'The King has risen!
The Golden March resumes!
Southmark, that was no more,
Will rise again!'
Moontouch reached out to me with one hand, looking right at me from a far, far distance.
'Your son will rule, Slayer. I will die if you do not rejoin me. I await you, weeping in the dark. Do not betray me, my only love!'
And she faded away into the dark. The light came back—bright green light, blinding me. Pain crawled over my body until it was all burning, a fire on my skin. I tried to open my mouth. I was choking. I blinked and opened my eyes. That white ceiling again, aflame with greenish lights. I was lying on my back. Hurting, but alive. Sweat and blood, trickling over my skin—I could feel it but I could not move. I was tremendously weak.
I wanted to move my head, to see. I was conscious now. Someone was beside me, close beside me to my left. I was naked, I realized, covered with bloody wounds, lying on a hard surface. My eyes—I could move my eyes. I saw a slim female body, also naked, pale brown skin, cut and bruised and burnt, completely still. Tara! I would know her anywhere! It was Tara, lying close beside me on this cold slab, as if the two of us were dead. I struggled to control my limbs. My fingers were twitching. I concentrated on the right hand, and dug my fingers into my palm, as hard as I could. Pressure—I could feel it. This was not a dream—it was real! Tara and I were lying together, somewhere, under these evil lights. I strained to take charge of my body, but I could not. I was as weak as a newborn mumpup.
Movement. Something approached. It was an Omni. It loomed above us looking down, a gaunt, dark, skeletal figure. It carried no weapons and it was not in armor. There was no mag field. It was horribly there, horribly close. A bolt of terror shot through my body. It was such concentrated fear that I could do nothing but gasp. Tara and I lay on a slab about waist-high to the O. I tried to avoid looking at it but it paused by my side. I was aware of its awful split head and dead dry eyes, blinking at me.
I raised my right arm suddenly, easily, involuntarily.
The O grasped my arm with one awful wet hand and pressed something up against the flesh of my biceps with the other hand. Then it released me, leaving a bloody mark. My arm fell down to my side.
The O moved, slithering and scratching, to the other side of the slab. Tara raised one arm. Alive! She's alive!
The creature pressed an instrument against her arm, then pulled it away. Tara's arm fell. The O stood there, a massive presence. I could feel only helplessness and terror. Long, spotted fingers wrapped around Tara's hair and the O yanked her to a sitting position. Tara whimpered. The creature looked into her face for one horrible instant, seemingly curious. Then he slammed her back onto the slab. Her body twitched. Now the O slithered around to my side. It snatched me by my hair and I was suddenly looking right into its awful face, alien eyes full of hatred, a black maw opening full of needle teeth, a snakelike hissing. I was struck with despair, shot through with terror. I was helpless in its mighty grip.
The O slammed me back to the slab and moved off, then turned calmly, watching us. My muscles trembled. I could move! I twitched my arms. I struggled to get up, freezing and terrified. Tara lay helpless beside me. I was suddenly overcome with revulsion for her. Faithless bitch! She got us into this! I straddled her, and seized her tender throat in my scarred hands. Terror showed in her eyes. I'll strangle the bitch, I decided, I'll throttle her to death.
I squeezed her throat with all my might. She convulsed, her arms suddenly scratching at me helplessly. I laughed at her hopeless struggles. I'll kill her and then rape her, that's what I'll do. A perfect end for our hopeless relationship!
The O laughed. It was a croaking hiss, but I knew it was a laugh. It disappeared. I realized that a door had snapped close, and Tara and I were alone.
I released my grasp from her neck, horrified. She coughed and gasped, thrashing her arms around blindly. I embraced her, in shock.
'I'm sorry, Tara—the bastards made me do it! I couldn't resist! I couldn't!' We collapsed in tears, lying there side by side in each other's arms on that hopeless slab, under those awful lights.
'Are you all right, Tara? Can you move?'
She could only nod her head, her lovely face streaked with tears. I pulled her tighter and we lay there, naked and freezing, terrified and helpless, seeking solace in ourselves.
'We're dead,' she finally choked. 'I can't even begin to counter them. They're too powerful.'
'I'm sorry, Tara.' I knew it was impossible to resist. We were doomed.
'I'm sorry, too, Wester. We tried.'
'We tried! We did that! We did our best.'
'Our very best!'
'No matter what happens, remember I love you. Even if they make me kill you.'
'Yes, Wester—I love you too. Let's close our eyes now, and imagine it's many long years ago, and I'm Tara and you're Wester, and we're just a girl and a boy, together, in a warm night.'
And we did that, under those alien lights, side by side, holding hands like children. It almost worked. But then the door opened again.
Light, from the doorway. A tall figure against the light. It stepped forward. Gildron. It was Gildron, Tara's man-ape, dressed in elektra violet, the
Gildron paused before us. Now he leaned over us, one massive, hairy hand cupping Tara's head, gently pulling her to a sitting position. Tara was paralyzed with terror—she too thought it was the O. I watched in horror, totally helpless. Gildron's eyes were full of tears. His face came up against Tara's and he gathered her up in his arms, just like a baby, and lifted her off the slab.
'Gildron! It's you!' Tara called out. Gildron threw his head back and moaned.
'Zin-da,' He said. 'Zin-da.' He gently set her on her feet, and went down on one knee, embracing her. I hardly dared move. Tara was crying, running her hands hopelessly through Gildron's hair. I slid off the slab slowly to an icy floor. I had no explanation, no idea at all what was happening.
Gildron got to his feet, a massive, powerful figure. Had I ever really looked at him before? I had always thought of him as an ape, but now he looked like a God. He put one great, hairy hand on Tara's shoulder, and one on mine. And he led us toward the doorway. Right into the light.
We walked through icy air, green lights glittering all around us. And two gigantic O's stood aside and let us pass. My heart was pounding. It was like a dream. My fingernails dug into my palms, and I could feel it just fine.
This was no dream—it was real! Gildron had just walked us past the O's!
Chapter 13
Two Billion Ghosts
