fires. Blue they were, blue of
a peculiar vibrancy, and blue were the glistening threads that ran
down from blue-black circular convexities set within each of the points
visible to me.

Unlike in shape, their flame of vitality dimmer than the ovoids of the
Disk's golden zone, still I knew that they were even as those--ORGANS,
organs of unknown senses, unknown potentialities. Their nuclei I could
not observe.

The floating figures had drawn close to that disk and had paused.

And on the moment of their pausing I felt a surge of strength, a
snapping of the spell that had bound us, an instantaneous withdrawal of
the inhibiting force. Ventnor broke into a run, holding his rifle at
the alert. We raced after him; were close to the shining shapes. And,
gasping, we stopped short not a dozen paces away.

For Norhala had soared up toward the flaming rose of the Disk as though
lifted by gentle, unseen hands. Close to it for an instant she swung. I
saw the exquisite body gleam through her thin robes as though bathed in
soft flames of rosy pearl.

Higher she floated, and toward the right of the zodiac. From the edges
of three of the ovoids swirled a little cloud of tentacles, gossamer
filaments of opal. They whipped out a full yard from the Disk's surface,
touching her, caressing her.

For a moment she hung there, her face hidden from us; then was dropped
softly to her feet and stood, arms stretched wide, her copper hair
streaming cloudily about her regal head.

And up past her floated Ruth, levitated as had been she--and her face,
ecstatic as though she were gazing into Paradise, yet drenched with the
tranquillity of the infinite. Her wide eyes stared up toward that rose
of splendors through which the pulsing colors now raced more swiftly.
She hung poised before it while around her head a faint aureole began to
form.

Again the gossamer threads thrust forth, searched her. They ran over her
rough clothing--perplexedly. They coiled about her neck, stole through
her hair, brushed shut her eyes, circled her brow, her breasts, girdled
her.

Weirdly was it like some intelligence observing, studying, some creature
of another species--puzzled by its similarity and unsimilarity with the
one other creature of its kind it knew, and striving to reconcile those
differences. And like such a questioning brain calling upon others for
counsel, it swung Ruth upward to the watching star at the right.

A rifle shot rang out.

Another--t