The World Wreckers by Marion Zimmer Bradley Read Free Book Online

your own will. Have
    they some new weapon against you, then?"
    "No, I asked for the guard," Regis said, and took a drink from Danilo's hand. "Thanks, this is welcome.
    What, not going to taste it for poison?"
    Danilo looked stricken and grabbed it from Regis' hand with a look of horror. Regis struck his arm
    down, laughing. "I was joking, pudding brain. Dani, I must laugh at all this or I'd curl up my toes and play dead!"
    "It doesn't seem much to laugh at," said a man from the corner of the room, "that you have to treat your captors as honored guests, just to save your miserable life a little longer, Regis."
    "Let him alone," Lerrys said, "and a truce to all this, Rannirl. He's had enough trouble, and he's out there on the firing line. Your neck is so worthless no one cares to set a price on it. I'm sorry, Regis, I started all this, and I only meant to ask: is it that bad in Thendara now?"
    Danilo answered for him: "It's worse than you can imagine, but it isn't the Terrans doing it."
    "But Spaceforce men here? In uniform, with shockers?"
    "They're not bad people," said Regis wearily. "Think how easy it would be for them, to sit back and let someone murder us all, one by one? And it must take a special kind of heroism. They volunteered, all
    four, to come here, even though they knew they'd be mocked, insulted and reviled for guarding someone
    whose life doesn't matter a straw to them, personally. I can admire them sometimes."
    "We all know that," Lerrys said, "I can too; I wanted to make compact with Terra years ago, myself. But I thought it was the Hasturs who were against it."
    "We were and are," said Regis patiently. "And you know it as well as I do, all of you." He looked around the room: a large old room, hung with draperies in the ancient style of Darkover, paneled with
    translucent light. He let his eyes move in brief greeting to the half dozen young men, and as many more
    women, gathered there, most of them red-headed, Darkovan aristocrats of the telepath caste; minor
    nobles all. "I came at your bidding, but why did you send for me?"
    "I did that," said Danvan of Hastur, rising from where he sat and coming toward Regis, who rose and went down on one knee in the old formal gesture. The old man put his hands on his grandson's
    shoulders, where they lingered a moment in deep affection. He said, "I wouldn't let them make any
    decision without calling you in, Regis."
    Regis met his grandfather's eyes and felt a little shock of dread. The old man looked so tired now, and so frail. He thought: from childhood I leaned on his strength, we all did; now he is failing day by day and I must be the rock on which my people can lean — and I myself stand on quicksand!
    "Is it something new, Grandfather?" He rose, and the old man said, "Not very new; the same old thing; I dealt with it myself, with the help of Kennard and a Comyn Council, twenty years ago. The same old
    thing—a clamor for Terran mining, manufacturing, investments, you name it. The usual people who see
    only profit and forget the side effects of an industrialized world. But now there is something new, and I swear by Cassilda that I don't know what to say to them. We can deal with greed. But this—we may
    have no choice but to ask for help from the Empire, Regis."
    This from his grandfather, who had been the prime mover in the long struggle to keep Darkover clear of
    the Terran Empire, struck a surge of ice to the young man's heart. But he tried to speak with calm.
    "Let's go down, then, and listen to what they have to say to us."
    As the group made their way toward the door leading into the reception hall, a young girl came to Regis'
    side. She said, with a quiet self-possession, "Lord Regis, you may not remember me."
    "I don't," he said, and looked down into the lovely face. The girl was young and had the heart-shaped face and dark russet hair of their caste, and she had an air of calm and self-mastery quite at odds with her youth. He said, "That will be remedied