The Winged Doom by Kenneth Gilbert Read online

  plunge toward earth; but now he leveled out,

  seven thousand degrees Centigrade, would with some three thousand feet still to go, and describe a curve earthward like a gleaming

  swung well to one side of the danger zone,

  comet.

  which was immediately below where the

  Yet of a sudden the odds of the battle

  battle was going on. As he came around in a

  clearly being carried against the defenders up

  wide loop, he sensed that the supreme moment

  to this point, swung back. As the American

  of the struggle had come; that in his hands lay

  machines closed in, queer things began the balance of power in this sanguinary happening to the enemy. The hostile conflict, and if he could use it, all debts he machines, driving ahead or hanging poised in

  might owe his country would be repaid.

  air, would abruptly hurtle down, end over end,

  He shut off the flight-motors, and with

  and then crumple.

  helicopters going, holding the plane poised in

  Amazing Stories

  10

  air, he turned to the royal captive who,

  What would The Autocrat say? How

  apparently, was near the point of collapse. But

  would he choose between victory and his

  the grim intensity of The Kingbird, as he faced

  son’s safety? If The Heir died, the dynasty

  the prince, was like a deluge of cold water

  would end—would The Autocrat choose that

  which shocked the captive back into rather than forego triumph at this moment?

  normality. With a sort of fascinated horror,

  Almost The Heir blubbered as he considered

  The Heir stared at the flash-pistol which the

  it.

  buccaneer pointed toward him.

  His father loved him! Better than all

  “I give you five seconds to decide,”

  else in the world. Besides, this war was not of

  said The Kingbird calmly. “Stop this battle,

  The Heir’s choosing; he had opposed it from

  or—” and he fingered the flash-pistol the start. A flush of indignation swept over suggestively. He had fallen back upon actual

  him as he reflected that this terrible

  speech, to make his demand more emphatic,

  predicament had been forced on him against

  having snapped off the radiophone so that he

  his will. If his father had not been so

  would not be overheard.

  headstrong, this would never have occurred.

  The Heir lifted terror-stricken eyes to

  Life was sweet—and more precious

  his captor. The prince understood what a ray-

  than a kingdom. And this sky-pirate who

  pistol did, and he believed that it was such a

  confronted him was determined. Ah, yes, The

  weapon that was now trained upon him. But—

  Heir must consider the future of his people;

  stop this battle? When his royal father had

  the dynasty must not end. Not though he must

  planned for years for this very thing? It was

  pay such a humiliating price as this.

  too much! He’d die first.

  And so resistance went out of him; and

  “Then die you shall,” said The The Kingbird, reading his thoughts, snapped Kingbird, reading the other’s thoughts. on the radiophone, indicating it with a gesture.

  “Humanity will be the better for it. And the

  Nervously, The Heir faced the transmitter; and

  spawn of your dynasty dies with you.” He

  The Kingbird could not help smiling grimly as

  raised the pistol until the thing pointed directly this scion of decadent royalty struck a

  at the prince’s eyes.

  pompous attitude.

  “First, I blind you,” said The Kingbird,

  “Marshals, attention!” he cried. “It is I,

  meaning every word of it, “and then we both

  The Heir!”

  die. We’ll crash with the plane when it goes

  Silence in the cabin of the little plane,

  down, and they’ll find your body on the soil of

  while to the ears of both men came the

  the country you have sought to destroy. intermittent thunders from aloft which told of Compose your thoughts now, for they are to

  the awful conflict going on. “Marshals!” cried

  be your last!”

  The Heir louder, and stamped his foot

  impatiently, “I will have you listen to me. It is HIS own face had become strained, drawn,

  I, THE HEIR!”

  and he saw a like expression reflected in the

  The rumbling in the heavens lulled a

  face of The Heir. It was a contest between two

  little. The Heir’s language was The Kingbird’s

  wills—and one was strong and the other weak.

  own; thought-transference had long ago made

  Yet the prince fought against the thing; fought

  all tongues one, for the mind speaks in

  a fear that was seemingly at that moment

  universal terms. Then, suddenly, a voice

  greater than fear of death—the realization that

  boomed in the cabin:

  he would have to face his terrible old father,

  “Highness?”

  and confess.

  The same heavy intonations The

  The Winged Doom

  11

  Kingbird had heard before.

  safe!”

  “Aye, Herenye!” cried The Heir

  Silence again, and The Heir leaned

  joyfully. “It is your prince!”

  weakly against a stanchion, head bowed.

  “God!” came back instantly the reply,

  Then, from the receiver, came a peculiar

  in awed tones. “Yet we saw your plane go to

  droning sound. It began on a low note, and

  destruction!”

  soared up the scale to a swelling, high-pitched

  The Heir smiled in superior fashion, as

  crescendo. To The Kingbird’s fanciful mind at

  though he could recount a clever exploit of his

  that moment, it seemed like the enemy’s wail

  own.

  of despair.

  “You saw the plane crash, Herenye,

  “The recall,” said The Heir quietly.

  but I was not on board. I shall tell you the

  “You have won, sir!”

  story later.

  “Attention, now! This is very IT was chill in the upper air-lanes, and lonely, important. It is my wish that you cease but The Kingbird was content. As he hung fighting. Withdraw!”

  poised up there, he could observe the endless

  “Highness!” Shocked surprise,

  streams of aircraft flowing beneath him—

  disbelief were in the voice. The Heir scowled,

  pleasure-craft, freight and passenger-carriers,

  plainly irritated.

  and occasionally a swift police-plane in

  “Dumbhead!” he cried. “You heard my

  somber gray. He remarked to himself that so

  command! I mean it, sir!”

  far he had observed no luxurious and costly

  “Highness! We have the enemy air-yacht which promised booty; on such as beaten! They are still fighting—stubborn these he preyed, but the shock of the recent dogs, they do not seem to know when they are

  war, even though the latter had lasted but

  whipped!—but we are rapidly wiping them

  twenty-four hours, probably had yet to wear

  out. The unexpectedness of our attack has

&
nbsp; off before the over-wealthy would resume

  caught them napping. And soon we shall rain

  their normal ways.

  fire on their cities. I cannot believe that

  Since morning he had been hanging up

  Highness would put aside victory when it is

  there in the sky, so high that he could not be

  already within our grasp!”

  observed on earth. Since sending The Heir to

  The Heir fairly quivered in his rage

  earth in a parachute, to be held as hostage

  and anxiety.

  until the final details of peace should be

  “Stupid sheep! I have told you. Is not

  worked out, he had resumed his old station;

  that enough, son of a pig?

  there to remain, even though the radio

  “My orders, Marshal Herenye! You newsservices all day had been crying of his shall obey. God, man, I plead with you! It

  exploit, hailing him as “The Man Who Won

  means my life. Cease fighting!” He screamed

  the War.” The Kingbird heard it with a grim

  the last words.

  smile, but gave little heed to it. Probably this Almost a sob came back from the old

  sudden adulation of him as a hero was no

  air commander.

  more than a trick of McLaughlin’s. The chief

  “It shall be as you say, Highness. You

  of the flying police was doubtless playing a

  are supreme in command here. But I beg of

  game to get The Kingbird into his hands, to

  you to remember, when His Majesty, your

  answer for a long list of offenses against

  august father, holds me to account, that I society. The aerial news-service had asked obeyed promptly, although against my will. It

  that The Kingbird make himself known, to

  shall be as you say—and, thank God, you are

  receive the homage of a grateful nation; for

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  12

  The Heir himself had recounted the exploit

  and smile. Amnesty! It was worth trying, and

  and described his captor, and old McLaughlin

  he’d claim it.

  had supplied the identification. Nevertheless,

  But at that instant, he spied

  the aerial buccaneer continued to remain shyly

  immediately below him a large and rich-

  aloft.

  appearing plane, moving leisurely through the

  Now the radio told the latest news.

  air. Its refinements were such that they fairly

  “Full Amnesty Promised.” The Kingbird shouted wealth. Aboard it were pleasure-straightened up as he heard it. Even seekers, doubtless, the nation’s wealthy—easy McLaughlin, with all his tricks, could scarcely

  prey for such a skilled freebooter of the skies

  go behind that offer. “Amnesty!” That meant

  as The Kingbird. Money, jewels, valuable

  freedom to go and come as he chose. An end

  furnishings—there was no telling what booty

  to this ceaseless game of Fox and Hounds.

  the plane might give up. At sight of it, The

  The thought thrilled him.

  Kingbird quivered like a hunting-dog which

  At the controls once more, he went

  strikes the hot scent of game.

  shooting earthward. It had been years since he

  The next second his plane went

  had renounced his status in law-abiding shooting along in pursuit of the other. After society; it would be good to claim it once

  all, he was a sky-pirate, and could never be

  more, to be what the world called an honest

  anything else, until the game was played out.

  man. To look McLaughlin straight in the eye,

  McLaughlin’s amnesty would have to wait.