Captain Future 08 - The Lost World of Time (Fall 1941) (10 page)

He turned and strode through the tall grass toward the road. Dawn was breaking as he stepped out onto the white highway and started southward. Some miles ahead rose a cluster of brilliant yellow towers and domes, the far-flung, fantastic structures of the city, Othar.

Captain Future began to pass Martian men and women, all moving toward the city and talking gayly of the coming festival. He became uneasily conscious that they stared at him with unusual attention.

"What the devil can be wrong with my appearance?" he wondered.

His dress was much the same as theirs. His stature and features and white skin were little different and he had concealed his red hair by a close-fitting cap.

Yet these ancient Martians continued to stare at him.

One of them, a withered-faced, sly-eyed little man who carried a heavy metal case, came up to him.

"Friend, where did you get that strange beast of yours?" the Martian asked, pointing behind Curt.

Captain Future turned sharply. It took an effort to refrain from breaking forth into profanity at what he saw. Oog was following him!

He realized instantly that the little meteor-mimic, anxious to find its master, had slipped out with him when he had emerged from the
Comet
the second time. It was the fat, doughy, little white animal that had been attracting all the attention. As Curt knew, in this remote past age the species to which Oog belonged had not yet evolved.

Curt hastily picked up Oog to make him less conspicuous. He told the Martian who had questioned him:

"He is just a pet I caught and tamed in my home in the north."

"He doesn't look like any animal I ever heard of," persisted the sly-eyed little man.

"Oh, they're a common species in the north —" Curt began to explain.

But the little Martian suddenly uttered an exclamation of amazement and shrank back, staring with dilated eyes. Curt looked down and mentally groaned. Oog, feeling playful, had changed himself into an exact replica of the metal case the Martian held.

Captain Future felt that Oog had fatally betrayed him by demonstrating that he was a wholly un-Martian animal and thus inevitably giving rise to the suspicion that his owner also was not an ordinary Martian. Curt expected the little man to set up a cry that would bring a crowd around them. But instead, after his first display of amazement, the sly-eyed Martian showed an eager excitement.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were a conjurer, too?" he demanded.

"A conjurer?" Curt repeated.

Then he began to understand. The fellow thought that Oog's feat was some kind of magical trick.

"I'm Slig, the most famous conjurer in the city Thool," declared the Martian. He slapped his metal case. "I'm on my way to Othar with my bag of tricks. The crowds that'll be there today for the birthday festival of King Luun ought to yield a fine harvest of
dugats,
eh?"

CURT fell in with the Martian showman's supposition at once.

"Yes, that's why I'm on my way to Othar, too," he answered readily. "My name is Burq. I have quite a reputation as a conjurer up in the north."

Oog, tiring of imitating the metal case, abruptly changed back to his normal shape with his usual swift flow of protean tissues.

"That's certainly a wonderful trick you've worked out," Slig told Captain Future enthusiastically. "How do you do it, Burq?"

"Well, I hardly like to tell that," Curt said reluctantly.

"Sure, I don't blame you for not giving away the trick to a rival conjurer," Slig answered good-humoredly. "But why should we be rivals? Why can't you and I team up together today in Othar? We could give such a show together for the crowd that we'd be rolling in
dugats."

Captain Future liked the idea at once. Working with Slig as a conjurer, he'd be far less likely to be suspected as a stranger. And he could easily give the other man the slip when he had got some inkling of where Otho and Ahla were being held in the city.

"I'm willing," he said. "You see, I've never been in Othar before. My home's in the far north."

Slig nodded knowingly. "I could tell you were from way back in the country by the queer, stumbling way you talk and the old-fashioned cut of those clothes. You stick to me, Burq, and I'll send you home with lots of
dugats."

Curt grinned inwardly. It was pretty clear that Slig figured him to be a country boy who had developed some clever conjuring tricks, but didn't have much practical experience. That suited Curt.

They trudged together toward the sunlit, yellow towers of Othar. On their left was the rolling green ocean, but on their right stretched intensively cultivated fields of fruit and grain, thickly dotted with small stone homesteads. Curt perceived that, in this ancient time, Mars was a thickly populated world. The crowds of pedestrians surging along the road toward Othar constantly increased. More and more of the gas-powered open vehicles
whizzed
past them.

As they approached the city, Captain Future looked with intense interest at a spaceport they were passing. A number of long, pencil-like black ships were parked there. Beside his own
Comet
they were primitive craft, yet capable of long space voyages, as he well knew.

"The one permanent rule in the System appears to be lack of permanence," Curt mused. "This civilization seems intrenched enough to last forever, yet it will soon disappear and be followed by thousands more, on Earth and every other planet."

They passed into the city, Othar. Its brilliant yellow synthestone towers loomed all about them, massive structures surmounted by hexagonal spires or domes. In its sunlit streets thronged countless Martians, drawn here by the birthday festival of their ruler.

"Pretty good crowd," approved Slig, estimating with sharp eyes. "Of course the celebrating's a little dampened this year by worry over the Katainian business, but maybe the
dugats
are still flowing."

"The Katainian business?" repeated Curt. "What do you mean?"

Slig stared. "You
must
be from away back in the country, if you don't know. Haven't you heard all these rumors that the Katainians are planning to kill everyone on Mars?"

"Oh, that!" Curt said nonchalantly. "I've heard all those crazy stories, but I don't pay any attention to them."

"A lot of people are scared, nevertheless. Those Katainians have great scientific powers and that devil Zikal is capable of anything."

HE DROPPED the subject, but Captain Future's mind was racing. Who was Zikal? Was it possible that the Katainians were really menacing Mars? Slig interrupted his speculation.

"Here's a good corner, Burq. Let's set up our show here."

The little conjurer had picked a corner of two of the most crowded avenues. All along the street they had passed other showmen, entertaining the throngs with acrobatic feats, exhibiting trained animals, or performing mind-reading feats.

Slig raised his voice in a loud call that pierced through the babel and chatter of the holiday throng of Martians.

"This way, folks! The two greatest conjurers on Mars are about to unfold the most marvelous collection of magical wonders upon which the eye has ever rested. Slig, the master-conjurer of Thool, will show his mystic powers by such feats as the breathing of flame, the magic tree and many others. Burq, his colleague from the mysterious lands of the far north, will exhibit his incredible wonder-beast and other feats too numerous to mention. This way, everyone!"

A good-humored crowd of Martians had soon gathered around them and Slig began his show. Curt had to admit that the conjurer was clever. He kindled a small fire and breathed in the flame with every appearance of enjoyment. He took a seed from his pocket, touched it with a wand and it blossomed into a seedling that grew rapidly to a small tree. He did some amazing juggling with shining metal spheres as a final act. The applause was loud.

"And now Burq, master-sorcerer of the north, will perform for you with his wonder-beast!" announced Slig impressively.

Captain Future held up Oog for the crowd to see. Oog, who was scared by the crowd around them, took refuge in camouflage. His fat little body shifted suddenly into perfect imitation of a yellow rock. The crowd applauded enthusiastically.

"Show us how Eek looks," Curt whispered to Oog.

At once the meteor-mimic shifted into a perfect imitation of a small gray moon-pup. Curt continued to name one object after another and Oog proceeded to flash through a variety of metamorphoses.

When Curt decided that Oog had had enough and bowed to the crowd, the applause was long and fervent.

"We've got 'em all worked up, Burq!" breathed Slig eagerly. "Show them another trick as good as that and we'll get every
dugat
they have."

"I'll show them something good, all right," Captain Future promised.

He reached into his jacket. From his belt-kit he took the disk-shaped apparatus which could cause physical invisibility. He held it over his head and touched its switch. Its force streamed down through him. The crowd gaped ludicrously as Curt's figure began to fade from sight. Then he was completely gone.

A dead silence reigned, was suddenly broken by a rising babble of excited voices. Many began to edge away in fear. But then a cry went up as Curt slowly began to materialize.

The crowd recovered from its startlement. The applause was terrific this time and platinum coins were tossed freely toward Curt and Slig.

"Name of the ocean demons, how did you do that?" the conjurer gasped to Curt. "It looked as though you really made yourself invisible!"

Curt winked. "It was just a trick of mass-hypnotism."

"Oh, I see," said Slig, relieved. He beamed. "Look at the
dugats
we've got! Come on. We'll put on our show at another corner."

THROUGH the following hours they showed their conjuring tricks at many different points throughout the crowded city. Everywhere Curt's stunts with Oog and his invisibility trick evoked tremendous applause. But Curt began to think he had not been so smart. He wasn't able to get any idea where Otho might be held, busy as he was with these performances, and Slig seemed to have no idea of parting from the new colleague who brought in such a harvest of
dugats.

The day was darkening to twilight. Curt began to look for an opportunity to slip away from Slig. Abruptly their show was interrupted by a file of yellow-cloaked soldiers who came through the crowd toward them.

The captain spoke brusquely to Captain Future.

"You the conjurer who does the new invisibility trick everyone's talking about? Follow me."

"To where?" Curt asked, frowning.

"To the palace of King Luun," snapped the captain.

Slig paled. "Your trick has got you into trouble, Burq!"

Curt thought the same, but he reassured the little conjurer:

"I'll be all right, Slig. You keep my share of the dugats for me."

As Captain Future walked with the soldiers through the darkening streets, he wished fervently that he'd never showed the invisibility stunt. If they examined him and discovered he was no true Martian —

Bright white and red lights were gleaming out as night came to the city. The two moons had hurtled up above the horizon. As the stars rose above the city roofs, Curt saw people all about him in the streets making a peculiar reverent gesture toward the rising star, Deneb. It startled him, for it was the same gesture of worship used by the tribesmen of Earth.

"So these ancient Martians worship Deneb, too, or at least have a superstitious regard for it," he thought. "I wonder what it means."

"Do you conjurers have no reverence for the rising of the Sacred Star?" the captain of the guards demanded sharply.

Curt realized hastily that he had made himself noticeable by failing to make the gesture of worship toward Deneb.

"I did not notice that the Sacred Star had risen," he explained.

THEY approached the palace. It was a mammoth oblong pile of pale yellow stone, crowned by five hexagonal towers, of which the central one aspired to dizzy height. It sat amid great gardens with lights flaring from it. Curt's guards took him through antechambers and spacious frescoed corridors to the threshold of a large hall. It was a banquet hall, illuminated by soft white torches. Queer stringed instruments throbbed softly. Along sumptuous tables, a silken-clad throng of men and women was feasting.

A chamberlain in flowing crimson cloak came up and spoke to Curt.

"You are the conjurer who has been doing the wonderful tricks today in the streets?" he asked. "You are about to receive a great honor. The king has heard of your marvels and wishes to see your performance."

Captain Future breathed more easily. So that was it. He looked down the long hall to the raised dais upon which King Luun sat with a score of favored nobles at a table, facing the other feasters. The Martian ruler had risen. A big, powerful-featured man with proud eyes, he stretched out his hand.