. The central monster--the Master--flung up his arms in a
strangely terrifying gesture, and Cliff saw his carmine lips move in
a chant which he could not hear. Something, a chilling Presence,
hovered about him, seemed to settle upon him, cloaking him with the
might of the devil himself. That unheard incantation continued, and
Cliff felt a cold rigidity creeping through every fiber, slowly
freezing his limbs into columns of ice.

With a mighty effort of will he flung himself toward that accursed
drinker of blood--and at that instant a terrific detonation rocked the
ancient building, and a cloud of smoke and flame burst from the
opening in the wall. Cliff was hurled from his feet, rolled over and
over, and crashed against the wall by the awful concussion, the cutlas
and silver horn sent whirling through the air.

Dizzily he staggered to his feet, crouching defensively. Sounds came
to him clearly now; the explosion must have jarred the plugs from his
ears. He scanned the room; saw the unclad humans scattered everywhere,
most of them lying still and unconscious. He saw Vilma rising slowly;
then he looked for the monsters in red. Startled, he saw them rushing
toward the opening in the wall, to vanish in its smoke-filled
interior. Why did they----? Then he knew. Down there somewhere were
their graves--graves rent and broken by the explosion--graves
threatened by the flames--and panic had seized the vampires, fear of
the death which would result with exile from their tombs!

Unsteadily Cliff crossed to Vilma. She saw him coming and flung
herself sobbing into his arms. He crushed her lithe form close--and
another explosion, more violent than the first, sent a section of the
stone floor leaping upward as though with life of its own. Clinging to
Vilma, Cliff managed to maintain his footing, though the floor bucked
and heaved. A snapping, booming roar--and a great chasm opened in the
floor. A breathless instant--and a segment of the stone stairs,
rumbling thunderously, dropped out of sight into a newly formed pit!
With it went the blasphemous altar and its phosphorescent fire.

Deafened, stunned, momentarily powerless to move, Cliff's mind groped
for an explanation. It seemed incredible that gunpowder could cause
such havoc. And the swaying of the floor continued; the thick stone
walls shook alarmingly. Suddenly he understood. An earthquake! The
explosions had jarred the none-too-stable understrata of rock into
spasmodic motio