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So Dave recounted his story from the time of his capture to the present. After telling of his rescue by the ape-men, his education by the Hansa, and his adventure with the Rokash, he told Al about the most recent part of his story. He remembered clearly how Hanomer had told him that the expedition had arrived on the great river and how he and Hanomer had set out to investigate.
Dave and Hanomer paddled up the lake to the tunnel leading into the mountain, and landed on the beach by the subterranean waterfall. On the way, Hanomer told Dave what had happened.
“One of our scouts was on the great river yesterday, and he saw many large boats. They landed at the quay opposite the dead city and began to set up camp. I fear they are up to some mischief.”
“Hanomer,” said Dave, “you’ve been reluctant to talk about the dead city and the ape¬men. Is there anything you want to tell me?”
Hanomer was silent and became introspective, as the Hansa often did, as if listening to a voice Dave couldn’t hear. Finally, he said, “I will tell you, but the whole tale is far too long for this journey. I will tell you some, if you promise not to ply me with questions while I’m telling you the story. You are hasty, Dave, and often destroy a good tale with too many questions.”
“All right,” said Dave, hopeful that he might get some of his questions answered.
“Many long years ago there was a city of men here—men very much like you,” he said.
“You mean, there are others like me here—”
“You promised not to interrupt with questions!” said Hanomer.
“Okay, okay!” said Dave, completely bewildered by this new revelation.
“They worshipped the Creator and took delight in growing things. Although they made some things out of metal, their real skill and creativity was directed toward bending plants and animals to their will. They were koi¬banthu, or ‘life changers’ in your tongue. They could not make anything wholly new, but they could mold and change plants and animals to their own purpose. While their purpose remained pure and they served the Creator, their plant and animal creations were good. In those days there was friendship between our people and theirs.
“Eventually, though, other men came from across the sea and taught them many new skills, and some of them grew proud of their power over living things so that they began to produce plants and animals for their own selfish purposes. They began to care more for power than beauty, and they grew more and more bent and twisted in their ways. Their creations began to follow their hearts, and some of their creations were evil, designed only to kill and destroy, like the rokash you killed.
“Gradually darkness descended upon the men of the city, and a great sorcerer arose whose skill with plants and animals exceeded that of all that had preceded him there. He made alliance with the men of the pit, that is to say the men from across the sea. His name was Meglir. He became king of the city and drove out those who opposed him. The Hansa gave refuge to the fugitives. Meglir developed the korpa, or ‘death plant’ as we call it. It is the great plant that grows in the dark that you have seen in the cavern. It can take the fresh corpse of a man and reanimate him into an ape¬man. Ape¬men have no spirit within them. They feel no pain, have no will, and no ability to distinguish good from evil. They are commanded by Meglir and his lieutenants.
“Over time, Meglir killed all of his enemies and transformed them into ape¬men. However, bands of men that had been driven from the dead city gathered around it and attacked the roving bands of ape¬men. They built a great fortress, Torburg, and for many years fought the long fight. Gradually the strength of the resistance grew and raids gave way to a siege of the city. Men came from other cities to join our men and the Hansa for a great battle at the gates of the dead city. While the men battered the main gate with a great catapult, the Hansa led a host of men through the mountains and into the citadel. Finally we drove Meglir deep into the cave, but we could not destroy the cave. The more we fought inside the cave, the more corpses Meglir had to make into ape¬men. In the end, the alliance of men and Hansa gave up the attack and set a guard over the cave. We watched and utterly destroyed any ape¬men that wandered out.
“As the years went by, the numbers of men dwindled and the remainder grew weary of the vigil. At one point Meglir unleashed a great plague that killed almost all of the men, but left the ape¬men unharmed. As the plague ravaged, a few far from the city packed up their families and left. They went up the river, and we do not know where they have gone.”
“So why do you keep watching?” asked Dave.
Hanomer looked genuinely perplexed. “I do not understand why you even need to ask that question. The real puzzle to me and my kin is why the men left. They had a duty to perform and ought to have stayed at their post! If they had all died from the plague, then they would have died doing their duty. What greater privilege is there for man or Hansa?”
“But if it’s hopeless, doesn’t one need to give up at some point, since to continue would be foolhardy?” asked Dave.
Hanomer paused and thought. “I guess we are different from men,” said Hanomer at last. “We do not forget, and we are loyal. We promised to defend against this evil, and we will do so. Men are much cleverer and more gifted than we are. In some of the men the blood of the Old Ones ran true, and they had great power to heal disease and to reshape plants and animals into new creations. Men and Hansa were much stronger together than the Hansa are alone, but we have taken an oath to fight this evil, and we continue to do so even though the men have broken faith. Neither the passing of generations nor the futility of our fight in any way diminishes our obligation to do our duty. For many long years and generations of Hansa we have fought the long fight.”
Hanomer told Dave more of the history of the elder days. Time passed quickly. They did not follow the old route to the long dead throat of the huge volcano but took a side passage, which rapidly began to climb. Here the passage was lit by the same green light that Dave had noted earlier.
“Is this luminous green plant on the walls of these caverns the product of the arts of these ‘life changers’?” asked Dave.
“Yes,” said Hanomer, “as are the light gourds we carry. We are now in part of the vast underground greenhouses that the men used at the time of their ascendancy before the dark years came.”
“Did they cut these passages then?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” said Hanomer. “They bred rock borers, huge worms that gnawed many of these passages through the living stone. I am told that feral rock borers can still be found in the deep places of this mountain, endlessly cutting channels and passageways. Let us hope we do not meet one.”
Hanomer told Dave many more things of their history as they made their way through the mountain. The passage ended in a long stairway cut into the wall of an irregular chimney. Hanomer ran up the stairs. The stairs were three feet wide and irregular in height. As Dave looked down, he saw that they had come in at one of many side passage entrances and that the stairs descended beyond the entry point so that the bottom was beyond his sight.
Hanomer continued to climb, and Dave had to quicken his pace to keep from being left behind. Periodically they passed openings leading to other side passages. Finally he caught up to Hanomer as he waited by a passageway. Hanomer signaled Dave to follow as he entered the passage.
After several hundred yards, they came out on a wide ledge. Far below them spread the citadel and the dead city. They were almost directly above the tower that led to the tunnel and cavern of the ape-men. Several hundred yards below, they could see a group of men kneeling with crossbows and rifles pointed at the tower. Others were moving in and around it with some purpose in mind.
Dave could see from their livery that these people were from Halcyon. Looking into the distance, he observed another large group of figures moving on the outer wall of the dead city near the gate. There were about twenty people directly below, others among the citadel buildings, and still more on the outer wall.
As if reading Dave’s thoughts, Hanomer said, “There are more of your people on the outer wall. They have also established a camp on a rock fortress by the river.”
“Your eyesight is much better than mine, friend Hanomer. I think that rock outcrop you refer to is what we called ‘Fort Linderhof’ in honor of our expedition leader.”
The activity below continued for some time. Finally, there was a shout of “Fire in the hole!” and all the men ran across the square to take cover in the buildings.
“I think we’d better move back!” said Dave.
Hanomer followed his direction without objection. Within seconds there was an explosion that shook the mountainside, sending dust and rocks past the ledge of their perch. After the dust had settled, Dave and Hanomer cautiously approached the edge of the ledge. The tower leading to the tunnel had been completely demolished. Several members of the party inspected the ruins of the tower, and apparently satisfied, hurried out the gate of the citadel.
“Look how they hurry,” said Hanomer. “They feel the oppressive evil resident in this place.”
“I wonder what they’re planning to do?” said Dave. “Why would they come back here?”
“This place is full of danger,” said Hanomer. “If they think to contain the ape¬men by sealing the tunnel, they’re miscalculating; there are many passages out of the inner cavern. There is some mischief being planned here. I think, friend Dave, we need to watch. Maybe we will be called upon to help!”
Dave and Hanomer made camp on the ledge, just inside the passage opening. They ate some smoked fish and several of the small travel loaves that were a Hansa specialty. They placed their light gourds in the sunshine and watered them so they would be replenished for the night.
As darkness fell, Dave felt the oppressive brooding of the dead city. Hanomer told him more of Hansa customs and celebrations to keep Dave’s mind from being overwhelmed by the evil spirit of the city. The night was exceedingly dark. Dave saw a single fire on the outer wall and a distant glow at Fort Linderhof, but nothing else. Finally Dave fell asleep, and Hanomer watched. Early in the morning, before first light, Hanomer woke Dave to watch and took his own turn to sleep.
Sitting alone in the dark, Dave felt anew the evil and oppression of the city. The silence was broken only by the gentle trickle of the stream that issued from another cave below him and fell to the citadel courtyard. His memories turned to that dreadful episode with the ape¬men. His limbs ached anew at the memory of their iron strength as they had carried him to the death plants.
The first glimmer of light in the east was so welcome that he was almost glad to be here. A steady rain began, and he could see that the party on the wall had begun to move. They retraced the path that he had followed to the citadel. When they finally arrived, Dave and Hanomer were careful to stay hidden as activity below increased. Finally a party approached the pile of rubble from the tower. Two members of the party were deep in conversation, and Dave felt a thrill of joy when he recognized the familiar faces of Al and Pam. He wanted to cry out, but prudence cautioned him to wait.
The party climbed the rubble heap, and began to hammer pitons and fix ropes onto the rock. Then they anchored safety ropes that stretched west beyond the citadel wall, up the mountainside.
“They must be planning an escape route,” said Hanomer. “And that must mean they are planning to stay. But why?”
“That’s my friend, Al Gleeson,” said Dave. “In fact, several in that party hanging the ropes are from my expedition. I wonder if we should let them know we’re here?”
“What do you think they would do if they found out about me and my people?” asked Hanomer.
Dave frowned and shifted his position uncomfortably.
“Al would welcome you as a brother,” said Dave, “but the others—the others would capture you and carry you back as a prize for study. They have no sense of soul. They see us all as animals. Since you are not human, your freedom would be sacrificed to their pursuit of knowledge. I’m not even sure you would be safe if you were human.”
“Then should we not remain hidden, until the need of the hour calls us to act?” said Hanomer.
They continued to watch as the observation post below them was manned and the gate to the citadel was fortified.
__________
Dave was awakened from a sound sleep by Hanomer’s persistent tug. Something strange is going on, Dave. There are two men searching the rubble heap.
Dave approached the edge on his stomach and peered into the gloom. Dave’s friend, on watch in the cave below, had also noticed the two and had stretched himself out on the rock as he watched the two shapes approach the rubble heap. The two figures climbed over the rubble as they looked for something. When they finally neared the top of the heap, they disappeared into the ruined tower.
“Dave!” Hanomer said quietly. “They’re looking for a passage into the mountain. I don’t like the direction this is taking.”
“What’s going on? What does all this mean?” whispered Dave.
“There is no time to explain,” said Hanomer. “We must get moving to get a view of the main tunnel leading to the underground cavern.”
Hanomer rose, entered the tunnel, and then uncovered his light gourd so they could see. Hanomer raced along the passage and down the circular stair. He waited at another horizontal passage while Dave caught up to him. He seemed more anxious than Dave had ever seen him before.
“We must hurry!” Hanomer called over his shoulder as he raced down this side passage. They made excellent time along the tunnel’s slight downward incline. Despite Hanomer’s small stature he could move with surprising speed. Dave was hard-pressed to keep up.
After about ten minutes Hanomer entered a crack leading off to the right. Dave could barely squeeze through the narrow entrance of this side passage. Fortunately the passage opened out, and after about 100 feet, Dave found himself about 200 yards above the cavern floor. The floor was dotted with sickly gray green mounds—death plants. About 300 yards to his right he could see the inside mouth of the tunnel. In the greenish light he could see two figures. Dave couldn’t hear any words, but he could see wild gesticulations. Hoffstetter was waving an object with one hand. From his gestures, it seemed he wanted to take the most direct route across the cavern, through the large mounds of death plants. The more athletic figure seemed to object and preferred to take the longer route along the cavern wall. Finally Hoffstetter spread his hands in resignation and followed his companion, who was creeping along the cave wall. Hoffstetter walked unconcernedly beside his skulking companion. They passed directly below Hanomer and Dave along the cavern wall.
“I had hoped they would turn back, but they are determined to go on!” said Hanomer.
“Shouldn’t we call to warn them?” asked Dave.
“We’ll alert the ape¬men to their presence—but yes, call them while they still have a chance to escape.”
Dave roared at the top of his lungs, “Get out of the cavern. This is very dangerous. It will cost you your life!”
Hoffstetter’s companion stopped as if about to bolt back to the tunnel. However, at this hesitation, Hoffstetter seemed to grow in size and become so menacing in his demeanor that the other was visibly cowed. Hoffstetter pointed straight across the cavern to a large opening in the cavern wall, and the other man crouched and scurried like a beaten cur. He moved ahead of Hoffstetter between the mounds of death plants in the direction Hoffstetter had pointed.
Hanomer shook Dave’s arm and retraced his steps to the corridor. He began to run again, and Dave noticed that the corridor was no longer straight but curved to the right slightly. After ten minutes, Hanomer again took a side passage. There was no real opening to the cavern, but there was a crack that was large enough to serve as a window. Dave peered out with Hanomer. The two figures were still moving at a brisk walk between the mounds, heading for the far wall. Hoffstetter’s companion was stumbling, while Hoffstetter had him by the collar and hastened him along. From this vantage point Hanomer followed their progress.
“I must see where they are going!” he said, more to himself than to Dave.
Finally Hoffstetter and his companion reached a large vertical shadow on the far wall, plunged into the shadow and disappeared.
Hanomer now became more agitated than Dave had ever seen him before. “Why are they going into the heart of the darkness? What are they up to?
“What’s going on?” asked Dave.
“All of the evil and fear of this place emanates from the end of that tunnel they just entered,” said Hanomer. “None of the Hansa have ever gone there in living memory, because it is too dangerous. Normally there are many ape¬men guarding the approach. Now there are none. I need to take a great risk and go there now to see what they are going to do! If I do not come back, you must make your way back to the village—or at least to your people—to tell them what you have seen.”
“I want to come along,” insisted Dave.
Hanomer did not answer but led the way back toward the main passage they had been using. Partway back Hanomer climbed through a fissure that led into a small chimney. The chimney was narrow, and Dave was able to use the walls to hold himself steady as he descended from foothold to foothold. After about thirty feet, the chimney began to widen. When Dave reached the bend, he saw that the descent was much less steep. His progress was more rapid now, and he was able to reach the cavern floor, where Hanomer waited. He touched Dave’s arm.
“Rokomer, I don’t know this part of the cavern at all. I have never gone through this tunnel, since it has always been heavily guarded by ape¬men. Long ago Hansa tried to climb into this tunnel, but none ever returned. Our elders have forbidden the Hansa to try this route again, yet I feel strongly that I must know what your countrymen are doing in there. The cavern is empty of ape¬men today, and I have never seen it empty in many years of watching the entrance. Still, we must be careful, since we can easily be cut off. I think it best if I go alone the rest of the way into that tunnel.”
“No!” whispered Dave. “I want to come along.”
Hanomer did not press his objection but shook his head in dismay and lapsed into whispered speech. “Just follow my lead then,” he said.
Before proceeding further, Hanomer studied the tunnel carefully. Finally he signaled and descended to the cavern floor. He crossed and then began to climb the cavern wall again. Dave followed him.
After about thirty feet, Dave saw where Hanomer was going. The tunnel was a long, vertical crack stretching 300 feet up the wall and descending through the floor. Some time in the ancient past an earth tremor must have dislodged a large section of the fissure wall. The huge wedge¬shaped fragment had slid into the narrowing crack of the fissure, forming the rough floor of the tunnel. The fallen section had left behind a long shelf, or notch, in the wall of the tunnel, some twenty feet above the tunnel floor.
Hanomer climbed up to the shelf and waved for Dave to follow. When Dave reached this shelf, he was able to look down and see the path wind between large boulders of broken rock on the tunnel floor. With Hanomer leading, they crept along the shelf, hugging the wall to remain out of sight.
After about 500 yards, a wall loomed ahead, signifying the end of the notch. They both crept to the edge of the shelf. The path wound among the fallen rocks twenty feet below. At various places along the path, one could see the green sheen of light through great yawning gaps from the deep chasm beneath the wedged fragment of rock that formed the floor of the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, the rock plug ended prematurely, leaving a wide chasm. Here the path crossed an iron bridge into a smaller cavern. They could not see much of this smaller cavern.
They advanced to the end of the shelf. Although the crack in the ceiling here was much lower than in the entrance, the roof still towered above them by 100 feet. Hanomer climbed across the sheer rock face that confronted them and disappeared around the corner to the left as he reached the inside of the small cavern. Not willing to be left behind, Dave attempted the dangerous traverse, going hand over hand with no footholds. As he rounded the corner, he saw Hanomer crouching on a narrow shelf.
With hands bleeding and cramped from exhaustion, Dave covered the final few feet, then slumped beside Hanomer and tried to get his bearings. This cavern, although not as large as the throat of the volcano, was long and narrow. It contained a lake and a large flat island arranged so that the island appeared to be surrounded by a 100¬foot moat. A rock lip or ridge prevented the lake from emptying into the chasm. The first iron bridge ended on the top of this ridge. The path wound down to the lake’s edge and then crossed to this island by a second iron bridge.
The island was made of rock and was slightly convex. Five statues, arranged in a pentagon and facing outward, towered some twenty feet in height above the rock surface. The statues had heads like vultures and reptilian bodies. At the apex of the island, stood a black obelisk about a hundred feet high on a base about ten feet square.
The two men were crossing the second bridge. The taller of the two wanted to go back, but at each attempt to leave, he seemed to be dragged forward, against his will. Having crossed the bridge, both figures made their way between the two stone statues nearest it. Finally the tall man stopped before the obelisk and stared at it.
Hoffstetter came up behind him. Dave saw him raise the black object he had been carrying high above his head and strike the tall man a mighty blow on the back of his head so that he fell forward. Hoffstetter then knelt down before the huge obelisk with his head bowed and his arms held aloft. Holding the bloody black thing, he shouted some words that Dave did not recognize.
The large obelisk seemed to pulsate with energy, and the cavern filled with its green cadaverous light. Ape¬men appeared from the shadows and picked up the body of the slain man. Dave could see that the force of the blow had crushed his skull. Furthermore, he could now see clearly enough to make out the shape of the murder weapon. It was a smaller replica of the huge stone before which the awful act had taken place.
Hoffstetter seemed oblivious to the ape¬men. He continued chanting and bowing, holding his bloodstained weapon in front of him with both hands as if offering it to the obelisk. The ape¬men carried the body to a large black spherical object beside the base of the obelisk and set it down. The object was so black that Dave had taken it for a shadow. But the black object began to open, and with large black leaves spreading out like a rosebud opening, a massive black arm reached out from its centre and lifted the body inside as if it were lifting a toy doll. Hoffstetter, rose from the ground and walked over to the plant. Stepping onto the open leaf he walked in, following the arm to the center of the plant. The leaves closed, and both were lost from view.
Hundreds of ape¬men began to lumber out of the shadows, and some began crossing from the island to the ridge. When Hanomer saw them, he tugged on Dave’s arm beckoning him to follow, and began to climb back over the rock face to the ledge with terrible urgency. Dave followed him. It was easier the second time, since the handholds were familiar. They moved quickly along the ledge. When they reached the cavern wall, ape¬men were approaching their position from several directions.
“While the guardians and the evil one were bending all their will to control their victim, they were blind. Now that the deed is done, the guardians have detected our presence,” said Hanomer.
“Who are the guardians?” asked Dave.
Hanomer didn’t answer but descended rapidly to the cavern floor. Dave followed, ape¬men close behind. Hanomer had already crossed the floor and reached the ledge, unlimbering his bow. Dave dealt a blow to the nearest ape¬man and raced to join Hanomer. Hanomer felled a second with an arrow from the ledge and then kept the ape¬men off Dave while he climbed. When Dave reached the ledge, they made their way back up the chimney in silence.
Reaching the passage safely, they caught their breath, drank a little water, and had a bite to eat.
“What was that all about?” asked Dave.
“Meglir sought long ago to extend his life as he saw death approaching. The black obelisk is his attempt to preserve life. He has been trapped inside. It is the living death of the undying. His five lieutenants are also trapped in the five statues that surround the obelisk and serve him in their malice. By bringing a victim and committing unspeakable treachery, that fat human has opened himself up to Meglir. Once he leaves the death plant, he will be possessed by Meglir.
“Now I also understand why the cavern was so empty of ape-men,” Hanomer went on. “We only made it as far as we did since all the power of Meglir and the guardians was directed at bringing the fat one and the victim to them. The ape¬men were immobile and hidden away so as not to terrify the victim. We will not get in there so easily again!”
“What does all this mean?” asked Dave.
“Until now, Meglir’s power and that of his lieutenants was range limited. The ape¬men could travel only a short distance from the center of power before Meglir and the lieutenants could no longer control them. Now Meglir, in the fat man’s body, will be on the move and can take the ape¬men anywhere. My village is in danger. Your people are in danger. We must hurry. I need to think what must be done.”