Hunters Out of Space Read online

  CHAPTER 3

  Going to the pool, Gunnar began to wash his bleeding arms. "Yes, Old Gunnarknew you would be here, Jack Odin, for it was writ in runes of silver longago that a man will go to the gates of death and brave Old Nidhug thedragon there to find his maid."

  "And how is she, Gunnar? Where is she?"

  But the dwarf did not answer for a few minutes. He stared moodily into thecoals, and then feeling behind him in the dark he found a bright shirt andstruggled into it. "I was getting ready to take a bath when the thing cameat me," he explained simply.

  "Gunnar! Where is Maya?"

  Gunnar's big hand squeezed Odin's shoulder.

  "Steady, lad. I wish I knew. I wish I knew. But you are here now, and wewill go hunting together. For you are my friend and Maya is my friend. AndI swore by my sword, the Blood-Drinker, to her father I swore it. And toJul. That I would look after her. But I failed. And is my word no strongerthan a puff of wind? I have sworn a new oath. I will find her. Even thoughwe go farther than the graveyard of stars--or beyond the gates of hell,maybe--I will find her."

  There was a sob in the squat man's throat and Jack Odin could see bythe light of the flickering coals that Gunnar had aged. His face wasmore seamed. The knots of muscle at each jaw were larger. His hair wasgray-streaked and thinner. But those huge shoulders were huger still,and the big gnarled hands kept closing and unclosing as though theywere grasping at a throat.

  "We will go together, then," Odin said. "But tell me--"

  "Then swear it by my blade." And Gunnar took the long sword and harness upfrom the sand where he had left it.

  "My people do not swear by the sword."

  Gunnar cursed. "The tongues of your people are like two-edged knives. Ihave had enough of them. But you are not like them, Odin. I said beforethat you were a throwback to the men of old-time, when they went berserkertogether, or followed the whale's path in their dragon-headed ships. Here,swear by the sword, my sword."

  * * * * *

  And Jack Odin reached forward and touched the sword and swore that he wouldgo with Gunnar even to the edge of the stars--

  "Now," Odin pleaded. "Tell me what happened down there."

  "It is a long story. And not a pretty one, either. Have you anything toeat?"

  Odin produced some bread and jerked beef. As they sat there, with the coalswinking red eyes at them, Gunnar told his tale between wolfish bites.

  "Grim Hagen planned well." (So Gunnar began). "He planned well, and evenyet I hope to kill him.

  "That was an evil day when you and Maya decided to go back to outer-earth.An evil day. Some of Grim Hagen's men snared Maya with their thons. Therewas much fighting. We killed many but many got away.

  "I should have known from the black scowl which Grim Hagen had worn thosemany months that he would not be stopped by one defeat. You will remember,Odin, how I told you of the little flying machines that we strapped on ourbacks in the old days and went sailing through the air. They were outlawed.But during the time that Grim Hagen held the tower he must have found theplans for the flying machine, or maybe even one of the machines. For whenhis men attacked us, each one had such a machine. And each man carrieddozens of little glass eggs. When they threw them they exploded anddissolved nearly everything for twenty foot around.

  "Oh, we fought. We killed many. But it is hard to fight the hawk. One byone they blew up our ships. Then, carrying Maya and a few other prisonerswith them, they flew out to sea like a flight of evil birds--no, not birds,for not even the hawk is evil. What was the word that you used for theleather-winged, toothy things that live in the forest?"

  "Dactyls," Jack Odin prompted.

  "Yes, that's it," Gunnar said as he stared into the fire. "Dactyls. I likethat word. It has an evil, bloody ring to it."

  He stopped talking to take a huge bite of stale bread that nearly chokedhim. Then he continued his story.

  "Meanwhile, in the city of the Scientists, the same kind of fighting hadbeen going on. We learned later that when Grim Hagen's men winged their wayin from the sea, his army had already retaken the Tower. Ato and hissoldiers were scattered. Half of them were dead. So, after scattering theirexplosive eggs across the city, and killing the very old and the veryyoung, Grim Hagen and his men took refuge in the Tower and prepared towithstand our siege. They had learned much from their first defeat, andthis time they held it well.

  "As soon as we could patch up our ships, we came a-following and joinedforces with Ato's soldiers. We assaulted the Tower day after day. Until theground and the walks around it were black with our dried blood. But theyheld out. Not once did they try a counter-attack. We should have guessed atwhat Grim Hagen was planing. But we didn't until one of the prisonersescaped. His name was Zol, and he was a friend of Maya's father. Poorfellow, he is dead now, but if we of Opal went in for monuments we wouldbuild one a mile high for Zol. He told us that Grim Hagen was readying theOld Ship for flight into space. Also, he planned to leave the sea gatesopen.

  "Zol saved us. Or saved some of us and a part of Opal. Ato began trainingdivers against the day when the tunnel would be flooded. We moved as manypeople as we could onto the ledges high up on the walls of Opal. We got ourgreat pumps ready to cope with the flooding.

  "Also, Ato and I renewed our assault upon the Tower. But they bested us.They had learned too many of the old secrets. Most of the young men of theNeeblings died there against the walls. That is how we keep our promises,Nors-King.

  "But Old Gunnar had a trick or two left. Remember the tale that I read toyou in the throne-room of Baldar. The first of the Brons to enter the worldof Opal were soldiers sent from some blasted planet in outer space to finda new home. They could fly their ship, but they knew nothing of the scienceand the magic that had gone into it. We of the Neeblings learned that. Andwe Neeblings were their historians for a thousand years. Also, it was wewho pieced together what little is known of their trip through space. Andthis is why:

  "We of Opal have always kept up with the world above us. About thirtyyears ago there were some popular stories in your land about Tani ofEkkis[Footnote: Amazing Stories, c. 1929.] whose people came through thevoid in a spaceship. They traveled slow, and this is how they made thetrip. They had discovered something which kept most of the crew undersuspended animation for years upon years. That tale was not far fromright. For the Brons too had a capsule, red like a ruby, which made themsleep for a score of years. There was an antidote, a yellow liquid likecurdled flames. Three drops into the veins and the sleeper would awake.That is how they made the trip. Only a pilot, a co-pilot, a navigator,and a chief engineer were ever awake at one time. Their log-books werebrief. But we of the Neeblings have them.

  * * * * *

  "So," (Gunnar continued, drawing a huge forearm across his moist blue eyes)"I persuaded Zol to go back to the Tower. I might as well have run himthrough, but he was our best and last hope. Wolden gave him a tiny cube, nolarger than a ring-case. In it was a crystal with a number of silver wireswoven into it, but it was a good transmitter. Better than yours, Jack Odin.For a week we heard from him daily.

  "I say it was a week. We were working the clock around and our little sunwas misbehaving again. It was a feverish week, not measured by day andnight, for the sun would wink on and off as though it were getting ready togive up.

  "For a week we heard from Zol. He gave the ruby capsule to Maya. She sleepsand will continue to sleep for twenty years unless the antidote which lookslike curdled yellow flame is given to her. I have it. Grim Hagen may killher or cast her adrift in space, but he cannot awaken her. That hound ofhell can taunt her no more. She sleeps, until Gunnar stands by her side.

  "Then Zol sent us his last message. Maya was sleeping. He was barricaded inone of the rooms of the Tower, and Grim Hagen and his men were batteringdown the door. From what we heard in the next few minutes, I suppose thatthe door gave way and Zol died. Then Grim Hagen's voice came to us,screaming in rage. He had all that h
e wanted. Even though our princessslept, he would take her into space with him. And she would awaken some daywith the smoke of plundered worlds in her nostrils. Yes, she wouldawaken--to be his slave, even as he had promised us that night in Maya'shome when we fought. And I wish I had killed the beast then. But Zol wasdead and there was no sense in listening to this man's ravings, so weturned off our radio. And that is the last we ever heard from Grim Hagen.

  "It was the next day when he opened the sea-gates and trundled the ship outupon the floor of the sea. We had done all that we could to be prepared.But it was not enough.

  "The water came pouring in upon Opal. Half of the people died. Many hadtaken refuge in ships, and I doubt if a single ship survived that night.Yes, just as the water came flooding in, our little sun went out. Wefought. The waters flooded both Valla and the Scientists' City. Here itrose nearly to the top of the Tower. There were only a few forests andmeadows in the land that were not flooded. These were high up against thewalls. As for the creatures of the deep, the reptiles and amphibians, mostof them were dead. Many crawled into the ancient caves and fled upward.Most of them died.

  "That is nearly all. We know now that Grim Hagen and his ship, with all hisprisoners and loot, took off from the bed of the sea with a flourish whichwas just like Grim Hagen.

  "Meanwhile, Ato and his crews got the gates closed and started thepumps. Only a few men of that crew are alive today, for the tunnelwas radio-active at that time. It was weeks before the pumps couldforce the water back into the Gulf. Most of our plants were lost. Mymen and I have been foraging in the world above for these--and havehelped ourselves to your cattle when we could.

  "The waters are back to their old level, but they left a soggy, ruinedworld behind them. There is a deal of work to be done before it will belike the world that you knew. And our sun is of so little use that it canscarcely dry out the sloughs.

  "Meanwhile, Wolden and his men are working on another ship. Even a largership than the one which Grim Hagen stole. They work day and night. GrimHagen took his choice of our treasures. He stole our princess, and hekilled millions. We are going after him, even if he drives to the edgeof space. And I am going because of a promise I made long ago, and becauseof the love that I have for Maya. And because of you, Jack Odin. The swordis forged now. It is white-hot upon the anvil. The sparks leap out likestars as the hammer of the smith clangs down. And I will follow Grim Hagenas far as a man can go--even a league beyond the outer shell of space--ora day's journey beyond the grave." (So Gunnar's tale was ended. And thetwo sat there in silence, watching the coals wink out, and feeling theall-devouring dark coming back into the cavern.)

  "Then I will go with you," Jack Odin told Gunnar. "To fight at your rightside until we find my princess--"

  "And until Grim Hagen is dead," Gunnar added. "For he is a noisome leaventhat will pollute all of space that he touches."

  The last coal went back to ashes. Odin turned on his light, and Gunnarblinked in pain at the sudden glare. Then they went onward and downward,past columns of limestone that were already old when the world was young.