Maxim Gunn and the Demon Plan by Nicholas Boving

Author:Nicholas Boving
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, action, demon, fantasy, young adult, taurus, maxim gunn, gilgamesh, turkey, boving
Publisher: Nicholas Boving

CHAPTER TEN

They had started while the stars were still bright in the sky, and throughout the long day had worked their way up into the mountains, over passes and onto little travelled tracks. The only signs of life had been the occasional goatherd and, twice, a small village nestling in the shelter of the stony hills.

It was nearly sunset when Gunn called a halt under a group of stunted trees beneath a hill covered with tumbled boulders. The gear unpacked, he lit a small fire of thorn wood, and within a short time had applied his not inconsiderable talents to dinner. The result would have satisfied the most demanding gourmet.

Leaning back against a boulder, a mug of wine in his hand and a cigar between his teeth, Torquil Tornquist uttered a sigh of contentment, and said.

“A wise man once inferred that any fool could be uncomfortable when camping. You, my friend, are obviously not a fool. The dinner was superb, the wine has travelled remarkably well, and this cigar - which is obviously Cuban - is magnificent.”

Gunn grunted and waved a hand in airy acknowledgement. “Tell me about this Gilgamesh character. My knowledge of him is sketchy, to say the least. Wasn’t he supposed to have been a visitor from another planet who became a God King, and reigned for an impossible number of years?”

Tornquist chuckled. “One hundred and twenty-six to be precise. But as to the rest; who knows? Listen, and I will tell you what is known, and what I think.”

Bright stars shone through the clear, dry air, and nothing but the sigh of the wind, and the occasional cry of a night creature disturbed Tornquist’s tale of an ancient king, lord of one of the city states of the so-called cradle of civilization. He recited parts of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and in his enthusiasm transformed it from dusty, far off history, to the deeds of a man who was truly great in his time. It was a story of violence and love, friendship and high adventure - and of death - and Gunn was moved by it, by a man who had lived some 4,600 years ago and was still remembered. He wondered vaguely how many people living today would be remembered in the year 6,500. Not many; if there were indeed men to remember, if the world hadn’t destroyed itself by then.

“So the tablets are incomplete,” he said when Tornquist finally came to the end. “We don’t know what happened to him in the final days.”

“Not officially,” replied the archaeologist. “But I think I know, and that is why we are here in this God forsaken place. Why he came here to end his days we shall never know. Maybe it wasn’t so bleak then. Maybe there were trees and pasture where there is now rock and bareness.” He shrugged. “Anyway, we shall see.”

In the distance, to the north, Gunn watched with mild curiosity as the navigation lights of an aircraft winked through the night, and the faint beat told him it was a helicopter.

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