down the guardian forts of Savissa and to conquerthose few other portions of this planet that still stand against me.Then I will return to the Earth in your _Viking_, taking with me enoughgold to buy a vast fleet of ships. There is more gold available here onVenus than all your banks on Earth have ever imagined! I could makemyself ruler of Earth with all that gold, but I will choose anothermethod. I will bring back the space-ships, and load them up with myscaly warriors--and then sail to conquer the Outer Planets and whateverelse may lie beyond the Solar System!"
Gerry Norton stared at Lansa in a grim silence. The man was undoubtedlymad. Stark, raving mad! No one but a maniac would cherish such a wilddream of Universal conquest. He had that dangerous combination ofnatural cleverness and distorted values that has often distinguishedleaders who have taken nations into the shadowy valleys of ruin. For amoment Lansa hesitated, his narrow eyes blazing and one arm flung up ina dramatic gesture. Then some of the fire went out of him, and hereturned to more prosaic and immediate things.
"But all that lies in the future. At the moment I must ask you toradio-phone the _Viking_ to come to this city and land in the plain justbelow the walls."
"I'll see you in hell first!" Gerry snapped. Lansa shrugged.
"I expected you to indulge in some such heroics! Your type always does.I have not forgotten your attacks on my reputation back on Earth someyears ago, Norton, nor your charges that I was unfit to command the_Stardust_. It will give me considerable pleasure to watch what is aboutto happen to you. Ho--guards! Bring him down to the torture chamber."
* * * * *
The place of torture was a circular and low vaulted chamber. Gerry wasled across to one of the walls, and his bound hands fastened behind himto a metal ring. The place was lit by a dim green light that had novisible source, though in one spot there was a ruddy glow where ironswere heating in a brazier of burning charcoal. A bench was placed forLansa and Olga to sit on, and four of their guards stood beside them.
The torturers themselves had been selected from among the Green Men ofGiri, instead of the scaly skinned warrior race of Vaaka. They weresquat and heavy men, those torturers, evidently of the most brutal anddebased type that Lansa had been able to find. One in particular, whosewide green face was made hideous by an old scar that had put out one ofhis eyes, licked his thick lips in ghoulish anticipation as his fingersprodded the flesh about Gerry's ribs and felt the Earth-man's muscles.
"Bring in the other two," Lansa commanded.
All about the room were the tools of the torturer's art. Some werefamiliar things that have been used since men first began to mistreathis fellow creatures--leaded whips and stretching-racks and cradleslined with pointed spikes. Others were strange looking and probably evenmore horrible mechanisms of coils and wires and electrodes. Gerry lickedhis lips. The place had the hushed stillness of a chamber that has beenthoroughly sound-proofed. Probably no screams of agonized victims everpenetrated beyond those smooth walls of polished green metal.
They brought Angus McTavish in first. He looked like some shaggy redgiant, wearing only a loin-cloth with his hair and beard all awry. Thencame Closana. Her crossed wrists were tied together before her by a cordthat was held by one of the guards, and she was very pale.
Lansa nodded quickly.
"Let them begin," said Lansa tonelessly.
"A suggestion, sir!" Olga leaned forward on the bench. The glance of herbrooding eyes was fixed on the young Amazon princess. "Let them work onthe girl first. It will probably succeed more quickly. I think the manNorton has fallen in love with that empty headed young savage, and youknow how men are."
"You are right. Let it be done that way."
Closana was spread-eagled in mid-air, her upstretched arms fastened toropes that led to the ceiling and her ankles lashed to metal rings inthe floor below. She could move nothing but her head as Olga Starkwalked up to stand before her.
"This will repay for the condescension with which I was treated inSavissa!" the Earth-woman said venomously. Closana looked at her insilence for a moment, and then suddenly spat squarely in the otherwoman's face.
"_Atta girl!_" roared Angus with all the power of his big lungs. Olgastruck the helpless girl twice in the mouth with her clenched fist, thenreturned to her seat.
"Begin!" she commanded.
One of the torturers tossed Closana's long hair forward on either sideof her neck, to leave her back entirely bare for the lash. The girl'seyes were closed again, and there was a thin trickle of blood at onecorner of her mouth. The torturer shook out the lash, whirled it oncethrough the air and then brought it smashing across the middle ofClosana's back.
* * * * *
The girl's whole body writhed convulsively for a moment. There was aninstant red welt where the whip had struck. A low moan escaped betweenher clenched teeth. Then Gerry Norton leaned forward where he stoodbound against the wall.
"You win, Lansing!" he said hoarsely, "stop it! Make them leave heralone and I'll do as you say."
"I thought you would," the renegade officer said softly. There seemed tobe a definite disappointment in his cruel eyes. "I will have the radioset brought here and you can call the ship right now."
"Have them lower the girl down."
"She stays where she is until you have finished."
The portable radio-phone from the wrecked _Stardust_ was brought in andset up on a stand immediately in front of Gerry. Olga set up the sigmoidantenna on its duralite frame, and twisted the dials to the space-ship'swave length. Then she took the transmitter.
"Calling Steve Brent on the _Viking_! Calling Steve Brent on the_Viking_! Please come in!" she repeated over and over.
At last the answering signal lit up, and Steve's familiar voice camefrom the receiver.
"This is Steve Brent. Who is calling?"
Olga held the transmitter before Gerry's mouth. Lansa nodded to one ofthe torturers, who drew a white hot iron from one of the braziers andheld it a little way from Closana's face.
"One false word and that iron goes into the girl's eyes," the Lord ofGiri-Vaaka warned in a low hiss. "After that, all of you will live inagony for weeks before we have finished. Tell him to land near the cityand bring all but a single watch-man to the east gate where they will bewell received."
"Hello Steve. This is Gerry Norton!" Gerry said. Brent's voice shookwith excitement.
"Jumping ray-blasts, chief, we all thought you were done for! Where didyou go? What happened? Where are you now?"
"I'm being well entertained in the city of Vaaka-Havson. These Scaly Menare very pleasant and friendly when you get to know them. Cross the GiriRiver by a bald hill...."
Gerry finished the directions for the coming of the _Viking_ and thelanding of its crew as ordered by Lansa. As the radio was turned off,the Lord of the Scaly Ones stood up with his thin lipped smile.
"Good! Our plans progress. Now you three will go back to a cell. And,since you are no longer of any value to us, you will be used when wehunt the giant Dakta on the shore tomorrow."
* * * * *
The three prisoners were placed in the same cell, all spread-eagledagainst the wall with their outstretched arms held by metal cuffs. AngusMcTavish's face was sour and glowering as he turned to Gerry.
"That was an ill thing that ye did, Gerry Norton," he growled.
"I could not see them whip her any more."
"The three of us will probably meet as bad a fate soon anyway, from whatthat thin faced devil said at the end, and, meanwhile, ye've lured ourcomrades to destruction."
"It couldn't be helped," Gerry said, and closed his eyes. He had takenwhat was probably the longest chance of his career, and he was not in amood to talk about it. Particularly when every faintest syllable utteredin one of these metal cells could be heard by the guards in thecorridor outside!
There was little rest for any of them, chained in that awkward positionand with the cell always filled with that pitiles
s green light. Gerrydozed fitfully from time to time. Closana seemed to have fallen asleep,drooping forward in her bonds with her head hanging low, but her longhair covered her face and it was hard to tell. Angus made no attempt tosleep at all, and for most of the intervening time he was muttering manytongued curses into his beard.
At last they were freed from their chains. They were given water inmetal cups, and a bowl of some kind of stew to eat. For perhaps an hourthey rested and eased their stiffened muscles. Then more guards came andbound their hands behind them and took them away.
It was again broad daylight when they were taken out into the streets ofthe city, the peculiarly yellow daylight that filtered through thecloudy canopy overhead. The three prisoners were surrounded by a heavyguard of reptile men who marched