More Than Fire

He shook his head slightly and swore silently that he would drink no more of the green liquor. Not in this room and not when she was present, anyway.

Manathu Vorcyon smiled as if she knew of his moment of transport. She said, "I have been aware for a very long time of Red Orc and his plans. For a much shorter time, I have also been aware of you. And I know somewhat what has been happening in many of the worlds."

Not looking behind her, she stabbed a backward-pointing thumb at the silvery mirror on the wall. "Through that, I hear and see people and events in other worlds. It's hooked up to gates made by others and to gates that I've made in the weak places in the walls among the universes. The transmission is not always good, and I often have trouble maintaining the frequency lock on the gates. But I can keep watch on certain key places.

You could say that I have my finger on the pulsebeat of many worlds. My people believe it's a magic mirror."

Kickaha wanted to ask her if the device was an ancient one she had inherited or if she had made it herself. Anana had told him stories about her. One was that she was the only scientist, with the possible exception of Red Orc, among the Lords. But, true or not, she did have the device, and that was all that mattered now.

"I have heard about you, and now and then seen you," she said. "But until recently, when you were detected by the glindglassa"-she indicated the seeming mirror again-"I had set no traps to gate you through to me. I had no strong reason then to do so. As soon as I had a reason, I set up more traps-no easy thing to do by remote control-hoping to catch you someday. I also co

"How did the detectors know me?" Kickaha said.

"The skin of every person has unique patterns in its electric field. The glindglassa detects these and also registers the individual's mass. It employs a visual detector, which I don't use very often because it's so difficult to keep a lock on it. But I had put your physical description, which I got from other sources, into the computer. It stores a display of every person caught in its field. When you were finally detected, it emitted an audio and visual notice along with your image and frequency field.

"From then on, the traps were set to detect you when you were in the range of the glindglassa and to shunt you here. The probability that you would be caught was very low because there are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of gates, and I could lock into only a thousand."

"Why don't you also trap Red Orc?"

"I doubt that he knows that I would like to do that. But he probably knows that such a device as the glindglassa exists. I believe that he carries a frequency-emitter canceler."

Kickaha said, "Wouldn't the absence of a frequency field at the same time that a mass is detected identify Red Orc? And what about the visual detector?"

She smiled. "You're not just a tricky but simple killer of Lords. For, one thing, the visual-detection field often drifts away from the transmission-reception lock. For another, Red Orc has never entered any of my traps not to my knowledge, anyway. He may have a visual-detector damper and a false-mass emitter. You're not the only wily one."

"Why did you gate me through into the forest instead of directly to your tree?"

"You needed time to adjust and to be peacefully greeted by Lingwallan. Who knows what might have happened if you had appeared among strangers? You're very quick. You might have used your beamer before you understood the situation."

"Not me."

"You don't lack self-confidence. That's beneficial for a person, up to a point."

Kickaha did not believe her explanation. The probable truth was that she was very cautious. She just did not want anyone she had gated through to be close to her when they came through. The gatee might carry a very powerful bomb or some other very destructive weapon. The trees around him when he came through doubtless held hidden detectors. They would notify her if he carried any such weapons.

She said, "This is not the time for minor questions. But I will answer one you must have. Why did I not shunt to here all persons in my traps? One of them might have been Red Orc. I did try that method for a long time, five hundred years to be exact. I quit doing that when I learned that he was somehow able to avoid being caught.

"Now. Hold your tongue until I tell you that you may loose it."

10

MANATHU VORCYON HAD LONG AGO KNOWN ABOUT RED ORC, his wars against his father, Los, and against other Lords after he had slain his father.

"I also have heard about you, Kickaha. Many Lords fear you. They identify you with the leblabbiy, who, an ancient prophecy says, will destroy all Lords. Prophecies are nonsense, of course, unless they're self-fulfilling. Despite their mighty powers, the Lords are not only decadent, but superstitious."

So far, Red Orc had not tried to invade her universe. She had too many weapons of the ancients for him to attack her even if he brought about the death of all other Lords.

"That is," she said, "I thought so until recently. But he now has the Horn of Shambarimen. That may give him the courage to try to invade my world. And I have heard through my spies that he is again striving to get into Zazel's World, though he had ceased doing that several mille

Ah! Kickaha thought. So that's it! Red Orc would tell me only that he wanted "certain data" in the Caverned World. That data was this creation destruction engine, whatever that is.

"Your pardon for interrupting, Great Mother," Kickaha said. "Hearing you say that, I just can't keep quiet. That is not accurate information. The machine is not there. However, the data to build it is. I know, because Red Orc himself told me so. I mean, he might just as well have told me that he wanted to find the data, plans, schematics, I don't know. But from what you said, I'm sure the engine itself isn't there."

She raised her thick and glossy-black eyebrows. "That is so? He is the Lord of all liars and may not have told you the truth."

"He thought I was unable to escape him and that I was certain to return to him. Thus he revealed much that he would not otherwise have told. He is indeed a great liar. I don't hold that against him since I've indulged in a few untruths myself. In this case, however, he had no reason to lie."

Manathu Vorcyon was silent for a half-minute. Then she said, "It may be best that you do speak now. First, tell me how you, an Earthman, came to the World of Tiers. I have heard parts of your story. These may or may not be true. Tell me your story from the begi

Kickaha did as she commanded. But when he described the scaly man, he heard her gasp.

Her eyes opened very wide, and she cried, "The Thokina!"

"What's the matter?"

"Just go on. I'll tell you later. What happened after you first saw him?"

Kickaha told her how the scaly man, whom they had thought dead, had begun to move just as he and Anana gated out of the tomb.

She got to her feet and began pacing back and forth while vigorously swinging her arms. She looked disturbed.

He thought: Even goddesses can lose their composure.