Shadow Gold by Ray Cummings Read online

  bronzed, curiously sleek. His face was slim,

  black brows. Weapons hung at his belt.

  yet firm of chin—a face foreign to anything

  When Hall first came he had worked

  Johnny had ever seen on Earth.

  with the scientists, adding his Earth

  Nido said, “A thousand of our people

  knowledge to theirs. He found this air heavily

  have been killed.”

  charged with a new atomic type of oxygen,

  “Yes,” Hall agreed. “These banished

  hydrogen, carbon dioxide; and also “heavy”

  criminals for ten years now must have had

  with a strange, gaseous form of several of the

  spies here in Bhana. This diabolic apparatus

  familiar earth minerals. Gold, in particular. A

  which they have built is hidden in the heart of

  free electron type of gold was inherent to this

  the forest. Nido saw it. He flew there by night

  air. Unmeasurable pounds of Earth’s normal

  a week ago. He got in—but he could do

  heavy-atom solidly congealed mineral gold nothing—and he barely escaped with his life.”

  were here expanded millions of times in

  Year by year other criminals must

  volume and diffused through this atmosphere,

  have clustered in the forest stronghold, lured

  forming its gold content, and giving to it the

  by the scheme. And now this plot was at its

  golden light.

  culmination. In the criminal Forest City

  Thrilling Wonder Stories

  6

  colony there were established now giant nothing else, of course.”

  absorbers, condensers, for the isolation of

  “Why haven’t you sent an army to

  gold. They were withdrawing the gold content

  round up these criminals?” Johnny asked.

  from the air, doubtless for transportation to

  “In three weeks?” Hall retorted.

  Earth. Disaster to this little realm here. There

  “Again, gold is at the crux of it. Our weapons,

  were natural air currents here, unalterable save

  too, use gold gas. And now we have no real

  for occasional infrequent storms. Hall likened

  weapons—”

  them to trade winds—a steady drift circulating

  “We can make an army ready,” Jeoh,

  over the concave curvature of this inner the governor, said.

  globular surface. And the prevailing drift was

  Hall said, “We sent a ship through the

  from the Forest City stronghold, toward Bhana

  air to the Forest City—and it was assailed by a

  and its neighbor settlements. The condensers

  gold bomb. The first explosive weapon ever

  would vitiate the air—steal the gold from it.

  used in this world. With unlimited gold now,

  And the empty, poisonous air would drift on

  these criminals have devised a bomb—an ultra

  down to these populous cities, bringing rapid expansion of the mineral into the gas.”

  lethargy and death.

  It had already come. Three times now

  THE meal was finished, but the discussion

  in the past two weeks. Dark, goldless air. It

  went on. The Forest City criminals were still

  had not lasted long—as though the criminals

  experimenting—or waiting for something. Or,

  still were perfecting their apparatus. But it was at least, not running the giant apparatus

  enough to strike death here. The aged, the sick

  continuously. But at any moment they might

  and the very young were all who had died thus

  start. And Hall believed, by what was vaguely

  far.

  known of their equipment, these giant

  Johnny demanded, “Is there no cure

  absorbers running at full power might in a few

  for this terrible, deathly sickness?”

  days—or even hours—vitiate all the air of this

  “Oh, yes,” Tare said gravely. “There is

  little void.

  a cure—but we cannot apply it.”

  The

  vague

  beginnings of a plan were

  “It is like being slowly asphyxiated on

  coming to Johnny. Plans he wouldn’t dare

  Earth,” Hall said. “You die, breathing air that

  mention to his father—or to any of these grave

  is impure. The cure here? On Earth we would

  officials. But tomorrow he would tell them to

  say air with more oxygen. Here it is air with

  this young fellow, Nido; who had already

  more gold gas. We can expand mineral gold

  been to the Forest City. If he and Johnny

  into gas. There is no metal, here or on Earth,

  could get there secretly—make away with

  which cannot be rendered gaseous. But we are

  some of that gold mineral which the criminals

  faced with a gold mineral shortage.

  had already extracted from the air—and bring

  “Our power is the expansion of the

  it back here—

  electro atoms of gold mineral back into gold

  Johnny’s thoughts were stricken from

  gas. You’ve already seen our rocket engines.

  his mind by a newcomer to the room. A

  We take small quantities of the gold from the

  woman entered. She came with a glide

  air—and put it back with the exhaust of our

  graceful and sinuous as a panther.

  engines. The reverse of Earth. Every engine

  She joined the group. What her

  on Earth exudes poison. But here—our rocket

  position was no one told Johnny, but he saw

  streams are the very essence of life.”

  that Jeoh was obviously fascinated by her.

  Nido said, “It is the vapor from our

  And well he might be, Johnny thought.

  gold fuel which can cure the sickness—

  A woman who seemed to be beyond thirty. A

  Shadow Gold

  7

  figure sleek of hips, full-breasted—an caution swept him. He added, “Speak out.

  indefinably foreign face framed by platinum-

  Don’t talk riddles.”

  white flowing hair with black strands

  She seemed to reach a sudden

  intermingled. It was a heavy face, full-lipped,

  decision. “What I tell—you will keep in your

  sensuous, reckless.

  own heart?”

  The woman did not join in the

  Johnny shifted in his chair. “You

  discussion; she just eat with confident poise,

  mean, not repeat what you say?”

  listening. And she stared often at Johnny,

  “Yes. Do not talk so loud. I—find you

  regarding him with dark eyes.

  very interesting.” She seemed breathless. “I go

  In a small bedroom on the second level

  tonight on a journey. To him who is leader in

  of his father’s house, adjacent to the the Forest City—they call him the Master.” At Government Castle, Johnny lay in a metal bed,

  Johnny’s start, she said: “I go to the Forest

  with a soft fabric covering on it.

  City. I used to have—influence over this

  He lay drowsing. Suddenly he Master. I think to use that influence now. He awakened. He started up on one elbow and the

  has not seen me—a long time. And I think to

  bed creaked with hi
s movement. The sharp

  make him stop the sending these clouds of

  sound brought him to full alertness....

  sickness.”

  The sense that someone was here in

  Johnny asked: “You can get there?”

  the room with him came strongly. Obvious! It

  “I can get there,” she said. “I have a

  was a waft of perfume. And then he saw,

  flying boat. It is here now—not far from here.

  down by the floor under the window portiere,

  Not even hidden—it is at your father’s dock.”

  something white. An ankle!

  Johnny still had on his suit, and his

  JOHNNY was leaning forward toward her.

  clasp knife was at his belt. He lay, propped up

  “You’re offering to take me?”

  on one elbow, and the fingers of his other

  Outside

  the

  window

  there was a sound.

  hand silently drew out the knife and opened it.

  And Rua heard it. With a swift, silent swing

  He said softly, “Come out of that. I see

  she was at the casement, and Johnny drew

  you.”

  himself beside her. But the garden outside

  The portiere moved aside. The woman,

  seemed empty.

  Rua, stood smilingly before him.

  “How long will this journey take?”

  “What do you want?” Johnny Johnny demanded.

  demanded, and through an interval he returned

  “Not

  long.”

  her gaze. Her hair, with its black strands, was

  “I’m ready,” he said.

  coiled and piled now on her head—a

  They left by the window, wafting

  headdress like a great cone.

  themselves with a leap down through the leafy

  “I wanted to talk with you.” Her voice

  foliage to the ground. Rua glided cautiously,

  was a full, rich contralto. Then she said with

  keeping within the heavy shadows of the

  sudden directness: “About what your father

  shrubbery. The lake shore was near by. At

  told you about the Forest City—I heard your

  Hall’s long dock an open boat was lying

  questions. I could guess you act for yourself

  moored. Its stern was decked over for a few

  when you have plans. And you are daring. Do

  feet into a tiny cabin, with the little engine

  I guess right?”

  amidships, and a control set in the bow.

  His heart leaped. Had he been so

  They sat in the bow, with Rua at the

  transparent, back there during the supper? He

  controls. The boat started smoothly, almost

  said, “Act for myself? Perhaps.” And a silently. Exhilarating, weightless flight. An

  Thrilling Wonder Stories

  8

  hour passed and it seemed to Johnny presently

  gunwale—conduits which carried the gold gas

  that the wind was increasing.

  from the engine to the several rocket stream

  Another cloud of death coming from

  exhausts. Some of the engine exhaust

  the Forest City.

  streamed out. It was like inhaling whiffs of

  Before Johnny could voice his startled

  pure air in a room which had been stifling.

  question there came a sharp sound. Back

  Ahead of them now the river widened

  along the dark canoe interior an upright figure

  and divided into two narrow channels with an

  showed, just emerging from the shadows of

  island between them. The island was about a

  the little cabin at the stern. A third passenger; mile long and six or eight hundred feet at its

  a stowaway!

  widest.

  It was Anne!

  “Well, we’re going back,” Johnny AND here on the island was the Forest City of declared grimly.

  criminals. There were a few metal landing

  “Suits me,” Anne said. She sat on one

  stages down among the trees. But no sign of

  of the cross seats, still in her tunic, with a dark human habitation. Then, from a closer

  garment of gossamer fabric, which evidently

  viewpoint, Johnny saw mound shaped earthen

  she had taken from her bedroom in Hall’s

  buildings, like little forts, at Intervals along

  home, thrown over her.

  the island shore—a cliff shore, with the river

  So that was the noise they had heard at

  some fifty feet lower.

  the window of Johnny’s room! Anne had

  “The Master and his men live

  heard them talking of this trip—heard Rua say

  underground,” Rua was saying. But Johnny

  her boat was at the dock. And she had hardly heard her. His attention was focused to preceded them through the garden and hidden

  the center of the island, where there was a

  herself there.

  hundred-foot circular pit. It was a glare of

  Rua sat silent, regarding the girl with a

  yellow fluorescence. Two great conduits rose

  smoldering flush.

  from it, one forking toward Bhana, the other

  How to handle this situation puzzled

  in the opposite direction. They were two

  Johnny. He sat silent, trying to plan; but soon

  hundred feet high at least, widening into great

  whatever plans he could guess at making were

  round funnels, held by skeleton framework

  swept from his mind. The gale was blowing

  and guy ropes.

  directly from the Forest City, back toward

  The pit sheltered the mechanism of the

  Bhana. And the normal yellow night glow in

  huge condensers. The funnel away from

  the air was steadily darkening. The giant Bhana was the intake of pure air; the other condensers were operating at full capacity.

  was pouring out its black, polluted stream.

  That was obvious now.

  The hum and throb of the giant mechanism

  The darkness of the air steadily was audible.

  intensified as Rua’s vehicle darted like a

  They were almost over the island now.

  soaring bird forward into it. They were flying

  He saw Rua fumbling with her instrument

  now some five hundred feet above the top of a

  panel. From the bow, a light flashed. On and

  gigantic forest—a dark, tangled, matted off. Puffs of intense red glare. It was her jungle. Another interval. Had Johnny dozed?

  signal to the men below—the identification

  Or was this damnable vitiated air making him

  that this was not an enemy ship.

  lose consciousness? Rua said, “I can fix that.”

  But Rua had been too distracted in

  She opened a little valve in one of the glowing

  piloting her craft; she had delayed the signal

  conduits which ran along the inside of the

  too long. From one of the forts came a puff of

  Shadow Gold

  9

  yellow light. A golden cylinder mounted

  Then the Master appeared before them.

  upward. A gold bomb. It burst before it He came through a rift high up on the side of reached its mark.

  the grotto. They saw his figure stoop at the

  There was a dazzling yellow glare. The

  low entrance; then he straightened and came

  explosion was some forty feet away, but the

 
walking slowly down a narrow steep slope of

  air pressure struck like a solid wall. One of the rock.

  wings of the vehicle was torn away. They

  It was Taro, the soldier-scientist,

  were falling and turning end over end—falling

  trusted as a friend by the officials in Bhana—

  more rapidly than normal to this realm, drawn

  he who had sat with Johnny and the others at

  down doubtless by some sucking air current.

  the dinner only a few hours ago. Strange

  Then there was a rending crash. commanding figure, this Taro. His expression Johnny’s senses slid into an abyss of black

  had a queer Satanic cast, the peak of hair in a

  empty silence, with only the consciousness

  triangle on his forehead, his slightly upturned

  remaining that he was holding Anne in his

  eyebrows and narrow, pointed chin.

  arms.

  “So? You come to visit me, young

  Johnny?” His mailed garment was of black

  and white metal. One of his hands toyed at his

  CHAPTER III

  belt where weapons were hanging. He was

  “I Can Conquer the Earth!”

  ironically polite. “Sit down. We will talk.”

  “Thanks,” said Johnny. He gestured to

  Anne and she sat beside him on a padded

  JOHNNY did not quite lose consciousness. He

  bench. Taro remained standing before them,

  was aware of returning sounds, and that swaying slightly forward and backward. His fragments of the wrecked craft were lying on

  gaze swung to Anne, and for a moment clung.

  him. He called, “Anne! Anne, where are Then he turned to Rua, who was standing you?”

  here. “You did well, Rua, to bring him. And

  Agonizing

  until

  he

  heard her voice.

  this girl, Anne—”

  “Here, Johnny.”