More Than Fire

"It concerns the time when he was stranded by his father on Anthema, the Unwanted World. Los thought his son would die there, though he did have a very slight chance to survive and a lesser chance to find the gate out of that world. But if he did find it, it would only lead him to Zazel's World, also called the Caverned World. And there was no way out of that. Or so thought Los.

"Red Orc did find the gate, and he went into Zazel's World. This, according to Red Orc's story, was a single vast computer but with countless caves and tu

"The reason my uncle wanted to get back into the Caverned World was that its memory contained the data for making a Creation-Destruction engine."

"You know what I'm talking about?"

"Sure," Kickaha had said. "The ancient Lords used such engines to make their artificial universes. But as time went by and then during the mille

"Right! But Red Orc found out that the data were still in the Caverned World's circuits. He was in no position to get it then, but he was determined to come back someday and do so. Unfortunately for him, fortunately for us, he could not get back in. The creature that ruled the world must have sealed up the gate. Red Orc's been trying to find a way to penetrate that world, though he hasn't tried continuously. Other things, such as warring against the Lords, have kept him busy. But I think that he's almost given up the effort. He's been frustrated too often."

"From what I know of him, I doubt that," Kickaha had said.

One of the recent things occupying Red Orc would have been trying to find Kickaha and Anana. The Thoan's pride would be deeply wounded because the two had eluded him so successfully and for such a long time. He would be in one of his well-known rages. God help the people around him; God help the men he had sent to track down and catch Kickaha and Anana. However, these people were no i

He might know by now that his greatest two enemies were on-had been on-the Whaziss planet. But he did not know exactly where they were. Or did he?

Though Orc might never have completely lost the trail on Earth of Kickaha and Anana, he must have lost it when they escaped to the Lavalite planet. He must have been trying to find them during the fifteen years they were on the Whaziss planet.

Just what else had the Thoan been up to during that decade and a half? How many Lords had he killed, and how many of the pocket universes were now his?

Who was the mysterious Englishman costumed in early nineteenthcentury clothes who had been in that aerial mansion on the Lavalite planet?

Where were Wolff and Chryseis now?

Then the ancient sleeper with the insectile face swam into Kickaha's mental sea. He was an enigmaed enigma. Why had he awakened just as the intruders from a much later time had left that curious chamber? Just how and why had they blundered into that room, which must surely be heavily guarded by whatever guarded it?

Kickaha did not believe that they had "blundered" into it or that the awakening was a coincidence. Coincidences might happen, but even these, he believed, if dug into deeply enough, would reveal the co

Anana came to take over her watch. They talked in whispers for about ten minutes. When they were clear on what to do the next day, Kickaha went to the cave to sleep, though not deeply. Thus the night passed, with each taking turns on the boulder. He was on it when a brief gray light a

The sisters had not once gotten up, though they had shifted around a lot trying to find a comfortable position on the hard rock.

After they had spattered some water on their faces and eaten their simple breakfast, they scattered to various boulders and rocky projections behind which to evacuate. After returning to the camp, they loaded up their gear and set out, Kickaha leading. Before they had put a half-mile behind them, Eleth called a halt.

"This is not the way you told us we'd be going!"

Kickaha said, "I pointed out the spot we'd travel to. But we don't take a direct route. This way will be much easier."

After two hours, the sisters complained that they were taking a hell of a long way roundabout.

Kickaha stopped in front of an eighty-foot-high monolith of reddish granite. Its base was within a few feet of the edge of the cliff on which the group stood. Ten feet up from the base, a half-sphere of glossy black rock extruded from the granite. It looked like a ca

"Is that the gate?" Eleth said, pointing at the stone pillar. "No," Kickaha said.

"Then where is it? Are we anywhere near it?" "It's not the gate, but the gate site is in it."

He opened the deerskin bag attached to his belt and pulled out the silvery trumpet.

Eleth, eyes wide, sucked in air noisily. "The Horn of Shambarimen!" Ona was too awed at first to make any sound. Then she and Eleth broke into high-pitched chatter. Kickaha let them go on for about a minute before calling for silence.

He raised the Horn to his lips and blew. As soon as the last note had faded away, an arch-shaped area seven feet high and five feet wide formed at the base of the rock. It shimmered as if made of heat waves. Kickaha thought that he could almost see through the ripplings to the other side and that something huge and dark was there. But that was, of course, an illusion.

"We have ten seconds before it closes!" he said loudly. He waved the Horn. "Everybody into it! Now!"

Anana and he pulled out their beamers and shoved the sisters toward the gate. Eleth was shouting, "No! No! How do we know it's not a trap you've set for us!"

She tried to run away. Anana tripped her with an extended leg and then kicked her in the buttocks as she struggled to get up on her feet.

Looking terrified, Ona stumbled toward the entrance, then darted to one side and tried to get past Anana. Anana knocked Ona down with the side of her hand against her neck.

Eleth also ran, holding up the hem of her robe; then she stumbled and fell flat on the ground. She refused to get up, though Kickaha shouted that he would cut her in half.

The shimmering on the face of the rock was gone.

He and Anana stepped back so that they could cover the sisters with their beamers.

"It's plain as the nose on a camel that you two don't want to go through that gate," Kickaha said. "Yet, a moment ago, you seemed quite willing to go with us. Why're you so reluctant all of a sudden?"

Eleth got onto her feet and tried to rub the dirt from the front of her white robe. She said, "We really don't trust you."

"A very weak excuse!" Anana said loudly. "What is the real reason you tried to get away? You know something's waiting for us there? Were you hoping to lead us into a trap?"

"We panicked!"

"Yes," Ona said, faking a snuffling, "we got scared." "Of what?" Anana asked.

Kickaha bellowed, "You were afraid that Red Orc would catch you along with us, betray you, and kill you, too? Is that right?"

Whatever surprise Eleth felt, she did not reveal it. But Ona winced as if he had struck her with a fly swatter.

"Red Orc?" she screeched. "What does he have to do with that?" She half turned and waved at where the gate had been.