The People of the Crater Read online

  _CHAPTER TWO_

  _The Folk of Tav_

  Garin returned to consciousness through a red mist of pain. He waspinned in the crumpled mass of metal which had once been the cabin.Through a rent in the wall close to his head thrust a long spike ofgreen, shredded leaves still clinging to it. He lay and watched it, notdaring to move lest the pain prove more than he could bear.

  It was then that he heard the pattering sound outside. It seemed as ifsoft hands were pushing and pulling at the wreck. The tree branch shookand a portion of the cabin wall dropped away with a clang.

  Garin turned his head slowly. Through the aperture was clambering agoblin figure.

  It stood about five feet tall, and it walked upon its hind legs in humanfashion, but the legs were short and stumpy, ending in feet with fivetoes of equal length. Slender, shapely arms possessed small hands withonly four digits. The creature had a high, well-rounded forehead but nochin, the face being distinctly lizard-like in contour. The skin was adull black, with a velvety surface. About its loins it wore a short kiltof metallic cloth, the garment being supported by a jeweled belt ofexquisite workmanship.

  For a long moment the apparition eyed Garin. And it was those goldeneyes, fixed unwinkingly on his, which banished the flyer's fear. Therewas nothing but great pity in their depths.

  The lizard-man stooped and brushed the sweat-dampened hair from Garin'sforehead. Then he fingered the bonds of metal which held the flyer, asif estimating their strength. Having done so, he turned to the openingand apparently gave an order, returning again to squat by Garin.

  Two more of his kind appeared to tear away the ruins of the cockpit.Though they were very careful, Garin fainted twice before they had freedhim. He was placed on a litter swung between two clumsy beasts whichmight have been small elephants, except that they lacked trunks andpossessed four tusks each.

  They crossed the plain to the towering mouth of a huge cavern where thelitter was taken up by four of the lizard-folk. The flyer lay staring upat the roof of the cavern. In the black stone had been carved fronds andflowers in bewildering profusion. Shining motes, giving off faint light,sifted through the air. At times as they advanced, these gathered inclusters and the light grew brighter.

  Midway down a long corridor the bearers halted while their leader pulledupon a knob on the wall. An oval door swung back and the party passedthrough.

  They came into a round room, the walls of which had been fashioned ofcreamy quartz veined with violet. At the highest point in the ceiling alarge globe of the motes hung, furnishing soft light below.

  Two lizard-men, clad in long robes, conferred with the leader of theflyer's party before coming to stand over Garin. One of the robed onesshook his head at the sight of the flyer's twisted body and waved thelitter on into an inner chamber.

  Here the walls were dull blue and in the exact center was a long blockof quartz. By this the litter was put down and the bearers disappeared.With sharp knives the robed men cut away furs and leather to exposeGarin's broken body.

  They lifted him to the quartz table and there made him fast with metalbonds. Then one of them went to the wall and pulled a gleaming rod. Fromthe dome of the roof shot an eerie blue light to beat upon Garin'shelpless body. There followed a tingling through every muscle and joint,a prickling sensation in his skin, but soon his pain vanished as if ithad never been.

  The light flashed off and the three lizard-men gathered around him. Hewas wrapped in a soft robe and carried to another room. This, too, wascircular, shaped like the half of a giant bubble. The floor slopedtoward the center where there was a depression filled with cushions.There they laid Garin. At the top of the bubble, a pinkish cloud formed.He watched it drowsily until he fell asleep.

  Something warm stirred against his bare shoulder. He opened his eyes,for a moment unable to remember where he was. Then there was a pluckingat the robe twisted about him and he looked down.

  If the lizard-folk had been goblin in their grotesqueness this visitorwas elfin. It was about three feet high, its monkey-like body completelycovered with silky white hair. The tiny hands were human in shape andhairless, but its feet were much like a cat's paws. From either side ofthe small round head branched large fan-shaped ears. The face was furredand boasted stiff cat whiskers on the upper lip. These _Anas_, as Garinlearned later, were happy little creatures, each one choosing somemistress or master among the Folk, as this one had come to him. Theywere content to follow their big protector, speechless with delight attrifling gifts. Loyal and brave, they could do simple tasks or carrywritten messages for their chosen friend, and they remained with himuntil death. They were neither beast nor human, but rumored to be theresult of some experiment carried out eons ago by the Ancient Ones.

  After patting Garin's shoulder the Ana touched the flyer's hairwonderingly, comparing the bronze lengths with its own white fur. Sincethe Folk were hairless, hair was a strange sight in the Caverns. With acontented purr, it rubbed its head against his hand.

  With a sudden click a door in the wall opened. The Ana got to its feetand ran to greet the newcomers. The chieftain of the Folk, he who hadfirst discovered Garin, entered, followed by several of his fellows.

  The flyer sat up. Not only was the pain gone but he felt stronger andyounger than he had for weary months. Exultingly, he stretched wide hisarms and grinned at the lizard-being who murmured happily in return.

  Lizard-men busied themselves about Garin, girding on him the short kiltand jewel-set belt which were the only clothing of the Caverns. Whenthey were finished, the chieftain took his hand and drew him to thedoor.

  They traversed a hallway whose walls were carved and inlaid withglittering stones and metalwork, coming, at last, into a huge cavern,the outer walls of which were hidden by shadows. On a dais stood threetall thrones and Garin was conducted to the foot of these.

  The highest throne was of rose crystal. On its right was one of greenjade, worn smooth by centuries of time. At the left was the third,carved of a single block of jet. The rose throne and that of jet wereunoccupied, but in the seat of jade reposed one of the Folk. He wastaller than his fellows, and in his eyes, as he stared at Garin, waswisdom--and a brooding sadness.

  "It is well!" The words resounded in the flyer's head. "We have chosenwisely. This youth is fit to mate with the Daughter. But he will betried, as fire tries metal. He must win the Daughter forth and strivewith Kepta--"

  A hissing murmur echoed through the hall. Garin guessed that hundreds ofthe Folk must be gathered there.

  "Urg!" the being on the throne commanded.

  The chieftain moved a step toward the dais.

  "Do you take this youth and instruct him. And then will I speak with himagain. For--" sadness colored the words now--"we would have the rosethrone filled again and the black one blasted into dust. Time movesswiftly."

  The Chieftain led a wondering Garin away.