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the metal monster-第47部分

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ing stars that bathed her in violet radiance。 Beneath their upper tips I saw the blasting ovals glitter menacingly。

The girl glared at usmore brilliant grew the glittering ovals as though their lightnings trembled on their lips。

〃Ruth!〃 called Ventnor softly。

A shadow softened the intolerable; hard brilliancy of the brown eyes。 In them something struggled to arise; fighting its way to the surface like some drowning human thing。

It sank backupon her face dropped a cloud of heartbreak; appalling woe; the despair of a soul that; having withdrawn all faith in its own kind to rest all faith; as it thought; on angelssees that faith betrayed。

There stared upon us a stripped spirit; naked and hopeless and terrible。

Despairing; raging; she screamed once more。 The central globe swam to her; it raised her upon its back; glided to the doorway。 Upon it she stood poised like some youthful; anguished Victorya Victory who faced and knew she faced destroying defeat; poised upon that enigmatic orb on bare slender feet; one sweet breast bare; hands upraised; virginally archaic; nothing about her of the Ruth we knew。

〃Ruth!〃 cried Drake; despair as great as that upon her face was in his voice。 He sprang before the globe that held her; barred its way。

For an instant the Thing pausedand in that instant the human soul of the girl rushed back。

〃No!〃 she cried。 〃No!〃

A weird call issued from the white lipsstumbling; uncertain; as though she who sent it forth herself wondered whence it sprang。 Abruptly the angry stars closed。 The three globes spundoubting; puzzled! Again she called now a tremulous; halting cadence。 She was lifted; dropped gently to her feet。

For an instant the globes and pyramids whirled and danced before herthen sped away through the portal。

Ruth swayed; sobbing。 Then as though drawn; she ran to the doorway; fled through it。 As one we sprang after her。 Rods ahead her white body flashed; speeding toward the Pit。 Like fleet…footed Atalanta she fledand far; far behind us was the blue bower; the misty barrier of the veils close; when Drake with a last desperate burst reached her side; gripped her。 Down the two fell; rolling upon the smooth roadway。 Silently she fought; biting; tearing at Drake; struggling to escape。

〃Quick!〃 gasped Ventnor; stretching out to me an arm。 〃Cut off the sleeve。 Quick!〃

Unquestioningly; I drew my knife; ripped the garment at the shoulder。 He snatched the sleeve; knelt at Ruth's head; rapidly he crumpled an end; thrust it roughly into her mouth; tied it fast; gagging her。

〃Hold her!〃 he ordered Drake; and with a sob of relief sprang up。 The girl's eyes blazed at him; filled with hate。

〃Cut that other sleeve;〃 he said; and when I had done so; he knelt again; pinned Ruth down with a knee at her throat; turned her over and knotted her hands behind her。 She ceased struggling; gently now he drew up the curly head; swung her upon her back。

〃Hold her feet。〃 He nodded to Drake; who caught the slender bare ankles in his hands。


She lay there; helpless; being unable to use her hands or feet。

〃Too little Ruth; and too much Norhala;〃 said Ventnor; looking up at me。 〃If she'd only thought to cry out! She could have brought a regiment of those Things down to blast us。 And wouldif she HAD thought。 You don't think THAT is Ruth; do you?〃

He pointed to the pallid face glaring at him; the eyes from which cold fires flamed。

〃No; you don't!〃 He caught Drake by the shoulder; sent him spinning a dozen feet away。 〃Damn it; Drake don't you understand!〃

For suddenly Ruth's eyes softened; she had turned them on Dick pitifully; appealinglyand he had loosed her ankles; had leaned forward as though to draw away the band that covered her lips。

〃Your gun;〃 whispered Ventnor to me; before I had moved he had snatched the automatic from my holster; had covered Drake with it。

〃Drake;〃 he said; 〃stand where you are。 If you take another step toward this girl I'll shoot youby God; I will!〃

Drake halted; shocked amazement in his face; I myself felt resentful; wondering at his outburst。

〃But it's hurting her;〃 he muttered; Ruth's eyes; soft and pleading; still dwelt upon him。

〃Hurting her!〃 exclaimed Ventnor。 〃Manshe's my sister! I know what I'm doing。 Can't you see? Can't you see how little of Ruth is in that body therehow little of the girl you love? How or why I don't knowbut that it is so I DO know。 Drakehave you forgotten how Norhala beguiled Cherkis? I want my sister back。 I'm helping her to get back。 Now let be。 I know what I'm doing。 Look at her!〃

We looked。 In the face that glared up at Ventnor was nothing of Rutheven as he had said。 There was the same cold; awesome wrath that had rested upon Norhala's as she watched Cherkis weep over the eating up of his city。 Swiftly came a changelike the sudden smoothing out of the rushing waves of a hill…locked; wind…lashed lake。

The face was again Ruth's faceand Ruth's alone; the eyes were Ruth's eyessupplicating; adjuring。

〃Ruth!〃 Ventnor cried。 〃While you can hearam I not right?〃

She nodded vigorously; sternly; she was lost; hidden once more。

〃You see。〃 He turned to us grimly。

A shattering shaft of light flashed upon the veils; almost pierced them。 An avalanche of sound passed high above us。 Yet now I noted that where we stood the clamor was lessened; muffled。 Of course; it came to me; it was the veils。

I wondered whyfor whatever the quality of the radiant mists; their purpose certainly had to do with concentration of the magnetic flux。 The deadening of the noise must be accidental; could have nothing to do with their actual use; for sound is an air vibration solely。 No it must be a secondary effect。 The Metal Monster was as heedless of clamor as it was of heat or cold

〃We've got to see;〃 Ventnor broke the chain of thought。 〃We've got to get through and see what's happening。 Win or losewe've got to KNOW。〃

〃Cut off your sleeve; as I did;〃 he motioned to Drake。 〃Tie her ankles。 We'll carry her。〃

Quickly it was done。 Ruth's light body swinging between brother and lover; we moved forward into the mists; we crept cautiously through their dead silences。

Passed out and fell back into them from a searing chaos of light; chaotic tumult。

From the slackened grip of Ventnor and Drake the body of Ruth dropped while we three stood blinded; deafened; fighting for recovery。 Ruth twisted; rolled toward the brink; Ventnor threw himself upon her; held her fast。


Dragging her; crawling on our knees; we crept forward; we stopped when the thinning of the mists permitted us to see through them yet still interposed a curtaining which; though tenuous; dimmed the intolerable brilliancy that filled the Pit; muffled its din to a degree we could bear。

I peered through themand nerve and muscle were locked in the grip of a paralyzing awe。 I felt then as one would feel set close to warring regiments of stars; made witness to the death…throes of a universe; or swept through space and held above the whirling coils of Andromeda's nebula to watch its birth agonies of nascent suns。

These are no figures of speech; no hyperbolesspeck as our whole planet would be in Andromeda's vast loom; pinprick as was the Pit to the cyclone craters of our own sun; within the cliff…cupped walls of the valley was a tangible; struggling living force akin to that which dwells within the nebula and the star; a cosmic spirit transcending all dimensions and thrusting its confines out into the infinite; a sentient emanation of the infinite itself。

Nor was its voice less unearthly。 It used the shell of the earth valley for its trumpetings; its clangorsbut as one hears in the murmurings of the fluted conch the great voice of ocean; its whispering and its roarings; so here in the clamorous shell of the Pit echoed the tremendous voices of that illimitable sea which laps the shores of the countless suns。

I looked upon a mighty whirlpool miles and miles wide。 It whirled with surges whose racing crests were smiting incandescences; it was threaded with a spindrift of lightnings; it was trodden by dervish mists of molten flame thrust through with forests of lances of living light。 It cast a cadent spray high to the heavens。

Over it the heavens glittered as though they were a shield held by fearful gods。 Through the maelstrom staggered a mountainous bulk; a gleaming leviathan of pale blue metal caught in the swirling tide of some incredible volcano; a huge ark of metal breasting a deluge of flame。

And the drumming we heard as of hollow beaten metal worlds; the shouting tempests of cannonading stars; was the breaking of these incandescent crests; the falling of the lightning spindrift; the rhythmic impact of the lanced rays upon the glimmering mountain that reeled and trembled as they struck it。

The reeling mountain; the struggling leviathan; was the City!

It was the mass of the Metal Monster itself; guarded by; stormed by; its own legions that though separate from it were still as much of it as were the cells that formed the skin of its walls; its carapace。

It was the Metal Monster tearing; rending; fighting for; battling againstitself。

Mile high as when I had first beheld it was the inexplicable body that held the great heart of the co
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