g her back if we kill him through whom she was
taken. We would punish him--yes, but slay him we cannot. And we would be
after the maid and her brother quickly."

A moment she looked at us, perplexity shading the high and steady anger.

"As you will," she said at last; then added, half sarcastically,
"Perhaps it is because I who am now awake have slept so long that I
cannot understand you. But Yuruk has disobeyed ME. That of MINE which
I committed to his care he has given to the enemies of me and those who
were mine. It matters nothing to me what YOU would do. Matters to me
only what I will to do."

She pointed to the dead.

"Yuruk"--the golden voice was cold--"gather up these carrion and pile
them together."

The eunuch arose, stole out fearfully from between the two stars. He
slithered to body after body, dragging them one after the other to the
center of the chamber, lifting them and forming of them a heap. One
there was who was not dead. His eyes opened as the eunuch seized him,
the blackened mouth opened.

"Water!" he begged. "Give me drink. I burn!"

I felt a thrill of pity; lifted my canteen and walked toward him.

"You of the beard," the merciless chime rang out, "he shall have no
water. But drink he shall have, and soon--drink of fire!"

The soldier's fevered eyes rolled toward her, saw and read aright the
ruthlessness in the beautiful face.

"Sorceress!" he groaned. "Cursed spawn of Ahriman!" He spat at her.

The black talons of Yuruk stretched around his throat

"Son of unclean dogs!" he whined. "You dare blaspheme the Goddess!"

He snapped the soldier's neck as though it had been a rotten twig.

At the callous cruelty I stood for an instant petrified; I heard Drake
swear wildly, saw his pistol flash up.

Norhala struck down his arm.

"Your chance has passed," she said, "and not for THAT shall you slay
him."

And now Yuruk had cast that body upon the others; the pile was complete.

"Mount!" commanded Norhala, and pointed. He cast himself at her feet,
writhing, moaning, imploring. She looked at one of the great Shapes;
something of command passed from her, something it understood plainly.

The star slipped forward--there was an almost imperceptible movement of
its side points. The twitching form of the black seemed to leap up from
the floor, to throw itself like a bag upon the mound of the dead.

Norhala threw up her hands. Out of the violet ovals beneath the upper
tips of the Things spu