The Rebel of Rhada by Robert Cham Gilman

an ancient prayer, a fragment of one of the holiest books preserved by the order, that Kalin always spoke silently at such a moment: a private devotion, not prescribed by the dogma, but a beautiful phrase that must surely have been recorded by the Dawn Men for the instant when flight began. Kalin closed his eyes and said inaudibly, “Arise my love, arise and come away with me--” The star-ship’s immense weight rode the planet’s magnetic lines of force and lifted from the depression it had made in the earth of the tel. It seemed to float on the radiance of the wet, shining air.
    Only meters below the massive curve of the keel, the now thoroughly aroused Imperials milled in angry frustration. One or two of the more daring launched throwing spears and an occasional arrow at the rising colossus, but these were impious acts and the missiles fell back uselessly. Some of the troopers retreated from them in superstitious dread of the radiance that clung to them for a time only to fade as the vessel rose higher still into the rainy night.
    The starship floated upward above the upturned faces of the Imperial officers who now were terrified of the report they must give to the warleader Landro. The glow of ionization grew dimmer as the ship’s altitude increased. At some six hundred meters the great ship reached the cloud layer, and now those below could only see a faint violet light moving within the low mists. But the radiance did not fade away to nothing as the ship reached for space. Instead, it lingered above the tel, hovering within the cloud, fading for moments at a time as the rain fell harder, then reappearing as the wind opened patches of darkness in the air.
    Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, the light moved northward toward the city.
     
     

8
     
    During the political convulsions that shook the capital during the uprisings of the early Second Stellar Empire period, one loyalty remained unquestioned. This was the devotion of the Vykan soldiery to the persons of the royal family.
    Nv. Julianus Mullerium, The Age of the Star Kings, middle Second Stellar Empire period
     
    Fear the Vulk, for he sees without eyes and knows the black arts and dreams of the blood of children. He is not as men. He is without loyalty.
    Preface to The Vulk Protocols, authorship unknown,
Interregnal period
     
    The Vulk known to humans by the name of Erit stood rigidly against the stones of the spiraling passageway cut into the citadel wall. All around her in the darkness, the Vykan warmen waited for her to waken from her dream. She was conscious of them, conscious of the slender girl in mail war-harness kneeling at her side, but their nearness was only a distraction, and Erit forced the luminous images out of her mind and reached into the night.
    A tremor shook her slight form as the contact grew stronger. So near. So very near. It had been a very long time since Erit had touched one of her own, and it would have given her great pleasure, but there was death and danger in the air, in the night, everywhere.
    Where?
    Near, sister. Very near. Above you.
    A thousand greetings. Peace.
    Impatience. You are young, sister. There is no peace.
    We will come to you.
    Can you?
    We must. We are in a trap.
    No more than we.
    But you hope. I can hear it.
    Forgive me. I should have known she was with you.
    The warmen muttered in the darkness. There were only five. The sixth had died in the tower room. But there were nine dead Vegans there. The youngest soldier, fresh this last month from Vyka, thought about the mountains and lakes of his home world and wondered bleakly if he would ever see his land again. Then he glanced uneasily at the trance-held Vulk and wondered if it could truly read his thoughts as people said. He squared his shoulders and rubbed the thin sword cut on his arm. It didn’t matter if the Vulk could, though it would be unfitting if the creature should tell the princess of his feelings. He swallowed hard and moved closer to Ariane. He would