Adventure stories; Legends -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Mars (Planet) -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
An hour later she slipped from his arms, saying, "I must go and talk
with the elder dreamers. We must be married today, at once. We have so
little time. We must be husband and wife tonight." She slipped softly
from the room.
Eric watched her, marveling at his luck. He suddenly remembered that
he had not seen his brother since he had arrived at the house of the
elder dreamers. He wondered where Garve was, and wanted to talk to him.
Perhaps if he thought strongly enough the machine would get the message
thought to Garve. He concentrated.
Ten minutes later Garve walked into the room. He said, "I thought I
heard you calling. How'd you make out with the dreamers?"
"Well enough. Don't think me mad, Garve, but Nolette and I are to be
married, tonight."
Garve's face grew red, then as white as river sand. He said bitterly,
"I should have let them kill you in the street, but how could I? After
all we are brothers."
"You love her too."
"No! But I love this city. It is paradise, and now you will destroy it."
Eric said, "The Legend again! Everyone believes it. Yet it is but a
prediction. In time such a man as the Legend had to come, and some day
one more greedy than myself may destroy the city. Perhaps I will refuse
to carry out the destruction."
Garve laughed, a bitter cynical laugh. He cried, "You fool! How can you
help yourself? Everyone believes you are the Bronze one and the machine
will make that come true. How can you defeat the machine?"
Eric was staggered by a logic he had not even considered.
"Piece by piece," Garve said, "the prediction is coming to pass. Now
you are to wed Nolette, and that too is a part of the Legend."
"That was predicted?"
"Yes. And that is not the end." Garve's voice was as sharp as the bite
of a whip. "Do you know what else you will do?"
"No!" A thin horror seeped slowly into Eric's mind.
"You will destroy the Daughter of the City."
Eric's eyes were wide. He shuddered and cried, "NO! NO!"
Garve's face took on the glint of madness. He said, "But I will stop
you. I'll stop you if I have to kill you." He turned and strode
bitterly from the room.
* * * * *
Horror was still fresh in Eric's mind when Nolette returned. "All is
ready," she said. "Come now, my husband-to-be."
Eric followed her into the chamber of the elder dreamers. Kroon stood
at the doorway and greeted him as he entered. He said, "One cannot
fight the truth, so we have consented to this marriage. Will you join
hands?"
The ceremony was simple, but beautiful, much like an Earth wedding,
with the city making music that was beautiful beyond belief. But all
the time Eric listened his mind was working, and by the time he had
kissed his bride at the end of the ceremony he knew what he had to do.
He walked back to their room with his arm around her waist, and his
resolve weakened with each step.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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