The Ship Who Won (43 page)

Ozran a thousand years ago aboard a ship called the

Bigelow. That's the reason why I could translate the tapes

and papers they left behind. The language is an ancient

version of my own. No, Carialle and I still managed to

achieve our goal. We have found our equal race."

"Where?" someone shouted. Keff held up his hands.

"You know all about the Ancient Ones and the Old

Ones. You know what the Old Ones looked like. There are

images of them in many of your strongholds. Your grandparents told you horror stories, and you've seen the

holographs Chaumel had me play for you from the record

tapes saved by your ancestors. But you've never seen the

Ancient Ones. You know they built the Core of Ozran and

founded the system on which your power has been based

for ten centuries. These," he said, with a triumphant flourish toward the Frog Prince and his assistants, "are the

Ancient Ones."

"Never!" Femgal cried, his red face drawn into a furious

mask.

Over shouts of disbelief, Keff blasted from the bottom

of his bull-like chest:

'These people have been right here under your nose for

ten centuries. These are the Ancient Ones who invented

the Core and all the items of power."

The murmuring died away. For a moment there was

complete silence, then hysterical laughter built until it

filled the vast cavern. Keff maintained a polite expression,

not smiling. He gestured to the Frog Prince.

The amphibioid stepped forward and began to sign the

discourse he had prepared with Keffs help. It was

eloquent, asking for recognition and promising cooperation. The mages recognized die ancient signs, their eyes

widening in disbelief. Gradually, the merriment died

down. Every face in the circle showed shock. They stared

from Tall Eyebrow to Keff.

"You're not serious, are you?" Nokias asked. Keff nodded. "These are the Ancient Ones?"

"I am perfectly serious. Chaumel will tell you. They

helped me-directed me-on how to make temporary

repairs to the Core. It was overheating badly. It'll take a

long time to get it so it won't blow up if overused. I

couldn't do it by myself. I've never seen some of these

components before. Friends, this machine is brilliant.

Human technology has yet to find a system that can pull

electrical energy out of the solid matter around it without

creating nuclear waste. What you see here at my side is the

descendant of some of the dandiest scientists and engineers in the galaxy, and they've been living in the marshes

like animals since before your people came here."

"But they are animals," Potria spat.

'They're not," Keff said patiently. 'They've just been

forced to live that way. When the Old Ones moved to the

mountains you call your strongholds, they robbed the frog-folk of access to their own machinery and reduced them to

subsistence living. They are advanced beings. They're willing to help you fix the system so it works the way it was

intended to work. You've all seen the holo-tapes of the way

Ozran was when your ancestors came. Ozran can become

a lush, green paradise again, the way it was before the Old

Ones appropriated their power devices and made magic

items out of them. They passed them on to you, and you

expanded the system beyond its capacity to cope and control the weather. It's not your fault. You didn't know, but

you have to help make it right now. Your own lives depend

upon it."

"Hah! You cannot trick me into believing that these

trained marsh-slime are the Ancient Ones!" Potria

laughed, a harsh sound edged with hysteria. "It's a poor

joke and I have had enough of it." She turned to the others. "Do you believe this tale?"

Most mages were conferring nervously among themselves. Keff was gratified that only a few of them cried out,

"No!"

"You say we should share," Asedow said, "but these

so-called Ancient Ones might have their own agenda for

its use."

'They were here first, and it is their equipment," Keff

said. "It is only fair they have access now."

'They could hardly use it worse than we have," Plennafrey shouted daringly.

"What has become of the rest of our power?" Femgal

asked.

'The turbines were overheating. We've turned them

down to let them cool off," Keff explained. 'There's

enough power for normal functions. Nothing fancy. Its

either that, or nothing at all, when the system blows up.

You'll just have to learn to live with it."

"I won't 'just live with it.' How can you stop me?" Asedow asked obnoxiously.

"Shut up, brat, and listen to your betters," the old

woman named Iranika called out.

"Who is with me?" Potria called out, ignoring the crone.

"We've been insulted by this stranger. He claims he has

stopped our power for our benefit, but he is going to give it

to marsh-creatures. He wants to rule Ozran with that

skinny wench at his side and Chaumel as his lackey!"

"Potria!" Nokias thundered, spinning his chariot in midair to face her. "You are out of order. Asedow, back to your

place."

"Friends, please," Chaumel began.

"You give more consideration to a fur-face than to one of

your own, Noldas," Asedow taunted. "Perhaps you'd rather

be one of them-powerless, and fingerless!"

He started to draw up power to form one of his famous

smoke clouds. AH he could generate was a puff. Keff could

see him strain and clench his amulet, trying to find more

power. The cloud grew to the size of his head, then dissipated. Asedow panted. Noldas laughed.

'To me, Asedow!" Potria called. "We must work

together!" Her chariot flew upward, out of its place in the

bowl. Asedow, Lacia, Femgal, and a handful of others

joined her in a ring. At once, a lightning bolt rocketed from

their midst. It would have struck the edge of the platform

but for the thin shield Chaumel threw up.

'This is thin," he said to Keff. Tt will not hold."

Noldas, Zolaika, Ilnir, and Iranika flew down from their

places toward the platform.

'This means trouble," Noldas called. "How much power

is there left?"

"Not much beyond what it takes to run your chariots,"

Keff said.

'They can pervert that, too," Zolaika warned. "See!"

Recognizing the beginnings of a battle royal, many of

the other mages turned their chairs and headed for the

exit. The chariots started to falter, dipping perilously

toward the rows of turbines as the combined will of the

dissidents drew power away from them. Many turned back

and crowded over the platform, fighting for landing space.

"I will stop them," Tall said, his huge hands clenched

over the belt-buckle amulet.

"No," Keff said. "If you turn off the power, all these

mages will fall."

"I will end this," Zolaika said. "Brothers and sisters, to

me." At once, Noldas, Ilnir, and a cluster of other magifolk

added their meager strength to that of the senior magess.

##^ LJinr vvnu WUJN

Accompanied by straining sounds from the generators, she

built a spell and threw it with all the force left in her

toward the ring of dissidents.

Cries of fear came from the fleeing mages, whose chairs

faltered like fledgling birds. The great chamber rumbled,

and infant stalactites cracked from the ceiling. Sharp teeth

of rock crashed to the platform. The mages warded themselves with shields that barely repelled the missiles. Keff

jumped away as a three-foot section of rock struck the

standard next to him. It bounced once and fell over the

side, clattering down into the midst of the machinery.

In the circle of dissidents high up in the cavern, Potria

and her allies held out their hands to one another. Keff

could see bonds of colored light forming between them,

one ring for each mage or magess that joined them.

"Problem, Keff," Carialle said. 'They've reestablished

their connection to the Cores controls."

'They are pulling," Plenna said, grabbing Keffs arm.

'They're pulling at the Core, trying to break the barrier

holding the power down-they've done it!"

'Tall, stop them!" Keff shouted.

"No can," the amphibioid semaphored hastily. "Old,

broken."

"Coming on full now," Carialles voice informed him.

With a mighty roar, the generators revved up to full

force. The mages whose chariots were limping toward the

exit hurtled out of the cavern as if sling-shot. Keff groaned

as he smelled scorched silicon. He and the frogs hadn't

been able to do more than patch the fail-safes. Now they

were melted and beyond repair.

"As your liege I command you to cease!" Noldas

shouted at the dissidents.

"You do not command me, brother," Femgal jeered. He

raised his staff and aimed it at Nokias. A bolt of fire, surprising even its creator in its size and intensity, jetted

toward Noldas. The golden mage dodged to one side to

avoid it. His chair, also oversupplied by the Core, skittered

away on the air as if it were on ice. It was a moment before

he could control it. In that short time, Femgal loosed off

several more bolts. They all missed but the last, which took

off one of Nokiass armrests. Fortunately, the golden

mages arms were raised. He was readying a barrage of his

own.

Lacia had engaged Chaumel. The two of them

exchanged explosive balls of flame that grew larger and

larger as each realized that the Core had resumed transmission. Dissidents dive-bombed the platform. With

admirable calm and dead aim, Chaumel managed to keep

them all from getting any closer.

"Stop!" Keff yelled. 'The more power you use the closer

we come to blowing up!"

With an eldritch howl, Potria swooped down at Keff,

taloned fingers stretched put before her. He saw the red

lightning forming between them and dove under the low

console. Brannel and the frogs were already huddled

there. Tall Eyebrow stood with his back to his companions,

protecting them. Keff wished for a weapon, any kind of

weapon. He saw his faux-hide toolkit, hanging precariously

near the edge of the platform, anchored only by the edge

of a chair that had landed on it. He rose to his hands and

knees, and scrambled out of his hiding place, shielded by

the cluster of chariots.

With power restored, Brochindel the Scarlet chose that

moment to lift off in an attempt to flee the batde going on

over his head. Keff threw himself on his belly with one

hand out. He managed to grab one centimeter of strap by

one joint of one hooked finger. Potria saw him lying there

exposed, and screamed, coming around in the air and diving in anew. Wincing at the weight of the tool bag, Keff

hoisted it up and dragged it into the lee of the console. He

turned out the contents in search of a weapon. Hammers,

no. Spanners, no. Aha, the drill! It had a flexible one-meter

bit.

'The knight shall have his sword," Carialle said. "Get 'er,

Sir Keff."

His fingers scrabbled on the chuck, trying to get the bit

loose. Potria, her power overextended by the immediacy of

the Core, threw a ball of fire that left a molten scar in the

platforms surface. Keff bounced up as she passed and

snapped his erstwhile sword-blade out. He smacked Potria

on the back of the hand. She dropped her amulet, but it

fell only into her lap.

"You ... you peasant!" she screamed, for lack of a better

epithet. "You struck me!"

Plennafrey hurried to Keffs side. The Frog Prince had

her belt buckle, but she still possessed her fathers sash.

Working the depressions with her long fingers, she formed

a thin shell of protection around the two of them and the

console. Potria veered upward when her target changed,

and retreated, but not until Plennafrey poked a small hole

in the shield. She scooped up a chunk of fallen rock and

threw it after the pink-gold magess. It struck Potria in the

back of the arm, provoking a colorful string of swear words

as, this time, the magess lost her grip on her power object.

She swooped down to retrieve it before it fell into the

machinery.

"Good throw, Plenna!" Keff said, hugging her with one

arm.

"Conservation of energy," Plenna said brightly, grinning

at Keff.

Asedow zoomed in, his mace at the ready. Keff ducked

flat to the floor, avoiding the smoke-bubble bombs, then

sprang up. With a flick of his improvised epee, he engaged

Asedow and disarmed him, flinging the mace away into the

void. Swearing, Asedow reversed. He glanced down at the

spinning engines, and felt among the robes at his chest. He

uncovered a small amulet and planted his fingers in it.

"Damn!" Carialle said. "I don't have a record for that

one."

Fortunately, Asedow didn't use it immediately. Too

soon, Potria reappeared over the edge of the platform, her

teeth set.

"I just wanted to say farewell," she said, her eyes shining

with a mad light. "I'm going on a frog hunt! Are you with

me, Asedow!"

"I am, sister!" the green mage chortled. "Our new overlords will be so surprised we came to visit!"