e once more, he returned to
his chair and filled his wine cup. "A thousand tals," he mused.
"Heglar's assistance comes high indeed. But let him fondle them for a
little while before they come back to me--along with the lovely Rhoa. I
wonder what the old man would say if he knew his mate has been my
mistress these past three moons!"

CHAPTER V

BEYOND THE HEIGHTS

As Tharn felt those fingers close about his ankle he dropped instantly
to his other knee to keep from being upset and swung his free hand in a
sweeping blow at the point where reason told him the face of his
attacker would be.

So quickly had he acted that his knuckles thudded home on an unseen jaw
before its owner was able to shout an alarm. There followed a convulsive
twist of a body in front of him and the clutching fingers loosed their
hold.

His unconscious prize still hanging from his shoulders, Tharn regained
his feet and raced cat-like for the mouth of the cave. Behind him he
caught the sound of a startled grunt, followed by a wild yell that
roused every occupant of the cave while Tharn was still a good thirty
feet short of his goal.

A huge form shot up in front of him, a raised knife silhouetted against
the star light beyond. Behind him naked feet whispered against rock as
several enemy warriors rushed to close with the foolhardy intruder.

Tharn was trapped! Burdened as he was by the limp weight of his captive,
he knew his chances of leaving Gerdak's cave were almost nonexistant.

But not once did the thought come to him of abandoning his catch--his
only means of locating the route of those who held Dylara. With a single
bound he was upon the man in his path; a supple twist of his body
allowed the descending knife to slip harmlessly past. At the same
instant he drove a hip into his attacker, who, off balance, was knocked
headlong into two other warriors.

The way was clear now to the cave's mouth and Tharn was congratulating
himself that he would at least reach open air when two more warriors
dropped from above onto the narrow ledge of Gerdak's cave. Evidently
they had been aroused by the chorus of yells and had come down from
their caves to investigate.

At sight of their leveled spears Tharn skidded to a halt. Behind him he
could hear at least two of Gerdak's personal guards moving cautiously
forward to take him from the rear. With no avenue for retreat, with a
pair of trained fighting men cutting off his advance, his chances f