yers. In a moment the hum of the radioset told him that their
communications were open. He saw the props of the other flyers starting
to turn, and flicked on his mike.

"They're on the other side of the south range," he said quickly. "She
didn't give me cooerdinates, but I should be able to find the spot. When
we get there, we land away from the city and go in on foot."

Manning's voice came coldly through the radioset: "Are you giving orders
now, Lee?"

"Right now I am, yes! If you want to try going in before reconnoitering,
that's your funeral. They have weapons."

"When we touch ground again I'll take over," Manning said. "Now let's
get going--Lee, you're first."

But Rynason was already starting his run across the field. When he had
some speed he kicked in the rocket booster and fought the little flyer
skyward. When he had caught the air he banked southward and fed the
motors all he had. He didn't look around for the others; he was setting
his own pace.

The mountain range was ten miles to the south; they should be able to
make it in five or six minutes, he figured. Below him on the dry Flat he
saw the pale shadow of his flyer skimming across the dust. The drone of
the motors filled the compartment.

The radio cut in again. It was Manning. "What's this about a city, Lee?
Is that where they are?"

"The City of the Temple," Rynason said. "It's down among overhanging
rocks--no wonder we hadn't seen it before. Doesn't seem to have been
used for centuries or more. But that's where the Temple of Kor is--and
the Hirlaji are all in the Temple."

Static hissed at him for a moment. "How did they bring her down?"
someone asked. It sounded like Stoworth.

"Probably the disintegrators," Rynason said. "The Hirlaji don't have
many of them, but they've got enough power to give us a lot of trouble."

"And they're using them, eh?" Manning said. "What do you think of your
horses now, Lee?"

Rynason didn't answer.

In a few minutes they were over the range. Rynason had to scout for
awhile before he found the pass he had seen on Mara's screen, but once
he saw it below him he followed it out to the other side. The city was
there, lying darkly amid the shadows of the mountains. Rynason banked
off and set down half a mile away.

He waited for the others to land before he left the flyer. He took a
pair of binocs from the supply kit and trained them on the city across
the Flat, but he couldn't find Mara's fallen flyer.

W