"2568-15" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jerome Bigge - Warlady 6 - In Harms Way)"IN HARM'S WAY" AN ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Robert J. Simmons Chapter Fifteen "You don't really `believe' her, do you?" Carol said as we left the Temple, stepping back out into the bright sunlight of this late May day. The "unreality" of what Tais had "said" still echoing through my thoughts. There is in both the "BOOK OF LYS" and the "BIBLE" mention of a "final battle" between "good" and "evil", but Tais' claim that she knew when it was to happen, and where, did seem a bit "far fetched", even considering Tais' amaz- ing "abilities" at traveling through time itself to other eras. "Lorraine believes in it, but I think she got her wits a bit `addled' there on Mars both due to Raspa's venom and from lack of oxygen," I "suggested" with a smile for my delightful brownette. "Darlanis and Maris `believe' in such things," she answered. "They are both `people' of this era, raised in this `reli- gion'," I pointed out. The Priestesses doubtlessly used hypnosis themselves to get people to believe. They did "run" things here pretty much. Their "control" wasn't infinite, but it was enough. "And `if' she is `right'?" Carol "challenged" me in return. "Then we're all in a lot of `trouble'," I "grinned" back. "It's not `funny' Bob!" Carol suddenly snapped back at me. "You're pregnant," I said to her. Pregnant women often got a bit "snappy" at times, the chief engineer had "confided" in me. "And I don't want my little girl dying eleven years from now!" Carol "snapped" back, the fury in her voice surprising me! "Let us hope then that `good' wins over `evil'," I replied, stepping down to the street and hailing a "taxi" to take us home. "You don't usually see one of these this far north," Kathi said with a grin, pointing to the spider there in the cellar. My wife wasting no time in drawing her sword and putting an "end" to the creature. Such spiders being a foot across or more with a bloated hairy body the size of an orange. Carol carrying the thing on the tip of her sword outside and then tossing it off... "Saw one of those things one time on Lorraine's estate," my wife said. "Gave me the bee jees then just like it did now." I couldn't much blame her, as some insects of this era are awesome. While such spiders are not that "dangerous", they do have a pain- ful bite, and they can kill small animals, which are often their prey. The radiation from The War having caused many "mutations". "If you find `another', just kill it," I told Kathi then. "Yes, master," Kathi answered, giving me a smile back. "Never `seen' a ship like that before," the chief engineer said to me as the Diana took on her final form there in the yard. "I have," I smiled, thinking of submarines that I'd seen. "Two inches of cast iron armor plate," the engineer said. "And reinforced by four inches of solid oak," I added then. "The guards caught another `wench'," he smiled at me then. "Darlanis and Lorraine must have an `ample' supply," I said. "They say those `Imperial gals' really know how to `please' a man," he smiled back, a big "grin" on his half-handsome face. He was a heavy set man, dark haired like me, his wife a tall and rather "waspy" looking blonde who doubtlessly was a bit "frigid". She was also the Mayor of Arsana, which didn't "help" any either as she was constantly on the "go" like a lot of "politicians". I understood that they didn't get along that well, although I had little doubt that they would stay together regardless of "that". "You should buy her and find out," I suggested to him then. "My wife could use always use a `housemaid'," he observed. "Especially one that couldn't `quit' without notice like the last one did," he added. Few upper class women will "do" housework. The aristocratic women of this era consider such "work" beneath them. They spend their time on more "worthwhile" pursuits which bring them out into the public eye. I'd met his wife once, Carol having said that she reminded her a great deal of Nancy Reagan... "I'll talk to Maris about her, Jard, see what I can do," I smiled, Jard Sandar being a man who "appreciated" a fine wench. I didn't think the girl would be too badly "damaged" by her in- terrogation. There are "ways" of inflicting pain that don't mark the skin or damage the body for any future use. Queen Maris her- self would doubtlessly be the one to ask the "questions", al- though Carol might take a hand in things. My lovely brownette being a woman who could be very "nasty" when she wanted to be... "The Senate is getting a bit `concerned' about the amount of money we're spending on the Diana," Maris said to me, looking out the window of her palace at the bay. I nodded, well aware that I was spending gold crowns like some Congressman from my own era... "The `best' always costs more," I smiled back at the Queen. The third engine and propellor had added a bit to the cost of it. It was not a matter of "ordering" ready made parts and putting something together with them. Most of the work had to be done from scratch. Making boilers that met "proof" was another worry. I wondered if Tais would let me make another trip back in time. I could use half a dozen books on engineering and metallurgy now. "We are not a `rich people' like those of your time," she said. I'd already been "reminded" of that "fact" by the two dai- ly newspapers, both of whom felt that "Simmons' Folly" was just a "waste" of the taxpayer's money that could be better spent else- where in building ships of "proven design" such as more "Norths". The "fact" that such ships as the North Star were now militarily obsolete hadn't apparently penetrated their minds quite as yet. We could copy the Imperial steam frigates, but I didn't see much "advantage" in doing so. The Empire had a lot more "resources" than Dularn did, and we'd never be able to "match" them at that. The Northlight was being "converted" to steam, although I didn't think it hardly worth the "bother" considering everything now... "You can always `cut a deal' with Darlanis," I told her. "There is no need to be sarcastic," Maris snapped back. I squatted down behind the "quickfirer", took aim, squeezed the trigger device. Half a dozen bolts spitting out then a jam! "Bolts are shifting in the magazines," I said to Carol as she stood there watching, her pregnancy now rather "obvious"... "Maybe the Imperials will sell us some weapons," she smiled back. I didn't "dignify" that sort of a "comment" with a reply. I do love my wife, but things were getting a bit out of hand now! Maris Marn, the Queen of Dularn bent over the "quickfirer", letting off a burst, the bolts ripping into the target a hundred yards away. I mused to myself that she shouldn't have worn such a "tight" gown as the Queen was just a bit "broad" in the "beam"! "Not bad," the chief engineer said, his slave girl at his side. She now served a master instead of her Imperial mistress. She had told the Queen of Dularn "little" that we didn't already know. Maris had not felt it "necessary" to "scar" her beauty... "I think I've got the magazine problem licked," I answered. "Wasn't thinking of that," Jard smiled, "patting" his slave. "I don't understand what is wrong with these engines!" Jard Sandar complained, the sweat now rolling down his face as the hot early summer sun burned down upon us from a cloudless sky. I did, but I didn't want to "irritate" anyone any further. It was obvious that these people were totally "incompetent" at building any bit of technology more advanced in design than what we had. The Diana now drifting helplessly there in the middle of the bay, while those on shore hooted their delight at "Simmons' Folly"... "Signal that galley to take us in tow," I said to the mid- shipman standing there. Obviously there was work yet to be done! "You did your `best', and everyone knows that," Carol said to me as I sat across the redwood picnic table from her. Kathi to one side, watching us both, well aware of the fact that "mas- ter" was not in the best of "moods" just then. The early evening sun shining down as we sat there on the roof top patio overlook- ing the city. A cool breeze off the strait comforting just then. The "failure" of the Diana's engines to work was infuriating now! "I'm glad you think so," I "smiled" back. Even Maris was starting to "wonder" a bit now, while the newspapers were having a field day denouncing "Simmons' Folly" and its "waste" of money! "I still have `confidence' in you," my brownette smiled, her hazel eyes glowing into my own as she took my hands in hers then. "We want to `know', Admiral Simmons," the head of the Senate snapped, standing there before his companions, "When we will have a steamship and just how much `more' is it going to cost the tax- payers?" I could understand their concern. We had already put nearly two thousand good gold crowns into the Diana, with nothing yet to show for it but a "useless" immovable armor plated hull. The modifications to the Northlight were going no better either. It was almost as if someone was sabotaging our every effort here! "The castes of Builders and Scribes must work more closely together," I answered him with Maris standing there quietly at my side. Such had been a "problem" for some reason I couldn't fig- ure out. "We do know that the Imperials can build such ships, and there is no reason I know of that we cannot do the same." I was "aware", as was Maris, that Lorraine was building such a ves- sel there in Trella, and hers was coming along better than ours! It was hot inside the closed up Diana, the great bulk of the battleship like a beached whale as it laid there at the dock. I wondered "where" the watchman was that should have been aboard. The hatches were open to give a bit of air and light to the "gun deck", where the quickfirers and my steam catapults were mounted. The sound of a dropped tool below decks making me "start" then! I dashed down the hatchway, into the dim darkness of below decks! Then stumbling over the dead body of the watchman on the deck! I had no "doubts" then as to what was going on here as I crept to- wards the engine room, my every sense alert here in the darkness, my sword now gleaming in my right hand, twenty four inches of polished Dularian steel with an "edge" sharp enough to shave by. "Traitor!" I snapped, kicking open the door, whipping up my sword, the chief engineer's assistant drawing his without a word. The tools, the half open transmission housing leaving no doubts! I had no doubts now why the Diana had never "worked" properly... He came at me like a madman, the quick interplay of our weapons ringing in the engine room. This was a fight to the death, and both of us knew that. He was "good", but I was "bet- ter". I had no doubt that all our "troubles" had been due to his efforts! Who had paid him to do this to us? He was no Imperial! "Who do you serve, Lorraine or Darlanis?" I snarled, fending away his blade. Or could it be another, one who none would sus- pect of such a thing? I recalled the High Priestess of Dularn... "Go to Hell!" he snapped, charging in at me. I feinted, parried his thrust, and made my move. He staggered back, the blood spurting from his throat, and collapsed there on the deck! I didn't think now that I could have taken him alive in any case. "The two `women' we caught were undoubtedly Imperial spies, but neither Lorraine or Darlanis would stoop to something like this," I said to Maris, her eyes like azure jewels holding mine. Carol sitting there quietly watching, swollen now with child. I didn't like to think too much about the implications of all this. "Who else?" the Queen of Dularn challenged. Queen Valeris of the Free Women wouldn't give a damm about the Diana and so far as we knew Princess Tara had gone into "retirement" after her es- cape last year from the Nevadas who had held her captive at Dar- lanis' request. There weren't any other "enemies", or were they? "Who has been `denouncing' the Diana since the start of its construction?" I challenged the Queen back. I saw Carol nodding. "If you are accusing the High Priestess...!" Maris gasped. "It is `possible'," Carol suddenly spoke from beside her. "Let me `handle' this," Maris Marn said to us both then. "Scary," Carol said as I helped her up into the carriage. She was over six months pregnant now, her belly well swollen up. A pair of passing children giving me a big "grin" as I "nodded". It was a lovely day, the sort of a day that anyone might enjoy... "It answers a `question' I've been wondering about ever since Tais told us that `stuff' about the future," I said to her. I knew from what Lorraine had told me that Princess Tara would be "involved" in this "war" between "GOOD" and "EVIL", but what was the "role" of the Priestesses of Lys in this matter, and for that matter, their own "superiors", who controlled other worlds out there in the Universe? If the "EVIL ONE" was to come to Earth, then someone had to help him get here, and it certainly couldn't be Princess Tara, who didn't have the "technology" to do the job! That meant "allies", and there could be only one source for them! "IN HARM'S WAY" AN ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Robert J. Simmons Chapter Fifteen "You don't really `believe' her, do you?" Carol said as we left the Temple, stepping back out into the bright sunlight of this late May day. The "unreality" of what Tais had "said" still echoing through my thoughts. There is in both the "BOOK OF LYS" and the "BIBLE" mention of a "final battle" between "good" and "evil", but Tais' claim that she knew when it was to happen, and where, did seem a bit "far fetched", even considering Tais' amaz- ing "abilities" at traveling through time itself to other eras. "Lorraine believes in it, but I think she got her wits a bit `addled' there on Mars both due to Raspa's venom and from lack of oxygen," I "suggested" with a smile for my delightful brownette. "Darlanis and Maris `believe' in such things," she answered. "They are both `people' of this era, raised in this `reli- gion'," I pointed out. The Priestesses doubtlessly used hypnosis themselves to get people to believe. They did "run" things here pretty much. Their "control" wasn't infinite, but it was enough. "And `if' she is `right'?" Carol "challenged" me in return. "Then we're all in a lot of `trouble'," I "grinned" back. "It's not `funny' Bob!" Carol suddenly snapped back at me. "You're pregnant," I said to her. Pregnant women often got a bit "snappy" at times, the chief engineer had "confided" in me. "And I don't want my little girl dying eleven years from now!" Carol "snapped" back, the fury in her voice surprising me! "Let us hope then that `good' wins over `evil'," I replied, stepping down to the street and hailing a "taxi" to take us home. "You don't usually see one of these this far north," Kathi said with a grin, pointing to the spider there in the cellar. My wife wasting no time in drawing her sword and putting an "end" to the creature. Such spiders being a foot across or more with a bloated hairy body the size of an orange. Carol carrying the thing on the tip of her sword outside and then tossing it off... "Saw one of those things one time on Lorraine's estate," my wife said. "Gave me the bee jees then just like it did now." I couldn't much blame her, as some insects of this era are awesome. While such spiders are not that "dangerous", they do have a pain- ful bite, and they can kill small animals, which are often their prey. The radiation from The War having caused many "mutations". "If you find `another', just kill it," I told Kathi then. "Yes, master," Kathi answered, giving me a smile back. "Never `seen' a ship like that before," the chief engineer said to me as the Diana took on her final form there in the yard. "I have," I smiled, thinking of submarines that I'd seen. "Two inches of cast iron armor plate," the engineer said. "And reinforced by four inches of solid oak," I added then. "The guards caught another `wench'," he smiled at me then. "Darlanis and Lorraine must have an `ample' supply," I said. "They say those `Imperial gals' really know how to `please' a man," he smiled back, a big "grin" on his half-handsome face. He was a heavy set man, dark haired like me, his wife a tall and rather "waspy" looking blonde who doubtlessly was a bit "frigid". She was also the Mayor of Arsana, which didn't "help" any either as she was constantly on the "go" like a lot of "politicians". I understood that they didn't get along that well, although I had little doubt that they would stay together regardless of "that". "You should buy her and find out," I suggested to him then. "My wife could use always use a `housemaid'," he observed. "Especially one that couldn't `quit' without notice like the last one did," he added. Few upper class women will "do" housework. The aristocratic women of this era consider such "work" beneath them. They spend their time on more "worthwhile" pursuits which bring them out into the public eye. I'd met his wife once, Carol having said that she reminded her a great deal of Nancy Reagan... "I'll talk to Maris about her, Jard, see what I can do," I smiled, Jard Sandar being a man who "appreciated" a fine wench. I didn't think the girl would be too badly "damaged" by her in- terrogation. There are "ways" of inflicting pain that don't mark the skin or damage the body for any future use. Queen Maris her- self would doubtlessly be the one to ask the "questions", al- though Carol might take a hand in things. My lovely brownette being a woman who could be very "nasty" when she wanted to be... "The Senate is getting a bit `concerned' about the amount of money we're spending on the Diana," Maris said to me, looking out the window of her palace at the bay. I nodded, well aware that I was spending gold crowns like some Congressman from my own era... "The `best' always costs more," I smiled back at the Queen. The third engine and propellor had added a bit to the cost of it. It was not a matter of "ordering" ready made parts and putting something together with them. Most of the work had to be done from scratch. Making boilers that met "proof" was another worry. I wondered if Tais would let me make another trip back in time. I could use half a dozen books on engineering and metallurgy now. "We are not a `rich people' like those of your time," she said. I'd already been "reminded" of that "fact" by the two dai- ly newspapers, both of whom felt that "Simmons' Folly" was just a "waste" of the taxpayer's money that could be better spent else- where in building ships of "proven design" such as more "Norths". The "fact" that such ships as the North Star were now militarily obsolete hadn't apparently penetrated their minds quite as yet. We could copy the Imperial steam frigates, but I didn't see much "advantage" in doing so. The Empire had a lot more "resources" than Dularn did, and we'd never be able to "match" them at that. The Northlight was being "converted" to steam, although I didn't think it hardly worth the "bother" considering everything now... "You can always `cut a deal' with Darlanis," I told her. "There is no need to be sarcastic," Maris snapped back. I squatted down behind the "quickfirer", took aim, squeezed the trigger device. Half a dozen bolts spitting out then a jam! "Bolts are shifting in the magazines," I said to Carol as she stood there watching, her pregnancy now rather "obvious"... "Maybe the Imperials will sell us some weapons," she smiled back. I didn't "dignify" that sort of a "comment" with a reply. I do love my wife, but things were getting a bit out of hand now! Maris Marn, the Queen of Dularn bent over the "quickfirer", letting off a burst, the bolts ripping into the target a hundred yards away. I mused to myself that she shouldn't have worn such a "tight" gown as the Queen was just a bit "broad" in the "beam"! "Not bad," the chief engineer said, his slave girl at his side. She now served a master instead of her Imperial mistress. She had told the Queen of Dularn "little" that we didn't already know. Maris had not felt it "necessary" to "scar" her beauty... "I think I've got the magazine problem licked," I answered. "Wasn't thinking of that," Jard smiled, "patting" his slave. "I don't understand what is wrong with these engines!" Jard Sandar complained, the sweat now rolling down his face as the hot early summer sun burned down upon us from a cloudless sky. I did, but I didn't want to "irritate" anyone any further. It was obvious that these people were totally "incompetent" at building any bit of technology more advanced in design than what we had. The Diana now drifting helplessly there in the middle of the bay, while those on shore hooted their delight at "Simmons' Folly"... "Signal that galley to take us in tow," I said to the mid- shipman standing there. Obviously there was work yet to be done! "You did your `best', and everyone knows that," Carol said to me as I sat across the redwood picnic table from her. Kathi to one side, watching us both, well aware of the fact that "mas- ter" was not in the best of "moods" just then. The early evening sun shining down as we sat there on the roof top patio overlook- ing the city. A cool breeze off the strait comforting just then. The "failure" of the Diana's engines to work was infuriating now! "I'm glad you think so," I "smiled" back. Even Maris was starting to "wonder" a bit now, while the newspapers were having a field day denouncing "Simmons' Folly" and its "waste" of money! "I still have `confidence' in you," my brownette smiled, her hazel eyes glowing into my own as she took my hands in hers then. "We want to `know', Admiral Simmons," the head of the Senate snapped, standing there before his companions, "When we will have a steamship and just how much `more' is it going to cost the tax- payers?" I could understand their concern. We had already put nearly two thousand good gold crowns into the Diana, with nothing yet to show for it but a "useless" immovable armor plated hull. The modifications to the Northlight were going no better either. It was almost as if someone was sabotaging our every effort here! "The castes of Builders and Scribes must work more closely together," I answered him with Maris standing there quietly at my side. Such had been a "problem" for some reason I couldn't fig- ure out. "We do know that the Imperials can build such ships, and there is no reason I know of that we cannot do the same." I was "aware", as was Maris, that Lorraine was building such a ves- sel there in Trella, and hers was coming along better than ours! It was hot inside the closed up Diana, the great bulk of the battleship like a beached whale as it laid there at the dock. I wondered "where" the watchman was that should have been aboard. The hatches were open to give a bit of air and light to the "gun deck", where the quickfirers and my steam catapults were mounted. The sound of a dropped tool below decks making me "start" then! I dashed down the hatchway, into the dim darkness of below decks! Then stumbling over the dead body of the watchman on the deck! I had no "doubts" then as to what was going on here as I crept to- wards the engine room, my every sense alert here in the darkness, my sword now gleaming in my right hand, twenty four inches of polished Dularian steel with an "edge" sharp enough to shave by. "Traitor!" I snapped, kicking open the door, whipping up my sword, the chief engineer's assistant drawing his without a word. The tools, the half open transmission housing leaving no doubts! I had no doubts now why the Diana had never "worked" properly... He came at me like a madman, the quick interplay of our weapons ringing in the engine room. This was a fight to the death, and both of us knew that. He was "good", but I was "bet- ter". I had no doubt that all our "troubles" had been due to his efforts! Who had paid him to do this to us? He was no Imperial! "Who do you serve, Lorraine or Darlanis?" I snarled, fending away his blade. Or could it be another, one who none would sus- pect of such a thing? I recalled the High Priestess of Dularn... "Go to Hell!" he snapped, charging in at me. I feinted, parried his thrust, and made my move. He staggered back, the blood spurting from his throat, and collapsed there on the deck! I didn't think now that I could have taken him alive in any case. "The two `women' we caught were undoubtedly Imperial spies, but neither Lorraine or Darlanis would stoop to something like this," I said to Maris, her eyes like azure jewels holding mine. Carol sitting there quietly watching, swollen now with child. I didn't like to think too much about the implications of all this. "Who else?" the Queen of Dularn challenged. Queen Valeris of the Free Women wouldn't give a damm about the Diana and so far as we knew Princess Tara had gone into "retirement" after her es- cape last year from the Nevadas who had held her captive at Dar- lanis' request. There weren't any other "enemies", or were they? "Who has been `denouncing' the Diana since the start of its construction?" I challenged the Queen back. I saw Carol nodding. "If you are accusing the High Priestess...!" Maris gasped. "It is `possible'," Carol suddenly spoke from beside her. "Let me `handle' this," Maris Marn said to us both then. "Scary," Carol said as I helped her up into the carriage. She was over six months pregnant now, her belly well swollen up. A pair of passing children giving me a big "grin" as I "nodded". It was a lovely day, the sort of a day that anyone might enjoy... "It answers a `question' I've been wondering about ever since Tais told us that `stuff' about the future," I said to her. I knew from what Lorraine had told me that Princess Tara would be "involved" in this "war" between "GOOD" and "EVIL", but what was the "role" of the Priestesses of Lys in this matter, and for that matter, their own "superiors", who controlled other worlds out there in the Universe? If the "EVIL ONE" was to come to Earth, then someone had to help him get here, and it certainly couldn't be Princess Tara, who didn't have the "technology" to do the job! That meant "allies", and there could be only one source for them! |
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