"Chapman, John L - Time, Inc" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chapman John L)

"But when I left," Casmir insisted, "it was just the opposite. The Hordes were
outside--fighting for the city."
For a long moment Rhamnol sat in silent contemplation.
Henry Holmes mopped his brow, muttering: "It's crazy. It's not possible."
Casmir went on with his story, explaining to Rhamnol the flight to 1948, the
destruction of the machine, and the return trip with the time agents. The Horde
leader listened intently, and when Casmir had finished, he said:
"The first trip to the future, you say, and according to your friends, it was
the first trip beyond the present, which is in this case 1948. That's strange.
Could it be--"
"I'm beginning to understand," voiced Henry Holmes. "Why, it's just like I said.
I was right! I told you-"
"Two futures!" exclaimed Stanley.
"Not two!" insisted Holmes. "Any number of futures--futures that haven't existed
and are nothing but branches of your pivot point."
"Exactly," said Rhamnol. "Your time flight landed you in a different future--one
that is patterned after Casmir's original future, save for the fact that the
Hordes and Dwellers are turned around. A quirk in time did it--some
insignificant event that gave the Hordes complete rule, and left the Dwellers on
the plains outside."
"Then," gasped Jack Stanley, "a flight back to the pivot point might go astray
too! We might land in the wrong 1948!"
"Possibly," murmured Rhamnol. "The machine would be moving through a
non-existent future, in relation to the pivot. Anything could happen."
"That's great," opined Forthmiller. "From now on, we can't be sure of anything!"
AT NIGHT the torches of the Dwellers could be seen from the palace balcony,
glowing dimly where the valley dipped and shaded the warriors from sight.
Likewise, the balcony presented a sweeping view of the magnificent Horde city.
Below, the white-robed masses wandered the streets, their voices a hushed
murmuring cast adrift among the soaring, windowless towers. The shining full
moon climbed into the eastern sky.
"I expect an attack at dawn," were Rhamnol's soft tones. "It will be a
weaponless battle."
"Unless," Jack Stanley added quickly, "the Dwellers discover the secret of the
deconite gadget."
"They may try to operate the weapon," remarked Casmir. "Mulr is smart enough to
comprehend."
"A strange race, these Dwellers," remarked Rhamnol casually. "We of the city
have never quite understood them. Their army is frequented by deserters who seem
fearful of the odds against them. Many individuals have left the ranks and run
madly for the city. As we have no use for them here, and must take great
precaution against spies, our only alternative is to shoot them down before they
reach the gates."
"That sounds like a lot of fun," said Forthmiller. "Picking 'em off, I mean."
"Seems like the Hordes and Dwellers have been at war for a long time," said Jack
Stanley. "They're well informed along those lines."
Rhamnol smiled broadly. "We consider that complimentary," he said. "however, we
have been fighting for many decades. Most of us were born during the early
stages of the conflict, so you see, we have learned to ignore such things as
pity and--"