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;
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
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
Amazing Stories
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.