ho is
Prince of Nadia and ruler of that great nation. She is the most
exquisitely beautiful woman ever to be born on Tarth."

"Fancy that," Bram Forest said with a lack of enthusiasm that proved
marked disinterest. "I'm afraid I've never had the pleasure of the
lady's acquaintance, nor of her illustrious brother, either."

Ylia lowered her eyes in sadness. "She was also the sister of Jlomec."

"And who, pray is Jlomec?"

"I thought you knew since you tried to avenge his death. He was the
Nadian the cruel Abarian Retoc slew under your very eyes."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bram Forest said. But the cowardly death had
been accomplished and Bram Forest's mind did not dwell upon it as he
could not see where it affected him one way or another.

"Ylia," he said, "take it as a supposition that I was born this very
moment and know nothing of this world or its customs. With that in
mind, tell me of it--the things you would tell a wondering child."

She glanced at him strangely. "I will tell you all that I am not bound
to hold secret."

"I would not wish to know more."

The beautiful Ylia leaned forward, so preoccupied with the task she
had set herself that all her reserve and wariness left her. Her action
brought her lowered head close to Bram Forest's face and the sweet
smell of her newly washed and shining hair was in his nostrils. Then
he also became preoccupied with the map Ylia was drawing on the floor
of the cavern.

Long they sat thus, Ylia enjoying her task and Bram Forest's facile
mind drawing in each syllable she spoke and committing it to memory.

Finally the sun lowered and the interior of the cavern darkened until
they could no longer see each other. The most important conviction
Bram Forest arrived at from Ylia's discourse was indeed a startling
one. He was certain that this Tarth was a twin planet to Earth of
which there was complete knowledge in his mind. He could hardly escape
the fact that Tarth swung in an orbit exactly opposite to that of its
more familiar counterpart, thus remaining invisible from it.

This conviction came to him through several things Ylia said and it
was buttressed by a bit of Tarthan mythology she chanced to mention.
The legend told of a flame-god, obviously the sun, which stood forth
in its wrath one long-distant day and hurled two great stones at a
demon who came from far away bent upon torment. This last Bram Forest
thought, was perhaps a comet of great size that tore bot