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Civitatis Ar, Plus!
Central
Cylinder
Hidden Entry
For several minutes I examined the
blank wall, sure that it held the secret of Marlenus' entrance into the
city. Then, in frustration, I backed slowly away, hoping to see some lever
or perhaps some suspicious crevice higher in the escarpment, something
that might play its role in opening the passage I was sure lay hidden
somewhere behind that seemingly solid mass of stone. Yet no lever, handle,
or device of any kind revealed itself.
I widened my search, wandering about the walls, but they seemed sheer,
impenetrable. There seemed to be no place in which a lever or handle might
be concealed. Then, with a shout of anger at my stupidity, I ran to the
shallow cistern in the center of the pit and fell on my stomach before the
chill, foul water. I thrust my hand into the slimy water, desperately
examining the bottom.
My hand clutched a valve, and I turned it fiercely as far as it would go.
At the same time from the escarpment came a smooth, rolling sound as a
great weight was effortlessly balanced and lifted by hydraulic means. To
my amazement, I saw that an immense opening had appeared in the wall. An
enormous slab, perhaps fifty feet square, had slid upward and backward,
revealing a great, dim, squarish tunnel beyond, a tunnel large enough for
a flying tarn. I seized the tarn reins and drew the beast into the
opening. Inside the door I saw another valve, corresponding to the one
hidden under the water of the cistern. Turning it, I closed the great gate
behind me, thinking it wise to protect the secret of the tunnel as long as
possible.
Inside, the tunnel, though dim, was not altogether dark, being lit by
domelike, wire-protected energy bulbs, spaced in pairs every hundred yards
or so. These bulbs, invented more than a century ago by the Caste of
Builders, produce a clear, soft light for years without replacement. I
mounted the tarn, who was visibly uneasy in this strange environment.
Without much success, by hand and voice, I tried to soothe the beast's
apprehensions. Perhaps I spoke as much for my own benefit as his. The
first time I hauled on the one- strap, the bird would not move; the second
time he lifted into flight, almost immediately scraping the ceiling of the
tunnel with his wings, protesting shrilly. My helmet protected me as my
head was roughly dragged against the granite of the ceiling. Then, to my
pleasure, instead of alighting, the tarn dropped a few feet down from the
ceiling and began to streak through the tunnel, the energy bulbs flashing
past me to form in my wake a gleaming chain of light. TARNSMAN OF
GOR-, Pages 196-197
Marlenus and his men and I raced
down the long stairs to the main hall of the Central Cylinder, where we
came on the remains of the grisly feast of the tarns. The great birds,
fed, were once again as tractable as such monsters ever are, and with the
tarn-goads, Marlenus and his men were again in command. In spite of the
urgency of our mission, there was a detail that Marlenus did not neglect.
He lifted a tile in the floor of the great hall and revealed a valve; with
it, he closed the secret door through which the tarns had come. The secret
of the tunnel would be kept. TARNSMAN OF GOR-, (1) Page 202
Kudos to you, Mr. Norman for writing the Gorean series!
A rich, yet utterly simple saga; a world, a time, a people;
those of the Counter-Earth .. the planet .. Gor.
Thank you!
The material presented herein was researched and compiled by me,
naia{Saul}.
The material referenced comes from John Norman's Gor Series, The
Counter-Earth Saga.
This is a work in process.
Please, do not take, copy, duplicate, or use this work as your own.
If you find it valuable enough to share, please .. share the link to this
page.
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