Marion Bradley - The Sword of Aldones

But a man’s mind is so alone, shut up inside the bones of the skull.

I sank into the gray night again.

I was walking…

There was an arm beneath my shoulders, and Kadarin’s voice said, “Easy! He can walk. It’s just a scratch, the knife turned on the ribs.”

My eyes wouldn’t focus. I heard someone say sharply “Good God! come in here, and sit down.”

The dizziness cleared. I was standing in the Terran HQ, a rolling view of the spaceport lying far below me, and straight before me, at a big glass-topped desk, Dan Lawton was standing, looking at me with surprise and concern. Kadarin’s arm was still holding me upright. I pulled away; from somewhere out of my range of vision, Regis Hastur got up, came to me, took me firmly by the shoulders and put me into a chair.

“Who in the hell are you?”

Kadarin bowed, ever so slightly.

“Robert Raymon Kadarin, z’par servu . And you?”

Behind us, a door opened and Kathie’s voice said anxiously, “Is he really — oh, hello, Dan.”

The Terran Legate shook his head. “In a minute,” he said to nobody in particular, “I shall begin to gibber. Hello, Kathie. It is you?”

She looked dubiously at me. “May I tell him?”

“Wait, wait. One thing at a time. I’ll go nuts, if I have to unravel anything more just now. Kadarin. I’ve wanted to set eyes on you for quite a while. You know you’ve finally stepped over the line?”

“I claim immunity,” Kadarin said harshly. “Lew Alton would have died at Hall I had given him safe-conduct, and his life has been formally claimed; it is mine to dispose of as I will. I brought him here of my own free will, when I could have preserved my own immunity by staying away and letting him die. I claim immunity.”

Lawton groaned. But Kadarin had the legal right of it. “All right. But no telepathic tricks.”

He smiled bitterly. “I couldn’t, if I would. Dyan Ardais ran off with the Sharra matrix. I’m as helpless as Lew, here!”

Rafe Scott came suddenly into the office. The boy’s face took on a stunned look, as he saw me, and Regis, and Kadarin, and Kathie; but he spoke to Lawton.

“Why have you locked Thyra up downstairs?”

“Do you know that woman?” Lawton demanded sharply.

“She’s my sister,” Kadarin said, while Rafe was still sputtering.

“Damn it!” Lawton exploded, “every troublemaker on the planet is related to you one way or another, Rafe! She tried to murder Lew Alton, that’s all. When we brought her in, all of a sudden we had a screeching maniac on our hands, so I had the doctor give her a shot, and dumped her in a cell to cool off.”

Rafe came to me, his voice urgent. “Lew, why would Thyra—”

“Let him alone, you!” Regis shoved Rafe roughly away. I gripped Regis’ arm. “Don’t start another fight,” I implored. “Don’t! Don’t!”

A moment he resisted, then shrugged, and sat on the arm of my chair, glaring at Rafe. “Wasn’t Callina with you?”

“The medical officer kept her too,” Kathie said. “She was dizzy — sick. She kept falling asleep.”

Trance again? I sat upright, feeling lightheaded. “I’ve got to get to her!”

“You can’t do anything now,” Regis said.

“What are you doing here?”

Lawton answered for him. “I sent, last night, for the Regent, and we’ve been talking most of the night.”

Regis said quietly, “We’re finished, Lew. The Comyn will have to make terms. Even Grandfather realizes that. And if Sharra gets out of hand—”

The Sword of Aldones was lying across Lawton’s desk, Kadarin came and stood over it. “I let Sharra loose,” he said, “It was an experiment that misfired, that’s all. But our damned idiot hero here made matters worse by taking the Sharra matrix off-world, and for six years, all those activated spots just ran wild. And now Dyan has it!” He turned restlessly, a prowling animal. “I knew Alton wouldn’t deal with me on any terms. So I tried to find someone in the Comyn, anyone who would steal the thing back for me. Just so I could monitor those sites, and then destroy the matrix. But after all that work — “his shoulders sagged. “I walked from the trap to the cookpot, when I tried to deal with Dyan Ardais!”

“Did he kill Marius to get it?” Regis asked.

“I imagine so, I’m not sure, but I’m not very wise in the accomplices I choose, am? That—” he pointed at the Sword of Aldones, “is a last resort. It will put Sharra out, permanently, but it’s murder. Anyone who’s ever been keyed into the Sharra matrix—”

Lawton said, “I’ll keep it for the time being.”

Kadarin laughed, a harsh animal sound. “Just try! Now that it’s been crossed with Sharra’s, even I—” he reached for the sword, then his hands contracted visibly, and he drew back with an audible gasp. Shaking his fingers, agonized, he glanced at Rafe and said, “You try.”

“Not if I know it!” Rafe backed away.

Lawton was no coward. He reached over and took the hilt firmly. Then, in a shower of blue sparks, he went flying across the room. He crashed into the wall, fell, and picked himself up, dazed, rubbing his head. “Good lord!”

“My turn.” I reached for the Sword, which had fallen to the floor. I managed to lift it to the desk, but finally, trembling, had to let it fall. “I can touch it,” I said, feeling the hot, unbearable tingling, “but I can’t hang on to it.”

“No one man can,” Regis said. “But I’ll keep it for the moment.” Easily, he picked it up and belted it at his waist. “I am Hastur,” he said quietly.

Then the Hastur Gift is the living matrix!

Regis nodded. The matrix had found its support and focus, the monitoring balance, in the brain and nerves of the Hastur who bore it. No one else could handle that sword — or even hold it without danger.

Sharra was only a dreadful and lethal copy of this.

“Yes;” Kadarin said quietly, “I guessed. That was why your hand never healed, Lew. The wound itself was not so bad, but you’d handled the matrix, and human flesh and blood won’t take it. I never did, without at least one other telepath in rapport—”

Suddenly, down the corridor, Thyra began to scream.

Kadarin jumped out of his chair. I sat bolt upright. That something which had set Thyra to mad shrieking had jolted in me, too; black emptiness, loss, tearing—

“Marja!” I almost sobbed the name.

Kadarin whirled to face me; I have never seen such a look on a human face, before or since. “Quick! Where is she?”

“What’s the matter?” Lawton demanded.

Kadarin moved his lips, but no sound came. Finally he said, “Dyan Ardais has the matrix—”

I finished. “He doesn’t dare use it alone. He saw me — what happened to my hand. He’ll need a telepath, and Marja’s an Alton—”

“Dirty, treacherous—” Kadarin’s voice was thick with fear, but not for himself. My mind was open, and for a minute, seeing Kadarin, my hate receded. Regis turned, unbelted the Sword of Aldones, and put it into Kathie’s hands. “Keep this,” he said, “you’re still immune. Don’t be afraid; no Darkovan alive can take it from you, or harm you while you hold it.” He turned to me, and without a word, knowing what he wanted, I gave him Rafe’s pistol.

“What are you—”

Regis said tersely, cutting Lawton short, “This is a Comyn affair, and with the best will in the world, you could only hinder, not help. Rafe, come with me.”

Kadarin said harshly, “You fool, it’s for Marja! Go with him!”

They went. The rhythmic, hysterical shrieks never stopped. Kadarin stood still, as if- holding himself in check with his whole body; then suddenly broke free. “I’m going,” he shouted at Lawton over his shoulder, and slammed out of the room. Lawton grabbed my arm.