The Mammoth Book of 20th Century SF II (39 page)

He put both letters in his pocket. They were addressed to a certain Weisslinger, as he found out later when he had learned to decipher the handwriting, and were written by the priest of a small
town, who begged the man to return home immediately, as his wife was dangerously ill, the household going to ruin, and his children suffering bitter want. In the second letter the priest informed
him that in the meantime his wife had died and had been buried at the costs of the community, his workshop had been demolished, and his five children were being seen after by various families,
where they had to work for bed and board. They were cared for well enough but the stern hand of a father was obviously lacking, as they had been occasionally caught thieving. Their father was an
unscrupulous vagabond whom God would one day punish for his sins and his disgraceful life by allotting him a base and unworthy death. The man had met his fate; he had died of a slit throat.

The prince also found near the dead man one of those primitive firearms which function on the basis of the rapid expansion of gases which develop from the ignition of certain chemical
substances, whereby a small piece of metal is set into rapid motion and is aimed at its target through a pipe in which the explosion takes place. He also found a stock of the burning substance and
of the little pieces of metal, which fit exactly into the pipe of the weapon. Outfitted with these, he was no longer defenseless and faced the future more calmly.

Then he dragged all the bodies to one spot and piled wood over them. He set the wood on fire and quickly left the site of horror. He hoped to find a larger settlement. But he was to find even
more gruesome scenes of devastation.

“Yes, Collins, and so his life went on. That was the beginning of a period of the most varied adventures and dangers. He struggled along, a prey to good and bad fortune,
and learned how to use the cut-and-thrust weapon as well as pistols, muskets, and heavier explosive weapons. He learned many different languages. From the first he attracted no attention to
himself, because soldiers from all corners of the earth served in the armies. He learned their coarse and savage customs, learned how to fight and how to kill. It is amazing and frightening,
Collins, how quickly one can learn such things. He had soon become so well adapted that he could behave like a man of the seventeenth century in all situations without being the least bit
conspicuous. He traveled through many lands in which the war was raging – and God knows there were plenty of them. He was witness to nameless misery and himself bore unspeakable adversity; he
was often desperate and sometimes happy, but above all he survived. And he had learned. He had learned how to plunder, how to prepare trick-playing dice, how to protect his property with cunning
and spite, force and cold-bloodedness. At last he had amassed enough money to insure himself of a carefree existence, and he withdrew from the tradings of war, much to the dismay of his generals,
for his knowledge of mechanics and ballistics had made him one of the most sought-after artillerymen and he could have easily earned military distinctions as cannoneer or pyrotechnician,
cannonsmith or rocket launcher. But this was not his goal; he had in the true sense of the word more far-reaching plans. One thing had always sustained him and helped him overcome all dangers
– his brooch. He often slipped his hand into his pocket to reassure himself that he wasn’t simply dreaming of returning, but then he felt the crystal screen vibrate and come alive in
the time stream, and as long as there was life in this mechanism there was activity on the timeline in the section where he was helplessly floating along, there were time travelers and there was
hope for him. He was cut off, for without a mirror he could not construct a time field. Help must come from outside, even if unwillingly or unwittingly; he was clever enough to know that there was
at least one man who considered the present solution to be the better one – his opponent in the little game that he wanted to chance. First he needed a permanent location which could satisfy
all the requirements of offering relative safety, raw materials, and tools. Then he would have to wait until someone appeared from the future with a mirror.

“After months and years of restless wandering he found a small town in the south which was fortified and pleased him and was far from all battlefronts. Here he decided to settle down. With
his gold he bought a small house on the market square and installed a workshop in it. He took advantage of his technical knowledge and established a modest mechanic’s shop. At first he made
hinges and handles and repaired locks; later he constructed all manner of clever toys, which he sold or gave away to travelers or citizens of the town. He was friendly and open to everyone, always
considerate and ready to help, and he soon came to enjoy the reputation of being the most upright member of the community. Nevertheless, he led a secluded life and was seldom seen in the Red Ox
Inn, although it stood directly across from his house.

“He waited. No traveler who entered the town and stopped at the Red Ox escaped his eye. Every evening he put out the lamp and peered for hours through the crack in the shutters at the
market place, in case anything suspicious should happen. He spent every free moment which his numerous contracts left him pondering over sketches and plans for solving his problem with only the
most primitive means which were available to him and with no source of electrical energy. There were two possibilities which seemed feasible. He could build a mechanism that would survive the
twelve thousand years and would bring help by means of some clever trick. This would cause a fracture, but it would be a small one. He would be taking no chances, as this solution worked, if at
all, only with complete success. When the mechanism gave him a sign, that would mean at the same time that he had won the move, for that was the prerequisite of the help; he would have to return
sooner or later to the future. The second possibility was to build an apparatus which would allow him directly to tap the energy of the time field. With its help he could set up a primitive
electronic system which would localize activities on the timeline. He could then establish the position of the seal and perhaps even shift it, for on this subject his research was far more advanced
than his brother imagined. He decided to try both possibilities and set to work. Then there was nothing to do but wait. He soon had proof that his work would bring results. The first spies soon
showed up, and he could quickly tell by their behavior that they were the wrong ones and had no intention of helping Weisslinger out of his predicament. Are we right, Collins?”

“To be sure, Your Majesty, that was not our intention.”

“Now, Weisslinger had expected that and had long since taken it into account. He had even made some preparations. His appearance had changed no small amount during his life in this time
period. He had grown older, his features were harder and his body stronger. And he had contributed to the effect somewhat too; he looked older than he actually was, his hair was streaked with gray
and reached to his shoulders. He wanted to take no risks, for this move was far too important to him.

“Soon the guests from the future were arriving by the dozen. He registered one fracture and anachronism after another. Obviously they had found him. The visitors gave Weisslinger many an
evening’s entertainment. But we already told you about that. Then the master started his counterattack. Now it was his move. Who the better player was would soon be seen.

“What do you say now, Collins?”

“I almost know it, Your Majesty. It is not difficult to infer, from Your Majesty’s manner of choosing his words and reporting out of the distant past, that it was Your Majesty who
outwitted me. Your Majesty must have spent much time in that age, otherwise Your Majesty would not have gained such deep knowledge of it. To think that I didn’t realize it earlier!” The
minister struck his forehead with the flat of his hand. “Many things are becoming clear to me now, Your Majesty. But there is still something missing in the story.”

“You are right there, Collins, something is still missing. The last piece of the puzzle, the decisive move.”

“By Your Majesty’s leave, who is
WHITE
in reality?”

“That is unfair, Collins. That means giving up the game. Just try and think back! We have told you everything. You have a good head on your shoulders.”

Collins pondered and stared in absorption at the doll, which was making a whirlwind chain of pirouettes.

“It could be the inventor, Your Majesty, the old man who devised the time machine and who appeared as the Polish count – ”

“He was a pure figment of the imagination, as we already mentioned,” interjected the king.

“ – to whom Your Majesty or I tell the story,” continued the minister without interruption. “He brings the information to Weisslinger. And Weisslinger in turn, by Your
Majesty’s leave, exchanges . . .”

“Just wait a minute, Collins! What are you trying to do? Your imagination is running away with you. Take things in their turn! Why try to bring another figure into our game? The old man
left all questions unanswered. So let us leave him out of the game. He played neither for
WHITE
nor for
BLACK
. He was, let us say,
GRAY
. Perhaps he knows the whole game, has seen all the moves, but is keeping out of it himself. Perhaps he is playing an entirely different game, which requires all his attention.
Anything is possible. The future is vast. Perhaps thousands have watched our moves, in order to learn from them for their own games. We don’t need any additional figures. Try it from another
angle. How would it be if we finished the story together, gave it a happy end, so to speak?”

“Does Your Majesty mean that . . . that
I
am to play
WHITE
?”

“What else did you expect, Collins? You’ve been on our side for a long time, otherwise you would long ago have put an end to Weisslinger and we wouldn’t be sitting here. After
all, you are our best man. Now, pay close attention! You will take our cloak here and at the appropriate time turn it so that the pale lining is on the outside. The contrast of
BLACK
and
WHITE
will be noticed. But you will also give Weisslinger another sign. Upon receiving it he will set the seal in motion and put to rout the crew of
Operations Base 7. Later you will get Weisslinger out of the affair. Off with you now! Do exactly what we told you to do. And have a good time!”

“A good time or a good age, Your Majesty?”

“However you prefer to take it, Collins.”

“With pleasure, Your Majesty. I am honored to be allowed to finish the game together with Your Majesty.”

The minister stepped through the mirror and returned again. He swayed slightly.

“Finished?” asked the king.

“Finished,” answered Collins, and rubbed his eyes.

“You took advantage of the occasion to stop in at the Red Ox, we see,” laughed the king. “That is our fault, we suppose. We made your mouth water long enough, and you had to
stand here over two hours and listen to our stories. We could stand a cool drink too, but first we’ll finish the game. The decisive move is still ahead of us. Will you manage,
Collins?”

“No question about it, Your Majesty. The long ride through the forest and the cool night air have sobered me up again.”

“Very well,” said the king. “Now we’re going to checkmate you, brother of ours! Collins! Get going now and appear at the critical moment in the throne room, exactly under
the seal that is ten seconds long. You will have to make very careful adjustments to accomplish this. You won’t be able to see yourself, as you will be working in Zerotime, that is, in
complete darkness. This is something which only the seals permit. Here is the equipment you need to get through the mirror. This is an improved model of the brooch. You will cautiously feel your
way over to the throne and hoist our brother onto your shoulders. That won’t be easy, because he is heavy and of course during Zerotime as stiff as a board. If you were to drop him, you would
break all his bones. He won’t feel a thing and will think he is still sitting on his little throne. Then you will calmly carry him through the mirror into the carriage and let him smell this
excellent essence, which will send him into a deep and beneficial sleep.” He handed the minister a small vial. “All the rest you know as well as we do. You did pay extremely close
attention to our story, didn’t you? A silly question, we see.”

“Yes indeed, Your Majesty – that is – I meant, not the question but about the story.”

“Then tell it exactly like that to Weisslinger. Teach him how to sit on the throne properly, how to behave – and he had better not make any mistakes! That goes for you too,
Collins!”

“Just as Your Majesty commands. But what would happen if I did make a mistake, if I forgot a part of the story or told it incorrectly?”

“We are sure you won’t make any mistakes, otherwise we couldn’t retell the story to you. How do you think we know it if not from you?

“But what if I – by Your Majesty’s leave, it is just a thought – what if I intentionally twisted the story or told Weisslinger something completely different, which would
cause a fracture at the last moment?”

“That, dear Collins, would be damned unfair of you. That would mean changing the rules of the game. That would mean starting all over again from the beginning, and an entirely different
story would develop. Neither we two nor anyone else would ever know our story. It would all have been invented in vain. The situation would look like this: you would return to find our brother here
and would have no explanation for your absence. The whole game would start again from scratch but you would have a trick card up your sleeve. That could easily cost you your head. But we will take
the risk. We trust you. Now, let’s get on to the last move! Checkmate the king!”

His Majesty smiled in delight. The doll stopped dancing, sprang into Collins’s arms, and clung fast to his cape.