LITMIR.BIZ

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by the faith and the honour of the O’Keefes, an’ by my dead mother’s soul may God do with me as I do by her!” he whispered fervently.

      He relapsed into open-eyed dreaming.

      I walked about the room, examining it — the first opportunity I had gained to inspect carefully any of the rooms in the abode of the Three. It was octagonal, carpeted with the thick rugs that seemed almost as though woven of soft mineral wool, faintly shimmering, palest blue. I paced its diagonal; it was fifty yards; the ceiling was arched, and either of pale rose metal or metallic covering; it collected the light from the high, slitted windows, and shed it, diffused, through the room.

      Around the octagon ran a low gallery not two feet from the floor, balustraded with slender pillars, close set; broken at opposite curtained entrances over which hung thick, dull-gold curtainings giving the same suggestion of metallic or mineral substance as the rugs. Set within each of the eight sides, above the balcony, were colossal slabs of lapis lazuli, inset with graceful but unplaceable designs in scarlet and sapphire blue.

      There was the great divan on which mused Larry; two smaller ones, half a dozen low seats and chairs carved apparently of ivory and of dull soft gold.

      Most curious were tripods, strong, pikelike legs of golden metal four feet high, holding small circles of the lapis with intaglios of one curious symbol somewhat resembling the ideographs of the Chinese.

      There was no dust — nowhere in these caverned spaces had I found this constant companion of ours in the world overhead. My eyes caught a sparkle from a corner. Pursuing it I found upon one of the low seats a flat, clear crystal oval, remarkably like a lens. I took it and stepped up on the balcony. Standing on tiptoe I found I commanded from the bottom of a window slit a view of the bridge approach. Scanning it I could see no trace of the garrison there, nor of the green spear flashes. I placed the crystal to my eyes — and with a disconcerting abruptness the cavern mouth leaped before me, apparently not a hundred feet away; decidedly the crystal was a very excellent lens — but where were the guards?

      I peered closely. Nothing! But now against the aperture I saw a score or more of tiny, dancing sparks. An optical illusion, I thought, and turned the crystal in another direction. There were no sparklings there. I turned it back again — and there they were. And what were they like? Realization came to me — they were like the little, dancing, radiant atoms that had played for a time about the emptiness where had stood Sorgar of the Lower Waters before he bad been shaken into the nothingness! And that green light I had noticed — the Keth!

      A cry on my lips, I turned to Larry — and the cry died as the heavy curtainings at the entrance on my right undulated, parted as though a body had slipped through, shook and parted again and again — with the dreadful passing of unseen things!

      “Larry!” I cried. “Here! Quick!”

      He leaped to his feet, gazed about wildly — and disappeared! Yes — vanished from my sight like the snuffed flame of a candle or as though something moving with the speed of light itself had snatched him away!

      Then from the divan came the sounds of struggle, the hissing of straining breaths, the noise of Larry cursing. I leaped over the balustrade, drawing my own pistol — was caught in a pair of mighty arms, my elbows crushed to my sides, drawn down until my face pressed close to a broad, hairy breast — and through that obstacle — formless, shadowless, transparent as air itself — I could still see the battle on the divan!

      Now there were two sharp reports; the struggle abruptly ceased. From a point not a foot over the great couch, as though oozing from the air itself, blood began to drop, faster and ever faster, pouring out of nothingness.

      And out of that same air, now a dozen feet away, leaped the face of Larry — bodyless, poised six feet above the floor, blazing with rage — floating weirdly, uncannily to a hideous degree, in vacancy.

      His hands flashed out — armless; they wavered, appearing, disappearing — swiftly tearing something from him. Then there, feet hidden, stiff on legs that vanished at the ankles, striking out into vision with all the dizzy abruptness with which he had been stricken from sight was the O’Keefe, a smoking pistol in hand.

      And ever that red stream trickled out of vacancy and spread over the couch, dripping to the floor.

      I made a mighty movement to escape; was held more firmly — and then close to the face of Larry, flashing out with that terrifying instantaneousness even as had his, was the head of Yolara, as devilishly mocking as I had ever seen it, the cruelty shining through it like delicate white flames from hell — and beautiful!

      “Stir not! Strike not — until I command!” She flung the words beyond her, addressed to the invisible ones who had accompanied her; whose presences I sensed filling the chamber. The floating, beautiful head, crowned high with corn-silk hair, darted toward the Irishman. He took a swift step backward. The eyes of the priestess deepened toward purple; sparkled with malice.

      “So,” she said. “So, Larree — you thought you could go from me so easily!” She laughed softly. “In my hidden hand I hold the Keth cone,” she murmured. “Before you can raise the death tube I can smite you — and will. And consider, Larree, if the handmaiden, the choya comes, I can vanish — so”— the mocking head disappeared, burst forth again —“and slay her with the Keth — or bid my people seize her and bear her to the Shining One!”

      Tiny beads of sweat stood out on O’Keefe’s forehead, and I knew he was thinking not of himself, but of Lakla.

      “What do you want with me, Yolara?” he asked hoarsely.

      “Nay,” came the mocking voice. “Not Yolara to you, Larree — call me by those sweet names you taught me — Honey of the Wild Bee-e-s, Net of Hearts —” Again her laughter tinkled.

      “What do you want with me?” his voice was strained, the lips rigid.

      “Ah, you are afraid, Larree.” There was diabolic jubilation in the words. “What should I want but that you return with me? Why else did I creep through the lair of the dragon worm and pass the path of perils but to ask you that? And the choya guards you not well.” Again she laughed. “We came to the cavern’s end and, there were her Akka. And the Akka can see us — as shadows. But it was my desire to surprise you with my coming, Larree,” the voice was silken. “And I feared that they would hasten to be first to bring you that message to delight in your joy. And so, Larree, I loosed the Keth upon them — and gave them peace and rest within the nothingness. And the portal below was open — almost in welcome!”

      Once more the malignant, silver pealing of her laughter.

      “What do you want with me?” There was wrath in his eyes, and plainly he strove for control.

      “Want!” the silver voice hissed, grew calm. “Do not Siya and Siyana grieve that the rite I pledged them is but half done — and do they not desire it finished? And am I not beautiful? More beautiful than your choya?”

      The fiendishness died from the eyes; they grew blue, wondrous; the veil of invisibility slipped down from the neck, the shoulders, half revealing the gleaming breasts. And weird, weird beyond all telling was that exquisite head and bust floating there in air — and beautiful, sinisterly beautiful beyond all telling, too. So even might Lilith, the serpent woman, have shown herself tempting Adam!

      “And perhaps,” she said, “perhaps I want you because I hate you; perhaps because I love you — or perhaps for Lugur or perhaps for the Shining One.”

      “And if I go with you?” He said it quietly.

      “Then shall I spare the handmaiden — and — who knows? — take back my armies that even now gather at the portal and let the Silent Ones rot in peace in their abode — from which they had no power to keep me,” she added venomously.

      “You will swear that, Yolara; swear to go without harming the handmaiden?” he asked eagerly. The little devils danced in her eyes. I wrenched my face from the smothering contact.

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