Quest of the Golden Ape Page 16

  CHAPTER XVI

  _The Raging Beast_

  Although once mighty Ofridia of Tarth and certainly the nations ofEarth had outstripped Bylanus' world in the physical science, theplanet of the pink and green suns was supreme in biology. Thus had itneeded Portox' help, a hundred Earth-Tarthian years before, whenrun-down entropy threatened its very existence. On the other hand,through biology, the science of Bylanus' world had come a long way inthe conquest of death and destroyed human tissue. So it was that withsome faint ray of confidence Bylanus brought the two broken bodies tothe single large city of his park-like planet. There, tenderly, heleft them in the care of specialists at the regeneration station, andbegan his long vigil.

  ... sensation and movement.

  Hardly anything at first. Bram Forest dreamed of dreaming. The motionwas gentle, warm, comfortable.

  The glow of life and not the cold breath of death....

  With it, with the first stirrings of regeneration, came the shadow ofpain. But it was far away and almost impalpable, pain understoodrather than felt. And slowly the pain departed. There came a time whenBram Forest realized he was not breathing, was, indeed, immersed inliquid.

  He floated, helpless, serene, strangely content.

  ... Until, with the first signs of impatience, strength floodedthrough his regenerated limbs.

  * * * * *

  "In every cell of a living creature's body," Orro the bio-technicianexplained to Bylanus, "there is the potential for complete and perfectregeneration. For, whereas the eye is an organ to see with, in everyone of the millions of tiny cells making up the eye is thegene-pattern not merely for the eye but for the rest of the body.Theoretically then, Bylanus, if we are given but a single intact cellof a living--or once-living--organism, we ought to be able toreproduce the organism in its entirety. This is not supernatural. Itis not creation of life: we can create nothing. The secret of creationis not ours here at this laboratory. But we have mastered the secretof recreation. Nurtured by the life-giving fluid, their developmentcontrolled by their own genes, the two human beings you brought arebeing made whole again."

  Bylanus nodded. Orro the bio-technician was loquacious and spokequickly, confidently, with mild pedantic enthusiasm. As for Bylanus,he awaited the regeneration of the man who had worn Portox-saviour'sbracelet. He looked at the bodies in the vat, hanging upside-down,floating head down, rocking gently in the warm, circulatinglife-fluid. He waited....

  * * * * *

  Bram Forest took his first breath. The first thing he said was: "Ylia,Ylia...."

  Bylanus met them after the vat had been drained and a door had openedfor them. He told them what had happened, including the death ofHultax. Then he added:

  "As far as I am concerned, there can be no doubt as to your identity.But the bracelet is lost forever and there will be some who doubt youridentity." Abruptly, he seemed to change the subject: "How do youfeel?"

  "Good as new," Bram Forest said. He was naked. He was tingling withhealth and well-being, as if he'd awakened from a long, health-givingsleep. He looked at Ylia, her skin glowing, her hair gleaming, herglorious body a shining promise. Then he frowned. Bylanus' words tookmeaning. "You want me to fight the Boar of the Kranuian Wood, is thatit?"

  "Yes," Bylanus said.

  * * * * *

  Bram Forest shrugged. "Coming here was not my idea, although Portoxsomehow realized it would be so."

  "Slay the Kranuian Boar, proving your identity without question, andall the Golden Apes will be yours to command."

  "Yes, but did Portox really feel I must wreak upon Abaria and theAbarians the same destruction they brought to Ofridia? If I destroyRetoc the Abarian responsible for what happened a hundred years ago,wouldn't that be enough? I don't need the Golden Apes for that. I cando it myself. I must do it myself."

  "Tarth," said Bylanus, "is a world of warring nations. But here on theplanet of two suns we live in peace. We are strong but know not themeaning of war. Is that what Portox-saviour wished for your people?"

  "Perhaps," Bram Forest said.

  "Then," Ylia told him, speaking for the first time, "even if you slayRetoc, his legions will not willingly give up their arms."

  Bram Forest nodded slowly. The idea of a Tarth-wide holocaust did notappeal to him, but if all Tarth could be shown the folly of war whenits most powerful army went down to defeat before the Golden Apes....

  "Thank you," Bram Forest said humbly to the Golden Ape. He had avision--almost mystical--of a time in the future, perhaps the nearfuture, when all Tarth knew nothing but the ways of peace. "When wereturn on the River of Ice we want you to accompany us. I'm ready tomeet your boar."

  Ylia held him. Tears glistened in her eyes. "Bram Forest," she saidtremulously. "Now that I've found you, I don't want you to behurt--ever again."

  Bram Forest responded: "Don't worry, Ylia. If Portox hadn't known I'dbe more than a match for the boar, he never would have established itsconquest as proof of my identity."

  "But ... but don't you see, you've been regenerated, as Bylanus said.You may not be as strong as you were."

  Bram Forest looked at Bylanus, who shrugged. Bylanus lifted them whenBram Forest nodded. The park-like terrain flashed by. A dark forestloomed. The Kranuian Wood....

  Close at hand, an animal screamed.

  * * * * *

  "How do I look, Prokliam?" Volna asked her seneschal.

  He bowed before her. "You are lovely, O My Queen."

  Volna smiled. She wore the royal purple of Nadia in a gown which fell,clinging as if sentient and voluptuous, to the wonderful curves of herbody. "I'm not your Queen yet," she said, laughing.

  "A mere formality, My Queen."

  "I am Volna, Virgin Princess of Nadia, sister to Bontarc the King."

  "Huh!" snorted the old man. "That is your official title. But what dotitles matter? When this day ends you will rule all Tarth side by sidewith Retoc the Abarian."

  Yes, Volna thought. With Retoc the Abarian. But how long would _that_alliance last? Would either of them be content to share power with theother? Wouldn't there come a day when she would give the nod toProkliam and the legions would march against those of Abaria chanting,"All power to Volna! All power to Volna the Beautiful!" The thought ofpower, power over strong men, over leaders of nations, made her giddywith desire.

  All the royal blood of Tarth was gathered in Nadia City now, for thefuneral games. She knew Retoc's plan: her spies had confirmed it.Retoc's legions would slay the rulers of the multiple nations andclans of Tarth and one by one, stunned, leaderless, the small nationswould flock to the banners of Abaria and Nadia. If, then, Retoc had inmind to betray her and claim all power for himself, her own legionswould be rested and ready. And Bontarc? she thought. What of Bontarc,her brother?

  As if he could read her thoughts, Prokliam said, "I have arranged thelists for the dueling which will end the games, majesty. Bontarc, asyou know, expects a duel to the first blood with some competentwhip-swordsman." Prokliam licked his thin, dry lips. "He will beconfronted, instead by a duel to the death with Retoc, the bestswordsman of all Tarth. To flee would mean cowardice. The army wouldthen be loyal to you, majesty. To remain and fight would mean only onething."

  "Death," said Volna softly.

  She could hear the legions. The legions seemed to chant in her ears:"All power to Volna the Beautiful!"

  She thought of the day's funeral games. Games for the memory of Jlomecthe Prince, indeed. They were games for her, for Volna. They would bea party celebrating the rise to power of Volna, Virgin Princess ofNadia. But of course neither Nadia nor Bontarc its rightful ruler knewthat yet. And when they did, Retoc and his legions would make surethey could do nothing about it.

  The Games would be a feast. Volna's feast....

  _All power to Volna._

  * * * * *

  The Kranuian Boar came scream
ing from the forest.

  Its small, close-set eyes found Bram at once. If it had seen Bylanusand Ylia, it ignored them. Four hundred pounds of muscle and sinew, itmade, stomping and pawing, for Bram.

  He side-stepped nimbly, saw the massive head go down, felt one of thewicked tusks brush his thigh with fire. He stumbled and almost fell.If he fell, he would not rise again. The boar would finish him first.

  "Bram Forest!" Ylia screamed.

  He got up and grasped the tusks. He was dragged along, furrowing theground. The huge head snorted close to his own. The boar's breathalmost made him gag. Then, before the boar could smash him into atree-trunk, he let go and rolled over and over and quickly stood up.

  The boar did not wait for him to regain his breath, but came chargingat once. This time Bram Forest waited until the last possible instantbefore the tusks would impale him. Then he leaped, twisting around inair. It was a prodigious leap and brought a word of exclamation evento Bylanus' lips. He landed on the hard-muscled back of the boar andat once clamped his knees firmly against its sinewy flanks as if hehad been trained all his life for this job.

  The boar reared and bucked and swung its great body from side to side,trying to dislodge its tormentor. But Bram Forest clung as if allTarth depended on the outcome of this contest--as, perhaps, it did.

  The boar ducked its head. Bram Forest fell forward, but his kneeslocked. The boar rolled over, but moving so swiftly that the eye couldhardly follow him, Bram Forest squirmed out from under and was seatedastride again when the boar got to its feet.

  Then, leaning forward, Bram Forest grasped the two tusks and began topull the boar's head up and back toward him.

  The animal's screaming became squealing. Slowly the head went back,the short, almost non-existent neck strained, the beady eyes darted.

  Then there was a loud snapping sound and the boar squealed once andfell over on its side with a broken neck.

  Bram Forest, panting, the muscles of his legs quivering, stood clear.Bylanus touched his great golden head to the ground. Ylia ran to BramForest and flung her arms about his neck. "I was afraid," she said. "Iwas so afraid you would be hurt."

  Bram Forest kissed her. She clung to him, sobbing his name when theirlips parted. Finally Bram Forest disengaged himself and said:

  "The poem, Ylia. We've seen an ape, a boar, a stallion. This world isthe 'land beyond the stars.' But was the boar also the raging beast?"

  Ylia shrugged. Bylanus stood up and told Bram Forest, "The Golden Apesare ready to serve you in any way you wish."

  Three worlds, Bram Forest thought. One which Portox had saved fromdoom, one which had been the haven in which Bram Forest had grown tomanhood, and one in which all their destinies soon would be written.

  "Then Tarth thanks you," Bram Forest told the Golden Ape Bylanus."Assemble your fighters. We're going back up the River of Ice."

  "To Nadia City?" Ylia asked.

  Bram Forest nodded grimly. "To Nadia City--and Retoc."

  * * * * *

  Bontarc, King of Nadia, asked his royal guest, "You like the Games sofar?"

  They sat, with Princess Volna, in the box of honor at the Amphitheaterof Nadia. "Aye, I like them," Retoc said slowly. "But sire, I wouldlike them much better if they were not to commemorate the passing ofyour noble brother, the Prince Jlomec."

  Bontarc nodded his head in gratitude. "That was well-spoken, Retoc,"he said.

  Retoc went on: "Have you any idea who killed him so treacherously?Jlomec was not a fighting man."

  "None," Bontarc admitted. He missed entirely the smile which passedbetween Retoc and Princess Volna.

  "Well," Bontarc said after a while, "if you will excuse me, I must godown below to prepare for the dueling. Under the circumstances I'mhardly inclined to participate in the Games, but my people expect itof me."

  "Yes, brother," Volna said softly. "They do. Oh, they do."

  And Bontarc went. Retoc looked at Volna. "I'd best get ready myself,"he said. Volna nodded her lovely head.

  A blood-lusting animal cry welled up from a hundred thousand throatsas the gladiators of Nadia marched out across the sands of theamphitheater to do battle with the fierce snow-sloths of the Plains ofIce.

  While several jeks from the Gates of Ice, Retoc's legions waited....

  * * * * *

  "Wait here," Bram Forest told Bylanus, who had led them safely, alongwith the vanguard of the Golden Apes, back up the River of Ice.

  "What will you do, Bram Forest?"

  "According to Ylia, we can trust Bontarc of Nadia. He's a fightingman, but he craves peace for all Tarth."

  "I'm sure of it," Ylia said. "Bontarc didn't send us to the Place ofthe Dead. Princess Volna did. And long ago, according to the storiesthe Wayfarers of Ofrid tell, Bontarc and your mother, Queen Evalla,were allies striving to establish universal peace throughout Tarth.Besides, despite his civility and fairness, Bontarc losses no love onRetoc of Abaria."

  "And if you need us?" Bylanus asked.

  "We'll get a signal through to you," Bram Forest said. With Ylia heclimbed into a skiff and poled it out into the river.

  Now the riverbanks were deserted, except for the solitary stilt-birds,tall as men, wading out into the frigid water, their low-pitched callsall but swallowed by the sound the cold wind made rustling through theriver rushes.

  After a while the skiff came to a bend in the river. It was the lastturn before the Gates of Ice--and Nadia City. Here the wind blew morestrongly, and there was a section of rushes which had been cleared,cut probably by an Ice Fields nomad who had used the tall rushes asfuel.

  "Look!" Ylia cried suddenly, startled.

  Through the gap in the rushes, at a distance of two or three jeksacross the flat plain from the river, Bram Forest saw an armedencampment. There were tents with flying standards, tethered stads,pyramids of stacked spears like hayricks, and pacing sentries.

  "What can it mean?" Ylia asked. "Those standards are Abarian."

  "Retoc," Bram Forest said. He lifted the pole and felt the mud of theriver-bottom cling to it before it came clear. He allowed the skiff todrift toward the bank. "Retoc's planning treachery. We'll have to goback and alert the Golden Apes. Bylanus and his Apes can destroyRetoc's legions before they even march on Nadia City."

  "But we can't go back, Bram. If Retoc's army is here, ready, thenwhat's happening in Nadia City? Who can say what Retoc is doing?You'll have to go ahead and stop him--or at least delay him. I'll goback for Bylanus."

  * * * * *

  Bram Forest shook his head. "I can't let you go alone, Ylia. Not withthe Abarian legions so close."

  "But I must, don't you see?"

  Bram Forest frowned. There did not seem any other way, but he wasreluctant. "I love you, Ylia. I couldn't let--"

  "What happens in Nadia City today is more important than our love,Bram Forest! What would our love mean if Retoc the Abarian ruled allTarth?"

  "Then you take the skiff," Bram Forest said finally. "I can make myway to the city along the bank."

  "No. The army is still encamped. They won't do anything for some timeyet. See? All their tents are still standing."

  That was true enough. "Besides," Ylia went on, "we don't know whatRetoc is planning in the city. You can reach it faster by skiff. I'llgo back for Bylanus on foot."

  The logic of what Ylia said could not be refuted. With sinking heartBram Forest helped her from the skiff. He kissed her quickly. "I loveyou, Ylia," he said.

  "And I love you, Bram Forest."

  "Be careful. Keep hidden in the rushes. Tell Bylanus to use hisjudgment in attacking or waiting for Retoc's legions to make the firstmove."

  Ylia's pretty head nodded. Then she ducked into the rushes and wasgone. Bram Forest looked after her until the rustling in the rushesstopped, then he poled the skiff once more out into the center of theriver and sped swiftly toward the Gates of Ice.

  No one stopped him. No
guards were posted. He beached the skiff andsprinted through the gates and through the city and up its biggesthill toward the amphitheater. Then, only a jek's distance away, heheard the crowd at the funeral games. They roared suddenly in a frenzyof excitement and another part of Portox's poem slipped into place.The crowd watching the games in Nadia City was the raging beast,blood-lusting, expectant, animal-savage, whipped into a fever ofgoggle-eyed enthusiasm and ready to move, _en-masse_, in whateverdirection a strong leader might push them.

  A strong leader....

  Retoc? Or Bram Forest? Which one?

  * * * * *

  Pirum the Abarian shifted his weight uncomfortably, leaning down onthe haft of his spear. The whole idea of posting pickets along thebank of the river seemed unnecessary to him. They could not actuallysee the river through the rushes, and they dared not go closer forfear of being spotted by whatever traffic moved on the icy waters.Then what was the point of them standing here, half-frozen with thecold, waiting for an assailant who would never come?

  And while he was thinking thus, the girl virtually walked into Pirum'sarms. At first he heard a faint rustling in the rushes and, before hecould investigate, the tallest of the dry plants had parted and alovely bronze-skinned girl appeared. She turned to run, but Pirumcaught her in his muscular arms and held her despite her struggles.

  She bit his arm and, with an oath, he caught her hair and twisted herhead back. "Who are you?" he said. "Who are you, eh?"

  The girl glowered at him.

  Pirum dragged her along. She continued to struggle. Shaking his head,he hit her on the jaw with his fist and caught her before she couldfall. Then, swinging her up over his broad shoulder, he stalkedthrough the rushes toward Nadia City.