Dark Universe

Jared intercepted the clicks from the portable caster as they echoed against the object his brother was displaying. It was the cloth he had buried in the passageway. Romel was firming his grip on that imaginary swish-rope. And Jared waited for the tug that would jerk him off his feet.

The Elders had had time to study the reeking object, and Maxwell asked, “Where did you get this thing?”

“I listened to Jared hide it. And I dug it up.”

“Why would he do a thing like that?”

“Ask him.” But before Maxwell could, Romel went on, “I think he was covering up for the monster. Don’t get me wrong now. Jared’s my brother. But the interest of the Lower Level comes first. That’s why I’m exposing this conspiracy.”

“That’s ridiculous—” Jared began.

“Eh? What?” Haverty interrupted. “Conspiracy? What conspiracy? Why should your brother conspire with the monster? How could he conspire with it?”

“He stole off and met it in the Original World, didn’t he?”

Echoes fetched only the impression of hair hanging down over Romel’s face. But Jared knew that the smile concealed beneath the veil was as sardonic as it had been each time the swish-rope accomplished its mischievous purpose during an earlier era.

“I hid the cloth,” he began, “because—”

But Haverty persisted. “What would he gain by conspiring with a monster?”

There was yet another tug to be had from the swish-rope. “He’s Prime Survivor now, isn’t he?” Romel reminded with a laugh.

Jared lunged up. But two Elders halted his charge.

“That kind of outburst,” Averyman assured, “only makes the accusation seem more reasonable.”

Jared relaxed before the slab. “I hid the cloth because I wanted to study it later. I couldn’t very well bring it into the world without having to answer the same questions I’m answering now.”

“Reasonable,” Averyman grumbled. “And what about this matter of conspiring with the monster?”

“Would you say I’d have anything to gain if a monster kidnaped a Zivver?”

“Not personally, no.”

He told them about the invasion of the Upper Level by the two monsters.

“And why didn’t you say anything about this before?” Averyman asked somewhat indignantly after he had finished.

“For the same reason I’ve already given — I didn’t realize then that I wasn’t responsible for what was happening.”

After a moment Maxwell warned, “We certainly intend to check that story about the Zivver being carried off by monsters.”

“If you find out I’m lying, give me any length of sentence in the Punishment Pit.”

Averyman rose. “I think this hearing has taken up enough time for one period.”

“Hearing? Compost!” Jared swore. “Let’s quit sitting on our hands and go after the Prime Survivor!”

“Easy now,” Haverty soothed. “We don’t want to do anything rash. We may be dealing with Cobalt and Strontium themselves.”

“But they’ll be back!”

“At which time we’ll rely both on the Protectors we’ve posted at the entrance and on the Guardian for Exorcism.”

It was a stupid position born of deaf superstition. But Jared heard that he wouldn’t be able to budge them from it.

Later that period he withdrew to the Fenton Grotto to work on a formula for reallocating the remaining ma

He pushed the box aside and laid his head on the slab. Not only were the sniffles driving him out of his mind, but he also felt as though his head were stuffed with warm, moist wooL He’d had fever before, but not like this. Nor had he ever heard of anyone else being sick in this ma

Leading his thoughts away from physical discomfort, he took cheer from the still unbelievable realization that no Divine Being stood in the way of his quest for Light. The monsters might resent his seeking Darkness and Light. But they could be resisted — if he could only find some way to get around their sleep-dealing powers.

It was tantalizing, too, how everything seemed to point toward some vast and incomprehensible pattern into which were woven so many material and immaterial things. What was the obscure relationship between the eyes and Light, Light and Darkness, Darkness and the Original World, the Original World and Radiation? The apparent linkage extended to the Twin Devils then, in a great circle, back again to the eyes and the Light-Darkness arrangement.

He found himself recalling Cyrus, the Thinker, who spent his time meditating in his grotto at the other end of the world. He remembered that gestations ago he had heard the old man express some novel ideas on Darkness. Perhaps it was those philosophic sessions that had suggested the search for Darkness — and Light — in the first place. And Jared knew he must talk with the Thinker again — soon.

The curtains parted, admitting Many, one of the new Survivors.

“For a P.S. of only a few heartbeats’ experience,” he chided, “you’ve sure carved out a chunk of trouble for yourself — popping off before the Elders about chasing after the monster.”

Jared laughed. “Guess I should have kept my mouth shut.”

Many perched on the slab beside him and sneezed. “The Guardian hit the dome when he heard about it. He says now he’s sure Romel would make a better P.S.”

“After I hear my way clear with this hot-springs emergency, I’ll straighten him out.”

“He’s saying the way you acted at the hearing proves you haven’t atoned. And he’s predicting more misfortune for the world.”

As though Many’s words had also been a cue for fulfillment of Guardian Philar’s prophesy, distressed voices began ifitering through the curtain.

Plunging outside, Jared snagged one of the men who were racing by. “What’s all the commotion?”

“The river! It’s ru

Even before he reached the bank, the central caster’s clacks fetched a composite of the situation. The river had fallen so alarmingly below its normal level that the liquid softness of its reflected sound was completely hidden in the echo void of the bank. And there came only the enfeebled gurgling of water around rocks that had never before been exposed.

A terrified scream shrilled from the direction of the main entrance and, without breaking stride, Jared altered course.

With the central caster behind him, he began getting a better impression of what lay ahead. The Protectors stationed at the mouth of the passageway were in a state of agitated disorder.

“Monster! Monster!” someone over there was shouting.

Then Jared checked his charge as the entire tu

It was more than that, however. The noiselessness leaked off, much like valid sound, and touched many things — the dome, the wall on his right, the banging stones beside the entrance.

Starting forward again, he threw his hands in front of his face. The distant, whispering roar of Effective Excitation left him immediately. Then that proved it — the unca

Spared the confusing sensations, he concentrated now on the echoes coming from ahead. There was no monster in the entrance. That one had been there only a few beats earlier was borne out by the loitering scent. And his ears picked out the tubular object that lay on the floor of the tu