n a score of legs, with dozens of eyes flashing green as
it hurtled forward.

The men of Loren were not greatly worried. They began to fire at it with
the pistol-shaped weapons. There was only a popping noise, but Odin could
hear the bullets smashing into the onrushing thing. Others used the
tulip-flared guns, which made no noise at all, but bolts of lightning sank
into the sides of the behemoth.

After it was dead its furious drive sent it nearly a score of yards
forward. It slid into a clump of twisted trees and tore them to splinters
before it stopped quivering. Finally the way was clear.

They waited there for a time to see if they had attracted any attention
from the city of the violet dome. Nothing happened, so they advanced again.
At least five thousand men now made up this little army. Val guessed that
there were a hundred thousand fighters left in the city, not counting the
experienced ruffians that Grim Hagen had brought with him.

They had advanced not over half a mile before the pale glow of the night
turned to utter darkness. Something that looked like a vast sea-nettle was
slowly sinking down toward them from the sky. Its tentacles glowed faintly
as it fell--and it must have been a hundred yards across at the top. Once
more bullets, lightning bolts and sheets of flame were hurled at the
descending thing. It fell apart and came writhing down. Men rushed to get
away from the reach of those flailing arms. They laid low and watched
while the thing died.

"Listen," Gunnar warned.

From far away came the sound of shots and an eerie whine that seemed
faintly familiar. The shots died down. The whine continued, louder and
louder, almost to the top peak of sound, as though a tiger was growling to
itself as it feasted.

Then all was still.

"It was from the Old Ship," Gunnar said. "I wonder--"

But there was no time left to wonder. As the thing died, the phosphor
glow faded from its lashing tentacles. Finally it was still. They picked
themselves up and went on toward the dome.

The dome was propped upon miles of forty-foot columns, all carved and
decorated like those from the Hall of Kings. Below the dome, the same
barrier came pouring down like an unseen waterfall. Again they used their
protective umbrella-frames. Then, sweating and cursing and grunting, they
hauled their weapons of war into the city.

* * * * *

Val the Loren had explained that the city was not a city as