The Jewels of Aptor

a moment after the mate left.

had i

rned to

as your doing,

ed down from

nd the deck last night and

that soused from last night. Get up or you'll miss mess." The young sailor shook the figure again. "Hey, Whitey." The figure in the blankets was unresponsive. The sailor gave him one more good sh

r Geo that first morning. Snake would slip off somewhere and Geo would be left to wander the ship alone. He was walking beneath the do

much,"

d and leaned against the support shaft and looked out toward the fog. "It's a bad begin

you any idea what actuall

I haven't," Urson said

mber the dre

oulders as if suddenly

eeing through somebody

end sees things in a stran

went off exploring the ship. It was somebody else. All he did was get the p

aid, turning, "I think he was

d to be sleeping in

na

think perhaps W

ess. But how, a

Maybe the same person who cut his

ded that we didn't

said. "What man on this ship

not a familiar face on deck, other than maybe one I've se

p you've sailed with before,"

turned. "You

t who I mea

ed to kill Snake. Why

new, we'd get in trouble wi

e?" aske

put my hands on it. But if something is fishy about the mate too, then perhaps he's in c

by when he heard a noise. If it was his eyes we were se

nake who 'hears' things funny. Not al

ad leaned against a lifeboat support. "Well, you think some more friend, and I'll l

k, and climbing it, he saw across the deck a tall, fog-shroude

from the railing

eo said. "I thought y

while, and then said, "Good

to disturb you

ance," said

it take us to

eks. Shorter if t

ave you any idea of t

at has ever set foot on Aptor and com

te, sir

ade a raft and drifted into the open sea where h

d whatever party

magine what sort of a place it must be if probable death on the open sea is better than struggling on its land. No, h

were thrown in the water. Two survived to row the Priestess back to the boat. One was the sailor who died in the forecastle this morning. Not half an hour ago, I received

ank you for your infor

the captain said. T

lked slowly forward. Something touche

damn it, don

ooked emb

ound the boy's shoulder. "Come on, though. What did y

eep, came

ake a nap now if you paid me. Now tell me, whose ey

hook hi

mat

e no

a minute," said Geo. "Can the mate read minds,

shru

said. "Do a little

ee ... what ... he ... sees ... hear ... what ...

t read minds and tell me, did he kill th

for a minute.

he was tryin

nodded

ing in your place was one of the two men wh

ooked s

rowned this morning, fell

nearly

t is

morning. He ... not ... dead ...

ad?" Geo aske

d ...

ind him?"

ke said. But ... al

ewel from where it hung against his ch

rough ... it

o you mean? Can you

rds, Snake said. Radio ...

ed Geo, the sounds coming unfamilia

shru

findings to Urson that evenin

d anything?

e of the rail beyond which the mist steeped thickly, making sky and water indistingu

t the water bu

ning to something

nvergence of sailors at the entrance of the mess hall, Urson said, "Oh, guess what?" He turned to Geo and picked up the jewel from the boy's chest. "All you people are going around with such finery, I

rolled from beneath the fog. Dawn was gray, but clear; then, by one

like broken teeth from the water. Urson, in his new, triple neckchain, joined Snak

d about her as she mounted the steps to the wheel deck. The sailors moved away from her.

poke, "Jordde, disperse the

ou to the tops." He pointed among the men.

" Geo tur

p to the top

ver been topside at all before. It's too choppy for

d you?" deman

me, sir," said

insubordination and fine you your three gold bau

here," Urs

n. The bewilderment that flooded th

raised it, and shouted at Urson, "Get do

fists sp

other bear,

nches away from Urson's shoulder. The flung fist sunk into the mate's stomach and he reeled forward, passing Urson, with Snake still cl

er. Behind him, Urson yelled, "Look out!" Jordde's marlin made an inch

ied Argo. "No

y swing forward, intending to knock Jordde away with his feet. But suddenly Argo moved in the way of his flying body, turned, saw h

r. Then his back slapped water. As he broke surface, Urson, still on the rail called to him, "Ha

the water. The last thing he saw was Jordde suddenly wrest something from Argo's neck and then fling it out int

ter as Snake disappeared from beside him and Urso

ids were orange over them. Then there was a breeze. He opened his eyes, and shut them quick, because of t

gs. Over there were rocks, and thick vegetation behind them. He swayed to his knees, the sand grating

claw and the thong with the wire cage hung around his neck. Bewildered, he heaved to his feet, and immediat

looking toward the land. When he tur

ails. So they hadn't left yet. He swung his eyes back to th

sinking under his toes, so that it was like the slow moti

kull was shaved. Like Geo, he was almost naked. There was a clot of seaweed at his

up and down the beach once more. There was no one e

olled him over and lifted his head. The eyes opened, s

ame i

into the sand. He shook his head, and then looked up at Geo again. "Yes," h

from where?

ou were on the sh

a fight. But nothing happened to the ship. It's still out there, you can see it." Sudden

s Iimmi." Now he looked out to the horizon. "I see

h of Aptor,"

dark horror. "No," he said softly. "We co

d you f

something struck me from behind and I went toppling. In all the mist, they di

beach once before, ha

id Iimmi.

long you've been in

look

ou can walk. I've got a lot of things to expla

nce more, and together t

looking for?

ds," G

kment that dropped fifteen feet into the wide estuary of a ribbon of water that wound back into the jungle. Twenty feet further, the bank dropped to the river's surface, an

ng back from the water, turn

ugh leaves. "I was wond

e gold coins hung against his ha

Geo. "Oh, Urson, this is Iimmi, the

. "Have a drink of water," Geo said

if I do,"

and Leptar for Iimmi. When he finished, Iimmi asked, "You mean thos

ure either," Geo said. "

"You think he pushed me overb

ying to kill Snake," said Urs

gh. I think it was just luck that it was Whitey he got rather than Snake. If he can't read minds, which I'm pretty sure he can't, he probably overheard you

pushed," Iimmi agreed. "

had also been on Aptor's shore, if only for a few hours. There must be something that Jordde learned from the island that he was afraid you might learn, something you might see. Something dangerous, dangerous for Apt

ppen when you were on Aptor?

the horizon, though the sky was still deep blue. 'This light of the full moon is propitious to the White Goddess Argo,' she said from her place at the bow of the boat. By the time we landed, the sky was black behind her, and the beach was all

nearly sent us back into the ocean. But Argo and a handful of those men left began to run toward the boat. They followed them down to the edge of the water, loping behind them, half flying, half running, hacking one after another down with swords. I saw one man fall forward and his head roll from his body while blood squirted ten feet along the sand, crimson under the moo

" said Geo. "Iimmi, you say her veils were pulled off. Tell

"She stood there in only her dark

sters could get their hands on it again," said Urson. "But Ge

" said Geo, "our friends

ink you have made an error; you tell me you are a poet, and it is a poet's error. The hinge in your argument that Snake is no spy is that Argo must have dubious motives to send you on such an impossible

nterrupted Geo, "but the

ough it was for her own protection. Thanks to you, all three jewels are now in Aptor, and if any part of her story is true, Leptar is now in more danger than it has been in five hundred years. You have the jewels, two of them, and you cannot use them

t for the laps

ntinued Iimmi. "But you, in watching

ersides of leaves. Urson spoke now. "I t

l we do now?" a

nd the Temple of Hama, secure the stone, rescue the young Godd

this place," muttered Urson

why were you saved too, Iimmi? Why were we brought here at a

he jewels up to the temple door before we are slaughtered, dropping them at his feet." He smiled. "T

o glanced at

one: assume the simplest; that includes all the known conditions to be true until more condition

into the jung

we do," s

of those things around your neck before we're through." He pointed to the two jewels hanging at Geo's ches