do not know whatthey have lost--it is much as if they had died.
"But come, I must show you where we can get a ship to take us away fromthis and into your world. I have a life to live, I want to _live_ it!You--have a message to deliver to your people, or they will become theShinros of the whole race of Schrees. I do not like to think what canhappen to your world!"
I followed her again on our furtive way among the shadows. She wasswift and sure, and made good time. She knew where she was going. It wasa broad open space deep within the city. On three sides were wide closeddoors like hangar doors. The fourth was a massive structure of rosegranite, beetling above us, a monstrous shape in the dimness, throwing ashadow half across the paved space. We raced across the shadow towardthe nearest doorway, flattened against it, listening for life inside.Carna worked on the catch of the door, after a second slid the dooraside slowly, carefully. Inside I could see a shimmering smoothness,round, higher than my head, a top-shaped object. I guessed that this wasthe ship she meant to steal from the Schrees. Suddenly the door she wassliding open scraped, and emitted a shrill, high-pitched sound. I didnot know if it was an alarm activated by the opening door or just ruston the rails and wheels of the door mechanism. Carna cried:
"Hurry, get into the ship, we must take off at once. They will come;they must have heard that sound!"
I ducked into the darkness, circled the bulging shape, looking for anopening. Smooth, there seemed no way I could find.
"Here it is, help me open it," Carna panted behind me.
I leaped to her side. She was twisting at an inset handle around whichfaint lines indicated the door edge. I pulled her aside, took hold ofthe handle, twisted hard. It bent, then gave, and the door swung easilyopen in my hands. We tumbled in. Carna raced through the first chamber,and even as I got the door closed, the floor lifted under my feeteasily, drifted out of the wide doorway, shot upward so quickly I wasthrown to the floor. I lay there, the increasing acceleration pressingme hard against the cool metal. After a time I struggled up, made my wayto the woman's side.
Ahead was the moonlit range of mountains. Carna was setting a coursestraight along the ridge of them, heading southward.
"How far will this thing fly?" I asked.
"It will fly around your world many times, if I want it to."
"What kind of fuel does it use?" I asked incredulously.
"I don't know what that is. It uses a substance we call Ziss. It is agood fuel."
"It must be!"
I looked back along the ridge of the mountain's top toward the valley wehad left. We were in a bubble on the top of the flat, circular ship; onecould see in any direction. Back there a series of glowing round shapesshot upward, came after us in a long curve that would bring them aheadof us on our course. Carna changed her course to parallel the pursuit,and they changed again, to intercept her new direction. Again shechanged, circling farther west.
But it was no use! Rapidly they overhauled us.
"Can't you get more speed out of it?" I shouted at her, for they werevery close.
"We have been unlucky, my friend. This ship is not in good shape. Thereis something wrong with it. I cannot make it go as it should, or thereis something I do not know...."
Swiftly they came up with us, over us, and beams of light shot from themdown upon us. The ship was held now, rigid. One could feel theacceleration cease. Like a bird on a string we followed as they swungback toward the valley. Minutes later we were being lowered into theopen space we had just left. I clicked the safety off my rifle,loosened the gun in my holster. I covered the door, shielding myselfbehind the round shape of a machine. But Carna put a hand on my weapon,shook her head.
"If you kill some of them, they will make of you a Shinro. If you submitmeekly, it may be I can talk to someone and save you. I have ways. Iunderstand them. They will be glad to get me, and I will tell them _you_know many things they need to know. I can save your life. Later we cantry again, in another ship. Next time we will not be so unlucky."
It sounded like sense, and I looked into her deep eyes searchingly. Shemeant well. Perhaps she could do what she said. I did not know thesealiens; she was almost one of them.
As the door opened in the side, I lay the rifle down, stood with crossedarms as the thin, hopping horrors came near.
These things had _never_ been men. They had faces that were empty offeatures, just flat, shiny, gray eyes, two holes where they breathed, nomouth that I could see. There was a long neck around which the collar oftheir white robe was gathered in folds. Their hands were horny, like aninsect's claws. They were not human, they were only four-limbed, andwalked--or hopped--in an erect position. There the resemblance ceased.
They led us out, Carna rattling off a series of sounds I could hardlyfollow. Something about:
"We had to flee from the Zervs, we did not believe you would take us in,we had to steal a ship. I am Carna, a Zoorph of the first grade, andthis man is a native of the United States, the greatest country of thisearth. Do not harm him, he can help you if he wishes."
Her words must have had quite an effect, for the weird, insect-like menexamined me with their eyes as we hurried along, across the hangarspace, into the big building of rose granite. Within twenty minutes wewere entering a tremendous room, and Carna nudged me.
"Their boss, Carl! Look impressed."
It was easy to look impressed. I _was_ mightily impressed by the _She_on the throne!
* * *
I had no eyes for the score or so of Schrees that surrounded the massivecarved chair, even though I was curious about their difference from men.Above them were her sleepy eyes, wide almonds, molten and wise,incandescent with intense inner fire above a mouth that was a wide,scarlet oval torn into the whitely-glowing face.
A great black pelt softened the harsh lines of the throne, framed herchalk-white body so that it curved starkly sensual, dominating the greatchamber with beauty. It was a beauty one knew this woman used as a tool,a weapon, keen and polished and ready, and it struck at me swift as agreat serpent, the fires behind her eyes driving the blow.
She wore a kind of sark of shadowy black veil, sewn over with sparklingbits of gem. It was in truth but an effective ornament for the proudfirm breasts, the narrow waist, the arch of the hips and the curves ofher thighs. Inadvertently I let out a low whistle of approbation andastonishment. Carna, beside me, nudged me sharply, and I snapped out ofit.
The purple, lazy lids of her eyes moved, the slow weary-wise gazecentered on me, her hand moved. In two strides a man from thethrone-side had me by the arm, and another seized my other, tugged meforward to her feet, thrust me down on my knees. Still, I looked.Curiosity and something more held me in a grip I couldn't shake.
This was more than a woman, I sensed. There was an awe of her throbbingin me. Not fear--something deeper, something one feels before theunexplainable, something one feels gazing at the moon and wondering; anominous, deep, thrilling and unexplainable emotion.
Closer, I could see her firm flesh was dusted over with a glitteringpowder, the soft curves of her hair swept back to mingle and losethemselves in the black fur of the pelt so that the night-black hairseemed to spread everywhere about her and melt into the shadows.
Her hands were sinuous as serpents, the fingers tapering, the nails verylong like the Chinese. Her nose was exquisite, but thin-edged, and witha cruel line on each side that vanished when she spoke.
"It is death to strangers in this valley...." she mused, not speaking tome or to anyone, but with a cruel intent to toy with me in the words,mocking, waiting for me to answer.
"I have been long on the way," I answered, in much the same tone, asthough we were speaking of some one not present.
"The way to death is sometimes long, and sometimes short. And, too,there are things worse than death. But what was it you came hereseeking?"
"I did not know, until just now," I answered, still looking at her eyes,which glanced at me, then away, then back again. She was interested inspite of
her apparent weariness with routine--or perhaps with lifeitself.
"Now that you know, will you tell me?" She smiled a little, not a goodsmile, but a secret jest with herself. An appearance of extreme evil satfor a moment on her face, then went again, like the wind. Her voice wasgrave, careless, yet modulated with an extreme care as if she spoke to achild.
"I seek the wisdom I see in your eyes, to know what is and why itwearies you. I want to know a great many things, about your people andwhat they do here, what they mean to mine, what your plans may be--agreat many things I need now."
The sleepiness left her eyes, and she bent toward me with the grace of agreat cat and the shadows circling her eyes lifted a little. Wise,aloof, indifferent, yet she did not know what I was, or what I meant,and she meant to find out.
"So you know...." she mused, as if to herself.
"I know you are from space. I know it has been a long