Dwight V. Swain

“ Again Burke twisted the dial. Again.
Now whole towns came and went. One moment, the screen showed neat huts and cultivated fields; the next, ruins or no buildings at all.
But never a trace of people. People moved too quickly for even the finest settings of the time-spindles to show them.
Farther back ... farther ... farther....
And now there was only a great, dark ring on the hillside to mark the palace. Wall-blocks and pillars lay strewn like scorched blocks in all directions. It was as if lightning had blasted the very earth. ”

“ A moment later, Theseus joined him, a lamp in one hand, Daedalus' cord in the other. The revolver he'd taken from Burke was thrust into his loin-band.
Together, with Burke pushed into the lead, they moved along the tunnel.
It was a nightmare, after that—a nightmare of slime and smells, sudden winds and water. Snakes slithered across Burke's feet. Cobwebs brushed his face. The lamp's gleam was a pinprick in an infinity of darkness. A dozen times they struck dead ends; retraced their steps out of blind alleys. ”

“ Feeling that mind, fighting it, Burke all at once understood the malevolence he'd seen in Minos' eyes.
In the sea-king, he faced a man possessed.
Now, the alien thing sought to possess him, too.
Savagely, Burke met its probings. Sweating, straining, he fought it, hate for hate, and turned it back, and drove it from his brain.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the pressure was gone.
But in the same instant, Minos cried out, "This is no god! This is but a man!"
And from the crowd above, a thunderous echo: "Yes, yes! He's but a man!" ”

“ Snarling, Theseus stepped back and, lifting the lamp, scrutinized the terra cotta of the tunnel wall till he found a crack-formed ledge wide enough to hold the light. Then, returning to the bars, he seized one in both hands and heaved on it while he braced a foot against another.
Still nothing happened.
Again the Athenian heaved, and this time every muscle along his back and arms and legs swelled. His belly drew into heavy ridges. Veins stood out at throat and temple.
For the instant, even Burke couldn't help but watch fascinated at the picture of sheer physical strength displayed. ”

“ Every rattling stone, every wind-tossed branch against the cloud-blocked sky, became for him a trigger for new tension. Once, when the shadows behind him flickered, he almost persuaded himself that Theseus must be on their heels. Or perhaps, somehow, they'd caught the attention of another of old Minos' guards....
Again Ariadne veered right. A door creaked as she put her shoulder to it.
This corridor was so black Burke had to grip the girl's hand to keep contact with her.
More doors. More halls. More rooms. The place was like a maze—the very Labyrinth itself. ”

“ Suddenly eager, heedless of fatigue, he clawed his way to the headland's highest point and scanned the whole area.
No sign of Ariadne.
The spark flickered; died. Dully, Burke stared out across the shadowy sea.
His life from now on would be like that: grey; all grey.
It didn't even matter that now he could see the hidden pattern behind the rise of Bronze Age Crete.
The alien ship's presence was, of course, the key.
Obviously, that ship had brought the biggest part of so-called Minoan culture with it. That was why Cretan civilization had flowered so incredibly fast. ”

“ Ariadne lifted a tear-stained face. "How did you guess, my lord?"
"This mind-track business—do you have any idea how it works?"
The girl's cheeks flamed. "Don't shame me, Lord Dionysus! You know he's only—half—my brother."
"And on account of that wild story about the sacred bull and your mother, Pasiphae, you think he's got powers beyond the human?" Burke snorted. "Believe me, princess, it isn't true. Either that creature's not half a bull, or else he's not half your brother. A thing called science says it can't be." He grinned suddenly. "My own bet's that he's neither bull nor human. ”

“ Ariadne's face took on a heightened color. "You see, Lord Dionysus, at my father's will the monster holds me here within the palace. No matter how I try to hide or run away, always he tracks me down."
Burke stood very still. "He—tracks you down—?"
"Yes, my lord." The girl raised a restless hand to smooth her jet-black hair. "His mind—it follows mine, you see. So when I would flee, he sends pursuers to drag me back." And then: "Lord Dion, I confess: at first I sought to save you so that you, a god, would slay the Minotaur and carry me away." ”

“ The monster launched a new charge.
Burke swung the stool.
But even as the blow descended, the Minotaur brought up huge hands to stop it. Catching the stool by the legs, the creature jerked it up, trying to wrestle it away from Burke.
For an instant, then, they struggled, toe to toe, fighting for possession of the stool.
But only for an instant, for Burke knew without question what the outcome would be; must be. No ordinary man could stand against this hideous freak of nature. It simply was too much to hope for.
Yet unless he won, what would happen to Ariadne? ”

“ The maid bowed her head. But from his vantage-point, Burke could see her hidden smile—quick, minx-like. "She seeks only to escape her destiny, Master Theseus. In you, hero that you are, she sees one who might slay the Minotaur and take her away from Crete and the scorn and loneliness that so long have been her lot here."
"So!" grunted Theseus. "She'd use me, would she! Me, hero of Athens!"
His scowl grew even blacker. Then, abruptly, it faded. Sweeping the girl up bodily in his arms, he bore her to the nearest couch. "Enough of this empty talk, wench! ”

“ What brought about Great Knossos' fall?
Questions without answers, all of them. Mysteries like the Cretan's strange, undeciphered writing, and the final fate of lovely Princess Ariadne, Minos' daughter, and how Theseus, bare-handed, could have slain the mighty Minotaur.
It was all enough to drive a seven-eight-nine-ten-year-old boy to distraction!
Then a careless visitor's elbow knocked the bowl to the floor. It shattered into shards.
At ten, a boy's too old to cry—before company, at least. ”

“ Ariadne's eyes distended, then narrowed. Her voice took on a taut, dangerous note. "Do you think to mock me, artisan? Me, daughter of Minos, favored beyond all women of this realm?"
Daedalus' hairy chest rose and fell in heavy, almost deliberate rhythm. Turning, he crossed with short, clumping steps to the nearest stand and set down his lamp, then made a small business of straightening the wick. ”

“ Involuntarily, Burke shuddered.
What chance did a mere human have, pitted against the dark craft of the alien? Where could he hope to find the strength and skill and insight to win over the strange horror from beyond the void?
Yet with Ariadne's life at stake, Earth's whole future in the balance, how could he turn back? ”

“ Burke bit down harder. Heedless of the pain and sweat and knotting muscles, he forced himself to thrust his wrists down so the flame could play upon the cords.
In seconds, the stench of searing flesh and burned cloth blotted out the chamber's odor. Eyes squeezed tight shut as if to shut out the agony, cursing beneath his breath, Burke strained to keep his bonds taut and in the right position.
Then, when it seemed that he could stand the pain no longer, a cord snapped like a clipped wire. Another followed.
The next instant, Burke's wrists were free. ”

“ Burke said tightly, "By tomorrow there won't be any Knossos. The Great Palace here, the shrines, the other buildings—as of midnight tonight, less than an hour-and-a-half from now, they'll all be destroyed."
Tension, spiraling higher with each passing second.
Burke said, "Now you know why I came tonight, Ariadne: because this is the last chance I'll ever have. I've got to get you out of here, now or never. That's why I have to see Daedalus, and go into the Labyrinth, and meet the Minotaur and kill it." ”

“ For while he might find temporary cover here with Ariadne, in these private quarters beyond the Queen's Megaron, death yet bayed at his heels.
Already, bearded King Minos himself no doubt paced some other palace hall—thirsting for Burke blood; raging in jealous fury that any outlander should dare aspire to his lovely daughter.
That slavering Greek lecher, Theseus, too—it was lucky he lay dead drunk there in the corner. Sober, and confronted with a rival, he'd kill just to salve his wounded ego. ”

“ Warily, Burke peered through the grating of a sort of grilled divider that helped to separate room from room.
The chamber beyond was larger than the one in which he stood. Brighter, too—a typical Minoan light-well spilled noonday sun clear along one side. The furnishings and the octopus frescoes on the wall showed an opulence that spoke of nothing less than royalty.
As for the man and the woman, they were alone in the room, and playing a game as old as time. That is, the man was trying to catch the woman—girl, really—while she strove to stay out of his reach. ”

“ He'd need to choose the right place, too ... somewhere out of the line of palace traffic—that apartment off the Queen's Megaron, for instance.
Not too steadily, Burke set the dials; then straightened.
The realization of his own folly flooded through him in the same instant.
How could anyone be so mad as to sacrifice his life on the altar of sheer intellectual curiosity? What did it matter if he never knew why Knossos fell? To go through with this because he'd been intrigued by an octopus-decorated Minoan bowl as a child of seven—it was absurd. His place was here—in his own time, his own land. ”

“ The smith's head lifted sharply. "Whatever this deed is that you speak of, my son had nothing to do with it!"
"Do you count it nothing for a youth to enter secretly into my apartment, then assault a guard when he's surprised?" Ariadne's lovely face fixed into a mask of scorn. "Ambition ill becomes you, Daedalus. For a man who'd plot such a thing, risk his own son's life to gain power over me, you show little courage and less sense."
Before Burke's eyes, sweat came to the smith's broad forehead. ”

“ It threw Burke off balance. He could find no words with which to answer.
The girl said, "I promise you, you needn't worry for me; a warrior should not have to think of women, or fear for them. I'll await you at my own apartment."
Burke groped. "Ariadne—"
It was as if he hadn't spoken: "Remember, you have my promise. But if anything should go wrong, if I'm missing when you reach my quarters—Lord Dion, do you know the River of Amnissus?"
"Yes, of course."
"To its left, where it meets the sea, a headland rises. So, if fate decrees that I must flee from Knossos, you can expect to find me there." ”

“ You couldn't ignore a woman in a moment of crisis such as this one—not when she meant as much to you as Ariadne did to him.
So, what would happen to her, if he dropped down through this manhole into the sewer?
Answer: she'd die. In less than half an hour she'd die, without note, in the destruction of this strange, gleaming palace men called Knossos.
And nothing he, Dion Burke, or anyone else, could do would save her, so long as the Minotaur lived. ”

“ Minos, in turn, had played the role of a Quisling, power-hungry intermediary between his own race and the aliens. To hold his kingship, he'd had Daedalus build the Labyrinth, to serve as quarters for the alien overseer who, in the guise of oracle, held final power in Knossos. And when a human host for this octopodal commandant had been demanded—a man to serve as transportation for the creature—Minos had blackened his wife's name and dedicated his imbecile son to the duty. ”

“ It added up to tension that had to find an outlet. Savagely, he lashed out at Ariadne: "For the hundredth time, girl: I'm not Dionysus, not a god. I'm Dion Burke, that's all. A man, like any other—"
Hurt came to the great dark eyes. A tear-mist veil blurred the glow of awe and adoration. The soft lips quivered.
But only for a moment. Then, contritely, the girl bowed her head. Jet ringlets glistened in the lamplight. Bringing up slim hands, she crossed them upon the firm young breasts that she wore bared in the traditional Minoan style. ”

“ His lovely captive winced as he twisted. "But—my lord—the Minotaur—Dion, it will slay you!"
"Maybe. And then again, maybe not." Burke brushed a hand against the revolver in his waistband. "You see, I won't be on quite the same spot as those others who died, Ariadne. I've reserved a couple of special Dionysan thunderbolts to try out on your monster, patent of two subsidiary gods named Smith & Wesson."
"But Daedalus—he's my father's man, Lord Dion, chief of all the palace craftsmen. He'd never help you, even if you could reach him." ”

“ As for the maid, she'd fainted. And the expression lovely Ariadne now wore was beyond Burke's power to read.
But already, feet were pounding in the corridor outside. Guards poured into the room, half-a-dozen of them—great, strapping blacks with spears and swords and shields.
Six guards ... and only three shots left in the revolver.
Now the Cretan who seemed to be in command of the Negroes looked about uncertainly. "What happened, princess?" he asked. "Who are these men, these strangers?"
For a moment, Burke thought, a smile almost flickered at the corners of Ariadne's mouth. ”