Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke Read Free Book Online Page B

land secure. Far beneath Lys are machines which will give us water as long as the world remains, for the old oceans are still there, miles down in the Earth’s crust.
    “That, very briefly, is our history. You will see that even in the Dawn Ages we had little to do with the cities, though their people often came into our land. We never hindered them, for many of our greatest men came from Outside, but when the cities were dying we did not wish to be involved in their downfall. With the ending of air transport, there was only one way into Lys—the carrier system from Diaspar. Four hundred million years ago that was closed by mutual agreement. But we have remembered Diaspar, and I do not know why you have forgotten Lys.”
    Seranis smiled, a little wryly.
    “Diaspar has surprised us. We expected it to go the way of all other cities, but instead it has achieved a stable culture that may last as long as Earth. It is not a culture we admire, yet we are glad that those who wished to escape have been able to do so. More than you might think have made the journey, and they have almost all been outstanding men.”
    Alvin wondered how Seranis could be so sure of her facts, and he did not approve of her attitude towards Diaspar. He had hardly “escaped”—yet, after all, the word was not altogether inaccurate.
    Somewhere a great bell vibrated with a throbbing boom that ebbed and died in the still air. Six times it struck, and as the last note faded into silence Alvin realized that the sun was low on the horizon and the eastern sky already held a hint of night.
    “I must return to Diaspar,” he said. “Rorden is expecting me.”

Six
The Last Niagara
    Seranis looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. Then she rose to her feet and walked towards the stairway.
    “Please wait a little while,” she said. “I have some business to settle and Theon, I know, has many questions to ask you.”
    Then she was gone, and for the next few minutes Theon’s barrage of questions drove any other thoughts from his mind. Theon had heard of Diaspar, and had seen records of the cities as they were at the height of their glory, but he could not imagine how their inhabitants had passed their lives. Alvin was amused at many of his questions—until he realized that his own ignorance of Lys was even greater.
    Seranis was gone for many minutes, but her expression revealed nothing when she returned.
    “We have been talking about you,” she said—not explaining who “we” might be: “If you return to Diaspar, the whole city will know about us. Whatever promises you make, the secret could not be kept.”
    A feeling of slight panic began to creep over Alvin. Seranis must have known his thoughts for her next words were more reassuring.
    “We don’t wish to keep you here against your wishes, but if you return to Diaspar we will have to erase all memories of Lys from your mind.” She hesitated for a moment. “This has never arisen before: all your predecessors came here to stay.”
    Alvin was thinking deeply.
    “Why should it matter,” he said, “if Diaspar does learn about you again? Surely it would be a good thing for both our peoples?”
    Seranis looked displeased.
    “We don’t think so,” she said. “If the gates were opened, our land would be flooded with sensation seekers and the idly curious. As things are now, only the best of your people have ever reached us.”
    Alvin felt himself becoming steadily more annoyed, but he realized that Seranis’s attitude was quite unconscious.
    “That isn’t true,” he said flatly. “Very few of us would ever leave Diaspar. If you let me return, it would make no difference to Lys.”
    “The decision is not in my hands,” replied Seranis, “but I will put it to the Council when it meets in three days from now. Until then, you can remain as my guest and Theon will show you our country.”
    “I would like to do that,” said Alvin, “but Rorden will be waiting for me. He knows where I am, and