Authentic Science Fiction, No. 23 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

36 THE SINGING SPHERES blazed like a spherical rainbow for fully half a minute, domin- ated all the time, however, by his natural crimson hue. _ At last he made up his mind and decided to kill two birds with one stone. “Hear, all men,” he pronounced. “None can deny that the crisis which is upon Kardoon gathers speed, calling for decisions of unusual solemnity. Therefore do I— Makkub—by reason of the power vested in me, decree that the Day of Revelation shall be advanced two years, the ceremonies to take place at the next dawn. Then shall we know without fail whether these strangers can prove helpful to Kardoon and its people.” | A great, tremulous sigh echoed round the cavern from all those crowded, hovering spheres—a sigh of mingled fear and wonderment. Frankly, I hadn’t the faintest idea what it was all about. “O wise Makkub!” exclaimed Zakkar, profoundly. “How great are thy decisions! How eminently does our ruler tread in the footsteps of those Wise Ones who are gone before!’ Pakkan obviously had something further on his mind. “The price—” ces “Such an important ceremony must not be stinted,” said Makkub. “It is essential that we know what the future holds. It will cost a thousand lives—but they will be well spent!” CHAPTER SIX Legacy of the Wise Ones ep BE assembly in the Great Hall had dispersed. Six small © q blue spheres lifted Makkub from his throne and carried 7 him away, followed by Pakkan and Zakkar, to vanish through an aperture in the cavern’s far wall. Counsellors who had occupied positions on the semi-circular wings of that weird structure departed similarly, while the vast, chattering multitude left by the way we had entered. Their shrieking conversation made so terrible an uproar in the inter-com that THE SINGING SPHERES 37 [ switched off hurriedly, and I saw by their grimaces that Hartnell and Tubby suffered in the same way. The glow cast by those thousands of spheres faded rapidly and at last we found ourselves alone in the darkness, save for Fuzzy-bubble. I turned the inter-com control again and dis- covered everything to be fairly quiet. “Well, now,” said Hartnell, patiently, “maybe you'll tell us what all that was in aid of?” “Me,” said Tubby, “I’d like to find some corner where I could sit down comfortably.” Peculiarly enough, Fuzzy-bubble expressed no particular surprise when I translated this last request. “That is understandable. I have already made arrange- ments so that you may have privacy.” He led the way behind that strange, white throne to a series of tunnels. In shape and construction they resembled the huge caverns through which we had passed earlier, yet their roofs at the highest point extended only a few feet above our heads. There was barely room for us to step through the small, circular entrances between them. At length, Fuzzy-bubble showed us into an eggshell-shapéed apartment—with highly polished walls, but no item of furni- ture, “Scarcely a home from home, is it?” inquired Hartnell, flashing a torch to examine the place. The light, incidentally, excited the sphere’s especial interest, for although the inhabi- tants of Kardoon possessed ability to see in the dark, they could also perceive illumination. “It’s a place, anyhow,” said Tubby. “And Suffering Sirius —~am I tired!” : Personally, I wanted to know more about this “Day of Revelation” business. When I broached the matter, Fuzzy- bubble’s demeanour held considerable awe and reluctance. “It is our legacy from the Wise Ones. A great and terrible mystery.” As I sat there holding the Mattus rod, with Hartnell and Tubby dozing by my side, trying to make themselves com- fortable on the awkwardly curved floor, I learned, in a series of well-ordered mental images, of a strange civilisation built on Kardoon untold centuries ago. Even at that time the planet held no vegetable or animal life, and the spheres came spontaneously from sterile rock—sterile so far as we humans GomichbookKs.co