shook him until his teeth rattled. "Where?" he growled. "The truth
this time or I throw you to a lion!"

The words tumbled out. "Half a march to the west. There is a low point
in the cliff there, making it easy to climb. They are not good climbers;
it took them a long time to----"

"Were there shes with them?"

"Shes?" The youth's beady eyes flickered. "I--I cannot say. I did not
see----"

Tharn shook him again. "Enough of your lies!" he thundered. "How many
shes were with them?"

"T-t-two." Roban was thoroughly frightened now. "I saw no others,
although there may have----"

"Describe them."

"One had black hair; the other's hair was the color of Dyta, the sun, as
he seeks his lair for the night. Both were very beautiful, although the
black-haired she was less beautiful."

Tharn's chest swelled with elation. At last he had found the trail of
Dylara and those who held her. He was eager to be on his way, flying
through the trees to wrest her from the Ammadians. They were only five
suns ahead--a distance he could cover in a quarter that time....

His gray eyes went to where Trakor sat watching him. As those eyes met
his, the youth smiled. "The golden-haired one must be Dylara," he said.
"Your search is nearly ended, Tharn. Hurry on to her."

The cave lord caught the faint note of sadness in the young man's voice
and his admiration for the lad went still higher. Even as he was urging
Tharn to go on without him it was with the knowledge that were the cave
lord to do so it would mean Trakor's doom. Trakor could not now return
to the caves of Gerdak without being slain on sight; yet to remain alone
in the jungle would mean certain death.

Tharn rose to his feet on a swaying branch, light from the moon picking
out his slow smile. "Come, Trakor," he said. "We must reach that point
at the cliff before dawn."

Trakor offered a protest. "But I will only slow--"

In reply Tharn picked him bodily from the branch and placed him across
his shoulder, hearing the young man's sigh of relief as he did so.

"But what about me?" cried Roban. "You can not leave me here!"

Tharn looked at him in simulated surprise. "Have you forgotten? Your
father is coming with many warriors to hunt me down. You, yourself, have
said so. Wait for them here."

"But Tarlok may find and eat me!"

"Even Tarlok does not stoop to carrion," Tharn pointed out. Before
Gerdak's son could reply, Tharn and Trakor were gone into the inky
depths below