Part 12 (1/2)
But she did not colad I was, for it would have doubledher before I should have been able to force her back again out of hary, I thought, and so I fought on secure in the belief that my divine princess stood close behind ht there against the nobles of Okar ere ever a one placed a foot upon the dais where I stood, and then of a sudden all that remained of thee; but even as they advanced the door at the far end of the cha into the room
”The Jeddak of Jeddaks!” he cried ”Where is the Jeddak of Jeddaks? The city has fallen before the hordes froate of the palace itself has been forced and the warriors of the south are pouring into its sacred precincts
”Where is Salensus Oll? He alone e of our warriors He alone may save the day for Okar Where is Salensus Oll?”
The nobles stepped back from about the dead body of their ruler, and one of theered back in horror as though from a blow in the face
”Then fly, nobles of Okar!” he cried, ”for naught can save you Hark! They cory men fro of swords
Without another glance toward ic scene, the nobles wheeled and fled froh another exit
Almost immediately a force of yelloarriors appeared in the doorway through which thetoward the apart the advance of a handful of red men who faced them and forced them slowly but inevitably back
Above the heads of the contestants I could see from my elevated station upon the dais the face ofthe little party that had won its way into the very heart of the palace of Salensus Oll
In an instant I saw that by attacking the Okarians froanize them that their further resistance would be short-lived, and with this idea ina word of explanation to Dejah Thoris over h I did not turn to look at her
With myself ever between her ene to the apart there alone beside the throne
I wanted the men of Helium to see me and to know that their beloved princess was here, too, for I knew that this knowledge would inspire thereater deeds of valor than they had perforreat indeed must have been those which won for thenable palace of the tyrant of the north
As I crossed the chamber to attack the Kadabrans from the rear a small doorway at ures of Matai Shang, Father of Therns and Phaidor, his daughter, peering into the roolance about they took Their eyes rested for a moment, wide in horror, upon the dead body of Salensus Oll, upon the blood that crimsoned the floor, upon the corpses of the nobles who had fallen thick before the throne, uponwarriors at the other door
They did not essay to enter the apartment, but scanned its every corner froht its entire area, a look of fierce rage overspread the features of Matai Shang, and a cold and cunning sone, but not before a taunting laugh was thrown directly in my face by the wo of Matai Shang's rage or Phaidor's pleasure, but I knew that neither boded good for me
A moment later I was upon the backs of the yellow men, and as the red onists a great shout rang through the corridor, and for a moment drowned the noise of battle
”For the Prince of Heliury lions upon their prey, they fell oncewarriors of the north
The yellow ht with the desperation that utter hopelessness often induces Fought as I should have fought had I been in their stead, with the determination to take as many of my enemies with me when I died as lay within the power of lorious battle, but the end seemed inevitable, when presently froreat body of reenforcing yelloarriors
Noere the tables turned, and it was the round between two millstones All were coreatly superior force, so that to me was left the remnants of the yellow men within the thronerooan to wonder if indeed I should ever be done with them Slowly they pressed me back into the room, and when they had all passed in after me, one of theainst the men of Kantos Kan
It was a clever move, for it put me at the mercy of a dozen men within a chaave the red men in the corridor beyond no avenue of escape should their new antagonists press them too closely
But I have faced heavier odds ainst me that day, and I knew that Kantos Kan had battled his way froerous traps than that in which he noas So it ith no feelings of despair that I turned my attention to the business of the hts reverted to Dejah Thoris, and I longed for thedone, I could fold her in my arms, and hear once more the words of love which had been deniedin the chalance at her where she stood behind me beside the throne of the dead ruler I wondered why she no longer urged me on with the strains of the martial hye that I was battling for her to bring out the best that is in me
It would be wearisole; of hoe fought froth of the rooonists fell with lad cry, I turned with outstretched arms to seize my princess, and as my lips smothered hers to reap the reward that would be thrice ah which I had passed for her dear sake frolad cry died, frozen upon my lips; my arms dropped limp and lifeless to my sides; as one who reels beneath the burden of a ered up the steps before the throne
Dejah Thoris was gone
REWARDS
With the realization that Dejah Thoris was no longer within the thronerooli from behind the draperies that backed the throne of Salensus Oll at the e scene being enacted within the chaht of that evil countenance not warned reater caution? Why had I permitted the rapid development of new situations to efface the recollection of that ret would not erase the calaain had Dejah Thoris fallen into the clutches of that archfiend, Thurid, the black dator of the First Born Again was all ht Now I realized the cause of the rage that had been writ so large upon the features of Matai Shang and the cruel pleasure that I had seen upon the face of Phaidor
They had known or guessed the truth, and the hekkador of the Holy Therns, who had evidently co Salensus Oll in his conteh priest who coveted Dejah Thoris for himself, realized that Thurid had stolen the prize from beneath his very nose
Phaidor's pleasure had been due to her realization of what this last cruel bloould mean to me, as well as to a partial satisfaction of her jealous hatred for the Princess of Heliuht was to look beyond the draperies at the back of the throne, for there it was that I had seen Thurid With a single jerk I tore the priceless stuff fros, and there before me was revealed a narrow doorway behind the throne
No question enteredof the avenue of escape which Thurid had followed, and had there been it would have been dissipated by the sight of a tiny, jeweled ornament which lay a few steps within the corridor beyond
As I snatched up the bauble I saw that it bore the device of the Princess of Heliu the winding way that led gently doard toward the lower galleries of the palace
I had followed but a short distance when I came upon the room in which Solan formerly had held sway His dead body still lay where I had left it, nor was there any sign that another had passed through the room since I had been there; but I knew that two had done so--Thurid, the black dator, and Dejah Thoris
For a moment I paused uncertain as to which of the several exits froht path I tried to recollect the directions which I had heard Thurid repeat to Solan, and at last, slowly, as though through a heavy fog, the memory of the words of the First Born ca corridors upon the right; then into the fourth right-hand corridor to where three corridorsthe left wall closely to avoid the pit At the end of this corridor I shall come to a spiral runhich Ibut a single branchless corridor”
And I recalled the exit at which he had pointed as he spoke
It did not take o with caution, although I knew that there ers before me
Part of the as black as sin, but for thethe left wall to avoid the pits was darkest of thee of the abyss before I knew that I was near the danger spot A narrow ledge, scarce a foot wide, was all that had been left to carry the initiated past that frightful cavity into which the unknowing must surely have toppled at the first step But at last I had won safely beyond it, and then a feeble light made the balance of the way plain, until, at the end of the last corridor, I calare of day upon a field of snow and ice
Clad for the ware to arctic frigidity was anything but pleasant; but the worst of it was that I knew I could not endure the bitter cold, almost naked as I was, and that I would perish before ever I could overtake Thurid and Dejah Thoris
To be thus blocked by nature, who had had all the arts and wiles of cunning ered back into the warmth of the tunnel's end I was as near hopelessness as I ever have been
I had by nothe pursuit, for if needs be I would go ahead though I perished ere ever I reached oal, but if there were a safer way it orth the delay to atteain to the side of Dejah Thoris in fit condition to do battle for her
Scarce had I returned to the tunnel than I stuarment that seemed fastened to the floor of the corridor close to the wall In the darkness I could not see what held it, but by groping with ed beneath the botto the portal aside, I found myself upon the threshold of a small chamber, the walls of which were lined with hooks from which depended suits of the complete outdoor apparel of the yellowfro-roo the hothouse city, and that Thurid, having knowledge of it, had stopped here to outfit hi into the bitter cold of the arctic world beyond