Authentic Science Fiction, No. 23 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

82 THE SINGING SPHERES. to a point where I might look down upon the approaches to our hide-out, while Hartnell and Tubby stared in fascination at Pinky and Fandar, who busied themselves with squeaking, incomprehensible discourse. The brown rocks looked much the same; heat still pressed down from the unnatural sky. No moving thing was in sight. I lay, watching from between two large stones and hoping that no tell-tale reflection glinted from my helmet, for what seemed a long time. | ‘¥ Then a sphere came in sight, floating rapidly—almost fur- tively—under shelter of the cliff. I caught a purplish sheen - and knew him for Fuzzy-bubble. Scrambling down to meet him, I waited with the Mattus rod poised. He arrived filled with apprehension. “Now, surely, is civil war come upon our people! Scenes of uproar without precedent take place in the Great Halls! Battle cannot long be delayed!”’ I told him to calm down and explain what all this was about. ‘“Makkub’s proclamation concerning the Machine of Re- velation. His guards selected half the population as sacri- fices—”’ I said, rather impatiently, that we already knew. “There has been much murmuring. The chosen thousands resent having honour thrust upon them”—1 suppose anybody would, in the circumstances—‘“‘whereas others, rejoicing at their own escapes, insist that Makkub be obeyed. The oppos- ing forces are almost equally divided. I fear there will be great killing—” I was on the point of breaking the glad news about little Pinky when we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by nearly a dozen green guards. In his anxiety, Fuzzy-bubble had let himself be followed, and I'd been too engrossed in his news to notice. CHAPTER TWELVE In For a Penny, In For a Pound fi tei exceptionally rough journey back to the throne room may have been because the guards knew of their com- rades’ fate in. the Place of Execution or merely because I came under the heading of “Escaped Prisoner—-May Prove Desperate.” Whatever the reason, when I stood once more before Makkub it was as much as I could do to remain upright and hold out the Mattus antenna. My left side was a mass of bruises from shoulder to hip where they tumbled me unmercifully up and down the slopes of the Great Halls, never actually loosing the grip of their force-beams, but easing the power so that I rolled head over heels in the darkness, then snatching me back again to the heights where they floated with such uncanny ease. Once I thought of adapting Hartnell’s ingenious ruse and switching on the gravity-reactor in the hope that it might intercept a force- beam and send its owner slamming against the roof. Only the realisation that, in turn, | would drop to the bottom of the cavern dissuaded me. Finally they slung me into the open space before the coun- cil, where I waited, dazed and exhausted, to see what hap- pened next. Never again, I vowed bitterly, would I let Hart- nell trick me into political interference. Despite all our chatf- ings at red-tape, the higher-ups of Inter-X knew what they were doing when they framed rules for landing parties. Given the chance, I'd behave according to the book on any future’ expedition. . Makkub, squatting on his idiotic throne with green Pakkan, orange Zakkar and the semi-circle of counsellors around him, didn’t waste any time before beginning to gloat. In fact, I got the impression he particularly welcomed the opportunity as a diversion from a rather uncomfortable situation. “Now, O misshapen one, do you realise there is no escape from the watchful eyes of Makkub! Listen, all people! Here before you is the thing which has brought such distress upon Kardoon—whose wilfulness in refusing to impart his 83 EGomicbooks.com @