Read Online The Golden Enemy by Alexander Key - Free Book Online Page B

Jaim?”
    He struck his clenched hands together. “I’ve got to stop them, if I can. But first I must see Emmon.”
    The Elder was waiting for them on his terrace. It was late in the afternoon now, and Emmon was showing the strain he had been under by a growing irritability. His eyes were glittering and he was impatiently twisting a ruler in his frail hands.
    â€œWell!” he snapped at Boy Jaim. “You knew you were needed! What do you mean by running off at a time like this?”
    â€œI—I’m sorry, sir, but I just had to go somewhere and think.”
    â€œThink!” Emmon shrilled. “Thunder above! You haven’t learned how to think yet—you’re being driven by your emotions. Think indeed! Now forget that impossible beast for a moment and listen to what I have to say.”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    â€œI’ve had another look at my charts, and there’s no question about our being in for trouble. It’s a far more serious matter than that devilish bear.”
    â€œI—I know that, sir.”
    â€œEh?” Emmon’s voice was hardly more than a squeak. “What do you know that I don’t know?”
    â€œIt’s something about food,” Boy Jaim hastened to say. “The small creatures are hiding it as fast as they can. They know something’s going to happen. The bear knows it too—that’s why he’s trying to destroy our food, so we’ll die. I wish you’d get on the radiophone and tell everybody in East Com and North Com to get out in the fields and pick everything that can be eaten, even though it’s not ripe. They’d better start right away and work all night—”
    â€œBut what of the goats?” Emmon cried. “You know that beast will drive them there tonight if he isn’t killed.”
    â€œNot tonight. Pshaw, a goat’s a goat. When he’s tired he won’t go a stop farther than he wants to go, even if the Golden One kills him. And before someone kills the Golden One I’ve got to try to talk to him—”
    â€œTalk to him!” the Elder shrilled. “Don’t be a fool. You’ve tried talking to him once—now forget him and listen to me.”
    â€œYes, sir?”
    â€œIt’s this: Years ago, both your parents and I knew you were developing abilities uncommon to the majority. Because of them, we believed a certain extra ability would show up later.” Emmon prodded him impatiently with the ruler, and squeaked, “Do you know what I’m talking about, young man?”
    â€œY-yes, sir.” There flashed through Boy Jaim’s mind the words his father had written in the journal about the Pool of Knowledge. “But I haven’t got it. Why don’t you ask Malla? Maybe, if she tried—”
    â€œBah!” Emmon exploded. “I don’t want hazy prophecy—I want facts. Understand? Facts—how, what, when, how long—facts we can use. Of course Malla’s right about the Time of Trouble being on us. How does that help us? Skies above, science tells me trouble is due—but it doesn’t give enough facts so we’ll know which way to jump.”
    â€œJump?”
    â€œThat’s what I said! We’re coming under cosmic and planetary attractions that can kill us all—with burning heat, flooding rain, or freezing cold. The pressures could cause earthquakes, or start volcanoes spouting from the sea again. Where are we going to live? In our stone houses during earthquakes? Ha! But suppose it’s freezing outside, or the air’s so full of volcanic dust you can’t breathe it? Understand?” In his concern and impatience the Elder had been twisting the ruler in his frail hands. Now suddenly it broke. He hurled the pieces away and added, “This is a life-and-death matter. We need facts to stay alive. Even one fact could be enough. If we just knew what was going to