Part 9 (1/2)
Turan noted the nificence of the interior architecture of the palace, the lavish expenditure of precious jewels and eous mural decorations which depicted almost exclusively martial scenes, and principally duels which seeht upon jetan boards of heroic size The capitals of s of the corridors and chaht into forestion of the ga the same path that Tara of Helium had been led Turan was conducted toward the throne room of O-Tar the jeddak, and when he entered the Hall of Chiefs his interest turned to wonder and admiration as he viewed the ranks of statuesque thoatht, had he seen upon Barsooures or thoats so perfectly trained to perfection of immobility as these Not a muscle quivered, not a tail lashed, and the riders were as ht to the front, the great spears inclined at the sa man with awe and reverence Nor did it fail in its effect upon Turan as they conducted hireat doors until he should be summoned into the presence of the ruler of Manator
When Tara of Heliureat hall filled with the chiefs and officers of O-Tar and U-Thor, the latter occupying the place of honor at the foot of the throne, as was his due The girl was conducted to the foot of the aisle and halted before the jeddak, who looked down upon her fro brows and fierce, cruel eyes
”The laws of Manator are just,” said O-Tar, addressing her; ”thus is it that you have been suhest authority of Manator Word has reacheda Corphal What word have you to say in refutation of the charge?”
Tara of Helium could scarce restrain a sneer as she answered the ridiculous accusation of witchcraft ”So ancient is the culture of my people,” she said, ”that authentic history reveals no defense for that which we know existed only in the ignorant and superstitious minds of the most primitive peoples of the past To those who are yet so untutored as to believe in the existence of Corphals, there can be no argues of refinee of ignorance I have spoken”
”Yet you do not deny the accusation,” said O-Tar
”It is not worthy the dignity of a denial,” she responded haughtily
”And I were you, woman,” said a deep voice at her side, ”I should, nevertheless, deny it”
Tara of Heliureat jed of Manatos, upon her Brave eyes they were, but neither cold nor cruel O-Tar rapped iets,” he cried, ”that O-Tar is the jeddak”
”U-Thor remembers,” replied the jed of Manatos, ”that the laws of Manator permit any who e”
Tara of Helium saw that for some reason this man would have assisted her, and so she acted upon his advice
”I deny the charge,” she said, ”I am no Corphal”
”Of that we shall learn,” snapped O-Tar ”U-Dor, where are those who have knowledge of the powers of this woht several who recounted the little that was known of the disappearance of E-Med, and others who told of the capture of Ghek and Tara, suggesting by deduction that having been found together they had sufficient in common to make it reasonably certain that one was as bad as the other, and that, therefore, it remained but to convict one of theuilt of both And then O-Tar called for Ghek, and ied before him by warriors who could not conceal the fear in which they held this creature
”And you!” said O-Tar in cold accusing tones ”Already have I been told enough of you to warrant h your heart the jeddak's steel--of how you stole the brains froht he saw your headless body still endoith life; of how you caused another to believe that you had escaped, ht but an empty bench and a blank here you had been”
”Ah, O-Tar, but that is as nothing!” cried a young padho had co which he did to I-Zav, here, would prove his guilt alone”
”What did he to the warrior I-Zav?” dereat fellow of bulging muscles and thick neck, advanced to the foot of the throne He was pale and still tre visibly as from a nervous shock
”Let my first ancestor be an ”I was left to guard this creature, who sat upon a bench, shackled to the wall I stood by the open doorway at the opposite side of the chaulfHe dragged reatest of jeddaks, with his eyes! With his eyes he seized upon ed er upon the table and back off into a corner, and still keeping his eyes uponupon six short legs it descended to the floor and backed part way into the hole of an ulsio, but not so far that the eyes were not still upon me and then it returned with the key to its fetter and after resu its place upon its own shoulders it unlocked the fetter and again dragged me across the room and made me to sit upon the bench where it had been and there it fastened the fetter about ht for the power of its eyes and the fact that it wore er And then the head disappeared down the hole of the ulsio with the key, and when it returned, it resuuard over me at the doorway until the padwar cah!” said O-Tar, sternly ”Both shall receive the jeddak's steel,” and rising fro sword and descended the marble steps toward them, while two braarriors seized Tara by either ar the naked blade of the jeddak
”Hold, just O-Tar!” cried U-Dor ”There be yet another to be judged Let us confront him who calls himself Turan with these his fellows before they die”
”Good!” exclai half way down the steps ”Fetch Turan, the slave!”
When Turan had been brought into the chamber he was placed a little to Tara's left and a step nearer the throne O-Tar eyed hily
”You are Turan,” he asked, ”friend and companion of these?”
The panthan was about to reply when Tara of Helium spoke ”I know not this fellow,” she said ”Who dares say that he be a friend and companion of the Princess Tara of Helium?”
Turan and Ghek looked at her in surprise, but at Turan she did not look, and to Ghek she passed a quick glance of warning, as to say: ”Hold thy peace”
The panthan tried not to fathom her purpose for the head is useless when the heart usurps its functions, and Turan knew only that the woh he tried not even to think it his foolish heart urged but a single explanation--that she refused to recognize him lest she be involved in his difficulties
O-Tar looked first at one and then at another of theether?” he asked of U-Dor
”No,” replied the dwar ”He who is called Turan was found seeking entrance to the city and was enticed to the pits The followingI discovered the other two upon the hill beyond The Gate of Enemies”
”But they are friends and co padwar, ”for this Turan inquired ofthat they were his friends”
”It is enough,” stated O-Tar, ”all three shall die,” and he took another step doard from the throne
”For what shall we die?” asked Ghek ”Your people prate of the just laws of Manator, and yet you would slay three strangers without telling theht,” said a deep voice It was the voice of U-Thor, the great jed of Manatos O-Tar looked at him and scowled; but there ca the deh you shall die anyway,” cried O-Tar, ”that all three are convicted of Corphalism and that as only a jeddak may slay such as you in safety you are about to be honored with the steel of O-Tar”
”Fool!” cried Turan ”Know you not that in the veins of this woreater than yours is her power in her own land? She is Tara, Princess of Heliuhter of John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom She cannot be a Corphal Nor is this creature Ghek, nor aht to be heard and to be believed if I may have ith the Princess Haja of Gathol, whose son is my fellow prisoner in the pits of O-Tar, his father”
At this U-Thor rose to his feet and faced O-Tar ”What means this?” he asked ”Speaks the man the truth? Is the son of Haja a prisoner in thy pits, O-Tar?”
”And what is it to the jed of Manatos who be the prisoners in the pits of his jeddak?” derily
”It is this to the jed of Manatos,” replied U-Thor in a voice so low as to be scarce th and breadth of the great throne rooave me a slave woman, Haja, who had been a princess in Gathol, because you feared her influence a the slaves from Gathol I have made of her a free woman, and I have married her and made her thus a princess of Manatos Her son is h thou be my jeddak, I say to you that for any harm that befalls A-Kor you shall answer to U-Thor of Manatos”
O-Tar looked long at U-Thor, but he ain to Turan ”If one be a Corphal,” he said, ”then all of you be Corphals, and we knoell fros that this creature has done,” he pointed at Ghek, ”that he is a Corphal, for no mortal has such powers as he And as you are all Corphals you must all die” He took another step doard, when Ghek spoke
”These two have no such powers as I,” he said ”They are but ordinary, brainless things such as yourself I have done all the things that your poor, ignorant warriors have told you; but this only deher order than yourselves, as is indeed the fact I a supernatural or s which they cannot understand are ht I have eluded your warriors and escaped your pits; but I reht help these two foolish creatures who have not the brains to escape without help They befriended me and saved my life I owe them this debt Do not slay them--they are harmless Slay norant wrath I cannot return to Bantooht as well die, for there is no pleasure in intercourse with the feeble intellects that cumber the face of the world outside the valley of Bantoootist,” said O-Tar, ”prepare to die and assume not to dictate to O-Tar the jeddak He has passed sentence and all three of you shall feel the jeddak's naked steel I have spoken!”
He took another step doard and then a strange thing happened He paused, his eyes fixed upon the eyes of Ghek His sword slipped fro forward and back A jed rose to rush to his side; but Ghek stopped him with a word
”Wait!” he cried ”The life of your jeddak is in my hands You believe me a Corphal and so you believe, too, that only the sword of a jeddak ainst me Offer harm to any one of us, or seek to approach your jeddak until I have spoken, and he shall sink lifeless to the marble Release the two prisoners and let them come to my side--I would speak to them, privately Quick! do as I say; I would as lief as not slay O-Tar I but let hiain freedouards fell back, releasing Tara and Turan, who came close to Ghek's side
”Do as I tell you and do it quickly,” whispered the kaldane ”I cannot hold this fellow long, nor could I kill hiainst ain You must make the best of your opportunity while youin the rear of the throne above you is a secret opening From it a corridor leads to the pits of the palace, where there are storerooo there From these pits lead others to all parts of the city Follow one that runs due west and it will bring you to The Gate of Enemies The rest will then lie with you I can do nopowers failHe could have held this creature forever Make haste! Go!”
CHAPTER XV
THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS