Hunters Out of Space

  CHAPTER 18

  All this happened while Grim Hagen was rushing toward Odin and Maya. A thintrickle of blood was flowing down the corner of Hagen's mouth. Odin heardthe voices. Out of the corner of his eye he saw some men go down. The roomfelt cold now, and a thin breeze was going through it, as though blowngently across the star-spaces.

  He saw a light dart down toward Grim Hagen.

  But at that instant Grim Hagen reached him and swung his sword. JackOdin stepped aside. His foot slipped upon the unsteady planking of theimprovised balcony. He thrust for Grim Hagen's throat, but his bladewent high and wide. It gashed Grim Hagen from the lower corner of hischin clear back to the jawbone. Blood streamed and as Odin slipped tohis knee Grim Hagen swung again.

  Then Maya was between them, both hands grasping Hagen's sword-arm. Hagen'sfree hand closed about her wrists. He swung her aside and the point of hissword came down to rest upon her throat.

  "Now," Grim Hagen screamed, and his voice was the shriek of a man whohas nothing left to lose. "Let no light come near me and Maya or we dietogether. Wolden, I caught scattered words about your work as I fledthrough space. I held the stars and planets in my hands and I flung themaway, for they were no more than the sparks that fly out from flint. Theywere worthless and I flung them away. And there was nothing to matchmy desire. Not even Maya. Now, listen, if you care for her life."

  The descending lights hesitated and drew back. Jack Odin righted himselfand chanced a thrust at Hagen. The thrust failed as Grim Hagen moved Mayabetween them.

  "No more of that, Odin. Drop your sword or she dies. Drop it now!"

  And Odin lowered his hand and let his sword fall to the table beneath him.

  Grim Hagen continued: "The ship is yours. This world is yours. Let mehave your secret, Wolden. I would not care to be with such as you. Iwould laugh at space with the comets. I would make the stars cringe. Iwould watch the generations go by like falling snow. I would--"

  "No, you would be like Lucifer, wreaking his vengeance upon the planets,"the voice of what had been Wolden interrupted in a whisper. "No, GrimHagen, even if I gave you what you asked, all space would seem as hellto you."

  Grim Hagen smiled an evil smile. "So. But it is I who make the bargain.Even yet. Maya goes with me. Remember!"

  But at that instant Maya got one hand free and thrust the sword aside.

  It was all the time that Jack Odin needed. Reaching forward he graspedGrim Hagen's sword with his bare hand. It cut to the bone. And then he hadHagen's wrist with his free hand. He twisted. A bone cracked and he shookthe blade from Hagen's grasp. Maya leaped to one side. Then Hagen's fingerswere pushing Odin's face back and Odin was clutching at Hagen's throat.

  They stood there swaying. Then they tumbled down the rude stairway oftables that Ato had fashioned for his last stand.

  They rolled to the blood-stained floor beneath. And Odin never knew howeither of them survived the fall.

  The lights hovered above them, waiting for an opening. Maya took up afallen sword and came following after.

  Grim Hagen's fingers were feeling for Odin's eyes. Odin got a bloody fistagainst Hagen's face and shoved him back. Then he rolled on top of him andgot the man's throat between his hands. Hagen's fists worked like pistonsas he beat at Odin's face. Odin felt the blood dripping down upon his handsand upon Hagen's throat but he held on. At the last, Grim Hagen screamedand clawed like an animal. And then it was over. The hands stoppedclawing. There was one last sob of pain and hate that was cut off in themiddle. Then Grim Hagen was still. And Odin, with his face dripping blood,held on while Maya and the others struggled to tear his hands free fromthe man he had killed.

  * * * * *

  With the death of Grim Hagen the fight was over. None of Hagen's Brons orAldebaranians were left. The Lorens threw down their arms and swore loyaltyto Val.

  A cot was improvised for Ato. The lights hovered around him, whisperingcheerfully and ignoring all others.

  Val, Odin and Maya tried to count the survivors. Of the fifty who had livedthrough the fighting, only eighteen were Brons. The rest were Val's men.

  "There are a hundred more on the two ships," Maya told Odin. "Oh, Jack, wehave Nea to thank for most of this. Nea and Wolden. After you and your menleft, Nea took her Kalis, as she called them, and some of her people. Theycame through the barrier and made their way to the Old Ship. They surprisedthe few guards that Grim Hagen had left. They freed me and the otherprisoners. Then we got our little army together and came to help. WithoutNea, it could never have been done." She buried her face on Odin'sshoulder. "Oh, Jack, when we were kids together we used to laugh at her."

  He patted her shoulder comfortingly, for he could think of nothing to say.He had seen soldiers like Nea--cast-offs from their home-towns gallantlygoing to their deaths. It was something that he could not understand. Andbeing honest, he had nothing to say.

  Clean-up was begun. Jack Odin left Val of the Lorens to take over. Then herushed to the stairway where last he had seen Gunnar. The fires had burnedout. The steps were blackened. A few smoking corpses were still upon thestairs.

  Odin's face was covered with blood. His strength was nearly gone. But hewent up the stairs two steps at a time, his spent breath whistling throughhis bloody nostrils.

  * * * * *

  There at the top of the stairs he found Gunnar. And Gunnar's dead lay thickabout him.

  Gunnar had moved himself to a sitting position against one of the railings.His chin was upon his great chest and his eyes were closed as though heslept. But when Odin knelt beside him, he opened one eye and looked up witha twisted smile upon his broad face. One side of his face was barelyrecognizable. Gunnar was badly burned. He had been thrust through at leasta dozen times. But Gunnar lived.

  "Eh, Nors-King," he whispered, sitting up straight as Odin steadied him inhis arms. "It was a long time to wait. And I thought sometimes that I wouldnot make it. But I held on, for I knew you would come. Oh, it has been along wait--and it took all my strength."

  "As fast as I could," Odin answered in a choking voice. "As fast as Icould, O Chief of the Neeblings. For Ragnarok is past, and the tree of lifestill reaches into the stars. The twilight is past and new suns and newearths are quickened. And Gunnar still lives."

  "Part of him." Gunnar blinked his good eye. "What happened down there? Oh,"he gasped in pain, "to have missed the fighting!"

  "Maya lives and I live. Ato is wounded. Wolden came at the last to help us,Gunnar. We won. And I have killed Grim Hagen with my bare hands, even as Ipromised."

  "Good, Nors-King. I knew always that one of us would kill him. Oh, it wasa grand fight. But Gunnar will sharpen his sword no more. There was a fordnear my father's house where the clear water ran fresh over the stones.That might help me. But it is far away. And my father too. You tell Freidathat we did not make the long trip in vain."

  "If I can," Odin promised.

  "Oh, you can. For we have won the stars and nothing is beyond us--exceptyouth, maybe."

  Gunnar closed his eyes and slept for a few minutes while Odin held him inhis arms. Then Gunnar awoke.

  He smiled at Jack Odin and murmured:

  "To awake on the sea of the stars--"

  Jack Odin had heard Gunnar sing those words before. They belonged to an oldNorse lullaby that Gunnar's mother had crooned to him when he was a littleboy.

  Then Gunnar died.

  And Odin knelt over him, tears streaming down his broken face.