a time, he was naturally thought dead. Who could
survive unprotected the extremes of heat and cold? And if by a miracle
he triumphed over the elements, how survive the appalling enmity of the
Termans, whose rudimentary brains conceived no mercy?
Nevertheless, startling bits of rumor began to drift in to our city;
rumors that Thid had been seen, _leading hordes of gigantic Termans
across the desert wastes_!
We laughed, of course, for caravaneers are ever the prey of sun mirages,
and legends are dear to their souls. A legend was begun concerning Thid.
Arriving caravans vied with each other in fantastic reports. Some had
seen him with immense hordes of the repulsive Termans. Still others had
discovered subterranean labyrinths being built by the Termans under his
command, and had barely escaped with their lives. And still we laughed,
blessed by the constant climate on the shores of our sea, and the
beneficent rule of our Exalted Palladin.
And then we ceased to laugh. Palladin called together his Council of
Scientists.
"Can it be?" Palladin asked. "Two whole caravans have vanished on the
way to Estka beyond the mountains." And he told us more, reports that
had arrived from other cities. Survivors had arrived, with the light of
madness in their eyes, babbling some nameless fear. Others had died from
ghastly wounds--great burns that refused to heal, but spread a kind of
disease through the tissues. I, Braanol, examined some of these wounds
and reported to Palladin.
"Only a perverted, scientific intellect such as Thid's could have
evolved weapons to inflict such wounds!"
"If he has organized the Termans," suggested another Council Member,
"despite their pigmy size, they will become a menace that cannot be
ignored."
"We have delayed too long!" thundered Palladin. "Find Thid! I command
it!"
* * * * *
An army, the greatest ever assembled on Diskra, was sent forth to hunt
out Thid and exterminate the Termans whom he had managed to organize by
heaven only knew what magic. The planet must be cleansed of that leprous
form of life, else there would be no peace.
But we did not know what depths of horror we were to plumb. Even now, O
Illustrious Empress, reason reels and totters at the remembrance. _I_
led one fine division of the Imperial Guards, armored warriors of the
first magnitude. With them I felt able to conquer planets, not to speak
of the trivial-sized Termans.
For many
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