City of the Cyborgs Read Free Page B

campfire crackled merrily. A sense of peace came over Josh. For a long time, he and the other Sleepers sat talking about their adventures.
    They talked about the time they had been in the land of ice and snow, fighting the Ice Wraiths. They talked about being made prisoners by flying men in the high mountains. They talked about going under the sea to live with the strange race that had adapted to that environment. Again and again they mentioned Goél, for he was the one that held them all together.
    Rainor sat in silence, listening to it all.
    Josh felt good. His back still stung from the blow he had taken from Gulak’s whip, but Sarah had put on it some soothing ointment that Rainor had furnished. He was warm and well filled, and he was with his friends.
    And then, abruptly and for the first time that night, Rainor spoke up. His voice cut into their conversation like a knife. “I am also in the House of Goél.”
    Immediately they all began to babble. Sarah was sitting close to the stranger, and she reached over and grabbed Rainor’s arm. “Are you really a follower of Goél?”
    “I am. Not a very good one, I fear, but I believe he is the only one who can deliver us from the Dark Lord.”
    Josh was excited. “Rainor, why didn’t you tell us this at once?”
    Rainor shook his head. “These are dangerous times. Not everyone is friendly to Goél, and some people are pretenders. I see that you are not. In some places where I have been, it is worth your life to confess that Goél is your leader.”
    “We know that is true,” Dave said. “As a matter of fact, if you were an enemy of Goél, you could have killed us all by now.”
    “I could have done that, but fortunately for you I believe in him.”
    Sarah asked, “Where’s your home, Rainor?”
    But Rainor seemed reluctant to talk about his home. “Tell me who you are, instead,” he said.
    “We are often called the Seven Sleepers,” Josh told him.
    Rainor nodded. “I suspected as much. We have heard tales of you. But I thought you would be much older.”
    “Everybody does.” Josh shrugged and smiled. “Do you want to hear our story?”
    “Yes. I do.”
    Josh settled back and began to tell their tale. “I was born in Oldworld,” he began, “and before the great war came, I was put in a sleep capsule. That’s an invention that can keep a person alive for many years …”
    Rainor listened, his eyes fixed on Josh’s face. Hedid not interrupt, and his blue eyes glowed with interest as Josh continued to relate the history of the Sleepers.
    “… and so we woke up in Nuworld—and were things ever changed!”
    “Changed how?”
    “In almost every way. For one thing, geography was changed from the way it was before. The continents were all shifted around.”
    Josh told about their experiences with Goél, and then said, “You’ve saved our lives, Rainor, and I can tell you that Goél will be most grateful.”
    “We
certainly are,” Sarah said.
    “Is there anything we could do for you in return?” Josh asked.
    The question seemed to grab at Rainor. He started to speak, then changed his mind. “We will talk in the morning,” he said. “Now it is time to get some sleep.”
    Everyone got ready to lie down for the night. They recognized the wisdom of Rainor’s words.
    There were still miles to go, but Josh was hopeful. “Rainor’s a follower of Goél,” he said wonderingly. “He could lead us out of this desert. Everything’s going to be all right.”
    “I think you’re exactly right, Josh,” Jake muttered. “Rainor is just what we needed.”
    “Right!” Dave agreed sleepily.
    “Sure,” Reb spoke up. “He’s just the ticket. Why, I knew a fellow like him once who—”
    “None of your tall tales tonight, Reb,” Josh said quickly. “We’ve got a ways to go tomorrow. So let’s get some sleep.”

3
A Strange Story
    L ittle was left of the antelope, which had been a rather tiny beast to begin with. But when dawn came, Sarah and Abbey