate pointed teeth.

The royal study deep inside Grand Ballon Mountain in the
fog-bound Vosges was cosy and bright, warmed by a big brass
brazier that glowed within a free-standing ceramic stove shaped
like a hollow turnip. A sideboard still held remains of the royal
lunch, taken today in camera. The walls were hung with a
judicious selection of captured banners and Tanu weaponry,
spoils of the last Combat- Fat candles that incorporated three
wicks in each waxy barrel illuminated the twin desks.

"That shambling bastard won't get away with taking me for
granted," Sham snarled. "Does he think he's dealing with a
caretaker monarch like poor old Yeochee?"

"We are the monarch," said the handsome ogress with the
apricot-colored hair. "And I find Sugoll's letter intriguing."
She retrieved the piece of vellum with her psychokinesis from
where Sham had flung it to the floor. "Resettlement. H'mm."

THE GRAND LOVING 137

"There's no room for them here in High Vrazel. There must
be seven, eight hundred monsters up on Meadow Mountain!
We'll have to try to divert them down to Famorei, in the Alps.
Or maybe to the Grotto Wilderness, or even Koneyn. Te on a
tightrope' As if we don't have enough trouble keeping the
hinterlanders in line. Now we'll get a fresh batch of headstrong
types who'll want to do things their own way, and never mind
how it screws up my royal strategy!"

"Nionel." Queen Ayfa smiled at the letter. "That's where
they must go."

Sham's great mouth snapped shut, aborting another tirade.
His brows hoisted. His mind sent a gout of joyous appreciation
splattering over his wife's psyche. She smiled indulgently. He
bellowed, "Nionel! Of course! Refurbishing and staffing the
place will keep those Howlers gainfully employed for years.
We can have the Loving there in May, and then later on, this
fallâ€”"

"The new Games. On our own Field of Gold at last."

They embraced mentally, savoring the delicious suitability
of it. Sugoll and his horde, undoubtedly wealthy, would be an
asset to the Firvulag if they could be persuaded to repopulate
and restore the ghost city of Nionel in the western wilderness,
near the Paris Basin. Within Nionel's ambit lay the ritual bat-
tleground of the Little People, which had been virtually aban-
doned during the forty years that the Tanu had dominated the
annual Grand Combat.

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"It's the only logical place to hold this year's Games," Sharn
said. "Even if that treacherous little torcless cockerel did steal
victory from us at the last minute, there's no way he can prepare
a suitable Tanu fighting ground this year. And the White Silver
Plain is under fifty-five meters of salt water."

"If we couch the offer diplomatically, I think Aiken will
agree. And there's your idea for donating a new trophy in place
of the lost Sword to sweeten the deal.. -Oh, yes. This is all
going to work out splendidly!"

"There's still one dead mouse in the skilligalee, Ayfe. The
damned brides."

Ayfa considered. "They might be presentable. If their shape-

138 THE NONBORN KING

shifting powers are sufficiently strong. And they'll have the
doweries. Besidesâ€”how many of them can there be? Probably
only twenty or thirty, given the size of the Howler gathering
that the Lowiife Guderian reported to Fitham. Surely we have
that many families who'd be eager to get off our shit-list by
making marriages of convenience."

"Yes," he mused. "It could be worked out. It'll have to be-
We really can't afford to antagonize this upstart Sugoll, you
know. Aside from staving off civil war, we mustn't forget that
he's the one who knows the route to the Ship's Grave. One of
these days, that information might be extremely useful."

FROM SHARN AND AYFA, High King and High Queen of
the Many-Colored Land

TO SUGOLL, Lord of Meadow Mountain, our Beloved
and Loyal Vassal: GREETINGS.

It was with pleasure as well as sympathy that we received
your letter informing us of your recent marriage and your
hopes for assuaging your genetic disability.

Come ahead to High Vrazel, and welcome! We do indeed
have in mind an ideal new home for you and your people,
which we will describe fully upon your arrival here.

You do us great honor by offering your doubtless charm-
ing daughters as brides-elect in the Grand Loving cere-
monies. This matter, also, will be taken up in detail upon
your arrival.

Convey our heartfelt hopes for happiness and reproduc-
tive satisfaction to the eager damsels. To your people
we send our affection and assurance of continuing con-
cern; and to you and your illustrious Spouse, the Lady
Katlinel, our royal benison and the enclosed tokens of
esteem, which might prove useful on your journey should
you encounter any of the pestilential hyenas or amphi-
cyons that unfortunately infest the regions west of the
Rhine. Read the directions carefully before using.

THE GRAND LOVING 139

We call your attention to the simplified mode of royal

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address that we have adopted.

AYFA. HIGH QUEEN
SHARN-MES, HIGH KING

End: 3 Solar-Powered
Stun-Guns.
Husqvama
Mark VI-G

With the satisfactory response from the Firvulag throne in hand,
Sugoll set in motion the monster ingathering; for Sham and
Ayfa were mistaken in their belief that only mutants from the
Feldberg area would be coming to High Vrazel. Many other
concentrations of Howlers, who had drifted away from the
radioactive caves of the heartland over a period of centuries,
had learned about the hopeful genetic prognosis of Greg-Don-
netâ€”and they were determined to share in it.

Bundling up their portable wealth, pathetic and hideous
creatures forsook hamlets deep in Fennoscandia, trekking
southward through the Amber Lakes where the winter nights
were long and warm under perpetually cloudy skies. Other
throngs of Howlers converged on Meadow Mountain from the
haunted Swabian and Franconian Alb, and from the mineral-
rich highlands of the Erzegebirge and far Bohemia. These latter
brought with them quantities of jewels and precious metals,
which they were accustomed to mine sheerly for the sake of
their beauty, using them to decorate their twisted bodies in
ironic splendor. Mutants from the Hercynian Forest west of
the Rhine, mostly solitary and poverty-stricken, responded to
Sugoll's invitation as best they could. They made their painful
way through the Vosges and the Schwarzwald to the subter-
ranean villages of the Feldberg, where compassionate Katlinel
housed them in the dry upper caves, fattened them up, and
provided them with fine new clothes- All of the able-bodied
were put to work building boats or preparing supplies, in an-
ticipation of the time when the meteors announced the advent
of Pliocene spring.

Finally the star-showers fell, the rains ended, and the un-
derground rivers beneath the Feldberg dropped to navigable

THE NONBORN KING

140

levels. Everything was in readiness. The great Howler Migra-
tion commenced.

Ten days after the equinox, rank after rank of mutants, ail
well dressed and bearing whatever treasure they possessed,
marched to the awesome borehole called Alliky's Shaft. Fol-
lowing a brief invocation to Teah by Sugoll, the lift machinery
began to creak and the big buckets descended with parties of
torch-bearing travelers: males and females, hermaphrodites and
neuters, children and old folks, the diabolically misshapen and
the quasi-normalâ€”Howlers all, singing an ululating farewell
that floated up out of the depths like some chorus of the damned-
Disembarking at the lowest level of Meadow Mountain's
mineworkings. they tramped past heaps of garnets, yellow and
pink beryls, and green tourmaline crystals that lay about in

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neglected profusion. The people then formed into single file
and descended still deeper into the granite bowels of the Feld-
berg, along natural crevices in living rock where the torches
smoked in the chilly damp and tinkling water-drips punctuated

the eerie Howler song.

At last they came to a great underground chamber. Tubs of
flaming oil blazed all along a newly constructed quay on the
shore of a lake as black as a sheet of onyx. Here was massed
an enormous flotilla of sturdy punts, manned by monstrous
boatmen equipped with poles. Still holding their firebrands high
and singing, the people climbed on board. With Sugoll's ornate
craft leading the way, the boats giided off one by one until a
torchlit train extended over the water as far as the eye could
see, heading into impenetrable darkness.

It was a Journey that few Howlers had ever made before.
Beneath the Feldberg's mass were uncounted Water Caves with
springs and dark cascades and streamlets and siphons in be-
wildering complexity. The upper levels were well explored, as
were the underground tributaries to the Paradise and Ystroll
Rivers; but only a few hardy adventurers had ever dared to
cross the Black Lake, and these were long dead, leaving only
half-remembered tales of what lay ahead.

Katlinel's farsight, limited underground, was their sole means
of navigation. The boats entered a natural tunnel, wide but with

THE GRAND LOVING

141

a low ceiling. The torches struck wavering gleams from wet
mineral formations. The singing echoed and reechoed off the
walls until the people finally fell silent in confusion and dismay,
Then Katlinel, to divert them, opened her mind and told stories
of the Tanu world and that of the normal Firvulag, climaxing
with the momentous events of the last Grand Combat and the
Rood, which she had learned of from the farspeech of surviving
members of her Creator Guild.

After five hours the fleet hailed al a suitable place for the
people to rest and eat. Then the journey resumed with a fresh
crew of boatmen, and Lord Greg-Donnet took over as chief
entertainer, lecturing telepathically for hour after hour on the
mutagenic effects of hard radiation and on bioengineering tech-
niques for repairing damaged chromosomes. The torches gut-
tered out one by one, passengers in the boats fell into a doze,
and presently the only sounds were the swish and thump of
punt poles, the splashing of water, and muffled whimpers from
the sleeping children.

More hours passed. Sugoll and Katlinel sat side by side in
the bow of the leading boat while Greg-Donnet snoozed on a
pile of leather cushions behind them. The Lord and Lady of
the Misbegotten shared their hopes and fears on the intimate
thought-mode, giving comfort to each other and even laughing
over the surprise that awaited King Sham and Queen Ayfa-
The monster ingathering had swelled the Howler number pro-
digiously, until at the end, instead of the original 700 or so
denizens of Meadow Mountain, the emigrants totaled nearly

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9000. Of these, 1256 were virgins of marriageable age.

About fifteen hours after leaving the Black Lake, the wake-
ful travelers were conscious of moving air that carried scents
of humus and green growing things rather than sterile wet rock.
Sleepers stirred and came alert. The children began to chatter
and whisper. Interrogative howls passed from one boat to an-
other, up the line and down. Finally- Kallinel's farsight was
able to confirm that they were, indeed, approaching the river's
outlet.

Ahead shone a wan glimmer. The boatmen leaned to their

THE NONBORN KING

142

poles, propelling the craft as swiftly as they could around one
last lengthy curve. A thin screen of boughs hung over the cave's
mouth. Katlinel stood up, fingers pressed to the golden lore at
her throat, and pruned the ramage away with an invisible blade
of psychoenergy. Severed branches tumbled harmlessly into
the water and the boats drifted into open air. They emerged
from the base of a great forested cliff into a land silvered by
the moon- Steppes clothed with rippling grass stretched away
on either hand. Near the river were groves of majestic flabel-
laria fan palms and weeping willows.

The Howler people in the crowded punts began to shape-
shift spontaneously, as if eager to mask their deformities now
that they had finally left the caves. The horned and crested
horror who had sat beside Katlinel from the journey's beginning
now metamorphosed into a tall humanoid as handsome as any
Tanu, wearing a jewel-studded hunter's jerkin and a peaked
cap surmounted by a small coronet.

Sugoll asked his wife, "Now that we are beyond the dense
rock formations, is your farsense abie to trace the course of
this river to its confluence?"

She exerted her metafaculty, ranging southward for a few
score kilometers. "Yes, I see it. There's a truly enormous river
down there. It comes from the east. from a great lake in the
Heivetides. Not far from its confluence with this stream, it
makes a right-angle curve and flows northward." She showed
the mental picture to Greg-Donnet.

"Oh, it's the Rhine, all right," said Crazy Greggy cheerily.
"Just as we hoped. All we have to do now is float on down to
the landing at the High Vrazel trailheadâ€”and then on to Ni-
belheim itself!"

"How long do you think it will take us to reach the landing?"
Sugoll asked Katlinel.

She concentrated. "Less than a day. The river flows swiftly
with the spring runoff from the Alps. We could camp here for
the rest of the night, then continue in the morning. These
meadowlands should be reasonably safe from predatory ani-
mals, and I detect no sentient life whatsoever."
"If anything comes sniffing around," Greggy said fiercely,

THE GRAND LOVING 143

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"we can give it a blast from those presents that Sham and Ayfa
sent. Wherever do you suppose they got such contraband? Of
course, it was an open secret that time-travelers did smuggle
in forbidden armaments and other goodiesâ€”but we privileged
humans assumed that the Tanu destroyed them. What fasci-
nating food for speculation!" He began to giggle. "How I'd
love to zap me a hoe-tusker! Bring ten tons of gubbertushed
elephant crashing at my feet!" Wistfully, he appended. "In
Muriah, I never ever got to go on Hunts. The Tanu said 1 was
too valuable."

"And so you are, Greggy." Sugoll had been issuing tele-
pathic commands, directing the boats to shore- Now he smiled
down on the dapper little geneticist. "You are valuable to us
as well. I'll see that you get to stalk some big game at a suitable
time. But you must promise not to go haring off on your own.
Losing you would be a catastrophe."

The elderly man was quick with reassurances. He glanced
around at the grounding punts and the passengers disembarking
in the moonlight. "1 think you all look perfectly splendid in
your illusory bodies! And you and Katy make a wonderful
couple, Sugoll."

The Howler lord's brow creased slightly. "You can discern
no shadow of our true monstrous shapes?"

"Not a trace! Not aâ€”a debitissima!"

"Let us hope," Sugoll said, "that our disguises prove as
impenetrable to the Firvulag royalty. And to the bridegrooms
at the Grand Loving."

"Nine thousand?' Sharn croaked brokenly. "0 Goddess."
"The riverguards counted 'em twice, Appalling One," said
Fitham. "There seem to be well over a thousand virgins, too.
All shiny red boots and flower garlands with ribbons, and so
stiff with opals and sapphires and rubies that they can barely
stagger."

"But how do they look?' Ayfa inquired grimly.
Fitham paused. He pursed his lips, screwed up his eyes,
scratched one ear. and resettled his conical hat. Silence grew-
"Well?" demanded the royal ogress. "Can you tell?"

144 THE NONBORN KING

"In a dark bedroom. Majesty, if one were very homyâ€”"

Sham groaned "Thai bad7"

"Their stuffings are ingenious and attractive. Appalling Ones,
but I'm afraid they wouldn't deceive a true Firvulag for a gnat's
eyeblmk "

"We can't nsk having an official reception for them here
in the Hall," Ayfa decided "There'd be a not "

"At the least," the King sighed

"If you want my advice," Fitham said, "head 'em off before
they ever get to High Vrazel Meet *em on the trail with a slap-

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up picnic feast, plenty of musicians and liquor, and a welcom-
ing committee of trustworthy nobles and their ladies, pnmed
to be tactful (Don't ask any with eligible sons, of course )
Give this pack of monsters what my old fnend Chief Burke
would call a schmooze-job' Chat 'em up Tell 'em you want
to save an inconvenient side tnp to High Vrazelâ€”where all
the palace Jakes are on the blink' After all, they'll have far
enough to go, marching to Nionel through the Belfon Gap "

Ayfa broke in "We can tell them all about their fine new
home Show them mind-pictures' Promise them discounts on
materials for the renovation' Send them off with plenty of pack
animals and ndmg stock to ease their journey "

"Not my new herds of chalikos and hellads'" wailed the
King

"You can steal more," his wife said firmly "This is an
emergency The quicker that mob of wretched little spnggans
is out of the Vosges, the better "

Sham shook his great head helplessly "But we're only
postponing the problemâ€”not solving it So far, our own people
know very little about this migration But what are we going
to do, come May9 We've agreed to let the Howlers sponsor
the Loving'"

"We'll think of somethmg by then," Ayfa said soothingly
"And besidesâ€”you and I won't be around then Don't you
recall7 We're going to spend the Grand Loving this year with
Alken Drum and Mercy-Rosmar and what's left of the Tanu
flower and chivalry over in Gonah "

THE GRAND LOVING 145

"Well, Te be thanked for small favors All I' 11 have to worry
about down there is assassination'"

"Shall I put arrangements for the fancy picnic in tram, then9"
Fitham asked

"Do so," Sham commanded, ail business again "That's a
fine idea of yours, Fitham And you're coming, loo, as master
of ceremonies Get out your best clothes and the gold pegleg
studded with bloodstones We're going to pamper and flatter
that army of abominations until they're giddy They're never
going to suspect that we're all throwing up inside' Do you
think they brought their treasure9"

"The nverguards reported that the Howler horde is well
supplied with strongboxes and locked pouches "

Ayfa gave a great sigh of contentment "Then everything
is going to be all right after all "

And so the festive meeting took place near the headwaters
of the Onion River south of High Vrazel, in a pretty part of
the forest where the bulbuls sang amid the giant ferns and
blossoming trees dropped petals on a scene of rustic splendor
The King and Queen of the Firvulag, sixty of their most discreet
courtiers, an honor guard of Wamor Ogres and Ogresses, and
almost the entire strength of the royal culinary corps starred in
a day-long fete champetre that completely overawed the in-

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nocent Howlers

Plied with food and dnnk. woozy from ovenndulgence in
the psychoactive hooby mushrooms, the emigrants responded
enthusiastically to the proposal that they repopulate Nionel
The royal donation of some 400 fully trapped chalikos, twice
that number of draft hellads with carts, and a breeding herd of
the recently tamed little hippanons provoked transports of
maudlin gratitude among the besotted monsters After a nice
show of reluctance. Sham and Ayfa agreed to accept their joint
weight in gemstones as a partial down payment on delinquent
taxes owed by Ihe Howler nation to the throne over the past
856 years

The matter of bnde-fosterage among the noble Firvulag
families was delicately skirted This custom, Sugoll was told.

146 THE NONBORN KING

had fallen into decline among the nonmutant populace; and
given the large number of nubile Howler females, there would
be considerable awkwardness reinstating ii at the present time.
Smoothly, the two monarchs declared that the brides would be
far happier (and more useful) accompanying their own families
to Nionel. There they could not only participate in the work
force, but also prepare connubial dwellings to share with their
new spouses. At the Grand Loving, the Howler damsels would
celebrate the mating rituals just as other Firvulag maidens did,
the girls and boys pairing off on a basis of mutual selection.
Queen Ayfa pooh-poohed fears that the mutant brides would
be at a disadvantage. It was true that their numbers were dis-
proportionally great; however, she would personally extend
Loving invitations to the most remote enclaves of "wild" Fir-
vulagâ€”those only nominally loyal to the throneâ€”insuring an
extra supply of grooms, tf some of the Howler beauties went
unclaimed this year, they would surely be snapped up at sub-
sequent celebrations once word of their charm and generous
endowment got round the Many-Colored Land.

Upon this gracious note, the royal party took its leave.
Sugoll, feeling a mountain of anxiety lifted from his shoulders.
retired to his cloth-of-gold pavilion after decreeing a two-day
period of rest and recuperation. All over the littered picnic
grove, happily fuddled mutants collapsed snoring, reassuming
their usual forms once they drifted into slumber.

Only Katiinel and Greg-Donnet remained awake. As the
moon went down and bonfires died out, the stately hybrid
woman and the wispy academic in the clawhammer coat took
lanterns and walked among the people to see that all were safe.
Heaps of deformed and grotesque bodies, incongruous in rich
clothing, lay in Dantean disarray on the trampled grass. There
were empty flagons and dirty dishes everywhere.

After they had walked awhile, Greg-Donnet said, "You
didn't tell Sugoll, then?"

"I couldn't bear to. Not yet. He's suffered such terrible
worries all through the winterâ€”and then the trip, and won-
dering about our new home- He was afraid Sham would want
to banish our people to some horrible wilderness like Albion!

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THE GRAND LOVING 147

Nionel will be a paradise in comparison. No.. .we must let
him regain his spirits before telling him the bad news. And
don't you lei any hint leak out, Greggy, or 1 shall be very cross
with you,"

"No fear, no fear." The geneticist shook his marmosetlike
head, "The King and Queen and their people put a very good
face on it, I must say. But as I wandered about, I picked up a
good many intimations of disaster. And you, my dear, with
your redactive faculty, must have known the truth almost at
once."

"I suppose it was only logical," Katiinel said. "Howlers can
see through each other's illusions easily enough- And they and
the Firvulag share the same metapsychic pattern."

Greg-Donnet gave a mournful sigh- "Only humans and non-
redactive Tanu would fail to penetrate the disguises. Poor little
loathly brides! Wellâ€”it was only a small part of the eugenic
scheme, merging the gene pools. There's still the engineering
and the possibility of using Skin."

"But the people will be humiliated at the Grand Loving!
Who knows what they might do? Oh, Greggy, it's such a
shame."

She paused, lifting her lantern high. Nestled together under
a sheltering willow tree were three hideous little beings, pipe-
stem limbs entwined, goblin faces relaxed and peaceful. They
wore bejeweled kirtles, flower headbands, and little red boots.

PERCHED ON A LONE TREE IN THE MIDST OF THE BLOOMING

savanna, the raven watched a pair of sabertooth cats cooperate
in stalking their prey The smail herd of antidorcas gazelles,
fawn-colored and lyre-homed, grazed on obliviously until the
male machairodus spooked them by dashing out of a clump of
high grass They fled downwind and the female cat, lying in
ambush, sprang Almost nonchalantly she grappled with one
of the gazelles and npped its neck open with a slash of her
ten-centimeter canines Her mate bounded up, eager for his
share

While the prey still struggled, the raven flew down, on fire
with the old lust The cats withdrew before her coercive blast
and crouched, snarling and hissing, as the predatory bird at-
tacked one of the gazelle's great black eyes The beak struck
like an ebon dagger The animal's back arched and stiffened,
and then it subsided, dead The raven drank the aqueous humor
and fed on blood

But there was no electnc release Never, as there used to
be at the death

She flew back to her perch and swayed there, logy and
miserable, watching the indignant machairodus cats return to
begin their meal No pleasure'Never any more Never the old
surge of hot psychoenergy as the victim fell, confirming her
power There were smail joys to be found in the gleaning of

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148

THE GRAND LOVING 149

the gold, and comfort from the faithful friends on Mount Mul"
hacen But never the glorious fulfillment Not even when she
had penetrated the world

It was his fault

The sun above her expanded to a sanguine whirling thing
She gnpped the branch and felt her mind lurch, her guts heave
and disgorge cloned dark liquids Suddenly nerveless, her claws
lost their hold and she tumbled heavily to the ground, wings
all awry, to land in a puddle of stinking vomitus

And then, as before and always, she was tied to a wheel-
tike apparatus, prone, with hands and feet fiercely compressed
by the torturer's manacles, and he focusing ever more sharply
the pain that seemed to flood through every onfiee of her body
The wheel turned, lowering her headfirst into the vat of filth
Even though her mouth had been wedged open, she slopped
her throat with her swollen tongue, staving off drowning, while
fresh agony grew in her bursting lungs Just as the symphony
of pain seemed to reach its crescendo, she was forced to a
further extreme by the thrust of his impalement The sunburst
The release The turn of the wheel into the air The humiliating
ignominy as the combined ecstasy and anguish receded

Stop, her mind pleaded with him Don't

Don't stop9

He would cleanse her tenderly, laughing, his beautiful face
hovering in torn scarlet mist, sometimes kissing her unbroken
body (and this was the worst of all and brought her closest to
crying out hate-love and defiance, and thus to the brink of
imbecility)

Scream, he told her gently Curse me aloud and it will be
consummated But she would not utter a sound, shutting eyes
and mind from the sight of him and the knowledge of what
inevitably came next, the warm stream, the soft impacts on her
face and eyelids

You like it It's what you are, where you came from, what
you're made of

Stop Don't stop Let me die rather than know The agony
of realization The reaming, refining pain burning through the
brain along the channels opened by fury Stop Don't stop

150 THE NONBORN KING

Scream, he invited Only scream for an end

But she would not, and the wheel, come full circle, earned
her down again into the feculent trough Her soul shrank, her
identity hid away in the liny mental sanctuary that remained
buned in contradictions of pleasure and pain, humiliation and
rapture, love and hate He was destroying her, creating her
Demolishing her, perfecting her Driving her insane as he un-

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wittingly .set free her superhuman metapsychic potential Kill-
ing her in the act of love

Stop Don't stop Torturer Beloved

The raven flopped weakly under the enormous blood-sun
The disk was spinning, throwing off foul-smellmg drops that
bumed her, extruding a kind of jetâ€”a vortex that sought her
out and tried to pierce her again

You will not, she told it There is no pleasure in the pain
anymore None ever again until I invade and break you, 0
Beloved The passive earth was not enough

At length, the sabertooth cats finished and sal in the sun,
licking theu paws and washing their faces They were mag-
nificent things, patterned with marbled squares thai merged
into dark stripes and spots at the head and extremities The
male strolled over to sniff the moribund raven But the bud
was a repellent object, exuding suffering, and the cat merely
gave it a contemptuous swat before turning away and leading
its mate off for their afternoon nap

The bird roused from its stupor and called Culluket

Felice

Is that you Beloved9

No it is I Elizabeth My poor Felice Let me help you

Help9 Stop9

I can help you Stop the nightmares and the misery

Stop7 Stop painpleasure9

It's not really pleasure That part is gone What's left is
only pain A mind full of pain and guilt A sick mind Let me
help

Help9 Only he can help By dying

Not true I can help Wash away all the filth forever Make
you bright and clean and new

THE GRAND LOVING 151

I can never be I am only fit to be despised shunned execrated
shit upon

Not true You can be healed Come to me

Come9 But they are coming' Coming to me' To bow down
and give homage and follow To gift me with my heart's desire
Come to YOU9 Stupidstupidstupidâ€”

They are liars Felice They will not give you what you need
They will only use you to gain what they seek

They seek my Beloved To please me To restore my joy'

No Ttiey lie to you

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Theydonotcannottheyaredarkangelsâ€”

They are human beings Operant metapsychic humans

Not devils9

Humans They lied Listen to me Felice You know that I
was a powerful mmdheater in the Milieu 1 will heal you if
you only come freely to me I will ask nothing in return I will
not seek to bind you I am constrained by superego block never
to harm a thinking being 1 only wish to see you healthy in
mind and free and at peace The others cannot do this for you

Perhaps they can'

Ask them

1 will' And I'll find out soon enough if they're lying about
bringing me Cull

Test them

Yes Yes Elizabeth9 Could you really erase the night-
mare9 It's the wrong kind of pain you know

I know It's part of your sickness To perceive pain as
pleasure sometimes Your mental circuits are dislocated It
happened when you were very young But you can be healed
if you open to me admit me freely Will you come â€¢'

Come9 Stop the pain9 Don't stop' Yes9 No' CULLUKET'
CULLUKET' CULLUKET'

The raven took wing, crying harshly Down below on the
Spanish steppe, the sabertooth cats dozed and the herd of ga-
zelles grazed unmolested

HIGH ON AFALIAH'S SOUTHERN RAMPART, LOOKING DOWN UN-

seeing upon the tumult of the afternoon fighting practice, the
two old First Comers quarreled.

"Principles! Principles'" raved Aluteyn Craftsmaster "Hun-
gry people will tell you where to stick your principles' Celo,
the Flood's unhinged your wits!"

"Should 1 have remained a hostage to Lowlife gadgetry9"
Celadeyr demanded rhetorically. "The thing was a symbol of
everything Nodonn warned us against. Only human operators
understood it' It was a tool of soulless Milieu technocracy!"

"Well, it's nobody'stool now, you bungling idiot Why didn't
you exercise your high-minded idealism on something less vital
to the local economy? There can't be two weeks' worth of flour
left in the southern warehouses! Sweet tittuping Tanaâ€”every
city between here and Amalizan depends on your mill. Are we
all supposed to eat parched groats and mush?"

"Why not?" the Lord of Afaliah shouted. "They'd be-a damn
sight more healthy for you than the sissified pastries and crois-
sants and Gil Bias pancakes you usually stuff yourself with'
Just look at yourself, Al. You're toting more lard than ever

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A fine excuse for a city-lord! If the Foe attacks your Catamosk.
you'll look like a hippo in emerald armor leading the battle-
charge! A diet of honest, old-fashioned food would do you
good "

152

THE GRAND LOVING 153

"Thank you very much for the advice " The Craftsmaster's
voice was silky He thrust his face with its silver-gold mus-
taches and bushy brows nose to nose with that of his old friend.
"Odd, isn't itâ€”but I had the mistaken impression you called
me down here to ask my help. not to read me a health-food
lecture and insult my physique! Well, live and leam. And fix
your bloody flour mill yourself!" He whirled about and went
stomping toward the stairway

"Al, come back." The words were forced out. The mind-
plea was desolate. "I am a bungler. All I intended to do was
disconnect the mill's robotics- Go back to direct control by
people Modify the operation so that we weren't so dependent
on the Lowlives."

The Craftsmaster paused at the head of the stairs and waited
for Celadeyr to come to him. "Did you think you were tinkering
with some hydro-powered grist mill back home on Dual? That
was your speed, Celo' Primitive machinery for a primitive
mind."

"This contraption . do you know it yields forty-three dif-
ferent milling products? Everything from silk-sifted cake flour
to the red-dog chaff we feed the hellads. Tracing the circuits
of the flour-stream blender to allow for manual operation seemed
straightforward enough, but I forgot about the sample analyzer
with its additive-injection unit for quality control Bypass that
and you get raw stuff with a funny color and unpredictable
properties that brings the bakers screaming- Try to inject the
additives manually and you end up with half-poisonous crap
contaminated with benzoyl peroxide and potassium bromate
and Tana knows what else."

"This could be tncky, Celo, even for me. Where's the tech-
nician who supervised the robotics before?"

"Jorgensen drowned, with most of his senior staff. They
were great sports fans. The fellow that took over was an insolent
bastard. Bareneckâ€”untorcable. according to the redactors
Tried to pressure me Me! I zapped mm to a greasy smut."

"That's useful."

"Should I have compromised my authority?" Celadeyr bel-
lowed. His face glowed incandescent and his hair crackled with

THE NONBORN KING

154

static charges. "That wretched Mukherji thought he had me
over a barrel! Said he'd do his job only if I granted him the
privileges of a gold-tore! And his seditious trickery was be-
ginning to spread among the other human technicians- Ohâ€”

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they know very well that Aiken Drum has promised golden
tores to every human who's compatibleâ€”and full civil rights
to those who aren't- I've had Boduragol and his redactors deep-
reaming alt the barenecks and the human golds in Afaliah,
weeding out traitors."

"But I'm a traitor, too, Ceio," The Craftsmaster's smile was
sardonic- "I'm attainted! A deposed High Tabler who shirked
his death-offering,"

"Don't be ridiculous, Al, You chose death over exile volun-
tarily and then you un-chose it when circumstances changed.
As far as I'm concerned, you're still Lord Creator. And to hell
with Aiken Drum's redheaded Lowlife quim!"

Aluteyn laughed. "Oh, no you don't. You don't rope me
into your traditionalist suicide corps. I've learned too much
about Aiken Drum in the past months to go against him! I'll
dance at the little gold rapscallion's wedding in May and drink
Slonshal to him and Mercy-Rosmar."

"You'd accept him as kingT'' Celadeyr cried.

"Why not? Minanonn's the only other possibilityâ€”and he
won't play. I'll take the kid over Sham-Mes and Ayfa any
day."

Celadeyr gripped the Craftsmaster by both upper arms.
Overflowing psychoenergy enkindled a furious aura about both
of them. "It's the Nightfall War that's brewing. Al! Can't you
see. Creative Brother? What's coming is the final conflict be-
tween us and the Foeâ€”the one we were about to begin when
the Galactic Federation denied us our heritage and hounded us
to Void's Edge! Brede forestalled the Nightfall that time when
she carried us here with her Ship. But Brede's gone now, and
this poor fool of an Elizabeth can never take her place. You
belong with me, Al! We're of an age, coming up ors three
thousand orbits from our birth on poor lost Dual. Pace the
Nightfall with me!"

"Celoâ€”"

THE GRAND LOVING

155

The Lord of Afaliah gestured down into the courtyard of
the citadel, where an armed free-for-all was under way. "We're
getting ready for it! All of the Tanu who are faithful to the old
traditions. The loyal members of NontusvePs Host are here.
Sixteen of them, including Kuhat Earthshaker."

Aluteyn gave his old comrade a pitying glance. "Low-power
hotheadsâ€”and I know all about poor Kuhal."

"More people join us every day," Cetadeyr asserted stoutly,
but his hands fell away from the Craftsmaster and the glow
paled.

"And the wild Firvulag in the mountains are sharpening
their blades and stealing your chalikos and wailing for Sham's
reinforcements before they pounce!.. .Who's running your
plantations now that you fired the human administrators? Quite

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a few of them stopped off in Calamosk on their way to join
Aiken Drum."

Celadeyr looked away. "My son Uriel and daughter Feth-
neya are installing Tanu overseers. As we had in the begin-
ning."

The Craftsmaster snorted. "And don't I know how much
the younger generation's worth when it comes to hard work!
When 1 ran Creation House, it was all we could do to find
candidates for the practical disciplines. For agriculture, hus-
bandry, game management. You'll find that your children's
cronies are marvels at giving feasts and composing ballads and
riding to the Hunt when the quarry's flea-bitten Lowlife ref-
ugees. But to depend on them for production of your staple
commoditiesâ€”? Goddess give you the brains of a nit! This
broken-down flour mill will be the least of your worries if the
plantations fail."

Celadeyr's face was as lusteriess as the parapet stones and
his mind had gone shut. He said. in tones of utmost formality,
"Aluteyn Craftsmaster, I adjure thee by our sacred Creator
Guild kinship to come to my aid. The Nightfall War approaches
and the Adversary is nigh."

The First Comers faced each other unmoving. Then Atu-
teyn's ice-blue eyes misted over and the thoughts came tum-
bling out:

156

THE NONBORN KING

Celo Celo lads we were together fellowimtiates under old
Amergan (Goddess grant him rest in light) creators makers
doers workers' Never faltering even in pain canng ourpeople's
welfare building sheltering affirming life I chose Retort when
death was proper but now it is right I live castmgaside weariness
embracing duty As you must'

"My vision is of the Nightfall War'" Celadeyr said "Or do
you think I've gone mad'7"

I think Flood loss sorrow ascendence of Foe rage at Rav-
ensdeed have brought you to your own VoidsEdge Perhaps
beyond We need not accept this as Nightfall' If we swallow
pnde unite humans we can restrain Foe renew Many-Colored-
Land

So many colors And now all dark

Celo our elder generation may not force end when young
would choose life

The Adversary comes' Humanity' Alken Drum'

No Celo no He cannot be Not the Kingmaker's Chosen

I had forgotten that

"Then it's time you remembered," said a loud voice from
nowhere

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A dazzling point of light hovered a few meters beyond the
southern edge of the parapet, where the wall of Afaliah dropped
off into the precipitous gorge of the Proto-Jucar The spark
expanded into a radiance surrounding a crystalline sphere In-
side. seated upon thin air with his legs crossed, was a small
human wearing a golden suit all covered with pockets

"You," said Celadeyr of Afaliah

The sphere drifted toward them and descended, shivering
to atoms as it touched the stone pavement Alken Drum doffed
his plumed hat

"Hail, Creative Brother of Afaliah I've been eavesdropping
on you for the last ten minutes or so You really ought to listen
to the Craftsmaster's advice He's a touchy old coot, but sen-
sible in the main "

The old champion was suddenly transformed into a jovian
apparition that towered hugely against the sky with one hand
portentously upraised "Die. upstart'" he bellowed in a voice

THE GRAND LOVING 157

of thunder, and hurled his most potent mindbolt The resultant
detonation and blast of green light caused all the knights down
in the courtyard to freeze in their tracks, their mock battle
forgotten

"Battle companions' To me'" Celadeyr called but the
voice of the hero was now as weak as the whisper of leaves,
and his mind's cry of balked wrath seemed to echo futilely
within the vault of his skull Celadeyr cast off his illusory aspect
and strained to seize the usurper in his physical grip Not a
muscle would respond He was immobile, helpless, and so
were the stricken knights below

"And we were such good friends on the Deibaeth Quest,"
said Alken regretfully "Don't you remember. Creative Brother^
Chasing the old Shape of Fire up one Betic and down the next,
afraid to take to the air for fear he'd fry our glass-armored
scuts?" The Shining One chuckled "If we hunted Deibaeth
now, we'd have no such worry My powers have come on
nicely, as you can see One of these days, I hope to have
Dionket Lord Healer do my mind-assay right in front of the
lot of you, so you can see what manner of lad aspires to be
your king "

Celadeyr's incandescent face had gone chlorotic In a raspy
whisper, he said, "Free me Fight like a true wamor "

"Fight you7" inquired the trickster lightly "Not bloody likely
1 don't take on cowards "

"Cowardsâ€”'"

Stepping close to the statuesque Tanu, Alken floated up
until the two of them were eye to eye "You're a washed-up,
worn-out, sad old death-seeking coward I'm willing to take
on the Firvulag Who cares if they outnumber us ten to one17
But the great High Table Lord of Afaliah would rather lie down
and die Or ratherâ€”march into the teeth of a mounted ogre
battalion with a dotted line drawn on his throat and a tag that

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says CUT HERE''

The Craftsmaster said somberly, "The kid's not that far
wrong about your deep motivation, Celo "

"Adversary' Fight me fairly," begged Celadeyr, his face
grimacing in torment

158 THE NONBORN KiNG

Aiken lowered himself to the pavement. "I fight with the
weapons I have. It's the only sensible way " And he waved
one hand.

In the air out over the gorge now hovered an armed and
mounted host of some four hundred knights, with the brilliantly
glowing forms ofCulluket, Alberonn, and Bleyn poised in the
van. Behind them were Tanu and hybrid wamors representing
all five of the Guilds Mental, the strength of their auras con-
firming the power of their minds.

Respectfully, the rainbow army lifted their weapons- A re-
sounding salute rolled over the battlement. "Slonshal, Cela-
deyr! Slonshal, Lord of Afaliah!"

"We're not here to fight," Aiken insisted, and the warm
cajolery seeped into Celadeyr's brain willy-mlly. "We're here
to demonstrate that there's hope for us all if we unite against
the Foe. I had to leave most of the fighters at home in Gonah,
but I did bring this bunch for you to reviewâ€”and there's also
my new elite guard of human golds down on the ground just
outside your city's north gate, if you'd care to give 'em a far-
eyed once-over."

Celadeyr extended his mental vision. There seemed to be
at least a thousand troops out there -.. and the gale of Afaliah
was opening to them. The ranks of mounted men and women
were led by officers with metapsychic auras Some of the rank
and file glowed and some did notâ€”but all were collared in
gold and bearing most peculiar armament.

"Go ahead," urged Aiken. "Take a really close look at their
weapons Our late great Battlemaster might have talked a good
game about abolishing Lowlife technology, but he wasn't stu-
pid enough to follow his own principles. Like you were. Cre-
ative Brother' The cellars at my Castle of Glass in Gonah were
stuffed with seventy years' worth of contrabandâ€”including
the things you see. Zappers. Stun-guns. Solar-powered blasters.
Double-barreled Rigby .470 elephant rifles. Air guns with steel-
pellet ammo. Some disruptors Just about every kind of portable
proscribed weapon you can imagine smuggled past the unsus-
pecting officials at Madame Gudenan's estabbshment by sneaky
time-travelers who wanted a small advantage over their fellow

THb GRAND LOVING 159

Pliocene exiles And there may be other caches besides the
one I found Do you have one, Celo? No? Then perhaps we'd
better pul the same question to your son Unet and daughter
Fethneya "

Celadeyr's eyes came back into focus A sad smile played

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over his lips "No, I didn't know about [he contraband caches
But it would help explain something that puzzled meâ€”rumors
that the Foe had developed fearsome new weapons after they
destroyed Burask. The late Lord Osgeyr was notoriously cov-
etous, and it would have been just like him lo have stored away
the forbidden arms instead of destroying them."

Aiken said, "Thanks for the tip I'll check into that "

The army of sky-nders was on the move, their chalikos
trotting smartly on air over the city rampart, and then beginning
a slow spiral down into the great courtyard The knights of
Afaliah formed into an involuntary honor guard

"1 had another reason for coming," Aiken said

Celadeyr discovered that he was free at last He made no
move to threaten the gold-clad youth. "I think I know "

Aiken wagged a finger "Nowâ€”don't jump to false con-
clusions' We're all in this together, I told you. United against
the Foe' Noâ€”I came because the wedding invitation we sent
you seems to have gone astray "

Ceiadeyr could not help an incredulous obscenity

The golliwog was all sincerity "We never heard a word
from you Mercy was desolated So was I How could I cel-
ebrate my nuptials without my old friends from Afaliah'' My
comrades of the Delbaeth Quest? So I'm here to reextend the
invitation Personally "

"Come on, Celo," said Aluteyn Craftsmaster gently. "I had
to choose life Now it's your turn."

Celadeyr stood there, hands at his sides, feet wide apart-
His fingers clenched once and relaxed His eyes closed, cutting
off the physical image, at least, of the Adversary. The reluctant
affirmation came.

Aiken fairly sparkled with pleasure. "Kaleidoscopic' You
won't regret it. Creative Brother There are tots of ways we

THE NONBORN KING

160

can help each other in these lough times For instanceâ€”" Alken
snapped his fingers

Another astral bubble materialized and wafted down to the
parapet Inside was a samurai wamor in full Muromachi pan-
oply, wearing a golden tore The sphere evaporated and the
wamor bowed

"Lord Celadeyr, Craftsmasterâ€”I want you to meet d new
friend of mine named Yosh Watanabe A technician of great
ingenuity' Thai armor of his used to be made of hundreds of
little iron platesâ€”but he replaced them with tabs of mastodon
hide and melted the iron and made himself a blood-metal sword
He's lived free almost from the first day he came through the
time-gateâ€”and yet he couldn't wait to join up with Me' Celoâ€”
you and Yosh want to gel together for some serious consul-

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tation Back in the Milieu, he was a pretty heavy robotics
engineer And he also flies a mean kite "

Yosh winked at the Lord of Afaliah, who stared back at the
samurai with a wild surmise

Alken said, "Now, the rest of my gang and me have to be
moving right along We'll spend the night, but then we're off
for Tarasiah and a few other places on an inspection tour and
to deliver a few more messed-up wedding invitations' But Yosh
will be glad to stay on here for a few weeks to help you with
your problems You can bnng him back to Gonah when you
come up for the wedding And the other fun and games "

"I see," said Ceiadeyr faintly

'That okay with you, Yosh''" Alken inquired

"Whatever you say, Chief," said the samurai affably He
turned to the Lord of Afaliah "What say we take a little survey
of the balls-up nght now9"

Celadeyr didn't move But the Craftsmaster put an arm
around his old friend's shoulder and began drawing him toward
the stairway

"That's a good idea," Aluteyn said "And 1 think I know
where we can find some of the special tools and components
needed for me repair job Celoâ€”is Treonet's iab still intact9"

The Lord of Afaliah nodded

Aluteyn explained to Yosh "'One of my late guild-brothers

THE GRAND LOVING 161

was a keen fosterer of Elder Earth microprocessing and other
electronic doodads His mansion has an attached lab and one
of the biggest technical libraries in the Many Colored Land
We'll go there, set you up in style, son You can shuck your
fancy ng-out, too. and get into some more practical clothes I
don't suppose you'd mind if I watched while you worked^"

'My pleasure," said Yosh

"See you all at supper," said Alken, and vanished like a
blown-out flame

Celadeyr shook his head "And thai would be our king "

"The idea," Aluteyn Craftsmaster observed, "might grow
on you "

SHE CAME OUT INTO THE EVENING CALM FOR A LAST BREATH

of air before summoning the women. The moon, pregnant as
she was. hung new over the Strait of Redon. It would not
mature until May Day, which was an excellent portent for the
Loving; but Mercy's time had come.

The balcony of her tower suite was broad, with shrubs and
flowers planted in golden ums. She rarely went out there now,
for ihe amethyst faene lighting installed by Alken-Lugonn
seemed chilling and melancholy to her. How different it had

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been in Nodonn's time' Then the jewel-lamps strung along the
crystal balustrade and in the angles of the opaque glass walls
had gleamed warmly rose, and she had only to will it and the
daemon lover himself would appear beside her to share the
setting of the sun behind Breton Island, flame tones sinking at
last to star-studded violet. On a night such as this one, they
would make a joint wish upon the shy crescent moon.

And now the bones of the glorious Apollo rested in the New
Sea's mud "But mine will lie here." she told die babe inside
her, "in this land of Bnttany where I was born six million years
from now- And one day, Georges Lamballe and Siobhan
O'Connell will wander along the beaches and headlands of
Belle He and find a stone with a thin film of carbon and phos-
phor streaking it. And it will be me "

162

THE GRAND LOVING 163

The ferns leaped, sharing the pain, and she was overcome
with remorse.

Peace darling Agraynel peace Grama veinofmyheart To-
night you will be freed.

The unborn relaxed Mercy tned again to fathom her child's
mind; but under the easily perceptible surface emotions the
personality was ungraspable, a fearsome bright otherness, hun-
gering The preconscious of the Thagdal's hybnd daughter was
a humming vortex impatiently waiting to suck a new world of
physical sensation, no longer comforted by the limited stimuli
available to the womb-bound. The infant yearned without
knowing for richer inputs than waterborne sounds of maternal
heart and lungs and digestive tract, or the dim redness seen
through filmed eyes, or vague tactilities dulled by her fetal
coating of vemix caseosa unguent, or the omnipresent taste
and smell of ammotic fluid More' the inarticulate teiepathic
voice seemed to cry. And the mother replied: Soon

Agraynel's ultrafaculties (as those of all term fetuses, whether
potentially operant or latent) were totally onented toward love-
need. She beat with her weak psychokinesis against the uterine
prison, plucked at Mercy's consciousness with feeble redaction;

strove to create an unbreakable bond between the two of them.
even as she tried to gain freedom; coerced most strongly of
all And thereby was forged mat commonplace miracle, the
metapsychic link between every normal mother and child.

Love' called the insatiable wee mind. More love'

Mother loves you. You love Mother Sleep

The child-mind drifted away, content.

Poor Alken. Mercy thought, comparing

And then. Nodonn My Nodonn

"But it is not our way" protested Lady Moma-la "A mother
of our battle-company should travail courageously until vic-
torious' And especially you. who may well be the founding

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matnarch of a new Host'"

"We will conduct the birth in the way I've decided." Mercy
said 'The Lord Healer has come to assist me with the Skm-

164 THE NONBORN KINO

and ail of the noble ladies now awdit us in the audience cham-
ber "

"All of them9" Moma was as awed as she was dismayed
"For this most private, sacred moment7"

"The female knights who accompanied Lord Alken-Lugonn
will have to receive their instruction later But the others are
ready I willingly forego my privacy I am Lady Creator, and
it's my duty to instruct all of you in this For the future "

Moma could not mistake her intention "Surely you don't
thinkâ€”"

"When the others see itâ€”and the way it affects the babyâ€”
they won't have it any other way

Moma bowed her head "As you have said, you are Lady
Creator But so many things have changed "

Mercy smiled encouragement at the towering woman in the
lavender robes Her eyes were a brilliant blue tonight and her
aubum hair hung free She wore a long gauze shift, white with
a golden hem, and her arms were bare, the skin very pale with
a dusting of tiny freckles The yoke of the gown, where the
golden tore shone, was slashed straight between her full breasts
to a point just above the swell of the child

"Dear Farseeing Sister Moma. you're Kingmaker Aspirant
now, and second ranked among the Most Exalted Ladies But
you've also been kind to a bereaved human womanâ€”and once,
eight hundred iong years agone, you midwifed Queen Non
tusvel when she bore her first son The office wilt be only
slightly different this time And, of course, Agraynel is a girl
But as you'll see once her aura is separated from mine, she's
going to be an exceptional person, worthy to be your godchild "

Mercy took one of Moma's coo! dry hands and pressed it
to her belly "Feel her Meet her' She's ready " The fetus gave
a great bound and Mercy laughed The minds of the two women
embraced "Now then Take me to the dais of the audience
chamber, where all of them are waiting "

The great room was very dim, and of course the stained-
glass windows that glonfied il in daylight were night-masked
There were no faerie lights, only sconces of candles casting d
wavering orange glow about the stage No couch waited, no

THE GRAND LOVING 165

chair, no birthing-stool There was only a golden table with
two large basinsâ€”one beaten gold, the other transparent crys-
tal, half-filled with warm water Beside the table waited Dion-
ket Lord Healer, summoned from his voluntary retirement in
the Pyrenees, holding a golden pouch in one hand and a glit-
tering ruby blade in the other Ranged behind him, looking

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self-important and radiating not a little apprehension, were
three Tanu maidens a redactor wearing scarlet and white, a
psychokmetic dressed in rose and gold, and a blue-garbed coer-
cerâ€”this last none other than Olone, the bethrothed of Sut
hvan-Tonn

Very slowly, Mercy came to the front of the dais and stood
alone The several hundred spectators were cloaked and hooded
in white, unmovmg, their minds as carefully enshrouded as
their bodies

I greet you Sisters, Mercy bespoke them

We respond to your summoning, the minds whispered Lady
of Gonah

I am here to demonstrate a new way of bringing forth life
You know that my powers are great, and that they are also
different from those of most creative persons among the Tanu
My powers are gentle, not aggressive They are not for battle,
but for nurture I will teach them to you For you may all, if
you desire it, follow this way that I am going to show to you
now

She stepped back to the table, to Dionkel Moma and the
three girls hovered in the background Mercy stood facing the
audience of breathless women and closed her eyes The tail
Lord Healer made a gesture From his golden pouch flowed
an enveloping sheet of material thinner than the finest plass
It settled over Mercy, perfectly transparent, like a veil covering
a statue Her body began to radiate, the light concentrated most
strongly in the swollen abdomen The white gown seemed to
become as clear as the Skin, and in the midst of the light was
a small form

Something almost ectopiasnuc came from Mercy s body,
shimmering through the abdominal wall, to float between her
hands that were now outstretched A mind-gasp, instantly sup-

THE NONBORN KING

166

pressed, arose from ihe crowd- Dionket's auslere face softened
in a smile. The closest spectators were aware of a great web
of redaclive and psychokinetic power from his mind blending
with creative forces of the mother for her almost instantaneous

healing.

Dionket gestured and the Skin whisked away into nothing-
ness- Through farseeing eyes, all of the women saw Mercy
gazing down on her newbom. The baby was still enclosed in
the fetal membranes. A gossamer bubble filled with fluid, the
amnion, hovered just above Mercy's extended hands. The um-
bilical cord, still attached to the placenta, was clearly visible.

Now Moma lifted the golden basin and held it beneath the
baby with the help of the psychokinetic lady-in-waiting. Dion-
ket's ruby scalpel flashed briefly and the waters cascaded down-
The Healer touched the baby again, freeing the cord, -and the
membranes vanished with it into the bowl.

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Agraynel opened her eyes. She breathed easily after Mercy's
lung-inflating kiss, enveloped in warm air. Now the redactive
maiden stood ready with the crystal bowl, a silk sponge, and
towels. The infant continued to hover in space, wriggling gently,
as Mercy and Moma washed away the pasty vemix coating,
leaving her skin pink and fresh. Mercy kissed the child again
and she was dry. Young Olone stepped forward with clothing
and a receiving blanket, and the small form was swaddled to

the armpits.

Mercy hugged her daughter, offered a breast. The baby was
still too new to suck milk, but her mind was open and drinking,
drinking. The crowd of awestricken women hardly dared to
reach outâ€”but with Mercy's encouragement, they came care-
fully, bestowing feathery mental pats of affection.

"Peaceâ€”for the naming." Moma's physical voice was soft.
Nevertheless everyone in the audience hall heard. The old woman
held high a tiny golden tore and there was a collective sigh.
The three young ladies-in-waiting went stiff with anticipation.
Who would it be?

"Olone," said Mercy, beckoning with her mind.

The maiden in the robes of the Coercer Guild took the child

THE GRAND LOVING 167

into her amis, rapturous. You should be mine! How lovely you
are!

"I call you Agraynel ul-Mercy-Rosmarvur-Thagdal." Morma
slipped the golden ring about the baby's neck and fastened the
twisting catch. "The good Goddess grant you long life, honor,
and happiness in her service."

Slonshal, whispered the hundreds of female minds.

Slonshal, sighed Dionket Lord Healer.

Slonshal, Mercy told her daughter, as she took her back
from the reluctant Olone. Her heart overflowed with joy for
the first time since the Flood and the loss, and she reached out
in playful query to Moma, who had come to lead her away.

And are you a true Kingmaker Aspirant, Farseeing Moma-
la? Do you have the sight? And does it show you this sweet
little one as a queen? -..

The mind-voices in the hail were singing the Song in tones
as soft as an aeolian harp.

"I see Agraynel queen of our Many-Colored Land. Yes."

Mercy uttered a delighted cry. "Do you' Oh, don't be teas-
ing!"

There were beads of sweat on the old woman's smooth brow.
Her lips were trembling- "I speak the truth. I knew as she first
breathed."

Mercy stood still before the draperies at the rear of the dais.

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Her look was fey and wild- She had the baby drawn up tightly
against one flushed cheek. The infant's eyes seemed enormous
in the tiny face.

"And her king!" Mercy cried. "Who will he be?"

"He.. -is not yet born."

"But you know who he is? Whose child he will be?" Mercy
persisted. "Tell me, Moma! You must tell me!"

Moma backed away, her face white and her mind walled
up. "I cannot!" she said tremulously. "I cannot." She turned
and fled through the heavy draperies, leaving Mercy staring
wonderingly after, Dionket came and put a protective arm around
the mother, and at the same time his redactive faculty slipped
into her tired mind to fend off the inevitable question, the
anxiety, and the fear.

THE NONBORN KING

168

Mercy forgot.

The baby snuggled into the front of her gown, began to
nurse, and there was for Mercy nothing else to be concerned
about.

HE WOKE TO THE AWFUL, NOURISHING KISS.

His food, masticated and warm, without flavor, transferred
from her mouth to his. The encouraging thrust of her tongue.
Moist female fingers massaging his throat until he must perforce
swallow. Her rhythmic two-note humming, monotonously
timed to his heartbeat.

He smelled the meaty aroma of the food and her unwashed
body in its garment of half-cured skin, and smoke and enclosing
rock- He heard, besides her voice, a distant tinkle of water and
someone coughing and spitting far away, echoing. And bird-
song. And the wind's harsh breath in mountain pines-

His farsight was btind and his body paralyzed, but he could
at least open his eyes. There was pain, even though the light
was dim. A low moan escaped him. The humming cut oft
abruptly.

"0 God, is it you?"

Hanging locks of very long, very dirty fair hair. A face,
doughy-pale beneath grime, the nose short and flat, the eyes
small, wide-set, too gray a blue, now popping with incredulous
delight. The mouth agape, lips all smeared with the food lately
shared. Carious teeth.

"My God from the Sea. You're awake!"

The face approached to blurriness and again there was the
kiss, not nourishing this time but alive with joyful passion-

169

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170 THE NONBORN KING

When she freed his mouth her lips caressed his nostrils, his
cheeks, his eyes and forehead, the lobes and shells of his ears,
his beardless jaw and chin.

"You're awake! Awake and living! My beautiful God!"

He was incapable of any movement, except for his eyes; a
mind immured, lacking any metapsychic faculty- When the
woman leaped up and ran away, he saw stone walls, a kind of
cavern arching into darkness above; but toward his feet (if they
existed) was light.

A querulous, sour old-man voice, interrupted in its cough-
ing: "He is, is he? Well, let's see this miracle."

Shuffling steps, panting exhalations all gurgly with phlegm.
Her excited whispers: "Be quiet, Grandpa. Be careful. Don't
touch him."

"Shut up, you stupid cow, and let me see."

The two of them bending over him. A great husky woman
in a stained doeskin shift- An aged Lowlife man, bald and
bearded, with reddened eyes and a cruel hawk nose, wearing
tattered cloth trousers and a black mink vest, glossy and superb.

The old man squatted down. Quick as a spider, one of his
hands darted out, grasping.

"Grandpa, no!" wailed the woman.

The newly awakened eyes filled with pained tears. The old
man had seized him by the hair and hauled up. When the tears
spilled, there was the sight of a body covered to the breast with
a fur robe. The aged tormentor lei loose of his hair and he fell
back inert. Cackling, the old man tweaked his nose, pinched
a cheek with rough fingernails, rolled his head from side to
side with sharp slaps.

"Yes! Yes! Awake! But helpless, you high-and-mighty lump
of Tanu shit! You heap of dead meat!"

The woman hauled the old man, squawking, to his feet.
"You may not hurt the God, Grandpa!" she said in a terrible
voice. There was a thudding sound, a pained gasp, whimpering.
And the woman: "He's mine! I saved him from the sea and
from death. 1 won't let you harm him." Again the thud and
feeble cries.

"Goddam it, girl, I wasn't going to do anything. Owww

THE GRAND LOVING

171

... You've put my back out, you galiumping bitch. Help me
up."

"First you promise, Grandpa."

"I promise. 1 promise." And vicious subvocai mutterings.

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"Go bring his hand. And the oil wanning on the fire."

Chuntering and snuffling, the old man went off. She knelt
reverently and again there was the kiss from her slightly everted
lips- He clenched his teeth weakly against her probing tongue.

"No, no," she scolded gently. One hand smoothed his hair.
"1 love you. You mustn't be afraid. Soon I'll make you very
happy. But first there's a surprise."

Grandpa was standing there with a skin bag and some kind
of open container -

"Canâ€”can I watch?" the old brute asked. His eyes had
become oddly bright and he licked his cracked lips. "Please,
Huldah. Let me watch."

Her chuckle was amazingly ironic. "You want to remember
how it was with you."

"Didn't I make his hand for you?" the old man whined. "1
won't make any noise. You won't know I'm here."

"I know you spy on us at night. Silly old Grandpa. All right.
But first the hand."

A diminution of warmth. She was turning back the fur
coverlet. Faintly his kinesthetic sense told of movement on his
right side. Then he saw.

She raised his right arm, and halfway below the elbow it
terminated in a stump.

From deep in his throat there came a sound.
The arm was lowered. She cried out in pity. "Oh, poor God!
1 forgot you didn't know." Kisses. Terrible kisses. "When I
found you at the edge of the lagoon, you were hurt. One of
your glass gloves was gone. Your hand was all torn from the
sharp salt-crusts that form on the rocks below our cliffs. And
there was a hyena. I drove it away, but its spit was poison and
your wound stank and wouldn't heai. Grandpa told me what I
would have to do. He didn't think I would dare." The coarse
face, full of devotion, came close, bathing him in fetid breath.
She smiled and withdrew, and then she was holding something.

172 THE NONBORN KING

A wooden hand.

"I had Grandpa make this for you." Somewhere, the abom-
inable old man was giggling. "I'll put it on you now, so you'll
be whole again." Happily, she held it up for him to view The
stump fitted into a kind of leather cup, and there were straps-
The digits were fully jointed. "When you're welt, you'll be
able to make it move. That's what Grandpa says " She tilted
her head anxiously for a moment, casting a dartlike glance at
the old man. "I hope he's telling the truth. He doesn't, always.
But you mustn't think about that. Just think about getting well."

He closed his eyes against the prospect. The old man's
laughter trailed away into a paroxysm of hacking.

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Warm oil smell. "Don't worry Don't fret. I know what to
do. How to bring the life-energy back " Insistent, primal, the
two-note humming captured his heartbeat and began speeding
it.

The fur blanket removed. The oil smoothed and kneaded
into his paralyzed flesh. Rolled over. She flexing and invig-
orating the flaccid muscles On his back again, with her kneel-
ing at his hips.

"Come alive, my God of Joy. Come alive for me!"

No, he besought the betraying energies Noâ€”not with her.
But a sunlight radiance was responding to her coaxing, bright-
ening the cave with rosy-gold glory. Its urgency could not be
pent. She breathed, "Oh. yes Oh, yes."

The brightness was engulfed by her. She was humming
again to an ever-accelerating tempo, and rocking, and he was
swept away in the tide of life

PEOPEO MOXMOX BURKE.

I hear Elizabeth.

1 have seen your dilemma Peo.

Madness! Found nearly 1000 bivouaced [location] west-
shore LacBresse Sickstarvmghurt. Fighting amongselves
Chivvied into thisplace by Howlers(?) FirvulagC7)

Both 1 think. There have been peculiar migrations of How-
lers during the past months- And the Firvulag sacked Burask
and drove its bareneck populace into the Hercyman Wilderness.
Part of the group you found consists of Burask refugees. The
others are Lowlives whose tiny settlements were raided by the
migrating Howlers.

Just look perisherschlemiels' Thisplace shithole until our-
party come force order kill crazies What HELL going do?
HiddenSprings or IronVUlages never absorb suchrabble We
abandon they goners. Besides Amerie won't leave

She scents a mission'

Well? Advise' They are human.

Postpone returning to Hidden Springs. Your mission there
will keep And Basil's embassy to Sugoil and Katlinel must
be reorganized as well The Howlers have left the Feldberg.

World turned upsidedown'

Peo your mounted and armed force of thirty can deal with
this wretched mob and at the same lime forward part of our

173

174 THE NONBORN KING

own design Take them north At the head of the Lac de Bresse
is a small river with a trail that will take you to a low divide.

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Across it and sixteen kloms to the west you come upon the
headwaters of another nver. The Firvuiag call it the Pliktol.
Follow it. It becomes raftable almost at once. About a hundred
and sixty kloms downstream it merges with a larger nver the
Nonol. (This is the one that flows past Burask.) Follow this
Nonot River for another fifty kloms until you reach an extensive
meadowiand that the Little People call the Field of Gold. (This
lime of year it's a mass of buttercups and St. John's-wort. Later
there are big yellow daisies.) On the right bank of the nver
connected to the Field of Gold by a hanging bridge is the
Firvuiag city of Nionel

I thought just legend!

No real Sugoll and Katlinel and their people have been
given it by the Firvuiag on condition they restore it.

Take your mob of pathetickers there Peo. Sugoll will wel-
come them

Surely you Jest.

He will Don't tell the mob they're bound for a Howler city.
Just say it's a place where they'll be safe and happy.. Are
any of them torced?

No. I figure all torcers either spookkilted or Tanurescued

Satisfactory While you're in Nionel you can confer with
Sugoll about new expedition to Ship'sGrave He'll give you
guides- You can leave Nionel with the guides and your dare-
devils immediately after the May Day festivities- Drop Amerie
off at Hidden Springs. You should probably stay there yourself
and put Basil in charge of the expedition. I leave this to your
discretion. There will probably be a stepup in Firvuiag hostil-
ities this summer And sooner or later Aiken will make a move
toward your iron.

Wonderful.

Things will remain quiet for now Peo. There's a twoweek
truce on either side of GrandLovmg-

You better benght about Nionelthing Elizapupikeh. Imean
why Sugoll welcome us with fekucktehrabble? Morelikely we

THE GRAND LOVING

175

arrive Nionel Howlers chopus mincemeat!

Trust me. He will welcome your refugee mob because most
of them are men.

Trust me' And blessings Peo
Oy.

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THE FISHING CAME TO AN EARLY END THAT SEASONâ€”â€”NOT

because the tarpon stopped coming, but because of Marc's own
malaise and dejection, which were directly attributable to the
idiotic European adventure. Once the ketch set sail he had tried
to banish all thoughts of the young people from his mind; but
they would not stay banished. The temptation to track them
with his mind's long eye was irresistible, especially in the
evenings when he was no longer distracted by supervising Hagen.

He would sit then on the screened verandah overlooking
Lake Serene, sipping his one vodka collins and letting the jungle
noises of Pliocene Florida overwhelm his auditory nerves. Across
the garden, the lamplight was soft in Patricia Casteilane's win-
dow. But the last star-search had drained his libido more than
he was willing to admit, and this time the recuperation was
sluggish. Brooding, he would find the scene around him fading.
and he would see a thirteen-meler ketch slatting doggedly over
the calm Sargasso, propelled more by the psychokinesis of its
crew than by any vagrant horse-latitude breeze.

The midwatch was invariably taken by Jitlian and Cloud
while the men slept. His daughter would couch herself like
some pale nereid on the foredeck, generating the metapsychic
wind. Back in the cockpit, the dark-haired boatbuilder at the
helm maintained an east-northeast course so steady that the
wake was a phosphorescent line drawn with a straightedge

176

THE GRAND LOVING 177

through tilting reflections of stars. Sometimes a flying fish
would erupt, to gleam like the ghost of a drowned seabird
before plunging back into fluid dark. Or there might be schools
of luminous squid, or vast patches of snakelike elvers squirming
silver in the moonlight-

So young- So confident of success. But there was no way
of predicting mad Felice's response to their overtures. Cloud
and Elaby were strong coercers whose redactive faculty was
also highly developed. Jillian was a PK lionness. Vaughn, in
spite of his limited intelligence, packed a respectable psycho-
creative wallop in addition to his usefulness as a farsensor- The
ketch's lockers were packed with assorted weapons, as well as
the docilizalion equipment (which might work), and a 60,000-
walt hypnogogic projector (which probably wouldn't). In a
direct mental confrontation, the children didn't stand a chance
against Felice: Their only hope lay in overcoming her through
guile.

The guile of Owen Blanchard.

Marc's farsight penetrated the ketch's fo'c'sie, which the
venerable rebel strategist had commandeered for his private
quarters. Blanchard tossed uneasily in his narrow bunk on this
night, soaked in perspiration in spite of the mild weather. From
time to time there would be episodes of Cheyne-Stokes res-
piration, in which the breaths would come farther and farther
apart, then cease altogether for nearly a full minute before
resuming with a snoring gasp- Steinbrenner had said that the
condition was probably benign. On the other hand, Blanchard

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was 128, with only one rejuvenation. He had adamantly refused
to submit to Ocala Island's rather quirkish regen tank.

How the old boy had raged against his impressment for the
voyage! Marc had had to exert every erg of his own coercion
and charisma to pry Owen loose from his beloved hurrah's nest
down on Long Beach, a thatched hut where he lived with a
collection of indolent cats, countless scavenging land crabs,
and a plague of palm-cockroaches the size of playing cards.
Owen Bianchard's sole interests, when he was not reminiscing
over days of lost glory, were beachcombing for shells and
playing his vast collection of classical music recordings. The

178 THE NONBORN KING

cats made futile stabs at exterminating the roaches and crabs,
but Owen didn't really mind sharing his hut with them The
invertebrates ate a lot less than the cats, and the record-flecks
were indestructible

At the start of the voyage, when the ketch had wallowed in
a smart chop in the Gulf Stream, Owen had been deathly sea-
sick He rallied once they entered the region of calms, but still
preferred to spend most of his time below, playing portentous
selections by Mahler and Stravinsky on his implanted microm-
ductor He was cool to the four youngsters and they in turn
maintained a diplomatic aloofness from him It was impossible
for them to believe that this frail aesthete had once directed a
rebel armada in a near-successful strike against the Galactic
Milieu Marc was only too aware of the undercurrents circu-
lating among the young people In spite of their pledge to follow
Owen's leadership, they would insist that Marc's deputy prove
himself once they reached Spain If Owen moved too cau-
tiously, there was a strong probability that the others would
dispose of him, knowing they were temporarily out of Marc's
reach And then some disastrous error would doubtless be per-
petrated, and Felice would blast the entire foolhardy crew to
ions

Marc withdrew his farsight and came to himself Brows knit
in a funous scowl, he gulped down the remnants of his dnnk
and flung the glass into the dark garden Patricia's light had
gone out

Damn them all' Damn Owen Blanchard for surrendering to
old age Damn the younger generation for their half-baked
impatience Damn Cloud for not trusting Damn Hagen for
being weak

Damn the universe and all its empty stars

"Hagen'" he roared Hagen'

I'm inside With Diane

Get nd of her' We're going to the observatory'

At the time of the Galactic Milieu, only five solar systems
(not counting that of Earth) had managed to engender intelligent
beings who survived the penis of high technology and passed

THE GRAND LOVING 179

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into metapsychic coadunation, that state of mental Unity that
admits of the peaceful, noncompetitive colonization of com-
patible planets

Marc Remillard's computer in the observatory on Ocata told
him that there was an infinitesimal probability that a single
coadunate world existed in the Pliocene Milky Way Galaxy
He had mapped exactly 634,468,321 main-sequence stars of
spectral types F2 to Kl, those adjudged most likely to have
worlds harboring sentient life Over the past 25 years of exile,
he had mentally probed 36,443 of them in search of a coadunate
race and a new base for the dream that had failed

In that search and that dream was life for him, and purpose
He should have rested for another two weeks before resuming,
but he would not No action or advice of his would affect the
events in Spam (What outcome his subconscious wished for
he did not dare to investigate too closely ) No the star-search
was his work He would not let the young distract him from
it any longer

Together, he and Hagen selected the one hundred stellar
candidates that would occupy his attention for the next twenty
days They ranged in distance from 4000 to 12,000 light-years,
but for a metapsychic of Marc's caliber, range was almost a
negligible factor, provided that the mind could be focused upon
the remote object of scrutiny with the necessary precision, and
this maintained for a critical interval In the absence of an
alerted "receiver," direction was accomplished with delicate
auxiliary equipment temporarily fused to the operator's brain
and supercharging it with energy Other equipment, heroically
life-supportive, enabled the star-searcher to survive the expe-
rience

Hagen helped Marc settle into the body-molding metal-and
ceramic casing, programmed the vitals, adjusted the blood-
circulation shunt, and set the timer for the 20-day period The
search would be earned on only at night During the sunlit
hours, the searcher would sleep m oblivion-stasis

"Ready9" The young man had the massive, completely
opaque helmet suspended from its traveling hoist His face was
white and his mind leaked apprehensionâ€”but not for his fa-

180 THE NONBORN KiNG

ther's sake. Formerly, Marc had prepared for the star-search
atone: Hagen's assistance was redundant... except as training.

"What are you waiting for?" Marc's voice was already tired.
"Put it on me."

The thing came down. Fourteen liny photonic beams drilled
Marc's skull and fourteen electrodes slipped into his cerebral
cortex, sprouting invasive superconductive filaments. Two more
needle probes linked to the refrigeration and pressurization
systems pierced his cerebellum and stem. The pain was excru-
ciating and brief.

INITIATE METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING.

Fluid filled the casing. Marc stopped breathing- The liquid

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circulating in his body was no longer blood; nor, strictly speak-
ing, was he still a human being, but rather a living machine,
protected both internally and externally from his own brain's
hyperactivity.

ENGAGE AUXILIARY CEREBROENERGET1CS-

Each telepathic command came to Hagen via the computer's
audible voice, and simultaneously on the VDT screen. His
father was gone. The devilish mechanism was in complete
control, waiting with cold patience while Hagen reiterated and
verified each operation, then proceeded to the next thing on
the checkoff list.

ACTIVATE INSERTION,

Hagen's hand on the command mouthpiece was slippery.
He said, "Insert operator," and the armored mass rotted to a
small platform atop a hydraulic lift.

ACTIVATE ASCENSOR.

"Take him up." The encapsulated body on its recliner car-
riage rose toward the observatory dome. Automatically, with-
out a sound, a segment of the roof rolled away. The lift slowed
and halted. The stars of Pliocene April waited for Marc Rem-
illard just as they would wait, in some month to come, for
Marc's son.

ACTIVATE DRIVE.

"Close final linkage and drive," Hagen commanded. Co-
ordinates for the first study were fed into the focusing decent.
The visual display of the computer went blank, leaving only

THE GRAND LOVING

181

small blinking SLIs. The searcher had begun his work and
there would be no more communication until he ''returned."
The interior illumination of the observatory was shut off. All
of the systems were locked and impregnable, totally shielded,
defended by a hidden array of X-lasers (as Hagen and every
other inhabitant of Ocala Island knew only too well). No one,
no thing could interfere.

Hagen replaced the command mike on its bracket- He stood
for a moment, looking up, seeing the slowly revolving carriage
at ihe top of the lift cylinder occult the spangled sky.

"Not me!" he shouted, his voice thick with hatred. "Not

me'

He fled, and the doors locked automatically behind him.

"WE'RE LOST'" TONY WAYLAND DECIDED "THIS DAMN RIVER

can't be the Laar It's flowing north, not northwest."

"I fear you're right, milord." Dougal squinted at the purpling

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landscape. It was welt past sunset. "We'd best make for shore,
and after a good night's sleep try the fair adventure of tomor-
row. Mayhap the mighty Asian will come to us in dreams, and
set our feet anght for far Cair Paravel "

He hauled on the sweep and guided the raft toward the right
shore They grounded on mud in a grove of enormous lino-
dendron trees whose gnarled branches were hung with swags
of moss.

"'Ware crocodiles," Dougal said casually, shouldering their
packs of supplies. "We must seek higher ground."

Leaving the raft, they slogged downstream for a few hundred
meters and found a steep-sided hummock, which had evidently
been a small islet during the late rainy season It supported a
few cinnamon trees and currant bushes and had an area of open
grass "This looks good," Tony said "At least the critters will
have to work climbing up, and there's dnftwood for a fire."

For once, setting up camp was relatively painless. After a
frugal supper of bulrush tubers and grilled beaver, they slumped
contentedly beside the fire

"Our path of flight has been a rough one, milord." Dougal
was combing his ginger beard- Leftover bits of beaver fell onto

182

THE GRAND LOVING

183

the golden lion emblem on his knightly surtout and skipped
away from the soil-repellant fabric. "Do you repent of having
taken French leave from Vulcan's stithy?"

"Don't be an ass. Dougie- We'll find the way to Gonah.
We'll try one more day on this nver and if it doesn't start a
westerly trend, we'll take off overland. Damn... I wish I was
a better orienteer I goofed off shamelessly during that phase
of our training at the auberge "

"It was a tedious exercise, I trow At any rate, our pursuers
seem to have packed it in."

"Let's hope so. That great black lout of a Denny Johnson
is likely as not to hang us for traitors if he catches up with us."
Tony began fiddling with their compass, a magnetized needle
that had to be floated on a bit of chaff in a cup of water. "That
can't be right," he muttered. "Move your bloody great slicer,
will you?"

Amiably, Dougal shifted his mild-steel bowie knife

"That's better. You know, I thought we were home free
when we reached this river It was just as that fellow from the
Paris Basin told us back at Fort Rusty: the second major wa-
tercourse west of the Moselle. But was the first river we crossed
really majorf And this one did seem to appear rather sooner
than I anticipated." Tony put the compass away and stared
dispiritedly into the fire. "I might have known things were
going loo wetl."

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"The path is smooth that leadeth on to danger," Dougal
observed He was cleaning his nails with the knife. "I follow
as your obedient servant, milordâ€”but what will become of us
if this Aiken Drum denies sanctuary?"

"He won't He'd covet a metallurgical engineer even more
keenly than the Hidden Springs Lowhfe contingent. I'm a prize,
Dougie! There's going to be war between Drum and the
Firvulag, you know, and iron weapons could make all the
differenceâ€”"

From the Jungle came an unearthly blatting, like a much-
magnified and bungled flourish of brasses.

"Hoe-tusker elephants?" Tony suggested, drawing closer to
the fire.

184 THE NONBORN KING

Dougal's eyes glittered beneath bushy red brows. "Or the
evil presences of this enchanted wood! I sense them all about
us ... the cruels and hags and incubuses, wraiths, horrors, ef-
reets, sprites, orknies, wooses, and ettins!"

Tony broke out m a muck sweat. "Damn you, Dougie! It's
just some beast, I tell you!"

The trumpeting was joined by an ensemble of roars and
whoops and obscure, evil chittering.

"Ghouls and boggles," the knight intoned. "Ogres and min-
otaurs! The spectres and the people of the toadstools'"

With a rustle of titanium chainmail he climbed to his feel.
drew his great two-handed sword, and struck a noble attitude
in the dying firelight- "Stiffen the sinews! Summon up the
blood! Screw your courage to the sticking place, and we'll not
fail!"

"For God's sake pipe down!" Tony expostulated.

Gaze riveted to the sword, Dougal declaimed:

Wrong will be right, when Asian comes in sight-

At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more.

When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,

And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.

He grinned, sheathed the sword, yawned, and said, "That'll
do it. Sack out in peace, old son." He curled up and was snoring
within two minutes.

Cursing, Tony put more wood on the fire. The Jungle noises
got louder.

In the rooming, the islet was bedecked with dewdrops and
the night's fearsome bedlam gave way to melodious birdsong.
Tony woke stiff and puffy-faced- Dougal, as always, was splen-
didly dauntless -

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"Looks like a beautiful day, milord! Proud-pied April, dress'd
in all his trim, hath put a spirit of youth in everything!"

Tony groaned. He went to take a leak in the bushes. Watch-

THE GRAND LOVING

185

ing him from a crystal-beaded web was a spider bigger than
his hand- Somewhere in the misty woods back of the huge
tulip trees, wild chalikos were whickering. At least. Tony hoped
they were wild-

They launched the raft again and sailed on- Their river
merged with another coming from the east and the countryside
became more open.

"This just can't be the River Laar," Tony said. "It's sup-
posed to flow through thick jungle for a couple of hundred
kilometers, until it reaches the Tainted Swamp."

"Something moving on the left bank," Dougal noted.

"Bloody hell!" Tony was looking through his monocular.
"Mounted-men! Orâ€”no, by Christ, some kind of exotics! Steer
right, Dougie. Quick, man, before they spot us!"

The riders, numbering a dozen or so, were at some distance
out in the midsl of a blooming steppe, apparently intent on
coming upwind of a large herd of grazing hipparions.

The right shore of the river was heavily forested. The raft
drew in behind sheltering willows and its occupants scrambled
onto the bank- Tony used the monocular again and spat an
obscenity. "That's torn it. One of the hunting party has veered
off toward the river. He must have seen us."

"What is itâ€”Tanu or spook?"

Tony was puzzled. "Unless it's wearing an illusory body ..."

"Give us a squint," Dougal ordered, taking the little tele-
scope. He gave a low whistle. "Son of a bitch. I'm afraid it
really is Howlers this time, not just regular Firvutag masquer-
ading."

The rider on the opposite bank seemed to be staring right
at them through the screen of branches.

"Do Howlers have farsight like regular Little People?" Tony
asked.

"Betcher sweet ass," the knight replied. "He knows we're
here, all right. Still, the river's pretty deep at this point for a
chaliko to swim."

THE NONBORN KING

186

The exotic observer finally turned his mount and trotted
slowly back to his fellows. Tony gave a gusty sigh of relief.

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"By the Mane of Asian," Dougal swore, "that was close."

Tony was near panic. "We've gone wrong. I knew it- We
came down the wrong river, and God knows which. Some
tributary of the Nonol, maybe." His eyes darted from side to
side. "We'll have to go back upstream. Hike- It'll be hell
beating through the jungle unless we find a trailâ€”"

Dougal was looking through the spyglass again. "Something
to tfie north. On that plateau beyond the river-bend." He started.
"A fair citadel, methinks! But not Cair Paravel." His voice fell

to an awed whisper. "El Dorado!"

"Oh, for God's sake," exclaimed Tony. "Give me the frig-
gerty glass." As he swept the skyline, he felt his heart sink- It
was some kind of an exotic city, all right. But which one? It
was on the wrong side of the river for Buraskâ€”and it didn't
look ruined. But there weren't any other Tanu settlements this
far north. "Whatever it is, it's bound to be bad news for us.

We're hitting the trail."

They packed up the supplies and began to hack their way
through the riverine thicket toward higher ground. After about
fifteen minutes of sweaty work, they came upon a game track

roughly paralleling the water.

"Keep your eyes open for animals," Tony warned. They set
off south at a brisk pace. Dougal bearing his unsheathed sword
and Tony carrying his machete. The sun climbed. The bugs
came out. Leeches dropped from the broadleaved undergrowth
and fastened to Tony's flesh. (He was wearing a short-sleeved
shirt, worst luck. He envied Dougal the chainmail.) They paused
by a creek for lunch, and when they got up to retrieve their
packs, they found some species of small viper had taken refuge
under them. It struck at Tony, narrowly missing his arm. Dou-
gal smote it in two with his sword.

About midaftemoon. when Tony estimated they might have
covered eight or nine kloms. their little track abruptly widened
to a veritable Jungle boulevard. Smack in the middle of it was
a pile of turds the size of footballs.

The two men came to an abrupt standstill. A light breeze

THE GRAND LOVING

187

blew from behind them. There was a hint of thunder in the air
and the ground beneath their feet almost seemed to vibrate.

Tony looked up, shading his eyes. "Can't see any clouds.
On the other handâ€”"

"Look ahead," said Dougal, very softly.

It was, amazingly, almost invisible against the harsh pattern
of lights and shadows, standing completely motionless a short
distance up the trail. They saw a stupendous triangular head
with widespread ears like tattered fans, poised nearly five met-

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ers above the ground. The trunk was curled up, the distended
nostrils scenting them. From the chin grew two downcurving
tusks sleeved in skin for half their two-meter length. The beast
was long-legged, dun-colored, with an air of affronted majesty.
It might have weighed twelve tons.

The deinotherium hoe-tusker studied the pair of humans,
classified them as trespassing vermin, blared out a challenge
like the trump of doom, and charged.

Tony catapulted off the trail to the left and Dougal went
right. Since Tony was screaming, the elephant followed him,
Spindly trees splintered and snapped. The hoe-tusker wagged
its great head and the ivory hooks uprooted larger trunks, which
the beast tossed aside with its curling proboscis. Tony Jinked
and slithered, still yelling at the top of his lungs, while the
beast crashed after him Kike some ambulatory mountain, trum-
peting in rage.

Tony stumbled back onto the wide trail and ran flat-out,
saving his breath. The hoe-tusker burst from the trees and came
rumbling after him. The earth shook. Tony's legs pumped
faster, but the elephant was gaining on him, never ceasing its
hellish noisemaking.

A spasm stabbed Tony's side. His vision reddened and his
heart seemed about to burst- He tripped over a pile of dried
droppings and went down, resigned to being trampled to death.

From somewhere ahead of him there came a sizzling snap-
Tony both heard and felt a thunderous impact, and then dust
fountained up, completely enveloping him. The voice of the
deinotherium was stilled and the shocked jungle seemed to be
holding its breath all around.

THE NONBORN KING

188

"Don't you love il?" caroled a blithe, squeaky voice. "Isn't
it absolutely dumfounding?"

The dust wafted away. Tony raised his eyes. Standing over
him was a richly caparisoned chaliko. On its back perched a
little old human with the look of a puckish marmoset. He wore
the classic riding habit of the English gentleman hunter, re-
markable only in that the taitcoat was turquoise instead of pink.
Under one arm he cradled a heavy-duty twenty-second-century
stun-gun.

Tony stared. There were other chalikos and well-dressed
riders, apparently of Firvulag stock. A handsome man and
woman with the look ofTanu haute noblesse also held futuristic

weapons.

The marmoset hopped down, chucked Tony under the chin,
and said, "Easy does it, laddie. You'll be all right now."

Faithful Dougal emerged from the jungle, sword still in
hand. Tony staggered to his feet. The elephant hunter had
strolled over to his prostrate quarry and placed one foot on the

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trunk.

"Ready with the camera, K.aty dear? Cheeeese!"

The Tanu lady smiled and waved.

Crazy Greggy shouldered his weapon and marched back.
"And now we'd better be getting along. We'll take you lads
home with us to Nionel. It wouldn't do at ail"â€”and the little
man winkedâ€”"for you to be here when your animal friend
wakes up."

AlKEN'S CAVALCADE RETURNED TO GORIAH ON THE TWENTY-

first of Aprilâ€”quietly, at night, on the ground, for the partic-
ipants in the Grand Loving were already converging on
Armorica and the Firvuiag royal party was expected momen-
tarily. As Aiken had ordered. Mercy was there waiting for him
in the forecourt of the Castle of Glass, with only the necessary
minimum of gray-torc hostlers standing by to lead away the
drooping chaiikos of the Exalted Personages.

The Shining One was in eclipse. The visor of his gold-lustre
helmet was closed and its canary-diamond ornamentation and
black plumes were dulled by dust. He bade no vocal or mental
farewell to his noble traveling companions, who went sepa-
rately to their apartments, Aiken dismounted by means of the
block, nodded to Mercy, and cupped one of her draped elbows
in his gauntleted palm.

"My Lord?" she queried anxiously. They entered the foyer
of their own wing of the castle. "Shall I help you to unhelm?"

The corridor was lit with sconces burning olive oil in amber
cups. A draft from the open casement windows set the flames
flickering. The walls were alive with furtive shadows. After
loosing the straps, Mercy lifted the heavy casque from Aiken's
bowed head.

He was gaunt and hollow-eyed and his springy red hair had

189

THE NONBORN KING

190

gone lank. He said, "Thanks. I'll carry it." They walked toward

the stairwell.

"But... the progress was a success!" she said, dismayed-

His laugh was dry and humorless. "Oh, yes. Celadeyr seemed
to cave in, the wily old bastard. But 1 had to kill the hothead
protege of his who'd taken over Geroniah- And there was a
terrible row at Var-Mesk with a coercive redactor named Mia-
konn, one ofDionket's sons. A one-eighty switch on his peace-
loving old man. And he was supposed to be one of my allies'"

"What happened?"

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"The damn sod threw a banquet for us, and when we were
all thoroughly sloshed he tried to brain-bum me. Would've
done it, too, if Cull hadn't been on the ball. Fortunately, the
Interrogator never gets drunk. He zapped Miakonn to a drooling
idiol. But it was a squeaker. When we sorted things out, we
found that most of the Var-Mesk nobility were loyal, so we Just
installed a new city-lord. An old PK-creator who was in charge
of the glass works."

They came to the spiral staircase leading to their suites. But
Aiken shook his head and went to an unobtrusive bronze door
tucked away in a comer. He used his PK to slide it open-
Behind it was a flight of steep stone steps that went down into
blackness.

"I want to take care of a little matter, lovie- You can come
with me, or wait."

"I'll come."

He conjured a ball of illuminating psychoenergy. It floated
overhead, lighting their descent. The door clanged shut behind
them and locked.

"You've darkened," she observed. "Not even the Flood so
lowered your vitality."

His voice was sepulchral in the stone shaft. "Part of the
problem is, I'm tired to death- Levitating all those people takes
it out of a man. Naturally, we didn't fly everywhere we went.
But I always lifted the knights and their mounts to make an
impressive entrance into the cities, while the elite human bri-
gade stuck to terra finna. Hoisting four hundred people and
chalikos isn't something f can keep up for more than a half

THE GRAND LOVING

191

hour, though. And I'm drained for the next day or so after
putting on one of my better performances; so three weeks of
a progressâ€”not to mention the Geroniah dustup and a small
bagarre we had with a Firvulag raiding party around Barde-
laskâ€”well, I've had it. As you can see."

"Poor Shining One."

He gave her a wry glance over his shoulder. "You're looking
fit. How's ... how's it getting along?"

ft indeed! His jealousy was stronger, if anything. "Agray-
nel's thriving. Her body and mind are perfect. She's adjusted
well to the tore."

Aiken grunted-

"Lady Moma-Ia says she'll grow up to be beautiful and
fortunate." And that's all you shall know'

"You're back to normal after the pregnancy?"

"I am Lady Creator." she replied. And my creativity is life-
enhancing, whereas yours-..

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"Does the best it can. Under the circumstances." He flashed
the mocking smile. "I'll have recovered myself by the time the
festivities begin. None of our distinguished guests will ever
suspect how much this progress wrung out of me. Not even
my own people knewâ€”except for Cull. And he helped me put
a good face on matters,"

"The Interrogator is a master of redaction. Among other
things." She paused and her aspect was unmistakably accu-
satory- "Your friend Raimo Hakkinen has nearly recovered
from Culluket's deep-reaming. But you may find the poor man
bitter."

"I couldn't help it," Aiken snapped. "We had to know about
Felice and Celo. We needed a word-by-word replay with full
nuance analysis of everything buried in his subconscious."

"But he is your friend. You might have dealt with him more
gently and stilt gathered your intelligence data."

"1 needed it fast." He stopped on the stairs and spun around.
The lines of strain around his mouth were ugly. "Felice does
have the Spear. After the Grand Loving, I'm going to have to
figure out what to do about her. Christ, Mercy! D'you think I

THE NONBORN KING

192

liked handing poor Ray over to Cull? But it had to be done-
Kings have to do a lot of things thatâ€”thatâ€”"

"They're ashamed of?"

"I'm not ashamed'. I'll make it up to Ray. II was thanks to
him thai we knew all about Celo's strengths and vulnerabilities.
From the SOS Celo shot to the Crartsmaster. Ray was one of
Aluteyn's closest human cronies until the old poop decided
Chopper was getting too big for his britches."

"And if Raimo presumes on his friendship with youT'

"He won't, dammit." Aiken resumed his tramp down the
stairs. Mercy had to hurry to keep up with him.

"Well, 1 daresay you're right. Your Raimo wears the gold,
after all, and once you saved his life. But there are other humans
here in Goriah who bear you a grudge. And their numbers have
grown since you went away."

"What are you talking about, woman?" His weariness made

even irritability an effort.

"You promised that any human who rallied to your banner
would receive a golden lore- That hasn't happened."

"Of course not. We'd run out of tores! It's only the fighters
and the folks in strategic occupations who get gold. And even
then, not until Cull and his boys certify their loyalty. That's
what I meant to do from the beginning."

"Most of the human recruits had it otherwise."

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"Tough shit for them," Aiken said brutally. "I plan to do
the best I can for everybody, but there are limits."

"Ah, of course. The royal benevolence always has limits."
They reached the foot of the stairs and stood before another
door. It was even more ponderous than the last, fastened with
a battery ofTanu coded-PK locks. There was also a gooseflesh-
raising force-field that Mercy knew could not be a product of

exotic technology.

"I never intended the Many-Colored Land to be some kind
of half-ass democracy," Aiken muttered. He manipulated the
locks mentally to the tune of clickings and buzzings. Behind
the door, bars were sliding back and latches lifting. The force-
field cut off.

"I didn't suppose you had," she retorted. "But you should

THE GRAND LOVING 193

know that certain numbers of the newcomers who were torced
with silver or gray, rather than free gold, are resentful. In spite
of the pleasure circuitry! And the incompatibles, those unable
to tolerate the tore amplification at all, feel betrayed- There's
one group that Congreve had to discipline severely when they
attempted to run away from their work detail down at the Grove
of May."

"I'll look into the matter tomorrow. Don't worry about it."
Aiken swung the door open and touched a switch. A fluor
ceiling lit. "I'll charm the socks off those mutineers, lovie.
Now ... what do you think of thisT'

She stood transfixed. What was evidently a former dungeon
had been converted into a storage dump. The stone walls were
coated with plastic sealant, and the atmosphere, in contrast to
that of the damp and musty stairwell, was temperature- and
humidity-controlled and redolent of some sterilizing agent. There
seemed to be endless aisles of racks and shelving. Some of the
stored goods had been anonymously packed in pods, but other
items were shrink-wrapped in clear piass. The variety of small
twenty-second-century weaponry was impressive. There was
also a plethora of other sophisticated equipment confiscated
from time-travelers, all items that the feudal-minded Tanu
deemed unsuited to their culture. Mercy saw every kind of
solar power cell, small fusion units, collapsible vehicles, a
shrouded thing labeled LINK-BELT MINIMINER, another called
FAIRBANKS MORSE MARINE ION CONCENTRATOR, a third desig-
nated NOBLE GAS ATMOSPHERIC EXTRACTORâ€”MITSUBISHI HI LTD.

There were antenna dishes and excavating zappers and mi-
croorganic culture units. There were devices of unfathomable
function shelved next to homely domestic appliances.

"1 call it the General Store," said Aiken. He sat down at
the console of a small inventory-control computer and spoke
inaudibly into the mouthpiece. "Nodonn and Gomnol seem to
have shared a certain pack-rat instinct for keeping paraphernalia
that King Thagdal had ordered destroyed. The late Lord of
Burask did. too, but on a much smaller scale. Gomnol's cache
was raided by Bredejust before the Flood. Certain nonmilitary

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hardware was turned over to Elizabeth's little clique of do-

194 THE NONBORN KING

gooders. The rest must have been destroyed by the Shipspouse.
My people have searched the ruins of Muriah and there's no
trace of it. The Burask hoard, on the other hand, was captured
by the Firvulag."

Mercy gasped. "Sham and Ayfa won't scruple to use it!"

A small robot retriever came rolling silently along one aisle
and stopped in front of Aiken. "Your requested material, Cit-
izen," it said.

"Mucho thanks." He opened a top hatch, took out a small
package, and stowed it behind his left paliette- Then he shut
down the computer and headed back to the door. "That's thai,
lovie. Come along. Some other day I might let you have a little
shopping excursion."

"In time for the war?" she inquired sadly.

"1 won't be the one to start it."

"The Firvulag may try to assassinate you at the Loving.
Inviting them was very rash. Their Great Ones are now capable
of meshing minds even more effectively than the Host of Non-
tusvel once could."

He came close to her, the armor's sharp glass plates pressing
through the thin voile of her gown. He still held the helmet in
one arm. The other encircled her waist. "Having the Little
People here as our guests shows strength. Lady Wildfire, and
that's the lactic called for right now. Both the Firvulag and the
Tanu are primitives. Sham and Ayfa. The vacillating city-lords
and shifty old Celo. Even crazy Felice is a primitive! Strength
is all that barbarians understand. As for the danger of assas-
sination. . .I'm a match for any Tanu or Firvulag while I'm
awake. And when I sleepâ€”well, that's why I came down here
tonight- To get me a stem-shield generator. God knows what
paranoid time-traveler thought he might need it to guard his
mind in the Pliocene. But the gadget is made to order for me,
since I'm not ali that good at self-redaction."

Her sea-colored eyes held admiration, and something else.
"Ah, they've underestimated you until it's too late. All of them.
I think you'll conquer them all with your tricks and glib tongue.
But there'll be a price. I wonder if you'll pay it? Or will I?"

His gem-hard hand was behind her head, drawing her down

THE GRAND LOVINO 195

until their lips met, electric and searing- He saw into her and
laughed. "So it's mortal fear that's your aphrodisiac. Lady
Wildfire?"

"As yours, Amadan-na-Briona."

"That's not a Tanu name. What does it mean? Stay open

to meâ€”"

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But her deep levels were walled off, and the passion was
palpable and growing- "Amadan was a figure from the old
Celtic folklore. Ajester. A Fata! Fool whose touch was death."
Her laugh was reckless. "Let us go up, my Amadan! Out of
this place. I've changed my mind about waiting, and you shall
find your peace in my welcome home."

The April sky flared with auroras on that night of their first
true coupling. And at the height of it, the castle of Goriah rang
like a great glass bell.

VAUGHN JARROW, HANGING PRECARIOUSLY FROM THE PULPIT

in the bow of the ketch, sent out the seductive telepathic call
again.

"Give up on it," Elaby Gathen said, not bothering to mask
his distaste.

"You just drive the boat and mind your own business." The
eene trill rang out once more on an inhuman farspeech mode-
From the sparkling wavelets ahead came a faint, answering
cry.

'Tally hoo'" Vaughn yodeled He raised the Matsushita RL9
carbine.

"You know what Owen told usâ€”" Elaby began to say But
at that instant the porpoise broke the surface in a joyous leap
of welcome, and Vaughn fired, the red beam piercing the sea
mammal's body just below the dorsal fin. It gave a dreadful
tetepathic scream that mingled betrayal and anguish. Vaughn
chuckled and fired again at the flailing shape with his zapper
dialed to blade-ray The farspoken screaming choked off and
the porpoise sank amid a spreading patch of maroon.

'^You trigger-happy young cretin!" Owen Blanchard came
raging topside and stood in the cockpit, swaying unsteadily.
Elaby had been standing on the coaming, clinging to a shroud
and steering the ketch with one foot on the wheel. Now he
flicked on the auto and leaped to assist the older man, whose

196

THE GRAND LOVING 197

chronic seasickness seemed ready to yield to apoplexy. "I told
you to leave the porpoises alone' I ordered you!"

Vaughn lounged against the pulpit rail, the carbine tilted
over one bare shoulder He was naked except for a brief bathing
slip and his overfed body gleamed with suntan emollients "I
get bored on watch. I have to do something besides scan the
bottom of the friggerty estuary."

"Zap sharks or manias!"

Vaughn shrugged "They won't come when I call "

"The porpoises are sentient, dammit'"

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Vaughn diddled with the Matsu's beam selector- He grinned
slyly, not catching Owen's eye. "So were the four billion non-
coadunates you helped to kill in the Rebellion. Don't come
over righteous with me, pops."

Elaby's coercion reached out to throttle his contemporary.
"That's enough, Vaughn. Don't pretend to be any dumber than
you really are Owen warned you that the porpoises might be
able to communicate with Felice. She likes animals. They're
her friends."

"Bullshit. Porpoise farspeech isn't loud enough to carry
farther than a klom or two "

"We don't dare nsk it." said Owen-

"And besides. Felice is nowhere near here."

"We're not sure of that," Owen snarled, "and until we are,
you leave the porpoises alone!"

Vaughn's gnn widened. He was slitty-eyed in the dazzle.
"Okay, pops. I'll find me some new targets. Gotta keep sharp."

Owen dropped onto one of the cockpit seats His face was
deeply flushed and the pouches beneath his watering eyes were
more prominent than ever. He said to Elaby, "I've managed
to complete the modification on the headset. The docilization
gear is as ready as it'll ever be. But she'll have to be pretty
naive to fall into our trap."

"And the lullaby-gun?" Elaby took the wheel again.

"Dead as mutton." Owen produced a handkerchief, knotted
the four comers, and set the improvised cap on his sandy crew
cut. "After twenty-seven years on the shelf in a tropical cli-

THE NONBORN KING

198

mate.. - you'd have more luck putting Felice to sleep with a
mug of hot milk than with that thing."

Elaby cursed. The 60,000-watt hypnagogic projector, the-
oretically capable of dropping a rioting mob in its tracks at 500
meters, wouid have rendered their conquest of Felice almost
easy. "It'll be up to you and me and Cloud, then. We'll have
to lake on the monster harebrained, [f only Cloud and I hadn't
worn ourselves out pushing the boat..."

It was April 27. The transatlantic passage had taken nearly
a week longer than anticipated when the westerlies failed them
just beyond the Azores. Only Elaby, Cloud, and the ketch's
skipper, Julian Morgenthaier, possessed the psychokinetic tal-
ent to generate useful winds, and they had not fully recovered
from their labors in the doldrums when they were called upon
again. The boat finally broke out of the stagnant air 900 kilo-
meters off Spain; but the overworked trio still felt mentally
below par, and Owen's crippling mal de mer had returned when
the wind freshened-

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Owen and Vaughn, the top farspeakers in the expedition,
had attempted to notify Felice of the delay. But there had been
no response. After the ketch entered the Gulf of Guadalquivir,
Owen and Vaughn had undertaken a painstaking overview of
southern Spain. They had not found Felice, even though her
deserted eyrie was easy enough to locate. For some reason of
her own, the madwoman was deliberately shielding her mind
from metapsychic observation. "We'll just have to live cool
and let her come to us when she's ready." Elaby had said. The
others could find no fault with this conservative proposal.

Now the yacht cruised up the narrowing gulf in a leisurely
fashion, hugging the southern shore, making for the Rio Genii,
which flowed down from Mulhacen. Pink sand beaches fringed
with fruiting palms were separated by low headlands that led
back into lushly forested foothills. On the southern horizon,
poking through a layer of haze. were the Beticsâ€”Mulhacen,
at 4233 meters, tipped with white in disdain of the tropical
climate.

A farspoken signal came from Cloud in the galley Mess
call in ten!

THE GRAND LOVING

199

Right! "How's that cove look below, Vaughn? Any reefs?"
Elaby altered course to starboard.

The farsensor exerted himself minimally. "Seems clear. Drive
right in."

The chop smoothed as they came into the lee of a small
promontory and glided toward the anchorage- Elaby used his
PK to roll the mainsail and mizzen. He kept the jib neatly filled
with his own light air.

"Coming up on fifteen meters," Vaughn said.

"Let go the lunch hook."

The ketch drifted broadside to, then swung her head into
Elaby's zephyr as the small anchor bit and held. When Vaughn
had them snubbed down. Cloud and Jillian, duty cooks of the
day, appeared carrying platters of grilled pompano, palm-heart
salad with sweet-and-sour dressing, and rice popovers. To drink
there was watermelon cooler.

"But without the rum." Cloud stared pointedly at Vaughn.
"Someone has been swilling more than his share, and we're
running tow."

"What d'you expect when neither of you broads will have
me?" Vaughn's mental tone was martyred. "Grog is my only
friend. And food. Pass my plate."

The cove was a tranquil and inviting spot, sheltered and
deep. A stream came splashing down a notch in the rocks at
the base of the headland and flowed a short distance into roseate
sand before disappearing. In the transparent waters, shoals of
sizable fish came to inspect the intruding boat-

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"There are worse places we could stay in," Elaby remarked.

Jillian nodded. "Vaughn and 1 could take care of maintenance
and foraging while you three rested up for the hunting of the
snark."

"Hey! I'm ready for a hunt right now!" Vaughn had engulfed
his lunch in three minutes flat. Now he came clambering into
the cockpit. "Just let me throw a few clothes on. Do a job on
the dinghy for me, will you, Jill love?"

"Anything rather than you," she told him as he disappeared
below. She went lo the stern and began to ready the inflatable
tender.

200 THE NONBORN KING

"I heard the porpoise," Cloud said to Owen quietly "Its cry
went though my brain like a knife Do you really think it might
have identified us to Felice9"

"I don't know," the old rebel said "They're sentient, and
they communicate telepathically with each other That's the
factor that worries meâ€”nol the death cnes of the individuals
Vaughn potted three yesterday and seven the day before Today
there was only oneâ€”and it was adolescent Inexperienced "

"You think the word's gone out9" Elaby asked

"Who can say7" Owen set his nearly untouched plate aside
"Why the devil you brought that blockhead on this expedition
escapes me "

"He's one of the original group who planned this." Elaby
said, "and the best farsensor of all of us He may be a bit thick,
but we never would have known about Felice in the First place
if he hadn't been farsensmg Europe just for the hell of it last
fall"

Look All of you Quickly

Jillian's thought drew them to the stem, which had swung
about to face the beach At the edge of the jungle stood four
little figures, the two largest about the size of six-year-old
children and the others shorter Their bodies, except for the
faces, were clothed in smooth, tawny hair

"Aren't they adorable9" Cloud breathed "Are they mon-
keys^"

"Apes," Elaby decided "Dr Warshaw said we'd probably
run across them in Europe These could be Dryopithecus, an-
cestors to the chimps of our era But they're so small and
upright 1 think they must be Ramapithecus The ancestors
of humanity "

"I get images from them," Owen marveled "Crude self
awareness and innocent curiosity Like a baby two, three years
old A lot different from the inhuman sentience of the porpoises
It reminds me of the indigenes on a planet whereâ€”"

A scarlet beam of coherent light blasted from the boat's
cockpit behind them The tallest of the creatures toppled, zapped

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through the head Jillian cned out Cloud leaped at Vaughn

"You rotten shithead^'

THE GRAND LOVING 201

Tears streaming down her cheeks, she hauled him up. laser
carbine and all, and threw him overboard On the beach, the
surviving ramas were frozen, gazing down at their dead com-
panion and then at the boat A split second later, only the single
huddled shape could be seen

Vaughn came paddling around toward the stem step, cough-
ing and swearing Elaby ignored him and went to soothe Cloud
Jilhan plucked the marksman and his weapon from the water
with a rough PK hoist "That was nice going. Ace Even for
you "

"So what's the flap9 We need provisions, nght9 You gonna
be squeamish about monkey stew9" Vaughn inspected the zap-
per. muttering, "Damn You probably shorted it out Now I'll
have to spend the afternoon taking it down "

The boat was turning idly on its anchor cable in a vagrant
breeze Vaughn remained at the stem while the others came
together in the cockpit, shutting him out of their telepathic
colloquy But suddenly the Coventry screening fragmented and
the four broadcast stunned incredulity They were looking once
again toward the shore Vaughn turned to see what had caught
their attention

"Heyâ€”wiH you took at that sucker'"

A gigantic bird was descending on outspread wings toward
the corpse At first Vaughn thought it was a condor, because
of its size, but his farsight identified it as a jet-black corvid, a
huge raven Lightly, the bird settled, cocked its head, and gave
a discordant cry

Vaughn raised his Matsu "Maybe there's some juice
leftâ€”"

He disintegrated

The sleek skin tightened and burst, blood boiled, muscles
npped into expanding shreds The bones shattered in the midst
of scarlet vapor, the skull last of all. with its jaws agape and
grayish fog wreathing it at eye-level The weapon clattered to
the deck The gory cloud seemed to spin like an obscene wa-
terspout. moving out over the cove Cleaner waters arose and
merged with it, roanng, and then the entire manifestation dwin-
dled away, leaving only pink patches of foam

202 THE NONBORN KING

The black bird vanished

Felice stood in the stem near the inflated dinghy, which had
not been launched. She was a pallid wraith, except for her huge
brown eyes. Her platinum hair was as buoyant as a great dan-
delion clock- She wore a vest and short kilt of snow-while
chamois and there were white buskins on her tiny feet. The
dark eyes looked down al the fallen weapon and then at the

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four adventurers, who saw impending death.

"We didn't meanâ€”" Jillian began.

The thirteen-meter ketch heeled to starboard with unbeliev-
able violence, throwing the people in the cockpit into a shriek-
ing heap. All around, the cove waters erupted. The keel smashed
against the suddenly uncovered bottom and its stabilizers splin-
tered The water rushed back and the yacht was flung upward,
gyrating wildly. Fehce stood as though nailed to the deck.
Eventually, the tossing calmed. The small anchor had mirac-
ulously held.

Cloud and Elaby bent over Jillian, who lay unconscious
with blood leaking from her left temple. Owen scrambled to
his feet, clinging to the instrument housing on the pedestal.

"It was wrong of you to kill my porpoises," Felice said
"They're much nicer than humans or exotics. Always kind."

Owen Blanchard let his mind open slowly: See, I am elderly.
See, I wish you no harm. See, I mourn with you the loss of
your precious animal friends. See, I repudiate the cruel one
and rejoice that you have destroyed him. You were right to do
so This is your world You rule it. Lady of Animals. Goddess
of the Forests, Moon-Virgin. Avenging Huntress

"Yes," said Felice.

May I address you. Great One?

"You are all devils."

We have come at your invitation.

The ivory brow creased. "I don't remember."

From North America. We are your friends. The friends who
helped you open Gibraltar Who come now to serve you

"But you were young when I spoke to you and invited you
Why are you old?"

To give you the help you require takes wisdom. I am wise.

THE GRAND LOVING 203

These othersâ€”and the woman you struck downâ€”are here to
work with me. For you

Felice gave Jillian a contemptuous glance "She may die
Her skull is fractured."

We are healers. All three of us who stand here humbly
before you. We will make our companion well again

"Really7" Felice's deeper mind-levels revealed themselves.
chaotic, a morass of raw colors, inarticulate shouts, and rav-
enous, hurtful need

(Link with me' Owen told Elaby and Cloud on their intimate
modes Be prepared to follow and bolster me )

"There are times," Felice said, "when I feel in need of

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healing, myself ! have nightmares. Sometimes the bad dreams
come when I'm awake now " The threatening masses. The
filth

(Now! But cautiously ) Is it here that you suffer. Great One?
Here? Or here?

"Oh, yes! How did you do that? It feltâ€”good."

We can do even better than that. Help you still more if you
only openâ€”

NO!'

(Good God, Owen! She nearly snuffed the lot of us')

(Easy, kids. Stick close to me.)

"1 won't open to you," Felice said peevishly "I've never
let anyone redact me Not here, and not m the Milieu. They
wanted to, you know. Wanted to change me. But that would
be wrong If I changed, I wouldn't be myself! I'd be lost.
That's what the mind-benders do to you. Take away your self
and make you over like them Blah self-satisfied little worms "

Great One, we are very subtle healers. The most stdllrul
redactors do not alter personality. They only erase hurts. Re-
move pain.

"Some pain . I like."

That is part of your dysfunction.

"My Beloved and I share that. you know. He's a very
powerful redactor, for an exotic Second only to thai coward.
Dionket " Her attention was beginning to drift Images formed

204 THE NONBORN KING

in the maelstrom A beautiful male face with sapphire eyes dnd
hair like a torch A nonhuman mental signature

Is this your Beloved, Great One7 The Cultuket you wish us
to bring to you7

"I love him more than life or death He can't be dead'" A
wave of panic ignited her "There's been no trace of him since
the Flood' If he's died without meâ€”if he's dared toâ€”then
it's all wasted' But he could be hiding My farsense and red-
action are really much weaker than my other faculties "
Abruptly, she shot a bald query "Are you a Grand Master
redactor, deviP"

(Look out, Owen )

Of course Shall I show you the affirmation of the Conci-
lium'7 [Image ] There Not only am 1 a Grand Master, but I
have these two young assistants who are also powerful healers

(That was very clever of you, Owen You could have fooled
us')

(Felice is a child What does she know of such matters7
Besides, the line between coercer and redactor is rather easily

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fudged )

"But if you're a Grand Master," Felice was saying, "you
could lie to me without my knowing "

(Oh, oh )

"Open your minds to me, devils' Let me probe you^'

Great Feliceâ€”if you damage our minds, we won't be able
to help you in any way And you lack the skill for a benign
probe Forgive my saying so, but if you harm us, you may
never find your Culluket Or become Queen of the World

"Queen9" The pale figure standing in the stem of the ketch
brightened physically as well as mentally A peariy halo, visible
even in the tropical sunshine, transfigured her into an apotheosis
of Diana "You could make me a queen7 Not just of the animals
and the forestsâ€”but of the people7"

Queen of the Many-Colored Land' Everyone would love
you Humans and Tanu and Firvulag We will make you queen,
then serve you forever All that's needed is your healing When
the nightmares and misery are washed away, your true nobility
of spmt will manifest itself Your metapsychic powers will

THE GRAND LOVING 205

grow even greater You'll be irresistible' You will be the God
dess'

"The exotics worship the Goddess But they say she never
took on a material body Do you think she could have7 Without
their knowing9 Without the body knowing7"

The apparition was coming closer, gliding over the deck
toward the midships cockpit with the deck paint crisping and
bubbling beneath her buskmed feet Elaby mustered his cre-
ativity into an invisible shield, praying that she wasn't emitting
anything hardâ€”and in his momentary disengagement from
Owen and Cloud he became aware of the presence of the other
Watching He could not give warning, could not interrupt
Owen's facile reassurances with their hypnotic, coercive un-
dertones

A Goddess. Felice You will surely become Goddess when
you're healed

"Well what would you have to do7 Show me exactly'"

We have special equipment with us, Felice Quite different
from any of the redactive devices you may have seen when
you lived in the Milieu We can forge a menial link between
you and us very easily, while you remain in complete control
of your faculties at all times Your healing would take only a
moment' And then all of the wrongness will vanish, leaving
only glory Shall we show you the equipment7 Demonstrate n
on one of us7

The girl frowned "Equipment7 I thoughtâ€”you could heal
me working nund to mind "

That would take much longer And perhaps not work nearly

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so well You have a very strong mind, Felice

"I know " Her smile was chilling

(Elaby Cloud When you get the docilization equipment,
be sure the power transmittal is in full phase Watch for the
marked headset )

Owen Blanchard indicated fallen Jillian to Felice Aloud,
he said, "This unconscious woman is our skipper, the one who
built the boat May we take her below and then bring the
equipment up to show you7"

206 THE NONBORN KING

"I'll carry your skipper," Felice offered, the Goddess con-
descending "I'd like to go inside the boat '

"Your aura," Owen cautioned

"Oh That " Felice seemed to notice for the first time the
damage inflicted by her radiation She gave a mischievous little
laugh as the glow about her faded Then she stooped, passed
a hand over the scorched surface and restored it Lifting Julian
easily in one arm, she followed the others down the compan-
lonway into the salon

"You can lay Jill on the settee,' Owen said Cloud and
Elaby slipped away aft

Felice was gentle She touched the head wound with one
finger "I'm sony about her It was a mistake I only wanted
to scare you " She looked about the salon with interest "This
is very nice What a clever way to mount the lamps and table
and stove "

"On gimbals," Owen said "Then they always stay level,
even when the boat doesn't "

"And you sailed all the way from North America," Felice
mused "I've often thought about Hying there, but I don'l think
I could stay aloft thdt long without falling asleep Flying takes
great concentration, especially if there are winds Do you devils
fly^'

"None of us here can A few back in Florida do it Not
far"

Felice wandered forward, peering into the head and the
fo'c'sle She opened a hanging locker, then grimaced over her
shoulder at Owen The storage space was packed solidly with
cased laser weapons and their recharging units "You won t
need these if the Goddess protects you "

"Of course not," said Owen heartily

"That's all nght, then " She flicked offhandedly at the cases
There was a silent flash and the locker held a smtered amor
phous mass that steamed a little Owen swallowed with some
difficulty

"We have the redaction equipment ready," Cloud said, back
in the salon "Shall we cany it topside, or would you like to

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inspect it here7"

THE GRAND LOVING 207

"I'd rather go upstairs," Felice said "If I feel like leaving,
going through walls and things is so tedious

"Please don't go " Elaby Gathen's sincere face, ruggedly
boyish and sunburnt, showed worshipful entreaty

"I may stay awhile longer," Felice said She smiled at him

The docilization equipment was reasonably compact with
its power unit left below Cloud carefully paid out the cable
as they climbed topside, Felice coming last Elaby set the small
console on the forward bench, activated the preliminary eval-
uation mode, and donned one of the three monitor-director
headsets Another of those headsets, now tossed carelessly on
the chart table, was externally distinguishable from its dupli-
cates only by the unobtrusive scratch on one of the electrodes
Felice was scrutinizing all of the equipment with X-ray inten-
sity, but the microscopic fleck-circuitry could be deciphered
only by an expert

"The machine is ready to conduct a preliminary mind-as-
say," Elaby said He lifted a hood of fine golden mesh that
glittered in the sun "The analysand wears this tamhelm, and
the operators work through headsets like the one I'm wearing
Would you like me to analyze you now^"

"Lei her be the guinea pig," Felice said, pointing to Cloud

Marc Remillard's daughter drew the netted hood over her
blonde hair She lay down on the starboard bench, her tanned
limbs now showing bruises from the earlier roughhouse She
was wearing blue shorts and a matching halter Her breathing
was regular, relaxed, and her superficial mental aspect un-
daunted She closed her eyes

Elaby tapped the activator, simultaneously overriding the
deep-probe mode telepathically Another mental impulse
readied the shunt of the docilator

"Would you like lo listen in to Cloud's evaluation"'" Elaby
picked up the modified headset and held it out to Felice

She hesitated, then took it, turning it over in her hands The
three North American redactors were motionless, their minds
opaque Felice lifted the headsetâ€”

Don'l put il on Felice

Startled, the girl dropped the thing Elaby flung up his

208 THE NONBORN KING

strongest defensive screen around Cloud, Owen, and himself
and braced for Felice's retaliation.

The farspoken voice of the other reverberated in all their
minds

Thai headset has been tampered with, Felice, ft will harm

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you. not heal.

The large brown eyes regarded the cowering devils with
reproach. "You lied to me?"

They lied.

"You didn't come to help me?"

They came to use you. They are incompetent to help you.

"No one can help me." Tears spilied down the pale cheeks.
"I'm loo filthy ever to be clean- Oh, devils I suppose it was
all lies. Even about making me queen and bringing Cull."

The devils were mute.

"Now I'll have to keep on with the nightmares until I drown
in the shit Until the last scream."

No, child I will help you.

Felice looked bleakly into the azure sky, toward the north-
east. "You, Elizabeth7"

/ am a genuine Grand Master redactor, Felice. You know
that for the truth. This other forfeited the Unity when he par-
ticipated in the Metapsychic Rebellion, and even before that
his specialization was coercion, not mental healing. He never
intended to help you. He and the young ones came to make
you their slave so thai they could take over Europe.

"I shall kill them Now!"

Stop.

"Why?"

You must not kill again. It would make your healing that
much more difficult by enlarging the burden of guilt Come to
me so thai I may drain away the pain and the evil as I promised.
You will attain peace I will help you find real love in place
of your perversion.

"Love9 But she wouldn't have me," said the girl forlornly.
"Even though she said she loved me "

My poor little one. That was only sex renounced, not love

THE GRAND LOVING 209

You have so much to learn! L.et me teach you Only come freely
and trust

With all of his strength, Owen intruded his thought-
She lies! She lies' Don't listen, Felice' What has she ever
done for you? Did she help you at Gibraltar7 We did' We're
your true friends!

The drowning mind and eyes turned to him. "Prove it,
devil "

Ask Elizabeth if she'll make you queen' Ask her if she'll
give you your Beloved!

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"Elizabeth7"

After you are healed, you'II see all things differently, Felice
You will know what is sick fancy and what is clean love. You
will know wherein true power and completion reside and you
will make free choices You will know yourself, love yourself
Believe me. Come

The slight figure shimmered in opalescence And then it
was gone, and there was a raven skimming the water of the
cove, soaring high above the eastern headland

Elaby let his protective screen dissolve. He removed the
headset and dropped il. Cloud came up slowly and pulled off
the tarnhelm. Owen slumped on a bench. The back of his neck
was scarlet and he trembled slightly

"And now?" Elaby's voice was dull.

"We get out of here as quickly as possible " Cloud met his
gaze calmly "We do what we can for poor Jill, repair the boat,
and keep our minds well wrapped After that, let's hope my
father has some useful advice for us when he returns from his
star-search "

"I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE HUNTING," AlKEN INSISTED,

"and you've never seen anything like these beasts One of the
dragons almost ate me at my Tanu initiation bash "

"How fateful for the Many-Colored Land, Battiemaster,"
King Sham observed, "that you were spared "

Queen Ayfa and the other five Firvulag Great Ones chortled,
and all of the flying chalikos laid their ears back and rolled
their eyes at the sinister sound until Cullukel banished their
anxiety

The Flying Hunt was the culminating entertainment in the
pre-Lovmg houseparty hosted by Alken and Mercy for the
Firvulag Gnomish Council Some of the guests had declined
to participate, for even though Alken had abolished the older,
crueler style of pursuit, bitter memories lingered of the times
when Hunt quarry fled on two legs The anti-bloodsport faction
had stayed behind in the castle attending a musicale supervised
by Mercy, while Atken led a compact aenal safari on a quest
for phobosuchme crocodiles in the bayous of the Laar delta
His Tanu companions included Culhiket, Alberonn Bleyn,
Aluteyn Crartsmaster, Celadeyr of Afaliah, and the formidable
Lady Arnuda of Bardelask. widow to Darel and now ruler of
the beleaguered Rhone city In addition to the King and Queen,
the Firvulag party was composed entirely of battle champions
Medor, a Firvulag First Comer and Sharn s deputy, whose

210

THE GRAND LOVING 211

illusory aspect was a spiny black weremsect, the Dreadful Skathe,
Ayfa's ogress crony of the snaggleteeth and dripping talons,

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the novice hero Fafnor Ice-Jaws, who had trounced Culluket
in the Encounters at the last Grand Combat, Tetrol Bonecrusher,
the feathered serpent, who had been defeated by Alberonn in
the same event, and Betularn of the White Hand, another First-
Comer champion, who had been the antagonist of the equally
venerable Celadeyr for as long as anyone could remember

None of the Great Ones among the Little People was capable
of personal levitation, much less teleportmg a steed, and so it
was up to the Shining One to keep his guests airborne The
potential hazard in the arrangement was minimized by the meta-
psychic firepower advantage held by the Firvulag At the
very start of the visit. Sham had taken pains to demonstrate
the progress made by the Little People in offensive metaconcert
Whereas in former days each champion had jealously declined
to share his powers with another, under Sham's innovative
direction they were learning to link minds The cooperation
was still rough, and operant only in the creative spectrum, but
Culluket had estimated that the combined psychoenergetic wat-
tage of the Firvulag royals very likely exceeded Alken's own
creative potential, depleted as he was by the strain of the prog-
ress And of Alken's allies, only Bleyn, Alberonn, and Culluket
himself were familiar enough with his mental pattern to mind-
mesh Given the circumstances, Alken set aside any hope of
engineering a convenient mass assassination of top-ranking Foe
Sham and Ayfa, following their own strategy, exuded goodwill
to all and pretended mat they had never violated the Armistice

It was full dark when the Hunt amved at the Tainted Swamp
south of Gonah A yellow moon, lacking two days to fullness,
shone disapprovingly through nsmg mist tike some suspicious
demonic concierge

"The plesiosaursâ€”the sea monstersâ€”have to lay their eggs
in fresh water," Alken said "They come up the Laar this time
of the year and mate in the lagoons Of course, the dragons
are lying in ambush for the poor love-sotted brutes "

"Passion," Queen Ayfa remarked, "has been known to dis-
tract even the bravest of hearts "

212 THE NONBORN KING

She was wearing a spectacular nding outfit of pinkish me-
tallic cloth with purple boots and a cloak of black brocade Her
apricot-colored hair, partly hooded, was crowned with a jew-
eted diadem trailing beaded wire streamers That peculiar Fir-
vulag adornment that humans called a "face-frame" covered
her chin, the sides of her face, her brow, and the bridge of her
nose in a kind of open mask, also thick with gems. She looked
nearly beautiful, if you were prepared to ignore her bulging
shoulder muscles and the bellicose glint in her dark eyes

"It would be easy to pick off a plesiosaur as well as a dragon
while we're here," young Fafnor suggested.

The Tanu contingent radiated disapproval Alken explained:

"We consider it unsporting to Hunt sea monsters during their
wooing, kid. But the dragons are fair game You get first dibs."

"Poor crocodiles," said Lady Annida "No one feels sen-

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timental about them And yel our sage Seniet tells us that they
are as much of an endangered species as the marine plesio-
saurs "

"Or you Tanu," put in the Dreadful Skathe, with a merry
guffaw

"Thanks be to the Good Goddess that so many of our people
were saved from the Flood," old Betulam crowed.

"You survived because we licked you, White-Hand!" Ce-
ladeyr shot back. "You couldn't gel your exalted asses off the
White Silver Plain fast enough after we whipped you in the
Heroic Encounters. Downright disgraceful the way you always
skipped out before the post-Game awards. Sore losers!"

"But live ones." Betularn was smug. "In this year's Combat,
you Tanu'll be lucky to field four companies to our tony'"

"This year's Combat will be different," said Aiken. "Shall
we tell them, Shamie?"

"Why not, Battlemaster? We're only anticipating the official
announcement at the Grand Loving by a couple of days "

The Hunt slowed and wheeled into a tight circle, coming
to a halt in midair There was a mental and vocal clamor from
all of the Firvulag vassals, as well as from Celadeyr, the Crafts-
master, and Lady Armida, who were not pnvy to Alken's
schemes

THE GRAND LOVING 213

"It's simple, folks," Aiken said. "Things have changed so
much in the Many-Colored Land that the old customs just aren't
practical any more. Betulam's right about you Little People
outnumbering us ten to one. We couldn't fight the Grand Com-
bat in the old way without getting slaughtered. So I proposed
a completely different type of setup to King Sham and Queen
Ayfa a few weeks ago Not a Grand Combat, but a Grand
Tourneyâ€”with nonlethai contests and a completely new system
of scoring. Hell, the Heroic Encounters of the Combat were
already mostly judged on points, not kills, and everybody knows
that they were the most exciting pan of the Games. What we're
going to do is have a complete program of nigged events and
skill events I'm not saying nobody'll get killed. We don't want
to turn this into a fewkm' tiddlywinks match, after all! But
now the headhunting will become symbolic instead of literal.
with the losers paying off the winners in treasure and battle
standards."

"And a brand new trophy," Sham concluded. "Compliments
of us Firvulag. Now that both the Sword and the Spear are
gone, we need a new symbol of rivalry. So the best craftsfotk
back at High Vrazei are busy making one. A Singing Stone.
It's an enormous beryl, tuned to be psychoreactive and carved
in the shape of a regal field stool. At the conclusion of the
Tourney, it will be programmed to the aura of the winning
faction's monarch. Then, for one whole year, the Stone will
respond with aethereal music whenever the true High King of
the Many-Colored Land is enthroned upon it."

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"Putting the squash on any pretender tushies once and for
all!" Aiken winked at Sham. Everyone knew that the Firvuiag
ruler had been using the title illegally ever since the Flood.

"No more battles to the death?" exclaimed the dismayed
Ceiadeyr.

"No more beheading?" echoed Betulam Both veterans were
aghast.

Aluteyn Craftsmaster vouchsafed his contemporaries a sour
smile. "All good things come to an end. Our Exile is entering
a new eraâ€”whether we like it or not."

"But the Gnomish Council hasn't voted on it!" Tetrol

214 THE NONBORN KING

Bonecrusher protested. "Old King Yeochee would never

haveâ€”"

Ayfa cut off her liegeman. "Our royal brother Yeochee has

passed on to Te's peace. We have decided the matter. You'll
also be interested to know that this year's Grand Tourney will
be held on our own Field of Gold in Nionel, as will subsequent

contestsâ€”"

"If you win. Queen Ogress!" Armida interjected.

Ayfa sailed serenely on. "As will subsequent contests until
you Tanu get around to constructing a new tournament ground
of your own. Then our two races will take turns hosting the
event, no matter who wins."

"It makes sense," said the Craftsmaster.

"It stinks!" said Celadeyr.

"Damn right'." Betularn agreed.

"It's settled!" Aiken and Sham shouted together- All of the
chalikos reared. From the swamp below came an answering

bellow,

"You see?" The trickster was grinning. "The dragons know
that their favorite tidbit has arrived: Me! Shall we descend?
You Firvulag who feel like Hunting get your weapons ready
and I'll play bait. If the crocs eat me, all arrangements are off
and you can have the fewkin' Nightfall War, for all I care."

The chatikos coursed down the wind toward a lagoon bor-
dered with tall taxodium cypresses that was separated from the
mainstream of the Laar by a meandering channel. Aiken switched
off his golden metaluminescence and the other riders followed
suit. Sham urged his mount to keep pace with that of the human
usurper. Unlike the Queen, Sham was dressed not in a riding
suit but in ornate obsidian armor. In place of the heavy battle-
helm he wore a light visorless sallet surmounted by three horns.
His long dark hair streamed from openings in the skullpiece
like smoky plumes. He bore a sword with a clear crystal blade

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nearly as long as Aiken's body.

"You have no weapon of your own, Battlemaster." the Fir-
vulag King remarked to the little man.

"I'll have enough to do on this Hunt, holding you up. In

THE GRAND LOVING 215

return, you gotta keep the beasts from making a midnight
munchy out of Me!"

Now came the telepathic warning of Culluket, who pos-
sessed the strongest farsensing ability in the party:

Silence all. Something comes channel! Not dragon. Plesio-
saur!

Aaah! exclaimed the Firvulag- The train froze in midair,
eerily backlighted by the moon.

Down in the bayou, something broke water and rose up.
upâ€”until it seemed that a sea serpent was cruising swiftly
through the inky slot. a V-shaped wake trailing after. And then
the back of the plesiosaur became visible in addition to its five-
meter neck. It opened its jaws wide to the moon and uttered a
plaintive two-note hoot: Ooo-awww.

in the lagoon ahead, another snakelike neck burst from the
depths, throwing sparkling drops of water. It hooted in higher
tones and the approaching creature answered and put on speed.
Back and forth the monsters called until they finally met. The
gleaming necks entwined and the hooting became an earsplit-
ting duet; and then both animals sounded, leaving a mass of
oily bubbles and dwindling echoes. The farsighted among the
observers saw the gargantuan consummation deep in the water,
after which the male floated up to lie on the surface, paddling
gently, while the female swam toward a portion of the shore
where the cypresses grew wide apart in a semiliquid mass of
saturated soil and organic detritus'. She hauled her massive body
onto the land and wriggled ponderously along, gasping, until
she had traveled five or six lengthsâ€”perhaps 80 meters. Then
she seemed to explode in frenzy, digging with flippers and
head and flailing body until she had hollowed out a muddy
bowl that gleamed darkly wet from seeping groundwater.

The eggs! The eggs!

The exclamations of Queen Ayfa were picked up by the
other Firvulag. For the sake of the weaker farsighted, Culluket
amplified his own vision until they all saw the great pearly
spheroids, twice the size of a human head, being deposited one
by one into the warm muck. The female rested for a few
moments after the last egg was laid, then began gentle swim-

THE NONBORN KING

216

ming motions that served to tumble the sides of the bowl and
bury the clutch securely,

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Out on the water, the male plesiosaur was slowly sinking
from view. It uttered one last prolonged hoot and vanished.
The female now lay motionless, only her muddy sides heaving.

Cullukel said: Look on the right!

Aiken said: Two bigbastards' Yoicks!

He thumped his glass-spurred heels on the shoulders of his
chaliko- Golden knight and mount slid down the air and landed
with a resounding squelch. The chaliko sank up to its shaggy
fetlocks in mud but remained composed. Aiken leaped from
its back and burst into halide-bright effulgence. The area be-
neath the mossy cypresses was lit like midsummer noontide.
Creeping through the thin underbrush toward the exhausted
female plesiosaur were two enormous crocodilians- Their eyes
blazed red and their mouths were slightly open, showing tusks
like peeled and sharpened bananas. The head of the larger
reptile was more than two meters long.

Aiken came capering over the surface of the mire like a
demented will-o' -the- wisp, emitting vulgar noises. The lead
phobosuchus veered toward him while the other halted, non-
plussed.

"What are you spooks waiting for?" Aiken taunted the Fir"

vulag. "Charge, dammit!"

"May I, High King?" begged Fafnor, couching his lance.
Sham nodded. "And you, Medor. Stand by ... and be alert."
With valiant yells the two spurred their chalikos toward the
dancing bright manikin. It seemed they would ride him down,
but he leaped and whirled like a burning leaf, dodging easily
out of harm's way. Fafnor spitted the nearest crocodile through
the middle of its body- It roared and contorted and its powerful
tail whipped toward the chaliko, which was saved only when
it abruptly rose four meters into the air. Fafnor's lance was left
behind in the madly twisting body- The young hero drew his
longsword and darted back after the prey, now having to avoid
not only the beast's jaws and tail, but also his own lance, which
seemed to have an enmity all its own. Several times it came
perilously close to smashing him from the saddle- Medor stood

THE GRAND LOVING 217

back, helpless. Metapsychic intervention would be an unsport-
ing gaucherie, and Hunt conventions allowed a companion to
participate only when the principal was unmounted or dis-
armed.

"Don't hack at its tail, dummy'" Aiken cried- "You think
you're carving a joint at a banquet? Get its brain' Behind the
eye!"

Fafnor rallied and finally located the critical spot, stabbing
his sword down with a mighty two-handed blow. He backed
off to safety while the reptile thrashed in mortal agony. Dark
blood gushed at last from its jaws and it lay still.

The entire Hunt sprang brilliantly to life. A rainbow radiance
lit the lagoon and both Tanu and Firvulag cheered. Aiken strolled
to the dead monster, zapped off one of the projecting tusks by

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means of his psychoenergy, and handed the trophy to Fafnor.
"Nice going, kid."

By now, the second crocodile had disappeared. But the
sporting blood of the Little People had been stimulated at last,
and they demanded that Aiken produce fresh quarry.

"Why not? The night's young!" A smile of studied casual-
ness played about the jester's lips. "Of course, anyone can fight
a beasi on land. But the real thrill comes when you manage to
take one from the air, out over the sea. If you Firvulag were
game for a real challenge, we could fly on back to the Strait
of Redon and find us a bull-plesiosaur. Nonmating ones are
always in season. But the usual restriction prevails: no fair
using metapsychic forceâ€”just your regular weapons. And one
further catch! No sloppiness, leaving a wounded beast to swim
off and die. If you don't make a clean kill at first cut, you
have to go into the water to finish him off."

There was abrupt stillness. Aiken's satirical eye roved over
the faces of his ogrish guests. "What? No volunteers? You
Firvutag are supposed to be a lot braver in the water than Tanu.
It should be easy for you to polish off a sea monster in its own
element. They aren't all that hard to nail. All it takes is a good
eyeâ€”and nerve."

"I'm game, if no Foeman dares risk." Old Celadeyr of
Afaliah had an unaccustomed gaiety about him.

THE NONBORN KING

218

"Let me do it. High King'" Betulam begged his sovereign
The other ogres hastily chimed in

"No," said Sham 'The honor will be mine alone, lest our
saucy host think us deficient in that quality so prized by Low-
livesâ€”nerve "

"I need to be taught a good lesson," Alken said "Let's go'"
The Flying Hunt soared aloft and westward, toward the
strait The moon was halfway to the zenith Alken earned the
nders to a considerable altitude, so that they could see the black
stretch of the coast and the gleaming water, the lights ofGonah
on the horizon, and even the twinkling fires marking the Fir
vulag encampment far up the curving Laar, adjacent to the
Grove of May

"Plesiosaurs that stay out to sea on nights like this are apt
to be very young or very old," the shmmg youth explained
"Now, these big old bulls may be past it, but they still know
how to fightâ€”believe me' We'll cruise around until Cull spots
a really choice specimen for you, Shamie, and then you can
show us a sample of the real Firvulag jisum*"

Idwi, Ayfa told her husband on the intimate mode
He tncked me
Of course he did

Was I supposed to let myself be upstaged by a pair of
creaking dotards^ I'm the King and Battlemaster'

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A very paragon of nerve and jisum men'
Plesiosaurs don't look to be as dangerous as the crocodiles
I could have taken that one back there in the swamp with a
dull tableknife

Well, you're for it now And I have uncomfortable pre-
monitions that Alken Drum planned it this way'

Any treachery would be certain to take place while 1 was
distracted by the beast You and Medor must monitor the little
gold bastard's PK output every second At the least diminu-
tionâ€”the least hint that he might drop me in the waterâ€”all
of you combme to blast him out of the sky Even if we all lose
our lives in the fracas to follow, we'll die with our racial honor
intact

Te save you, dear fool' You know what I think of this honor'

THE GRAND LOVING 219

Yes But you'll do as ! say nevertheless Now be silent

"I have discovered a suitable sea monster, Battlemaster,"
said Culluket to Alken

"We're off" cned the Shining One The cavalcade, like a
pyrotechnic arrow, plunged toward the moonlit sea "Is he on
the surface, CulP"

"Basking," the Interrogator confirmed, "but alert We'd bet-
ter go invisibleâ€”save for the royal antagonist "

Thirteen members of the Hunt vanished, leaving only Sham
and his mount plummeting like a dark meteor, sustained in
flight by the psychokinesis of Alken Drum

The farspoken thought of the trickster came to the mind of
the Firvulag King

We standby above' Gogethim' Neckchop besthope Slon-
shal BigBoy'

Sham drew his sword He reined in his mount to come
nearly to a halt JUS! above the water, and drifted toward an
indistinct gleaming mass that lounged amid waves that were
thinly crested with white The neck of the plesiosaur was down,
extended in graceful S-curves, and its slender tail was undu-
lating It was a gigantic thing, nearly the length of the sperm
whales of the Anversian Sea, at least half again as large as the
mating pair they had seen back in the swamp

Sham approached the creature almost at wavetop, from di-
rectly behind the head He prayed that its peripheral vision was
poor, that its rubbery skin was insensitive to aenal vibrations,
and that the wind would not shift, carrying his scent

The plesiosaur began to scull with its paddles as well as its
slow-moving tail Sham followed, a bejeweled ogre with an
upraised crystal sword, biding his lime until the beast should
be directly upwind of him and the neck in a favorable posture

The wind shifted The monster caught his scent Sham's
heels drove into the ban-el of the chaliko and it hurtled forward

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An incredible neck curled up, flinging sheets of water It snapped
back like a whip and the jaws opened Sham gave the chaliko
a violent crossrem and it heeled over at a full gallop, not a
meter above the tossing waves, with the monstrous head snak-
ing after it

220 THE NONBORN KINO

In a sudden convulsion of terror, Sham felt something gnp
his armored left calf. The chaliko was wrenched to a halt and
both nder and mount cried out. But even in his extremity, the
King felt constrained by the rules of the Hunt. Instead of blast-
ing the creature, he stabbed at it awkwardly with his sword
The jaws let go, the chaliko gave an explosive gruni as the
hold on its nder eased, and Hunter and prey were flung wide
apart. Sham urged the chaliko aloft and it responded as it had
been trained to do, racing through air as easily as it might have
pounded across the steppes Sham turned it and sent it speeding
back down. Fury had raised a high-pitched singing sound in
his brain. The Lowlife usurper had planned this' He and the
Torturer knew this plesiosaur's wiliness and savage courage of
old, and they had led the Hunt directly to its territory And
now wailed for it to kill him.

The monster darted up from the water in lightning lunges,
champing and foaming, writhing like a nightmare python. The
head was not large but the teeth were recurved and razor sharpâ€”
and at least one had already penetrated a chink in his hinder
jambeau, for there was a trickling at the back of his leg, al-
though he felt no pain.

Oh, you would, would you?

As he dived at it he shouted the ancient battle-curse of the
Little People, the one passed down from his grandsire's grand-
sire, who had contended with Bright Lugonn at the Ship's Grave
and wielded the immortal Sword.

"Ylahayir" roared King Sham-Mes. "Ylahayll Tanu' Yla-
hayll Aiken Drum!"

The coiling neck shot at him, jaws wide, on a perfect tra-
jectory to catch him if he missed. He cried again, "Ylahayll!"
And struck-

The head of the monster tumbled into the sea.

Up above, the members of the Hunt flared in multicolored
light, circling like angels on a merry-go-round. Sham retrieved
the floating head and flung it aloft with ail of his titanic strength

THE GRAND LOVING

221

straight at Aiken Drum The head blazed green and the teeth
in ihe open jaws were wickedly aglitter

"This time," Sham called out to his host, "the trophy is for

you "

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AT DAWN ON THE LAST DAY OF APRIL THE GRAND LOVING OF

Firvulag commenced its preliminary events

From their encampment on the Field of Gold streamed thou-
sands upon thousands of Little People, all dressed m their finest
clothes The boys and girls of marriageable age earned be-
nbboned wreaths of vervain and St John's-wort, species deemed
to resemble most closely certain fertility herbs native to lost
Dual The matrons were burdened with armloads of precious
gifts wrapped in embroidered linen, and their menfolk toted
trumpets, shawms, fifes, cymbals, tam-tams, and sixteen va-
rieties of drum Trailing after came a great herd of little children
wearing surcoats and caps of green leaves, carrying baskets of
colored eggs and waving noisemaker rattles

Making a musical dm, the throng marched to the ramp of
the Nionel suspension bridge, where it was met by a mounted
delegation from the city, headed by Sugoll The Lord of the
Howlers, ail in white and adorned with a magnificent illusory
body, bade his kinfolk follow him a Maying, and led them
over the bridge The suspension cables fluttered with rainbow-
colored banners, and garlands of greenery decorated the rails

On the opposite shore of the nver. reborn Nionel waited
with its gates wide open The industrious goblin citizenry had
burnished forty years of verdigris from its toadstool-domes and
bulbous cupolas, and now they shone like gold m the sunnse

222

THE GRAND LOVING 223

Golden, too, were the freshly plastered walls of the houses,
the sanded streets, and the sweeping expanse of the grand plaza
where the celebration was to take place Nionel's fountains and
lamp-standards and sidewalk furniture had all been brightly
gilded And the new Pavilion of the Great Ones had pillars of
green serpentine twined with yellow roses, and a cloth-of gold
awning All around the plaza's perimeter was a greenbelt of
lawns and blooming trees The surrounding buildings were
hung with effigy pennons and swags of brilliant flowers

The Howlers of Nionel, dressed even more sumptuously
than their nonmutant cousins, crowded balconies and windows,
thronged dozens-deep in the peripheral arcades, and overflowed
into the side streets, cheenng as the benevolent invasion poured
into the square to the accompaniment of the Grand Loving
Mddngal

Come unto these yellow sands
All those who seek a lover
Dance ten times around the flowering tree,
Choose your sweetheart and pay the price
But beware of love-thieves'
And beware the disguised Foe'
Shun mama's-boys and shrewish maids
And potential in-laws with empty pokes'
0 King and Queen of May, reign generously
Kind Goddess, bless this time ofjoy and wooing
Let the two tali fires be kindled at midnight,

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And grant to those who pass between eternal love

Sugoll and his party came to the Pavilion of the Great Ones,
where the Howler lord dismounted and ascended to his throne
Kathnei, who would play Queen of the May to Sugoll's King,
waited with the gorgeous crowd of Firvulag nobility, headed
by the Great Captain Galbor Redcap and his wife Habetrot,
and the legendary artisan-mates Fmoderee and Mabino Dream-
spinner King Sham and Queen Ayfa and most of the Gnomish
Council were away m Gonah at the Tanu festivity But they

224 THE NONBORN KING

were hardly missed, so great was the excitement among the
Little People at having the Loving in Nionel again.

Two full generations had passed since the last Maying in
the city. During the time of the Tanu ascendancy, the Firvulag,
for sorrow and hurt pnde, had let their Grand Loving degenerate
into scattered local observances. Nionel had been a site to shun
rather than cherish when it seemed that the Field of Gold would
never again host the Games But now all that was changed.
As the new arrivals took their places, they were buzzing about
the splendid renovation job the mutants had done. (Truth to
tell, the dear old town had never looked better.) What with
Brede's successor having solved the sticky problem of the
Loathly Bndesâ€”why, it seemed that this would truly be a May
Day to remember

"Next, they'll crown Sugoll and Katy with flowers," Crazy
Greggy said to Chief Burke "And then they'll issue their first
official command and the not will start!" He tittered with antic
glee.

"Surely not a literal not," said Sister Amene Roccaro, set-
ting down her cup of coffee- They were all securely ensconced
in a side wing of the pavilionâ€”the thirty-three sidetracked
adventurers bound for Hidden Springs and their impromptu
festival guide, Greg-Donnel Genetics Master The mob of nearly
a thousand bareneck refugees that they had shepherded to Ni-
onel from the Lac de Bresse was dispersed among the local
populace for the holiday. Dressed in borrowed Howler finery,
the human emigres were virtually indistinguishable from me-
dium-sized members of the Firvulag race

Greggy said, "You just keep a sharp eye out. Sister. Sugoll
bnefed me on what happens next- See? Here comes the Little
Green Army now'"

The flock of children dressed in leaves approached the thrones
of Sugoll and Katlmel. The King of the May lifted his flowery
sceptre

"0 valiant Greenfolk, defend our sacred festival from the
Foe! Search every hiding place, every mousehole and secret

THE GRAND LOVING 225

cranny, lest foul interlopers invade our Grand Loving and steal
away the precious bndes and grooms."

A piercing shriek went up from the elfin host They scattered
pell-mell into the crowd ofaduits, impudently lifting petticoats

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and rooting through bundles The adults responded with yells
and swats and used their musical instruments to set up a deaf-
ening clamor. The urchins were not at all discouraged They
ranged out among the Howler celebrants, concentrating on the
east side of the square where the eating establishments were
situated, clambering over tables, upsetting the sunshades, and
stealing whatever food was insufficiently defended.

"No Tanu ever show up as clandestine participants, of
course," Greggy said. "I'm afraid that the Little People have
rather an inflated opinion of their own desirability! But just to
keep the fun going, a few adolescents from Nionel are tncked
out in fake giass armor to play boogieman. Andâ€”whoops'
Here they come!"

A squad of mock invaders, armed with big soft balloon-
cudgels, dashed into the plaza from a side street. Squealing,
the Little Green Army converged and produced its own weap-
onry In a moment the air was filled with flying colored eggs.
Some were stuffed with confetti and some contained heavily
perfumed dye-water. There were eggs stuffed with sneezy fun-
gus spores, with feathers, and with honey. A few were unblown
and fresh from the nest, and the less principled among the
children flung missiles that were hard-boiled or even addled-
When the "Tanu" were struck, they retaliated with ferocious
wallops from their balloons and momentary glimpses of some
hideous phantom aspect, The leaf-clad imps were unfazed.
Scores of them leaped at the faltering, besmutched Foemen
and pulled them down to the yellow sand. The enemy expired
to the tune of lugubrious groans, exploding balloons, and the
crackle and crunch of a few leftover eggs. Then ropes were
brought and lashed to the glass-armored ankles, and the vic-
torious Greenfolk hauled their captives away while the adults
laughed uproariously. relaxed, and settled down to enjoy a long
picnic breakfast.

"The little nippers have a beanfeast of their own in another

226

THE NONBORN KING

part of town after they pee! off their leaves and wash up,"
Greggy said "For the rest of the festival, they'll have their
own separate entertainment Puppet shows, games, and the
like That way the grownups won't be inhibited in their own
merrymaking "

"The leaf-clad army was weirdly evocative of parts of Fra-
zer's Golden Bough," remarked Basil Wimbome "The ban-
ishing of malevolent influences before the start of the fertility
rites' One wonders what the original, more violent aspect of
the ntua! might have been in pnmttive days on their home
planet'7"

"Please, colleague," Greggy protested "I'meating "Helicked
strawberry jam from his fingers and went back to the lavish
buffet, where the privileged human guests mingled with exotic
nobility, gorging themselves on pastries, tongue toast, scram
bled eggs with morels, gnlled antelope sausages, barbecued
kid, and fresh fruit-cup spumanti slathered with honeyed whipped
cream "However, if you fancy a really First-rate piece of eu

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hemenstic speculation, consider the ceremony involving our
innocent King and Queen of May and the maypoleâ€”"

"Putting your naughty interpretations on our folklore again,
Greggy7" Sugoll was standing there, tall and splendid, crowned
with red and white lilies The Genetics Master had the grace
to look sheepish Sugoll turned to Basil and Chief Burke "And
your companions Are they enjoying the spectacle thus far9"

"It's a welcome diversion, Lord Sugoll," Burke said "We've
had a long, hard winter And then to be saddled with that crowd
of poor starving wretches when we thought we were safely on
the way to Hidden Springs " The last of the Wallawallas
shook his iron-gray head

"Are you sure you can assimilate them7" the nun asked
anxiously "We still don't understand why Elizabeth told us to
bring them to you Some of them are quite hard-bitten, you
know They're mostly from the lowest bareneck stratum of
Buraskâ€”or else Lowhfe outlaws driven from their remote little
settlements by your own Howler migration Frankly, we've
never come across such a wild and cranky bunch of humans
before Not during the Finiah war and not even during the

THE GRAND LOVING 227

evacuation from Munah We nearly went crazy nding herd on
them Gideon got a broken hand refereemg one fight, and some
raggedyas". brutes ambushed Ookpik and Nazir in retaliation
for a punishment detail and roughed them up quite badly " She
poured herself more coffee "It was also rather tedious for Wang
and Mr Betsy and the Baroness and me, always having to fend
off the odd slavering rapist "

Sugofl's smile blended humor and compassion "Now I'm
more than ever certain that Elizabeth did the right thing, sending
these desperados to us You'll see'" He lowered his voice "We
have a little time before the skill-contests and other entertain-
ments begin Sister, if you will excuse us, I'll take Basil and
Chief Burke away to settle a matter relating to the Ship's Grave
expedition "

Amene nodded and went off to join Greggy. who was ar-
guing mulagemcs with Magnus and Thongsa, the expedition
medics

"This way," the Howler lord directed He led Burke and
Basil to a draped alcove where a well-dressed dwarf was wait-
ing "This is Kahpm, who has volunteered to be your guide
into the eastern wilderness "

The little exotic shook hands But even as Burke was uttering
conventional pleasantries, the dwarf underwent a metamor-
phosis that froze the words in the big Native American jurist's
throat

Kahpin's body shrank His torso became rounded and his
limbs spindly The grinning face compressed and sharpened
until it was nearly birdlike, except for the flapping ears with
their droopy upper margins The eyes turned black and sank
into grotesque pouches The exotic's skin became greasy and
his hair, falling in strands from beneath a smart green cap with

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a jeweled buckle, resembled a dirty mop

"Well7" The bogie shifted his glance from one human to
the other "Still want to nsk traveling to the Ship's Grave with
me7"

"We know about the genetic misfortune of the Howler na-
tion, old chap," said Basil gently "We can't pretend that yourâ€”
differencesâ€”don't exist But I can't help wondering whether

228

THE NONBORN KING

we humans don't look JUSI as odd to you Perhaps we can all
agree to ignore one another's peculiarities and simply get on
with the job at hand It's formidable enough "

"We must travel more than six hundred of your kilometers,"
Kahpm said "Dunng the first part of the journey, we may be
in danger from the Firvulag if they suspect the purpose of the
expedition Sham and Ayfa aren't fools We d do well to get
beyond the Rhine before they return to High Vrazel "

"We have chalikos," Burke said "Can you nde9"

The bogle grimaced "Not those bloody great monsters' I
can manage a hippanon But mounts won't do you any good
beyond the Rhine You'll have to walk until we reach the
Ystroll's source under the Feldberg I hope your people are all
in good shape The Black Forest trek is going to be rugged "
Kahpm glared at the Native American "I noticed that you
limp "

"That I do," Burke sighed "But it's pretty well decided that
I'll stay behind at Hidden Springs while Basil takes charge of
our tnbe of daredevils Elizabeth expects trouble around the
iron mines this summer "

"Blood metal'" Kalipin shuddered He shot a reproachful
look at Sugoll "Sometimes, Master, we simple ones despair
of understanding why you insist that we ally ourselves with the
Lowlives'"

"It is our only hope," said the ruler of the Howlers "Some
day you'll understand Until then, obey me'"

For the briefest fraction of a second, the handsome figure
in the white robe seemed overshadowed by another shape,
hideous beyond belief Burke and Basil gave involuntary gasps

Sugoll's smile was melancholy "You didn't know9 But I
am the greatest among my people in all thingsâ€”even in phys-
ical abomination As my guests, it was simple courtesy to spare
you " He addressed the goblin guide "And you, Kahpm Use
your goodly form when you are in the company of humans
We must not distress our friends unnecessarily "

The creature obediently transformed himself into a normal
dwarf "But all of us go back to our regular shapes when we're
asleep," he told the men with wry satisfaction "You'll just

THE GRAND LOVING 229

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have to be brave at bedtime on the trail' Unless my Master
orders me to sleep in a sack "

Sugoll laughed 'Impudent scoundrel Just fulfill your mis-
sion faithfully And now you are dismissed Back to breakfast
with you'"

When the bogle was gone, Sugoll indicated a sizable carved
chest that stood in the shadows "There is one more way I am
able to ass'-st you in your expedition Open that, please '

Basil knelt When the lid lifted he cned, "Great Scott'
Where did you gel these9"

"The stun-guns were a gift from Sham and Ayfa

"Oh, shit,' said Chief Burke

"I can only presume they were a delicate hint Sham may
already suspect that my loyalty to the Firvulag throne is less
than wholehearted And if there is war with Alken Drum Well,
it takes no grand strategist to note Nionet's position between
Gonah and High Vrazel "

"If we're successful in procuring the aircraft," Basil said,
"neither Alken nor Sham will dare harm you " He ran his
weather-beaten hands over the weapons, mutely pointed out
the recharging unit to Burke, then closed the lid "These could
be very useful to us We thank you, Lord SugotI Even with
our thirty technicians and experienced wilderness hands, it will
be a dangerous tripâ€”and it's questionable just how many of
the flyers can be made operational The Chief and our people
at Hidden Springs will prepare a hiding place for at least two "

"How would they be useful in a war9" Sugoll asked "You
must forgive my ignorance, but flying machines would seem
to be quite useless against ground forces such as the Firvulag
would mount You no longer have the Spear of Lugonn, which
was used against Fmiah "

"True," said Burke "But in their haste to get a single flyer
airborne, Madame's party may have overlooked another set of
potential weapons This was pointed out to us by one of our
new companions, a former spacecraft design engineer named
Dmitnos Anastos "

Basil said, "You see, the ancient devices at the Ship s Grave
are actually sophisticated gravomagnetic craft with planet or-

230 THE NONBORN KING

biter capabilityâ€”quite similar to machines we had back in the
Galactic Milieu In our era, such orbiters were always equipped
with tractor and pressor beams to assist in docking and nudspace
transfer when the rho-field was off These force-beams were
also used for meteor deflections Sometimes, our ships even
had small lasers for zapping away space debris If our tech-
nicians can find similar systems on the ancient flyers, they
might very possibly modify them for offense If this isn't fea-
sibleâ€”there's always the iron And the hope of finding and
raiding Sham's cache of twenty-second-century armaments "

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The Howler Lord had been looking more and more puzzled
Now he threw up his hands in resignation "Teah grant that the
mere possession of flying machines by our fnends will deter
aggression'"

"Amen," said Basil He added, dniy, "Nevertheless, let's
not count too heavily on divine intervention, shall we7 Not
with the Firvulag on one side of us, and Alken Drum on the
other "

"Look at those little beauties' Just look at them'"
Tony Wayland clutched Dougal's mailed arm and dragged
him toward the front row of the exotic throng The gnomes
and ogres were good-humored enough about the shoving, al-
though one fighting-drunk human in Firvulag costume threat-
ened to upend his seidel of beer on Tony if he didn't mind his
manners "You're not the only eager one, cockle," the suds-
buster declared "Simmer down, and you'll get plenty before
this night's over "

It was nearly midnight The carousing and dancing of the
married folk had come to an end and a great space around the
maypole was cleared for the Dance of the Bndes The im-
promptu orchestra played a slow, demure melody and the maid-
ens emerged in solemn procession All of them wore gowns
and headdresses of fantastic richness, with a color scheme of
either red or green The girls in scarlet were the most sinking,
with their gorgeous coats, tight jeweled cuffs, and tantalizing
body suits with red boots Perched on flowing locks of brown
or dark red were tall starburst headpieces encrusted with rubies

THE GRAND LOVING 231

and some fiery gemstone resembling opal The piquant faces
beneath the towenng constructions were enhanced by jeweled
frames

"Pocket Venuses, every one of them'" Tony rhapsodized

The knight's expression was unreadable "They're exotics
Km to the soul-devouring Tanu "

Tony ignored that "And willing, just for tonight' God,
Dougieâ€”it's been so long'"

"Too long for all of us," growled the beer drinker "Jesus,
look at the jewels on 'em'"

"Jewels, hell," said another Lowlife feelingly "I wouldn't
care if they was weann' gunny sacks Real live women at last'"

"Inhuman women Faene women'" Dougal's voice rose

Tony said, "Who gives a damn^ Just on this one night in
the year, they'll go with anybody' All you have to do is grab
the flower ring they hold out in the dance "

"I want me a red one'" somebody yelled "A gal in little
red boots'"

"Keep your breeks on, amigo' It won't be long now'"

The gnomish musicians struck up a more lively air and the

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damsels began to circle the maypole The male exotics all
bawled out a phrase in their own tongue and the girls responded
Back and forth the two sexes called, teasing each other, while
the veils on the starry headdresses streamed behind the accel-
erating dancers in a blurred conflagration Finally, after a great
shout, the circling girls extended their arms and rushed toward
the central maypole with its braided ribbons and heaped flower
garlands at the base

The maidens vanished In their place rose a myriad of small,
rambow-hued lights, like tropical fireflies In some magical
fashion, each ignis fatuus attached itself to the end of a gleam-
ing nbbon, and the entire swarm resumed dancing at a more
languid, sensual pace The nbbons twined and untwined, the
wispy lights soared and fell, undulated and whirled The in
vitdtional song was almost a hum, lower-pitched and alluring
Swaying helplessly, the ensorceled males sang along

Abruptly, the music changed again to the faster beat The
costumed maids were back on the yellow sand and each one

232 THE NONBORN KING

had a wreath in her hands. They danced out to where the swains
waited, and as the teasing phrases were exchanged, the pairing-
off began One man after another gripped the wreath of his
chosen red or green sweetheart and let her draw him by it onto
the dancing ground- It was all irresistible, the spinning colors,
the intoxicating scent of the flowers, the music with its thump-
ing sexuai beat.

One of the diminutive beauties stood before Tony Wayland.
Black eyes sparkled beneath the jeweled face-frame. The fra-
grant May wind blew aside red and gold draperies to show a
delicate body. curved, enticing, and perfectly human in its
contours.

"Come, come." sang the nymph.

"No, my Lord!" Dougal cned, trying to haul Tony back.
The metallurgist shook free

"Come, come!"

Tony clutched the wreath She pulled him out among the
other couples. The girls in red, he noted, had mostly chosen
Lowlife lovers. How fastidious of them, since they were by
far the loveliest of the lot!

"Don't go!" Dougal pleaded. "You're bewitched."

He was indeed, and gladly. The darling exotic wench hung
the hoop of flowers around his neck as they danced- She kissed
the fingers of one hand, then pressed his tips. Tony's blood
sang The warning shout from Dougal was swallowed as the
music became a sonorous paean of love triumphant. Two by
two, the couples circled the maypole.

On the side of the square nearest the city gate, the mob of
spectators was suddenly cleft, opening a clear path. Two huge

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bonfires sprang to life, their flames topping the seven-meter
walls. The couples marched safely between the twin fires,
through me gate, and into moon-drenched meadows. The music
back inside Nionel floated to them on the warm breeze

"I am Rowane," the nymph in red said. "I love you."

"I'm Tony, and I love you, too'"

Giddy from the insidious flowers hung round his neck, he
let her draw him on until they were far away from the other
couples. They came to a rustic bower formed of bushes and

THE GRAND LOVING 233

entered, and he lifted the starburst headdress and the face-frame
away and bent to kiss her They shed their clothes and made
loveâ€”not once, but four limes She howled in ecstasy and he
was devastated by bliss, and wept at the end of H and she
comforted him

"Now we'll sleep," she said. "My dearest Tonee."

He fell a silken cloth pressed over his eyes, wrapped around
his head and softly tied. "Rowane? What are you doing9"

"Shhh You must never see me when we sleep It would be
tembly bad luck Promise that you'll never try." Her warm
lips met his, and she kissed his eyelids through the silk

"My tittle Mayflower My exotic darling If it'll make you
happy " He was sinking toward sweet unconsciousness Her
voice faded, and the memory of her exultant cnes, but not his
pride in his own manhood that she had so marvelousiy reaf-
firmed "For your sake 1 won't look Strange little one

"It's not for my sake, dear Tonee. It's for yours "

She laughed fondly, and then he was asleep, and he had the
most singular dream.

When he woke up and absent-mindedly tore off the blind-
fold, he discovered that the dream had come true

"Oh. my God\" he croaked

She opened her eye and was instantly her old self Petite
Lovely. Putting on her clothes and lifting the withered remnants
of the wreath from his neck

"Rowane!" His voice was anguished. "What have they done
to you? And to meT

Her smile was pert and very wise- "The ordinary Firvulag
are able 10 see through our guises They never would choose
the bndes m red, you see. And you poor human males we
know how few of your own women came through the time-
gate, and those still mostly enslaved by the Tanu What could
be more right than this?" She reached up and kissed him pas-
sionately He felt himself respond in spite of the knowledge
"Dear Lord Greg-Donnet says the first cross will produce a
normal-appearing hybrid. After that, there can be genetic en-
gineering to modify the mutant strain "

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234 THE NONBORN KING

"Theâ€”firstâ€”cross?" He felt the world lurch. The meadow
was full of golden flowers and nsing larks

"And our child will be immune to the blood metal, just as
you humans are. Isn't that a nice bonus7"

"Uh," he said.

She was pulling him to his feet "And now everyone's hur-
rying back to Nionel for the May Morning feast We don't
want to be iate, do we!"

"No. ."

"You'll love Mummy and Daddy," she added. "And you're
going to love Nionel. too Let's run?"

They went racing over the soft grass, hand in hand. Tony
thought: What am I going to tell poor old Dougal? But then
he saw other lovers converging on the city gates, and among
them was a great ginger-bearded man wearing a surtout with
a golden lion's head. being led along by another lovely little
woman in red.

And Tony knew that his question was superfluous

"WE'VE TRIED FOR THE PAST THREE NIGHTS TO BLAST THE

little gold devil while he was asleep and drawn zilch," Medor
grumbled. "I don't see why tonight should be any different.
He's using some kind of mechanical brain-shield. Pass the
rabbit mousse."

King Sham shoved a platter toward his first deputy, who
scraped a great quivering wedge onto his plate and slurped it
with gusto. "Tonight, AAen won't sleep in the castle," the
King explained. "HeTl be out here in the Grove with everyone
else, and using the gadget would cramp his style "

"How so?" inquired Mimee of Famorel, who was viceroy
of the Helvetide Uttle People.

"Our ingenious hostess has scheduled another crazy inno-
vation. Something called the Night of Secret Love. After the
feast, we're ail supposed to go to those robing tents on the
other side of the amphitheatre and pick up a masquerade cos-
tume. No illusion making allowed At midnight, a masked ball
begins, followed by hanky-panky in the Tryshng Grounds until
dawn. Kind of a glorified bachelor party before all the weddings
tomorrow Except, being Tanu, the damn bndes'U probably be
off in the bushes rutting away with the rest of the Foe."

"Decadent bitches," growled Mimee. "And to think that our
own folk are beginning the sacred Dance of the Bndes almost
at this very moment up in Nionet " He cast a wistful look at

235

236 THE NONBORN K-ING

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the high-nding full moon, whose light was drowned by the
gem-lamps that illuminated the feasting boards. The Firvutag
had insisted on segregated dining facilities They were willing
to wolf down Tanu food, but disdained Tanu wines and high-
proof brandies in favor of good old beer, mead, and cyser

"You know what you're getting when you wed a Firvulag
bnde " Medor heaved a maudlin sigh. "Virgins' Every last
toothsome morsel! And faithful to you forever, once they finally
open thai adorable vagina denlata. If only my little Andamathe
was here . You brought your wife, Sham. It was damned
unfair of you to make the rest of us leave our mates behind'
Spoils the whole Loving! Pass the sweetbreads grand due."

"I'm the Queen," Ayfa said. "I had to come And the rest
of you are supposed to keep your wits about you This is a
mission into the Foe's territoryâ€”deadly serious business You
can exercise your damn gonads on your own time "

"So we're to try for Alken Drum again tonight, then," said
young Fafnor Ice-Jaws "I presume that -we put on costumes
and mingle."

"Not too enthusiastically,"warned the Queen, her dark eyes
twinkling. "The Tanu ladies have no teeth where it counts, but
rumor has it that when they've finished with a man, his filberts
are nothing but rattling husks Don't be tempted, lad."

"The Goddess forbid!" said the young ogre, all in a huff

"We must track Alken wherever he goes and make our strike
right at the magic moment," Sham said- "Alt twelve of us "

"He'll be after that young coercer wench, Olone," Medor
said shrewdly "Her shameless flaunting of herself before the
King of the May is the talk of all the Tanu gossips. Pass the
ortolans en brochette."

The King seized the silver dish and slammed it down out
of Medor's reach- "Dammitâ€”will you think of something be-
sides food? No wonder we haven't been able to work up a
decent mind-meld' All the blood deserted our brains for our
digestive tracts from the moment we set foot in Goriah!"

"Medor's in need of distraction " Old Betulam had a wicked
smirk. "And notjust because his wife's in Nionel Guess who
we saw at a special table off in a quiet comer of the feast-

THE GRAND LOVING 237

garden, dining on invalid's slop with his blood-brother, the
Interrogator? None other than Medor's Grand Combat antag-
onist, Kuhal Earthshaker' The one we thought was surely dead."

'Te's toenails'" exclaimed the King. "That's bad news
Kuhal tied you in the Heroic Encounters, Medor, and his PK
talent isâ€”"

"Nil," the ognsh champion said, grinning around a half-
masticated songbird. "His twin, Fian, died and Kuhal is a basket
case- He still spends most of the day in Skin I guess Aiken

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forced the Afaliah contingent to tote him up here to participate
in the rump coronation on the third day of the Loving Kuhal
is a High Tabler, you know But about as much threat to us
as a newbom dik-dik. Pass the poached marrow and the salmon
mayonnaise "

Mimee of Famorel made a face "Your liver wilt take a
month to recuperate."

"So what?" Medor said "The war's not scheduled to start
until fail."

"Silence'" hissed Sham His demonic aspect came upon
him, the guise of a three-meter albino scorpion with glowing
internal organs. His mind dealt a savage correction to the im-
prudent Medor, who tumbled from his seal onto the grass,
pained and shocked and splattered with mayonnaise. Sham's
body returned to normal He regarded the Gnomish Council
with a bleak expression. "No one knows the day the Nightfall
War begins. Not I. Not you. You will never speak of it among
yourselves. Never think of it! Do you understand^"

"Yes, High King," said the others Over by the table of the
King and Queen of May, a kind of fireworks display of foun-
taining Roman-candle lights had started. It signaled the end of
the Moonlight Feast and the imminent beginning of the Night
of Secret Love.

"Now get your fancy-dress outfits and sober up." said Sham
"Ayfa and I will meet you at the base of the maypole in an
hour "

"You look ... ridiculous," said Kuhal "But in character "
Culiuket shrugged. "I judged it a droll choice of disguise "

238 THE NONBORN KING

His expression behind the death's-head mask was perfectly
clear to his brother In light of the idiotic charade taking place
out on ihe dancing ground. Cull's mocking smile was under-
standable; but excitement

"You do surprise me. Interrogator. I had thought you well
beyond the simpler styles of concupiscence "

"Even so. But tonight is a special occasion."

Death folded his black-clad arms with their painted bones
and surveyed the scene The ball music was becoming more
frenzied in its eroticism and the dancers more madcap and
abandoned The young, who scarcely needed the artificial stim-
ulus anyway, were already pairing off and slipping away through
the trees in the direction of the Trysting Grounds Even those
traditional Tanu who had entered reluctantly into the mas-
querade seemed about to surrender to the Dionysian atmo-
sphere. Surely that capering wanton disguised as a purple moth
was none other than the venerable Moma-la. And the stout,
cloaked figure sporting a panther's head, shamelessly cavorting
with a willowy charmer on each arm, bore a suspicious likeness
to the Craftsmaster Aiken Drum was out in the middle of
things, of course, dressed inevitably in the particolored outfit
of a medieval Jester He wore a mask with an obscenely long

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nose, which seemed to have a libido all its own.

"And on the day after tomorrow," Kuhal observed, "we will
acclaim him King! Goddess forgive us. And you have been
among his chief supporters, Redactive Brother. You, an elder
of the Host' 1 have the excuse of brain-wreck, at least. But
you, for all your quirks of temperament, are a paragon of glacial
rationality Yet you calmly accept this human mountebankâ€”
even serve him! It was well known that you and Nodonn were
estranged; but that you should pledge fealty to a Lowlife it
negates all that the Host of Nontusvel stood for "

Death laughed. "Who remains of our vaunted Host? Fifteen
meager-powered brothers and sisters under Celo's protection,
most of whom survived because they were wounded in the
Combat and shipped off to Redactor House to gel them out of
the way. I myself And you."

Kuhai turned away. His gaunt features tightened An un-

THE GRAND LOVING 239

bidden image rose in his memory, easily perceptible to the
Interrogator "And me Half a mind Half a man Widowed
and crippled in the same bereavement Depnved of a love no
singleton could ever understand'" The vehemence of his bit-
terness made him falter, grown suddenly gray-faced- Cutlukel
took his brother by the arm and led him back to his cushioned
seat near the clipped hedge, beyond the sight of the revelers
Kuhal sank down, accepted a small tumbler with some medic-
inal tisane, and sipped at it until the strong herbs took ettect.
He ventured a wan smile "I almost envy your poor sweethearts
their embrace with Death, Brother! Be sure to choose young
ones, if you can lure them away from that pnapic jackanapes
The young are less likely to know the melancholy history of
your nine wives and thirty luckless mistresses."

"I have my lover already selected," Culluket said. "And she
knows "

"Go away, then," said Kuhal Earthshaker. "I can rest here
as well as anyplace. In the morning, Boduragol and the other
Afatiah redactors will tend to me. Enjoy your Night of Secret
Love, Brother'"

Death nodded, raised one skeletal hand, and slipped away
to the masquerade

Sullivan-Tonn danced with his betrothed, the beautiful young
coercer Olone, knowing with sick certainty what black impulse
from his own subconscious had made him choose the antelope
mask with the spiral homs

"You can't go with him! I forbid it Your father gave me
his most solemn promise'"

Olone was a vision m a cloak of floating white petals and
a tall flowered headdress. Her tiny half-mask was gold, the top
margin all decorated with jeweled stamens. She looked down
at her elderly fiance with a smite that blended amusement and
contempt.

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"Father is dead. And anyway, a King's wishes overrule
those of a city-lord."

"Olone! My darling child My untouched flower! I'll spirit
you awayâ€”"

240 THE NONBORN KING

She felt the lightening embrace of his great psychokinesis
But all that was needed was a single coercive thrust, and he
was crushed and weeping behind his silly antelope head, and
they whirled over the soft grass and the music throbbed

"Father pledged me to you without my consent when I was
nothing but a child You should be grateful that I still agreed
to accept a human "

'No psychokinetic can match my powers'" Sullivan-Tonn
blustered

"Except him And you're not such a prize You're much
too dumpy, and you're terribly old for one who's only ninety-
six, and I think it was craven of you not to fight at Fimah "

"Don t talk like that' I love you so much'"

"Oh, twaddle " She was guiding the two of them closer and
closer to the center of the dancing-ground, where the Fool and
his Lady were spinning and soaring "I know why you want a
virgin Don't think I can't read those temble books you were
showing the Interrogatorjusl because the words aren't Standard
English' Do you think we Tanu are incapable of using a Sony
Translator9 La nouvelle Justme, indeed' You try just one of
those Lowlife tncks on me after we're married, and I'll coerce
you to jelly'"

"My darling, I'd neverâ€”"

"Oh, be quiet'"

Most of those couples still on the dancing-ground now gath-
ered about Alken and Mercy The Lady of Gonah was scarcely
disguised at all. wearing a simple black domino and the Celtic
costume that had been her choice for passing through the time-
gate The music had slowed to a languid three-quarter time
The jester and the Insh pnncess danced at arm's length His
face was hidden not only by the ludicrous long-nosed mask,
but also by a mental curtain Her lips were colorless, curved
in a knowing smile

The dance ended and they bowed to one another A new
melody began, jagged, eene, impossible to dance to The ball
was over and the couples humed toward the shadows

Olone slipped out of Sullivan s arms and rushed to Alken
"My King'" she said breathlessly, and curtseyed to the ground

THE GRAND LOVING 241

The Fool snapped the fingers of both hands and came leaping
al her She rose, dissolving in giggles, to be met by the re
lentless caress of the nose

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Helpless, Sullivan saw them run away Mercy was almost
alone now in the midst of the great bowl of lawn The musi-
cians, all human, had slipped into the climactic bars of "La
Valse " Sullivan shivered in premonition A spectral figure that
had been waiting under the plane trees came into the moonlight
and beckoned Mercy went to him slowly, then rose on tiptoe
and kissed Death's fleshless mouth

"Everybody ready'7" whispered Sham
"Ready," said Ayfa and the ten ogres
They meshed minds and flung the bolt

Olone's eyes were like stars "Oh, Alken I never knew it
would be like thai "

The trickster looked slightly puzzled "I think I surpassed
myself Maybe there's something to this maypole magic after

air"

Unlike the Firvulag weddings, those of the Tanu took place
in broad daylight, beneath the noon sun of May Day The
nuptial pairs, led by Alken-Lugonn and Mercy-Rosmar, circled
around the great golden maypole to a stately processional
chorus, climaxed by the Song The bndes and grooms wore
gowns or robes of their own heraldic colors, and over them
mantles of white The bndes had chaplets of white lilies and
the grooms wreaths of male fern Mercy's soie innovation in
the ancient ceremony had been the inclusion of spngs of
rosemary in the nuptial crowns "It's a plant used to bless
weddings from time immemorial on Elder Earth," she had
explained, "and it's also my own plant rosemary of Rosmar
Rosemary for remembrance

She remembered another wedding

!t had taken place in the middle of last Juneâ€”not a mass
celebration as this was, but a more intimate one, with only the
courtiers and the people of Gonah in attendance She had not

242 THE NONBORN KING

worn the blue-green of the Creator's Guild (she had not yet
been initiated) but the rose and gold of her daemon lover If
he had lived, they would have reaffirmed their vow today,
leading not the parade of newlyweds but the later procession
in the ceremony of renewal

Nodonn' she cned on his intimate mode No one heard Not
the solemn little man beside her in his gotd-and-black robes.
not Eadnar and Alberonn, who walked directly behind them in
the place of honor, not any one of the other one hundred and
sixty-seven Tanu and gold-tore human couples who followed
in measured figures traced around the golden shaft They danced
holding the strings of flowers that depended from the maypole's
tip, weaving the ribbons ever tighter until the betrothed came
all together m a tight circle facing the pole, dropped the stream-
ers, and kissed in the final pledge

Raising her tear-ghntmg face from Alken's, Mercy-Rosmar
Lady Creator held out both hands and exerted her metapsychic
powers In a soft miracle, the air filled with a fragrant tempest

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of tiny white blossoms that swirled about the kissing couples,
settled in their hair, spilled from the nuptial cloaks to form
perfumed windrows on the emerald dancing ground

"SionshaP" cned all the witnesses "Slonshal' Slonshal'"

Then, with ntual finally over, the Grove of May swarmed
with thousands of rama servitors and human waiters, all wear-
ing Alken's gold-and-btack livery The couples and the throng
of guests reclined on shaded grass and partook of a picnic feast,
this time with dishes and potations selected for their alleged
aphrodisiac effect There were strolling entertainers, and as
evening descended, a great deal of nbald minstrelsy A gor-
geous and sensual ballet served for a final prelude to the love-
making

(By then the Firvulag had gone back to their own encamp-
ment, where Sham and Ayfa and the Gnomish Council gathered
around the fire, chaste and furious, and got blind drunk Cul-
tuket kept a farseeing eye on the Foe all that night, but the
mossy grottos that Mercy had so carefully prepared went com-
pletely unused )

When the May moon rode high, the Tanu and human couples

THE GRAND LOVING 243

once again paired offâ€”but more decorously than on the pre-
vious night They came to their bowers and their couches hidden
among the shrubs and found them heaped with fresh flower
petals The newlyweds spread their white cloaks, and the old
married folk managed in their old familiar way, and e^en the
casual and the desperate found sweet solace in the nightingale-
haunted forest

After everyone else had gone, Alken and Mercy went to the
maypole They joined hands around the tapenng column of
gold and began to circle

"Now you are mine," he told her

"But whose are you7" she retorted, breaking into wild laugh-
ter as the triumphant gnn faded from his face

His only answer was to crush her hands and dance faster
The maypole was now free of its flowery cords and jutted like
some monstrous pylon toward the starry zenith Its sleek hard-
ness separated them as they left the ground and spiraled upward
They had lost their bndal crowns, but the white cloaks billowed,
seeming to become larger and more enveloping, and then form
a rotating fluidity like a nng of rising cloud Mercy tilted her
head from side to side as they went faster and faster The night
was a spinning blur except for his golliwog face and her laugh-
ing one and always the golden shaft between

They spun above the apex, wrapped in the moonglow bubble
that the capes had become She felt she would die with the
fear of him and the desire, and his eyes were two black bores
and he was no longer a little man but enormous And there
was a great golden maypole that brought a great golden light
and warmth beyond measure, beyond the Sun. even beyond
Death

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"But whose are you7" she heard herself repeat, long after
And then. "No one's Poor Shining One "

But by that time he was gone. and it was dawn. and time
to get ready for the coronation

Traditionally, the Grand Loving climaxed with the gentle
deposition of the erstwhile King and Queen of May, after which

244 THE NONBORN KING

the loyal Tanu subjects renewed their oath of fealty to the
legitimate sovereign. This year. however, things were going
to be different. Everyone knew it; the Many-Colored Land had
been alive with the news ever since the successful conclusion
of Alken's progress There were those who rejoiced and those
who despaired and even a few who trusted that the Goddess
would intervene at the last minute to solve what had become
a grievously untidy state of affairs.

On the morning of May second, Lady Morna-Ia sent out
her farspoken summons, and by noon the Conclave of Tanu
had assembled in the grassy bowl of the festival ground More
than 6000 of them were in attendance, perhaps two-thirds of
the total number left alive after the Flood The Rrvulag guests
were there, loo, clustered in a sullen knot, all weanng their
obsidian armor and deeply hung-over At the fringes of the
exotic gathering was a mighty mob of humans that spread out
into the parkland surrounding the amphitheatreâ€”perhaps 15,000
silver-tores, grays, and barenecks who had come not only from
Goriah and its satellite plantations and mining villages, but also
from as far away as Rocilan and Sasaran, expressly invited by
the usurper to witness his hour of glory.

The dais had been cleared of its Maytide decorations. The
flower-decked thrones were gone and in their place stood two
unfamiliar chairs of unadorned black marble.

A single note sounded from a glass carnyx The crowd fell
silent, watching the dais, and abruptly Elizabeth was there.
The minds and voices gave an involuntary cry of astonishment.
Elizabeth wore Brede's great black-and-red headdress and cos-
tume, and held the glass chain of silence high in her hands. A
wave of thought rolled out from her, calming the anxious Tanu
minds, reminding them who had given her this role-

And then Alken was there beside her, wearing his gold-
lustre armor His head was bare.

"Choose freely," said Elizabeth. "Will you have him as your
king?"

The reply was quiet, numb. inevitable. "We will "

"The Tanu kings have no tradition of coronation." said the
Shipspouse's successor, "just as they have no tradition of

THE GRAND LOVING 245

peaceful accession to the throne. For your race, a monarch has
always been a battie-champion, his only crown a warrior's
helmet But this king has asked for a new symbol, and so I

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give it to him "

Elizabeth handed Alken a simple circlet of black glass He
nodded to her and set it himself upon his spnngy dark-red hair

Another sound swelled from the crowd, perhaps an indrawn
breath, or one let out, or a sigh of relief, or a sob suppressed
Elizabeth bent over Alken, speaking to his mind alone. Again
he nodded, and Elizabeth disappeared Where she had stood
were now sixteen Tanuâ€”and Mercy

"1 present to you your new High Table," Alken said His
physical voice was quiet, but even the most distant bareneck
heard his words.

"First, my Queen and Lady Creator, co-ruler of my city of
Gonah: Mercy-Rosmar " She knelt before Alken and received
from him a green circlet. He took her hand and led her to the
two marble thrones They ascended One by one, the High
Table candidates approached, touching their tores as their minds
pledged silent fealty

"The President of the Guild of Farsensors, the Venerable
Lady Moma-Ia Kingmaker. the President of the Guild of
Redactors, Culluket the Interrogator the Deputy Lord Psy-
chokmetic, Bleyn the Champion, the Second Lord Psycho-
kinetic , Kuhal Earthshaker . the Second Lord Creator and Lord
of Calamosk, Aluteyn Craftsmaster the Second Lady Far-
sensor, Sibel Longtress the Second Lord Coercer and Lord
of Amalizan, Artigonn the Lord and Lady of Rocilan, Al-
beronn Mmdeater and Eadnar the Lord of Afaliah, Cela-
deyr . the Lady of Bardelask, Armida the Formidable the
Lord of Sasaran, Neyal the Younger - - the Lord of Tarasiah,
Thufan Thunderhead the Lord ofGeroniah, Diarmet the
Lord of Sayzorask, Lomnovel Bramburner. the Lord of Ron-
iah, Condateyr the Fulmmator."

Alken surveyed the newly accoladed Great Ones. "I myself
assume the presidency of the Guild of Coercers and the Guild
of Psychokmetics. The post of Second Redactor is left tem-
porarily vacant. Since neither Lady Estella-Sirone of Darask

246 THE NONBORN KING

nor Moreyn Glasscrafter, city-lord of Var Mesk, are here at
this conclave, I withhold naming them to the High Table until
they personally offer oaths of fealty "

He rose from his throne and stood silently for a moment
look-ing over the throng of exotics and humans and hybrids
His solemn manner softened and the old jesting smile appeared
as he tapped the blazon on his glass breastplate It was so
stylized and encrusted with yellow gemstones that the digitus
impudicus was hardly recognizable

"And what about the rest of you7 Do you accept me whole-
heartedly as King of this Many-Colored Land^'

"Slonshal1" thundered the minds and voices of his subjects
"Slonshal King Alken-Lugonn' SLONSHAL'"

The Firvuiag said nothing By the lime anybody thought lo
look for them, they had ndden away on the trail to Nionel

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THE END OF PART TWO

-D3Â£

flGeâ„¢}
JWmJ.

IN HIS SLEEP HE CALLED OUT TO HER. MERCY' ONLY TO AWAKE

again lo the grotto of living rock surrounding him, impervious
to any telepathic impulse

Mercy! his mind screamed, but the sound that emerged from
his lips was barely audible. As always, he tried to nse. As
always, he could move only the muscles of his face and neck.
A warm wind, laden with the scent of the blooming maquis,
stole along the cavern wall- He was very thirsty Turning his
head, he concentrated his will on the good arm, commanding
it to move, to reach out to the nearby flask of water. The arm
remained limp. He was helpless.

Goddess, let me die, he pleaded. Let me die before Isak
Henning and Huldah come back.

A fly settled on his face, crept maddeningly about his cracked
lips. He called down vain anathemas upon the miserable crea-
ture. The hot wind skipped about, lifting dust and dropping it
onto him. His skin was now exquisitely sensitive. He could
feel every irregularity in the cave floor beneath his fur mattress,
the damp hairs of the furs themselves. As the sun sank, ils
strong beams shone directly upon him for a brief time, making
him break out in sweat. The thirst was appalling.

The fly on his mouth flew away. But then came his most
dangerous insect enemy, a kind of large black-and-white warble
fly that pierced the skin with a needlelike ovipositor and laid

249

250 THE NONBORN KING

its egg in living flesh Terror and loathing welled up in him at
the sight of it He flung his coercion at the filthy thing, strove
to push it away with his PK

It settled onto his belly

He uttered a strangled shnek A long shadow thrust down
the cave's length and the wind brought a familiar smell of
musk He grunled with desperate urgency and she came run-
ning, dashing the warble fly off him with her bare hand JUSI
as il began to pnck

"There'" she cned, stamping it into the dust with her homy
feet "There, it's dead. the devilish thing'" She bathed the
defiled spot in cool water and gave him to dnnk, then cradled
his head against her breasts, crooning Grandpa came in with
rabbits from the snare and gave them a densive look Huldah

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paid no attention

"Are you all nght now9" she asked

"Yes "

"No other bites9 No pebbles hurting you9"

"No Just give water " She let him dnnk again, then brought
the ceramic bedpan While she cleaned him up, Isak skinned
the rabbits and spitted them The smetl of roasting meat was
mouth-watenng

He could chew and swallow with ease now Huldah had
been very hurt when he adamantly refused the lip-to-lip feeding,
but now he was able to close his jaw tightly against her, and
so she no longer importuned him

"There's going to be a lovely moon tonight," she announced
"Nice and full Would you like to go outside9 You and I could
sleep on the grass and Grandpa in the cave "

"No," he said flatly "Stay here "

"All nght But tonight is special Grandpa says so " Her
eyes were shining and she tossed her stnngy flaxen hair "After
supper, there'll be a surpnse'"

His heart went cold A full moon in spnng warmth9 "What
month9" he asked

She bent over him, listening, and he repeated, "What
month is this9"

The evil old man heard and came back to stand over him

THE GIGANTOMACHY

251

"We call it May, Lord God' You call it the time of Grand
Loving Loving' And didn't you used to have d fine timeâ€”
you Tanu and your bloody fertility ntes9 But no more' Your
people are gone. Lord God All washed away in the avenging
Flood The Flying Hunt hasn't come from Munah since 'way
last fall It'll never come to Kersic again "

"I told you that. Grandpa," said Huldah placidly "But you
wouldn't believe me "

"Just because you're nothing but a half-witted slut," Isak
Henning muttered "But you were nght about that "

"And 1 was nght about my God waking " She stared at her
grandfather with peculiar intensity "Someday soon, he'll be
all well "

The shabby ancient skipped over to the cooking fire "When
he is. he can use his PK to move his wooden hand'" The old
man chuckled maliciously "And scratch his own lice, and wipe
his own ass Hee hee hee'"

"Stop it. Grandpa'"

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The old man scowled at her, defiant and half-fearful "Just
a joke Damn cow, no sense of humor "

They ate The dusk was long in coming Outside, the birds
began to sing and Huldah announced she was going to the
waterfall to bathe "And when I come back, 1 don't want to
find you here, Grandpa Take your things to the cork-oak grove
It'll be nice there If you try to spy tonight, you'll be sorry "

Isak watched her go, mouthing impotent curses He gathered
up his sleeping robe and tossed into it fire-making tools, a
water bottle, a broken chunk of ash-bread, and his set of three
vitredur woodcarving knives Then he shuffled to the rear of
the cave, bundle over his shoulder, and stood over the supine
invalid

"You're in for it tonight. Lord God The May madness has
our Huldah in thrall'" He laughed until he fell into a fit of
coughing, hawked, and spat The foul gobbet landed only a
few centimeters from the God's beautiful face

With great effort, he spoke "Who is Huldah9 What is
she9"

"Aha' Ha ha ha'" the old man exulted "Want to know what

THE NONBORN KING

252

ground your by-blow's sprouted in. do you? Well, Lord God,
her grandmother was one of you\ Almost. When 1 was a new-
transported bareneck slavey in the plantations of the Dragon
Range on Aven, they sent me to thin the antelope herds. 1
found a baby exposed there on the mountainside. I didn't know
it, but it was a changeling. A Firvulag half-blood that some
poor human trull of yours had given birth to, the way it happens
sometimes. In more civilized parts, I understand the Firvulag
babies are turned over to the Little Folks. But on Aven, where
no Firvulag live .. .Well, 1 found the mite and look her to my
hut. I had a pet antelope with a kid, so there was milk. in the
beginning I was just experimenting, you see. The changeling
could shift shapes even when it was tiny, and sort of read my
mind as well. It knew I was lonesome, and it found I liked its
human-looking body best. It grew up fast, anxious to please."
Isak hunkered down beside the motionless figure. The God

said. "Huldah?"

"No, no, not yet. What happened, this changeling was a
kind of a pet at first, and then a friend and servant, and
then.. -well, the way you Tanu bastards don't give us bareneck
men hardly any women, when the changeling was big enough
to screw, I screwed it. It liked me. I named it Borghild after
a girl I knew back in the Milieu. We were happy out there in
the mountains, me doing my stupid herding job and the change-
ling doing her best to look pretty, just like the other Borghild.
Then one day, another guy found out about her and wanted his
share. When I beat him up, he told the overseer. But by the
time the gray-tore troopers came, me and Borghild were way
to hell and gone over the Dragon Range, and we made a skin
boat with a little sail and came to Kersic. And then she had a

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baby, and then she died."

"Baby Huldah?"

"Not yet, dammit. I named the baby Karin. She grew up
fast, too, and we lived in a Lowlife settlement we found here
on the island. Karin was enough of a Firvulag to scare off the
other guys in the village. They were afraid of her and afraid
of me. We did pretty good in those days. And then Karin had
a baby, and this time it was Huldah. One night a Flying Hunt

THE GiGANTOMACHY

253

came from Muriah. They used Kersic now and then when the
outlaw human population built up. Everybody in the village
was slaughtered except me and little Huldah, We got away and
found this place. It was a long time ago."

The God's slow voice said, "And when Huldah grew, you
took her."

Isak started back as if struck tripping over his bundle and
falling to the cave floor. "I didn't' 1 didn't!" Breathing thickly,
he groped in the tangled furs. A sapphire blade gleamed in the
meager firelight and approached the God's neck, trembling
above the ornate knobbed catch of his golden tore.

"Alien bastard," the old man hissed. "For years I've dreamed
of doing this."

"Do it," said the God.

Isak Henning grasped the handle of the knife in both scrawny
hands and raised it high. "Hale you, hate you! You wrecked
it, our chance for a new world! Now you're finished, too!
We're allâ€”" The aged body shook uncontrollably, arched in
sudden spasm. Isak dropped the glass knife, covered his face
with his hands, and began to sob.

Huldah cameâ€”tall, shining clean, naked, and wreathed
with wild orange blossoms. "Silly Grandpa. 1 told you to go."
She smiled at her God. "Grandpa tried to hurt me only once,
when I was a little girl. I taught him better. Show the God.
Grandpa."

The old man. still weeping, pulled aside his loincloth to
show what an unwilling girl with Firvutag genes could do to
one who tried to force her.

"Now go away. Leave us alone. Grandpa."

The old man crept off and Huldah went briefly to the back
of the cave, then relumed to begin dressing her God. She
handled him as easily as a doll. Lost in horror, he paid little
attention.

Firvulag! She was Firvulag. He who had aspired so high
had violated the greatest taboo between the two races. Firvulag!
It explained her great stature and strength, her coarse vitality.
And once, that mutilated wreck of a father-grandfather had
been a brawny human male.

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254 THE NONBORN KING

"Tonight will be the best full moon of all. since you're
finally awake," she said. And after a little while, "You'll kill
him for me, won't you? As soon as you're able?"

He could not reply. He realized now what garments she had
put upon himâ€”gambeson and trews of membranous bubbles
caught in a mesh web, the padding for his glass armor And
now the pieces themselves being strapped on, encasing legs
and arms (except for the missing right gauntlet), thighs and
shoulders She held up the breast-plate with its sun-face blazon
all embossed in gold and rose-colored stones, then eased it on
Last came the helmet, with its fierce glittering spikes and he-
raldic crest of a crouching, unearthly sun-bird. She left the
visor open. and tucked wads of fur here and there beneath his
head so that the awkward weight would not turn him awry.

He was in an agony of discomfort in spite of the padding
The harness pressed into his supersensitive body like some
fitted bed of nails. Humiliation, guilt, and hatred for her rose
in him like a surge of magma-

The armor began to glow.

"Oh, wonderful!" she cried. "My wonderful God' God of
Light and Beauty and Joy!"

She knelt, drawing aside the skirt of tassets, and began the
act of worship. Her body was a soft mass of peach-colored
luminosity and ebony shadows, and in spite of himself, he was
coming alive to her.

"No!" For the first time, he heard his voice echo in the
cavern's vault. He strained to lift his arms, to thrust away that
adoring face His muscles were lead. The radiance grew.

"God of the Sun'"she sang. "0 my own God!" She mounted
him, easily straddling the armor, a huge compelling softness
devouring him. He was lost. and she was crying out in the
sweet avalanche of blinding light, quenching the sun, blotting
him out.

She fell away, senseless, and he hung in a scarlet void. I
am dead, he thought, and damned.

He opened his eyes. The blood-colored glow dazzled him-
It was coming from his own body. The glass armor flamed
with it. An infinitude of tiny pain-impulses assaulted his skin

THE GiGANTOMACHY

255

and became a tingling that pulsed in rhythm to his thudding
heart.

His left hand was on his breast. He raised it, And then the
nght, with even the wood suffused with brilliance and the
crudely carved fingers flexing- He rolled away from the body
of the woman, braced himself against the cave wall, and rose.
The storm-sunrise light of him poured into every cranny of the

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cave. He saw a slight movement near the dark entrance and
strode up to it.

It was the old man. cowenng behind a rock. He had come
back to spy after all.

Nodonn plucked Isak Henning up by the scruff and held
him dangling. The laughter of triumphant Apollo was like the
hurricane's roar. And then the gaunt shape was flung toward
the rear of the cavern and crashed to the rock floor beside
Huldah- The old bones snapped and there were piteous screams.
The woman stirred, lifted her head. looked with stupid aston-
ishment at the broken huddleâ€”and then at him. She raised an
arm to shield her eyes from his aura.

Nodonn came back to the two of them, his. armor chiming
with every step. He picked up Isak in his gauntleted left hand
and poised the glaring wooden one, tike a flaming claw. before
me contorted old face.

"Now you will die," said the Battlemaster. "Both of you."

The old man began to laugh.

The claw affixed itself to the dome of his bald skull and
began to twist. The laughter ascended to a shriek. "Kill her!
Kill her! But before you do, took inside! Look..."

The high-pitched croak merged with other sounds. Nodonn
wrung the head from its body and tossed both aside. Wide-
eyed, Huldah watched. There was no fear in her.

Look inside?

She sprawled in gory dust, a few smashed orange blossoms
tangled in her hair. Nodonn exerted his deep farsense Hidden
within that capacious Firvulag abdomen was a twelve-week
fetus, half the length of his little finger. Perfect and strong A
male.

"A son," he breathed. "At last."

256 THE NONBORN KING

But how9 How. beneath this pitiless star's sublethal radia-
tion that had mocked him for eight hundred years9 He was the
almighty Battlemasler. and yet he had begotten only poor weak
things, of which only a few languid daughters still survived

He looked up at the shielding rock He looked down to the
placid woman with her forbidden genes His race had resisted
this mating to the brink of the Nightfall War in the remote Dual
Galaxy But Gomnol, promoting his eugenic schemes, had atso
urged miscegenation as a short-cut to operancy

Could it be9

His redacuve faculty reached gingerly into the tiny brain
But the fetus was too unformed, and he too clumsy He would
have to wait

"You will stay here." he told the woman, "and when my
son is bom, rear him with the utmost care until I come for

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him "

"You will go away now9" Huldah whispered, stricken

"Yes "

Tears sprang from her eyes She slumped, shivering No-
donn picked up the rumpled fur coverlet and laid it over her
shoulders She touched the hard, smooth glass of his gauntlet

"In the back of the cave." she said dully "Your weapon "

His cry was jubilant It was the Sword and its pack' In-
operable, he discovered by flicking a stud, but he would find
a way to repair it He fastened its harness "And now farewell,"
he said to the woman "The child's name will be Thagdal
Remember that "

"Dagdal," she said. weeping "Little Dag 0 God "

He emerged from the cave and exerted his farsight It was
ominously dim, but he discerned a high promontory on the
western shore that would suit his purpose, and he set out briskly
Before he had gone more than a kilometer or two he slowed,
then found himself staggering His convalescent mind and body
were weakening rapidly from the tremendous earlier effort It
was to be expected He would have to be prudent

His creativity, which in former days had called down light-
ning and moved mountains, now barely sufficed to cut a stout

THE GIGANTOMACHY 257

wooden staff for him to lean upon The mighty PK faculty that
once levitated Fifty knights and their battle-chargers strained to
augment his faltering leg muscles as he climbed the cliff

The sun cleared the ndge behind him and seemed to smite
him between the shoulder blades Out of breath, feverish, he
thrust the staff into the earth of the steep trail again and again
and hauled himself along Dust from his shuffling feel hung
about him in the still air The shrubs were pungent with resin
Insects buzzed and the plates of his armor rang discordantly
with the clumsy motions of the staff

Where am I going7 Why am I here9 Yes To call To
send a telepathic message, telling the others that I live Climb
high, above the thought-obstructing rock Otherwise the di-
minished farspeech would have no range

He gained the height at last, still m the midst of a dense
thicket of maquis and twisted jumper It was easier to walk
now, though, and there was a slight breeze Call to them the
survivors of the Host, his blood brothers and sisters Call and
wait for rescue

He came to the promontory's tip, to the open spot where
the umbrella pines grew and ashes and charcoal from Huldah's
last bonfire (the one celebrating his awakening) lay strewn on
a burnt circle of soil And there he had his first view of the
New Sea thdt had drowned his worldâ€”vast and blue, not milk-
white, as the shallow lagoon had beenâ€”extending to a misty
termination on the far horizon and north and south to the limit

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of his mind's feeble eye

Nodonn clutched the staff with both the gauntleted hand
and the wooden one as he began to fail On his knees, still
transfixed by the scene, he groaned aloud The memory came
back the gigantic wave overwhelming them, the ones of the
drowning ones And echoing over chaos, laughter as harsh as
a raven's croak

He rested under one of the scraggly pines and managed to
remove his armor Almost miraculously, he found tiny straw
bemes on plants creeping among the rocks and gathered enough
to assuage both thirst and hunger Then he crept to the brink
of the headland and summoned his farsight again

258

THE NONBORN KING

North: Formerly, Kersic had had salt flats stretching from
its northernmost rocks to the continental scarp east of Var-
Mesk, a small city whose proximity to soda-ash beds made it
a center of glass production- Now all the flats were inundated
and Kersic was a true island.

South: More salt water, all the way to Africa, In that di-
rection had been one of the deepest parts of the old lagoon.

East: The interior of Kersic, rugged and forested.

West: Aven ...

Oh, Goddess, yes. There it lay, dimly perceived. The pen-
insula shrunken, salt water creeping far up the valleys, and
Muriah broken and silent and overgrown with jungle, while
waves lapped at the cracked steps of the Thagdal's palace. The
plantations deserted, the antelopes unharvesled, the chalikos
and hellads reverted to the wild, and a timorous remnant of
domesticated ramas scuttling about the ruins, waiting in vain
for their overlords' commands to reanimate their cold little
tores -

What was left? Who was left? What should he do?

The questions floated in his brain as crazily as the specks
of goldleaf in a stirred goblet of starwater liqueur. A roaring
of blood filled his ears and pulsating colored masses swam
across his blurred vision.

Call for help.

No!

Why did the precognitive flare of warning admonish him?
Why did every instinct shriek thai he should take care, make
no overt sign until he had recovered more fullyâ€”until he
learned what had taken place during the six lost months he lay
unconscious in the Kersican cave?

What was there to hide from? Who?

He slipped into unconsciousness. When his eyes opened
again he knew that he must not call to his brothers and sisters,

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nor to the faint telepathic focuses that marked the mainland
cities. There was only one person he dared reveal himself to,
one who could be trusted to tell him the truth about the post-
diluvian Many-Colored Land, Weak as he was, he could still
direct his thought on the intimate mode and eventually reach

THE GIGANTOMACHY 259

her. She would have known that he lived- She would still listen
for his call, even though logic insisted he was dead.

If anyone could come to him, she would.

Summoning his remaining strength, he fashioned a small
bright needle of thought, a farspoken call that arrowed over
the New Sea and spanned Europe, to be perceived by one mind
alone:

Mercy.

THE STAR WAS K 1-226 IN HIS CATALOG, BUT AS SOON AS HE

focused on that oddball three-planet system he knew it had to
be Ehnon And second from the sun, six million years younger
and in the midst of one of its miniature Ice Ages, was Poltroy
The inhabitants, who would in the Milieu be admired for their
urbanity and diplomatic equipoise, were roughly at the pithe-
canthropine level of mental development Pudgy little cannibals
swathed to their ruby eyes m fish-fur romped over glaciers with
nothing on their precoadunate minds but the ambush of their
neighbors and the subsequent breaking of their skulls for a
euchanstic brain-feast

Ehnon was the last star in Marc Ren-ullard's search-
sequence and clearly useless for his purposes, nevertheless he
lingered more than two hours past the allotted scrutiny time,
fascinated by the primitive Pottroyans He told himself that it
was intellectual cunosity about this familiar world and its one-
day-to-be-famous people His superego sneered and suggested
that he would use any excuse to delay homecoming and the
nasty surpnse thai very likely awaited him

The paleolithic Pottroyans hipped and hopped and bipped
and bopped, and genuflected politely to their dead victims
before starting the ntual trepannmg operations The blood-
thirsty chieftain of one little clan was a doppelganger for Om-
inen-Limpirotin, Fourth Interlocutor of the Concilium

260

THE GIGANTOMACHY 261

Marc withdrew his farsight at last He told the search-
director EXPLICIT Immediately he was back in his own body,
enclosed in the opaque armor that sustained his life during the
period of hundredfold cortical overload He could see someone
waiting in the observatory anteroom and for one hopeful instant
his heart lifted and he thought the premonition false But it was
not Hagen out there Patricia Castellane had come, fully mind-
blocked, and the intimation of disaster was confirmed

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DISENGAGE AUXILIARY CEREBROENERGETTCS His brain be-
gan to cool There was a nauseating implosion of pseudosen-
sation somewhere behind his eyeballs

REESTABLISH NORMAL METABOLIC FUNCTION An interval
of suspensory coolness, quiet marble solidity after cometary
flight

SEVER DRIVE LINKAGE, ACTIVATE CARRIAGE DESCENT KILL
FENSIVE X-LASER ARRAYS REPORT BODY FUNCTION

"Normal parameters all operator body functions," the scan-
ner reassured him At this point, Hagen should have taken
over, supervising removal of the brain-probes and freeing his
father from the armor after double-checking his vital signs
No help came There would never be any now
Aloud and lelepathically, he gave his own divestment com-
mands

WITHDRAW CEREBRAL ELECTRODES WITHDRAW CEREBEL-
LUM AND STEM CONTACTS REMOVE GODDAM FUCKING HELMET

Imperturbable, the computer transmitted his orders Helmet
dogs clicked open, clamps latched on, the heavy cerameldl
casque rotated a quarter turn, and the hoist's vibration reached
him through the attached cables. There was warm humid air,
indirect light, and the familiar digital chronograph reminding
him that this was Pliocene Earth

230733 16 5 +27
The body armor fell apart in two halves and the carnage
tilted to allow him egress He did a few isometrics in place,
absently touched one of the tiny wounds on his forehead left
by the psychoelectromc crown of thorns, and noted that the
blood had already clotted Below the neck he was clad in a
black, skintight pressure-envelope coverall, studded with re-

262 THE NONBORN KING

ceptacles for the circulatory shunts. The coverall was sopping
wet and stinking of the dermal lavage he had floated in for the
past twenty days. He told himself that he really ought to re-
formulate the gunk with a more pleasing scent.

Marc. May I come in?

The gut-clutch that had been only temporarily sidetracked
by the divestment routine got in its licks- Time for the reaily
bad news.

He climbed out of the armor and sent it off to the equipment
bay. The dome-room door opened and there was Patricia, car-
rying two tall iced drinks garnished with lime. She wore a
backless formal dress of pale blue shot with golden threads.
She looked much younger and her hair, unbound, had become
the color of the maple-sugar candy Marc remembered from his
New Hampshire youth.

He accepted her kiss, as briefly melting as a snowflake's
touch, then took the drink and let the alcohol-laced citrus soothe
his throat. He asked, "How many others went with Hagen?"

"Twenty-eight. All of the children and the five grandbabies

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as well. They took all of the ATVs and smashed every boat
on the island over six meters length overall."

"Equipment?"

"Five tons of assorted weaponry, the portable sigma gen-
erator, all of the mechanical mind-screens, a very odd selection
of manufacturing and processing units, miscellaneous supplies.
They left four days ago. We went after them in the small boats,
but Hagen and Phil Overton and young Keogh generated a
squall that nearly wiped us out. And without you, our attempt
at long-range coercive synthesis failed."

"Four days." The dark-circled eyes were more haunted than
ever. "They planned it well- By now, they're out of my coercive
range."

"But not beyond a massed creative thrust, if you furnish
primary impetus. There's no place on Earth they can escape a
psychozap... if you choose to use it. They're gambling that
you won't, of course." Patricia's mental aspect was neutral.
But then, she had no offspring among the fugitives.

"I've got to think." Marc ran a hand through his damp wiry

THE GiGANTOMACHY 263

curls. The chemical smell of the coverall seemed irrationally
offensive to him; and as always after a star-search, he was
famished. "I'm going to shower and change. Have you had
supper?"

"I waited for you. You're late."

The characteristic one-sided smile flashed as they came into
the dressing room. "I dawdled over the last star system, post-
poning the inevitable."

"You expected this?" Her expression showed the dismay
that her mind-shield had kept hidden from him.

"I'm beginning to think that I deliberately provoked it."

He stripped off the coverall and entered the old-fashioned
shower cubicle, luxuriating in its preprogrammed small com-
forts: pulsing needlejets of warm fresh water and liquid Canoe
soap, salt spray, and the final icy deluge. As she handed him
the toga-towel, Patricia let her eyes roam over his body in a
frank appraisal that was only half jesting.

"What a pity the star-search makes you lose your tan. Other-
wise ... the same old frosty-haired Adonis with the Mephisto
eyebrows. God, how I hate a self-rejuvenating man." And covet
your membrum virile!

"Sorry, luv. Another casualty of the search. For now, at
any rate." Until I get mad enough to start the life-juices flowing
again-

She sighed- "Two wasted weeks in the regen tank to perk
up my faded allure. Why do I bother?"

"You're magnificent. I like the new hair. Just have pa-

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tience." And she wouldâ€”ever considerate, ever faithful, and
never ruining it by loving him. Patricia Castellane, who had
directed the obliteration of her own home-planet in support of
his Rebellion, was the only woman to share his bed since the
death of Cyndia, back in the apocalypse on Eider Earth.

"Shall I summon the others?" she asked.

He pulled on a ruffled shirt. "We might as well get on with
it. Call Steinbrenner, Kramer, Dalembert, Ragnar Gathen,
Warshaw. Van Wyk if he's sober. Strangford whether she is
or not. And the Keoghs." He wound a scarlet cummerbund
around his waist.

THE NONBORN KING

264

"Alexis Mamon9"

"To hell with him I'm surprised he didn't take off with the
kids' Encouraging that damn Felice schemeâ€”" He broke off
The interrogatory thought flared

One part of Patricia's mind responded to Marc as another
sent out the telepathic summons "Felice killed Vaughn Jarrow
in their first encounter with her Cloud and Elaby and Owen
are all right, but the mission is in disarray " A repnse of Owen's
reports from Spam passed instantly from Patricia's memory to
Marc's own He knew about Felice and Elizabeth, and about
the coronation and mamage of Alken Drum "With Felice out
of the picture for the moment," Patricia concluded, "Elaby and
Cloud are concentrating on saving Jill They still profess loyalty
to you in spite of the defection of the other children, and say
that they expect to follow your directives "

Marc allowed himself a bark of cynical laughter He ran a
comb through his hair, then offered Patricia his arm They left
the observatory and walked along the shore of Lake Serene
toward his house The young moon had gone down and the
semitropical sky blazed with diamond stars None of the con-
stellations had the twenty-second-century pattern, of course,
but the exiled rebels had named new ones Mars hung low in
the west, a baleful cockade on Napoleon's Hat

"Elaby and Cloud will have given up on Felice, now that
she's gone to Elizabeth," Marc observed "I think we're safe
in assuming that the new target will be Alken Drum "

"A direct assault on him when the other children reach
Europe?"

"Not unless Elaby and Cloud have lost their minds "

"A proposal to join forces, then9"

Marc paused, looking over the lake There were boats on
the glimmering water carrying his old co-conspirators toward
his dock, the men and women who had been magnates of the
Concilium until they linked their fates with his dream of human
ascendancy in the Galactic Milieu Debarring Manion, there
were only eleven principals left aliveâ€”counting Patricia and
Owenâ€”and thirty-one subordinates

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He said, "The most likely course for the children to follow

THE GIGANTOMACHY

265

would be some kmd of peaceful overture to Alken Drum We
still don't have any clear idea of his full potential or his vul-
nerabilities Given the children's lack of experience, their judg-
ment of King Alken-Lugonn is going to be even more flawed
than our own "

"The Firvulag royalty tried d crudely concerted attack on
him during the Grand Loving festivities They failed We
weren't able to analyze the reason for the failure because of
the distance, but Jeff Stembrenner thinks Alken might have
been wearing a stem-shield generator "

"Perhaps On the other hand, this nonbom kinghng may
simply have grown in power He's capable of it A most in-
teresting young man' His metapsychic faculties are only part
of his arsenai, you know He seems to be an instinctive poli-
tician as well "

There was fear close below the surface of Patricia's mind
"If Alken Drum should respond favorably to the plan to reopen
the timegateâ€”" She left the rest unsaid With a two-way pas-
sage between the Pliocene and the Milieu, agents of the Mag-
istratum would see that justice was visited upon the surviving
rebels, even after twenty-seven years

Mare looked up at the countless stars and was silent for
several minutes Then he said, "Just a single world with a
coadunate racial mind That's all I need to find, Pat The
altruism of the Unity would compel them to come for us if we
asked for refuge and they wouldn't comprehend the truth
about poor flawed humanity until it was too late We'd have
a fresh start, but this time there would be no mistakes We'd
spin our takeover bid across decades Infiltrate while we en-
gender an enormous new generation artificially We could do
itâ€”even the handful of us who remain If I could only find
the star

"Marc. what are we to do now^ she ined

He took her hand and placed it on his arm again They
resumed their walk to the house, where the dock lights had
come on and at least six boats had already arrived

"Come along and share my supper." he told her, "and then
we'll talk about it with the others " His redaction pressed gently

THE NONBORN KING

266

against her still-firm mental screen. "Don't be afraid to open
to me. Pat. I've known for a long time that you and the others
feel that my star-search is futile. Perhaps my own subconscious
does, too. If that's the caseâ€”and I'll know the truth before
we Finish tonightâ€”I may decide that it's time for a completely
new plan of action."

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"I'm not afraid to say it, if the rest of you are!"
Gerrit Van Wyk's eyes were bulging and bright. With his
wide mouth slightly open, scalp shining in the verandah lamp-
light, and trembling little hands clutching a drained glass with
rattling ice cubes, he looked more than ever like a truculent
frog. He took a deep breath.

"We've had plenty of hints that something like this might
happen. The Felice affair was a clear indication of the way the
children's minds were working. And can we blame them? Face
it. Marc! Your notion of finding another coadunate world is a
long shot at best, and you've had twenty-five years to bring it
home. More than thirty-six thousand systems scanned, and only
twelve with rational beingsâ€”none even approaching coad-
unation of the racial Mind."

Marc still sat with Patricia at the small dining table while
the nine others stood about awkwardly or occupied the scattered
wicker furniture. Patricia opened the waiter and removed two
plates with mangos for dessert. Marc skewered his and began
to peel it with a silver knife, catching the drippings by psy-
chokinesis.

"This time out," he said, "I found Poltroy."

Eight of the nine gave vent to excited mental and vocal
comments. But Cordelia Warshaw, the cultural anthropologist
and psychotactician, knew better. "How far up the ladder were
they?"

"Roughly erectus."

Her head bobbed confirmation. "It figures, given their slower
evolutionary pace. What a pity you didn't find the Lyimik

instead."

Marc ate neat slices of the fiendishly juicy fruit while his
mind displayed a reprise of the search-sequence, reminding

THE GIGANTOMACHY

267

them all that he had begun the hunt by examining the rare star-
group containing the Lyimik home-sun- He had found no trace
of the galaxy's most ancient rational race.

"They're out there somewhere." He touched his lips with a
napkin. "But God knows where."

"The vague little masterminds did something to their sun,"
Kramer said bitterly. "Marc and 1 went over the matter years
ago. There's no telling what spectroscopic signature it has-here
in the Pliocene- Some astrophysicists among the Krondaku
speculate that they might have goosed the dying star back onto
the main sequence a million years or so before the first coad-
unate fusion. If that's true ..." He shrugged.

"I can't waste time examining incipient red giants," Marc
said. "Our chances are slim enough if I stick with the likely
prospects."

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"Our chances are nil, now that the kids are gone," Van Wyk
exclaimed. He struggled out of his chair and reached for the
vodka decanter, then lugged frantically at the bottle that seemed
welded to its iray-

Helayne Strangford's laugh was strident. "If I can't have
mine, neither can you, Gerry! Watch the end coming, cold
straight sober! Or do we postpone it. Marc? Do we? Are you
going to ask us to help you kill them? Our own children? So
that we'll be safe?"

She had come to the table and stood over Marc with a
contorted face and fists pressed into her thighs, taut as an
overtuned string in spite of Steinbrenner's heroic redaction job
of an hour previous. From his own depths the Angel of the
Abyss considered her threat and reacted mercifully. Helayne
collapsed into Steinbrenner's wailing arms, overcome by a
simple motor paralysis and simultaneous muting of her speech;

but her understanding was left intact. The physician lowered
her onto a couch. Dalembert and Warshaw propped her up with
cushions.

"It will be a hard decision for all of us, Helayne," Marc
said. "You love Leila and Chris and little Joel, and Ragnar
loves Elaby, and the Keoghs love Nial. and Peter and Jordy
and Cordelia love their children and grandchildren."

THE NONBORN KING

268

And you, the silenced mind accused him.

"And me," Marc acknowledged. He pushed back his chair
and rose. One of the screened jalousie casements was slightly
ajar and moths were coming in and orbiting the lamps- He
pulled the latch to, casually exterminated the insects, and stood
leaning against a porch pillar with his hands thrust in his pock-
ets.

"Cloud and Hagen are all that I have left of Cyndia. It was
necessary that I bring them here, to share my exile- Wrong,
but necessary." His gaze swept the others. "Just as it was
wrong, but human and understandable, for the rest of you to
reproduce here in the Pliocene. We hoped we could revitalize
our dream, transmit it to the young ones. All of us failed in
thatâ€”and 1 failed doubly, in not finding a world that would
come to our rescue."

"There is still time," Patricia said. "Centuries, if we choose
to use them! If we have the courage."

"We took our risk in the Rebellion!" snapped Jordan Kra-
mer. "My first family died on Okanagon, in case you've for-
gotten, and Datembert's son was in the Twelfth Fleet. Don't
lecture us on courage- Castellane. As for love, we all know
you're incapableâ€”"

"Jordy," said Marc. One winged brow lifted. No mind-thrust
was needed to cut off the physicist's tirade. Sick-faced, Kramer
turned his back on the rest of them and stared into the night.

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Ragnar Gathen's slow voice came from a shadowy comer.
"The star-search was a wonderful idea, one that gave us hope,
made this exile more bearable. But the children ... they never
knew you as we do, Marc. So now, when they see a possibility
of release from this prison that we chose for them, they must
seize it."

"When the time-gate reopens," Van Wyk staled, "we die-
Or have our personalities obliterated after the humiliation of a
public trial."

Gathen said, "Elaby promised me that the children would
destroy the time-gate after passing through."

"Hagen would do otherwise," said Marc. "Not consciously,

THE GiGANTOMACHV

269

perhaps. But somehow the gate would remain open, and the
agents would come-

Sweet-faced little Dr. Warshaw nodded. "Marc's right. And
his child isn't the only one harboring retributive sets. The only
safe course open to us is killing them all." She stroked one of
Helayne's hands. The paralyzed woman's eyes were shut, pour-
ing tears.

"It does seem to be the logical solution," said Patricia. "If
even a few of the children survive to show Aiken Drum that
data on reconstructing Guderian's apparatus, sooner or later
he'll undertake the job himselfâ€”with or without the help of
the manufacturing equipment that the children stole. I've an-
alyzed the probability."

"We endorse Castellane's conclusion," said Diannid Keogh.
The mind of his sister Deirdre projected the remorseless image
of the concerted psychoenergetic blast they would all have to
synthesize to bring the resolution.

The leader of the Metapsychic Rebellion was looking blindly
toward the wall of the house. Looking eastward. "There is
another possibility. A risky one."

Wrenching silence.

"I see them," Marc said. 'The ATV modular combine is
moving very slowly through the region of calms and light winds
called the horse latitudes. Their sails are useless, since they've
channeled all of their PK into the main impeller. It would be
rather easy to blast them out of the water. It would be much
more difficult to heat up a large air mass somewhere southeast
of their position and maneuver it to blow them back home to
us."

"Is it possible?" cried Peter Dalembert. his mind a garboil
of conflict.

"How about it, Jordy?" asked Marc.

'They're pretty far out." Kramer was dubious as he did the

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calculations. "Damn near two thousand kilometers, thanks to
their initial push. And we can't simply heat air from scratch,
you know. We have to locate a suitable tropical low that will
respond to our hype-up, then move it in. One like this." He

THE NONBORN KING

270

showed Marc an image "Anything like thai north of the equa-
tor''"

"No," Marc said

Kramer shrugged "There you are We could wait a week,
even two, before one showed up They could be across by
thenâ€”or into the zone of prevailing westerlies, where we
wouldn't have a dimbuck's chance of forcing them back "

There's this," said Marc, presenting another meteorological
image to the physicist "Off the African coast "

"H'mm Not too shabby, if we could boot it back west It
also has the potential of pushing them onto the Moroccan shore
if we find that we can't raise enough wind to bring them home "

"Damnut, Jordy," Steinbrenner growled, "we've got enough
watts to divert hurricanes from Ocaiaâ€”so why is it so bloody
tncky to conjure up a useful wind7"

"Diverting an air mass is a whole 'nother thing from hyping
one up, Jeff Or moving it counter to the planetary winds that
prevail this time of me year We have forty-two minds left to
work with, but six or seven are virtually worthless for a PK-
creative job Whatever we try. it's going to be hellaceous tough
on the operators "

"And the children wili fight back, count on it," Diarmid
Keogh reminded them Deirdre projected the memory of the
vicious squall that the fugitives had engendered on their first
day out, and Diarmid appended, "You'll see that it was our
own dear Nial leading the push to drown his lovin' da and
mumsyâ€”and working mighty handily with Phil Overton and
your Hagen, Marc, for all that the lads are noncoadunate Yes,
we must assume that every mind among the children will re-
sist "

"They have photon weapons, too," Van Wyk said tremu-
lously

"Don't talk like an idiot, Gerry," said Patricia "Marc's here
now None of those portable zappers can touch us They'd be
inside Marc's coercive range before the zappers had hne-of-
sighl on Ocala."

"They'll use everything they've got," Van Wyk persisted

"Perhaps fight to the death," Warshaw added softly

THE GiGANTOMACHY

271

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Marc had gone back to contemplation of his earlier farseen
vision "We might try to save the children Above all, gain
time to increase the number of options Don't forget Cloud and
Elaby and Owen in Europe, with Felice temporarily absent
from her lair and Alken Drum susceptible to manipulation I
must have time to think, to study the situation "

"You've had twenty-seven years," muttered Van Wyk reck-
lessly

But Marc was far away "If we find that we can't turn the
children back, we can certainly deflect them away from Europe
If they're driven onto the African coast, we'll have a chance
to mind-zap the equipment and still spare their lives Neutralize
their threat until we can mount our own action Yes

He came back to himself, to touch each mind with a split
second's coercive force, then the more hypnotic persuasion

"The star-search' If it had succeeded, it would have been
our salvation an acceptable substitute for our old dream that
failed My dreamâ€”my failure that drew you along with me
You and the other faithful ones chose to follow me here to the
Pliocene and try again And again, I've failed Our children
cling to their own dream, and I've been forced to consider the
implications of their choice 1 have done that for twenty days
as I ranged the starsâ€”and here again tonight white we looked
for solutions to this dilemma The final decision will be mine
But tell me how you would vote Now "

"Kill them," said Cordelia Warshaw

Patricia agreed "It's the only safe course "

There was a moment of hesitation, but only Gemt Van Wyk
joined the two women m the death pronouncement The others
chose the more dangerous course

Marc spread the new construct before them, the revision
that might insure their own safety while granting their off
spring's wish to return to the Milieu There was an equal prob-
ability that the plan would spell the doom of all of themâ€”and
the unsuspecting inhabitants of the Many-Colored Land as well

"This is what 1 shall do," Marc said "Will you follow me7"

In a single telepathic acquiescence, the former members of
the Galactic Concilium reaffirmed his leadership

272 THE NONBORN KING

"Very well. I'll contact Owen lonight. Tomorrow we begin
modification of my star-search equipment and construction of
a new vehicle- We will maroon the defecting children in Africa,
and see that they remain there until we're ready for them. If
no unforeseen screw-ups develop, we should be ready to go to
Europe about the end of August."

FELICE MOVED RESTLESSLY ABOUT THE BALCONY OF BLACK

Crag Lodge, a farouche woodland sprite in a white leather kilt,

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doe eyes flicking and nervous farsenses sweeping the mountain
foresi like a beacon

"You're safe here," Elizabeth insisted. She stood in the
doorway, dressed in the old red denim jumpsuit that the girl
would remember from the auberge: a fnend, an anchor to the
past Every day for more than two weeks now the raven had
flown up to the chalet, perched on the upper balcony and turned
into a frightened young girl. And every day, in spite of Eliz-
abeth's expert persuasion, the raven had refused to slay, flying
away after an ever-lengthening interval of conversation Today,
Felice had dared to remain for more than two hours

"There were bad nightmares last night, Elizabeth "

"I'm sorry "

"I'm going to scream out loud soon If I do that, I'll die
I'll drown in gold and shit."

"Unless you let me help you," Elizabeth agreed

The mad eyes seemed to swell enormously Talons sank
into Elizabeth's brainâ€”but before they could do harm the
Grand Master redactor slipped an adamant barrier into place.
The mind-gnp slipped, clenched impotentiy against unyielding
slickness, then withdrew.

"Iâ€”I didn't mean to do that," said Felice.

273

274 THE NONBORN KING

"You did " The redactor's voice was sad "You'd kill any
thing that threatened to love you '

"No'"

'Yes Your brain is short-circuited The pleasure-pain path-
ways are anomalously fused Shall I show you the difference
between your mental structure and one I would call normal7"

"All right "

The images, of awesome complexity but bristling with labels
that even this untaught child could comprehend, formed in the
vestibulum of Felice's mind She studied the two brains for
nearly fifteen minutes, hiding behind her own screen And then
a crack opened and d shy thing peeped out

"Elizabethâ€”<? This brain is mine7"

"As close an approximation as I can produce, without ac-
tually entering you '

"Whose is the other7"

"Sister Amene's "

The girl shuddered She came away from the balcony railing
and approached Elizabeth, a pale and tiny figure, utterly for-
lorn "I'm a monster I'm not human at all, am I7"

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"You can be All of this is in your unconsciousâ€”and since
your opening of the Straits of Gibraltar, it has profoundly af-
fected your conscious mind as well But you can be healed
There's still time "

"But not much time7"

'No, child Before long, you'll be incapable of the volition
necessary to permit redaction You must freely let me in, you
see You're much too strong for me to overpower And even
if you do freely submit, your healing is going to be a very
hazardous undertaking for me Until you came here, until I
was able to scan you at close range, I didn't realize how haz-
ardous "

"I could kill you7'

"Easily "

"But you'd still try to help me7"

"Yes "

The elfin face with its pointed chin tilted up The dark eyes
swam with unshed tears "Why7 To save the world from me9"

THE GIGANTOMACHY

275

"Partly," Elizabeth admitted "But also to save you "

Felice's eyes shifted An odd little smile appeared "You're
as bad as Amene She was after my soul You're a Catholic,
too, aren't you7"

"Yes "

"What good is itâ€”here, m the Pliocene9"

"Not much, sometimes But the basic lifeway remains, and
I must try to adhere to it "

The girl laughed "Even when you doubt7"

"Especially then," said Elizabeth "You're very clever, Fe-
lice " She drew back from the doorway, turned and went across
the room to where two chairs stood before a large window
"Come in and sit down "

Felice hesitated The redactor felt the swirl of conflicting
emotion agitating the girl, stark fear fighting against the genuine
love-need that still abided, nearly crushed beneath the burden
of guilt and perversion

Keeping her own eyes on the view beyond the window, the
rolling hills of the Montagne Noire, the distant gleam of Lac
Provencal, Elizabeth slipped into one of the chairs The raven
still had not flown Felice watched, and then a sinuous little
probe tried to slip past the redactor's defenses cunous, des-
perately hopeful

Elizabeth covered her face with her hands and prayed She
lowered her barrier completely and said, "Look into my mind

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if you wish, Felice Be gentle, child See that I've told you
the truthâ€”that I desire only to help you "

The thing entered tempted came closer inadvertently
revealed a glimpse of itself 0 God see the pathetic betrayal
of the poor infant girl by her wretched parents Had it made
her incapable of responding to any parent figure7

"You love me7" Incredulity the fury held in abeyance

"I had no children of my own, but I loved many of them
And healed them. and taught them It was my life in the Milieu "

"But none of them were as bad as me "

"None needed me as much as you do, Felice "

The girl was sitting in the other chair, leaning toward the
figure in the red jumpsuit with the hidden face It was only

276 THE NONBORN KING

Elizabeth! She who had been kind back at the auberge, con-
vincing the officials to relinquish chaining her to the chair after
the attack on Counselor Shonkwiler. Elizabeth who had bun-
gled the elk-hunting, then showed such gratitude when Felice
took over the distasteful skinning and gutting task. Elizabeth
who had been so sad about losing her husband- Who had learned
to pilot a balloon so that she couid fly free and at peace in the
Pliocene... only to give up that freedom and peace so that
Felice might escape Culluket.

"I believe you," said a small voice. The monster receded
into the far distance

Elizabeth lowered her hands, straightened, smited. "Shall I
tell you how it would be done?"

Felice nodded. Her cloud of platinum hair was electric with
excitement.

"First, we'll need to work in a safe place, where the dis-
charges from your mind won't be a danger to others. Have you
ever heard of Brede's room without doors?"

Felice shook her head.

"It's a mechanical mind-screening device of great power.
Brede used it as a refuge, when the pressure from other men-
talities became too great to bear. When she was within it, she
could see out by means of her farsightâ€”but no other mind
could reach her. Brede let me share this refuge for a time
Before she died in the Flood, she gave the device to my friends
so that I might have it here. The room without doors isn't a
prison. Those inside can leave it at will. But if I am to undertake
your healing, you must agree to slay inside the room with me
for the duration of the treatment. Perhaps several weeks."

"I agree."

'There is another condition. Now that 1 know how strong
you really are, I would like to use helpers in certain phases of
your healing. I'm not as strong as I was in the Milieu. You

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remember that 1 had lost my metapsychic powers and only
regained them with the shock of passing through the time-gate."

"I remember. Who would be the helpers?"

"Creyn and Dionket."

The girl frowned. "Creyn is all right. I'm not afraid of him.

277

THE GIGANTOMACHY

But the Lord Healer.. .he's stronger than my Culluket, and
yet he didn't stop the torture. He was too cowardly. And now
he hides away in the Pyrenees with Mmanonn and the stupid
Peace Faction most of the time, instead of helping his people
fight the Firvulag. I think that's despicable!"

"You don't understand Dionket. Nevertheless, you must
accept my need of his assistance."

"How would you use the two exotics? They could never
hold me, you know "

"Not using their own powers. But I would program a number
of specialized mental restraints that they would operate while
I was occupied with more complex healing functions. Think
of a surgeon going deep into the body, using retractors and
hemozaps and other devices to allow a clear field of work.
Dionket and Creyn will free me from having constantly to
monitor your defense mechanisms while I perform the cathar-
sis."

Felice was silent. The great brown eyes were abstracted,
seeming to watch a fire-backed eagle that wheeled slowly in
the cloudless May sky. At last she said, "And when it was all
finished, would I be goodT

"You'd be sane, child. Only God knows the other "

The monster peered out, mocking Elizabeth. "Amerie
couldn't prove to me that there was a God. Or if there was,
that he cared about us. Can you prove it9"

"There are rational proofs for a First Cause and an Omega.
for the Father and Son. Empirical proofs for the Love that we
call the Holy Spirit. But I never knew a single being who
attained faith through the proofs. Mostly, they seem to be used
after the fact of conversion... as reassurances."

"To plaster over your doubts, you mean!"

"To shore up our weakness. But the need has to come first,
I think. That seems to be the only real proof- The need for
love."

"Amerie said something like that to me once I wanted to
believe in a God then. I needed his-help. Perhaps he existed
then, for me Now he doesn't. There is no God and there are

278 THE NONBORN KING

no devils and you are nothing but a dream of mine! There!

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Now you know what I think."

"Feliceâ€”"

"Does it make a difference? Thai I don't believe any of you
exist? Can you still heal me?"

"I'm confident that I can."

The monster's grin bloomed like a poisonous flower. "I
wonder if your God would approve of your great confidence!
If you bite off more than you can chew. you'll pay the price.
And a lot of other people might, too."

Elizabeth stood up, her mind still open. "Make your choice
now, Felice. Agree to the healingâ€”or leave and never come
back."

The diabolical smile faded. There came the old fear, and
the still older need that had never been fulfilled. Poor tormented
infant, accepting hurt in place of love, filth as substitute beauty,
death's oblivion rather than agonized life.

"Well?" said Elizabeth.

"I'll stay with you," the girl whispered.

Her wall tumbled down. A naked thing looked.at Elizabeth
and waited-

SOMETIMES, AlKEN DECIDED, BEING A KING WAS A CROCK OF

shit.

He was wide-awake al three in the morning, glumly watching
Ihe lawny owls chase mice around the ramparts and balconies
of the Castle of Glass. The house lights were off. He'd had to
decree a blackout once a week in order to give the feathered
hunters a clear field in their war on the rodents, who throve
as a result of his courtiers' penchant for alfresco dining.

ll had been a frustrating day- Celadeyr of Afaliah had taken
great exception to Aiken's master plan for the raid on Felice's
lair. He objected to having to supply all the chalikos for the
campaign, and he wanted the rendezvous to be in his own city
rather than at the Gulf of Guadalquivir. He had given in with
very bad grace when Aiken asserted his royal authority.

Then Yosh Walanabe told him that the new shipment of
bamboo was hopeless for fighting-kite bones. The stuff was
too weak for use in the big man-carrying o-dako, and too brittle
for the smaller rokkaku. It was back to the drawing board (and
the swamp) if they hoped to have a kite-fighting event in the
Grand Toumey this fall-
Then came news that the damn barenecks had mutinied in
the main candy factory down in Rocilan. Aiken sent Alberonn
to check it out and it was discovered that a cadre of Aiken's
jumped-up gold-tores (the ones without any significant iaten-

279

THE NONBORN KING

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280

cies) had been running a scam, forcing production to unnatu-
rally high levels by overworking the bares and ramas, then
selling surplus goodies on the Lowlife black market The golds
had been promptly snuffed and the hamed workers given a
revised quota But Alken brooded over how much more ripping
off his dubious recruits might be into, and he finally decided
to recall the entire elite guard back to Gonah where he could
keep it under his coercive thumb, rather than spreading it out
It would leave some city garrisons dangerously undermanned,
but that would happen anyway once he got the Spanish cam-
paign off the ground

Then there was Bardelask The Famorel Little People were
closing in, polishing off the outlying Valentmois plantations
one by one Lady Armida was ninnmg scared (with good rea
son), demanding that the sovereign lead a relief force to put
the fear of Tana into old Mimee and his gang

Alken couldn't do it, of course. Not with all his big guns
mobilizing for the move into Koneyn Poor Bardelask was
expendable, even though he didn't dare admit it to Armida
The principal strategic objective was the photomc Spear and
the cache of golden tores that Felice had squirreled away Any
day now, Elizabeth would wind up her redact job and turn the
monster loose (Alken's spy m Black Crag estimated that the
brain overhaul would take another two weeksâ€”but who could
nsk il9) He had to raid the treasure-cave before Felice emerged
from the room without doors and then, following Cullukel's
plan, ambush her before she added it ail up

Then a newly arrived Lowlife from the Vosges region re
ported that some kind of Free Human expedition was in the
offing There were also rumors that the outlaws would soon
have other weapons besides the iron

And Sullivan-Tonn "respectfully requested" that he and Olone
be allowed to move to Afaliah, and Olone defied her husband
right to his face, calling him a jealous old cheese-pecker all
the while giving Alken the eye (The request was taken under
advisement )

As a result of all the demands made on him during the day,

THE GIGANTOMACHY

281

Alken had been late to supper The roast swan dried out and
the souffle fell

And for the fifth night in a row. Mercy had merely sub-
mitted, unaroused, and blamed it on "fey influences" abroad
in the May night

This last, unaccountably, had troubled Alken most of all
He himself had felt the presence of some uncanny mental sub-
stratum, but inexperienced as he was in the nuances of farsens-
ing, he could not even confirm its existence, much less identify
it or trace its source He had appealed to Culluket, but the
Interrogator detected nothing Whatever the emanation was, it

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seemed closely directed along the uniquely human mode

After Mercy fell asleep, when he was coldly alert and un-
sexed, he finally worked up the nerve to check out one of his
most insidious suspicions that she herself was the source of
the metapsychic disturbance While she lay there among the
satin sheets, he carefully fashioned a soft mind-probe, sup-
posedly mdetectable, that could be merged with his great coer-
cive faculty and used to winkle out secrets The Interrogator
had been training him in its operation over the past several
months, and he had used it successfully on other humansâ€”
notably the potentially traitorous Sullivan But Alken had never
yet dared to use it on his wife Redaction was his shakiest
power, and if she caught him

In her sleep. Mercy smiled A pang of fury shot through
him It had to be' There was no other explanation No other
way to explain why she was no longer afraid of himâ€”and
thus, no longer responsive

The probe had slid easily into her, oblique and wheedling

Are you happy Mercy my love"

So happy

And why are you happy ?

1 have my child and I have my sweet acushia

And who is he7

Who else but my own true Iover''

(But no image, damn her') Look upon your lover dear Mercv
and tell me what you see

I see the new sun rising beyond the inland sea

282 THE NONBORN KING

(Sun!) Do you hear his voice?

I hear it now

(But she could be talking about Me!) What is his name
Mercy my love7

His name is Joy. Brightness Culmination

Where is he woman where is he WHO is he?

Oh. . oh... halfway betwixt Var-Mesk and hell alas don't
go Love don't nsk the Monster wait for me to help wait - -

Jesus'

He whisked his coercive effort from her cortex to the stem
reticulum until her frenzied movements calmed and her breath
became stow and regular and there was no risk that she might
awaken. But something at her deepest mental level was now
aware. It had not recognized him as the intruder, but it knew
that there was danger. Alken waited, but the crystal of cog-
nizance continued to glow. Finally he had to withdraw with

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the utmost caution. He waited awhile, then climbed out of bed,
put on a robe, and retired to the balcony to think.

Every one of those replies Mercy had given could be applied
to himself, as well as to the other. Only the fleeting reference
to Var-Mesk was puzzling (Unless you classed the entire bloody
Q&A as an enigmatic totality ) Mind-probes' What a rotten,
cowardly thing to doâ€”grubbing around inside the brain of the
woman he loved, looking for an excuse to set her up.

Yes, set her up.

Yes, the woman he loved.

"Never again," he vowed. "No matter what I suspect about
her. If it's true after all, and he's back. I'll find out soon
enough. But not by probing Mercy."

He stood at the parapet watching the owls and listening to
the surf from the Strait of Redon lash the distant seawall. How
true it was: Being a king could be hell.

He went switch-off, stopped thinking, let his racing mind
go flaccid inside the snug screens of his own weaving and the
artificial mental shield of the psychoelectronic device he now
wore constantly. Downhearted, tinged with vagrant dread, he
floated..

And heard it.

THE GIGANTOMACHY

283

A farspoken voice, faint but distinct on his intimate mode
in spite of the stacked barricade.

Aiken Drum. Greetings at last You've been a hard nut to
crack, you know Don't be afraid We've been trying to be-
speak you for nearly a week nowâ€”with a good deal of untidy
slop-over on the European end unfortunately. It must have been
very uncomfortable for those around you

"Who the fuck is that?" Aiken whispered

Laughter. Easy, lad, easy Trace the thought-beam. Can
you do that? Right. Way to hetl and gone across the Atlantic.
Nowhere near you or your Many-Colored Kingdom. Only me
speaking to you now. not the others. And no threat to you.
Just the opposite, actually.

"Identify yourself," he said between gritted teeth, straining
to penetrate the dark distance, "or I'll phase in the sigma!"

You have one of those available? Interesting But I'd still
get through. Your own metapsychic wall is much more for-
midable than any contrivance, you know. Very effective, for
an uncoadunate amateur- That's why we had such difficulty
reaching you in the first place. But it never would have done
for us to hail you on the ordinary declamatory mode What we
have to discuss is for your mind alone.

"Show yourself, damnut!"

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Very well-

An image: massive, shining and metallic, roughly humanoid
in shape, artifact of high technology- Space armor? Radiation
shielding? Extremity life-support equipment? Superimposed was
the man's face, ruggedly handsome; cleft chin and wide mouth.
sunken eyes with winged brows, fine aquiline nose, curly hair
going gray. He said:

W&T1 help you get the Spear and the cache of golden torcs-

"The hell you say!" Aiken's heart soared at the same time
that he was frozen with alarm. Who was he? "You mean, you
know the exact location of Felice's hideout in the Belies?"

Yes. We can make a deal.

The trickster's natural craftiness reasserted itself. "Oh, yeah?"

Three of my people are in Europe already You have nothing
to fear from them. Metapsychically. they're much weaker than

284 THE NONBORN KING

you [Image;, ] We know of your preparations to invade Spain
before Felice comes out of the room without doors, your hope
of finding and repairing the photomc Spear and then using it
against her before she can retaliate

"It's my Spear, dammit, and the lores are my property, too'
I won't blast Felice if she listens to reason after Elizabeth
finishes her psychic overhaul job "

So you think a sane Felice equates with a benign one, do
you9

"Fat chance," he admitted "Get on with your pitch "

Your scouts have not been able to pinpoint the location of
Felice's hoard To prove my good will, I will tell you that the
eyne is on the northern flank of Mount Mulhacen, about 430
kilometers southwest of Afaliah

"No map image9" Alken remarked snidely "It's a big moun-
tain "

My people will meet your forces here [image] m the foothills
of the Belies, along the Rio Geml, and lead you directly to the
cave Be there one week from today

Alken gave a scornful chortle "Better still, let your guys
pick up the Spear and the tores and bnng 'em to me here in
Gonah'"

They are incapable of levitation and have no ground vehi-
cles Also, there is the inevitable mortal hazard, should Felice
return prematurely As you are no doubt aware

"Don't get cute with me," Alken said quietly "Suppose you
tell me what's in this for you, Mr Ironass And who are you
anyhow9 That damn lobster shell you got on, how do I know
you're human at all9"

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I'm as human as you are The equipment allows me to
exert my farsenses beyond normal metapsychic parameters For
example, the penetration of your multiphase bamer

Alken's mental eye studied the now faceless mechanism
"It seems to me that I've seen pictures of ngs like yours A
long time ago, in some schoolbooks I should have paid more
attention to Metapsychic Grand Masters use life-support equip-
ment like that in the Milieu when they're into really heavy
mindwork And I don't just mean farsensing " Abruptly, he

THE GIGANTOMACHY

285

changed the subject "This deal of yours I suppose it would
involve share and share alike from now on in Europe "

Not at all If I had wanted the Many-Colored Land, ! could
have taken it years ago You need have no fear that I covet
your little realm. Alken Drum Ruling a few thousand barbar-
ians as a quasi-feudal overlord isn't exactly my style

"Neither is diplomacy, sweetheart'"

Touche, Your Majesty But I still maintain that this planet
is quite large enough for both of us My needs are modest and
unlikely to affect your ambitions in the least Unless you be-
come tempted to aspire beyond Pliocene Europe

"Spell out the arrangement "

It will take a good deal of explanation, including some rather
ancient history And some of the governing factors haven't
matured yet I would prefer to postpone discussing my side of
the reciprocity until you've dealt successfully with Felice For
now, I offer you the knowledge possessed by my three asso-
ciates, plus their full metapsychic cooperation in your raid
Their minds are stronger than those of your Tanu allies, but
still susceptible to your coercive control within the metaconcert
you and Culluket have devised

"So you know about that, too' How do I know you aren't
really counting on Felice's blasting meâ€”putting me out of the
picture so I won't be able to queer your own scheme later9"

Felice represents a much greater threat to my designs than
you

"Ha' So you don't have enough watts to put her down
yourself Not even operating through that wizard ng of yours'"

No Felice is one of those wild factors I mentioned She is
a menace to both our ambitions

Alken hesitated The unknown operant in North America
was making uncomfortable sense, but the lingering suspicion
remained, together with Alken's own deeper doubts on the
ability of his amateur metaconcert network to stop Felice in a
direct confrontation

"I'm going to show you something," Alken decided, allow-
ing a diagram to form "These are the minds I've got to work

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with And this is the orchestration Cull and I worked out for

THE NONBORN KING

286

a three-barreled coercive-crcative-PK assault with me doing the
focus and him monitoring the penetration. You seem to know
Felice a hell of a lot better than I do. So.. how about it?
Given the fact that she'll probably come up sane, be more in
control of her faculties, would we have any chance of stopping
her?"

There was a silence. The armored image faded, leaving
Aiken alone on the balcony, the chill wind blowing up his robe
and making his golden balls retract with a sense of keen fore-
boding. Then:

Your original plan was to avoid confronting Felice at ail
costs You hoped to secure the photonic Spear, repair it, and
poise yourself at a high altitude above Black Crag in order to
bum her as she exiled the room without doors

"Right. But that scheme was contingent on finding her lair
in the Betics before Elizabeth finished her redact We still might
pull that one off. But what're the odds if Felice catches us flat-
footed?"

I lack complete data. But it seems likely that even with the
help of my three people, Felice would be able to-destroy you
if she got within two kilometers of your assault team. The
melaconcert matrix that your friend the Interrogator taught you
is highly inefficient. In true synergy, the whole is greater than
the sum of the parts.

"What's our coefficient^" Aiken inquired grimly.

Only about point-four-six

"Could you teach me how to jack up the output? In a week?"

Laughter rang in Alken's brain- He saw again the human
face of the unknown, and his neurons tasted appreciation by
another who shared a certain sense of bravado. "Well, could
you?" yelled the shivering tittle man. (And is it possible you
are who I think you are?)

I could design such a program and impart it to you. Its use,
however, would involve inherent perils, even for a raw natural
talent such as yourself- Ideally, the metaconcert should involve
my own operants as well as your forced subjects. The pair of
us would contribute to the input, and one of us would filter
and provide impetus while the other handled executive focus.

THE GIGANTOMACHY

287

"I do that. / control it."

Channelizing that amount of psychoenergy harebrained could
prove fatal. I don't know your capacity.

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"Culluket does. He could monitor the transfer And cut me
off as well if you tried to go primary and zap me instead of
Felice!"

Laughter. Sobriety. The equipment I use protects me from
being annihilated by my own metapsychic power You coutd
never handle my full potential.. but less may not suffice for
Felice-

"On the other hand, it might! Right?"

Silence.

"Right?" demanded the Nonbom King

Do you know what psychocreative feedback is? [Image.] In
this more sophisticated fonn of metaconcert, there is danger
to all the participants if the focusing agent is inadvertentiy
overwhelmedâ€”as could happen if your concentration failed at
a crucial moment.

Aiken chuckled. "I see. The director cashes in, there's a
good chance the rest of the grunts in the orchestra do, too. But
if the monitor does his stuff, the danger's minimized for you.
Right? If Felice reflects the psychozap back on me. I gel
snuffedâ€”but Cull's linkage snaps for a fail-safe and the rest
of you can pull out under a synergistic umbrella. Isn't that the
way it would work, Mr Paramount Grand Master? Isn't that
the way it worked when your brother and his wife put down
your Rebellion?"

Silence

"Well? You wanta have a bash or not? You don't have much
to lose . -. aside from making me a present of a mighty useful
metapsychic program."

It would be safer if 1 handled the focus. And we would be
sure of finishing Felice

"No soap. I'm the King here, Ironass, not one of your
leftover rebels. If you won't play, I'll revert lo my old nsky
scheme. I should be able to find Felice's cave now. even with-
out the help of your tno in Spain."

288 THE NONBORN KING

Very well. I will work with you and your redactor, Alken
Drum.

The trickster gnn flashed across the intervening ocean. "I
thought you'd see it my way. Folks often do! What would you
like me to call you? Some of the humans in my outfit might
gel nervous if I use your real name. And they'll have to put
some handle on you."

I have been called Abaddon. [Ironic image.]
"Very appropriate One week to the Rio Genii, then, Abad-
don "

Assemble your most powerful metapsychics You'll need
them - - King Aiken-Lugonn

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The aether was abruptly clear, the alien emanations gone
as if they had never existed. He heard the night birds, the surf,
a soft moan from Mercy asteep in the bedroom.

He tiptoed in and shed his robe. She lay half-covered with
one arm flung up in a posture of sweet vulnerability, dreaming.
In his excitement and triumph, he found the temptation to probe
her irresistible. He looked at her dream, and discovered that
its subject was as he had suspected. Nodonn Battlemaster was
alive, hidden but no threat at the present time. He would keep-
In her sleep. Mercy smiled. Alken gently removed the probe.
bent to kiss her, then tucked the satin around her shoulders.

"Why did 1 have to love you?" he asked softly, before
leaving the room to sleep alone.

THE FHkEh YOUNG MEN WERE TOGETHER ON THE COMMAND

deck of the ATV modular combine, with Hagen at the helm.
The sky was brilliant cobalt without a cloud, and the air almost
dead calm; but the vessel was making a steady six knots, its
solar-powered impeller augmented by metapsychic thrust from
the PK specialists on watch.

"I haven't said anything to the others," Phil Overton re-
marked. "They've got enough to worry about, coping with the
babies and the sickos and the PK load. But something's brewing
in the atmosphere a couple of thousand kloms southeast of us
that's got me worried."

The image of a suspect weather system hung in their minds,
as clear as a Tri-D picture "See how sharp the cloud bands
are? How well defined? Compare it to this other low-pressure
dimple south of the Bight of Beninâ€”normal for this time of
the year. I've had my eye on the little mid-ocean sucker for
three days now, and it's finned up and deepened in an unnatural
way."

Hagen's knuckles whitened as he gripped the wheel harder
"You think my father and the rest of them are psyching it?"

"God!" Nial Keogh expostulated. "Nol when we're so close
to making the westerlies!"

Phil shrugged "It's the wrong time of the year for hurri-
canes, and the track of this storm is definitely anomalous

289

290 THE NONBORN KING

Meteorological conditions are favorable tor its continued growth,
whether anybody's helping it along or not "

"Can we avoid it'" Hagen asked gnmiy

Phil made the projection "Here's our vectorâ€”and here
comes the storm. sneaking up beneath us We're right in its
track if we maintain present course The kiss-point is 36-45
North 16-20 West three days from now We slow down, we
get slammed by the winds in the northwest quadrant and pushed

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way south We speed up, there's a slim probability of having
it skim by our ass, or even bung us north into the zone of
prevailing westerlies '

"That's assuming the storm track is constant," Nial put in
"If Marc's in the driver's seat, it sure as hell won't be "

"What can we do7" Hagen's face was a mask of sick despair
"Is there any chance of escaping the thing, short of increasing
our speeds Sweet Chnst, Philâ€”we're pushing ourselves to the
utmost now' You saw what happened to poor Barry, and Di-
ane's weakening, too "

Phil considered "It depends upon what Marc's objective
is "

"He's not out to sink us," Nial declared "If he wanted us
dead, he could have zapped us ten days ago We won that
gamble "

"Could he blow us back to Florida'7" Hagen asked

"Hell, no," Phil said "The low would poop out long before
that He'd need a whole set of storms to pull that one off If
he'd tned this stunt earlier in the game, there might have been
a chance " His mind reviewed the atmospheric patterns of the
past week "But, see7 The potential just wasn't there This low
is the first hot prospect he's had Let me think a minute "

Hagen said, "He can't blow us home and he's not looking
to deepsix us All that's left is diversion That fix you men-
tioned, north of Madeira If he manages to push us off to the
southeast, we end up in Africa instead of Europe "

Phil nodded agreement Another meteorological diagram
appeared in his mind "The storm winds rotate counterclock-
wise All he has to do is keep us poised roughly between six
and nine o'clock inside the system and we're off on the road

THE GIGANTOMACHY

291

to Morocco Even the fuckm' current's in his favor' The only
joker that might save us hinges on the energy he's able to pour
into the storm If he can't keep n sioked up, we'll break free
before he maneuvers us close enough to land to marshal a direct
PK-creative shove "

"What if we erect the big sigma-field7" Hagen said "Lower
our friction quotient so the winds stream around us7"

"No good," Nial said "You get a prohibitive power drain,
using the generator on salt water instead of dry land Maybe
four, five hours max output "

"Shit He's got us in the nutcracker for sure " Hagen's mouth
curved in a mirthless, one-sided smile, momentarily giving him
an uncanny resemblance to his father "We might ai, well change
course for Afnca right now' At least then the little kids will
be spared nding out a hurricane "

"You're the captain," said Phil "Of course, this is all con-

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jecture about Marc being behind the storm We have no proof
yet

"Three days from now, we will," Hagen said "It's him, all
nght You can bet your life on if" He engaged the autopilot,
turned to the binnacle computer, and called up a new heading
Slowly, the bow of the combine swung to starboard

"Course correction completed," said the autopilot "Steady
on one-one-five degrees "

Hagen yanked the door open and stumbled out onto the
flying bridge "Is that good enough for you7" he screamed at
the sky "You win again' Congratulations' And damn you to
hell, Papa'"

There was no response He hadn't expected one Empty
minded, he groped his way to the compamonway stair and
disappeared below

Phil and Nial reflected upon the inevitability At last, young
Keogh sighed "I'll take the con for the rest of the watch, boyo
You get along and tell the PK heads to hang it up There's no
hurry now "

Moreyn Glasscrafter, city-lord of Var-Mesk, urged his chal
iko and the riderless second mount along the moonlit beach

292 THE NONBORN KING

with irritable lelepathic nudges How he hated to travel with
these animals' Chalikos had an ingrained antipathy toward him
and tended to evade his commands more often than nol The
problem was negligible when there were other nders along who
could augment his weak coercive faculty But the mysterious
farspoken message had insisted that he come alone, and en-
joined the strictest secrecy through fearsome Psychokinetic Guild
oaths So he clumped along the ghostly gypsum-sand beach,
keeping a sharp lookout for quickmires whenever he crossed
one of the freshwater streams that ran down from the high
continental escarpment Faintly luminous wavelets lapped the
shore and there was a thin line of wrack staining the formerly
sterile whiteness Diminishing salinity was making the erst-
while Empty Sea into a Sea of Life

He was more than 40 kilometers from the city, traversing
a deserted region that would, in six million years, lie just off
the Cote d'Azur Did he dare utter a short-range declamatory
hail9 He scanned the shore ahead and saw only dunes and
isolated lumps of evaponte The mysterious Psychokinetic
Brother was well hidden

Moreyn here'

Aha' On the other side of that pyramidal mass of salt,
the faintest of rosy-gold auras Another poor devil, marooned
alt these months on some Tana-forsaken shore, had finally made
his way back to the Many-Colored Land

Mind-smilmg, holding up a hand in welcome, Moreyn came
nding around the saline monolith on the landward side, saw
the raft, and finally recognized the guild-brother with the shielded
mind who had summoned him

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"Lord Battlemaster'" he gasped, dumfounded The chalikos
slipped out of his uncertain coercive gnp and began to shy
from the glowing body that lay on the while sand "Steady,
damn you'" Moreyn shrilled

Nodonn opened his eyes The two animals seemed to turn
to stone Moreyn struggled down out of the tall saddle and
knelt beside the supine form

"Let me cover you with my cloak' Arc you thirsty7 Hereâ€”
my flask' Goddessâ€”what happened to your hand7"

THE GIGANTOMACHY

293

"It's a long tale, Psychokinetic Brother Thanks for com-
ing I'm nearly used up " He took a long pull from the water
flask and sank back upon the sand Moreyn fussed about, luck-
ing his ctoak under the Battlemaster's legs and torso Nodonn
wore his suit of armor padding, now salt-stained and torn His
exposed skin was badly sunburnt

"We thought you were dead' This is wonderful'" Moreyn's
face fell "I meanâ€”it's terrible' The Lowlife usurper, Alken
Drum, has forced us to accept him as King He went from one
city to another with his army, threatening us No one could
stand up to him and survive In Var-Mesk, I blush to admit
that we were all craven before the Shining One save Miakonn
Healerson alone Oh, how proud you would have been to see
his defiance, Battlemaster' It was hopeless of course, but mag-
nificently true to the traditions of the battle-company Miakonn
waited until the usurper was far gone in dnnk, and then called
him to account' It was a bold ploy and might have succeeded
had not the treacherous Interrogatorâ€”" The Glasscrafter broke
off

"Peace, Brother," Nodonn reassured him "I am well aware
that Culluket has betrayed the Host I know what he did to
Miakonn, and why you are now city-lord in his place "

Moreyn bit his lower lip, his mind veiled in shamed misery

Nodonn reached out "Never mind. Brother You have al-
ways been an excellent glass technician " He nodded toward
the raft with its crude sail of stitched skins There was a bundle
lashed to one of the crossbraces "See there7 It's the armor
you fashioned for me three hundred long years ago I've man-
aged to lose one gauntlet You'll have to make me another
before I take to the field "

"You'll defy the usurper7" Moreyn was transfigured

"Today, I'm a sorry excuse for a Battlemaster But I'll
mend For more than six months I was cast away on Kersic,
bereft of my senses and beyond reach of any farsightful knowl-
edge Now only two Tanu know of my existence Lady Mercy -
Rosmar and you "

"She is married to the Lowlife King," Moreyn lamented,
"and crowned his Queen "

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294 THE NONBORN KING

"Peace," said Nodonn again, easing the city-lord's mental
turmoil "Mercy bides with the usurper because I have in-
structed her to make no move until the time is npe She remains
faithful to me in her secret heart and eventually we will be
reunited I plan to reclaim all that is mine Will you assist me
to that end, Moreyn9"

"I would give my life for you, Battlemasterâ€”poor thing
that it is But you know how pitiful my aggressive faculties
are Alken Drum would not even have me accompany his Quest
to Koneyn

"1 know he's after the Spear And fresh gold tores to decorate
his puny-minded rabble-m-armsâ€”much good may they do
him'"

Moreyn's glance kept straying to the wooden hand, which
he regarded with singular apprehension "We don't have a
healer m Var-Mesk qualified to tend your wound, Battlemaster
So many redactors perished in the Flood The nearest practi-
tioner with the competenceâ€”the nearest trustworthy Skin ar-
tisanâ€”is Boduragol of Afaliah "

"He who has charge of my Host Brother, Kuhal Yes, I
know of him " Nodonn flexed the fingers of the prosthesis,
smiling slightly "But don't worry, Moreyn This makeshift
works well enough If I go into Skin, I'll be nine months
growing another Too long to tie idle when my metapsychic
powers are fast returning and destiny calls 1 think that my
hand's full healing may have to be postponed until I settle the
hash of thai Lord of Misrule over in Gonah'"

Moreyn's mouth dropped open He projected sheer calam-
ity "Oh, no, Battlemaster' You mustn't delay the healing'
Whyâ€”no one would rally to you'"

"You think not9" The Battlemaster was puzzled

"My Lord, perhaps you have forgotten

"Pull yourself together, man," Nodonn snapped "Ex-
plainâ€”or at least open your damn mind so I can see for myself
what you cavil at "

The timid screening lifted and Nodonn read plainly the tenet
of the battle-religion that had not been mvoked for thousands
of years on lost Dualâ€”and never since the Tanu had come to

THE GIGANTOMACHY

295

the Many-Colored Land No one who was not perfect in shape
might aspire to the kingship

Nodonn laughed "This is your objection'' This piece of
antiquated flummery1' When our throne is profaned by a Low-
life upstart7"

"It is the law," whispered Moreyn, with the stubbornness
of the meek "Alken-Lugonn is lawfully elected by the plenary

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session of vassals, and he was the chosen of Mayvar King-
makerâ€”exotic though his blood may be And as to that, n has
been said that he was not of human woman born, but engen-
dered through some miracle of Elder Earth "

"A test-tube baby nurtured in an artificial womb," scoffed
the Battlemaster "No miracle There are many such among
the humans "

But Moreyn pushed on "My Lady Glanluil, who attended
the Grand Loving in my place when I was taken ill, says that
even stranger things were hinted at by the Interrogator at the
wedding feast He saidâ€”he said that both the Kingâ€”I mean,
Alken-Lugonnâ€”and Queen Mercy-Rosmar have true Tanu
genes in their germ plasm'"

"Alken Drum, km to us7 Chaliko flop'" But the Battlemaster
felt his spine freeze He knew for a fact that Mercy's heritage
was more Tanu than human The prodigy had been proven by
Greg-Donnet Genetics Master long before the latter's defection

"The Interrogator is a life-scientist," Moreyn said, "and he
has gained great knowledge of these arcane matters after con-
sultation with human specialists He said that recent genetic
assays have shown that virtually all of the humans here in the
Many-Colored Land who possess metapsychic traits also have
a preponderance of Tanu or Firvulag genes There is some
mysterious power at work, linking our race with that of the
Low lives "

"Impossible' Humanity's direct evolutionary ancestor is the
small ramapithecme ape that we use as a servant Would we
foul our blood by mating with animals7 Never' And these lowly
homimds will not even begin to approach rationality for more
than five million years Long before that, we will have vanished
from this melancholy planet "

296 THE NONBORN KING

"Can you be certain?" asked Moreyn.

Struck silent, Nodonn beheld in memory a pathetic pair of
elderly humansâ€”the rebel general Angelique Guderian and
her consort, Claude, held captive in the moments before he
permitted them to pass back through the time-gale to death.
The otd man had dared to defy him. Upon hearing the Battle-
master's command, "Go back where you came from." Claude
had uttered a baffling reply that now hung vivid and shorn of
paradox:

You fool. We came from here.

"Madness!" said Nodonn angrily.

Moreyn went on. "These humans have legends. Myths about
races of Old Ones who existed on Earth for long aeons before
mankind aroseâ€”and who persisted as a pitiful and despised
remnant even into the years immediately preceding the Galactic
Milieu- Humans gave many names to these Old Ones: demons,
faeries, gods, giants, elves. But all over the precoadunate Earth,
primitive humans were convinced that the Old Ones existed.
And that they mated, from time to time, with humanity."

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"Madness!" Nodonn repeated. "I forbid you to speak of it
further." He climbed unsteadily to his feet, kicking aside Mor-
eyn's cloak. "Lead the spare chaliko to that lump of salt so
that I may use it as a mounting block."

Moreyn hastened to bring up the animal; but he was con-
strained to finish his speech. "I think that all of this is an
unlikely tale, Battlemaster. But other Tanu do not, and most
especially, neither do the hybrids- The legend, the rationale of
our kinship with humanity, makes the bitter pill of Lowlife
ascendency easier to swallow.

"I'll give them another kind of medicine," Nodonn declared.
"Get that armor bundle and lash it to my saddle. Do you know
what's inside? The holy Sword! The weapon I wielded in my
first confrontation with the usurperâ€”and intend to wield again,
victoriously! Then we'll see who dares prate of lost hands and
Nonborn Kings and bastard descendants of the Tanu returning
through the length of time to mate with their own forebears!"

The hapless Moreyn cringed- Nodonn's body glowed a rag-

THE GiGANTOMACHY

297

ing solar gold, its brilliance on the threshold of pain. "Oh. take
care lest the Foe detect you, Battlemasler! Take care!"

The aura was instantly extinguished. "You're right, old
friend. My vehemence is rash. Stupid. Mercy warned me that
the usurper's spies are everywhere. From now on, I'll guard
myself well. I would not put you in jeopardy."

"Oh, who cares about me?" the Glasscrafter moaned. "My
life means nothing. Yours means everything!" He fumbled
ineffectively with the stirrup of his own chaliko, tried to mount
as the beast danced, then gave up and wafted himself igno-
miniously into the saddle with his PK and made haste to fasten
the dicky strap. Nodonn was careful not to smile-

"You are my charge, Battlemaster," Moreyn said. "I have
a sacred obligation to shelter you until Lord Celadeyr and Queen
Mercy-Rosmar can come for you and take you to safety in
Afaliah." He sent a plea for forbearance toward the flawed
titan, whose face was now lost in the moonlight's shadow. "I
have prepared a secret hiding place for you where I can minister
to your needs myself. I'm afraid that you'll find your confine-
ment tedious, for the chamber is small, in a deep subbasement
of the glassworks. But if you can restrain your battle ardor for
a tittle longer, be patientâ€”"

"Recently, I have had much experience practicing patience."

"â€”then. the Good Goddess willing, your body as well as
your metapsychic strength will be restored, and you will fulfill
your great destiny."

Nodonn bowed his head. "I'm in your hands, Moreyn. From
now on. command me and I obey."

The Glasscrafter heaved a relieved sigh. "Oh. that's fine.

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We'll head for home right away. You direct both chalikos, if
you don't mind."

"Of course." said the Battlemaster,

Side by side, their gaits perfectly synchronized, the two
huge animals began to trot along the strand toward Var-Mesk,

"THEY'RE COMING' THEY'RE COMING'" CALISTRO THE GOAT-

boy shouted as he dashed up the length of Hidden Springs
Canyon, his charges forgotten "Sister Amene and the Chief
and a lot of others'"

People swarmed from the cottages and huts, calling out to
one another in excitement A long train of nders was wending
its way into the village outskirts

Old Man Kawal heard the commotion and stuck his head
from the door of Madame Gudenan's rose-covered house be-
neath the pines He sucked air through his teeth

"She comes'"

A small cat came running from the box under the table,
nearly tripping him when he spun about to snatch up a paring
knife "I must cut flowers and hurry to greet her'" He pointed
a stern finger at the cat "And youâ€”see that your kittens are
groomed so that you do nol disgrace both of us'"

The gauze-screened door slammed Muttering to himself,
the old man chopped off an armful of the heavy June rose
clusters, then rushed down the path scattering pink and scarlet
petals behind him

There were sentimental reunions with old fnends for Peopeo
Moxmox Burke, Basil Wnnbome, and Amene Roccaro. who
were hailed as heroes of the Lowlife liberation, and a fervent

298

THE GIGANTOMACHY 299

welcome was extended to the thirty daredevil pilots, techni-
cians, and specialists of whom there were such great expec
tations This group was instantly dubbed "Basil's Bastards" by
Denny Johnson. commander of the Lowlife defensive forces,
much to the flusteration of the alpinist ex-don

After a gratifying interlude at the community bathhouse,
the new arrivals were honored at a gala fish fry and strawberry
shortcake feast that was hastily contrived by Manalena Tor-
rejon Perkin the vintner hauled out demijohns of Riesling and
fragrant vinho verde and sweet white muscatel to fuel the never-
ending round of toasts, with the result that quite a few of the
villagers, as well as Pongo Warburton and Ookpik and Seumas
Mac Suibhne of the Bastards, were in no condition to join in
the Mass of Thanksgiving thai Amene celebrated to bnng the
grand day to a close

Finally Old Man Kawai led exhausted Amene to Mddame's

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cottage, over her protests that the place was his home now and
should remain so "We will speak of this later," said the former
electronics manufacturer "For now, you must take Madame's
bedchamber Her spmt would wish it, and I will pensh of
vexation if you refuse the honor 1 will be quite comfortable
on a pallet in the kitchen with the cats for company "

He opened the screen door and held it for the nun She
stopped short, sank down, and cned, "Dejah'" A slender little
animal with a sandy coat and a black-tipped tail came running
and leaped into her arms Except for its large eyes and ears,
it resembled a miniature puma It was a female of the species
Felis zitteh, one of the earliest of the true cats

Amene cradled the pumng creature, her eyes bnnumng "I
never thought I'd see her again, Kawai-san Do you think she
missed me9"

"She had certain distractions," the Japanese remarked dniy
He pointed to the box under the table Three tiny heads peeped
over its edge "They are all males Nine weeks of age i have
not named them I waited, hoping that you that my vow to
the Nagasaki martyrs

He hung his head Suspicious drops of moisture spotted his
happi coat Amene put down the cat and embraced him "Crazy

300 THE NONBORN KING

old Buddhist " Then she let him go and played with the kittens
while he unrolled a tatami and futon in front of the hearth,
then made sure that everything was ready for Amene in the
bedroom

"I've decided to name them Tars Tarkas, Carthons, and
Edgar," the nun said, tucking the kittens back into the box with
their mother "They'll grow up to be the patriarchs of domestic
felinily "

She rose from the floor, stiff in every joint and woozy with
fatigue and reaction But the discomforts faded as she looked
about the little room, the combination kitchen and parlor that
was the only real home she had ever known m the Pliocene
Exile She had lived in the cottage for a few short weeks during
the time Madame and Felice and Richard and Claude and- the
others undertook their expedition to the Ship's Grave, but every
feature seemed precious and familiar There were Madame's
handwoven curtains, her cherished lace tablecloth, the braided
skin rugs Beside the fireplace were the brass poker and shovel
and tnvet that Khalid Khan had made, and one of Miz Cheryl-
Ann's baskets with kindling Her own library of medical ref-
erences and devotional works was safe in a cupboard, together
with her nun's habit neatly folded, with little packets of herbs
to keep H fresh The wooden rosary Claude Majewski had
carved for her was beside it in a beechwood box
Kawal emerged from the bedroom "All is ready "
"It's so good," she said in a broken voice, "to be back "
Solemnly, the old man bowed "0-kaen nasai, Amene-
chan Welcome home, dearest daughter "

Burke and Basil were too wound up to sleep, and there were
matters that needed discussing

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"Come on over to the old wigwam," the big Native Amer-
ican said to Denny Johnson "You ought to meet the thirty-
first member of Basil's Bastards "

"He still feels rather shy with crowds of humans," the
alpinist said "When he declined to attend the party, we tucked
him away m Peo's house with plenty of food and dnnk Let's

THE GtGANTOMACHY

301

hope he hasn't OD'ed on strawberry shortcake The Little Peo-
ple are quite irrationally fond of it "

The Chief's bark-slab hut was close to the southern wall of
the canyon, a few melers away from a nil bom of the merging
of a hot and cold spring A thin filament of smoke rose from
the hut's nonabongmal chimney and vanished among the tower
branches of the sequoias

"Kalipm91 Burke called softly He pushed aside the leather
curtain and stooped to enter, with Denny and Basil following
The interior of the wigwam was almost pitch-btack A squatty
shape faintly limned in scarlet stirred near the stone hearth

"So you come at last, Peopeo Moxmox '

"I hope you haven't been too bored waiting Would you
mind if I lit a candle or two9"

"1 shall have to shapeshift then," the voice said querulously
"But go ahead It's your house "

"Please don't put yourself out," Basil protested

"I have my orders There, I'm ready "

Burke thumbed his permamatch and lit two tapers in a re-
flecting lantern that stood on the table The light revealed a
middle-aged dwarf surrounded by a litter of dirty dishes, drink-
ing beer from a big pottery schooner

"This is our Lowlife defense coordinator, Denny Johnson,"
Burke said "Dennyâ€”meet Kalipm, assigned by Lord Sugoll
to guide Basil's Bastards to the Ship's Grave "

Denny extended his hand The mutant, evincing some hes-
itation, finally shook it "You humans are always so eager to
touch each other," Kalipin complained "I do my best to go
along with your customs, but it's hard Teah knows it's hard "
He gave a lugubrious sigh and drank deeply

"How come none of us noticed you earlier, fnend Kalipin9"
asked Denny

"I went invisible " The dwarf shuddered "All those clam-
oring Lowlife minds' There are many of my people who ac-
commodate themselves readily to humankind And my Master
is convinced that we must ally ourselves with you in order to
survive But it is hard Hard "

"There's a little cave in the hillside back of the wigwam

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302 THE NONBORN KING

that i use for storage," Burke said gently "Would you be more
comfortable there7"

The mutant brightened "A cave' How I've missed the se-
curity of earth's bosom since we quit Meadow Mountain for
Nionei' Ohâ€”the city is very grand and progressive and non-
mutagenic, I'll grant you But there's nothing like the shelter
of a cosy cave for making one feel safe, and snug, and ready
for sweet fast sleep "

Burke helped Kalipin gather up his things and led the little
Howler out of the hut

Basil poked up the fire and put on a pot of coffee "You'll
want to take a look in that skin bag that our little fnend was
guarding so closely," he said to Johnson

The black man took the bag to the table, slid open the
drawstrings, and whistled "Three Huskies' Holy shit, manâ€”
how'd they get through the time-gate7"

"Smuggled, I should say Together with a considerable
quantity of other armament Do you know that Alken Drum
has equipped his human elite guard with twenty-second-century
weapons9"

"Yes " Denny's eyes narrowed "You steal these pieces off
him7"

"No, they were a gift from Lord Sugoll who got them
from Sham "

"Oh, my God "

"Exactly " Basil set out three mugs. horn spoons, and honey

Burke pushed through the curtain "Kalipm's settled " His
eyes took in the half-opened bag of stun-guns "Inspecting our
presents, 1 see Basil will take two on the Ship's Grave trek,
and we'll keep one here It'll be some help But we're in for
a rough summer, Dennis "

"The Firvulag are attacking the Iron Villages openly7" Basil
asked

Denny's ebony forehead wrinkled and he shook his head
quizzically "Not quite There's never been any declaration of
war, and that pegleg ambassador from High Vrazel still comes
around regularly, all buddy-buddy and 'Long live the Armi-
stice ' We bitch about the raids, but Sham and Ayfa keep

THE GIGANTOMACHY

303

brazening it out, blaming the attacks on Howlers and telling
us to refer all complaints to Nionei "

"If we get a couple of those exotic aircraft aloft, the Firvulag
will sing another tune," Burke said "And so will that little

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gold mamzer in Gonah "

"When we First heard the rumors about modem weapons,"
Denny said, "we offered to trade Alken Drum pig iron for
some "

"Response7" inquired Burke

"None worth diddly-squat He'd try to take over our mines
himself if they weren't so close to High Vrazel As it is, he
hopes the Firvulag will wipe us out before we can infect loo
much of Pliocene humanity with the freedom virus Ohâ€”he
sends good-will envoys to us, pledging peace and co-prospenty
and liberty and justice for all But what he's really interested
in is lunng away our metallurgical technicians There are beds
of iron ore in Bnttany that shnmpy little motherfucker's itching
to exploit "

"Just how bad have the Firvulag attacks on our mines been7"
Basil asked

"We may have to abandon Iron Maiden and Haut-Four-
neauville Damnâ€”I'd give my right eye and my left nut for a
few dozen Matsu laser carbines with nightsights "

"I'm thinking over the matter." said Burke enigmatically
"Once we get Basil and his Bastards fairly launched, I'll try
to work 'tOmethmg out "

"We march the day after tomorrow," Basil said

"Hey, no, youjusl got here'" Denny protested "You gotta
rest up And we haven't even started to get to know your people
I meanâ€”that big mama named Sophromsba Gillis is one bad
lady "

"If you plan toâ€”erâ€”make a move on her." said Basil
diffidently, "I'd counsel caution She used to be third engineer
on a tramp freighter out in the Fourth Sector When we were
herding that crowd of sex-starved delinquents to Nionei, Phron-
sie was the one woman in our group who never feared for her
own safety "

304 THE NONBORN KING

"I'll wear her down," said Denny confidently. But then he
scowled. "Sure you can't stay longer?"

Basil shook his head. "Sorry to cramp your style, old chap.
But we leave on scheduleâ€”the detectable Sophronisba and
all."

"Other people will be getting ideas about grabbing those
aircraft," said Burke.

"Right now, Aiken has his hands full with other matters."
Basil touched the golden tore at his throat. "Elizabeth has
assured us that he doesn't yet know about our expedition. But
the purpose of Basil's Bastards must now be quite obvious to
all who shared in the welcoming celebration today..." He
trailed away tactfully.

Denny shrugged, resigned. "And the word's bound to leak

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to the Iron Villages, and all we need is one defecting turkey
with a big mouth skipping out to Gonah and the shit flies."

"Scouts from High Vrazel are also sure to spot us once we
cross the Rhine," Basil added

"You think Sharn will tell Aiken?" Denny was unbelieving.

"He might," said Burke. "if he weighs threats to his own
security and we come out heaviest."

The coffee pot finished perking and Basil poured They
drank in silence for a few minutes.

"I've wondered why the Little People didn't go after the
aircraft themselves," Denny said. "God knows they've been
innovating like mad in other directions these past months. Sham
and Ayfa seem to've thrown the old traditions right out the
window."

"Not all of them." Basil corrected. "The Grave site is still
sacred to both Firvulag and Tanu One of their strongest taboos
has to do with concealing the final resting place of the dead.
They try to wipe out even the memory of it."

"However," Burke said, "once the aircraft are transferred
to another locale, we can expect quite a different attitude to
prevail. Which is why hiding those salvaged ships is so criti-
cally important."

"Well, I found a place for two of them, just like you wanted,"
Denny said. "A place called the Vale of Hyenas, where the

THE GiGANTOMACHY

305

Firvulag never go. If you saw the bone crackers that hang out
in there, you'd understand why. There are lots of giant red-
woods and other trees in the valley, good cover in case of
Flying Hunts. The place is about two hundred kloms northwest
of here, near the headwaters of the Proto-Seme. Handy to
Nionel."

"Sounds good," said Burke

"Maxi knows the spot," Denny added. "If you go ahead and
take him with you and leave the Bastard with the broken hand
here, you'll have no trouble at all finding it." He gave a wry
smile- "Getting out of the valley alive after you stash the birdsâ€”
now thai might be a problem!"

Basil sipped his coffee with equanimity. "We'll muddle
through."

The big fighter persisted "And what do you plan to do with
the rest of the aircraft there at the Grave? You can't leave 'em
for Aiken to find, and it'd be criminal to trash 'em "

Burke said, "We can't tell you, Denny Nothing personal
Not even Basil's Bastards will know until the expedition reaches
the crater lake."

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"Hey, okay- No big thing. Only ! noticed that there are
twelve pilots in your gangâ€”"

"Fourteen," Basil amended "Dr Thongsa is also qualified
in orbiters, and Mr Betsy has flight experience in addition to
his engineering abilities."

"That drag queen wacko?" Denny snorted, smacking one
palm on the table. "Lord, I figured he must have something
going or you wouidn't've taken him on. Butâ€”Mr Beisy\"

"His chosen persona is Queen Elizabeth I," said Basil pnmiy,
"hence the pearl-studded red wig andâ€”erâ€”costume. In the
Milieu, his name was Merton Hudspeth. He was a senior re-
search engineer with Boemg Aerospace Company's Commer-
cial Rhocraft Division "

"No shit?" Denny was chastened.

"Betsy takes some getting used to," Burke admitted. "But
don't we all?" He stood up, yawned hugely, then eyed the
husky fighter with sly humor "There's old Basil, who'd rather
be miserable climbing mountains than teach literature in a nice

306 THE NONBORN KING

Limey university And Mr Justice Burke with the feathers in
his hair and the breechclouted tushie, sort of a Geronnno man-
que To say nothing of you, my fine Covent Garden baritone'
Tell me, niggerâ€”do you still sing Toreador' at the top of
your lungs while you chop exotic raiders to dogmeat7"

"You better believe it, redskin' Sayâ€”remind me to cali for
freeloader elections tomorrow I'm gonna nominate you to the
hotseat again personally "

"Thanks all to hell, yellow-eyes "

"You're fnggm' welcome, baldy-balls "

The rough-hewn face of Ihe Native American went sober
again "God knows, I'd like to roost here and play elder states-
man But there's another possibility After I think about it for
a while, I'm going to discuss it with Elizabeth See what she
thinks " He set his cup down, lifted the bag with the stun-guns,
and pulled the drawstring tight "Iron spears and arrows looked
like the ultimate weapon for a few weeks after the Fimah war
God knows they've helped us, and they'll continue to be useful
against the exotics But we'll look pretty silly shooting arrows
out of gravomagnetic aircraft, my friends And Alken Drum's
elite guard is no more poisoned by the blood-metal than thee
or me "

"You figure on getting us some real weapons," Denny slated
"How7 Raid Sham's armory'7"

"We'd never get within ten kloms of High Vrazel alive No
There's another possibility Sham got his cache from a secret
hoard when the Firvuiag devastated Burask Alken Drum is
supposed to have got his guns from a magazine in the dungeons
of Gonah So there were at least two city-lords who defied
King Thagdal's edict against retaining Milieu weapons And I
think there may have been others as well "

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"Finiah had zip," Denny reminded him "But, heyâ€”how
about Roman7 That's the town / busted out of, man Old Lord
Bormol was a real scientific type A coercer You know how
paranoid that clan is about defending their turf He could have
had a secret stash' And the place is within sinking distance of
Hidden Springs Hell. we could drift down the nver, infiltrate
from the docksâ€”no wall to climb thereâ€”"

THE GiGANTOMACHY

307

Burke said, "There may not be any weapons And every
Lowhfe fighter could be needed here in the Vosges, defending
the mines The pros and cons will have to be weighed with
exquisite care Thank God the final decision will be Elizabeth's,
not mine "

Denny was indignant, incredulous "You'd let thatâ€”that
female mystic diclale our strategy7"

"Oh, yes," said Basil easily "She has all along, you know
She's the most important person in the world "

"Poor thing " added Peopeo Moxmox Burke

ONCE AGAIN. ELIZABETH PREPARED TO DESCEND

The entrance to the abyss was miserly, constricted, yet per
versely eager to open and spew a final cataract of destruction
as the ego threatened to rupture and its aggression sought ul-
timate discharge in death

Dionket and Creyn, linked in the penstock configuration.
braced themselves against the fiendish pressure, steadfast and
agonized They shared the guilt as well as the hope, for they
knew that the heritage of malignant violence incarnate in this
soon cresting flood had sourced in their own racial Mind

The pen! to the healers was now extreme Felice's fund of
submission was nearly exhausted The closer Elizabeth had
approached to the core of dysfunction, the greater the patient's
fear had become Felice's human cathexis, weak at best, was
tottenng at the imminent prospect of irremediable change Rather
than face that, she toyed with implosive or explosive termi-
nalion

Each time that Elizabeth had passed between Dionket and
Creyn and entered that pit of aureate, whirling foulness, the
two exotic redactors found it impossible to believe thai she
could return If even the superficial layers of the girl's madness
put such mortal strain upon their own metareinforced minds,
what horror must lie in the incandescent depths waiting for the

308

THE GIGANTOMACHY 309

Grand Masterâ€”especially now, with the consummation so
close''

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"Felice is almost at the fifth stage of dysfunction," Dionket
had warned "She hovers on the brink If you fail in catharsis,
the disruptive blast of psychoenergy may be directed outward,
in conformity with her fantasy of planetary ruin, and engulf
all of Black Crag in a solanstic fireball On the other hand, if
you tipped her over, all of the aggression and violence would
be directed inward, toward her own annihilation This would
be a failure on your partâ€”but one that equated with objective
success The monster would be gone "

"I cannot deliberately harm a rational being," Elizabeth had
reminded him But more than the old stricture, there was pnde
"And I believe more than ever that I can save her I'm almost
on top of the fountamhead' I think I've finally tracked down
the neuronal source of the dereistic behavior pattern "

She had shown them the correlation between the limbic
system circuits and certain anomalies afflicting the secondary
levels of Felice's rhmencephalon, but the two exotics had been
unable to grasp her point because of their lack of training in
developmental psychobiology The Tanu redactive technique
had degenerated into more art than science by the time of the
race's exile

"Let her die, Elizabeth, "Creyn had pleaded "If you persist,
and if she doesn't disrupt totally, she may consume you You
would be trapped in an obscene psychocreative splicing, forever
participant in her pain-projections, an accomplice to her
enormities "

"But if Felice were saneâ€”" And Elizabeth revealed the
potential apotheosis, the marvelous things that the pdle little
goddess might accomplish under a Grand Master's tutelage
"There would be no more wars in the Many-Colored Land No
more threat from the exiled rebels in North America With
Felice as the coercive catalyst, her irresistible soul-weight on
the right side of the scales, we could instigate a kind of min-
iature Unity amongst Tanu and Firvulag and torced and operant
humanity1"

Dionket and Creyn had looked at Elizabeth with sorrow and

THE NONBORN KING

310

dread, rejecting the vision. "It has become more and more clear
as your redaction of Felice proceeded. She yearns for death."

"She'd choose life if she were sane! And nonaggression "

Dionket Lord Healer smiledâ€”not with cynicism but with
ancient wisdom "Then you metapsychics of the Galactic Mil-
ieu abolished sin?"

"Of course not," the Grand Master retorted angrily, and
then was silent behind walls

The two continued to remonstrate, mutely. At length she
said, "I've never undertaken any work as terrible as this- The
lifting of Brede to operancy and adept status was nothing com-
pared to it And we're so close to success! I can't abandon

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Felice now, in spite of the danger. I can't let her die. A mind
like hers is so inconceivably valuable' She must possess coer-
cive and creative faculties approaching the six-hundredth order
of magnitude, and the PK function is not too far below that.
There was no single entity in the Galactic Milieu with such

power."

"She can never attain the state you call coadunation," Dion-
ket said. "She is a monstrosity, hopelessly warped. Her par-
entsâ€”" He shook his head. "We have no experience with a
case like Felice's. Tana knows that our race is faulty, but no
parents among us would ever use a child as this poor girl was
used. And out of sheer ennui, devoid even of malice!"

"Felice is no monster," Elizabeth said. "Not any more I've
uncovered the residue of humanity, given il air. Each time I
go into her for the draining and the redirection, she shows more
soul."

"Then why," Dionket asked, "is she still so afraid? Why is
she weakening in her resolution to permit the final catharsis?"

"Because of the danger, of course. She walks the brink, just
as you said, and she continues to suffer "

"She's bound to turn on you," the Lord Healer said, "and
if she strikes out with her full power, you will be lost."

"She's worth the nsk, I tell you!"

Creyn said somberly, "It is you, Elizabeth, who have been
designated by the Shipspouse. Not Felice."

'The Shipspouse had no right to play God "

THE GiGANTOMACHY

311

"Do you?" Creyn asked
"Why do you keep pressing me?" she cried "You agreed

to help You knew the magnitude of Felice's dysfunction .."

Dionket's mental overlay was compassionate. "But not, per-
haps, certain limitations of the healer."

"I'll make her sane. With or without your help " Adrenalin-
fired determination seared the two Tanu.

"We will help you," said Dionket, "even to the point of
death "

Elizabeth descended into Avemus, and stayed for six hours.

The walls of the room dissolved. The three healers, gathered
around the col where the etiolated girl lay, were buffeted and
drenched with fluid agony, dark and clinging and abominable
Lacerated by the shards of Felice's memories, choking upon
her stifling rage and infantile helplessness, sharing her humil-
iation and deafened by her ceaseless screams, they endured.

In spite of the psychoelectronic barrier of the room without

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doors, some portion of the ravening discharge was not grounded
into the rocks of Black Crag but overflowed to escape into the
atmosphere- A noisome adiabatic cloud formed above the
mountain, and lightnings, scarlet in dust clouds, played around
the chalet roof Hot ion winds crisped the needles of nearby
evergreens and withered the alpine witdflowers Sensitive little
warblers fell from their perches, dead. The weaker gold-forced
retainers who served the lodge fled screaming down the pre-
cipitous track, and even the strong-minded protectors became
frantic with the plangent psychic tension, taking refuge in the
farthest comers of the cellar, lying half-conscious on the pol-
ished graphitic shale.

Elizabeth said, "Come, Felice."

It fought, erupted, shrank, flared. It ripped at the cradling
redactive wings, ever intent now on escape but held fast by its
own paradoxical love-fetters. The normal pleasure-paths of the
brain, so long atrophied, sang in shrill newbom anguish and
delight. The darker channels, their electric venom beginning
to pool and stagnate, still clamored for a fresh influx, a last
reprieve into the old familiar pain, the deserved embrace of

THE NONBORN KING

312

the death-father (is it you. Beloved9), the foul joy coming after,
with death mother's devouring and the thanks and the stinking
kisses

"Come, Felice "

Come away. let go, cast off Forget that body and take a
new Forget those casual wicked ones who begot you and
played with their poor sentient toy and then tossed you away
in heedless cruelty Be nonbom Be selfbom' Hea! yourself
See yourself as lovable See the faithful animal friends' irra-
tional devotion See Sister Amene's unstained love for you
See mine as I become your life-mother and that of these two
life-brothers who also embrace you (But Amene refused )

"Come, Felice "

See, admire, love the shining new self You are beautiful.
child, and your body is strong And now your mind oh,
child, look upon its glory' Yes, born of the agony and the filth
it is, as the physical form, but like it, capable of transfiguration
(He did it' The Beloved I have him to thank for freeing my
latencies, for cutting their bonds with his double-edged bright
lancet Culluket')

"Not him, Felice "

Culluket1

Don't turn that way now Not when you're so close, little
one, so clean and strong, so nearly good

Amene9

Look the other way Look up toward light and reality, to-
ward peace, toward union with other minds who can truly love

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you

Cultuket9 Amene9

See the errant energies calmed, the wordless baying stilled,
emotions reined, will strong and directed Now Choose un-
selfish love' Choose to be good and noble and giving

I chooseâ€”1 chooseâ€”

"Wake, Felice Come back now Open your eyes "

They were brown eyes, very large, startling in the bloodless
face beneath ashen brows and limp platinum hair They were
eyes full of wonder, darting from Elizabeth's face to Dionket's

THE GIGANTOMACHY

313

to Creyn's and back again, misting briefly with tears and then
star-bright

"This is sanity9" Felice asked She rose trembling on one
elbow Her gaze fell "Same old body. same mindâ€”but dif-
ferent ' She laughed very softly The brown eyes flicked up.
locked onto Elizabeth "Why did you wake me upâ€”bring me
back before I could finish choosing9"

The Grand Master was silent

"You want me to choose to be like you. Elizabeth7"

"Make your own choice " The vocal tone was gentle but
the mind's, grating and apprehensive

"Be like you ' Two spots of color appeared in the girl's
cheeks Her hair seemed to come alive She gave a kind of
bounce and was standing on the cot, petite and strong Her
entire body was sheathed in a pearly aura "Me, be like you,
Elizabeth9"

Felice threw back her radiant head and laughed a wild and
vital peal resounding with barbed vitality "I choose my self
Look at me Look in me' Wouldn't you rather be me than you9
Free to choose what I want to do instead of letting others bind
me9" Again the laugh, so shattering, so sane

"Poor Elizabeth " The goddess extended a luminous hand,
touched the Grand Master's shoulder "But thank you "

She vanished

Elizabeth sat unmovmg, her gaze still fixed on the empty
cot, too drained to weep, too diminished even to despair The
cocoon of fire was there, beckoning, and she studied it with
an odd sense of detachment, as though the real choice had
already been made and this one was a mere consequent

"Stay," urged Dionket

Creyn was standing over her, red of blood, white of mind
light, the constraining golden tore clasped about his throat His
hand with its long fingers and prominent joints adorned with

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many nngs, held out a stoneware cup "Dnnk Elizabeth "

As once before

She sipped the bitter herbal tea, then lowered the wall so
that he could clearly see the waiting flame-coffin, the over-
whelming temptation

314 THE NONBORN KING

"We need you more than ever now," said Creyn
But Dionket, wiser, was more comforting m sternness "You
really don't deserve purgatory Not until you try to put it nght "
"Yes," she said, and smiled, and wept

CLOUD PLACED THE BOUQUET ON THE MOUNDED DIRT, THEN

stood dry-eyed, seeing all the intricate details of the orchids
with her deep-scan at the same time that she shut out the larger
image of the gravs itself The bunch of flowers was enormous,
containing twenty-five or thirty varieties She had gathered it
in less than five minutes without going out of sight of their
moorage on the Rio Genii

"The Tanu call Spam 'Koneyn,'" she said inconsequen-
tially "It means 'Howeriand ' I overheard one mind tell an-
other that no place in Europe has so many different kinds I
like the azure orchids best, I think And the pale green ones
with the velvet-black edging Orchids in mourning Poor Jili "

"We did our best Steinbrenner warned us about the danger
of meningitis " Elaby concentrated on the rock slab he had
propped against the roots of a great plane tree Portions of the
rock glowed palely in the noontide sun ds he exerted his creative
metafaculty The pungent stench of molten mineral over-
whelmed the subtle orchid fragrance, then dissipated on the
light breeze blowing downstream Satisfied, Eldby lifted the
slab with his PK and positioned it in the waiting trough at
the head of the mound

JILLIAN MIRIAM MORGENTHALER

20 SEPTEMBER 23-2 JUNE P27

315

316 THF NONBORN KING

"WHERE LIES THE LAND TO WHICH THE SHIP WOULD GO^
FAR, FAR AHEAD, IS ALL HER SEAMEN KNOW "

"Will it last six million years7" Cloud wondered

"We're still in the Guadalquivir Basin This place will be
buned in silt Who can tell''"

Cloud turned her back on the grave and walked listlessly
toward the beached dinghy "Last winter, when we were all
wrapped up in planning this thing, I asked Alexis, Manion if
there had ever been any trace of the exile population found in
Pliocene rocks He said no it's hard to believe that nothing

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survived "

She climbed into the little boat Elaby joined her and shoved
them off into the languid water, as brown as strong tea It was
navigable to within 50 kilometers of Mulhacen in the shallow-
draft nvercraft that Alken Drum was bringing

Elaby said, "If any paleontologist found a fossilized Homo
sap skeleton in a Pliocene formation, he'd keep his mouth shut
about it unless he wanted to be drummed out of the bonediggers'
club As for a fossilized Bermudian ketch

"Dr Manion said that nothing we do here in this ancient
world can affect the future That the futureâ€”already is "

"Nice reassuring thought Remind me of it when we have
to go concert with Alken Drum and his bunch and blow the
top off Mount Mulhacen "

The inflatable skimmed up to the accommodation ladder
Cloud made the painter fast and mounted "Owen's still sleep
ing," she noted, after sending a fleeting redactive touch be-
lowdecks

"Good He wore himself out working with you on Jill Thank
heavens he didn't insist on coming ashore for the bunal " He
rummaged in the portable cooler and brought out a flagon of
coconut punch and two of their dwindling supply of gamma
chicken-salad sandwiches from Ocala "Funeral baked meats
Relax, babe Take a break before the King of the Elves shows
up"

They sal in canvas chairs in the cockpit, sheltered from the
sun by an awning stretched between the mainmast and backstay

THE GiGANTOMALHY

317

Cloud chewed the sandwich rapturously "Civilized food' God
I'm sick of fish and roast waterfowl and those insipid palm
fruits It's breakfast time back in Floridaâ€”do you realize inat7
Bacon and scrambled eggs Gnts and honey Orange juice and
sweet iced tea "

"Heartless broad," Eiaby accused He refilled her beaker
with the milky-colored rum drink "Sorry you carne^'

She shook her head "I had to All of us did Even the gang
Papa shunted off to Africa aren't sorry they left home We're
a little closer to the time-gate, anyhow We ve forced Papa to
take us and our needs seriously " She hesitated "He'll come
to Europe, you know "

"You're certain9"

"I know him better than anyone "

"Will he help or oppose us^'

"He may not have decided I can't say " She set aside the
remains of the meal A cloud of sulfur-yellow butterflies flul
tered by the port rait, heading toward the Gulf of Guadalquivir

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She caged one briefly with her PK, watched it tremble and flail
its tiny knobbed antennae, then set it free It flapped off after
the others "Papa doesn't want to kill us I was nghl about
that He won't do it unless we force him to Unless we delib-
erately put him and his people in jeopardy by our opening of
the gateâ€”or if we try to kill him "

"Some of us wouldn't scruple at it "

"I know " Her expression was tranquil "Hagen You "

"But not you^" The young man swirled the ice cubes in his
dnnk, frowning at them When Cloud did not answer, he posed
another query "Would you stand in the way of the rest of us,
if there seems no other way to handle it7"

"I want us all to be free," she said "if we could only work
togetherâ€”both generationsâ€”instead of at opposite poles'
Building the apparatus and siting it properly in the midst of
this barbarian circus will be difficult enough Maybe impos-
sible "

"Don't wash us out too soon, babe We've lost some
groundâ€”but we may have gained some as well Our element
of secrecy is gone now that Marc's guessed our intention, and

318

THE NONBORN KING

your hothead brother's threats have made Marc the teensiest
bit skeptical of our loyally But your father isn't the only big
gun in the fight Don'1 forget the Nonbom King If things keep
going downhill here in the Many-Colored Land. hejusl might
start seeking wider horizons "

Cloud was dubious "Here, Alken's a large fish in a small
pond What would he be in the Milieu, compared to the Coad-
unate Mind9 Besides, Papa seems to have him quite overawed
as a result of the metaconcert teaching "

Elaby gave a quiet chuckle "Don't you believe it This
head's young Onty about twenty-two Yet he's managed to
take over an establishment that dominated the Pliocene for forty
years, using just his own naked brain "

"Alken simply picked up the pieces after catastrophe He's
king of the ruins' A demigod in Gotterdammerung "

"Maybe yes. maybe no I see him chock-full of nuts and
eager to howl And a first-class power, babeâ€”don't forget
that Your father may just have a fish on his hook this time
that's more than he can handle "

Cloud bit her lower tip, looking toward the gorgeous heap
of blossoms and the upright stone slab on shore Finally, she
said, "Do you think Alken will actually be able to handle this
massive synergy^ Papa could be planning to seize the executive
from him at a critical moment "

"If Marc doesn'tâ€”if he can'sâ€”then there may be a chance
for us to enlist Alken on our side later on 1 still find it amazing
that Marc agreed to let Alken focus the psychozap It implies

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confidence in Golden Boy's abilities or a nasty piece of
manipulation "

"It's hard to think that someone else in this world might
just be a match for Papa " Cloud's thought-tone was full of
perplexity

"He's played God too damn long," said Elaby bitterly
"We've forgotten that Marc's human That he's a loser He
lost it alt in the Milieu, and now he's lost us And he obviously
feels threatened by both Felice and Alken "

"Papa is still a Paramount Grand Master farsensor, coercer,
and creator," said Cloud quietly "And he's limited here in the

THE GIGANTOMACHY

319

Pliocene mainly because there are so few suitable minds for
him to work with Don't ever forget that he was one of the
two greatest mental coordinators in the Galaxy Only his brother
Jon was better "

"Remind me to light a candle to St Jack the Bodiless "

Cloud stood stanng aft, her farsight wandering northward
to the little islands off the mouth of the Genii where the forces
of Celadeyr and Aluteyn and the other Spanish Tanu had been
camped for two days, awaiting their rendezvous with Alken
Drum's fleet She shifted her gaze, scanning westward toward
the Atlantic "I still don't see Alken coming," she said ner-
vously "How far out are they now, Elaby''"

"Fifteen hours, approx Their ETA at the base-camp on the
Genii is still dawn, as Alken promised They've been saving
their metaf acuities, using Ma Nature's winds most of the way
from Bnttany But this morning when they finally rounded
Cape St Vincent, Alken put his psychokinetics to work The
fleet must be making twenty-six knots now We'll all be off
to the Betics tomorrow on schedule "

"And maybe we'll all die " Cloud came over to him, laying
her head on his shoulder and embracing him so tightly that her
fingers dug into the muscles of his back like claws "Darting,
1 don't know why poor Jill this morning, and now this stupid
dangerous thing we're being forced to do with Alken Drum
why I should feel like this it's insane, but

"It's normal," he whispered in her ear "Normal to reach
for life when the wortd seems ready to end Very common
phenom, if you can believe the books in the library back on
Ocala Plagues, wars, earthquakesâ€”all disasters are keen in-
citements to venery "

"It's ridiculous "

He kissed her "Sex often is So what7" He led her to the
compamonway stairs "What say we rock the boat. then make
everything shipshape for the roya! visit9"

They disappeared The breeze died and the jungle creatures
were hushed in the afternoon heat Two ramas emerged briefly

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from the undergrowth to inspect the mound of flowers and

320 THE NONBORN KING

finger the strange incisions on the rock slab Then they melted
back into the greenery, their curiosity satisfied

In his cramped cabin on the great tern schooner that was
the Tanu flagship, Culluket worked on the cuirass of his ruby
armor resetting a few loose gemstones in the blazon, riveting
a new strap in place of one that had weakened, then burnishing
the whole so that the glass with its transfixed caput mortuum
gleamed more nchly than a slick of fresh blood

You will die looking magnificent, at any rate, he told him-
self Too clever at last, Interrogator' If you should escape being
devoured by your demonic sweetheart, then surely your over-
devious brain will be reduced to charred meat after serving as
d living buss-bar between Alken Drum and the Angel of the
Abyss You wilt die for your King, a very martyr to the battle-
religion of your ancestors A hero of the Host of Nontusvel
could ask for no more glonous fate' What a pity you are a
traitor to your blood, and an atheist, and so addicted to life
that you would submit to any degradation now in order to be
spared You would even appeal to her, were it not the ultimate
in futility

"Culluket," said Mercy

He started, torn from his bitter revene Mercy's figure, clad
in her silver-and-green parade armor, materialized out of in-
visibility She had interpenetrated his cabin door It was a
violation of Tanu etiquette almost as senous as levitating with-
out a steed

"Great Queen, what is it7" He hastened to pull the scattered
pieces of armor together so that there would be room for her
to stand

Her mind radiated a fearful intensity, impinging on his own
thick barrier with a coercive force that blurred his sight "I
need you to escort me to Lord Celadeyr now, while Atken is
locked in mind-meld with that horrible Abaddon It may be
the only chance I have Hurry, man' Enarm yourself This is
no social call And I'll want the small sigma-field Alken's
given you as a defense against Felice "

He harnessed up hurriedly The two of them. invisible,

THE GtGANTOMACHY

321

body-flew eastward above the Gulf of Guadalquivir, toward
the deformed old moon rising late over the Andalusian Jungle,
and the camp where the Lord of Afaliah and the Craftsmaster
and the rest of the Koneyn nobility awaited the fleet's arrival
The site of the rendezvous was carefully concealed, both phys-
ically and mentally The 3500 chalikos that would equip the
raiding party had been penned in a mangrove swamp a full five
kilometers from the camouflaged pavilions of the nobtes and
their retainers

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As Mercy and Culluket hovered just offshore, she com-
manded, "Farspeak your brother Kuhal on the intimate mode
Tell him we have arrived "

"Kuhal is here^" Cullukel was nonplussed "Surely he would
not have been forcedâ€”"

"Do as I say," she snapped "It was I who saw to it that
Celo brought him along You'll soon find out why Tell Kuhdl
to call both Celo and Aluteyn Craftsmaster to his tent "

Culluket obeyed He and Mercy wafted into the encampment
and became visible inside the dimly lamplit shelter of the con-
valescent Earthshaker Kuhal lay on a bunk. propped up with
cushions Beside him stood the two Tanu heros, waiting in
silence for Mercy's explanation Their antagonism for the in
terrogator was unconcealed

She said, "Nodonn is alive "

"Glonous Goddess'" exclaimed Kuhal, and Cuiluket made
haste to clap a crude redactive damper over the invalid's mind

"Erect the sigma-field," Mercy commanded "It will be
enough protection for us so long as Alken and the others have
no suspicions and don't deliberately try to poke into it "

Culluket took the device from his armored crumen set it
upon Kuhal's mghtstand, and activated it The noises of the
jungle night chopped off The tent and its inhabitants were
isolated within a dynamic field virtually impervious to most
energy and matter

"I've known about Nodonn since early in May,"Mercy said,
responding to unspoken questions "He's been marooned on
Kersic all this time, in a coma, tended by a Lowlite woman

322 THE NONBORN KING

who kept him inside a cave- This is why none of us detected
him. Not even I."

"Where is he now?" asked Celadeyr flatly- "What shape is
he in?"

"He's hidden in Var-Mesk, cared for by Lord Moreyn, who
is"â€”she swept the Lord of Afaliah and the Craftsmaster with
a trenchant glanceâ€”"a First Comer to the Many-Colored Land,
just as you. And loyal to the old traditions- As you are."

"Now, hold on a minute!" Aluteyn protested. "I gave my
oath of fealtyâ€”"

"To a foul usurper!" Kuhat interrupted "Under mortal du-
ress and a sense of desperate inevitability, as we all did- Such
an oath stinks before the Goddess! It demands repudiation!"

"Calm down before you strain something." the Craftsmaster
advised. He pulled up a sturdy stool and lowered his bulk
gingerly onto it The others also drew up seats close to the cot,
and Mercy and Culluket removed their helmets. Aluteyn ad-
dressed his Queen. "Tell us exactly what happened to Nodonn,
lass Don't leave out a thing "

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She coordinated the data in her mind, then displayed it
without comment, save for the shining backdrop of her own

JOY

When they had done studying, Kuhal beckoned her and took

her silver-gauntleted hand to kiss. His eyes overflowed for the
first time since his rescue.

"You are truly one of us, Mercy-Rosmar," he said, "and
worthy to be Queen."

Old Celo's reaction was bleaker, practical "Nodonn's still
weak as a kitten. Not as badly off as you, Kuhal, but in no
shape to take on Alken." He stared at Mercy. "You've waited
this long to tell us... and perhaps it's true that you had no
choice. But what do you expect us to do?"

"Abandon him," she said simply. "Leave him to Felice. We
can alt of us fly except Kuhal. and Celo can carry him. Let's
start for Var-Mesk now, flying within the sigma-field! Let's
go via Aven and Kersic, where we can hide in wilderness when
we tire, deep in sheltering caves secure from his golden wrath!

THE GtGANTOMACHY

323

Aiken has no long-distance psychoenergetic function. And he
won't follow us, since that would mean abandoning his Quest "

Aluteyn groaned. "Lass. lass! Yourhappiness over Nodonn's
deliverance has robbed you of your wits."

"How could we leave our fellow wamors behind, in peril
of Felice?" Ceio demanded of her. "Would Nodonn want this?"

"The fleet is almost here," Kuhal said sadly "Our people
are committed. Great Queen -. if only you had told us your
news earlier."

"I didn't dare try to contact you through farspeech!" she
cried. "I'm too clumsy still at far focusing. It was Nodonn who
held the thin mind-beam secure between us. And he warned
meâ€”" Like a red-hot wire. her scorn lashed out at Culluket
"You watched and listened! And now even Aiken suspects
somethingâ€”perhaps he even knows for certain that Nodonn
lives! I was afraid my own farspeech would betray Nodonn
completely. Or that Cullukel would'"

The Interrogator bowed his head. "My former loyalty to the
usurper has been shaken since his alliance with Abaddon. You
know the role that those two have forced on me. -"

Aluteyn uttered a short laugh "And we also know what
your loyalty' s worth compared to your own precious skin! Poor
Culi Whipsawed yourself properly this time."

"I know Culluket hales Nodonn-" Mercy's mind was icy.
"But they are Host Brothers. And Tanu. And now there's a
fine expedient reason for Cull to turn his coat again! Isn't that

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so, Redactive Brother?"

"The Great Queen is wise," said Culluket, without emotion

"Well, then!" she exclaimed, the old wildfire in her eyes.
"If we can't fly to Nodonn now, then let's think about how we
might use Felice to kill Aiken! Shall we warn her of his im-
pending raid on her treasure-trove?"

"Elizabeth has Felice inside the room without doors," said
Aluteyn. "She might not hear And if she did. we can't count
on her sparing us."

Kuhal's face had gone livid. "For the love of Tanaâ€”don't
think of summoning that elemental female, my Queen! Cull
can tell you what she's capable of"

324 THE NONBORN KING

"Even the worthy Abaddon holds Felice in respect," said
the Interrogator. "And may I suggest, as we mull over possible
plans of action, that we don't forget thai Abaddon has unex-
celled directorial powers in metaconcert. He can smile us with
a psychocreative blast at any rangeâ€”i know that for a fact
He can't coerce us from the other side of the world, but he
does possess stupendous farsensing power."

"Then why the hell didn't he finger Nodonn for Aiken?"
Celo puzzled.

Culluket gave a mental shrug. "My dealings with this mys-
terious person have been peremptory in the extreme. I'm less
than a thing to him. Abaddon seems indifferent to our petty
politics He's a manipulator, but only on a grand scaleâ€”"

"As opposed to you, Brother," said Kuhal.

"â€”and it's very possible that he doesn't care who rules the
Many-Colored Land. He'd use Nodonn as readily as he now
uses Aiken."

"The bastard'" hissed Mercy. "Who can he be?"

The four Tanu men regarded her in amazement. "You don't
know, then?" asked the Craftsmaster. "Oh, lass No wonder
you've been so full of mad plans." And he told her, beginning
with the events he himself had witnessed twenty-seven years
before, when he and the old Lord Coercer and Gomnol and
the Lord of Roniah first encountered Marc Remillard and his
party of exiled metapsychic rebels.

Mercy seemed turned to marble inside her silver-lustre ar-
mor "Then there's no hope at ail of halting the Quest No
hope." She turned away from them. "But, if Aiken geth the
Spear, then Nodonn will have no advantage over him in the
final Duel of Battlemasters "

"No " Culluket smiled at her back "Nodonn will have to
meet Aiken fair and square if he wants to be king. And maybe
lose."

"Brotherâ€”enough'" Kuhal struggled to a sitting position.
"There is no honorable escape from the present peril, no way

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to abort the raid. We must cooperate fully with Aiken Drum,
and the Good Goddess alone knows how this affair will end.
She may use Felice as her agent to destroy the usurper... or

THE GiGANTOMACHY

325

she may gram him success. But if we survive, then there may
still be time for us to rally round the true king as he leads us
in the Nightfall War!"

Kuhal fell back, his face twisted in pain. Culluket beni over
him with his palms pressed to his brother's temples. Kuhal
relaxed, instantly asleep.

Mercy turned off the little sigma-field generator and handed
it to the Interrogator

"So that's that," Celadeyr remarked. "But poor Kuhal was
right We'll have to give Alken Drum and his North American
evil genius our very best shot in the Quest. Whether we tike
it or not." He and Aluteyn saluted Mercy briefly, then pushed
aside the door-flap of the pavilion and went out into the loud
night.

She stood close to the ruby-clad Interrogator as he replaced
the screening device in his sabretache. "You knew about No-
donn all along, didn't you. Death? My announcement was no
surprise to you."

"I am the greatest redactor of the Host- I would have felt
my eldest brother's extinction."

"And yet you didn't warn Aiken "

"He knew. I showed him where the proof lay, within you."

"Machinator!"

"As you, my Queen. But I think my game at last reaches
its climax."

He smiled down at her before covering his beauty with the
red-glass helmet. She let her gloved hand rest lightly above
his armored heart, touching the transfixed death's-head that
was his heraldic cognizance. She had never noticed before that
the skull's eyes were sapphires, like his, and that there was a
flaming halo about it thai mimicked his hair

"Do you mean you're finally afraid?" she inquired archly

"Yes."

"Ah! Well, so am I Again. Will you take my hand, Death?
Will you comfort?"

Nodding, he closed his visor and drew her to him. The tall
red-armored form and the smaller one of emerald and silver

326 THE NONBORN KING

faded together like wraiths and were gone. leaving Kuhal Earth-
shaker alone in dreamless sleep

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Dawn mist clung to the Hidden Springs evergreens like
trailing scarves as Amene walked by herself toward the little
log chapel, carrying the bread and wine The roosters had
crowed and the penned goats and picketed chalikos were mak-
ing !ow sounds, but the villagers and their guests still lay abed
after the impromptu party of the night before

Amene thought It's just you and me this morning. Lord
I'm glad

She lit the two altar candles and prepared the offenngs, then
went into the tiny vestry to remove her wimpte and veil and
put on the scarlet chasuble of Pentecost Singing her own en-
trance song. she came into the sanctuary

Veni Creator Spintus,
Mentes tuorum visita
Imple supema gratia,
Quae tu creasti pectora

She said the prayers at the fool of the altar with bowed head,
then turned toward the dark interior of the chapel to give the
first blessing

"Dommus vobiscum "

And Felice said, "Et cum spinlu tuo "

The pnest stood frozen in place with her hands raised as a
girl in a long white gown came up the aisle and stood before
the altar step, smiling

"I'm back," Felice said "Elizabeth's been working on my
mind, and she's reamed ail of the old garbage out I'm sane
now, Amene Isn't that wonderfuP I can love properly now,
without the pain detour I can make a free choice of who to
love, and how ! can give you joy just like mine' Elizabeth
told me to choose, you see, and there was you and there was
Culluket You remember him, don't you7 I did love him more
than you before, when I was mad But now ! know better So
I've come to fetch you "

THE GIGANTOMACHY

327

Amene said, "Felice my vow My choice "

"But it's me," said the girl reasonably "Not just any
womanâ€”me' You love me and want me just as I want you
So come "

"You don't understand My renunciation is my gift to God
My body offenng, like the bread and wine I'll consecrate in
the Mass 1 gave it away long agoâ€”"

"You can take it back " Felice stood in front of the half-
log benches, luminous in the light of the two candles, swaying
as if she were a thing cut from fragile tissue set in motion by
the pnest's own accelerating breath Her eyes were like wells
"Come away now We'll fly together' I'm a white gyrfalcon
now, and you shall be a cardinal-bird'"

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"No," Amene whispered "Felice, I can't You still don't
understand This is where I belong, serving these people who
need me I'm their pnest and their doctor They're good for
me and 1 love themâ€”"

The girl in white interrupted "You love me more "

"Yes," Amene admitted "I do and I always will But it
changes nothing I can't help the love, but I can choose not to
consummate it And I do "

Slowly, Felice's expression changed There was puzzle-
ment, surpnse, hurt, frustration, fury "You won ^"

"No "

"It's your God, isn't it' He's locked you up' Trapped you
in this stupid web of self-denial'"

"I haven't denied myself You don't understand "

"Stop saying that to me' I do understand' You choose him
and not me' You still think my love is filthy and sinful'" Tears
poured from the black holes of her eyes "I'm no good after
all I can see into your soul, see that you're still afraid of me
You won't go with me and you'd never let me stay here with
you Oh, no' I'm not human enough to be one of your little
flock, am I, Good Shepherd^ I'm a Goddess' But you'd rather
have your damned old mean-spinted, jealous God "

Amene sank down onto her knees "You are human Dear

328 THE NONBORN KING

Felice, you are. But so different from the rest of us! Go back
to Elizabeth. Let her teach you how to live in your world of
the mind. That's where you belong "

"No," Felice wepl. "I belong with you "

"I can never enter your mind-world, Felice. I'm only a
normal woman. I can't help but be afraid of people tike you.. .just
as ! can't help loving you. Felice, let me be. Go to your own
people."

"I won't!" the girl screamed. "I won't go without you! If
you won't come with me willingly, I'll force you!" The two
altar candles were suddenly extinguished. Only the wan mist-
light from the two little windows and the gamet sanctuary lamp
gave illumination.

Felice's hands seized Amene by the shoulders- Psycho-
energies flowed from the girl's brain and Amerie was wrenched
by shock "You'll do as I say!" Felice cried, terrible in coercion
You'll stay with me for as long as I want you- Do you hear
me?"

Racked by dome spasms, her vocal cords paralyzed, Amerie
felt herself lifted. There was a smell of burning fabric as her
vestments smoked beneath Felice's grip, and then the priest's
own flesh burned and her heart stopped

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Sursum corda.

"Choose me, Amene!" The one elevating her was now in-
candescently nude "Do itâ€”and I'll start your heart again. Jusl
say you love me."

Dignum et justum est.

Felice flung the body in its red vestments to the floor and
loomed high, dimming Hoc est enim corpus meum. "Choose
me' Please, Amerie!" Per ipsum et cum ipso "Please!" In
saecula. .

Amene's dying eyes shone. Her mind told Felice: No. I
love you- This Mass is for you

And then the mind escaped, leaving the girl to rage and
mourn and finally shape-shift back to the old raven form. In
this Felice set off for Spain, to give the other lover his choice

SHE'S LOOSE. SHE'S LOOSE. FELICE IS LOOSE

The dumb refrain played over and over m a subliminal
stratum of Alken's conscious, a piping discordancy over a
sustained drone of fear The bad news hadn't come from his
incompetent spy in Black Crag but from Elizabeth herself, who
farspoke him shortly after dawn, when his fleet was less than
an hour from its rendezvous with the Koneyn land force and
the three North American operants.

She's loose Alken' Felice is loose. I let her get away from
me-. and she's killed Amerie

God damn.

Amerie's death is my fault mine. I could have taken Felice
out during redaction Let her sink into aphanisis Ego demo-
lition. She would have become veggie Creyn&Dionket urged
it I could have yes nonaction in such complex case woutdnot
violate ethic. But no! I was so certain I could save her! I did
make her sane - -

Sane i= altruistic. RighP

Felice remains totally selfcentered. Dedicated to doing ex-
actly as she pleases above all things. She made complete fool
out of me

Elizababe innocent.

I worked with children in Milieu' And Felice is child If
only she had stayed had let me educate her mature her 0 Aiken

329

330

THE NONBORN KING

she may never grow up now a childelementalforce on loose!
She's loose..

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Damnyou. Damnyou! [Spinechill genitalshnnk heartrace ]
Madmonsters can be tncked through own delusions. Sane-
monster ^ Me + AngelAbyss"

And she's loose... loose I don't know where can't track.
Her mentalscreen perfect You must ask Remillard try physical
scan with enhanced farsight. Certain. Felice will look for Cull
Rejected by Amerie she goes for other loveobject Don't have
to tell you what happens if she finds him. You must shield
Cullmind with everything you've got.

Cull has job lo do for Me.

No no hide him some deepcavem gel him out of Europe
altogether assoonas possible! You must abandon notion raid
Felicelair Betics. Suicidal!

Got to have Spear Babe. Photocannon + psychozap concert
we cooking tips firepower balance My-side. And not only vs
Felice. .

Alken you MUST NOT continue Quest now that she's loose.

We're all set. Postponing won't help. Maybe we have chance
grab lool before she realize what makes. Her farsight 2ndrate.

Don't fortheloveofGod don't.

Must. (Looseloose Felice is loose! Looseloose Felice is
loose!) Shit now you got Me loopingâ€”

Felice capable of destroying you + entire force

I'll win! [Panic. Temptation abandon. Resist! Slam on it!]
Looseloose Felice is loose! Looseloose. . SHUT OFF THAT
DAMN LOOP ELIZABETH!

If you go you'll die I'll have your deaths on my conscience
as well as Amene's!

Youyouyou! Too fewkinbad for you! And fewkincon-
science! Quit BLEEDING on me! Go make good actcontntion
or something.

Please - - -

GET GONE.

As he sent an additional fusillade of curses at her. Eliza-

THE GIGANTOMACHY

331

beth's thought pinched off She had retreated to the sanctuary
of the room without doors

"That's ilâ€”hide!" he yelled "Leave me to shovel up the
shit, you bungling do-gooder! Well, if I have to, 1 will'"

He shot a carefully guarded call to North America Even
though Felice emitted no mental aura that a t'arsensor could
detect, she still possessed physical mass impossible to disguise.
The augmented ultrasenses of Abaddon, scanning southern

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Spam, had no assurance of finding the girlâ€”but they could
determine where she was not After a suspenseful interval,
Aiken was reassured that Felice was not at that time physically
present within an 80,000-square-kilometer area centered upon
Mount Mulhacen

The intelligence was sufficient to put a "go" stamp on the
raid.

The 75 sailing vessels ofAiken's fleet, which included every
seaworthy craft in the Many-Colored Land, moored JUSI off
the mouth of the Rio Genii at 0530 hours. Some 2000 humans
of the elite guard, who served the expedition in a support
capacity, made haste to unpack, inflate, and launch a flotilla
of 180 pneumatic nvercraft and guide them to the base-camp
where the Spanish forces waited. Each solar-powered barge
could carry 20 Tanu knights and their chargers, together with
field rations and a spartan quota of supplies. Two of the craft
had been fitted out as primary and backup laser repair shops,
so that there would be no time lost getting the Spear operational.

Shortly before 0800, when everything was in readiness,
Aiken mounted his own black chaliko and levitated to a com-
manding height before the ranks of waiting combatants. Unlike
them. he was not wearing glass armor, but rather his golden
suit of many pockets, the glittering jet cape, and the broad-
brimmed hat with black plumes, now surmounted by the regal
circlet. He saluted the knights and nobles, the High Table
Exalteds and Queen Mercy-Rosmar with the small, gold-plated
laser-truncheon he had taken to carrying as a baton of office

"Battle-companions' We're ready to raid the monster's lair
Up on Mount Mulhacen, inside Felice's cave, is the holy Spear

332

THE NONBORN KING

of Lugonn that was torn out of my hands during the Great
Flood The Spear is a sovereign symbol of our Tanu heritage
It's also a weapon that can be our ultimate defenseâ€”not only
against Felice, but against the Firvulag Foe or any other enemy
that dares to challenge us In addition, the cave holds a treasure -
trove of golden tores Since the equipment for manufacturing
tores was destroyed when Munah flooded, it is vitally important
lhat we seize this supply so that we will be able to raise our
children to metapsychic operancy during the years before nat-
ural operants are born to us The sacred Spear and the cache
of tores represent nothing less than survival insurance for our
Tanu race' This is the true objective of our Quest

"I won't minimize the hazard We are all in danger of death
Felice's mind is more powerful than any in the Many-Colored
Land, more powerful even than any mind that will exist in the
Galactic Milieu six million years from now But we can stand
up to her' We can unite in a true metaconcertâ€”and under my
leadership vanquish the female demon once and for all Believe
this'

"Let me tell you what we will do This Genii River is
navigable for about one hundred and thirty-five kilometers,
ninety Tanu leagues We follow it to Mulhacen, where it has

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its source There'll be rapids, but the best skippers in the Pli-
ocene will be doing the driving, so have no fear Certain of
you psychokmetics have been assigned to add auxiliary power
to the boats, to insure that we reach the head of navigation by
1400 hours Then we take to the saddle We'll be out of the
jungle by then and into open savanna, and we'll nde hell for
leather for another twenty-five or thirty kloms A little over an
hour and we should be at the base of the Sierra Nevada massif,
where a dense forest begins and we're in the very shadow of
Mumacen

"All of the way up the nver and all across the savanna you
will have your minds in linkage, forming a protective umbrella
of psychoenergy that will hide us from the monster's sight At
the foot of the mountain, you'll take your stand, waiting in a
well-sheltered spot with perfect line of sight on the region
around Felice's lair ! alone will fly to the cave You'll extend

THE GiGANTOMACHY

333

your defense to cover me while I abstract the Spear and the
tores Since I'm able to lift more than four hundred tons, I
should have no trouble making off with the loot However.
that time when I'm flying back with it does represent the most
hazardous period of our raid, since I'll be using most of my
brainpower in the levitation I'll maintain my direction of our
offensive metaconcertâ€”but minus my usual share of the psy-
chozap potential If you ever plan to pray for us, pray then

"Once I'm safe at the foot of the mountain, I parcel out the
treasure and we all haul ass back to the nverboats We'll turn
the mounts loose That'll give us added speed back to the gulf,
since the boats will be lighter We'll also be traveling with the
current instead of against it As we sail downriver, our hard
working technicians under Pete Carvalho and Yuggoth Mc-
Gilhcuddy will fix the Spear Again, let us pray' 1 will lend
them my royal assistance unless I'm occupied battling for our
lives

"After the sacred zapper is repaired, we are virtually home
free' Abaddon has studied what Felice did at Gibraltar, and
he's also analyzed the potential of the metaconcert we'll be
putting together Felice's creativity checks in at something he
calls the six-hundredth order of magnitude Very heavy But
if we hit Felice with a photon cannon in addition to the meta-
concert blast, we should pull the equivalent of six-thirtyâ€”
and the monster dies, zapped to a flaky flmder

"So we're off And we're going to win' You have the Shin-
ing One's guarantee'"

They had been cautioned against uttering even the most
discreet response But the aether fizzed with jubilation, never-
theless, as the pneumatic boats cast off and sped up the Genii
at more than 20 kph No sooner had the journey begun than
the 3550 combatants were put to work. assembling their minds
into the three-pronged metaconcert that would shortly serve as
both weapon and buckler for King Alken-Lugonn

The three human operants from North Amenca began the

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process, sorting and interleaving the minds, one by one Owen
Blanchard took the coercers, who were headed by Alberonn

THE NONBORN KING

334

Mindeater, Artigonn of Amalizan, and Condateyr of Roniah.
Cloud Remillard coordinated the psychokinetics under Bleyn
the Champion, Neyal of Sasaran, Diarmet of Geroniah, and
Kuhal Earthshaker (the latter only a proforma participant). The
all-important creative faction was marshalled by Elaby Gathen,
working with Mercy, Aluteyn Craftsmaster, Celadeyr, Lorn-
novel Brainbumer, and Thufan Thunderhead. The High Table
members were entrusted with refinement of the substructures
in each syntagmatic chain, binding together the lesser minds
into coherent units that would beâ€”thanks to the new sophis-
ticated armature furnished by Abaddonâ€”greater in power than
the sum of their component parts.

Once the newbom Tanu metaconcert had stabilized and as-
sumed a proper condition of dynamic potential. Marc Remillard
took it up, smoothed the rough spots, and phased in the operant
minds under his personal control: the surviving rebels in Ocala,
together with their runaway adult children (now simmering but
submissive), who were situated in a bivouac on the Moroccan
coast about 900 kilometers southwest of Mulhacen. To this
combination Marc added his own awesome creative faculty,
boosted by auxiliary cerebroenergetics. The whole was then
subtly cleft into offensive and defensive capabilities, with the
former relying more heavily upon the creative powers and the
latter weighing more on the coercers. The defensive aspect of
this Organic Mind Marc kept under his own control. His far-
sense, in a virtuoso maneuver that neither Aiken nor the Tanu
could fathom, somehow maintained its independent monitoring
function. Aiken, as prime executive of the Mind, could watch
out for the enemy himself; but if he became distracted, or if
Felice contrived some outrageously subtle ploy, the cold far-
seeing eye in North America would be watching and ready to

sound the alert.

Plugged in last of all, poised between Marc and the director's
slot. with its soul-substance attenuated and drawn into a virtual
cylinder of enormous bore, was the mind of Cuiluket the In-
terrogator. He was completely passive (but aware), a living
conduit through which psychoenergies might pass in only one
direction: outward. If Felice tried to penetrate the Mind with

THE GIGANTOMACHY

335

her own forces, or if she attempted to choke off the output,
instigating feedback, the sentient safety fuse would disrupt.
Cuiluket would die. (And he thought: That would be the easiest!
But at the same time came the nagging voice of prescience,
admonishing: Not until you pay the account in full.)

When the Mind was finally ready, the faceless entity called
Abaddon presented it to Aiken Drum.

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"All you need do is slip your own mind into the ultimate
position: prime focus and executive director. If you're quite
sure you're up to it..."

The waiting mental edifice seemed to shimmer before Aik-
en's bemused eye- How splendid! How strong! How huge\
True, the program was Abaddon's, as well as the expertise in
the assembly. But it was Aiken Drum who now look up the
organism boldly and wore itâ€”he who was in control.

The sky he saw now through the defensive barrier was
almost purple. The solar disk shone vermilion with a white-
hot core. As the lead boat he rode in hurtled up the river, the
rushing walls of jungle were a green so intense that it verged
on black. The Genii itself, still carpeted in mist, was a twisting
track of molten gold unwinding endlessly.

If you're quite sure you're up so it. ..

Was he!

He let the godlike offensive potential fill him. let himself
expand with it, savoring the biddable menace. He was Mercy,
he was Aluteyn, he was Alberonn and Bleyn. He was Owen
Blanchard, Grand Master Coercer. He was Cloud and Elaby.
raw and youthful and operant. He was more than 3000 Tanu
minds, synchronized in unprecedented union. He was 40 vet-
eran villains of the Metapsychic Rebellion and 28 of their adult
offspring. He was Marc RemiHard, challenger of a galaxy,
locked in refrigerated armor with charged needles piercing his
incandescent brain.

He was all of them! And himself! He was King.

She was sure, so sure that he would be there in Goriah, but
when she circled the Castle of Glass, calling his name, he did
not answer, nor was he anywhere to be found in the surrounding

THE NONBORN KING

336

city or in its satellite plantations and settlements. She would
now recognize his aura, no matter where he hid. But he was
not there.

Baffled, the black bird Hew southward, following the At-
lantic coastline to Rocilan. But he was not in the Candy City
either, nor in Sasaran far up the Garonne, thai mighty river
called Baar by the Tanu. She scanned Amalizan, the cilade!
guarding the principal gold mines of the Many-Colored Land,
and then winged tirelessly on to Sayzorask on the lower Rhone
and Darask in the Provencal Everglades.

Beloved! Culluket!

Again and again the raven called, but it seemed he was not
in any of the French cities. His aura, so glacial and hard. the
color of frozen blood, would be readily discernible now that
her farsenses had been sharpened as a result of the redaction.
If she flew to within a dozen kilometers of the Interrogator,
she would know him.

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She rested and broke her long fast in a verdant parkland
west of the great lake, subduing a newbom antelope fawn and
feeding upon its tongue. Refreshed, she mounted into the air
again and called out in playful derision as she passed Black
Crag. She expected no answer from Elizabeth and received

none.

Elizabeth will be useful again some day, the raven thought.

But I really don't need her help to find Cull. It'll be more fun

to search for him myself!

She flew south at gale speed, streaking over the flowering
jungles of the Corbiere Hills and through a pass of the eastern
Pyrenees. The Beloved was not in Geroniah, nor in Tarasiah;

so she angled far inland and crossed the Catalan Wilderness
and came betimes to the head of the Iberian Grand Canyon,
where Aluteyn Craftsmaster's lonely citadel of Calamosk
perched above the rushing torrent. Culluket was not there.
Indeed, the city was almost deserted.

She considered. Hadn't the other places she had visited also
been strangely emptied of life-auraâ€”especially of Tanu life?
Where had all the exotics gone?

The limitless plains of the south were going from emerald

THE GIGANTOMACHY

337

to lemon-yeitow. now that the rains were two months in the
past. Only the swales and the arroyos remained lush, and the
bottomlands along great rivers such as the Proto-Jucar, which
flowed past Afaliah-

Culluket! Culiukel!

But again the Beloved was not there, and neither was the
city-lord, Celadeyr, nor his cadre of battle-companions- The
mystery deepened. Perhaps Aiken Drum had gone off on a
Quest against the Firvulag marauders of the western Alps.
Felice had not searched the cities of the upper Rhone but had
flown straight from Hidden Springs to Goriah, where she had
expected to find her quarry cowering in the protection of Aiken
Drum. But if the King had mounted some punitive expedi-
tion , ..

it was a bore, deciding what to do. If she was to keep her
search methodical, she should by rights skew across the Med-
iterranean and take up the hunt at dismal Var-Mesk, then go
up to Bardelask and Roniah. But the afternoon was lengthening
and her precipitous pace had begun to sap her strength.

She thought: I'll go home to Mulhacen, and start again
tomorrow.

Her heart lifted along with her raven's body as she soared
up on a thermal, then arrowed southwest toward the Betic
Cordillera, Home to her mountain, her treasure, her dear animal

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companions-
She thought: I could keep him in there, chained in gold.
Encased in gold. Pervaded with gold! Yes! All through the
muscles, a precious network of conductive metal, and golden
external terminals to each major neural plexus! The brain itself
would need a very special divarication, which he would have
to help her build. What a delicious prospect! With him thus
equipped, she would be able to play him like some magnificent
algetic instrument, first warming his sanguine frigidity with
simple capriccios and inventions, then going on to immense
panharmonies, dithyrambs of pleasure and pain.

Oh, Beloved! Before it was my joy to receive, and that was
sick and unsane, wasn't it? But now I am well and ready for
the joy of giving and contemplation relished by all sane mindsâ€”

338 THE NONBORN KING

even those who would like to reject it, indignant and disgusted
at its dark enigma Bul we know don t we Beloved, that the
sight of the suffering Other only confirms our own power and
pain-freedom, sealing our sense of worth We triumph as we
are spared We are gratified by a price paid but not by us

(And did she not suffer and die for me, Crucifixa etiam pro
nobis, as her foolish God did for her^)

You too will suffer gloriously. Beloved, but not die I
love you too much ever to let you die

Alken came to Felice s cave as a new-hatched spider ndmg
on a strand of gossamer one of hundreds that the afternoon s
thermal wind blew up the northern flank of the mountain When
his glistening thread tangled in a pine tree he made his way
down to a branch and rested there, carefully thinking arachnoid
thoughts just in case Abaddon s earlier scan had missed the
monster Using the shortest possible soft focus farsight, the
spiderling scanned the cave ambit Felice wasn I hiding among
the green framed boulders or down in the canyon, or anywhere
on the upper slopes where the alpine flowers bloomed in pink
and white tufts His deep-vision, exerted more forcefully, as
sured him that she wasn t concealed inside Mulhacenâ€”at least,
not within a kilometer or so of the cave

The tiny spider descended from the tree and turned into a
man in a golden suit He lowered the metapsychic shield until
it was closely cupped about the cave entrance Then, from the
targe pocket on his back, he took a titindion net, which he
spread on the ground With his face shining, he entered the
cave and penetrated to the inner room, sliding aside the pro-
tective rock slab as though it were a paper screen

The radiance streaming from him lit a pile of golden tores
higher than his head How many had the mad scavenger gleaned'7
It seemed there were thousands, each necklet a hollow shell
filled with components from Gomnol's demolished factory in
Munah There remained small stockpiles of the psychic am
plifiers in each Tanu city, but none could compare with this
cache of Felice's

He sent quantities of the tores flying out ol the cave to pile

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THE GiGANTOMACHY

339

up on the net, and at length uncovered the Spear of Lugonn
and its pack

"At last'" he muttered, taking up the weapon He had last
worn it in the Duel of Battiemasters against Nodonn When
the tores had all been removed from the inner chamber he
strolled back outside the cave. the Spear over his shoulder, and
stood stanng at the heaped-up treasure

Finally he gestured, and the net gathered into a purse that
encompassed the golden lores All that remained was to fly
back to the waiting army, parcel out the spoils, and flee Felice
might never know who had robbed her

But he couldn't leave it at that

He sprang into the air, lifting the enormous bundle, and
earned it a couple of kilometers northward along the ndge
connecting Mulhacen with its sister peak. Alcazaba Leaving
the tores and the Spear, he flew back, enclosed in the bubble
of defensive force maintained by Abaddon, and hovered over
the vicinity of the cave He said

Kill the screen' Go to the offensive mode' I have to leave
my royal calling card'

The sun brightened for him and the air regained its dazzle
His mind seemed to swell, totipotent, as the entire offensive
sum of the metdconcert flowed into his creative reservoir and
approached focus (Throttle back, Exalted Laddie' No sense
leveling the whole bloody place, you know Might attract her
notice, wherever she is And the energy level is a wee bit scary,
now that you experience the totality for the firsi time' So back
off a tad Give her the finger, the heraldic digitus impudicus,
and let go )

Let go'

He laughed like Jove as the psychic bolt flew and thunder
boomed A huge chunk of the mountain split away, fragmented,
and rumbled down into the secret crevice where the raven girl
had dwelt Most of the sound waves had been reflected skyward
by the shape of the terrain There was little dust no smoke
But Felice's lair was gone

The creative blast had burned as it traveled through him and
he faltered in midair, engulfed in pain willing Abaddon to

340 THE NONBORN KING

restructure the shield as he pulled himself back together. Even
mitigated, the energy of the metaconcert had nearly vaporized
his brain plasm.

Marc Marc what do wrong God help'

Amateur blockhead! You used wrong channels [images]
harmless at iowlevel zap grealdanger ai high. Even Felice knew
better than use thai puny creativemode .. .

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Yeahyeahyeah. Just give fix. Pain.

Overload kill you jusl as dead as feedback or allsystem
zorch! I look loo much for granted.

Godsake save schoolteacher acl + fuckingduncecap for
owndamnkids show RIGHT WAY channelize megazap.

Suppressed expletives. [Profoundly esoteric image.] You got
thai Royal Highness?

Uh. Say again?

King Aiken-Lugonn fake your loot and gel back to the others.
I'll finish the lesson as you retreat. And I hope to hell you're
a quick study.

The rainbow-colored knights on their chargers fled across
the Granadine savanna, the great claws of the mounts slicing
the dry turf and uprooting buttercups and purple scabious and
eyebright- The tumult of the Tanu army's passing scattered
herds of gazelles and hipparions. Sabertooth cats started up
from their naps and roared in alarm, and great bustards flapped
off on low trajectories from their violated nests ?.mong the
tussocks. The sun was now low in the west and broiling hot.
Dust devils trailed in the wake of the retreating force, wavering
like tall tan spectres above the dim gleam of the defensive
canopy.

The riders did not guide their steeds. Their minds were
utterly rapt in the task of maintaining their share of the meta-
concert; and though their eyes saw and their ears heard and
they were conscious of the heal and the smell of dust and ripped
meadow herbiage, they had no volition, no sense of indepen-
dent being. Each brain functioned as a cell of the Organic Mind,
exuding psychoenergy in the erection of the great shield, hold'

THE GIGANTOMACHY

341

ing stiti more energy in reserve, ready for the offensive thrust
they might be called upon at any moment to deliver,

King Aiken-Lugonn galloped at the head of the horde, lead-
ing his people back to the navigable stretch of the Rio Genii.
Behind his saddle, and behind that of each other rider as well,
was a sack full of golden tores thai rang with every step his
chaliko took- In his arms he held a golden-glass lance with a
cabie connecting its bun to a powermodule slung from a sturdy
shoulder harness. The readout on the module showed no charge,
and the five colored studs set into its armrest were fouled with
salt, as was its needle-thin aperture. At the moment, the Spear
ofLugonn was dead, inoperative. But technicians were waiting
at the river with tools that would bring it back to life, and the
diminutive form of the King glowed m anticipation of using it
once again. This weapon would conquer Felice, then rout the
Firvulag. And at the end it would complete the task that the
Flood had interrupted: It would kill Nodonn.

Still clothed in her raven's guise, her mind perfectly screened,
Felice arrived at her lair on Mulhacen. She hovered, incred-

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ulous, at the sight of the stupendous rockslide, the glittering
blocks of micaschist larger than houses that had been sheared
off the face of the mountain and tumbled into the nook thai
had been her home. The trees were gone, the flowering shrubs.
the waterfall with its fern-bordered pool for bathing, the firepil
and the quaintly wrought rustic furniture that had been just
outside the cavern, the mossy boulders where the rock thrushes
had perched and sung for her in the evening's hush. Gone. The
small branch of the river where the fat trout swam was buried
under tons of debris, as was the game-trail that had brought
the animal friends lo her door. The only living thing left to
greet her was the lynx, Pseudaelurus, which sat on the flat
crest of an isolated crag, basking in the last of the dying sun-
light.

The raven spiraled down, crying. At first, she believed the
catastrophe 10 be natural; but then she saw a dusty golden lore
half-buried in the detritus, and she thought to exert her powerful
deep-seeing eye, scanning the barricaded interior of her talus

342 THE NONBORN KING

cave She discovered that the treasure chamber had been emp-
tied

"Culluket'" she screamed The sound echoed into the diz-
zying gorge cut by the young Genii The lynx cringed, its ears
flattened "Culluketâ€”you and Alken Drum'" The lynx van-
ished into rocky chaos and the dark-feathered bird descended
onto the vacant crag and was transformed

A fantastic being stood on the rock, dressed in gleaming
black cuir bouitli, the hoplite armor of Felice's old profession
much modified by her mind's vagary Now the angles of the
carapace were sharper, the contours more cruel The old open
greaves and short gauntlets had expanded to enclose all the
flesh of the legs and arms, and now were adorned with curved
spurs and excrescences like talons The helmet had a predatory
beak, balanced by a spiny crest projecting to the rear From
its T-shaped opening shone two beams of light, white as mag-
nesium flares When the being turned its head and began to
survey the Granadine steppe north of the mountain, the eye-
beams drilled through an intervening ndge of metamorphic rock
tike lasers punching a wedge of cheese Felice searched the
valley of the lower Geml through smoking peepholes, located
her prey at long last, and took off after it like a vengeful comet

The boats were tearing down the nver Aiken, in the primary
repair craft, was using his deep-vision to guide the technicians
in reaming out the barrel of the Spear when Marc's abrupt
warning came

Felice is on her way

"Finish the fix, for God's sake'" Aiken shouted at the shaken
Carvalho and McGillicuddy, before levitating back into the
lead boat in a sizzling cloud of ozone

"Spotted her'" he cned This time his focusing was nearly
instantaneous He sucked and the energy flowed into him He
exhaled and the terrible blazing gobbet roared toward the shad-
owy fleck that hurtled after the flotilla, spiky black against a

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turquoise evening sky

The fireball bloomed, obliterating some 40 square kilo-
meters of jungle below it The passage of the monstrous energy

THE GiGANTOMACHY

343

surge stunned Aiken Every neuron in his body had turned into
a nil of lava His brain not only seethed, it pulsed hke some
variable star, with each peak verging on disjunction A squeal-
ing craven nub within him said Marc was right' You over-
loadedâ€”and now you're dead, sucker'

But the near-fatal vertigo dampened and he was surprised
to find himself still firmly ensconced in the executive slot of
the Organic Mind. with Abaddon not scornful or accusatory
but registering Olympian approval

Very commendableâ€”for a barebrain I think you got her
"I did^"

/ get nothing on a mass-energy scan in ground zero
"Jesus, you better be right That zap nearly finishedâ€”"
GOD NO SHE D-JVMPED' [unintelligible image]
ABOVE YOU AIKEN HIT HER AGAIN HIT HER"
Abaddon's warning crashed in his aching brain He saw
Felice again, magnified by some weird atmospheric effect,
looming directly overhead She seemed to be several hundred
meters tall Her form, now that of a human female, appeared
to be clothed in white flames that nppled like liquid silk Her
monstrous face was translucent Her eyes were black and blaz-
ing and so was her mind Aiken felt the defensive barrier above
the flotilla begin to crumble Something was critically wrong
in the coercive segment A vital component had failed and the
structure was collapsingâ€”

The screen resolidified Marc Rermllard had injected some
arcane reinforcement, bypassing his man, Owen Blanchard,
who was dead Instinctively, Aiken knew thai this makeshift
shoring mechanism would hold only for the brief nanosecond
that he, the prime executive, needed to shift back into the
offensive mode He would have to blast Felice again with the
full load of the metaconcert, even if it killed him

There was no time even to focus He demanded and received
the soul-bursting volume of energy and expelled it point-blank
at the monster

A shnek, inhuman, clanging in the aethenc welkin Con-
flicting psychic bursts impinging, exploding, imploding, can-
celling A slowly expanding psychocreative detonation that was

344 THE NONBORN KING

overwhelming light without noise or heat Behind and beyond
this, a structure bespnnkted with thousands of scintillations,
multicolored, some of which now flared and died away A
tenuous rolling juncture, deepest carmine, stretched across half
a world (Between my own pain and his7) Pain bridge sentient
and sharing, threatening to fade to black, rescued, regenerated,
newly joined to a deadly white flame Candle burning in ruby-

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glass tube, shnnking Croon of laughter Dwuidhng howl plum-
meting to despair

"Abaddon 7"

/ hear King Alken-Lugonn

"Get her?"

Gone No more menace either of us Mliance concluded
until your turn to fulfill bargain No communication until then
Goodbye

"Mare overloaded Die9 Marc7"

"Marc ANSWER ME'"

Amazing, he thought It was a terminal overload and I
should be dead, but it seems I'm not' Behold my mind, a sleazy
fabric of carbonized threads, glowing bravely in vacuum Let
me out of my bell jar and into the real world and I may fall to
ashes

"Nonsense, Alken Just hold onto me I'm almost finished
pasting you back together You're a tough Scottish lad and far
too wicked to die young "

Elizabeth9

"Be quiet "

1 thought you couldn't redact long-distance7

"I can't I'm here Stop communicating, damn you This is
very hard to do and I've been at it for nearly a week and I'm
tired "

A weekâ€”'

He drifted All around him were minds whispering
Hundredsâ€”hell, thousands'â€”of them Tanu Gold-tore hu-
man operant His people

THE GIGANTOMACHY

345

Elizabeth7 My metaconcen fell apart, didn't it7

"It lasted long enough Quiet Ah There and there And
there "

Lights' Action'

He saw, felt, heard, smelted, tasted He sat up on the padded
table and the sheet slithered from his mother-naked body He
was whole The table stood in the middle of a small decamole
shelter that was meshed on all four sides for ventilation Outside
was a typical Spanish jungle, extravagant greenery and the
usual mammal-bird-amphibian-insect cacophony Inside was
Elizabeth, and Creyn and Dionket in informal redactor robes,
and a leather-faced Tanu with a short blond beard, a Pnnce
Valiant haircut, and uncompromising coercer-blue eyes This
personage held out a pair of golden jockey shorts

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"Allow me "

The weak and disoriented King allowed himself to be dressed
in his suit of many pockets It was somewhat the worse for
wear He said, "So Felice is dead7"

"Her body fell into the Genii like a flaming meteor." said
Dionket, his mind projecting the image "There was a strange
secondary psychocreative concussion that brought a two-
hundred-meter cliff crashing down into the nver right on top
of her Some of your people were caught in the avalanche "

"Iâ€”felt people dying " Alken was stanng empty eyed at
the jungle outside 'Who7"

Elizabeth's redactive strength held onto him "Ninety-six
are unaccounted for Aluteyn Craftsmaster Artigonn of Amal-
izan The human operant Elaby Gathen Culluket the Interro-
gator And Mercy "

"Mercy deacP" He looked from face to face "I don't believe
it'"

"Her body wasn't found," Elizabeth admitted, "but the av-
alanche and the surge in the nver were tremendous things The
entire course of the Genii was changed Your people did find
the Craftsmaster's remains, and Elaby Gathen's, as well as the
bodies of some minor nobility You may know that the elderly
operant, Owen Blanchard, died of a cerebrovascular accident "

"And nearly fucked the lot of us'" Alken exclaimed bitterly

346 THE NONBORN KING

"1 felt the bastard give way right at the moment Felice started
her attack. If it hadn't been for Marc..." He faltered and
dropped onto the edge of the bed, sitting with his head in his
hands. "He did a job. God, if you only knew." When he looked
up there was an odd light in his eyes. His smile was tight. "It
was an education. A painful one."

"You'll have the hangover of the Western World for the
next month or so," Elizabeth remarked. "Go easy. Let your
mind heal fully."

His nod was impatient- "Where the devil are we?"

"In the base-camp at the mouth of the Genii. Your people
have been waiting for you to regain consciousness- Very few
of them were hurt badly, aside from those who were caught in
the full brunt of the avalanche and some who were brain-bumed
when the defenses faltered. The wounded are resting in Skin
in Afaiiah."

Aiken looked sheepish. "Thanks for coming, Elizabeth. I
meanâ€”I was pretty mouthy there earlier, babe. Sorry."

"What the hell," she said, and smiled.

Aiken turned to the buriy bearded Tanu, whose mental sig-
nature was as notorious as the triskelion badge on his azure
tunic. "I suppose you flew the medic party here from Black

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Crag."

A minimal nod.

"Thanks a lot, Minanonn. I wish you'd consider joining us.
It's a new regime in the Many-Colored Land. Lots of things
are changing. You couid help."

The heretical ex-Battiemasier allowed himself a wintry smile.
"I'll be watching you from the Pyrenees. Visit me some time.
Without your army."

"You got a deal." Aiken thanked Creyn and Dionket, set
his feathered hat very carefully onto his throbbing head, then
hesitated as one last item of importance came to mind.

"1 don't suppose you know what became of my Spear?"

Elizabeth sighed. "It's safe on your flagship schooner,
guarded night and day by Bleyn and Alberonn. And it's been
repaired."

"Kaleidoscopic!" The King beamed at them all. "In a way,

THE GiGANTOMACHY

347

I'm glad I didn't get to use it on Felice- It's a sacred weapon,
you know. Too good for the likes of her. I'm glad we finished
her off with mindpower. Too bad about old Cullâ€”but that's
probably for the best. too."

Walking a trifle unsteadily, he gave them a jaunty wave as
he went out the door. There was a sound of scattered cheering
that grew until the jungle noises were overwhelmed. And when
the shouting and the mind-cries fell off, the music of the Song
look its place, carrying from the camp to the boats moored out
on the waters of the Gulf of Guadalquivir.

The Rio Genii flowed down from Mulhacen and swung
wide, following its new course around a region covered deep
in stony rubble. The dead bodies in the landslide were well-
buried, secure from prowling jackals and other scavengers.

Far under the mound a tiny white flame burned within a
ruby, waiting inside its dark temenos for fresh fuel.

THE END OF PART THREE

D/^r m

_Q3Â£

I DhgD Of

MOREYN OF VAR-MESK HUDDLED IN PITCH-DARKNESS IN THE

deserted materials yard of the glassworks. A fine drizzle co-
alesced on his wispy hair, ran down the collar of his cloak,
and dripped onto his neck. He sneezed. It was unseasonably
chilly for the middle of June, with a sharp wind blowing off

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the New Sea. The weather, he reflected morosely, like nearly
everything else in the Many-Colored Land these days, seemed
to have gone mad.

Miserable, Moreyn scanned the black sky over the water
and wished Celadeyr and the redactor would hurry Did he dare
to put up a small psychocreative umbrella while he waited? It
was effete, butâ€”Tana's teeth!â€”brute endurance wasn't the
only virtue, nor was prudence necessarily a sign of cosy-wal-
lowing or Firvulagish degeneracy.

He sneezed again. The invisible umbrella went up. and for
good measure he spun a discreet infrared pod about his soaked
feet. What could be keeping Celo? He was nearly an hour late.

Not that Moreyn was anxious to relinquish his sacred charge.
It had been an honor to nurse the Baltlemaster, and gratifying
when Nodonn praised his cleverness in securing the rare ma-
terials needed for the repair of the Sword, and his refurbishing
of the armor and fashioning of a new gauntlet to cover the
wooden hand. (That hand')

But as his strength returned. Nodonn had chafed in idleness.

351

352 THE NONBORN KING

He refused to stay hidden in his salty dungeon cell, and began
to prowl among the lower levels of the trona diggings during
the graveyard shift Only ramas were about then to observe
him. and there was no chance that they might betray his pres-
ence But Nodonn had taken to helping the apes in their labors,
using his recovering psychokinesis to load the gondola cars
with excessive amounts of mineral, which might have been
noted by the gray-tore foremen who checked the schedule
When Moreyn put a stop to this game, the bored Battiemaster
began playing with the mice Swarms of the rodents infested
the citadel's sewers and gained access to the glass works via
an enormous drain More than once, as Moreyn came to min-
ister to his patient, he had been startled by semed ranks of the
little creaturesâ€”marching, countermarching, and performing
precision drills, while Nodonn reviewed his miniature host
seated on a lump ofcullet glass, like some sardonic incarnation
of Apollo Smmtheus

Yes it was high time that the fast-recuperating Battle-
master moved on to Afaliah Where the hand could be fixed
and the portent wiped out

In spite of his warming feet, the Glasscrafter experienced
a thnll of dread The One-Handed Wamor' According to hoary
Tanu tradition, it was one of the direst forecasts of the Nightfall
War

Moreyn, came the secret call on his intimate mode

(At last') Here Down here, Celo

And there came two dim nders spiraling down, their leather
slormsuits and the bodies of their chalikos reflecting fog-fuzzed
city lights until they entered the shadowy yard

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"Hail, Creative Brother," Moreyn greeted the Lord of Af
aliah, who swung down out of his saddle But when he turned
to the other nder he went stock-sUli, liddmg the astonishment
that flooded his mind The slender form was human and female,
and though the mental signature and face were masked, he
knew that this was not a redactor but a Most Exalted member
of Celo's Guild of Creators

When she lifted the visor of her hood, Moreyn exclaimed

THE LORD OF MiSRULt- 353

"Great Queen' You live' But it was saidâ€”we all mournedâ€”
you and the other victims of the monster Feliceâ€”"

"A necessary hoax," said Mercy "Take me to my husband "

"Oh, yes 1 see'" Moreyn sneezed twice "To disarm the
surveillance of the usurper 1 see' Come this way "

They left the chdiikos tied to a railing and entered a disused
storeroom crowded with obsolete machinery Moreyn lifted a
trapdoor and they descended into one of the many tunnels that
underlay the city of the glassmakers At first, the way was In
only by a psychocreative flame springing from Moreyn's fin-
ger, for they traversed workings that had long been abandoned
But then they came into a region where the hot salt springs
still bubbled, depositing crystalline masses of hydrous sodium
carbonate that were mined by silent crews of ramapithecme
apes

Guttering torches filled the steamy chambers with an orange
glow The layers of white and pastel evaponte were streaked
with soot, making infernal murals that almost seemed alive in
the wavering light The springs burbled and emitted foul-smell-
ing vapor The small apes with their great lustrous eyes wore
skin buskins and mittens as protection from the alkali deposits
They chipped off the trona crystals with vitredur picks, shov-
eled the mineral into waiting gondolas, and trundled the cars
away to a lift

"What a hellish place'" Mercy said "The poor little beasts "

"They only work a six-hour shift," Moreyn said defensively
"The smell's only sulfur, and there's plenty of fresh air Dear
Lady, our mines are really a paradise compared to the gold
diggings at Amahzan

"And he's had to stay down here7" Mercy said, stricken
They were descending ever deeper It was hot, and there was
a rumble behind the saline walls, as of a concealed cataract or
mysterious machines

"Great Goddess," Celadeyr grumbled, pulling off his hood
and unfastening the front of his suit "It's a damn steam bath'
How much farther, Mon7"

The Glasscrafter led them to a barred wooden door Its
surface trembled faintly and the noise reverberated from behind

354 THE NONBORN KING

it. "Through here " Again he ignited the tip of his finger. He

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lifted the bars with his PK and swung the portal open like the
gale of Tartarus

They entered a great downslanthig gut that carried a roanng
stream of foul water The air was a good fifteen degrees cooler
and pervaded by a cloacal stench. Mercy gasped in dismay and
Celadeyr hurriedly refastened his suit, pulled up the hood, and
closed the visor.

"Follow me. Be careful." Moreyn trotted out along a cat-
walk, holding high his hand of glory. "This is an underground
section of the Var River. It carries the main sewage outfall and
the factory effluent over the continental shelf This tunnel used
to be leagues long But with the New Sea rising it becomes
shorter every day Turn here."

They entered a branch tunnel, mercifully dry A few dozen
mice fled as Moreyn opened the last door.

Mercy pushed ahead of the Glasscrafter into a small lighted
room, little more than a den carved in striped evaporile and
equipped with a minimum of furniture and supplies- Nodonn
stood there pallid and gaunt-faced, his golden head brushing
the low ceiling, wasted frame clad in a white woolen tunic.
He held out both hands to Mercyâ€”one of flesh and the other
of wood.

She burst into tears He held her against his chest, his heart
on fire, and said to Moreyn and Celadeyr. "Leave us. Wait
above ground. I know the way out of here very well."

When the two men had gone and the door was closed,
Nodonn lifted her and sought her lips. Their minds cried word-
less greeting, beyond happiness and beyond sorrow. They lived,
and now they were reunited, but the soul-hunger of the terrible
empty months could scarcely be appeased in thai initial con-
junction. The time was too short and they dared not expend in
mere ecstasy the life-force that would be needed for the im-
pending journey So the daemon's coming was a sigh, and the
belie dame's fulfillment gentle as an eyelid's soft closing before
sunlight- Then they held each other, warm, minds still in sweet
fusion.

THE LORD OF MISRULE 355

"Motherhood has deepened you. Queen," he said "You are
a fountain of repose. A wellspring of comfort."

"All my comfort is for you. I'll never leave you nowâ€”not
even to return to Agraynel. She is only my flesh. You are my
mind's life. How could 1 have doubted that you lived? How
could I have accepted him^ Can you forgive my defilement?"

"If you forgive mine " He told her aboul Huldah. "It was
not done freely, but I know now that I had dark joy in the
shaming. And now this wretched hybrid woman carries the son
1 would have given you, Rosmar: the first of my Host."

"Never mind, love. We'll make it right somehow, now that
we're together again."

She felt his body stiffen. He drew away, the two warm
hands, soft and hard, clasping her shoulders. "As to that... you

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may have to return to him."

"No!" she cried harshly. Her horror was like a knife, and
there was fear as well- "What do you mean?"

He turned from her and began to take off his tunic. From
beneath the camp bed he pulled two sacks, one with his glass
armor and another with the suit of padding. "It won't be easy,
deposing him now that he's been acclaimed King by the battle-
company. Leaving aside the matter of my gaining support from
the people... we must consider him as a military objective.
He's a formidable metapsychic adversary. I can't farsense him,
Mercy- Even when he's not wearing those Milieu screens, he's
too strong a mind-guarder for me to penetrate. I can't even
follow his physical movements unless some other person is
with him, scattering inadvertent clues. The only way I have of
spying on him is through you..."

Her mind was shrouded. The sea-deep eyes were opaque,
full of fresh tears. "I've only just gained you back. And you
want me to go?"

"Of course I don't!" he said, in a voice of anguish.

She let her lips rest on his naked chest, breathing the exotic
phCTomones, hearing his heart. "I'll go to him if you tell me
to, love. But I've had a foreseeing-.."

Her face was completely hidden by her long auburn hair

356 THE NONBORN KING

and she shivered inside her storm-sun of dark green kidskin.
He held her tightly. "What have you foreseen?"

It was her mind that spoke:

My death is in him. He loves me and he'll kill me. It was
the same vision poor Cull had of Felice. (And the two of us
condemned ones were able to calm one another. A fine joke,
that!)

"Never mind Cull. I can understand Aiken loving you. But
to kill youâ€”? Nonsense! You are the Lady Creator. Your
energies are lifebuilding!"

"For Tanu, perhaps," she whispered. "But not for humans.
Remember Bryan, who died of me."

Nodonn's tone was cynical. "Our Shining Usurper has put
it about that his own blood is Tanu, as yours. If he believes
his own tale, he can scarcely paint you a succubus."

"Perhaps it's envy, then. My creativity brings life. His psy-
choenergy is only for conquest, destruction of all opposition.
Aiken would always forswear love in favor of power- He can't
forgive himself for loving me. He'll only be safe when I'm
dead."

"He's no monster like Felice."

"No," she admitted. "He could have thrown Cull to her and
perhaps fended off Felice's attack. But he didn't. He tried to

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save Cull as well as himself." Her mind brooded over memories
of the rencontre on the Genii. "Aiken was frightfully injured
in that fight, you know. Even now, his powers are greatly
diminished."

"I know." Nodonn revealed satisfaction. "I'm counting on
it."

She looked up at him finally. "But it would be easier for
you if I were there in Goriah. Oh, my love. Of course I'll
return if you want me to!" Her eyes were wild. "I'll gladly die
for you."

He was hauling on the padded gambeson. "Aiken won't kill
you. Not even if he suspects I'm alive. No normal man could
kill his beloved."

"No normal Tanu man," she said sadly. "Humans are dif-
ferent, vein of my heart." But then her laugh rang out in the

THE LORD OF MISRULE

357

salt cave. "Ah, who cares about my silly second sight? In the
Milieu, precognition was considered a hopelessly undisciplined
metafacultyâ€”sometimes reliable, more often a fraud. And look
how dubious the sight is among your folk! Why, Brede said
that Elizabeth is the most important person in the world. Imag-
ine' That futile self-doubter. I know who the most important
person really is. You!"

He was dressing swiftly in the rosy-gold armor, his expres-
sion somber. "More likely that mysterious human operant over
in North America. Abaddon. Compared to him, Aiken and I
are a pair of metapsychic infants."

Mercy's antic mood became instantly serious. "That one's
playing his own game. Celo suspects he may have deliberately
let Felice brainbum Aiken. There was something distinctly
fishy about the mental surges at the climax of the fight. But
of course I couldn't telt. I was too busy digging out from under
a piece of hillside that had fallen on me. Celo came to rescue
me, and that was when we decided I would have to play dead-
He took back my poor little empty emerald helmet..."

Nodonn's piercing gaze had narrowed. "So Abaddon might
have used Felice against Aiken. How fraught with possibilities!
1 wonder if this North American is open to other offers?"

"You may be able to find out," Mercy said. "His daughter
is at Afaliah."

"What?"

Mercy nodded. "Cloud fractured her pelvis and the redactors
thought it would be safer if she recovered at Celo's place before
going on to Goriah." Her look became mischievous. "You'll
have to think carefully before admitting her to your conspiracy,
I suppose. But Cloud Remillard would make a fine ally for
you, Battlemaster. She's a Grand Master equivalent in PK when
she's fully operational, and quite good in redaction as well.
She's also blonde, and a real smasher. Just your type."

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The towering Apollo threw back his goiden head and roared
with laughter. Then both of his hands framed her face. "You
are the type 1 waited eight hundred years for- Only you." And
then his inhuman eyes were stinging and he kissed her upturned
brow-

THE NONBORN KING

358

She seized his true hand. "Let me stay with you in Afaliah.
Please' At least until you're healed. Oh, don't send me back
to him until we've made up for some of the emptiness."

"A little while," he agreed. "Certainly a little while. But it
would take nine months in Skin to regrow the hand and lower
arm and 1 won't stand for it. I'll go against Aiken just as soon
as I can gather a force While his mind is still weakened."

Mercy drew back, her mental walls up "You'd fight him
with one hand?"

"The Sword-wielding one is in fine shape." He flexed the
wooden fingers expertly with his PK. "It may not be much to
look at, but it serves "

She lifted the prosthesis, turned it slowly. "Wood? Ah, no.
Nothing so base will suit you, my daemon lover!" Her glance
darted around the cell. "Gold would doâ€”but we have only
our two tores, alas!" Her eye fell on the ornate eating utensils
that Moreyn had furnished his distinguished guest. "Silver!
Silver you shall have, from the mind of the Lady Creator
herself. My loving gift to you, Battlemaster."

She gestured, and the gleaming plate and bowl and cup and
pitcher shimmered, fused, went amorphous, then seemed to
whirl in a scintillant metallic cloud at the end of his outstretched
arm. "Silver!" she cried again. "Nodonn of the Silver Hand'"

It was done. The crude device carved by Isak Henning had
vanished. In its place was a perfect replica of the missing
member, mirror-bright, so subtly articulated that the sliding
joints were invisible. Mercy bent over the hand and kissed each
finger, and finally, the palm.

"I will wear it until I destroy Aiken Drum," he vowed.
"Until I am King of the Many-Colored Land and you are my
Queen."

He drew on the two glass gauntlets and opened the door for
her Neither one of them paid any heed to the foul cataract as
they climbed back to the surface by the light of their shining
faces.

"READY ON THE TEST BOARD?" CAME BETSY'S HOLLOW VOICE

from inside the flux-tap reticulator.

"Yo," said Ookpik, untangling the cables.

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"Tickle the input to the tertiary MHD-flow regulator," Betsy
ordered. AH that was visible of him was a great mound of
farthingale skirts lying on the cerametal decking. His upper
body seemed to have been swallowed by the exotic mechanism
he was working on.

"Oh, yeah, the MHD-three realty looking good," Ookpik
reported.

From the access hatch came a hand with chipped enamel
on the fingernails, groping in air. "It's make-or-break time.
Let's have the number-ten therm needle, that pink chip with
the two-cent hardwires, and the exotic component thingy with
the code like a deuce of spades."

"You got 'em " Ookpik slapped the items into Betsy's hand
There was an obscure sizzling sound. A few wisps of smoke
floated out around the engineer's tightly corseted waist. Then
came a falsetto shriek as Betsy struggled frantically out of the
reticulator's bowels, tearing at his throat and uttering pictur-
esque Elizabethan epithets. "Set my damn ruff on fire sol-
dering," he explained, once the blackened bit of lace was npped
off. He adjusted his pearl-studded wig, fitted the magnifying

359

360 THE NONBORN KING

optics back over his eyes, and dived back into the machine.
There were additional sizzlings and a loccatina of elfin chimes.

"That's got the bitch!" Once again Betsy emerged. "Now
test the entire external web circuitryâ€”sneetch and all!"

The Inuit technician punched out the requisites and studied
the readout with increasing excitement. "Hot zot, Bets, we're
in business!"

Betsy yelled. "Ready on the flight deck?"

"Flight deck aye," came the dulcet reply of the Baroness.

"Light her up!"

As Betsy clapped the hatch back into place and fastened it,
the deeply resonant hum of all sixteen operating generators
filled the belly of the exotic aircraft. He and Ookpik linked
pinkie fingers and grinned. Then he called out, "Power input
to the external web, Charly."

"X-web aye," said the Baroness. "You guys just ground-
testing, or do we fly at last?"

Betsy dusted himself off. The apricot brocade of his gor-
geous gown was stained and torn and most of the ruching
around the cuffs was scorched away. But the rope of pearls
still gleamed magnificently above his cleavage and the upstand-
ing collar of golden lace was hardly damaged at all. He look
off the magnifying goggles and stowed them in his reticule,
then went forward.

"Ail the engine-cluster idiot lights are cyan," said Baroness
Charlotte- Amal ie von Weissenberg-Rothenstein. She gestured

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out the ports on either hand. "And as you can see, we're about
as well webbed as possible. I vote for flight-test. We've got
time before supper."

Betsy squinted at the craft's anomalous swept-back wings,
which crawled with the purplish fire of the rho-field. "Oh,
fudge! Take her up!"

The Baroness's hands flew over the exotic controls, ready-
ing the gravomagnetic flyer for lift. Betsy sank gratefully into
the righthand seat while Ookpik lounged against the navigation
tank, chewing a comer of his mustache thoughtfully and eyeing
the dupe panel readouts.

Inertialess, the craft rose vertically into the air without a

THE LORD OF MISRULE

361

tremor, then flew slowly along the crater rim toward where the
others were parked.

The R.F communicator said, "Oho! Welcome to the flock,
Number Two-Niner. Are you now a total go?"

"Keep us onscreen, Pongo," the Baroness replied laconi-
cally- "We're about to find out."

The landscape outside the flyer vanished in a blur. The sky
went from cobalt to purple to black in less than two seconds.
The people on the flight deck experienced no sensation of
motion or acceleration. Only the tumbling vista outside the
ports and the exotic flight instrumentation revealed that they
were now traveling in the outermost reaches of Earth's atmo-
sphere al a velocity approaching 12,000 kph, maneuvering in
intricate zigzag patterns in response to the delicate promptings
of the Baroness's joystick and throttle treads.

They plummeted, glowing dully in reentry. She homed on
the crater lake north of the Pliocene Danube that marked the
site where Brede's Ship had crashed a thousand years earlier.

Now the dull-black aircraft seemed to change from a missile
into a bird. With its wings fully extended in glide configuration,
it banked and swooped above the water as gracefully as a
swallow. Down along the southern edge of the lake's cup stood
twenty-eight other long-legged exotic flyers, wings drooping
to the ground and pointed snouts bowed as in meditation. Fur-
ther west and north were areas where the crater rim was torn
and scarred and partially collapsed, and where fragments of
twisted cerametal protruded from burnt maquis vegetation. Some
of the flyers had crashed on testing- One had exploded on initial
light-up. Others had proved impossible to repair and had been
dumped into the lake after parts cannibahzation. Of the forty-
two aircraft that Basil's Bastards had found more than a month
earlier, this twenty-ninth would be the last to be salvaged,
thanks to the persistence of Betsy and his crew. Rehabilitating
the exotic flyers had cost the lives of two pilots and four tech-
nicians; and Seumas Mac Suibhne, a bibulous engineer, had
fallen out of a belly-hatch one night at the close of a long shift
and broken both legs.

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362 THE NONBORN KING

All in all, the expedition had thus far been a surprising
success.

"She flies. We're coming in," said the Baroness to the RF
corn- "This is Two-Miner coming in hot."

"Roj on the hot touch, Charly. And hoo-raw at last. We
thought you guys were stuck with a deader for sure."

Betsy sighed deeply and said into the second headset, "1
really thought I'd have to give up on her, Pongo. If Dmitri
hadn't suggested that bypass on the MHD tertiary, we'd still
be ground-bound. I've had it up to here trying to fix these
barbarian clunkers."

"We knew you could do it if anyone could, Betsy," said
another voice.

"Is that you, Basil?" asked the Baroness. The rhocraft was
descending perpendicularly into the sitting flock of its fellows.

"I was watching you on the scope, luv," said Basil's voice.
"Fine show. We're getting a celebration supper ready for you.
Extra wild garlic in the old antelope stew."

Ookpik made a strangled sound.

"The last birdie out of the nest," murmured the pilot. There
was a gentle jar as the field-clad landing gear touched. Smoke
rose from bits of dried grass set on fire by the web of purple
energy. Then the tail settled and the nose tilted down. The
Baroness killed the rho-fietd, shut the rest of the systems down,
and sat staring at the dead control panel with an abstracted
smile. "I could have danced ail night."

Betsy patted her encouragingly on the shoulder. Ookpik was
already opening the belly-hatch. "Come along, Charly dear.
Mustn't keep our noble leader waiting. I'm dying to find out
where he plans to hide the bulk of our fleet."

"If I could have just kept on flying," the Baroness said.
"Out of this crazy place for good' To the other side of the
planet. To Pliocene Australia or China where there aren't any
Tanu or Firvulag or crazy runty humans bucking to be King
of the World! Oh, Betsy, how I'd love to steal this aircraft'"

"A lot of us know your feeling. I'm afraid Basil does too,
however."

The Baroness collected her paraphernalia. "The ostensible

THE LORD OF MISRULE

363

guarding of the fleet against Firvulag marauders was a pretty
thin ruse, all right."

"And then there was Seumas." Betsy smoothed his goatee
and lowered one purple eyelid knowingly.

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"You're kiddingâ€”!"

"A very rash young man, for all his skill. I'm sure he and
Thongsa must have had it all worked out between them. How-
ever, it was a sad miscalculation to think that Sophronisba
Gillis would go along with the plot. She's completely loyal."

The Baroness smothered a guffaw. "You think Phronsie
chucked old Shame out of the belly-hatch that night when he
suggested that the three of them scarper off with the flyer?"

Betsy shrugged. "Seumas could still continue to work in
spite of his broken legs. And his great and good pilot friend
has had a certain air of suppressed terror about him ever since
the incident. As any sensible soul would, with the indomitable
Miss Gillis watching for any old excuse to whup his ass into
the dirt."

"Phronsie the enforcer. My God."

"Basil is a fine leader. Devoted to his Bastards. But long
years in the jungles of academe have given him a knowledge
of human nature- Basil takes his responsibility seriously, and
these flyers are such a dreadful temptation, even to the best of
us."

They moved off the flight deck into the belly-compartment.
The Baroness said, "Odds on that Taffy Evans is another of
Basil's watchdogs. And Nazir! And that Scowegian hunk, Bengt
Sandvik. Yesâ€”now that you mention it, I can see that one or
another of them was always in the crew whenever a fresh
aircraft went operationalâ€”oops\"

She stumbled over one of the haywire testing cables. The
dainty hand of the Elizabethan transvestite steadied her in an
iron grip, in spite of the fact that she outweighed him by fifteen
kilos. With a startled gasp she looked down into his lovely
green eyes. "You too, eh, sport?"

"Our supper is waiting," Betsy said. He gestured to the exit
ladder. "After you, darling."

364 THE NONBORN KING

The leading aircraft descended to 10,000 meters and hung
in the air above the blindingly brilliant cluster of peaks.

"Fan-bloody-taslic," exclaimed Pongo Warburton He eased
them into a slow holding pattern. "How high she be, Basil?"

The exotic terrain-clearance indicator had been equipped
with an improvised converter Basil and Aldo Manetti worked
with this for a few minutes, surveying the central section of
the massif and making a permanent chart on a large durofilm
sheet Basil said, "The principal summit, Monte Rosa, is 9082
meters. The neighboring peaks are all above 8000-" The don's
voice was vibrant with excitement.

"How high was Everest?" Pongo wanted to know.

"Around 8850," said Aldo, "depending on how much snow
was in that year's monsoon And how recently the garbage-
collecting crews had been there, cleaning up after the outworld

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daytnppers." '

The pilot adjusted their altitude, bringing them closer to the
pristine mountain

"Sublime," Basil whispered-

"And virgin," Aldo added "I could cry I am crying."

"Is it the highest on Pliocene Earth?" Pongo asked.

"Undoubtedly," Basil said, "if geologists are correct in their
premise that the Alps exceeded the Himalaya in height during
this epoch. Of course, these Helvetides will be greatly worn
down during the coming Pleistocene Ice Age, and there will
be tectonic adjustments as wellâ€”rising and falling of the entire
Alpine region. Poor Monte Rosa will eventually yield pride of
place to Mont Blanc as highest peak in Europe. In our own
Milieu she will only be second highest. And only the locals
and a few keen climbers such as Aldo and I will know her
name .."

The RF communicator of the aircraft said: "Number One,
this is Twelve. All of us now in position at twenty kloms high
and holding."

"Maintain altitude," said Basil. "Enjoy the view while Aldo
and I decide which portion of the cold-storage locker to use "

"We're gonna put the rhoboats herel" said an anonymous
voice in accents of acute dismay. Every one of the Bastards

THE LORD OF MISRULE

365

had perforce come along on this first phase of the ferrying
mission. Only the Howler guide, Kalipin, had remained at the
crater lake.

"That's my plan, yes," said Basil.

There were sinister female chuckles. "Any of you mothers
figuring to sneak back overland later on and rip off a birdâ€”
don't forget your fur-lined jockstrap. And your ice pick."

"We'd sooner try to melt your heart, Phronsie," said the
dispirited voice.

Basil said, "The inaccessibility of the place is one of its
great advantages, of course. No chaliko-riding exotic or human
could possibly get in here. Not even levitating. The beasts
would be subject to anoxia and hypothermia, as would unac-
climated riders."

"Some of the Tanu body-fly," said the voice of Taffy Evans.
"And so does that friggerty Aiken Drum."

"We can't make the craft completely secure," Basil admit-
ted. "But up here, if we choose a hiding place with care, the
aircraft will be concealed by snow cover very quickly, making
their detection byâ€”erâ€”mass-scanning farsense very difficult.
And, of course, the Lowlife leadership will be in possession

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of the only chart showing the parking site. When we're ready
to retrieve the flyers, they can be melted free by soft heat-beam
fire."

The radio chatter continued while Basil and Aldo recon-
noitered the terrain, finally landing in a high valley below the
northern flank of Monte Rosa that was free of glaciers but still
well covered with fresh snow in mid-July. Both of the moun-
taineers had bodies that had been artificially adapted for high-
altitude exploration during a previous rejuvenation; and so,
after cautioning Pongo Warburton to remain safely inside the
aircraft, they put on warm clothing and went tramping gleefully
in the snow, ostensibly doing a final ground survey with sonic
probes before calling m the other ships.

Manetti finally sat down on a protruding rock and gazed at
the mountain looming above them. "What a perfect place this
is to begin the ascent! How do you like the West Col for
starters?"

366 THE NONBORN KING

"Quite feasible, 1 should say We're atâ€”erâ€”5924 meters,
which leaves quite a respectable jaunt to the summit " His voice
lowered "It was the reason 1 came to the Pliocene, you know
To find this, if it existed, and climb it Wellâ€”I've got this
close "

"Maybe it'll be a short war "

Basil was looking around the perimeter of the valley with
a small monocular "Devilish light place to get into without an
aircraft You d have to come in from the north Almost a
straight-up slog from the Wallis valley of the Rhone A logistic
nightmare "

"No sweat as long as you have the two flyers tucked away
in the Vosges Then later, when the Lowlife Air Arm is trained.
you can shift this frozen fleet to a more convenient spot None
of my business, of course but aren't your precautions against
theft of the flyers Just a tnfle extreme9"

"Chief Burke' s orders. old chap Like the biblical centunon,
I am merely a man subject to authority And rather glad to
be"

Aldo got up and stretched "Well, we might as well call
down the others, then get back to the Ship's Grave for the
second batch Looks like we'll have no trouble getting them
all femed today "

"We'll have to post extra guards at the crater tonight," Basil
said as they walked back to their flyer "With only the two
aircraft left now to take us back home well, 'Quis custodiel
ipsos custodes,' as your old countryman Juvenal will one day
remark "

"I might be tempted myself," Aldo laughed, "if I only knew
how to drive one of the things And if I wasn't so eager to
climb Rosa with you some fine day, compare nuo "

"We're so close to finishing our task, Aldo If something
should go wrong nowâ€”"

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"What could9 Tomorrow, we fly home'"

Basil's expression was pained "There have beenâ€”erâ€”
hints of trouble "

"Thongsa again7" Aide's lip curled "Not to worry Phron-

THE LORD OF MISRULE 367

sie s got that little pillroller so scared he won't even go to the
loo without company "

"Something more ominous. I'm afraid I shouldn't burden
you, Aido As expedition leader. 1 shall have to deal with the
matter as best I can "

"A centunon's lot is not a happy one He had to give orders
as well as take them, 1 recall "

The two of them crunched along wordlessly for a few min-
utes In spite of the altitude and the surrounding snowfields,
the sun was hot They stripped off their balaclavas and opened
their survival vests The parked aircraft was still half a kilometer
away

"If Chief Burke were here." Basil said, "he'd make the
necessary command decision in a tnce I'm afraid my own
blood's too thinned by centuries of civilization to make me
property ruthless May I pose an abstract problem to you9"

The suddenness of the question took Aldo off guard "Go
ahead "

"Suppose that last night, a trusted member of our company
proposed treason, speaking to another member of our company
The second member, being secretly one of myâ€”erâ€”enforc-
ers, notified me of the treacherous proposition after having
temporized with the potential renegade "

"Jesus H Christ'"

"Suppose this potential traitor is a person who has behaved
in an exemplary fashion up until now Suppose the person is
possessed of extraordinary talents that we had counted on uti-
lizing when we begin adapting the aircraft for combat Suppose
this person is not a pilot, and therefore hoped to suborn one
in order to implement his treasonâ€”"

"To do what, for God's sake7"

"To turn over an aircraft, and the approximate location of
this parking site, to Alken Drum In return for the usual per-
quisites '

"Keeping this abstract," Aldo muttered, "you seem to have
two fairly clear choices Numero uno You kill the rucking
bastard out of hand before he finds himself a pilot with shakier
loyally Numero dueâ€”and this one holds good only if the

368 THE NONBORN KING

guy's really valuableâ€”you lock him up tighter than a Lyimik's

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bum and lei him live as long as he cooperates "

Basil pursed his lips and nodded in agreement "And which
of those options, in your view, represents the most prudent
choice9"

"Well so far, the guy's done nothing but talk Right9"

"Correct And the proposition made to my informant was
couched in the most ambiguous possible terms Its basic intent
was plain, however "

"Oh, hell, I don't know," Aldo said "You've only got this
poacher's word What if he read the other guy wrong'7 What
tf your boy has some private little axe of his own to grind9"
Manetti wiped perspiration from his forehead

"The possibilities had occurred to me, too "

"Why not keep the traitor under surveillance9 Maybe even
let him know your doubts about him9 He might back off, figure
the game's not worth the risk Then you'll still be able to use
him Good rhocraft technicians don't grow under every bush
in this Pliocene Exile "

"True " They were approaching the flyer "I appreciate your
counsel, Aldo I thmk you've helped me A harder-hearted
man would have chosen a more uncompromising course But
you and I mountaineers are such romantics at heart I'd like
to give everyone the benefit of the doubt "

Aldo began to climb up the aircraft boarding ladder He
smiled over his shoulder at the don "A little artful psychology
can do the job just as well as the big fist "

"I hope you're right," Basil said "I do hope you're right "

Basil groaned, shifting on the decamole cot Someone was
shaking him by the shoulder There were staccato voices outside
the tent and a wild sound of weeping It was very dark

"Basil, wake up " Bengt Sandvik was urgent "Emergency

"Oh, no "

The expedition leader pulled himself up and thumbed his
wnst chronometer It was almost four His head spun from a
belated touch of mountain sickness and he could barely uu-

THE LORD OF MISRULE

369

derstand what Bengt was saying He groped for his boots and
stuffed his feel into them

cracked Nazir over the skull and tried to grab the Num-
ber One flyer if Mr Betsy hadn't come by with the stun-
gun "

"Who9" Basil asked wearily He knew who

"Aldo Manetti And he had the Baroness along to do the
piloting for him "

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Basil threw on a shirt and went out of the tent Taffy Evans
had a hammerlock on the mountaineer, who was still groggy
from the stun charge Baroness Charlotte-Amalie was tense in
the grip of Phronsie GiHis Betsy, efficient in a zippered flight-
suit but still wearing the wig, had the prisoners covered with
his Husqvama

Basil stepped closer to Aldo "So you weren't able to settle
for numero due after all "

Aldo's head lolled and he spat weakly Saliva dnbbled on
his dark chin

Basil turned away, consulting his watch again "Well, it's
nearly dawn Time we were breaking camp " He looked off dt
the two tall aircraft silhouetted against the graying starry sky
and the crater lake "A pity there are no trees here But the
drop from the belly-hatch should be sufficient "

"What are you going to do9" screamed the Baroness

"Tie the two of them to the landing struts of Number One
until we're ready "

"What are you going to do7"

"Hang you, my dear," Basil said Then he went back into
his tent to finish dressing

BODURAGOL, CHIEF REDACTOR OF AFALIAH, SAT ON HIS STOOL

in the middle of the womb-dark Skin chamber, his eyes closed
and his mind given over almost completely to his work. The
great innovation had been an unqualified success. Both patients
had improved markedly since he had thought of pairing their
highly compatible enantiomorphous psychokinetic functions
within the light yoking of his own redactive matrix. The atro-
phied right hemisphere of the male brain, especially, had under-
gone significant regeneration under the influence of the female's
powerful iatropsychic input. The simultaneous acceleration of
the woman's healing had been purely serendipitous. The sci-
entist in Boduragot was fascinated by the outcome- The sen-
timentalist was gratified.

The bodies stood side by side in the suspensors, chaste as
alabaster statues wrapped in clinging, transparent cauls- On
one mental level, the Tanu man and the human woman were
actively cooperating with the redactor- On another more inti-
mate mode, behind a firm barrier, they were simply talking.

CLOUD: But, don't you see that it was almost the same for your
generation as it was for ours? Your parents decided your
destiny for you in advance. You had nothing to say about
it and were forbidden to question their judgment. Neither
did we.

370

THE LORD OF MISRULE

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371

KUHAL: How could it be any other way? Our people left the
Dual Galaxy in order to be free. Free to follow a life we
believe in. Was it not the same for yours?

CLOUD: Our parents said so. And for many years, we believed
them.

KUHAL: But now you do not. Well... we Tanu also have our
heretics.

CLOUD: Analytical criticism is not heresy if one is truly free.

KUHAL: You impute that we are not?

CLOUD: My generation was constrained by ignorance, inertia,
even fear. The questioning was painful, dangerous. Ulti-
mately necessary, nonetheless.

KUHAL: I do not understand.

CLOUD: Shall I tell you something of our story?

KUHAL: We have time... yes. Perhaps we Tanu have let ig-
norance and inertia rule us as well. In our relations with
you. We knew only one small segment of your race: the
voluntary time-travelers. The nonmetapsychics seemed to
be useful servants. The latents we accepted into our family
of the mind. Only Nodonn perceived the immense hazard
in our developing relationship; but most of us would not
listen to his warning. Blindness was more comfortable.

CLOUD: I know.

KUHAL: Do not let me distract you from the tale. Begin at the
beginning. Tell me how metapsychic operants arose among
you. Tell me how the Rebellion took root.

CLOUD: You know that the people of Elder Earth were slowly
developing into natural operancy some millennia before they
were contacted by exotic races and inducted into the Milieu.

KUHAL: This has been explained to us by our human Genetics
Master.

CLOUD: The operants who lived toward the end of the twentieth
century were fast approaching the adept status of coadunate
minds. They were very circumspect about revealing their
abilities to normal people. Certain onesâ€”especially those
with strong coercive or creative talentsâ€”used their meta-
faculties for personal aggrandizement. Others who were more
altruistic studied the mental powers, using themselves and

THE NONBORN KING

372

other operants as lest subjects. Eventually, these scientists
developed the special educational techniques that brought
quasi coadunation to numbers of their fetlows. They put
together a small, imperfect replica of the Milieu's Coadunate
Mind and broadcast the fact of their existence. This was the

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"beacon" that virtually forced the Milieu to initiate the Great
Intervention of 2013, in spite of the fact that most humans
were still ethical primitives... higher on the scale of psy-
chosocial maturation than you Tanu, but still barbarians
compared to the other five coadunate races.
KUHAL: So you and I are both primitives' The mystery of our
compatible heritages becomes somewhat less murky. But
do not let me digress.

CLOUD: One of the principal centers for metapsychic research
on Earth was at Dartmouth College, a small learning insti-
tution in North America. The two people in charge of the
department prior to the Intervention were Denis Remillard
and Lucille Cartier. They were both significantly operant
and came from a similar ethnic background. Shortly after
they became colleagues, they married. They were my great-
grandfather and great-grandmother. Denis and Lucille had
seven children, all powerful operants. The youngest and
most talented was my grandfather, Paul, who was born the
year after the Intervention and trained in ulero by means of
exotic procedures that later became standard. Paul became
known as the Man Who Sold New Hampshire. Because of
his efforts, this small area in North America became the
planetary center of metapsychic operations as Earth entered
the mainstream of the Milieu.
KUHAL: And your family consolidated its dominance.
CLOUD: It was inevitable. Paul became the first human being
elected to the Concilium, the governing body of the Galactic
Milieu, which is composed entirely of masterclass meta-
psychics having profound skill in psychosocial analysis and
problem solving. Later, four of his five children also served
as magnates. Marc was the oldest. He became a Paramount
Grand Master, one of the most powerful minds in the galaxy.
KUHAL: This is your father, the man called Abaddon?

THE LORD OF MISRULE

373

CLOUD: Yes... That was the nickname he received during the
Rebellion. In our holy book, there is a section telling of the
last days of the world, when the forces of good and evil are
engaged in a final confrontation. Abaddon is the leader of
the demon army. He has other names; the Angel of the
Abyss; the Destroyer. My Papa...

KUHAL: The war at the end of the world! It's part of our religious
mythos as well. We call it the Nightfall War. When the
persecuted Tanu and Firvulag were driven from their home
planet to the edge of the Dual Galaxy, they thought that
they would fight the Nightfall War themselves. But Brede
intervened, and her Ship carried us to this starwhirl. Now
Celadeyr and certain of his followers believe that the Night-
fall War will be fought in the Many-Colored Land!... But
you must forgive me, Cloud. Once again I interrupt. Tell
me about your father's Rebellion.

CLOUD: 1 can't tell you very much. I was a year old. My brother
Hagen was two. Both of our parents were involved in some
colossal conspiracy to put the human race in absolute control
of the Milieu. There was a grandiose scheme that Papa and
Dr. Steinbrenner and some of the others devised that was

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supposed to eventually transform a group of us children into
superbeings, ultrametapsychics. The rebels planned to in-
augurate the scheme after the coup.. - but of course, the
coup failed. Papa has never talked to us about his plans for
us children, and the record of it has been expunged from
the computer in Ocala. I'm afraid that something about the
plan must have been horrible, because Mamaâ€”Mamaâ€”

KUHAL: Do not articulate the thought. I can see. I'm very sorry,

CLOUD: Papa loves us. I can't believe he would have done
anything evil to us. Not knowingly.

KUHAL: Tell me the rest of the story.

CLOUD: The Rebellion took place in 2083. It lasted less than
eight months in its overt phase- A large number of human
operants were involved, and millions of normals, too.
Almost all of the lower-echelon rebels diedâ€”and so did
numbers of innocent people on rebel-occupied planets.
Eventually, Papa was defeated by his own younger brother,

374 THE NONBORN KING

Jon, and Jon's wife, Illusio Jon Rennllard was a mutant
He was fourteen years younger than Marc. By the time he
reached adulthood he had no bodyâ€”only a naked brain that
wore any sort of shape that struck its fancy I know he
sounds like a monster, but the Milieu made him a saint when
he put down the Rebellion. Jon's wife was a Paramount,
like him, a metaconcert specialist. She had only half a face
as a result of some psychocreative mishap and never had it
regenerated because the deformity became a kind of symbol
of her authority. She wore a diamond mask.

KUHAL: Jack the Bodiless and Diamond Mask. Gomnol spoke
of them...

CLOUD: The pair of them died, but Papa lived. And he brought
Hagen and me and a hundred or so of his surviving people
through the time-gate

KUHAL: I remember the black day I fought against the invaders
in the Battle of the Grotto Wilderness. Our forces were
massacred. King Thagda! ordered the incident blotted from
our history after the invading humans disappeared across
the Western Sea.

CLOUD: Papa took his people to North America. He didn't want
to fight you. Many of his followers were badly wounded
and he himself was half-dead from temble brain-bums. We
made a new home on an island off southeastern North Amer-
ica. It's very beautiful. We call it Ocala- All of the other
children were born there.

KUHAL: But you left it. Why?

CLOUD: When we were young, we could imagine nothing other
than following our parents' chosen way. Papa had brought
all kinds of equipment to the Pliocene. After he recovered,
he set up a farsensing observatory and began to search the
stars, looking for another race of metapsychics. He knew

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that if he found such a race, he could prevail on it to come
and rescue us. He hoped to reinstitute his great dream of
human dominion in a world six million years younger than
the Milieu. A fair number of his original followers believed
he'd be able to do it. Papa... can make you believe in him.
But as the years went on, and thousands upon thousands of

THE LORD OF MISRULE

375

stars were searched with no result, many of the older people
became despondent. There were suicidesâ€”and murders.
Some of the old rebels went mad and some psyched out on
drugs and some just. . withdrew. We children watched it
all happen while we grew up. Finally, we began to think
for ourselves, beyond Papa's futile dream. Felice was a
catalyst But we had been watching you long before she
arrived. We put together a crude farsight combination and
spied on you here in Europe as an entertainment.

KUHAL: Ah. The children of ennui while away tedious hours
observing lower forms of life! We weren't real at all, were
we, Cloud? Only ants busy in a nest And one day, you
thought you'd see what would happen if you let the water
inâ€”!

CLOUD: No!

KUHAL; Why did you help Felice destroy us, then?

CLOUD. We coveted your Many-Colored Land. Not in itself,
but as a stepping-stone back to the Milieu-

KUHAL. Back? Back through the time-gate^ But that's impos-
sible!

CLOUD: No, its not. Elaby Gathen, the man who died in Aiken's
fight against Felice, was certain that we would be able to
buiid a duplicate of the original time-warping device that
stands in the Milieu. We have a complete set of plans from
our computer. And when my brother and the others fled
from Ocala, they took all kinds of manufacturing apparatus
and mineral resource charts.

KUHAL: And your father? How did he react to this?

CLOUD: He was violently opposed at first. Now I don't know.
We forced him to rethink his own objectives. He knows
now that we'll never go back to Ocala. Perhaps he's decided
to let us follow our own destiny. And after what happened
with Felice and Aiken Drum, he may even help us Just as
he may help you.

KUHAL: What are you saying?

CLOUD; Hagen and the others marooned down in Africa spent
some time studying a mental reprise of the fight with Felice.
I've conferred with them about it. Since you Tanu are so

376 THE NONBORN KING

metapsychically primitive, you probably don't fully realize

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just how many questionable things were happening down
there on the Genii River! Let's hope Aiken Drum doesn't
either.

KUHAL: Explain!

CLOUD: All right, consider the metaconcert program that Papa
taught Aiken. We children have nothing like Papa's so-
phistication in things tike that. But it was apparent that Papa
planned for both Felice and Aiken to die in that fight.

KUHAL: Great Goddess.

CLOUD: Papa knew very well that as an individual, he couldn't
measure up to Felice. Even using the metaconcert, throwing
every available bit of mindpower against her, it would be
touch and go. (Of course, if they'd had that photon Spear
working, they'd have had the edge.) Now, there are a num-
ber of different options for setting up an offensive meta-
concert. Some are much more hazardous to the prime
executive than others. Papa gave Aiken a program that should
have squeezed the last erg of psychoenergy out of the lashup
if Aiken used it at full zapâ€”as he'd be likely to do instinc-
tively in a panic situation- And a full zap of thatr potential
tunneled through Aiken should have killed him as well as
Felice. But Aiken didn't throw the whole basketful at her
in the first strike. He'd been scared by his test blast up on
the mountain and so he mitigated the flow, keeping it sub-
lethal. As you may recall. Papa was fooled into thinking
that the first strike finished Felice.

KUHAL: Abaddon said that he couldn't detect her mass or en-
ergy. But thenâ€”and ! admit I did not understand misâ€”he
said Felice jumped.

CLOUD: He said she d-jumped. It's a meta slang term, short for
dimensional-jump or translocation. A faculty that's ex-
tremely rare in the Milieu. Sometimes a variation of it is
called teleportation.

KUHAL: Brede's Ship!

CLOUD: What?

KUHAL: The giant organism, her spouse. The Ships were ca-

THE LORD OF MISRULE

377

pable of faster-than-light travel via hyperspace, using their
mind-power alone. Do you mean to say that Feliceâ€”

CLOUD: She might have done it inadvertently, as a defense
mechanism. Perhaps just skipping out of range. But Hagen
thinks that she followed Papa's farsense beamâ€”it was in
peripheral modeâ€”and scragged him!

KUHAL: But she attacked Aikenâ€”

CLOUD: It could have happened in a split second. When Felice
reappeared above Aiken, Papa's psychocreative input was
altered. We reran the memory and proved it. He had been

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handling the defenses except at the very instant of the first
strike, when he flashed briefly into the offensive mode on
main channel. After Felice's jump the whole screen started
to go. Owen Blanchard dropped dead. He might have been
hit by Papa's flashover, given the configuration- We think
Papa was able to pull himself back together in lime to re-
weave the disintegrating defense, then participate in the final
zap.

KUHAL: You believe that Felice did no significant harm to your
father?

CLOUD: On the contrary. And if he was hurt, it would tend to
explain his strange withdrawal after the fight, and the fact
that he's remained incommunicado for more than a month
now.

KUHAL: But your father continued to function after the d-jump
incident.

CLOUD: And he was hooked into a cerebroenergetic rig strong
enough to bottle a small H-bomb! He's a Paramount, and
he was operating with God knows how many factors of
augmentation. It's when he shucks the armor plating and
the superconductive artificial nervous system that the head-
ache is likely to begin. Hagen knows more about this kind
of thing than I do. He suspects that Papa was on the receiving
end of a coercive-creative zorch heavy enough to send him
to the regen tankâ€”and that's why the aether between here
and Ocala has been so peaceful lately.

KUHAL: How fortuitous for you and your peers.

CLOUD: And perhaps for you.

378 THE NONBORN KING

KUHAL: ?

CLOUD: Listen up. and try to understand. I think that you Tanu
and my own people and even Papa now share a common
nemesis. We may all have to cooperate if we want to survive
much longer.

KUHAL: Aiken Drum?

CLOUD: Aiken should have died. He didn't. It almost seemed
as though Felice siphoned the bulk of that psychoenergy
away from Aiken herselfat the last minute- God knows how
or why- She's dead. But Aiken's very much alive, and only
a little wonky, and by now he's figured out that Papa was
out lo screw him. He's in a position to do some heavy
mindwork himself now, thanks to Papa's gift of the meta-
concert program. It won't be hard for him to adapt it to safe
use. When he dismantles the mental booby traps, he'U go
after your brother Nodonn and his factionâ€”and when your
brains are barbecued he'll turn his attention to Papa.

KUHAL: Or you.

CLOUD: All my people and I want is to go to the Milieu. You'd
lose nothing by helping us. And we have a lot to offer you.

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KUHAL: You have already given of yourself to me.

CLOUD: Mutual, if you like. I'm nearly healedâ€”and three times
faster than a tank could do the job in our Ocala infirmary.

KUHAL: 1 had thought Boduragol's suggestion to be futile. The
loss of my twin brother seemed an irreparable calamity. Our
biotechnology of the Skin holds out scant chance of regen-
erating an entire brain hemisphere. And yet we see what is
happening.

CLOUD: A novel adaptation, certainly. In human medicine, the
left brain has very often been successful in teaming to as-
sume right-brain ftinctions, and vice versa.

KUHAL: Perhaps what you have done is teach me to be human.

CLOUD: You need more work. But that can be arranged-

Boduragol opened his eyes and smiled. The duel of PK and
redactive force flowing between the two patients was supremely
harmonious. He really wasn't needed any longer. He slipped
down off his stool and went to the two motionless bodies, the

THE LORD OF MISRULE

379

man torced in gold, the woman crowned with heavy braids of
lustrous reddish-yellow hair.

"Why don't I just leave you two alone to get on with what-
ever you're doing? Another week, and you'll probably both be
well. Most gratifying."

Stooping. Boduragol made a minute adjustment in the Skin
around Cloud RemiHard's ivory feet-

"Gratifying," he could not help repeating, and went out
leaving the healing to proceed.

WHEN MERCY FINALLY RETURNED TO GORIAH AT THE END OF

July, the deadly languor that had afflicted Aiken ever since the
fight with Felice began at last to lighten, and his wounded brain
to heal. The Queen's tale was a thin one: that she had suffered
amnesia when her boat was caught in the landslide and had
wandered alone in the jungle east of the Genii, to be rescued
at last by bareneck plant hunters who did not recognize her,
and who brought her back to Afaliah only after having gathered
sufficient numbers of rare orchids for the conservatory of Lady
Pennar-la, Celadeyr's wife. Implausible though this story was,
Aiken accepted it without question, nor did he attempt to delve
into Mercy's mind. She was back, she was unharmed, and her
response to his lovemaking was once again fervent- It sufficed,
and he was content.

One fine August day they went out to the dune hills along
the Strait of Redon to see Yosh Watanabe and his crews dem-
onstrate the different kinds of fighting kites being readied for
the upcoming Grand Toumey. Aiken and Mercy and a large
party of Most Exalteds lounged about beneath a shady canopy,
enjoying the sea breeze and the novel entertainment. There was

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an abundance of picnic food and iced honey wine, and the kite
battles were diverting and occasionally dangerous.

First into the air were agile, lozenge-shaped Nagasaki hata,
with their flying lines coated in crushed glass, vividly decorated

380

THE LORD OF MISRULE

381

in stylized designs of red. white, and blue. When one kite
managed to saw through the line of a rival, the well-rehearsed
Tanu nobility yelled out the traditional cry, "Katsuro!" and
paid off their wagers, while Yosh beamed and strutted and
explained the future history of the events.

The wind picked up after the sun crossed the meridian, and
the big kites soared aloft. There were Sanjo rokkaku. hexag-
onals half again as tall as a Tanu male, bearing gaudy portrayals
of samurai warriors, Japanese demons, and mythical creatures;

and there were rectangular Shirone o-dako. 6.7 meters high by
5 meters wide, ornamented with magnificent fishes and birds.
figures from folklore, and abstract motifs, Crewed by five to
ten humans, these fighting kites were too ponderous to attempt
line-cutting maneuvers. Instead they engaged in stately dog-
fights, crashing into one another while the competitors
attempted to foul their lines. A losing kite, deprived of aero-
dynamic lift, would falter and tumble down out of control. Its
victorious attacker would perforce follow it to the gound since
the lines were entangled; but the winning kite usually main-
tained its dignity to the end, landing safely while its foe crashed
to the sand, a mangled mass of torn paper and higgledy-pig-
gledy bamboo bones.

When the wind was deemed suitably strong and steady, the
truly enormous kites were trundled onto the beach, the com-
batant carriers that were destined to play a part in the Tourney
proper rather than the preliminary events. Two o-dako mea-
suring 14.5 by 11 meters and weighing more than 800 kilos
apiece were hoisted onto temporary scaffolding so that their
many bridle lines could be attached, braided, and fastened to
the flying cable. This last was connected to a heavily weighted
winch. The kite warrior would be suspended from the lower
framework in a light breeches buoy- Three maneuvering lines
joined to key bridles gave the fighter some control over his
kite's flight; but the principal guiding force came from the
ground crew of fifty, who were equipped with running control
lines that joined the main cable by means of large D-shaped
carabiners.

When the pair of giant o-dako were ready for launching.

THE NONBORN KING

382

Yosh came to the royal enclosure, trailed by his assistant, the
dour Lithuanian gray-tore, Vilkas Yosh was attired in his gor-
geous samurai armor and Vilkas in the only slightly less ornate
harness of an ashigaru, or foot-wamor

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Yosh bowed gravely to Alken and Mercy "This will be our
first official demonstration of the man-carrying kites, Alken-
sama, the first time that we've actually attempted aenal combat "
He extended a singular pole-arm for the King to examine
"Vitkas and I will attempt to slice each other out of the sky
using these nagmataâ€”curved blades mounted on long shafts
We won't go for each other hand to hand, of course The fighter
and his suspension ng are out of bounds Fair game includes
me bndle lines, the maneuvering ropes, the main cable, and
the bamboo frame and paper facing of the kite itself "

"It sounds dangerous for you," Mercy remarked warmly
The young coercer woman. Olone, who had nursed baby
Agraynel during the Queen's absence, stood immediately be-
hind the throne holding the infant Mercy held out her arms
for the child and cuddled it while Yosh continued his expla-
nation

"Since we play without safety nets, the game could be very
dangerous for ordinary humans like Vilkas and myself We
minimize the hazardâ€”and add to the fun for you Exaitedsâ€”
by using PK adepts for coaches " The Japanese technician made
a courteous obeisance to a portly gold-tore human who stood
beside the strapping Olone "Lord Sullivan-Tonn was good
enough to work with us during practice sessions He's agreed
to coach Vilkas, here, dunng the contest today "

Alken eyed Sullivan thoughtfully "Is coaching hard to learn7"

The pompous little psychokmetic lifted both hands in a
deprecating gesture "I found it quite simple, actually " He
simpered

"How do you play7" Alken asked Yosh

"The coach gives telepathic direction not only to his fighter.
but also to the ground crew, advising on tactics He's also
allowed to generate PK wind for his kite only Huffing me
opposition's aircraft around is grounds for disqualification This
effectively limits windplay to periods when the two kites are

THE LORD OF MISRULE

383

fairly widely separated, unless the puffer has a lot of finesse
I think you may find that close work with Ihe ground crew
gives better control in most clinch situations If a combatant
gets his strings clipped, it's the duty of the coach to rescue
him before he hits the ground Which is why only PK heads
get to be skippers in this game "

Alken nodded His smile was wan and his eyes were tike
two holes burned in parchment He was wearing golden jeans
and a black shirt open at the throat "So Sullivan's going to
handle your ichiban lad today, eh, Yosh7 Who's coaching
you7"

"I hoped you would do me the honor. Alken-sama "

"Oh, please do'" squealed Olone "I'm positive you'll win'"

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Sullivan's face went starchy in the light of his young wife's
disloyalty, but he added, "Yes. please coach the second kite,
my King "

"I'm still feeling a bit seedy," Alken warned

Yosh said, "You needn't hold up the entire o-dako if I'm
shot down, Alken-sama Just keep me off the deck I only
weigh sixty-four kilos, armor and all "

With a visible effort. Alken roused himself "Hell I can
manage that This is a great job you've done, Yosh Carry on'
0-tanoshimi nasai. kiddo'"

Yosh grinned "You bet, boss " He humed off with Vilkas
to complete the preparations Alken slumped back into his
wicker throne, watching the scurrying crew members His mind
was shuttered It was becoming hotter as the westering sun
dropped below the edge of the canopy Sullivan dnd Olone
kept up a banal chatter and the baby fussed, resisting Mercy's
attempts to coze and chirk her up mentally

Finally, Alken said, "Can't you see she's hungry Merce7
Let Olone feed her so she'll stop that damn mind whimpering "

"Oh, the poor mite'" Olone exclaimed, taking the child
eagerly She drew one of her elongate breasts from inside her
azure chiffon gown "Are you starving. Grama lambie7 Come
to Nurse'" Voraciously, the infant began to suck The irritating
telepathic bleats were submerged into emanations of sheer bliss

THE NONBORN KING

384

"Take her to the other side of the tent, where it's cooler,

dear," Mercy told the girl.

"Yes, my Queen. Shall I bring her back when she's fin-
ished?"

Mercy's expression was remote, almost renunciatory. "Find

some quiet comer to rock her and sing, Olone- I'm afraid all
this turmoil has overexcited her. It was selfish of me to bring
her along to the shore with us today... but I did so want her

near me."

Olone sketched a curtsy and rushed away, as if half-fearing

that Mercy would change her mind. Sullivan observed, "My
wife loves Agraynel as she would a child of her own, my

Queen."

"I know. And I'm more grateful than I can say for her

nurturing of the child while 1 wasâ€”lost. I think perhaps it was
my subconscious concern for Agraynel that must have cured
my amnesia at last as I wandered forlorn in the jungle of

Koneyn."

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Aiken uttered a soft chuckle. "Well, we know that it wasn't

subconscious concern for Me!" He pretended to be absorbed
in the action out on the beach. The scaffolding was being-
removed from the two great kites, which were held upright by
the taut anchor lines manned by the sweating crews. Sullivan's
kite was predominantly scarlet and gold, decorated with a splen-
didly helmed Japanese warrior poised against a backdrop of
cherry blossoms- Aiken's kite was more stark, a medley of
blues, a tsunami wave & la Hokusai frozen elegantly in the

breaking above a rockbound islet.

Sullivan was making a valiant attempt to be urbane in the
face of ominous mental undertones. "No one was more aston-
ished than 1, Great Queen, when Olone volunteered to suckle
your precious child, believing that you had perished, I had not
realized that such a thing was possible for a woman who had
not herself given birth! The Tanu are an amazing race, aren't
they? So human and yet so fascinating in their difference' The
unique breasts of the women have a counterpart in the folklore
of several European countries, you know. The Ellefolk and

THE LORD OF MISRULE 385

Skogra of Scandinavia, the Fee of France, German Nixen,
the Aguane of the Italian Alps, the Giane of Sardiniaâ€”"

"Alt elf-women with long breasts. 1 know." Mercy was
gentle- "But there's nothing mysterious about the milk, Tonn
dear. If a woman wishes it deeply enough and her will is strong,
the prolactin hormone will be secreted along with others and
the breasts will fillâ€”even for those who are childless. Human
women or Tanu, both are the same: The loving desire to nurture
is all the magic that's needed."

"But don't forget," came Aiken's wry interpolation, "that
the converse holds good as well- Both Agraynel and I were

lucky."

Sullivan's face flamed scarlet. He was on his feet, backing
away from the royal couple, his imperfectly curtained mind
leaking mortification and futile rage.

Mercy's sad eyes saw only Aiken now. "Yes, I'm dry now,
it's true. I've been sore troubled and I've been diminished, and
so I have no life to give my daughter, poor thing. What I have
to give you we both know! So take it."

"I'mâ€”I'm going down to the beach!" Sullivan mumbled.
"Keep tabs on my kite. Excuse meâ€”excuse meâ€”" And he
fled, his rosy-gold caftan billowing in the hot wind.

"It was brutal of you to shame him to his face," Mercy told
Aiken. "And unnecessary. He knows what went on."

"He's an ass. Impotent." Aiken's eyes were closed. Sweat
made his dark red hair cling to his rounded cranium. "He'd
betray me to all comers in fifteen seconds if he thought he
could escape with a whole skin. And you were gone..." The
hollow black gaze opened to her. "They told me you were

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dead. Mercy."

"And is it true that you wept over my silver- and-emerald
helmet?" The taint of her mockery was elusive.

The little man turned away, "Oh, yes," he admitted. "All
the way back to Goriah, as I lay in my cabin coddling my
combustion-chamber skull, I kept the thing with me. My last
memento of you. Still full of your perfume in spite of its
dunking in the Rio Genii! You bet I cried, babe. Even though
I knew you were alive."

386 THE NONBORN KING

"Ah."

"I didn't think you'd leave him. It was his idea, wasn't it?"

Down on the beach, there was a shout from many voices
and a telepathic affirmation. Ue! Up she goes! The Tanu nobles
still m the pavilion rushed outside for a better view as the
scarlet wamor kite rose slowly into the shimmering sky, its
human cargo dangling like a spindly tail. A moment later the
blue-wave kite climbed aioft Yosh's farspoken voice said to
the King:

Anytime you're ready, boss!

Aiken's mind and voice commanded. "Begin." The great
kites seemed to bow to each other and then swoop in for the
initial engagement. Silver nagmata flashed in the sun The
ground crews hauled the wrist-thick flying cables this way and
that and the winch operators took in slack-

Alken squinted into the glare, gauging the wind. He said
to Mercy, "You're supposed to stay close to me and report to
him, i suppose. There's no other way he could get through the
slacked screens I'm using."

She sat back among the cushions, inaccessible, her auburn
hair rich on her golden-tan shoulders, glowing in contrast to
her Jade-colored gown. "I'm here to stay with you as long as
you want me. Do you? Or shall I go?"

The blue kite, hovenng a dozen meters above the scarlet.
dived abruptly. Sunlight caught Yosh's slashing blow that sev-
ered one of Vilkas's maneuvering lines The red kite retreated
as line was paid out.

"You're afraid of me again," Alken said. "It's made you
bum! You won't go. You're wild for me, as you were after
the golden maypole dance' I give you more than he ever can.
I love you more than he does. Admit it!"

The scarlet kite bobbed up and down like a crazy pendulum,
swinging as it tried to avoid the darting thrusts of the blue
attacker Vilkas managed to cut a few of the central bridle
lines, but this had little effect on Yosh's kite. The Japanese
concentrated solely on the right side of his antagonist's kite,
cutting bridles and slicing great vertical rents in the paper until
the painted samurai warrior's face was all but obliterated m

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THE LORD OF MISRULE 387

ribboning shreds. The red kite sank low in spite of the frantic
hauling of its crew, and Vilkas's dangling feet nearly brushed
the scraggty trees growing on the top of a large dune.

Aiken's mouth was set in a tight smile. He did not took at
Mercy, but her face was overwhelming in his mind. and she
knew. He said, "Nodonn's gathering his adherents down in
Afaliah right now. isn't he! Sending out a call for all the
reactionaries and hotheads and human-haters to rally round the
old sun-face blazon. How many knights do you think he'll
finally muster? A few hundred, maybe9 And how many first-
class powers? Himself. Celo. his brother Kuhal if he ever gets
his head put back together, maybe that old asshole from Tar-
asiah, Thufan Thunderfart. Does he really think he's got a
chance of licking me with that lot?... Or is he planning to
show up at the Grand Tourney with the Sword and just file a
challenge against meâ€”as though the kingship of the Many-
Colored Land was some kind of a runoff election for village
dogcatcher?"

The spectators gave a tremendous cheer. The scarlet kite
wavered, its lower margin forced backward by airflow as Yosh
severed a last pair of critical bridle lines. Its flayed surface
stalled, tumbled. Vilkas dropped his nagmata as he clung to
the shrouds of the breeches buoy. He fell toward the crowded
beach, with the flailing kite appearing to slap at him like some
berserk billboard in the grip of a hurricane. The Lithuanian's
despairing mental cry. broadcast by his gray tore. impinged on
me minds of Aiken and Mercy. The mob below fled, crews
abandoning their lines.

"Damn that Sullivan!" the King raged He gripped the rattan
arms of his throne, screwed his eyes shut in an agonized gri-
mace, and reached out with his psychokinesis Vitkas. tangled
in his kite. was about to impact on the hard, wet sand. Yosh's
kite had gone out of control when its crew scattered, and now
plummeted toward the sea.

Aiken groaned.

Vilkas in his breeches buoy swung aside and upward, be-
yond the menace of the crashing starlet kite Seconds later he
wafted gently to earth. The blue kite. responding to a sudden

THE NONBORN KING

388

blast of psychic wind, recovered from its negative angle of
attack and soared upward al the limit of its tether The winch
operators who had let their machine unwind scrambled back
to reengage the brake mechanism and effect an orderly landing
There were relieved shouts from the human crews down on the
beach, cheers from the nobles who had viewed the contretemps
from a dunetop vantage point, and a barely perceptible mental
apology from Sullivan-Tonn on the King's intimate mode

Mercy had come to stand over Aiken, astonished at what
the effort had cost him She took a silk handkerchief from her
sleeve and wiped his streaming brow and his eyes, and when

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his stertorous breathing softened and he relaxed with his head
back, she said

"I didn't know Was it Felice9"

"Who else9" He regarded her through slitted, pain-bleared
eyes "Weltâ€”now you know Be sure to tell him the good
news right away' But remind him that the Spear's working just
fine and I have a few goodies stowed away in the dungeon
that I can welcome him with in case he decides to pay us both
a friendly call "

She said nothing

"But teil him not to delay too long." Aiken added "I'm a
funny sort. Lady Wildfire, Creator Lady Every time I have
you I heal a bit more Olone was some helpâ€”but you're my
sovereign remedy If you stay, you may engineer your own
defeat And his'"

Her fingers touched the skin drawn lightly over his cheek-
bones, the long, well-formed nose, the thin lips now gone
bloodless She knelt on the cushions heaped beside his throne,
placed cool hands over his eyes, and kissed him with soft
passion She put aside her mental veil and he saw the fear-
spice joined inextricably with ardor "Amadan," she whispered
"Fatal Amadan of my soul "

"But not your heart Never that "

"It's all as it was before in the Grove of May So take what
you want, Nonbom King, what you need Take it while you
can, for when I'm gone you'll find no other "

DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE TRIP, WHEN HE WAS HALF*

dead with hunger and thirst and the endless jouncing gait of
the pack animal and the sadistic mind-prodding of his exotic
captors, Tony Wayland cned

"I lied to you' There aren't any flying machines I made it
all up so you wouldn't slaughter me like the others But it
wasn't true I tied, I tell you' Kill me Please, kill me "

Fire ballooned behind his blinded eyes The monster with
the melting face leered out of it and tittered "All in good time,
Lowhfe Very clever, weren't you9 And still think you are,
lying when you say you lie " The creature dealt him a terrible
neural wallop, cracking the firedrake illusion into a swarm of
tiny orange whirligigs "You'll tell the whole truth when I bnng
you before the High King and Queen, or my name isn't Karbree
the Worm'" The vision turned helmmthoid Loathsome squirm-
ers seemed to be invading Tony's skull via the nostrils He
gagged and shrieked and promised to behave and fainted and
dreamed

Rowane, his Howler bnde, came to comfort him

Sometimes she was lovely and sometime1, she was her true
self, with the lidless eye in the center of her forehead and the
soft scales at her elbows and spine, and the mane and minor

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chevelure the color of a blue fox's fur

She said, "Oh, my Tonee What have they done to you9

389

THE NONBORN KING

390

Let me help Here is water and food. Here is soft peace in my
arms and a loving eye to keep watch, to guard you from further
hann."

And he fell her kiss, terrifying and ardent, and her embrace,
and felt the two sets of teeth like whetted pearlsâ€”never of-
fering hurt but only iove

"Rowane, you're gone!"

He woke up again aboard the Ironing helladotherium. He
was still blind, still trussed as lightly as a braunschweiger
banger, still jolting up the endless mountain switchbacks on
the way to High Vrazel

"Rowane, my little goblin flower," he wailed. "Why did 1
leave you? Why^"

"We can make a pretty good guess, can't we boys?" came
the derisive voice of Karbree. The other Firvutag in the party
snorted and boomed and whooped with obscene glee.

"You should have eaten more garlic and truffles, puny-
prong!"

"Or hedgehog stew!"

"Or mandrake roots! Firvulag women take a heap of sat-
isfyingâ€”even the Howler kind!"

"Hey, is it true what they say about Howler muffs?"

The merry monsters kept up their vulgar chaffing but Tony
scarcely heard. Dammed-up tears tried in vain to escape the
wads of sticky wax that capped his eyes. Rawhide thongs cut
into his ankles and arms. The gait of the hellad bludgeoned his
kidneys. The mere fact of consciousness was raw and wound-
ing

Rowane, abandoned, was far away in Nionel, perhaps even
now howling the walls down in their honeymoon cottage at the
foot of West Toadflax Lane, her faithful heart broken. Poor
Dougal, who had reluctantly accompanied his master's flight,
was probably dead in the underbrush back at the scene of the
ambush. The others he had betrayed were certainly slainâ€”
Onon Blue, Jiro, Bons, and Karolma- His victims all! And
when he sang for the Firvulag monarchs in High Vrazel, as he
certainly would if he lasted out the journey, he'd be the death

THE LORD OF MISRULE

391

of all the rest of them working on the two flyers back in the

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Vale of Hyenas.

"I'm rotten!" Tony Wayland screamed. "Rotten! A Jinx! My
silver toreâ€”why did they have to take it?"

He contorted his bound body in violent spasms so that even
the placid heliad began to shy. Finally Karbree the Worm had
to smite him in the brainstem and grant the oblivion he had
sought-

Tony fell for a short distance and landed in soft matter:

sawdust or leaf-mould, or perhaps some kind of tanbark re-
dolent of conifer oil.

"Free him. Unseal his eyes," said a feminine voice, sharp
as a vitredur blade. "Spruce him up a bit, then we'll bring him
in."

With his bonds severed, Tony went limp, semi paralyzed.
He heard one of the subsidiary monster captors say, "Yes,
Dreadful Skathe. It shall be done "

Tony felt as though an infrared lamp had been focused on
his face. The tenacious waxen blobs plugging his orbits began
to soften. Claws scratched briefly around the bridge of his nose
and there was a horrific np He lost all his eyelashes and
regained his vision in a single motion. His yell was so parched
that it was barely audible above the tumult of crowd noises
that surrounded him.

"Water," he groaned, wiping his eyes with the back of one
filthy hand. The sunshine was brilliant. Silhouetted against the
glare was a dwarf in dusty obsidian armor, one of the original
ambush patrol, and a gigantic Firvulag clearly of a much more
exalted rank, whose black-glass accoutrements were all chased
with gold ornamentation and inset with carbuncles This per-
sonage had eyes like two slowly dying coals of fire, undoubt-
edly the source of the radiation that had helped to remove his
blindfold

"Give him a dnnk," said the ognsh official. Tony noted
with some surprise that the giant was a female Somebody held
a horn cup full of cool liquid to his lips and he guzzled grate-
fully A second dwarf with a basm and a cloth swabbed his

392 THE NONBORN KING

face and hands, then began a rough massage of" his tingling
legs to speed the return of the circulation.

Tony looked around. He had been dumped in a pile of
fresh litter at the door of some kind of stable. Outside was
a mobbed area thai seemed to combine an open-air market
with a crafts fair. Around the perimeter rose crags and cliffs
and stony buttresses that Tony at First took to be natural
geological formations. But then he saw a myriad of small
windows with winking open casements, and stepped balconies
and terraces with shrubs and alpine flowers, from which the
higher orders of Little People surveyed their fellows in the
crowded plaza below.

The goblin market had hundreds of gaudy stalls with awn-

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ings and flapping banners bearing ideographs and totemic de-
vices. Vendors sold food and clothing, domestic implements,
jewelry, rugs, weapons, herbs, intoxicants, perfumes, and
medicines. One large group was gathered around a hipparion
auction, regarding the half-tamed, prancing little animals with
expressions that mingled suspicion and fascination. Another
crush of people waited their turn to enter an ornate open-sided
tent hemmed about with an honor guard of giants bearing effigy
standards draped with chains of gold-plated skulls. The'air
vibrated with the calls of the merchants, the laughter and shouts
of buyers and lookers, and music from strolling gnomish play-
ers.

"Up with him," said the black-armored giantess with the

red eyes.

Tony was hauled to his feet and stood trembling and blink-
ing. The dappled buckskin outfit he'd chosen for its camouflage
value when absconding from Nionel was stained with blood
and a medley of other muck.

"He looks pretty scruffy to present to the Highs," the gi-
antess observed. "For Te's sake fetch some kind of chaliko
blanket or a cloak to make him halfway decent."

"At once. Great Captain!" One of the dwarfs scuttled off,
to return with a fairly clean green-leather poncho. This was
plopped over Tony's head, whereupon the Dreadful Skathe
nodded and motioned her prisoner to follow her. The two dwarfs,

THE LORD OF MISRULE

393

bearing serrated black halberds, came along behind. As they
made their way through the crowd. Karbree the Worm reap-
peared and accepted the salute of his little henchmen. He had
freshened up for the royal audience, putting off his utilitarian
field harness in favor of parade armor almost as handsome as
Skathe's.

"Good catch, Worm." she remarked by way of greeting.
"His mind leaks tike a colander. Te knows what use the Highs
can make of his intelligence, but it's diverting as all hell."

"The Lowlives arc full of surprises ever," Karbree said
jovially- "Sheer good luck, stumbling over him and his warders
over at the Seekol headwaters. Normally we're never within
twenty leagues of the place. We always use the main trail along
the Pliktol. But one of our lads had heard of a secret spot where
hoobies were supposed to grow thick as fleas on a bear-dog,
even during high summer, so we took a detour. Never did find
the mushrooms."

They came to the mob surrounding the royal tent. One of
me dwarfs levered his way into the throng with the butt of his
halberd, shouting, "Way, dammit! Way for the Great Captain
Skathe and the Hero Karbree the Worm'"

The commoners fell back, chattering and grinning. A few
made rude faces at Tony or contrived to step on his toes as he
shuffled along. And then they were inside the big pavilion,

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which was full of Firvulag nobility, both enannored and cas-
ually attired. With the crowd noises somewhat muffled. Tony
was able to hear a succession of ushers announcing them. A
frightful ogre whom Skathe addressed affectionately as Medor
came to fetch them, saying:

"The artisans are bringing in the Singing Stone right now.
You can have your turn right after. Come on in here and I'll
let you have a front-row view. Damnedest thing I ever saw."

A dwarf prodded Tony and he followed Karbree to the edge
of a space bordered by scarlet and gold ropes- King Sham and
Queen Ayfa sat on a low dais at one side, flanked by standard-
bearers. They were clad in light robes of blue, green, and silver
stripes and wearing identical silvery diadems. Elfin pages came
and went carrying bowls of fruit and candy, beer and cyser

THE NONBORN KING

394

flagons nestled in buckets of snow, and occasional presents
from favor seekers. On the left hand of the joint monarchs sat
the royal scribes, busily accepting petitions, complaints, prop-
ositions, and denunciations.

"May it please the High King, the High Queen, and the
Gnomish Council of Firvulag!" the chief herald proclaimed.
"The Guild of Gemcutters, the Honorable Yuchor Tidypaw
presiding, does herewith set forth for the approval and hoped-
for acceptance of the Firvulag Nation the new Grand Trophy!"

A gasp of awe went up from the assembly. Ten Little People
in Guild regalia, led by their President, toiled up to the thrones
with a dolly on which the Singing Stone rested. It was an
enormous beryl, translucent blue-green with a faint core of
pulsating light. It had been fashioned into a field stool of the
type that Firvulag and Tanu royalty used when conferring ac-
colades on heroes during the heat of the Grand Combat. In
cross section it was a shallow U-shape. backless, with scrolled
armrests. The legs and comer members were carved to resemble
heraldic winged creatures with vaguely reptilian bodies, the
wyvems of lost Dual. Ail of the carvings were accented and
fimbriated with lustrous platinum-rhodium alloy. A green silken
cushion, tasseled and brocaded with thread of the same metals.
rested on the stool's seat.

"This Grand Trophy," the herald resumed, "shall be the
symbol of the new Era of Antagonism between the Little People
of the Many-Colored Land and their execrable Foeâ€”through
the length of the world's age!"

A bedlam of cheers and martial shouts broke out. inter-
spersed with sundry curses and cries of "Death to all Tanu'"
and "Ylahayll Aiken-Lugonn!"

The King and Queen lifted their arms for silence and the
herald completed his announcement.

"This Singing Stone shall be awarded to the battle-company
that is victorious in the contest to be held this year upon the
traditional Firvulag Field of Gold. It has been programmed so

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that it will sing a joyous song with a hundred voicesâ€”but only
when the true High King of the Many-Colored Land sits en-
throned upon it. Should any upstart or lesser ruler presume to

THE LORD OF MISRULE

395

mount the Stone, it will be death and not sweet music he will
reap in the doing!"

The Firvulag nobility let loose another deafening clamor.
Numbers of them flashed their illusory aspects, and glowing
grotesqueries and nightmare apparitions sprang up here and
there among the well-dressed giants and gnomes.

The President of the Gemcutters Guild now approached the
dais while his people were offloading the trophy from its carrier.
"High King! High Queen! Joint Sovereigns of the Heights and
Depths. Monarchs of the Infernal Infinite, Father and Mother
of All Firvulag, and Undoubted Rulers of the Known Worldâ€”
manifest'."

With a flourish, the gnome stepped to one side, gesturing
at the waiting stool. Sham gave it a speculative look but didn't
move.

Ayfa pointed her stem finger at the Honorable Yuchor Ti-
dypaw. "Are you sure the thing's programmed properly?"

The guildsman snatched off his cap and fet! to his knees.
"Oh, yes. High Queen!"

"After you, dear," Ayfa said to her husband. Sham strode
majestically to the Stone, took a firm stance in front of it, and
lowered the regal fundament.

Eight notes pealed out. They were like immense belltones
that had somehow acquired the overtones of exotic voices. They
swelled in the air like physical presences, felt as well as heard,
mirroring and enhancing one another with marvelous harmonic
vibrations. The eight notes seemed to call forth responses from
the earth, from the encompassing rocks of the mountain, from
the very bones of the hearers. Each reiteration of the phrase
was louder than the one before, more glorious, more painful:

396 THE NONBORN KING

Recovering from his first stupefaction. Tony Wayland began
to laugh. The sound was lost in the Stone's singing, but King
Sham took notice. He stood up. The music sighed away in a
reverberating diminuendo, leaving Tony's crazed cackling as
a shocking counterpoint until he realized that all of the exotic
minds were focused upon him, outraged.

Swallowing the last chuckles, he mumbled, "Well, you
see... it's... I mean, it's..." He hummed a tittle tune in the
same key, one that blended in an uncanny fashion with the still
lingering Song of the Stone. "It's got to be a joke... by that
damn Denny Johnson or somebody. Weia! Waga' Woge du

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Welle, walle zur Wiege, wagala weiaâ€”"

A roof-high albino scorpion with incandescent guts reared
above Tony, Karbree, Skathe, and the dwarfs. "Shut up.'"

The Worm shrugged. "High King, he's only a little loopy
from the trip. Wait until you hear his story."

Sham spun around, reassuming his normal form. He raised
his arms and the fierce mutterings that had broken out in ac-
companiment to Tony's impromptu performance faded. The
King said, "We thank the loyal membership of the Gemcutters
Guild and its President, Yuchor Tidypaw, for a job well done.
Let this Singing Stone now be removed to the Royal Treasury,
where it is to be kept safely until the Grand Tourney, ten weeks
from now."

There were spatterings of applause. Ayfa came over to frown
at the cowering metallurgist, now firmly in the grip of the
dwarfs. They had crossed their black-glass halberds under his
throat.

"Who is this miserable wretch?" the Queen asked shortly.

"That," said the King, "is what we're going to find out."

I loved her dearly but she was utterly insatiable [Tony Way-
land said], and I knew I was for it unless 1 got some rest. I
meanâ€”-if I'd still had my silver tore there'd have been nothing
to it! But bareneck...

At any rate, I got hold of my friend Dougal, who'd also
taken a Howler bride in the Grand Loving- His bearings were
coming up on terminal metal fatigue just like mine, so we lit

THE LORD OF MISRULE

397

off one dark night, figuring to make our way to Goriah and
Aiken Drum. You know he's promised tores to anybody who
joins him... You do know... He hasn't?... Christâ€”you can't
depend on anybody these days...

Yes. Well, Dougal and I decided to keep clear of the Nonol
and Pliktol Rivers. Too many Howlers on the trails. We went
up the ProtoSeine instead; the river you peopie call the Seekol.
We didn't know about the giant hyenas, you see.

We tramped on for a day or two, going upstream, until we
came into some jungle country, tough as hell to get through,
Then we found this biind valley late in the afternoon, an open
place with big trees. That's where we saw the birdsâ€”the air-
craft, I mean. Christ, it was a shocker' These bloody great
stilt-legged things hiding there among the sequoias with people
working on them doing God knows what. We lay back in the
bush watching for the rest of the afternoon and then we were
going to sneak away. But we saw them readying one bird for
takeoffâ€”and, I mean, could you leave at a time like that? So
we hung about well into the evening. And damn my eyes if
the ship wasn't a rhocraft, a gravomagnetic vehicle that works
on the same principle as our egg-shaped flying machines back
in the Galactic Milieu. How the friggerty things ever got to the

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Plioceneâ€”

Oh? - -. The same kind that did for Finiah?... Son of a
bitch.

At any rate, we watched one go up, and watched it come
down. By then it was night, so we had to bivouac right there.
Then this hyena pack came, and if Dougal hadn't done some
fancy swordplay, the brutes would have torn us to pieces. We
made enough noise fighting the beasts off to rouse the bloody
dead. People came from the Lowiife camp and helped us get
rid of the last of the hyenas.

But one of the Lowlives recognized me. And I was screwed
six ways from Sunday.

I was a silver in Finiah, you see. When the Lowlives cap-
tured me and cut off my collar, they said 1 could work for their
cause or have my tripes cut out. So I cooperated, bided my
time. then scarpered with Dougal when a good chance presented

398 THE NONBORN KING

itself I planned to go to Gonah and join Alken Drum way
back then, too, but Dougal and I got taken by Howlers and ah.
shit You don't have to hear that

Well When this man Onon Blue recognized me and called
me a traitor, some of the Lowlives wanted to hang me right
then and there Dougal, too, of course But their leader, a gold-
tore named Basil, said we d have to be taken back to Hidden
Springs for a tnal before Chief Burke

So we set out We were on the trail with Blue and three
other Lowlife guards when your lot sprang the ambush You
know the rest When I saw poor old Dougal go down, and the
rest of the Lowiives being cut up. I thought it was time to be
prudent I yelled out about the aircraft Your man, Wormface,
decided to bring me to visit you Charmed. I'm sure

Now fry my brains and be damned

What9 Yes, there were only two aircraft We saw one
operational The other one had burnt vegetation around its pads,
though It didn't took broken People were working on it
Toting equipment in and out while we watched

How many7 Well, we didn't exactly count them Let me
think At least thirty-five people, maybe more You bet there
were guards' Some armed with iron spears and arrows, and
one big black broad with a stun-gun, for God's sake' they
didn't talk about their plans for the aircraft in front of me I'm
a dirty traitor, remember7 Turncoat Tony' First I betrayed the
Tanu by choosing life, letting the Lowlives cut off my silver
tore Then 1 betrayed the Lowlives by running from the Iron
Villages Then I betrayed the Howlers by abandoning my wife
And if you keep me around here very long, I'll do my best for
you' Walala weiala weia'

"What do you think of his story7" Ayfa asked Sham, after
Tony had been led away

"We knew that a Lowlife expedition went east, toward the

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Ship's Grave Now we know that it was successful "

"What are we to do about this. High King7" Skathe asked
"There can be no Firvuiag-Lowhfe alliance in the Nightfall
War The humans will use these aircraft against us "

THE LORD OF MISRULE

399

The King and Queen were sitting at a small table with Skathe
and the veteran deputy Medor They had retired to a curtained-
off portion of the royal tent for the interview with Tony, and
now drank coot beer from great glass beakers

Sham said, "I would call your attention to the fact that the
Vale of Hyenas is suggestively close to Nionel "

"You think thai there's Howler collusion in the bird plot7"
Medor wiped foam from his spin upper lip

"It's a dead cert," said the Firvulag King

"We were afraid it would happen," Ayfa said gloomily.
"after the matter of the bndes Fitham Pegleg has been re
searching the matter while on his diplomatic mission to Nionel
We have his full report ready to present to the Gnomish Council
tomorrow Sugoll still professes nominal toyaity to High Vra-
zei He's got his people working tike beavers to complete the
spiffymg-up of the Field of Gold for the Tourney But as far
as allying with us in the Nightfall War goesâ€”forget him The
entire Howler tnbe has thrown in with the humans, and that's
that "

"We've got to do something about those birds," Skathe
insisted "But it'll be a tough chew You heard what that twit
saidâ€”the Lowlives are guarding the aircraft with iron "

Medor said, "And if we go in there in force, we're likely
to tip our hand ahead of time to Sugoll Or to Alken Drum '

"Fuck his earhotes," growled Skathe "If we could only use
those aircraft ourselves'"

Medor gave a rueful laugh "Not a prayer' We have only a
handful of First Comers left alive who'd remember the original
evacuation from Brede's Ship 1 don't think a single one of
them knows a flux-tapper from a hippy chip Te knows 1 don't,
and I'm about the closest thing to a technician on the Council
No those ships are useless to us "

"Maybe not," said Sham A slow smile wds beginning to
spread across his great mouth "Now consider We've been
bewailing the fact that the Foe leadership has passed to a puny
human He's bedded down in Gonah tighter than a tick. too.
for all that Nodonn and Celo would like to hope otherwise

400 THE NONBORN KING

They'll never boot Aiken out of the Castle of Glass with a few
hundred knights. Not even using the sacred Sword."

"Our Sword!" Medor said in a strangled voice.

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"Who knows it better than I?" Sham cried "My grandsire's
grandsire wielded it in the first Great Ordeal at the Ship's
Grave! And when the Nightfall War comes upon us, / snail
carry it.. if a certain idea I just had bears fruit."

"I think I see!" exclaimed Ayfa. "And Nodonn's honorable,
for all that he's the Pnnce of Pricks. If he promised, he'd keep
his word."

"Who?" demanded Skathe. "What? How?"

Sham explained. "We tell Nodonn about the two aircraft
You know that the Foe retained a certain scientific bem Ce-
ladeyr of Afaliah and Thufan Thunderhead are both creators,
both First Comers. What's more likely than that they have
some knowledge of these flying machines? In the libraries of
their citadels, if no place else."

Medor broke in excitedly. "And if Tanu make off with the
aircraft, then the machines no longer threaten us' Nodonn would
never use them in the Nightfall War. He's too chivalrous."

"He'd use them against Aiken Drum. though," said [he
Queen.

Medor leaned back in his chair and laughed at the top of
his lungs. "Nodonn zaps Aiken from the air in a glorified Flying
Hunt before the Grand Tourney ever begins' He takes over as
Tanu King! Tremendous! And in return for our helpâ€”"

"He gives me the Sword." Sham said. "Just as soon as he
conquers Gonah. It will be up to him to retrieve the Spear in
one piece from the dead hand of the usurper "

The face of Skathe the giantess was wreathed in awe. "High
King, your wisdom is beyond measure!"

Sham sipped a little beer. "Oh, I don't know " He winked
at Ayfa. "Maybe I do get a great notion from time to time ."

"When will you contact Nodonn9" Medor asked

The King's expression became solemn. "I'll get hold of
Nodonn tonight Put the whole thing up to him. But he'll biteâ€”
I'd stake my throne on it When the Gnomish Council hears

THE LORD OF MISRULE

401

from me tomorrow, I'll probably have the whole deal worked
out."

Medor rose to go "Shall 1 tell Karbree to dispose of thai
fellow Tony'''"

Skathe looked thoughtful "Let me have him for a while "
She smiled at the dubious looks on the faces of the others
"You know me, always a traditionalist to the core. Stillâ€”it
might not be a bad idea to check matters out, see whether those
Howlers are onto something."

Sham and Ayfa and Medor looked shocked

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"Well, you never know until you try," said the ogress rea-
sonably

IT WAS NEARLY DAWN IN AFALIAH AND THE FIRST EUPHORIA

resulting from the conference with the Firvulag King had begun
to dissipate

Nodonn, his brother Kuhal, and Ceiadeyr were sitting in
the ravaged library of the citadel drinking brandy-laced coffee
The floor was littered in rejected AV reference crystals, the
aftermath of a near-maniacal search for pnsms containing the
specifications arid flight manual of the ancient flying machines.
These had been located at last, filed in the wrong drawer, and
now Ceiadeyr was manipulating the visual display of the" big
reader while the other two considered courses of action

"Just look at it," Celo said, magnifying an internal config-
uration diagram. "I'd forgotten the big baggage area back in
the tail If you really pack the passengers in, the thing can
probably hold two hundred knights That gives us four hundred
crack fighters for your invasion of Gonah! We'll have that
number and to spare by the time Thufan and his Hunt gel here
from Tarasiah day after tomorrow "

"It's Tana's own luck that the old Thunderhead is qualified
to pilot the machines," Nodonn said. "But you, Celoâ€”"

"I had six hours of instruction back on Duat!" bellowed the
veteran "That's more than anybody else "

"A thousand years ago," Kuhal said, keeping a neutral as-
pect

402

THE LORD OF MISRULE

403

"The flight manual's perfectly straightforward," Celo re-
torted. "And you don't need any fancy maneuvering. Just take
the thing in at hover, screened and invisible, and blast that
little gold bastard at close range with the Sword. Fat lot of
good his sigma-field'll do him with the floor cut out from under
him!"

"Still," Kuhal said, "it might be best if one of the younger
creatorsâ€”"

"No time to train anybody from scratch." Celo insisted. "I
can do it, danunit! Stuff me full of calcium pangamate. let
Boduragol have a brief go at me to reseat the old piloting
reflexes, and I'll fly like a friggin' fruit bat in the mating season!
Old Thunderfart can check me out before we leave the Vale
of Hyenas."

"If we do." said Nodonn, frowning as he added more brandy
to his cup. "It seems to me that the most critical part of this
enterprise may be its inception- Making off with the aircraft
without having Aiken Drum leam of it."

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"The kid's spies are everywhere." Celo conceded-

"And Sharn told me that the leader of the aircraft technicians
wears a golden tore. It seems a foregone conclusion that the
Lowlives would prefer Aiken Drum's rule of the Many-Colored
Land to my own. If the people at the Vale of Hyenas aren't
dealt with very carefully, they may well warn Aiken that we
have taken the aircraft. Then we would lose the element of
surprise in our attack on Gonah. That could be fatal to us."

"We charge 'em with a Flying Hunt." Celo said fiercely.
"Massacre the whole nest of 'em, Just tike in the good old
days!"

The laugh of Apollo was pitying. "I am not the Battlemaster
[ was in the good old daysâ€”and these humans are not the
cowering prey of yesteryear, either. They arc well armed, and
there may be forty or more of them guarding the ships. Not
one must be allowed to escapeâ€”or even to give the alarm.
Even if I had the endurance to carry a full Hunt all the way
from Koneyn to the Hercynian Wilderness. I would not attempt
such a course. The effort would drain me. I would go into the
invasion of Goriah in a dangerously weakened state."

404 THE NONBORN KING

"But we could hold off until you recoverâ€”" Celadeyr began
to say

Nodonn held up a dissenting hand "Every day that we delay
sees Alken Drum recovering further from his own debilities
Mercy has kept me closely informed of his progress She evenâ€”
participates in his healing, albeit against her will No If we
are to vanquish the usurper we must strike as soon as possible "

"What course do you favor. Brother^" Kuhal asked

"I'd use only a handful of the most powerful and courageous
knights We would fly north without chahkos on the wings of
a metapsychic gale, then smite the Lowlives in the Vale of
Hyenas with mindpower rather than physical weapons No
chivalrous confrontation, no Hunt ' Nodonn smiled at the
quickly stifled outrage that seeped from the mind of the elderly
champion "So, Celoâ€”now you know the depths to which I'm
prepared to stoop But the Lowlives don't fight us by the tenets
of the battle-religionâ€”so I am prepared to use fair means or
foul, myself "

Celadeyr hesitated, then said, "If you fight Alken Drum
unfairly, our Tanu people may repudiate you He is the chosen
of Mayvar Kingmaker and acclaimed by the Conclave "

"I'll meet the usurper according to the ancient ntual," No-
donn reassured him "Sword against Spear, resuming the sacred
contest that was interrupted by the flooding of the White Silver
Plain "

The old creator's relief was evident "That will suffice As
to the aircraft snatch, however Your proposal is daring, but
fraught with peni This human wearing the golden tore need
only broadcast a single thought and you are undone "

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"If only Cull were alive," the Battlemaster said "A com-
batant redactor would be invaluable on a mission such as this,
sorting the identities of the alien minds, lulling their suspicions.
and quashing their outcries "

"The really topnotch mmdbenders went over to Alkenâ€”or
worse, they're with Dionket and the pacifists My own Bod-
uragol's a fine healer, but not really the man for stress situa-
tions None of his underlings in the House of Healing are
competent to work bareneck humans It's hellish difficult to

THE LORD OF MISRULE

405

mind-mash Lowlives when they're not wearing gray or silver
tores And the gold-wearer's a real sticker "

"If only Mercy were with us'" Nodonn exclaimed "What
we need is a humanâ€”to cope with humans "

Kuhal's coffee cup hit the table with a small crash His face
had gone radiant "Of course," he whispered "Of course''

CLOUD I'm going to do it

HAGEN You're crazy Or else falling for that exotic on a re-
bound from poor old Eiaby

CLOUD Bastard' [Pain ]

HAGEN Oh, hell I'm sorry But you can't go throwing your-
self away like this' We're getting so close Tomorrow we
cross the Rif Range, if we can repair the track on the bloody
FH-4 1 can hardly wait to see the humongous waterfall'
After that, how long can it tdke^ We latch up the ATVs,
sail across the Med, crawl through the neck of the Balearic
Peninsula, and we're almost on top of Afaliah We want
you there to meet us, luvâ€”not charging off on some half-
ass raid with your exotic boyfriend

CLOUD I can insure that Nodonn gets the aircraft for his attack
on Alken Drum If I help the exotics with my redact, it'H
virtually guarantee that none of the human guards will give
the alarm And it'll save human livesâ€”which is important
to me. if not to you I can cold-cock the lot of them and
we can fly them back as prisoners instead of killing them
out of hand as the exotics planned There's very little danger
to me, provided I can avoid getting potted with a Husky

HAGEN Husky7' Christ, Cloud' What're the Lowlife humans
doing with real weapons7 1 thought it was all bows and
arrowsâ€”

CLOUD I haven't got the straight of it But there are definitely
some modem arms being used by both the Lowlives and
Alken's elite corps

HAGEN Fuck

CLOUD The little scenario that Kuhal and Nodonn worked out
for the Vale of Hvenas should keep me safe enough I'm
not worried

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406 THE NONBORN KING

HACEN: Well, lotsa luck, sister. But, listen' Under no circum-
stances do you go along on the invasion of Aiken Drum's
magic castle.

CLOUD: No fear.

HAGEN: Think time-gate- Remember that the rest of us are
counting on you to mediate with Papa. He's not going to
stay in the tank foreverâ€”if that's where he actually is,
When he starts in again with the old hoo-ha, he's going to
be right over here on our necks instead of back in Ocala.
If anyone can get round him. you can.

CLOUD: I've tried calling him again and again on the i-mode,
but he doesn't answer. He must be in the regeneration tank,
Unless - -. Hagen, you don't think he could haveâ€”

HAGEN: Don't be an idiot.

CLOUD: Well, Felice nearly killed Aiken. And if she did d-
jump to North America, she might have got right into the
observatory, screens or no screens, riding right up Papa's
peripheral farsense beam.

HAGEN: He's alive, damn him.

CLOUD: Have you had any success yet farspeaking Manion?

HAGEN: No. Veikko keeps trying, but he just doesn't pull the
watts like old Vaughn on i-mode, and we don't want to risk
an overall hail- Not that any of the others on Ocala would
tell us the truth anyhow...

CLOUD: They've come. It's time for me to go now.

HAGEN: Take care. Take great care.

CLOUD: And you- Bring me a Tri-D loop of the Gibraltar wa-
terfall if you can. It must be quite a sight...

A party of snipe hunters from the Lowlife camp al the Vale
of Hyenas found Dougal. He was still alive nearly a week after
the Firvulag ambush, raving in delirium, a pitiful mass of
infected wounds and insect biles. He had managed to retrace
his tracks nearly twenty kilometers before collapsing on a
marshy trail just south of the valley where the aircraft were
concealed.

"I would fain die a dry death," Dougal murmured, as his

THE LORD OF MISRULE 407

rescuers dragged him from the mud. "By my troth, Morisca,
my little body is aweary of this world."

"Sometimes ! find it medium tedious myself," drawled So-
phronisba Gillis. "How'd you gel loose of Orion and the others,
suck-face?"

But Dougal only mumbled incoherencies. Later, when they
entered camp, he roused briefly at the sight of the two parked

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flying machines and moaned, "Alas! Poor falcons, towering in
their pride of place!" Then he lapsed once more into a stupor.

Phronsie and the other snipe hunters carried the stricken
medievalist to the infirmary. Dusk had deepened and the nearly
full moon sent bars of searchlight-bright luminescence through
the tall sequoias, painting the black aircraft silver. Ail of Basil's
Bastards who were not on guard duty crowded into the infirmary
shelter, where the physicians Thongsa and Magnus Bell worked
in vain to restore the recaptured prisoner to consciousness.

"It looks pretty hopeless, Basil," Magnus said. "Guy's in
shock. In addition to all the surface wounds, I mink he may
have a ruptured spleen. God knows why he's still alive."

"Get these people out of here!" Thongsa fretted.

Basil herded the throng out into the bright moonlit clearing.
He said to Phronsie, "We've got to find out what happened to
that prisoner-escort party. Whether Dougal simply escapedâ€”
or whether the party was jumped by Aiken's people or the
Firvulag. Are you sure Dougat didn't say anything significant?
Give any hint that this hiding place of ours might be compro-
mised?"

The statuesque black woman shrugged. "He just spouted a
lot of Shakespeare talk. The guy's usual shriek- Then when
we got him back here. he was nattering on a little about the
aircraft. Calling 'em proud falconsâ€”some such thing."

The former Oxford don's eyes widened. "What did he say?
Exactly?"

One of the other snipe hunters piped up. "I remember! It
was, 'Poor falcons, towering in their pride of place.'"

Basil's gaze lifted to the long-legged aircraft with the down-
swept wings and empennages, their flight decks tilted like in-
clined bird necks. He recited:

408 THE NONBORN KING

A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kiii'd.

"Subhan'llah!" breathed the technician Nazir.

"Erâ€”precisely my own sentiments." Basil Fingered
his golden tore. "Oblique though it may be. I'm afraid that
Dougai's little quote admits of only one interpretation. And
soâ€”"

"Hey, stop where you are!" came a shout from the other
side of the clearing.

Suddenly, there were more voices, and pounding footsteps,
and electric torches flicking on and scything in the shadows
behind the Number Two flyer.

"Stand still, damn youâ€”or I'll drop you in your tracks!"
Taffy Evans yelled.

The flashlight beams of the converging guards zeroed in on

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a redwood trunk, where a lone human woman cowered. She
shielded her eyes from the light. Then, as a figure in a great
hoopskirt and ruff stepped forward and administered a merciless
prod with an iron-tipped spear, the intruder burst into tears.

Basil and the others stood thunderstruck.

"Don't hurt me!" the woman wept. "Please don't."

The guards had closed in, and now began to move with
their prisoner toward Basil and the large group that still sur-
rounded him.

"She's really human, at any rate," Mr. Betsy called out in
smug satisfaction. "Not some miserable exotic shape-shifter'"

"Of course I'm human." the woman waited. She seemed to
stumble. Taffy Evans, carrying the stun-gun, shifted the weapon
quickly to one arm and caught the prisoner in the other. She
smiled at him.

"Keep that Husky on her, Taff" The incarnation of Queen
Elizabeth I was unrelenting in vigilance. "One false move out
of her, and you blast!"

"Aw, come on. Bets," the pilot protested.

As the prisoner stepped into the bright moonlight in front
of the infirmary, she seemed so obviously harmless that every-
one, even the gang of armed guards, visibly relaxed. She wore

THE LORD OF MISRULE 409

a pair of white canvas shorts and a plaid cotton shirt knotted
below her breasts. Her blonde hair, held off her forehead with
a narrow bandeau, was clean and shining. On her shoulders
was a small day-pack. In spite of her tearful apprehension, she
was almost breathtakingly beautiful.

Basil stepped forward, the golden tore gleaming in the neck
of his open safari blouse. Cloud Remillard came directly to
him and said, "You must be Professor Wimbome!"

"I'm afraid I haven't hadâ€”" Basil started to say, instinc-
tivelyâ€”and then pained chagrin flooded through him and he
wondered how he could have failed to recognize Alice. Enor-
mous Alice, long-necked Alice, sly-eyed Alice escaped from
Wonderland and pressing a single silencing finger against his
lips, simultaneously muffling his mind that would have screamed
a warning into the aether. alerting Chief Burke in Hidden
Springs.

"Oh, no you don't," Cloud said gently. Her redaction coiled
out like the multiple tentacles of a basket star. restraining every
mind. Basil and his Bastards were helpless statues under the
August moon. The stun-gun and all the iron weapons clattered
to the ground. Tears of helpless rage glittered in the eyes of
Mr. Betsy, who might have been a costumed waxwork at Ma-
dame Tussaud's, save for the anomalous mustache and tiny
goatee.

The two physicians, torn from their patient by the irresistible
command of the redactor, came to join their fellow humans in

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thrall.

"Are there any others?" Cloud inquired of thin air, and the
atmosphere replied in the negative. "Not yet'" the woman said
in a peremptory tone. "Not while he's still wearing the tore
and there's the least chance of adrenaline override."

Basil watched her take off the backpack and flip it open.
She took out a pair of yachtsman's heavy-duty cable cutters.
Utterly lacking in willpower. Basil knelt and bent his neck.
Cloud severed the tore with a single stroke and the alpinist
crumpled senseless to the ground.

"Now it's safe." Cloud said,

The paralyzed crowd of humans would have cried out if

410 THE NONBORN KING

they had not lost control of their voca! cords. Four tail phantoms
materialized in the moonlight, smothering the natural radiance
in the glow of their vitredur armor. Two shone the krypton-
green of creators and one was clad in the sodium-vapor glow
worn by psychokinetic stalwarts; but the fourth, who lowered
above the others, had the eye-smarting brilliance of the noon
sun. The pilots, the technicians, the medics, and the daredevils
despaired at the sight of him: Nodonn, the implacable enemy
of humankind, who had sworn to rid the Many-Colored Land
of all time-travelers, no matter what the cost.

"But you promised," Cloud Remillard said.

And Apollo sighed, "Yes."

So with a painless medullary pinch the woman sent all of
the prisoners cascading into welcome black; and none of them,
not even recovering Dougai. awoke until they had been two
days in the dungeons of Afaliah, and the clash between the
rival Battlemasters had long since been resolved.

MERCY FOUND SULUVAN-TONN SITTING ALONE IN A CLUT-

tered chamber at the top of the northwestern turret of the Castle
of Glass, reading Essais de sciences maudiles and sipping Strega
from a Venetian goblet of a most scandalous shape.

''Great Queen!" he exclaimed, making haste to turn the book
face down. There was, unfortunately, nothing to be done about
the goblet.

Her face was pale, but her mind, only partially screened,
seemed on fire with some violent emotion- "I'm sorry to disturb
you. I would not have broken in upon your private space except
on business of mortal urgency."

"Whatever I can doâ€”" He faltered at her look. "Has he
done something to you? Has he hurl you?" The portly psy-
chokinetic was roused to indignation in spite of his own limid-
hy. He rushed to Mercy's side, put an arm around her, and
led her to a chair that stood in the coo) breeze blowing off the
sea.

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"He's done only what he usually does," she replied darkly.
"But before this night is done I'll have revenge. If you'll help
me, Sullivan."

"I will," he declared.

"Your psychokinesis... can you open any lock?"

"Without question!"

4tl

412 THE NONBORN KING

"The special one he's put on the storage vaults beneath the
castle?"

Sullivan's eyes bulged. "Not the secret rooms where the
Milieu weapons and devices are keptâ€”"

"The same. Can you?" She was reining in her coercion and
the awesome psychocreative forces that could mould matter
and energies to her whim, trying not to frighten him. The lock
was a subtle thing that had defied her own manipulation and
was proof against mind-blasts. Sullivan, with his great PK
talent, was her only hope of neutralizing the high-technology
weaponry in a way that Aiken might not detect until it was too
late...

"Iâ€”I can only try, Lady Creator."

She leaped to her feet, her green gauze gown with its silver
borders billowing like surf. "Try, for vengeance's sake, Sul-
livan! I know you hate him as I do. But soon, perhaps at dawn,
he'll be paid in full for all his trickery! Now we must hurry,
while he still sleeps off his surfeit of me." Seizing his moist
hand, she held it tightly for a moment, her wild eyes ablaze.
Then she cried, "Follow!" and was off racing down the circular
stairs.

He bounded along in her wake, leather slippers thwacking
on the dull glass paving, cerise dressing robe aflap, sandy hair
standing on end for sheer terror. The castle was very quiet.
They dashed through an open atrium where wind-chimes tin-
kled and a small fountain splashed, and the big white sheepdog
Deirdre leaped up to welcome its mistress and nearly gave
Sullivan a heart attack.

"Down, Deirdre! Stay!" Mercy hissed, and the animal van-
ished back into the shadows.

They fled down echoing halls with only the faerie-light
chains for interior illumination; and the full moon riding high
outside gleamed eerily through the colored-glass panels of the
corridor roof, spreading pools of spectral lavender, pink, and
amber underfoot. Here and there little ramas with feather dust-
ers or mops cringed away in apprehension at their passing.
The only human they saw was a middie-aged gray guard, stiff
as a post outside the main audience room. holding a vitredur

THE LORD OF MISRULE 413

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sword before his face with the staunch tirelessness .of the pre-
" programmed tore wearer.

' At last they reached the great foyer of the royal wing, with
'Its sconces of flaming oil and spiral staircase. Mercy showed
.Sullivan the unobtrusive bronze door in the inner wall. "Open
ft without a trace."

He concentrated his PK, lips pressed together and forehead
all corrugated. There was a subdued clunk. The door slid open
aad steep stone steps leading into blackness yawned ahead of
tttem-

"That wasn't too hard." Sullivan managed a crooked smile.

"The real lock is down there. Hurry, man! He may wake
and find me gone."

She conjured up a fireball torch and went slipping and sliding
down the crudely cut shaft. There was no dampness now, but
the stair treads and risers had been designed for long exotic
legs and the going was precarious. Sullivan was beginning to
gasp for breath, and only saved himself from stumbling by
adroit use of his PK, which had him bobbing through the air
from time to time like a silk-wrapped balloon effigy.

And then they reached the bottom. There was the vaultlike
door with its battery of exotic code locks. As Sullivan came
close to inspect them his skin crawled and the air seemed to
attain a rubbery semisolidity.

"There's a force-field here as well, my Queen. Not a sigma,
thank the Lord. Perhaps a gravomag repulsor, to keep damp
air and fungus spores and things from seeping into the chamber.
As well as thieves and malefactors." He giggled nervously.

Mercy was calm. "Open it."

He bent to the task. Perspiration streamed from his scalp
and armpits. In his brain visions of the lock encodementsâ€”
microscopic bubbles within bubbles, all dotted and etched with
psychosensitive chemicalsâ€”zoomed into and out of focus- He
concentrated, thrust, bent, and pricked. Something began to
buzz. "Getting it," he mumbled. Magnify and hold the thing
up to scrutiny. Ahâ€”a sequential set. Ingenious' And with nulls
scattered in the substructure - - -

Buzz. Click-click. Throm.

414 THE NONBORN KING

The force-field cut out. "That's a help' Nowâ€”" Press,
press, push-pull twist!

There were noises behind the door, bars lifting, bolts sliding
back. And then silence, and a tall crack openmg-

"You've done it!" Mercy pushed past him, activated the
lighting. "Now!" she cned. "It must all be saved for Nodonnâ€”
but put in a condition so that it's useless to him during the time
that my daemon lover strikes!"

She regarded the long aisles with their glass racks and shelves,

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the thousands of different items podded or swathed in trans-
parent durofilm, the walls of the place thickly coaled in sealant
impervious to damp and chemical action, the small inventory-
control computer, and its robot retriever standing by.

"We'll start with you!" Mercy cried. An emerald ray lanced
from her hand. The computer and robot began to smoke, and
puddles of stinking liquid spread incontinently beneath their
casters.

"That should slow my Lord King's next shopping expedi-
tion! And now what? We must embed all thisâ€”render it un-
usable until it's been painstakingly cleaned with special solvents
that my Nodonn will have to get a MiHeu chemist to formulate!"

His face full of fear. Sullivan-Tonn backed slowly toward
the door. Mercy saw him and laughed. "That's right, Sullivan
dear. Run off, man! Your work's done. Back up the stairs if
you value your life' Fly... for I'm brewing up a witch's caul-
dron of foul sticky glop to sink Aiken Drum's weapons in, so
he'll never use them against my love!"

A tremendous explosion made the rock walls quake. Putrid
yellow matter began to boil from their plastic coating; it foamed
and surged. "The polymers in the insulating sealant!" cned
Mercy, safe in a psychocreative sphere. "Who else can tumble
and stretch and refashion their giant molecules as I can? Iâ€”
the mistress of organics, who can make food and drink all
wholesome and nourishing from the trash of the fields! And
can't 1 also make the devil's own glue, and a clinging foam to
encrust all the pods and packages, and foul poison gases caught
in the bubbles that knit the mess together?"

The terrible stuff flowed like magma, filling every cranny

THE LORD OF MISRULE

415

of the storage chamber. Mercy's lifesaving sphere wafted out
the door and she caused it to slam shut, still laughing wildly.
The shaft was now half-filled with noxious vapors and so she
- went lofting up, to where the open door and Sullivan waited.
And then she was safely through, and he crashed the heavy
panel shut, and the two of them stood side by side.

Aiken Drum sat on the bottom step of the spiral staircase,
Staring at them. The air still reverberated with the slamming
of the bronze door.

"It's done!" she cried exultantly. "And he's on his way!
You'll fight him fair. little man. because it'll take weeks to get
the Milieu weapons dug out of the poisonous mess I've sunk
them in! Get your Spear, King Aiken-Lugonn. Cudgel your
burnt-out brain into operancy again, if you can. Nodonn's com-
ing! And it's the end!"

"Yes," Aiken agreed. Almost casually, he said to Sullivan-
Tonn, "Get away from her. you."

The psychokinetic levitated and whisked across the great
foyer, toward the passage leading to the exterior courtyard.
Abruptly, his body seemed to meet an invisible wall. There

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was a sickening crackle, a choked scream-

"Not too far away," Aiken said.

Sullivan's stout torso was pinioned to the invisible wall.
His nose oozed blood and his jaw hung awry. the tower lip
pierced by splintered teeth. He began to utter liquid-thickened
cries.

Both his feet burst into flame.

"No!" screamed Mercy.

"It's your doing," said Aiken.

The smoke roiled and blackened. Sullivan writhed, the sounds
coming from his mind and throat as shapeless and hideous as
his sloughing flesh. His clothing had flashed away in an instant;

now he bumed only from the knees up. his feet and lower legs
having been reduced to calcined bone.

"Oh, God." Mercy was weeping. A small fulgurant ball
flew from her, struck the flaming man full in the head. The
mind-cries ceased. There was only the tick and sputter of the
burning, and Mercy's low sobs.

416

THE NONBORN KING

"Come upstairs with me."

Aiken held out one hand to her. She came slowly to him.
noticing at last that he was all in black, with even the golden
tone of his thoughts damped down to a level of darkness more
fearfulâ€”more excitingâ€”than any aspect of him she had ever
yet known.

She took his hand, warm flesh, quite human.

"What will it be. then?" she asked with fey archness. "How
will you do it, Amadan-na-Briona?"

"Come," he said. "And see."

The Spear.

Golden and rising from the dark, full of hot energy, hungry.
A living shaft, not one of glass, as she had known it would
be. First discharging light and pain, then reabsorbing its own
energies and hers, all of the life-force, ail of the joy and sorrow,
all memory, all thinking, all that had been created and matured
and fulfilled. He took her and she was gone-
He was alive and shining.

As he looked at the ashes, he was surprised how little it
had hurt.

NODONN HAD THE TWO EXOTIC AIRCRAFT APPROACH GORIAH

from the seaward side, out of the descending full moon, even

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though it was plain mat the usurper not only anticipated in-
vasion, but had prepared a perverse and splendorous welcome
for his archrival.

All of the city lights were on, so that even from a distance
the sky formed a mother-of-pearl backdrop to the multicolored
twinkling outlines of the buildings. The great city wall was
topped with the orange beads of bonfires, and each bastion was
strung with ominous purple and blue faerie lamps. On its height
overlooking the sea, the Castle of Glass formed a soaring pile
of blazing amethyst and topaz, braced with spangled flying
buttresses and crowned by filigreed spires beaconed with yel-
low stars.

Hanging above the citadel, riding the night wind on wires
and cables of gold and silver, were kites,

There were hundreds of them, from titanic oval wanwans
more than twenty meters in diameter to stacked boxes, centi-
pedes, Rogallo wings, parafoils, sinuous dragons, and Japanese
fighting styles both geometric and theriomorphic. All of the
kites were decked in tiny lights. The great man carriers, now
flying without passengers, bore gaudy paintings of grimacing
samurai, oriental demons, and fierce mythical characters.

Nodonn Battlemaster had to roar at the audacity of it. The

417

THE NONBORN KING

418

two flyers hovered, screened and invisible, a few thousand
meters off the castle seawall, while the invaders recovered from
paroxysms of hilarity before launching their assault.

"How shall we proceed, Battlemaster?" came the voice of
Thufan Thunderhead over the RF communicator. "The air above
the castle is as thickly tenanted as a locust swarm."

Nodonn stood behind Celadeyr, who piloted the Number
One craft. He inspected the crazy ban-age with his farsight.
"Sheets of paper and bamboo frames and panels of flimsy silk!"
he said contemptuously. "The rho-fields clothing our aircraft
will burn them up like tinder. Fty into the midst of themâ€”
and let all the battle-company be prepared to descend upon the
castle after I have swept the royal apartments with the power
of my Sword."

"As you command," said Thufan. Celadeyr, a madcap grin
showing through his open glass visor, twisted the throttle-grip
and sent their own inerlialess craft tearing into the swarm of
kites at barely subsonic velocity.

Two blinding bursts of light lit the entire countryside as the
gravomagnetic aircraft, flying side by side, simultaneously en-
countered the highly conductive anchoring cables. The kites
all burst into flame and were consumed within seconds; but
the rhocraft hung motionless in the center of an amazing fire-
storm. Their black ceremetal skins crawled with flickering net-
works of force. The energies were grounding out through the
gold and silver wires, the flimsier conductors going molten

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and falling away in smoking arcs. The sturdy cables of the
wanwans and the o-dako and the other great kites wrapped
the birdlike machines with spiderweb tenacity, however, and
the flux-tappers of the craft surged toward terminal overload
as they strove to maintain gravomagnetic equipoise in the
face of the relentless drain.

Now the lelepathic laughter of the trickster could be heard
ringing in the aether, mingling with the teeth-jarring screech
of the dumping rho-field generators, the crackle of the current-
laden wires, and a thunderous hiss of ion-charged vapor from
the boiling sea below.

THE LORD OF MISRULE 419

"Away!" Nodonn cried out to his knights. "Out of the ship,
before it's too late!"

"Brotherâ€”the hatch!" Kuhal Earthshaker shouted-
"Januned!"

With his mighty psychokinesis Nodonn ripped open the
short-circuited airlock, then formed a tunnel of protective
screening for the escaping knights. Those who could not levitate
by their own power were borne down by the Battlemaster or
Kuhal to the seaside parapet of the castle like a stream of
rainbow-hued meteorites. Nodonn himself, clutching his pho-
tonic Sword, flew out only after he saw Celadeyr safely away.

The Battlemaster hovered to one side as his craft shuddered,
Aimed slowly end over end. and dropped toward the sea. en-
veloped in a seething violet cloud.

"Thufan!" his storm-loud voice cried. "Evacuate your flyer!"

The distracted thoughts of the First Comer pilot reached him
dimly through a mental tumult. The knights trapped within the
second ship were in a panic, chopping at the frozen hatch with
their glass weapons and bombarding it with futile psychocre-
ative thrusts. Thufan said:

Sorry Battlemaster... should have ... danger of ground-
ing... we Tanu ... more chivalry than science...

Up on the highest turret of the Castle of Glass danced a
spark of gold wielding a bright needle. A bar of green light
transfixed the hanging aircraft as Aiken Drum's Spear dis-
charged. The blast's shockwave flattened Nodonn. He saw a
fireball bloom above the water with excruciating slowness, all
flecked with torn purple force-field asterisms and ejecting sec-
ondary detonations.

Too late, Nodonn extended the Sword. A coherent light
beam, twin to the one that had destroyed the flyer, vaporized
the top third of the turret. The air reverberated to the shattering
concussion.

And laughter.

Try again, came a jeering thought.

Beside himself. Nodonn blew the tower's stub to fragments.
But of course the Foe was no longer thereâ€”only the echo of

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his gibes.

420

THE NONBORN KING

Nodonn sent his farsight boring into the main keep of the
citadel. His 200 surviving knights were already engaging the
enemy. Tanu forces loyal to the King, led by Bleyn the Cham-
pion and Alberonn Mindeater, were marshalling for an attack
in metaconcert. The Battlemaster streaked into the forecourt
with his Sword high, and a photonic blast brought a great chunk
of the castle facade tumbling down upon the defenders.

"Hold off!" cried Bleyn, switching his direction instantly
to a PK deflective structure. The threescore knights under his
control managed to divert the bulk of the collapsing masonry
and only a few were harmed. But Nodonn's forces piled in on
the loyalists, and in the heat of subsequent hand-to-hand en-
counters, the discipline required for cooperative mental effort
was almost totally disrupted. Both invading and defending Tanu
turned instinctively to the ancient fighting style of the race,
contending against one another with flashing glass weapons
and haphazard mental blows.

"Minds together!" Alberonn pleaded. Numbers of the younger
loyalists rallied around the hybrid coercer and resumed fighting
in the efficient metaconcert mode. Those of Nodonn's force
who were struck by multimind thrusts either died in their tracks
or suffered massive brain damage. But Nodonn was quick to
take advantage of the confusion. He encouraged the weaker
among his knights to fight on in the courtyard melee while the
stalwarts broke free. Divided into three groups led by himself.
Kuhal Earthshaker. and Celadeyr, they pressed more deeply
into the castle.

"Aiken Drum! Find him!" The Battlemaster was alight with
solar fury. "Each force to a different part of the citadelâ€”but
when you comer him. remember he is mine!"

Ordinary farsight was useless for locating the usurper, who
was masked not only by his own mind's cunning but also by
the portable Milieu-technology screening devices he wore. He
would have to be detected physicallyâ€”or lured to a confron-
tation.

Celadeyr of Afaliah and the seventy-odd knights under his
command smashed their way into the predominantly human

THE LORD OF MISRULE 421

wing of the citadel, taking a fearful toll of gray and silver
defenders. The collared humans, loyal in their hearts to Aiken,
became helpless before the invading Tanu overlords, who were
able to coerce them through their tores. Wave after wave of
gray troopers advanced with their silver officers, only to meet
the irresistible compulsion of the enemy that bade them throw
away their iron weapons and submit to the terrible glass swords.

"Cut the Lowlife rabble down!" the old Lord of Afaliah
crowed. "Wipe 'em out!"

He led his band into the castle garrison, thinking that Aiken

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might have taken refuge among members of his own race. His
knights killed every bareneck or gray or silver that they en-
countered; but finally, when the invaders were far out of range
of Nodonn's protective mental aegis, they were confronted by
a detachment of the King's gold-tore elite guard, who advanced
on them from behind the detention barracks.

Uncoercible, wearing full-body glass armor capable of de-
flecting the small psychocreative blasts of the individual stal-
warts, the humans lifted unfamiliar slender weapons. There
were only about twenty of them, headed by Commander Con-
greve, who glowed a vivid azure with the force of his own
metapsyctuc power and saluted Celadeyr on the intimate mode.

"I know you, Congreve!" Ceiadeyr roared. "You were a
loyal servant of the Battlemaster before that little gold pip-
squeak turned your head. Join us! Throw down your arms!"

Congreve said, "Surrender, Ceiadeyr of Afaliah. King Aiken-
Lugonn would not take your lives."

Ceiadeyr and all his knights laughed and hefted their great
swords. "You're outnumbered more than three to one," the old
creator stated. "I'll give you five seconds."

"Ready, Jerry?" said Congreve quietly.

"Up yours, then. Lowlife!" Celo howled, and launched the
heaviest psychozap he could muster at the armored human.
Congreve stood unmoving in the midst of a snapping coronal
discharge. At the same time, a PK knight came soaring straight
at him from the rear ranks of the invaders, brandishing a flaming
sword like the Angel of Eden.

"Zap him, Jer," Congreve said.

422 THE NONBORN KING

One of the elites bent to his laser carbine and there was a
Moogish chirp A scarlet beam flicked momentarily The psy-
chokmetic, sailing into it head-on, was sliced cleanly from
crown to crotch through glass armor, flesh, and bone, and
crashed to the pavement less than two meters in front of Ce-
ladeyr

"Surrender." Congreve repeated The Tanu force stood stock-
still Then, abruptly, four coercers and a creator leaped for-
ward, swinging their blades The entire front rank of elites fired
their Matsus, this time with the beams dialed to needle Drilled
through heart and brain, the five attackers crumpled, their armor
ringing a death knell on the stone slabs of the compound

"Surrender " Now Congreve's voice was weary "We have
been ordered to spare you if it is possible King Alken-Lugonn
reminds you that the true Adversary in the Nightfall War is the
Firvulag Foeâ€”not humanity "

Celadeyr seemed to hear a high-pitched mental keening It
was coming from somewhere deep within the citadel, together
with the sounds of a furious altercation Desperate, he sent a
telepathic plea on the Battlemaster's intimate mode

Help us or we are lost

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There was no reply And behind him was the sound of a
glass sword dropping to the stoneâ€”and then more falling, and
a sigh of many minds mourning forlorn hope Slowly, Celadeyr
of Afaliah let his own arm relax, his fingers open Dulled, his
once glowing sword slipped down to ignominy

The human gold nodded He said, "Carbines up Huskies
ready " Open-mouthed, Celadeyr saw the elite guards lift the
light-weapons in a swift gesture, hanging them on the nght
side of their armored backpacks Almost in the same motion,
they seized the butts of different weapons that had been hung
muzzle-down from the pack center and swept them into firing
position

Incredulous, Celo cned, "But, we've yielded'"

Congreve was almost apologetic "Unfortunately, we're
pressed for time Ready at stun-five Ad \ib,fire " And the
Husqvarnas sang their sizzling song of oblivion while the Lord
of Afaliah and all his knights went tumbling down

THE LORD OF MISRULE 423

It was Kuhal Earthshaker who found Mercy

He and his knights were storming through the royal wing,
tearing open doors, poking into cubbyholes and presses, stab-
bing behind draperies, terrorizing lackeys and chambermaids,
and slaughtering the occasional gray-tore guard, when they
came upon a pair of tall golden doors Mounted on them were
great champleve escutcheons set in bejeweled cartouches, ri-
diculously ornate, but unmistakably representations of the im-
pudent finger motif of the usurper himself

"His apartments'" Kuhal cned He smote ihe doors with his
PK so that they dropped from their hinges with a resounding
clang.

Rosy-gold sword high, he dashed inside, most of his forty
knights at his heels There was an antechamber with cool rattan
furniture and a wide balcony overlooking the moon-plated sea,
and then a pair of dressing rooms with packed clothes closets,
and an inner salon opening into a luxurious bath all tricked out
in onyx and gold, and finally the royal bedroom itself, lit with
festoons of purple and amber stars and dominated by a great
gold-canopied circular bed covered in black satin sheets

On it lay a pale shape

Kuhal stood as though turned to ice Brother' his mind cned
out. Nodonnâ€”to me'

The Battlemaster matenalized at his side, filling the dark
room with his sunlight radiance Kuhal drew back, motioning
his fighters to retreat, and Nodonn was left alone

"My Mercy-Rosmar," Apollo whispered, standing over her

Every dear contour had been preserved the slender arms,
one thrown wide, the other in repose at her side, the feet with
their oddly long toes, the dimpled knees, the curved hips, and
the dark cleft mystery of her sex Her small high breasts were

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perfect in pearl-gray ash, and her shoulders, and the neck with
its tore, slightly arched so that the delicate jawline was thrown
mto poignant relief Her face was calm, the lips softly parted,
tinted by his own warm light so that they might have been
living flesh But never had her lashes or her hair been so pallid,

424 THE NONBORN KING

gossamer-fine now as the rare basaltic threads spun by certain
volcanos.

"You hungered so," he said, "and made him afraid. Rightly,
rightly. And now all your fierceness, alt vitality is consumed
in his restoration, to my death. Ah, Mercy. You knew. You
warned me. Wildfire, burning heedless and free. Wait "

He slipped off one rose-glass gauntlet. The silver hand passed
swiftly over the length of her body. There was left only the
tore and dust, scattered in feathery coils on black cloth ...

Outside the window the sinking moon suddenly kindled to
a violent gold- A mind-voice commanded:

Come out.

They met in the high air above the sea, bright and furious
and shielded only by their minds, as the ntual demanded.

When the sharp green lightning of the preliminary sparring
began to flash, and thunder was flung back upon the ramparts
of the city, all of the other contention ceased. Tanu partisans
of both heroes left off their trivial battling, and the human
wamors as well, to watch the duel of the titans. Noncombatants
who had hidden from the invasion's fury now crept out onto
.the battlements and turrets to stand among the quiet spectators
in glass armor.

Goriah was almost ghostly now, with the metapsychic faerie
lights turned off and the oil lamps guttering low in predawn
dark- The green explosions out over the Strait of Redon cast
shadows that were lunar in their starkness. The glowing bodies
of the two antagonists were all but drowned in the dazzling
glare.

Some of the people watching had been on the White Silver
Plain, witnesses to the earlier encounter between Aiken and
Nodonn thai had been aborted by the Flood. These noted certain
differences in the fighting form of the opponents: The little
human had become more circumspect and defensive, and the
godly Battlemaster now fought with a wanton aggressiveness
at odds with his usual cool implacability

Nodonn was the more active pursuer. Englobed in an auroral
nimbus, he soared about the drifting trickster, peppering him

THE LORD OF MISRULE 425

"l with an almost continuous fusillade of energy gouts that spewed
t ftwn his Sword like stellar flares. When these rebounded from
^ ASke"*8 psychocreative screen, they seemed to bruise it, caus-

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e^fsa the corona to flash blue or sickly yellow-green orâ€”in the
^USSK of the more intense blastsâ€”a lingering vermilion.
1'^. "Spoiier!" the storm-voice roared- "Nonbom! I am the heir
>^rflhe Many-Colored Land. the first child of the Thagdal and
^Nontusvel. Who engendered you, Lowlife? Sterile dishes in
"-^BBBC genetic kitchen? Test tubes mixing frozen sperm and the
'tteggish egg of a dead woman? What a King' What a Battte-
^.inaster!"

'^ And the Sword blasted and the monstrous concussions rolled
3^Bfverthe affronted sea, and Aiken's mind-shield flashed deeply
_ ^ OCBige while his small armored figure seemed to dull and darken
^ inside its metapsychic halo.

"Fight back!" Nodonn raged. "Or do you fight only women?
Did her passion frighten you, little one? Did you shrink from
"" her warmth like a slug fleeing the sunlight? I am the sun! Eclipse
me if you can!"

Inside the slowly shrinking mind-screen, the trickster hoisted
; his Spearâ€”and one finger He remained silent, and he did not
^ retaliate. The scarlet-patched sphere of force seemed to drift
aimlessly, almost skimming the surface of the black water.

"Fight, damn you!" Nodonn thundered. "Or are you seeking
death?" His aura streaming like a comet's tail, the Battlemaster
, orbited above his rival. "Is that it? By killing her, you hoped
to restore your own broken mind. You fed on her creativity to
bolster your own! Was it worth it. corruptor? Worth destroying
the only thing you loved?"

Nodonn thumbed the uppermost of the five power-setting
studs on the Sword's hilt, summoning the weapon's full po-
tential. The readout on the power supply told him that he would
have only two shots of this magnitude before draining the
weapon.

"Are you tired of being King? Tired of coercing those who
hate and fear and despise you? Little man! Trickster' Furtive
conniver! Betrayer of honor and nobility and beauty'"

A stupendous light-burst engulfed Aiken and his screen and

426 THE NONBORN KING

seemed to dig a crater in the flat sea. Then a chaos of luminous
vapor whirled and fountained, and deep within it were pulses
of golden radiance alternating with sullen glows of deepest car-
mine lake.

Nodonn waited- At length, a smooth sphere bobbed up from
the ferment, its color now as darkly red as coagulating blood.
It barely sufficed to enclose the dull-armored little figure clutch-
ing its glass lance.

"Come then," Apollo invited- The bubble ascended slowly.
Aiken's visor was open, his face like a skull wrapped in light
scarlet skin and his eyes deep as wells.

Nodonn blazed. "Will you go to death silent?" The Sword
was ready. "Very well'" In the ultimate stroke, Nodonn called
up ali the energies of his brain and flung them simultaneously
with the full power of the photonic weapon. The resulting flare

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was blinding green and white, clothed in a shimmering plasma
haze. The doom-clap that accompanied it flogged the atmo-
sphere and sent echoes caroming endlessly between the hills
of Armorica and the Breton highlands across the wide strait.

Aiken was there. Unshielded. Golden.

"No," said the Battlemaster.

The Shining One was smiling and his mind open wide; and
Nodonn in despair knew that it had all been planned and he
allowed to do his utmost, so that those watching would receive
the final affirmationâ€”either through farsenses or through the
evidence of their own eyes.

Aiken unfastened the baldric holding the Spear's powerpack
and lifted the apparatus off. Held motionless in the strength-
ening dawn, Nodonn felt an insidious PK impulse working at
his own harness. The straps slipped from his shoulders and the
Sword's hill was torn from his nerveless grasp. At the same
time the Spear went flying from Aiken and both of the weapons
disappeared.

Nodonn removed his helmet and stood poised in the air.
His shielding nimbus had evaporated in his final effort against
the Nonbom King, but his body was sunrise bright.

Aiken was a naked star.

His mind reached out. "I need yours, too," was ail he said.

THE LORD OF MISRULE 427

Apollo flamed and all his power passed, and what was left
was only gray ashes and a blackened silver hand falling toward
the sea, and a last ironic thought fading.

The King of the Many-Colored Land caught the hand. The
sun was coming up behind his Castle of Glass, and his people
were singing a Song that might be for him.

It was good enough, he thought, and headed tor home.

THE END OF PART FOUR

Â£D1LQGVJÂ£

ON OCALA ISLAND IT WAS STILL FAST NIGHT

The tree trogs were practicing overtures for the autumn
mating season Fireflies blinked in Ihe jacaranda trees next to
the porch The moon, bronze and low, seemed to be mirroring
Marc Remillard's sardonic, one-sided smile

"Was that what you expected9" Patncia Castellane asked

He slowly rose from his canvas deck chair and stretched,
the perfect metapsychic Wagnente "Just about The mental
absorption ploy wasâ€”unusual The Poltroyan race were ac-
customed to batten on their foes in a similar fashion during
their precoadunate days, but I've never heard of a human doing
it Rather baroque Interesting, though

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She stood beside him The lingering memories of the drama
just played m Europe flickered in his mind The conscious
levels were tranquil again, diamond-hard above the scars "I'm
so glad you're better," she said "I was afraid "

His laugh was insouciant, rich with the old casual power
"You should know by now that Abaddon takes a lot of killing
I was taken by surprise It won't happen again "

"You're still going^"

"If i don't, he'll come to me "

"That might be preferable "

"I'm considering it " He kissed her, put an arm around her
shoulder There was a chill wind off the lake

She sighed "Wellâ€”it should be a very interesting Grand
Tourney "

428

EPILOGUE 429

"Perhaps we should plan to attend," said Marc Renullard
Hand in hand, they went into the house

With the cooler air came dew The frogs fell silent, the
fireflies hid away among the foliage, and Ocala Island slept

THE END OF

THE NONBORN KING

Volume IV of The Saga of Pliocene Exile,
titled THE ADVERSARY, tells of
the struggle against the fall of Night,
of a couple of redemptions and an ambiguity,
and of an ultimate recurvature back
to the Galactic Milieu
where it all began

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