There was no face, nothing recognizable in that constantly altering form. It lifted short, thick pseudopods of a whitish substance clear of the surface. They gleamed brightly in the dim cavern light. Luke thought he could see partway through the creature, and strange shapes swirling about it internally.
One pulsing white arm flailed at the fragile craft. Luke swung at it with his saber. The blue beam passed completely through the glowing matter. While the saber produced no visible damage, the action caused the amoeba-shape to reabsorb the limb.
Another curling tentacle swiped at Luke and this time he stabbed at it. The beam shot straight through the arm. There was no hint of blood or internal fluids of any kind. Only the lapping of water against the spongy, rocking pad and Luke’s grunts as he fought frantically sounded in the chamber. For the most part the battle proceeded in hellish silence.
Each time the creature thrust at them, Luke would parry the strike with the saber. Each time the limb would shrink back into the heaving, glowing body without suffering any visible damage.
A sweeping limb caught Luke from behind as he was cutting at another pseudopod. It swept him over the side as the Princess screamed. Somehow he kept a hand on the upcurled rim of the pad-boat. His weight caused it to tilt slightly toward him, but fortunately it was far too naturally buoyant to capsize.
Leia wrestled him halfway back aboard. Then something caught him from below and yanked him beneath the surface. The Princess barely let go in time to keep from being dragged over herself.
Anxious moments passed with no sign of Luke. Then he broke the surface not far off, sputtering and spitting. Flaring brilliantly beneath the water, his saber swung and hacked at something unseen. It let loose long enough for him to crawl back onto the pad. The saber arced dangerously near the Princess and his own legs as he cut at clinging pale limbs. He kept cutting until the last grasping pseudopod slunk out of sight.
Dripping wet and still choking on water, he knelt on the pad and tried to look every which way at once.
“Look!” Leia exclaimed. Luke saw the line of bubbles in the water, only now they were moving away from the pad-boat. Their steady pop-plop sounded for several minutes after the bubbles themselves had vanished from sight.
Exhausted, he fell onto his back and stared at the pincushion ceiling.
“You did it, Luke. You beat it off.”
“I’m not so sure,” he panted, feeling anything but victorious. “Maybe the thing just got tired and went away.” He studied the switched-off lightsaber in his fist. “Or maybe it decided a saber beam’s not very palatable.” He reattached it to his belt, sat up with a groan and locked his arms about his knees. Water dripped from his hair down in front of his face.
Leia moved closer, reached out uncertainly to touch his arm. He eyed her, then coughed. She sat back. Suddenly she began screaming. Luke looked around but there was nothing in sight.
Bending over, the Princess screamed into clasped hands. The muffled wail continued for several minutes. When it ended, she looked back up at him without apology.
“I’m all right now, I think,” she said with forced steadiness. She took a deep breath. “I just think … I’m ready to leave this place, Luke.” Her voice rose slightly. “I’m ready to get out.”
“Believe me, Leia,” he replied, taking her hand in his, “I’m in just as big a hurry as you.”
They exchanged wordless thoughts. Then each picked up a paddle and together they resumed digging black water.
Despite Luke’s feeling that their translucent assailant would attack again, they weren’t bothered for several hours. But then it didn’t matter. The far shore of the lake finally hove into view.
Only there was something more than a naked shoreline coming toward them. “Surely the Coway didn’t build that,” Luke whispered in awe.
An ancient dock protruded from the dry ground ahead. While no boats of any kind were in sight, the long finger of metal extending out into the water left no doubt as to its function, its alien design notwithstanding.
Luke had less luck identifying the purposes of the numerous structures clustered all along the shore. Many appeared raised from stone, others had metal walls, and some combinations of both materials. No matter what the composition, every one displayed signs of considerable age. Not a single edifice rose unmarred by time. Try as he might, Luke couldn’t locate a single window. Openings which must have served as doors were squatly oval.
They paddled for the left-hand shore until the pad thumped bottom. Stepping out into the water up to his waist, Luke extended a supportive hand for the Princess. She remained in the boat, not exactly frightened, but devoid of confidence.
“Come on,” Luke urged her, “it’s not deep here.”
“But I’d have to step in the water. I’d rather not, Luke.”
“It’s all right,” he assured her, masking any impatience. “You can make it in a few steps.”
She shook her head again. Luke sighed, waded to the edge of the pad. He extended both arms. She slipped into them and he carried her to dry land, noticing as he did so how tightly she held her eyes closed.
Finally they were sitting gratefully on the stone berm, no longer caring if their makeshift craft floated away. Behind them the city of the Thrella loomed silently.
“Okay now?” he inquired, leaning forward and looking at her face. She didn’t meet his eyes.
“I’m okay. I’m sorry I was so much trouble. I’m sorry I did so much screaming. I … usually have better control of myself than that.”
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for,” he assured her firmly. “Certainly not for screaming. As for being frightened,” he smiled gently, “I was twice as terrified as you when that half-goblin came up out of the water at us. I was too busy to be screaming, or I’m sure I would have.”
“Oh, it wasn’t the monster so much,” Leia explained disarmingly. “That was a real, palpable threat.” She got to her feet, continued almost casually, “It’s just that I can’t swim.”
Luke sat staring at her in disbelief as she wrung water from her torn coveralls. “Why didn’t you say something before we pushed off?” he finally managed to ask.
She gave him a wry smile. “Would that have mattered, Luke? The trail vanished into the lake.” She gestured toward the unmistakable pathway that re-emerged from the water’s edge nearby and wound into the subterranean city. “We had to get across. It was an unfortunate but unavoidable situation. I didn’t see any point in burdening you with my own childhood fears.” She walked toward the pathway.
“Look, it goes on through the town. I’d like to meet the people who built this place.” She glanced back at him impatiently. “We’re wasting time.”
Dumb with admiration, he climbed erect and followed her into the maze of structures. It rapidly became clear that the city was the product of an intelligence that had long since disappeared from Mimban. Everything was neatly laid out, and the metalwork showed signs of advanced techniques. The decay of the buildings was due to time, not shoddy design or construction. Given the relative paucity of natural erosion underground, the city had to be ancient indeed.
The absence of right angles and a preference for sweeping curves and arches indicated that the inhabitants of the city had been aesthetically as well as architecturally talented. Beauty of design was another luxury primitive peoples could rarely afford, generally having to gear their construction strictly to the utilitarian.
Something clattered softly behind them and Luke whirled. The mystifying oval portals stared back at him like the eye sockets of gray, bleached skulls. The Princess frowned at him.
“Thought I heard something, that’s all,” he informed her, staring resolutely ahead.
They continued on through the city, but Luke’s curt disclaimer belied his uneasiness. He had heard something. As they walked along the meandering pathway and the buildings drew closer about them, he felt a crawling sensation on his neck as if someone, or something, was staring at him. It became
an almost palpable feeling. Yet every time he jerked around sharply for a look, there was nothing. Not a suggestion of movement, not a sigh, not a sound.
He was grateful when the buildings started to thin out and become less numerous. Empty doorways beckoned to him and he was tempted, very tempted, to enter one of the ruined structures to find out if its interior was as well preserved as the outside.
This was not, he reminded himself firmly, the time for playful exploration. Their first concern was to find the way out, not to go poking through this ancient metropolis. However wonderful it was.
He wondered what had caused the extinction of Mimban’s advanced races, of the temple-builders and the Thrella and the others. Interracial warfare, perhaps, or maybe sequential decadence ending in their being overwhelmed by aborigines like the greenies.
Rock scraped on rock. This time when he spun there was a hint of movement behind a wall of stalagmites off to their left.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t hear that.”
“Rocks fall from the roof constantly in caves,” the Princess agreed readily. “I know how you feel, Luke. I’m still pretty jumpy myself.”
“This wasn’t my nerves,” he insisted. “There’s something following us. I saw it move.”
Ignoring the Princess’ protests, he started toward the ridge of colored spires. The sound wasn’t repeated and there was no movement. Walking in a half-crouch, he reached the far end of the little wall and peered around it. There was nothing there.
“LUKE!”
Ben Kenobi would have been proud. In one smooth motion he threw up a hand to ward off the shape falling toward him, activated and drew the lightsaber at the same time. Unknowingly he performed both actions with the same arm. The hand he threw up defensively held the saber.
The creature was quickly cut in half.
Luke ran back to rejoin the Princess. She was pointing ahead. Their path was blocked by two more of the bipeds. Others appeared behind them, two, three more, moving in on them cautiously.
“Coway,” Leia commented, bending to pick up a broken stalactite. She shifted it efficiently in her hand, held it like a dagger as the humanoids stalked them.
Each was slim and covered with a fine gray down. Their eyes were shrunken, dark orbs. Yet they appeared to see Luke and the Princess clearly enough. Each wore a kind of abbreviated set of trousers from which dangled assorted primitive instruments and many charms. These were matched by others hanging from upper arms and neck.
All were armed with a long, thin stone spear made of flowstone. A couple also carried double-bladed axes. They displayed no fear of Luke’s lightsaber, despite its recently demonstrated lethal qualities. This indicated either a fair knowledge of human technology from surface visits, or else a bravery born of ignorance.
Luckily their tactics were equally primitive. With a rolling cry, the three behind all charged together, while the two ahead rushed in several moments late. The slight difference in time was critical.
A single swipe of the saber sliced two of the thrusting spears in half. The third jabbed at the Princess. She blocked the thrust with her stone, got her legs around the onrushing native’s and sent it crashing to the ground. Rolling over on top of him, she brought the stalactite section down hard on its skull. There was a plastic breaking sound and blood gushed freely.
Luke ducked a wild axe swing, cut both legs out from under the wielder. By now the two latecomers had entered the fray. Luke dispatched one with a thrust that cut off the hand holding the spear above the wrist. Its owner collapsed on the ground, moaning and holding the cauterized stump.
More cautious than his companion, the second pulled up hastily. He started jabbing at Luke with his spear. Luke promptly cut off the spear point, whereupon its owner threw the shaft at Luke, spun and ran back the way it had come.
Luke turned to the Princess. She was adroitly dodging the alternating cuts and jabs of the remaining native, hunting for an opening. But when the creature saw Luke approaching, it turned to retreat.
Hefting the saber carefully, Luke let the weapon fly. It passed completely through the Coway at the small of its back, until the solid pommel contacted flesh. It fell to the ground, instantly dead.
“Hurry!” the Princess urged, salvaging an axe from one of the fallen creatures. “It mustn’t get away to warn others.” Luke retrieved his saber and hurried after her.
Together they ran in pursuit of the single remaining Coway.
In their rush, neither noticed immediately that they were traveling very slightly but unmistakably uphill, for the first time since they’d abandoned the Thrella well.
A huge pile of rubble fallen from the ceiling lay ahead. The fleeing Coway reached it, started scrambling for the top. While still on the run, the Princess took aim and heaved the axe she carried with more force and accuracy than Luke (or anyone else) would have given her credit for. It struck the native on the right shoulder and sent it tumbling down the other side of the rock pile.
“You got him,” Luke exclaimed, “you got him.”
Gasping for breath they started up the hill of broken stone. It seemed brighter on the far side. Probably, Luke mused absently, from denser growth of light-generating plants.
Mimbanian botany was otherwise far from his thoughts now. They had to catch and dispatch the wounded Coway before it brought an army of its fellows down on them. They topped the rise.
And paused there at the sight of what lay just beyond …
X
THE cave opened out into an enormous circular amphitheater, as large as the black lake only empty of water. High up on the far side of the cavern wall sat several small, single-story structures. They were of the same construction as the city just behind them, perhaps some kind of gateway buildings. Only these were not nearly as run-down as the structures in the main part of the city. Someone had kept them reasonably intact. The ground around them had been cleared of debris, and walls and roofs were neatly, if crudely, patched. They gave every sign of being occupied.
Below, they saw the native the Princess had nicked with the axe holding his shoulder as he ran toward a great crowd of furred beings clustered in the cavern’s center. They stood around a modest pond, a depression kept full by seepage from the ceiling. A real bonfire blazed to the pond’s left, fed by assorted yellow-brown substances which were not honest wood but which burned very efficiently.
Framed by pond and fire were three large stalagmites, to which were tied two growling Yuzzem and an old woman. Halla stood bound by several vine-like cords, while Hin and Kee were nearly mummified by many more. Threepio and Artoo Detoo stood enveloped in vine-cords nearby.
At least two hundred Coway, including armed females and children, clustered around pond, fire and prisoners. The wounded relative running toward them was now yelling at the top of his lungs.
Luke started to turn. The Princess grabbed his arm, stared hard at him. “Where would we run to, Luke? They’ll be after us in seconds, and they know these passages. If we have to fight and die I’d rather do it out in the open … and not on the lake.” She hefted the fallen axe.
“Leia, we—” But she was already scrambling down the rubble toward the cavern.
By this time the injured Coway had reached the crowd and was jabbering excitedly to several large males who wore unmistakable headdresses of stone, bone, and other materials. Several cries came from backward-looking members of the assembly. All eyes shifted to the two beings walking slowly toward them.
Luke held his lightsaber before him. The native Leia had wounded now pointed to the glowing weapon and muttered nervously.
As they neared the mob of assembled troglodytes Luke made what he hoped was a positive, confident gesture with the saber. The crowd, muttering uncertainly, parted. Twitching internally, Luke and the Princess marched between the ranks of intent natives toward the three captives. While they respected the power of the lightsaber, Luke had the distinct impression they were anything but panicked by it.
“Th
ey’re not sure what to do,” the Princess murmured, confirming his own thoughts. “They seem to admire your saber, but they’re not going to grant you godhood.”
“They’ll admire it more if they try and stop us,” Luke said grimly, with increasing confidence. He gestured sharply at one knot of Coways which were pressing a little close.
“Luke!” Halla yelped as the two drew near the captives. Both Yuzzem were chattering gleefully at Luke and to one another.
“Well, you met us,” he observed sardonically as he studied their bonds. “You were right about that too, Halla.”
“Not quite the way I intended, boy.” She shouted something to the three splendidly attired natives the wounded one had approached, then resumed whispering to Luke: “You realize we haven’t much chance of getting out of here?”
“She’s right, sir,” said Threepio. “Try to save yourselves.”
“I didn’t walk and row this far to end up sacrificed to some subterranean deity,” he shot back. Abruptly, he realized what had just happened. “You can talk to them,” he stated in surprise.
“A little. Their language is a variant of the one the greenies use. It’s not easy … sort of like talking under water. But I can make the chiefs understand me.”
“Chiefs?”
“It seems Coway tribes are ruled by a triumvirate,” she explained. “Those three laughing boys in the bonnets over there. I just made them a proposal. If they’re as noble, or sporting, as I think they are, we might have one chance.”
“Proposal? What proposal?” the Princess inquired suspiciously.
“I’ll get to that shortly,” Halla told her evasively. “We’d located the way down and were on our way to meet you when we were ambushed. It was in a narrow passageway, and in close quarters there were just too many of them. They used nets on your Yuzzem and ’droid friends, boy. We didn’t have a chance.”
“We might if I set you free now,” Luke theorized. “Where are your weapons?”
“Take it easy, Luke,” she admonished him. She jerked her head in the direction of the cluster of low-lying buildings, far off on the right side of the cavern. “You’d never make it over there. Besides, I didn’t see which house they put them in.