"The Soul Empty Ones" - читать интересную книгу автора (Miller Walter M)

"Let him live, Ea!"
She snatched the invader's weapon, spat at him contemptuously, then marched back to the ship. Her face was white with hate, and she was trembling.
"Sit in the skycart," he told her, then barked at the captive. "You'll fly us away, before the fire sweeps in."

The prisoner obeyed silently. They climbed into the aircraft as the clearing became choked with stnoke and hot ashes. The engine coughed to life, and the ship arose quickly from the clearing. The girl murmured with frightened awe as the ground receded beneath them. Falon was uneasy, but he kept his eyes and his gun on the back of the pilot's furry neck. The creature chuckled with gloating triumph.
"Shoot the flame rifle, android," he hissed. "And we shall all burn together."
Falon frowned uncomfortably for a moment. "Quiet!" he barked. "Do you think we prefer your food pens to quick and easy death? If you do not obey, then we shall all die as you suggest."
The pilot glanced back mockingly, but said nothing.
"You tempt me to kill you," Falon hissed. "Why do you gloat?"
"The fires you set, android. The forests are dry. Many of your people will be driven down into the valleys. It is a strategy we in-tended to useЧas soon as our city had grown enough to accommodate the large numbers of prisoners we will take. But you have made it necessary to destroy, rather than capture."
Ea glanced back at the fires. "He speaks truth," she whispered to Falon, who already felt a gnawing despair.
"Bah, hairy one! How will you kill thousands? There are only a few of you! Your god-weapons aren't omnipotent. Numbers will crush you."
The pilot laughed scornfully. "Will your tribesmen attack their gods? They are afraid, android. You two are only rebels. The tribes will flee, not fight. And even if some of them fought, we have the advantage. We could retreat to our ships while enemies broke their knives on the hull."
The ship was rising high over the forest, higher than any mountain Falon had ever climbed. He stared out across the valley to-ward the seacoast where the fishing boats of his people lay idle by their docks. The owners were in captivity or in flight. The city of the invaders was taking formЧa great rectangle, thousands of paces from end to end. A dozen metallic gleams were scattered about the areaЧthe skyboats in which the invader had descended from the heavens.
He noticed the food pens. There were two of themЧhigh stockades, overlooked by watchtowers with armed guards. He could see the enclosures' occupants as antlike figures in the distance. Neither pen seemed crowded. He frowned suddenly, wondering if the man-thing had been confined to one of the pens. The creature had been neither invader nor Empty. Falon felt a vague suspicion. He glanced at the pilot again.
"The dead one told us many things before he died," he said cautiously.
The creature stiffened, then shot him a suspicious glance. "The escaped android? What could he have told you?"
"Android?" Falon's hunch was coming clearer. "Do you call yourself an android?" he jeered.
"Of course not! I am a man! `Android' is our word for `Soul-Empty One.' "
"Then the dead one is not of your race, eh?"
"You have eyes, don't you?"
"But neither is he of our race!" Falon snapped. "For we have no toes. He is a soul-man!"
The pilot was trembling slightly. "If the dead one told you this, then we shall all dieЧlest you escape and speak of this to others!" He wrenched at the controls, and the ship darted valleywardtoward the city. "Fire, android! Fire, and destroy us! Or be taken to the food pens!"
"Kill him!" snarled Ea. "Perhaps we can fly the ship. Kill him with your knife, Soul-Falon!"
The pilot, hearing this, shut off the engines. The ship began hurtling earthward, and Falon clutched at his seat to keep balance.
"Fly to your city!" he shouted above the rush of air. "We will submit!"
Ea growled at him contemptuously, drew her knife, and lunged toward the pilot. Falon wrestled with her, trying to wrench the knife from her grasp. "I know what I'm doing," he hissed in her ear.
Still she fought, cursing him for a coward, and trying to get to the pilot. Falon howled as her teeth sank into his arm, then he clubbed his fist against her head. She moaned and sagged limply.
"Start the engine!" he shouted. "We'll submit."
"Give me your weapons, then," growled the pilot.
Falon surrendered them quickly. The ship's engine coughed to life as they fell into the smoke of the forest fire. The blazes were
licking up at them as the rotors milled at the air and bore them up once more.
"Death is not to your liking, eh, android?" sneered the invader. "You'll fmd our food pens are very comfortable."
Falon said nothing for a time as lie stared remorsefully at the unconscious girl. Then he spoke calmly to the pilot.
"Of course, there were others with us when we found the dead one. They will spread the word that you are not the sons of men." "You lie!" gasped the pilot.
"Very well," murmured Falon. "Wait and see for yourselves. The news will spread, and then our tribes will fight instead of flee."
The pilot considered this anxiously for a moment. Then he snorted. "I shall take you to Kepol. He will decide whether or not you speak the truth."

Falon smiled inwardly and glanced back at the fires beneath them. They were creeping faster now, and soon the blaze would be sweeping down the gentle slopes to drive the inhabitants of the forest into the valley. Thousands of Natani and valley warriors would swarm out onto the flatlands. Most would not attack, but only try to flee from the creatures whom they thought were demigods.
Falon watched the invaders' installations as the ship drew nearer. Workmen were swarming busily about the growing city. First he noticed that the workmen were hairless. Then he saw that they were not Empties, but the scrawny soul-men. Furry figures stood guard over them as they worked. He saw that the soul-men were being used as slaves.
Soon they were hovering over the city, and, glancing down, he noticed that the occupants of one pen were soul-men, while the other was for Empties. Evidently the soul-men were considered too valuable as workers to use as food. The two pens were at opposite ends of the city, as if the invaders didn't care to have the two groups contacting one another. Falon wondered if the captive Empties knew that their overlords weren't soul-men, as they had once believed.
The girl came half awake as they landed. She immediately tore into Falon with teeth and nails. Guards were congregating about the ship as the pilot climbed out. He held off the furious Ea while a dozen three-fingered hands tugged at them, and dragged themfrom the plane. The pilot spoke to the guards in a language Falon could not understand.
Suddenly the butt of a weapon crashed against his head, and he felt himself go weak. He was dimly aware of being tossed on a cart and rolled away. Then the sunlight faded into gloom, and he knew he was inside a building. Bright self-lights exploded in his skull with each jog of the cart, and his senses were clogged with pain.
At last the jouncing ceased, and he tay quietly for a time, listening to the chatter of the invaders' voices. They spoke in the strange tongue, but one voice seemed to dominate the others.
A torrent of icy water brought him to full consciousness. He sat up on the cart and found himself in a small but resplendent throne room. A small wizened creature occupied a raised dais. Over his head hung a great golden globe with two smaller globes revolving slowly about it. The walls were giant landscape murals, depicting a gaunt red earth the likes of which Falon had never seen.
"On your feet before Lord Kepol, android!" growled a guard, prodding him with a small weapon.
Falon came weakly erect, but a sharp blow behind his knees sent him sprawling. The creature called Kepol cackled.
"This one is too muscular to eat," he said to the guards. "Place him in restraints so that he can have no exercise, and force-feed him. His liver will grow large and tender."
A guard bowed. "It shall be done, Lordship. Do you wish to hear him speak?"
The king-creature croaked impatiently. "This pilot is a fool. If a few of the androids believe we are not men, what harm can be done? Most of them would not believe such rumors. They have no concept of our world. But let him speak."