Part 1

In The Sphere of Time

By J. W. PELKIE

Proud Prince Toka had faced--and outwitted--death and disaster before. Yet in this weirdly glowing underworld of Kosanna, peopled by the soft, silvery-eyed ones, there waited a thing he could not defy--destruction of his soul!

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Planet Stories Summer 1948. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

_Once upon a time there was a world as bright and fair as youth. It spun its green and golden beauty in an envelope of blue sky while whirling around a blazing white sun.... But beneath the enchanting surface of this world, in a blackness as deep as the void of eternity, thirteen pairs of silvery eyes glowed at a great crystal sphere. The cold air was strung with a thin thrumming as twelve anciently quavering male voices rose and fell in echoing chant._

"_Great Prince Toka comes--down the river of Brown of the Outer World. O let the fishes be told! O let the choral begin! For the time ordained is coming to pass!_"

* * * * *

In sun-gold briefs and matching sandals, Toka's lean muscled maleness rippled as he swung the sweep pole of the racing raft. Ahead on each bow corner were balanced the rangy Rok and the youthfully gray Old Ledo, each with long pole ready to clear the swift raft through roiling brown water. In mid-raft, the exquisitely blonde Roya and the sultry dark Elees lounged carefreely on the great pelt of a saber-toothed Big Cat.

There was a sudden familiar roar from the far right shore. The colorfully flowered jungle spread away to rugged red hills that formed the north shoulder of this great valley. Midway bulged a large grassy butte, atop which was poised a colossal slick-skin dinosaur. Smiling, Toka raised an arm to the distant reptile. Red eyes beaming fiercely, the Big Snake yawned its cavernous maw and blasted away a mighty roar.

Roya laughed gayly. "All hail to Toka--Prince of Sandcliff and King of the Dinosaurs!"

"Look smart ahead!" Old Ledo snapped suddenly.

The party's attention leaped back to the job of piloting the craft through roaring white rapids. Then ahead stretched smooth brown water again. To the left here, a long cliff towered up from the river.

The dark Elees seemed thrilled. "This is the way to travel!"

Roya breathed happily. "From now on--"

Toka stiffened as above the river's deep murmur came human voices in exquisite choraling.

Roya glanced to Toka. "But there isn't a sign of human habitation anywhere!"

Toka had already placed the direction. "In that cliff."

Roya wrinkled her nose. "Rubbish."

Then from that cliff came a strange wail. "Tooookaaaa!" It was repeated over and over. "Tooookaaaa! Tooookaaaa!"

The raft nosed around into a broad channel that curved lazily into a cavernous maw in the cliff. The walls and roof glowed with a soft light and the choraling of Toka's name came clear and stronger. Toka let the raft drift.

"The river is certainly slow enough in there," Roya mused.

"We could pole our way out easily enough," Elees reflected.

Old Ledo looked at these impetuous ones. "We could not come back another time--when Sandcliff would know where we were going!"

"But what can happen?" Rok protested. "We've got our battle-axes--even Elees and Roya have theirs!"

Old Ledo's unimpressed glance went to mid-raft. There were three great black battle-axes and two smaller ones.

In that instant Toka weighed the pro and con. "We'll go in a little way."

Roya and Elees swiftly placed each man's battle-ax handy then balanced easily in mid-raft with their own light weapons. The lazy current guiding the raft, the men shipped their poles.

Roya suddenly pointed over the side of the raft. "Look! glowing fish--in all colors!"

"But how vicious looking!" Elees exclaimed.

Roya reached into the party's food basket. "I'll toss them a porkchop!"

The chop plopped into the river. The water churned violently--and calmed. The fish had devoured the chop almost instantly! The river was swarming with the vicious creatures now. And the raft was moving faster than the river--a school of the fish adhering to the craft and driving it!

As Toka swiftly used the sweep, Rok and Old Ledo thrust their poles as brakes. But the water roiled violently and in instants the fish shredded sweep and poles off at the water line. Above the party's heads the choraling slowly rose in volume. As the raft rounded a huge bend, Toka felt his nerves tighten.

The luminous cavern and its river straightened and flowed between colossal green pillars set close together from wall to wall and from roof down into the river. The raft was only twenty paces from the colossal grill and being driven inexorably toward it. The choraling of Toka's name came through even clearer....

"Look!" Roya exclaimed.

* * * * *

Rising silently, the massive columns hung from the roof like green fangs. The fish drove the raft on, and the columns descended with a watery whisper. The cavern widened. From the right bank, fields and forests stretched away. On the left bank was a city of spheroid structure. Massed along the banks and bridges, the choralers were human, their green attire but scantily adequate, their titian hair worn in a loop between the shoulders.

The raft scraped gently against a wharf and Toka led his party ashore. As the patriarchal dignitaries stepped forward, Toka noted another universal characteristic--all these strange people had pale silvery eyes.

But Roya was startled by something else. "Toka! Those figurines on their necklaces are perfect likenesses of you!"

The oldest patriarch was reverent. "Yes, fair Roya. All Kosanna wears Great Prince Toka's divine likeness."

Toka glanced a warning to his startled comrades--_accept this situation and play along_.

"Great Prince Toka," the patriarch bid. "Your palanquins await your divine pleasure."

Toka lounged into the one bearing his likeness on its sides. Roya and the others occupied the rest. The procession wound through the city, into a great square packed with choraling Kosannans and toward a colossal statue that was Toka, even to his royally engraved weapons!

On the great white altar base black braziers were being lit by beautiful girls. As the procession came beside the altar, a girl with a jeweled wand stepped down to march on the right side of Toka's palanquin. The way led on across the square and to a great white-and-gold stairway that rose away to an immense domed palace. All choraling abruptly ceased and the bearers gently lowered the palanquins. Toka and party stepped out.

The old patriarch assumed a ceremonial pose. "O Great Prince Toka. No farther may we lowly ones travel." He bowed to the girl with the wand. "May you and the Princess Wanda now ascend to your divinely ordained tasks."

Aware of Roya's sarcastically raised eyebrow, Toka played on. "Lead up, good Princess Wanda."

Halfway up the long stairway, Rok frowned. "What gets me--"

A great gong throbbed urgently.

Wanda whirled. "O great Prince Toka! Your first test is at hand!" She raced away for the distant summit of the stairway.

In moments the square and city below were deserted. Toka and the men formed a V around Roya and Elees.

"What's that flapping sound?" Roya puzzled.

Toka trained his eyes on that distant cavern into which the river vanished after passing Kosanna. And from that black hole shot six huge dragons! Mottled a pale yellow and green and equipped with great wings, their sinuous lengths tapered to a series of blue rattles. Their triangular skulls were set with unwinking pink eyes. From their upper jaws great yellow fangs curved down to vicious pin-points.

As the dragons streaked for his party, Toka's powerful being sang for action and his great battle-ax was a whistling blur. His voice was cool. "Take their fangs first!"

The dragons' huge rattles began vibrating angrily. One dragon shot on for the top of the stairway. Hissing viciously, the remaining ones ganged in for Toka and company.

Toka's battle-ax cracked true and sent fangs spinning away. Clear venom dripping from the stumps, the dragon instantly recoiled in violent pain. But another came streaking in. Again Toka's battle-ax shot true in that one-two cracking and a second victim convulsed violently and collided with the angry others. All five were a wild melee over the square.

A scream slashed through the din. Toka glanced. Blue tail coiled about Wanda, the sixth dragon was winging away.

"Here they come again!" Rok warned.

Having untangled themselves, the five unburdened dragons were tearing back to the attack.

Toka's command was cool and taut. "Serve it straight!"

His whistling battle-ax struck between a set of those blazing eyes and tore through in a bloody shower. In violent death throes, the monster was piling onto the stairway. But another was hurtling in. Again Toka's vicious battle-ax tore home and another dragon was piling down.

A slimy scaliness whipped around Toka's legs. His battle-ax butchered huge coils but others replaced them with crushing power and great wings pounded him.

* * * * *

Then he saw a coil whip around Roya and a terrible strength surged from his depths. His mighty ax was a screaming viciousness. He was free and leaping for Roya and slashing those coils from her. He snatched her clear and whirled to catalog the battle scene. The surviving dragons were retreating hurriedly into the down-river cavern.

The mysterious gong of Kosanna was instantly exultant. The people began pouring from hiding. Princesses were gathering atop the stairway, and from all Kosannan throats came a great cheer.

But Toka was anxiously eyeing the gore-spattered Roya. "All right now?"

As she restored her sun-gold briefs to flattering modesty, Roya's blue eyes fondly held him. "How about yourself?"

Shifting his own gory briefs aright, Toka grinned. "Looking for a bath."

Elees joined them. "If this crazy place has a bath!"

Turning from the mess of heads, coils and wings strewn down the great stairway, Toka led the way on up.

"Hey!" Rok urged sardonically. "Listen to what those palace girls up yonder are yodeling!"

"'Ascend, ascend, ascend!'" Roya mimicked sarcastically. "'Ascend, O Great Prince Toka! Ascend to your divine abode!'" Roya's last remark was not in mimicry. "Blah, blah, blah!"

"Watch yourselves," Toka warned quietly as they neared the terrace.

The princesses formed a cortege about Toka and party. In the concave entry of the palace, a princess with a black wand waited alone.

An odd exaltation was in her voice. "O Great Prince Toka. Welcome to your divine palace. I am Princess Alota." With a bow, she turned and led them down an immense hall. "Great Prince Toka's Hall Of Life," Alota intoned.

* * * * *

Beginning on the inner sides of the great entry portals, art work progressively lined the walls and the many sets of huge doors. In exquisite execution it portrayed Toka's eventful life from birth in distant Sandcliff to his latest victory--exactly as it had all occurred! But ahead for fully a hundred paces the Hall stretched green and bare, except for a huge bas-relief of Toka on the set of doors at the far end.

"How can they know all this?" Elees puzzled softly.

"And why," Roya worried quietly, "don't they show the rest of the future?"

Toka was gentle but royally commanding. "Princess Alota, why has this not been finished?"

Alota answered humbly. "As Great Prince Toka knows all, so he knows his Hall Of Life cannot be extended until the divinely ordained times." Leading them to the pair of doors at which the Hall ended, Alota touched her wand to each, then stood obsequiously aside as the portals began swinging away. "O Great Prince Toka. Your personal rooms."

Old Ledo strolled in last and the great doors began swinging to.

"O Great Prince Toka," Alota bid. "When you have refreshed yourself, we shall return to escort you to your banquet."

As the doors snugged together, Toka was to them, ear to the crevice where they joined.

"Well?" Rok urged impatiently.

"Gone back up the Hall." Toka pressed this side of the doors. No action.

"We could tune up our little axes on them," Rok suggested laconically. Toka hesitated.

Old Ledo was dry. "Perhaps we'll meet the so-called brains of this mad society at that banquet."

"Likely." Toka joined in cataloguing the room.

Windowless, and illumined by the softly glowing ceiling, it was a restful lounge room. Roya pushed open the plain green door at the rear. Battle-axes idling, Toka and the others followed. A short cross-corridor led into luxurious bedrooms. The left one had three large beds, the right two huge ones.

"Everything for every one of us," Roya mused.

"But no bath!" Elees complained.

"I've found it!" Rok shouted.

All followed him through the door opposite the lounge room. The newest room was all green. Around the pool ran a generous width of stone floor.

Dropping her ax, Elees ran for the white diving board. Her voice rang in merry challenge. "Last one in is a glue-foot!"

Rok raced after her. "Not me!"

Roya abruptly flung her arm around Toka's neck and tumbled them both in--and the water frolic was on.

Refreshed and clean again, the party split to the respective bedrooms. Toka faced Rok and Old Ledo. "Any ideas?"

"The Kosannans we've seen so far," Old Ledo offered, "are anything but combative."

"We could butcher them by the hundreds." Rok toyed with his battle-ax. "Only...."

"Perhaps," Toka hoped as he led for the lounge room, "we'll learn something definite at that banquet."

Roya and Elees were waiting. At once a reverent knocking came on the great entry doors.

Assuming his role, Toka intoned royally, "Enter!" The great doors began swinging in.

As the procession moved up the Hall Of Life, Toka was startled by the addition to the reliefs on the wall--a perfect portrayal of the frolic in the bathing pool!

"I," Old Ledo mused dryly, "didn't see any of them in there with us."

Surfacely casual, Toka spoke ahead to their guide. "Kosanna's artisans are swift, O Princess Alota--as well as accurate."

Alota bowed her titian head in acknowledgment. "As Great Prince Toka knows all, so he knows the scene of his frolic in his pool was ready for installation even before he came to Kosanna."

Proceeding to a pair of doors on her right, Alota led them into a vast auditorium, beautifully scened of wall and softly glowing of vaulted ceiling. There was a tremendous black banquet table, its center gleaming and bare. Beside ornate black chairs down each side, hundreds of beautiful princesses stood expectantly. At the far end of the table was a great stage, its black curtain hanging in huge folds. An enchanting perfume filled the air.

Toka sauntered to the quintet of white chairs at the head of the table. Each chair back bore a small but perfect likeness of the member of the "divine" party who was to sit in it.

"Aren't there any men in this palace?" Elees wondered lowly.

"Maybe the whole place is a harem," Rok posed puckishly, "just waiting for Toka."

Toka was aware of Roya instantly stiffening. Comparing her sunny blonde and creamy-tan loveliness with the titian and milk-white beauty of the Kosanna princesses, Toka failed to see why Roya should be irritated.

Alota raised her wand. At once the curtain on the distant stage rustled aside to reveal a choir of sheerly gowned princesses who began a low choraling. With a swaying of diaphanous gown, the choir parted and a line of graceful girls danced out, bearing large trays.

"Brother!" Rok gaped.

Toka felt the warmth creeping into his face. If those dancing girls wore more than silver gilt it was not discernible. And straight down to Toka the creatures danced. After passing each tray before him, as if for benediction, the girls danced away right and left, serving first the rest of Toka's party and then the princesses down each side of the table.

As the exotic banquet progressed, a thought occurred to Toka. "O Princess Alota."

"As Great Prince Toka wishes."

"Are here gathered all my ones of my palace?"

"As Great Prince Toka knows all, so he knows that tomorrow he shall meet the Council Of Kosanna's Old Ones."

"So," Roya mocked quietly, "the big brains aren't dining with us after all!"

"They'd probably pop an old blood vessel at sight of these dancing girls!" Elees mused sardonically.

* * * * *

As his party was escorted down the Hall Of Life, Toka was only mildly surprised at the newest scene--of the banquet from beginning to end. Escorted into the lounge room, Toka and party watched the great doors swing shut.

Elees yawned. "At least we seem to have _some_ privacy."

Roya was drowsy. "Is it getting dark or am I just sleepy?"

"Hey," Rok affirmed lazily, "the ceilings are dimming."

Old Ledo now yawned. "Even have night and day in this crazy cave."

"Let's go to bed," Elees urged from her lethargy.

Old Ledo yawned again. "I guess they won't bother us."

"After all," Toka reasoned lazily, "why wear ourselves out tonight when we're going to meet those Old Ones tomorrow anyway?"

Rok yawned. "Sure! Let's grab some sleep."

Roya and Elees pulled down the silkily rustling covers of their beds.

Elees yawned. "I could go to bed with all my clothes on." She sat on her bed--and swayed backward.

The utter lethargy was pulling Roya into her own invitingly soft bed. "Who needs ... clothes off...."

Elees was beyond answering. Roya, too, relaxed into the dreamless depths.

Toka tossed down the rustling covers of his bed. Sleep weighted his eyelids and pulled at his consciousness. Not even bothering to remove battle knives, Rok and Old Ledo were sprawling into their beds. Sandals, battle knife and all, Toka stretched out on his bed and sank into its wonderful softness. "Been a ... big day...."

Rok and Old Ledo could not answer. Toka let the restful void take him.

II

Toka's dreamless slumber seemed to have lasted but moments. The ceiling was just returning to its full light of day as Toka sat up. The beds of Rok and Old Ledo were empty. And Toka's weapons were nowhere to be found! He was into the girls' room. Nothing! He was to the pool. Nothing. He stepped to the lounge room. The emptiness mocked him. Why couldn't he have seen that drowsiness last night was abnormal! Hot anger spread through Toka. _If anyone had harmed Roya_.... Picking up a stone lounge, Toka slammed it to the doors. The heavy lounge shattered--the doors stood impervious. Why hadn't he and Rok used their battle-axes when they had the chance!

The great doors suddenly opened and the cortege was there.

Toka's voice was a whip. "Where are my comrades!"

Alota bowed servantly. "Only the Council Of Kosanna's Old Ones may now answer Toka's divine testing."

If only these princesses were men so a man could beat a straight answer out of them! "Then take me to the Old Ones at once!" Toka strode into the Hall Of Life and followed Alota.

Toka scarcely noted another pair of scenes--one showing him and his party asleep last night, the other portraying his quarters awry and him whaling that lounge against the doors.

Alota was touching her wand to a pair of great doors on her left, to reveal a golden stairway leading up in a broad spiral. Alert, Toka leaped up the long spiral to a pair of gigantic black doors. They swung away and Toka stepped through. He was on a broad black terrace that circled a vast court. A golden light diffused through the domed roof. In mid-court a huge crystal sphere rested atop a black sculpture of nude maidens.

Seated in great chairs around the far half of the court were twelve men in voluminous black robes. Above flowing white beards their features displayed the withering of antiquity. Their silvery eyes never wavered from Toka.

"O Great Prince Toka," a mellow contralto intoned, "Queen Kolano and the Old Ones welcome your divine presence!"

In the huge black chair directly between the twelve Old Ones sat a woman surpassing in beauty all Kosanna's princesses. Her attire was the typical green scantiness--brilliantly jeweled.

"Where are my friends and weapons!" Toka's demand rang in the vaulted court.

Kolano's contralto echoed mellowly. "O Great Prince Toka--behold the Sphere Of All Time!"

Kolano and the Old Ones centered their silvery eyes on the huge Sphere. A faint thrumming sang through the court and a chill swept the air. The golden light faded swiftly. The Sphere seemed suspended in a black void.

"O Great Prince Toka!" Kolano intoned. "Behold the time of Present!"

The Sphere shone with a pale cold light and Toka saw his quarters. The rooms had been cleaned and straightened. Rok and Old Ledo were sprawled comfortably on their beds, their weapons beside them. The Sphere Of All Time abruptly dulled.

"O Great Prince Toka!" Once more Kolano's contralto echoed through the chill and thrumming air, "Behold the time of Past and Present!"

Again the Sphere shone with that pale cold light. Toka saw Kosanna's square as in moonlight and shadow. The door between the feet of that colossal statue of him swung in. Led by Alota, a procession of princesses marched out--each four carrying a black bier on which lay a girl. The first eight wore only small Toka figurines between their breasts. These eight girls were laid in a row on the fore edge of the altar.

Two more biers were carried out. Deprived only of weapons and consciousness, their occupants were Roya and Elees! They were added to the girls at altar's edge. At a wave of Alota's wand the princesses retired.

Toka wanted to cry out--but even in speech he was immobile! And ten dragons swept over the deserted city. Flapping above the altar, each monster whipped its tail about a girl and carried her away. Back over the city the dragons lined--and shot into that down-river cavern.

The Sphere Of All Time held to the route--through a dungeon gloom, on to a weirdly illumined area of slowly swirling steam and grotesque stalagmites, then through a black tunnel guarded by a dragon at coiled rest. Down into a vast red pit of stalagmites and stalactites, of yellow steam and slimy green moss hangings, the way led. And each dragon placed its prize in a green cage, latched the door, then flapped away into a great den of their own.

Regaining consciousness and beholding their position, the Kosanna girls began shuddering in abject fear. Of finer stuff, Roya and Elees fought to retain reason and hope--when a horde of the pit's inhabitants came into view!

Terror ripped through Toka. The things were half man and half dragon, their slimy scaliness a shiny black mottled through with a fiery red. From their flat reptilian heads lidless red eyes burned with an insatiable lust. From their mouths yellow fangs thrust down to vicious needlepoints. Their hands and feet ended in ten long and sinuous digits. Their bodies continued on down beyond their pelvis to become a tail that ended in a restless coil of blue rattles.

The Sphere Of All Time toured that pit. Working abjectly at cutting and gathering moss, or hopeless slaves in the dens pocking the pit's perimeter, were hundreds of Kosanna girls.

Fear and rage tore through Toka. Yet even with the tremendous strength that came surging from his depths he could not move or speak!

The Sphere Of All Time dulled. The taut thrumming and chill faded. The blackness changed swiftly to golden light. Kolano and the Old Ones centered their silvery eyes on Toka. The spell dropped from him.

* * * * *

Toka whirled to leave--but in that instant he could not move! The Old Ones' silvery eyes on him, Toka heard Kolano's contralto echo in the vast court. "As divinely ordained, Great Prince Toka shall listen."

Though he strained mightily, he could not do otherwise.