Post by Daubee on Dec 5, 2012 21:59:52 GMT -5
Heedlessly, the insane old man tensed for the blow that would end the life of the girl. But in that instant he seemed to be concealed in a bluish haze, and then, suddenly, to the horror of all, he seemed, like a living bomb, to explode with fire. Not even a scream came from that fierce blue combustive mass that had been a human being, and in a minute, the flame had departed, almost as quickly as it had come, and a dust of ashes scattered from the top of the cylinder in the wind.
Tarnsman of Gor, page 167
Portus Canio, Fel Doron near him, drew from his pouch a heavy, shapeless object of metal, which seemed as though it had been deformed, perhaps twisted, bent in upon itself, and then fused, melted, in great heat."
"What is it?" asked Mirus.
"You do not know?"
"No."
"After we left our camp, of some days ago, Bosk of Port Kar, and his friend, visited the site of our camp, thinking we might still be there. Subsequently they followed us."
"What of your fellow, Tersius Major?" asked Mirus.
"No fellow of mine, he," said Portus Canio. "But Bosk and his friend found there only bones, pieces of bones, splintered, gnawed, shreds of clothing, torn, cast about."
"Sleen," said Mirus.
"It would seem so," said Portus Canio.
"Apparently sleen do not respect circles of forbidden weapons," said Mirus. "They, at least, are not prone to baseless superstition. They, at least, do not share your concern with Priest-Kings."
"Hold this," said Portus Canio, extending his hand, the weighty, shapeless object within it.
Mirus took the object, and regarded it. "It is a strange thing," he said, "possibly a meteorite, a star stone."
"Feel the weight," said Portus Canio. "Does it not remind you of something?"
Mirus turned white.
"Yes," said Portus Canio. "It is the remains of one of the forbidden weapons. The others were similarly destroyed. Bosk cast them away, into the grass. He kept this one to show me." So saying, Portus Canio took back the bit of fused, shapeless metal.
"Do you not fear to touch it?" asked Mirus.
"Not now," said Portus Canio. "It is no longer a weapon. Now it is nothing, only what was once a weapon."
"What force or heat could do this, and here, in the prairie?" asked Mirus, wonderingly.
"Surely the Priest-Kings have spoken," said Fel Doron.
"Do not be absurd, my friend," said Mirus. "There are no such things. You must overcome such beliefs."
"There is this," said Portus Canio, lifting the shapeless mass of fused, melted metal.
"There was a storm last night, to the north," said Mirus. "Lightning. Lightning struck the weapons. It destroyed them. It is an obvious explanation. They were metal, they were on a high place, on a knoll."
"That is certainly possible," agreed Portus Canio. Then he cast the piece of metal far from him, away, out into the grass.
"Priest-Kings do not exist," said Mirus.
"Even so," smiled Portus Canio, "I would advise you to keep their laws."
"They do not exist," said Mirus.
"I do not know," said Portus Canio. "But do not be afraid."
"I do not understand," said Mirus.
"If they do exist, perhaps in the Sardar Mountains, as many claim," said Portus Canio, "I think it is clear that we have little to fear from them, indeed far less to fear from them than from the caste of Initiates, which claims to speak in their name. The Priest-Kings, it seems to me, have little or no interest in us, in our kind, in our form of life, little or no concern with the doings of men, other than that their laws be kept."
"You suggest that they are rational? That they fear human technology?"
"Perhaps," said Portus Canio.
"They are real then?" asked Mirus.
"One does not suppose otherwise," said Portus Canio.
"Perhaps as real as mountains and storms, as real as flowers, as tarns and sleen."
"They do not exist," said Mirus, again.
"I do not know," said Portus Canio.
"No," said Mirus. "It is lightning, lightning."
"Perhaps," said Portus Canio.
"Lightning," repeated Mirus. "Obviously lightning."
"That is quite possible," said Portus Canio.
"It looks like a pleasant day for trekking," said Mirus.
"Yes," said Fel Doron.
Prize of Gor, pages 1173 - 1175
Tarnsman of Gor, page 167
Portus Canio, Fel Doron near him, drew from his pouch a heavy, shapeless object of metal, which seemed as though it had been deformed, perhaps twisted, bent in upon itself, and then fused, melted, in great heat."
"What is it?" asked Mirus.
"You do not know?"
"No."
"After we left our camp, of some days ago, Bosk of Port Kar, and his friend, visited the site of our camp, thinking we might still be there. Subsequently they followed us."
"What of your fellow, Tersius Major?" asked Mirus.
"No fellow of mine, he," said Portus Canio. "But Bosk and his friend found there only bones, pieces of bones, splintered, gnawed, shreds of clothing, torn, cast about."
"Sleen," said Mirus.
"It would seem so," said Portus Canio.
"Apparently sleen do not respect circles of forbidden weapons," said Mirus. "They, at least, are not prone to baseless superstition. They, at least, do not share your concern with Priest-Kings."
"Hold this," said Portus Canio, extending his hand, the weighty, shapeless object within it.
Mirus took the object, and regarded it. "It is a strange thing," he said, "possibly a meteorite, a star stone."
"Feel the weight," said Portus Canio. "Does it not remind you of something?"
Mirus turned white.
"Yes," said Portus Canio. "It is the remains of one of the forbidden weapons. The others were similarly destroyed. Bosk cast them away, into the grass. He kept this one to show me." So saying, Portus Canio took back the bit of fused, shapeless metal.
"Do you not fear to touch it?" asked Mirus.
"Not now," said Portus Canio. "It is no longer a weapon. Now it is nothing, only what was once a weapon."
"What force or heat could do this, and here, in the prairie?" asked Mirus, wonderingly.
"Surely the Priest-Kings have spoken," said Fel Doron.
"Do not be absurd, my friend," said Mirus. "There are no such things. You must overcome such beliefs."
"There is this," said Portus Canio, lifting the shapeless mass of fused, melted metal.
"There was a storm last night, to the north," said Mirus. "Lightning. Lightning struck the weapons. It destroyed them. It is an obvious explanation. They were metal, they were on a high place, on a knoll."
"That is certainly possible," agreed Portus Canio. Then he cast the piece of metal far from him, away, out into the grass.
"Priest-Kings do not exist," said Mirus.
"Even so," smiled Portus Canio, "I would advise you to keep their laws."
"They do not exist," said Mirus.
"I do not know," said Portus Canio. "But do not be afraid."
"I do not understand," said Mirus.
"If they do exist, perhaps in the Sardar Mountains, as many claim," said Portus Canio, "I think it is clear that we have little to fear from them, indeed far less to fear from them than from the caste of Initiates, which claims to speak in their name. The Priest-Kings, it seems to me, have little or no interest in us, in our kind, in our form of life, little or no concern with the doings of men, other than that their laws be kept."
"You suggest that they are rational? That they fear human technology?"
"Perhaps," said Portus Canio.
"They are real then?" asked Mirus.
"One does not suppose otherwise," said Portus Canio.
"Perhaps as real as mountains and storms, as real as flowers, as tarns and sleen."
"They do not exist," said Mirus, again.
"I do not know," said Portus Canio.
"No," said Mirus. "It is lightning, lightning."
"Perhaps," said Portus Canio.
"Lightning," repeated Mirus. "Obviously lightning."
"That is quite possible," said Portus Canio.
"It looks like a pleasant day for trekking," said Mirus.
"Yes," said Fel Doron.
Prize of Gor, pages 1173 - 1175