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thought as quickly as it had come. Partly for humanitarian reasons, for Snarbi
could not help being what he was, but mostly because Jason had no particular
desire to be put to the torture. He knew nothing about the local torture
methods, and he wanted to keep it that way.
"Proof is easy, Hertug of all the Perssonoj, because I know everything about
everything. I can build machines that walk, that talk, that run, fly, swim,
bark like a dog, and roll on their backs."
"You will build a caro for me?"
"It could be arranged, if you have the right kind of tools for me to use. But
I must first know what is the specialty of your clan, if you know what I mean.
For instance, the Trozelligoj make motors, and the d'zertanoj pump oil: what
do your people do?"
"You cannot know as much as you say if you do not know of the glories of the
Perssonoj!"
"I come from a distant land and, as you know, news travels slowly around these
parts."
"Not around the Perssonoj," the Hertug said scornfully, and he thumped his
chest. 'We can talk across the width of the country, and always know where our
enemies are. We can send magic to make light in a glass ball, or magic that
will pluck the sword from an enemy's hand and drive terror into his heart."
"It sounds as if your gang has the monopoly on electricity, which is good to
hear. If you have some heavy forging equipment-"
"Stop!" the Hertug interrupted. "Leave! Out-everyone except the sciulo-
j. Not the new slave, he stays here," he shouted when the soldiers seized
Jason.
When the others had left, only a handful of men remained who were all a little
long in the tooth. Each wore a brazen, sunburst-type decoration on his chest.
They were undoubtedly adept in the secret electrical arts, and they fingered
their weapons and grumbled with unconcealed anger at Jason's forbidden
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knowledge.
The Hertug spoke to him again. "You used a sacred word. Who told it to you?
Speak quickly, or you will be killed."
"Didn't I tell you I knew everything? I can build a caro and, given a little
time, I can improve on your electrical works, if your technology is on the
same level as the rest of this planet."
"Do you know what lies behind the forbidden portal?" the Hertug asked,
pointing to a barred, locked, and guarded door at the other end of the room.
"There is no way you can have seen what is there, but if you can tell me what
lies beyond it I will know you are the wizard that you claim you are."
"I have a very strange feeling that I have been over this ground once before."
Jason sighed. "All right, here goes. You people here make
electricity, maybe chemically, though I doubt if you would get enough power
that way, so you must have a generator of some sort. That will be a big
magnet, a piece of special iron that can pick up other iron, and you spin wire
around fast next to it, and out comes electricity. You pipe this through
copper wire to whatever devices you have-and they can't be very many. You say
you talk across the country. I'll bet you don't talk at all, but send little
clicks-I'm right, am I not?" The foot shuffling and the rising buzz from the
adepts were sure signs that he was hitting close.
"I have an idea for you: I think I'll invent the telephone. Instead of the old
clickety-clack, how would you like to really talk across the country?
Speak into a gadget here, and have your voice come out at the far end of the
wire?"
The Hertug's piggy little eyes blinked greedily. "It is said that in the old
days this could be done, but we have tried and have failed. Can you do this
thing?"
"I can-if we can come to an agreement first. But before I make any promises I
have to see your equipment."
This brought mutters of complaint about secrecy, but in the end avarice won
over taboo and the door to the holy of holies was opened for Jason while two
of the sciuloj, with bared daggers ready, stood at his sides. The Hertug led
the way, followed by Jason and his septuagenarian bodyguard, with the rest of
the sciuloj tottering after. Each of them bowed and mumbled a prayer as he
crossed the sacred threshold, while it was all Jason could do to keep himself
from breaking into contemptuous laughter. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]