登陆注册
5167500000047

第47章

"Follow it." He pointed."Take those who came with you and follow it."The wrinkles upon his face writhed with his eagerness.

"You will go?" panted Yuruk."You will take them and go by that path?""Not yet," I answered absently."Not yet."And was brought abruptly to full alertness, vigilance, by the flame of rage that filled the eyes thrust so close.

"Lead back," I directed curtly.He slid the door into place, turned sullenly.I followed, wondering what were the sources of the bitter hatred he so plainly bore for us;the reasons for his eagerness to be rid of us despite the commands of this woman who to him at least was goddess.

And by that curious human habit of seeking for the complex when the simple answer lies close, failed to recognize that it was jealousy of us that was the root of his behavior; that he wished to be, as it would seem he had been for years, the only human thing near Norhala;failed to realize this, and with Ruth and Drake was terribly to pay for this failure.

I looked down upon the pair, sleeping soundly; upon Ventnor lost still in trance.

"Sit," I ordered the eunuch."And turn your back to me."I dropped down beside Drake, my mind wrestling with the mystery, but every sense alert for movement from the black.Glibly enough I had passed over Dick's questioning as to the consciousness of the Metal People; now I faced it knowing it to be the very crux of these incredible phenomena; admitting, too, that despite all my special pleading, about that point swirled in my own mind the thickest mists of uncertainty.That their sense of order was immensely beyond a man's was plain.

As plain was it that their knowledge of magnetic force and its manipulation were far beyond the sphere of humanity.

That they had realization of beauty this palace of Norhala's proved--and no human imagination could have conceived it nor human hands have made its thought of beauty real.What were their senses through which their consciousness fed?

Nine in number had been the sapphire ovals set within the golden zone of the Disk.Clearly it came to me that these were sense organs!

But--nine senses!

And the great stars--how many had they? And the cubes--did they open as did globe and pyramid?

Consciousness itself--after all what is it? A secretion of the brain? The cumulative expression, wholly chemical, of the multitudes of cells that form us? The inexplicable governor of the city of the body of which these myriads of cells are the citizens--and created by them out of themselves to rule?

Is it what many call the soul? Or is it a finer form of matter, a self-realizing force, which uses the body as its vehicle just as other forces use for their vestments other machines? After all, I thought, what is this conscious self of ours, the ego, but a spark of realization running continuously along the path of time within the mechanism we call the brain; making contact along that path as the electric spark at the end of a wire?

Is there a sea of this conscious force which laps the shores of the farthest-flung stars; that finds expression in everything--man and rock, metal and flower, jewel and cloud? Limited in its expression only by the limitations of that which animates, and in essence the same in all.

If so, then this problem of the life of the Metal People ceased to be a problem; was answered!

So thinking I became aware of increasing light; strode past Yuruk to the door and peeped out.Dawn was paling the sky.I stooped over Drake, shook him.On the instant he was awake, alert.

"I only need a little sleep, Dick," I said."When the sun is well up, call me.""Why, it's dawn," he whispered."Goodwin, you ought not to have let me sleep so long.I feel like a damned pig.""Never mind," I said."But watch the eunuch closely."I rolled myself up in his warm blanket; sank almost instantly into dreamless slumber.

同类推荐
  • 大正句王经

    大正句王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 孙膑兵法

    孙膑兵法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 啸旨

    啸旨

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 玉泉子

    玉泉子

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 玉斗山人集

    玉斗山人集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 祛痘圣经

    祛痘圣经

    青春痘的造访,让你飞扬恣意的青春,笼上了一层痘痘阴影。你下定决心,要将青春痘通通都赶走,现在,你要做的就是学习治疗青春痘的好方法,学会青春痘怎么治疗。本书为痘友介绍了多款祛痘的秘方,有健康的中医之道,有快速的药物治疗,还有从根本上除痘的好习惯……想要祛痘的朋友,在艰苦的战“痘”中拼尽全力终于获胜,不料,留下了痘痘后遗症,很是悲观!那么,究竟怎样才能从根本上祛痘又不留痕呢?本书绝对是你的最佳的助手!谨以此书献给战痘的朋友,希望你们都能修成战“痘”圣佛!
  • 宾头卢突罗阇为优陀延王说法经

    宾头卢突罗阇为优陀延王说法经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 学会做人、学会做事

    学会做人、学会做事

    如何做人是一门学问。然而人生的复杂性使人们不可能在有限的时间里洞察人生的全部内涵。要真正做到不较真、能容人,也不是简单的事。做人和做事是相辅相成的。学会了做人,其实也就学会了做事,就知道了该干什么和不该干什么,由此我们的工作交往就会快乐,我们的朋友就会越来越多,大家就会有成功的希望。
  • 鬼才女将

    鬼才女将

    廖清止一出生就被迫戴上紫铜面具,天生丽质却无人知。她是将帅,武艺超强,带领手下冲锋陷阵,奋勇在前。她和康伯箫在战场上相遇,第一次相遇都要置对方于死地,她招招凌厉,有着一股不要命的气势。两人过招,似乎康伯箫常常居于下风。她扮作翩翩佳公子苏凌雪与康伯箫私下接触,发现他是一个难得的良师益友,两人高山流水,如伯牙子期,相知渐深。但是她和他始终是敌人。他要做回自己的皇子,他娶了自己不爱的女人但仍然怜爱有加。她的惊人美貌也终于被发现并被迫嫁与皇帝成为他的皇后。他们以为对方再也不会出现在自己的人生里,但是十六年后,当他看到自己亡母的遗物出现在那个十六岁的男孩子身上时,往事如江河滚滚而来…
  • 拐个相公来种田

    拐个相公来种田

    睁眼闭眼之间,木柔桑挂完又穿越了。身世凄惨,家徒四壁,上无父母,下无弟妹只有个唯二的哥哥相依为命。
  • 娇妻在上:宝贝,快关门

    娇妻在上:宝贝,快关门

    “你又想怎么样!”程一诺怒瞪着头顶的男人,咬牙切齿。男人邪魅一笑,云淡风轻:“你出不去这个门!”“你,无耻!”“不信你可以试试,看看没有我的话谁敢让你出去?”为了女儿,她不得不靠近那权势滔天的男人,却不想一步一步沦陷,直至无法自拔。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 王爷快到碗里来

    王爷快到碗里来

    她成了他的妃,却被无情打入冷宫,他最心爱的女人受到了一丝丝伤害,都要怪到她的身上,当他想真心对待她时,却又看到心爱女人的伤心,无情的鞭打,冷默的折磨,她被他人救起,而他又能做些什么?
  • 斗罗大陆之何归

    斗罗大陆之何归

    何归(雾)意外和唐三结缘,然后唐三不小心变了的故事。——何归:我永生都在寻求信仰,终于我找到了,你就是我的信仰。——
  • 无尽神皇

    无尽神皇

    《无尽神皇》2群:264042935新书刚开,迫切需要大家的支持!———————————界面交错,万族争雄!封印万年的血炼禁地,终究被破,无数被封印的身影穿梭而出,再次重归大陆。群魔乱舞,妖魅丛生,沉寂亘古的荒古大陆风云再起,云卷云狂!一少年,韵滔天魔念,从血炼禁地中走来。独自一人,败万族,战天魔,灭邪修!荒古大陆,固守万万年的格局,山崩木朽。苍天可逆!唯我不弃!凡武、玄武、灵武、仙武、神武……一步步,走上至尊之路!万千世界,神皇之路!吾为无尽神皇!这是个英雄崛起的时代,这是个神魔群舞的时代……
  • 吃掉那个收容物

    吃掉那个收容物

    中二版:亵渎者的雕像,懦弱者的皇冠,野心者的利刃...他们终将跪倒在您的面前,诉说着您的伟大,歌颂着您的史诗...愚昧的人民啊,献上你们的灵魂,如果你渴求改变悲惨的命运。睿智的学者啊,请奉上毕生所学,假如你想名留千古。全知全能的牧羊人正注视着你们的灵魂,期待你们的选择。正常版:叫我尤格!叫我索托斯!我特么要吃爆!