The Jewels of Aptor

Коллекция текстов · science fiction

The Jewels of Aptor · Prologue
The Jewels of Aptor ACE BOOKS, INC. 1120 Avenue of the Americas New York 36, N.Y. THE JEWELS OF APTOR Copyright ©, 1962, by Ace Books, Inc.…
Chapter I
Waves flung themselves at the blue evening. Low light burned on the wet hulks of ships that slipped by mossy pilings into the docks as wate…
Chapter II
An oil lamp leaked yellow light on the wooden walls of the ship's forecastle. Geo wrinkled his nose, then shrugged. "Well," said Urson, "th…
Chapter III (1)
Geo walked down into the forecastle, still deserted except for Urson and Snake. "Well?" asked Urson, sitting up on the edge of his berth. "…
Chapter III (2)
"Wait a minute. I'm getting there. At first I thought he was too. The idea occurred to me first when I was talking to the priestess and she…
Chapter IV (1)
"That dream," Geo said to Urson a moment after the mate left. Urson looked down from his bunk. "You had it too?" Both turned to Snake. "I g…
Chapter IV (2)
Though the sun was warm, Iimmi shivered. He waited for a moment, and then he began. "We took a skiff out from the ship and managed to get t…
Chapter V
Light lowered in the sky as they walked beside the river, keeping close to the rocky edge and brushing away vines that strung into the wate…
Chapter VI
Geo rolled over and out of sleep, stones and moss beneath his shoulder. He grabbed his sword and was on his feet instantly. Iimmi was also…
Chapter VII (1)
It was Urson who first pointed it out. "Look at the far bank," he said. Across from them, they could make out an obviously man-made stone e…
Chapter VII (2)
"After the burning it received over that naked atom pile? It was all it could do to get to the waterfront. It's just about fried up and blo…
Chapter VIII (1)
The pale woman with the tiny eyes rose from over him. Her hair dropped like white silk threads over her shoulders. "You are awake?" she ask…
Chapter VIII (2)
"Only three of these instruments were constructed. But the moment their existence was made known by a few fantastic demonstrations, the Cit…
Chapter IX (1)
Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand. The sound of wings had stopped. "Where do we go now?" Urson asked. "Follow the g…
Chapter IX (2)
"He was at one time," Argo explained, "a very promising novice for the priesthood of Argo in Leptar, as well as a scholar of myths and ritu…
Chapter X (1)
Dawn light lay a-slant the crater's ridge. Argo pointed down the opposite slope. A black temple was visible at the bottom among trees and l…
Chapter X (2)
Light glinted on the stone limbs of the god. Figures were pouring into the temple. They must have seen her, but the hymn, sonorous and giga…
Chapter XI
Under the trees, she raised up on tiptoe and kissed the balding forehead of a tall, dark-robed priest. "Dunderhead," she said, "I think you…
Chapter XII (1)
Roughness of sand beneath one of his sides, and the flare of the sun on the other. His eyes were hot and his lids were orange over them. He…
Chapter XII (2)
Argo slipped her feet over the gunwale and with paper bag in hand, dropped to the deck. She bobbed up next to his shoulder, grinned, and sa…