The Prince of Mars Returns
Philip Francis Nowlan (1940)
Country of origin: U.S.A.
Available texts by the same author here
Chapter 16: The Crash of Doom
Lil-rin must have misunderstood my silence, for she dropped her gaze and went on in a pathetically breathless way."Oh, I understand, Danan-lih, that I have been just an accident to you. That it was just the fulfillment of the ancient legend. But that isn't what I wanted to say, Danan-lih!
"I mean, Gakko has condemned you to death, or he will in the morning. And I, who am your lawful bride, even if only in name, must die, too, if you do. But before I wed a Northern beast like Gakko, here, Danan-lih, take this gun! They'd only take it away from me anyhow when they dress me in the bridal garments. Please—" So, carefully, I transferred the automatic to my own person. Lil-rin could say no more at the moment, for by then I had folded her in my arms, clasping her supple young form close to mine in the glorious realization, at last, of what she meant to me.
"I love you, Lil-rin, I love you!" I whispered fiercely.
She relaxed against me like one exhausted, and the tears were now streaming from beneath her lowered lids.
"Now I shall die happy," she murmured. "Now I shall have no regrets."
"We're not going to die, now!" I replied. I glanced at the warrior girls standing attentively along the corridor. They were regarding us with unconcealed curiosity, but seemed in no hurry to end our rather desperate communion.
"Tell me quickly, dear," I whispered. "How many of Gakko's people do you think believe in the Legend?"
"Oh, perhaps the great majority," she said, without any great interest in the subject, but with a wondrous look in her eyes as she gazed up from where her head nestled against my shoulder.
"Then my plan may work! For I believe I know now why Gakko gave me that strange order that I was to be brought before him in Council tomorrow just as I am now, dirty and disheveled."
Quickly I outlined the plan for her. As I talked the glow of hope and exuberance came back again into her eyes.
"Good!" Lil-rin exclaimed when I had finished. "And even if it does not work, my Danan-lih, we shall meet death side-by-side, fighting to the last!"
She drew herself up proudly and motioned to the leader of the girl warriors.
"We are ready," she said.
So, with many curious glances and whispered comments, for obviously the girl guards were puzzled by the sudden change in our bearing, perhaps even awed a bit at the jubilant manner in which I was going forth to meet a certain death, they conducted us to the next turn in the corridor. Here, after a hasty embrace, Lil-rin and I were parted.
They took me to a cell in the tower, about halfway up, from which I had a good view of the westward side of the city and the shore. After bringing me food and a little water, they left me to my meditations and plans for the morrow.
First, I carefully inspected the two automatics, as soon as I was sure I was not under observation. I spent some time in practicing, until I could draw those guns from their concealed holsters with my old-time skill.
Then, detail by detail, endeavoring to prepare for every possible contingency, I went over my plans again and again, until last I dropped off to sleep.
In the morning, four of the warrior girls came to conduct me to the Council Hall. They led me to a grilled door; and while I awaited the signal that would bring me before Gakko, I had plenty of time to study the great room and the throng within it.
Gakko was giving the crowd a harangue that would have been a credit to an Earthly politician. A master of dramatic art, he was cleverly painting a picture of himself as the popular leader, while holding his cohorts in suspense as to some great revelation he was about to make. He contrived to put across the impression that this matter would be one of great amusement to them, as well as to himself.
"And now," he shouted, "behold the fair barbarian of the desert allies, Ur Lil-rin of the Ta n'Ur. Is she fair enough, I ask you, to be the bride of-an Alar-Lur?" And he put into this last phrase a subtle suggestion.
My heart pounded as I saw Lil-rin step forth with stately grace. Two of Gakko's warrior girls, weapons drawn, were at her side, and two more behind. Gakko, with dramatic dignity, stepped back a pace as with a sweeping gesture he centered the attention of the throng upon her.
There was a sibilant intake of breath all through the hall as Lil-rin stepped forward; a murmur of surprise, and then a roar of approval. Her costume was so gorgeous, I could not have blamed the War-Wives for any pangs of jealousy.
Unnoticed for the moment by the crowd, Gakko glanced at the door.
Hastily my guards swung it open. Before I had time to guess their purpose, they seized me roughly. Pulling and jerking me this way and that, they hustled me out on the platform in such a way as to make it appear that I was cravenly resisting, and had to be dragged along.
From my appearance in such grimy and tattered garments, and from the manner in which the warrior girls were roughing me I must truly have presented a ridiculous contrast to Lil-rin.
A roar of laughter echoed through the great hall.
Now Gakko was shouting. "Can this be the great Danan-lih of the Legend, the Hero of the Green Star—the Alar-Lur of Mars?"
"No! No!" roared the crowd between gusts of laughter.
"I leave the decision to you, my people!" Gakko shouted, holding up his hand for silence. "Shall this fair barbarian be the bride of Gakko-Alar-Lur or of this false hero of the Legend who now cringes at my feet?"
Gakko pointed dramatically at the spot where he expected me to be. For with this last speech of his as their cue, the girls who were guarding me began again to jerk me this way and that. I sensed their purpose was to trip and hurl me headlong to the floor before him.
Well, I would have to disappoint them. In fact, what with my Earth strength and all, that was precisely what I did. To their utter astonishment, it was the four of them, and not I, who went sprawling when they attempted to hurl me at Gakko's feet.
In a single bound I covered the space that separated me from Gakko. When I felt the floor under my feet again I lashed out with all the momentum of my leap and every ounce of strength in my body. There was a sharp crack! as my fist landed on Gakko's jaw.
The blow literally lifted him from his feet and hurled him headlong from the platform and down the steps, where he lay an inert and lifeless mass among his own lesser lords.
For a moment, breathless silence pervaded the hall. Not a Martian moved. Slowly, ominously, I stepped forward to the edge of the platform facing Gakko's minions, a gun in each hand.