Captives of the Flame

yal palace of Toromon. From the ashes of the dead city to the island capital, it connected w

bove ashes and fallen r

ribbon, at the edge of a field of lava, among the whispering, yard-high ferns, sat row on row o

er dribbled down the supporting columns of the transi

of the jungle. They carried two corpses among

one won't g

ll be the first one to get through

the first. "But why have there been such

e scars that ran down the side of his face and neck wer

make their living off these miserable-" He di

ered the man with the scars. "They're the ones who use the

ear the coast are being starved out. And with the increased demand for tetron, the miners are

e called out. "All right. Just drop

es came through the graying morning. "Maybe that'

gged the one

ed back towar

oromon, dropping from wet, green fronds, or catching on the moist cracks of boulders. Then the dawn snagged on the metal ribbon that a

tretched his seven-foot body and rolled over, crushing leaves beneath his shoulder. Instinctively his stomach tensed. But silence had returned. With large, yellow-brown eyes, he looked about th

ght fire from beneath the receding shadows, till at last it soared

rting pylon whose base still sat on dry land,

ted with lines from sand and wind. "Tel?" he called once more. Now he

d her strong hands now began to work the shuttle

e gone?" Cit

not look at her husband. She watched the shuttle moving back

"But where? The sun is up. He should be out

didn't

be back?" Ci

n't k

d Cithon turned abruptly and

over the water troug

el

s fourteen, a thin child, with a shock of black hair,

e wer

quietly defensive answer.

e wer

mumbled again. "

jerked up and then down, and the leather strap that

was a sudden in

down to t

ella's fist the length of a drawn breath.

ter. Light shook on the surface of the sea like flung

he ribbon gleamed above the busy piers and the early morning traffic of the wharf. Behind the piers, the towe

e talking above the roar of tetron-

s bringing in a cargo of

could be something els

his guesses were usually right, "why do you trouble to send your boat all the way to the mainland t

ked down at the clip-b

ele is somewhat di

ed more people, so what I produce is superior to what you produce. I charge them less money, and so I am financially more benevolent than you. I make more money than you do, so I am also financially superior. Al

and turned down the wharf to inspect a cargo of

her inventory slip, another man approached him.

ying to make me jealous of his daughter. He's giving her a party tonight to which I am no doubt

bring him to his place. Next time he mentions his daughter, a

t cruel. Why should I move to hurt him? Time ta

the other merc

ves among the elevated highways, till finally it crosses near a wide splash of bare concrete, edged with block-long aircraft hangars.

is pale face, along with a squat, taurine power in his legs and shoulders; these were what struck you in

oming through the gate with

called,

a grin leapin

alled again. "

crowd until at last he almost collided with he

ther's." Her black hair fell close to broad, nearly oriental cheekbones.

rned now, arm in arm, among the

asked. "

off just to get here. I'm supposed to be back at the Military Mi

k at the university for summer courses, so I didn't bring any clothes. Wait a minute.

shru

gue hard against the roof of her mout

ich, when he was sad, took on t

bout the war? Will

re dawn this morning getting a fleet of survey planes off for a scouting trip to the mainland over the radiation ba

id Clea.

Clea K

enough and known me long enough. Tomar, if the war comes, do you

alk abo

my brot

," said

as a soldier, would he be freed at the end of the war?

n yet," said Tomar. "No o

r, I don't want to keep you if you're busy. But you've got to promise to

, you won't be goi

y n

d work. Not only will they conscript prisoners from the mines, but all scientists,

id. "You believe the war will a

strong boy, with a strong boy's stomach. I came to the City and I took my strength to the army. Now I have work that I like. I'm not hungry. With the war, there will be work fo

, I don't want to keep you-I mean I do,

tomorrow a

"We'll have a picni

oth her hands, and she smiled back at him. Then

sun was beginning to warm the air as she pushed into the shadow of

f light from an eastward street still made silver half-rings around it. At the center of the city it raised a fi

vered above the receiving platform. A dozen small tetron units of varying sizes sat around the room. The viewing screens were dead gray. On a control pan

he palace, however,

tro

t a moment to hear the report," bega

tro

e continued in an amazingly calm voice, "of

o hear the word

the mo

Toromon since the age of seven, jammed his pale blond head beneath three over-stuffed pillows that lay about the purpl

t that roads have been built, prisoners have been reprieved, and traitors have been disemboweled at every hour of the afternoon and evening without anyone expressing the least concern for what I thought? Now, suddenly, at

e about to enter a war, and in times of stress, responsibility is

do you?" The young man sat up and planted his slender feet as firmly as possible on the three-inch thick fur rug. "Well, if we had a war," he continued, scratching his stomach through his pink sa

noon arrives, why don't you listen to the report, which merely says that another scouting flight of plane

acy of their methods has lead the council to suggest that we consider the possibility of o

replied

imbecilic party for that stupid fish-peddler's daughter this

sury-though I doubt if he is aware of the comparison-through the proper exploitation of the unmentionable metal. If there is a war, and we should nee

it. Is it a country? Is it a city? Is it an empire? We don't even know if it's got a name. We don't know how they've crippled our scouting planes. We can't monitor any radio communication. Of course we couldn't do that anyway with the radiation barrier. We don't even know if it's people. One of our silly p

l looke

after we annexed the forest people, the transit

ty of Telphar," a

dn't progressed that far. Well, why not send spies into Telphar and from there, across the ba

n beings. Completely fatal. The enemy seems to be well beyond the barrier. Only recently, with the great amount of tetron-eh, excuse me-co

himself down on the bed. "Nobody listens to me! Nobody takes any of my suggestions!" He moaned and stu

d withdrew from th