"But I thought he was on the ship!"
"He deserted," Chandler said. "With the girl. He wants her. He wants her
power for himself."
Charlie moved very quickly. He swung in front of Chandler and grabbed
his tunic-front, bunching it, ripping it and all but dragging Chandler
clear off his feet before a hand could be raised to stop him. "Where did
they go?" he asked in a terrible voice. "Where are they? Take me to
them."
"But I don't--don't know!" Chandler protested, trying without success to
break free.
It was Captain Purcell who came forward and firmly took Charlie's arm,
pulling him clear of Chandler. "Remember," he said. "In peace. In
peace."
Charlie stood with his hands at his sides. His face was white and
strained. "The girl," he said.
"We all want to find out where Glaudot took her," Captain Purcell said.
"We're going to help you. Tell me: could the girl have gone willingly
with Glaudot? To share his mad dream of power, perhaps?"
"Robin?" Charlie cried. "Never!"
"Please, lad," Captain Purcell said. "I want you to think. I want you to
consider everything. You and this girl of yours may have almost godlike
powers, but you've spent your lives on an uncivilized world and
well--frankly--couldn't a sophisticated man like Glaudot turn the girl's
head? Couldn't he confuse her into going off with him, at least
temporarily? And, assuming, he did, he doesn't know this world. He's
aware of that. He'd know we'd be coming after him. Perhaps the girl
would tell him about you. Tell me, man--where would the girl go if she
didn't want you to find her? Is there such a place? Before you answer, I
want you to know that what we do here may be far graver than you think.
It is not merely the safety of one girl we have to consider--but no, you
wouldn't understand ..."
"You mean," Charlie asked, "if this man Glaudot somehow convinces Robin
to use her power as he tells her, he might want to take over all of
Crimson?"
"Do you mean this world? Is it called Crimson? Yes--and more than that.
There's no telling how far a man like Glaudot could go with such power.
And with the ability to create all the armament and all the deadly
weapons he needed, and all the missiles to carry those weapons, he might
challenge the entire galaxy--and win!"
The words were strange to Charlie. He only understood them vaguely. Now
Robin, she would understand, he thought. Robin was always more
interested in things like that, Robin who almost knew their encyclopedia
by heart, Robin ...
"Listen," he said. "Listen. We created all the life on this world. We
made Greeks and Royal Navymen and Ministers and Russians and Congressmen
and everything we knew or somehow had heard about or had read in our
book. We get along fine with all of them, except ..."
"Yes," Captain Purcell prompted. "Go on, go on!"
"No, she'd never go there. She was always afraid of them."
"Where, man? Where?"
"No. Robin wouldn't. She just wouldn't."
It was not hot in Wild Country, but sweat trickled down Purcell's face
while he waited for Charlie's answer.
* * * * *
"Show me!" cried Glaudot in rapture. "Show me! Show me! Show me!"
He stood with Robin in a little glade in the Land of the Cyclopes. About
them were heaped all the treasures Glaudot had suddenly demanded. He did
not quite know why. He felt his iron control slipping and permitted it
to slip now, for once he got this wild desire from his system, he knew
only his untroubled iron will would be left, and with it--and the
girl--he might conquer the galaxy.
Heaped about them were jewels and precious metals and deadly weapons,
all of which Robin had summoned into being at Glaudot's orders, while
Glaudot smiled at her. It was almost a frightening smile. She was even a
little sorry she had come away with him, but she could always go back,
couldn't she? She wasn't shackled to this strange man from space, was
she? And the way he looked at her, the desire she saw in his eyes, that
was frightening too. She did not know how to cope with it. Oh, she could
create a duplicate Charlie, for example. Charlie would know what to do.
Charlie would help her. Charlie hadn't read the book as she had read it,
but Charlie was more practical. Still, what would they do with the
duplicate Charlie afterwards? You couldn't uncreate something ...
"A spaceship," Glaudot said suddenly. "Can you create a spaceship out of
nothing?"
* * * * *
Robin nodded slowly. "I can. Yes, I can. It tells all about spaceships
in the book. But I don't know if I want to."
Glaudot let it pass. There was no hurry. He was thinking about the
future, though. If Purcell opposed him, as Purcell would, and managed
to escape in the exploration ship, Glaudot would need a ship to leave
this world ...
"Why not?" he asked, his voice quite calm now, the mania which had
seized him under control now, and only his iron purpose motivating him.
"I--I don't know. You have one spaceship. I guess that's why. What do
you need another one for?"
"It was just a thought," said Glaudot. "It doesn't matter." He kneeled
near the heaps of sun-dazzled jewels. He let them trickle through his
fingers. No, the desire wasn't gone yet. It was still fighting with his
will. And, since he knew his will could win at any time, it pleased him
to give his desire free rein.
He scooped up a handful of jewels. He found a necklace and came close to
Robin and dropped it over her head. The pearls were very white against
her sun-tanned skin. The pearl pendant hung almost to the start of the
dusky valley which cleaved her breasts delightfully and disappeared with
the tanned swell of flesh on either side into the gold-mesh halter.
Glaudot fingered the pendant. His fingers touched flesh. Abruptly he
drew the surprised Robin to him and kissed her lips hungrily.
For a moment she remained passive. She neither returned his ardor nor
fought it. But when his hands began to stroke her back she pulled away
from him and stood there looking at him. She took the necklace off and
threw it at his feet.
"I don't want that any more," she said. "Why did you do--what you did?"
* * * * *
He felt the fire in his veins. He willed it to subside. He needed his
control now. All of it. But this girl, in the full flower of her youth
... No, she was not a girl, not to Glaudot. He must not think of her as
a girl. She was power. Power. The power was his--if he didn't alienate
the girl.
"We do such as that on my world," he said. "It is a kind of homage to
loveliness. I hope you didn't mind."
"I--it was strange. With Charlie sometimes I hope--but with Charlie it
is ... different. Please don't touch me again. Please promise me that."