coming as it did without warning there was no defense and
but one possible result--Ko-tan, the king, lunged forward across the
table, the blade buried in his heart.

A brief silence followed the assassin's cowardly act. White with
terror, now, Bu-lot fell slowly back toward the doorway at his rear,
when suddenly angry warriors leaped with drawn knives to prevent his
escape and to avenge their king. But Mo-sar now took his stand beside
his son.

"Ko-tan is dead!" he cried. "Mo-sar is king! Let the loyal warriors of
Pal-ul-don protect their ruler!"

Mo-sar commanded a goodly following and these quickly surrounded him
and Bu-lot, but there were many knives against them and now Ja-don
pressed forward through those who confronted the pretender.

"Take them both!" he shouted. "The warriors of Pal-ul-don will choose
their own king after the assassin of Ko-tan has paid the penalty of his
treachery."

Directed now by a leader whom they both respected and admired those who
had been loyal to Ko-tan rushed forward upon the faction that had
surrounded Mo-sar. Fierce and terrible was the fighting, devoid,
apparently, of all else than the ferocious lust to kill and while it
was at its height Mo-sar and Bu-lot slipped unnoticed from the banquet
hall.

To that part of the palace assigned to them during their visit to A-lur
they hastened. Here were their servants and the lesser warriors of
their party who had not been bidden to the feast of Ko-tan. These were
directed quickly to gather together their belongings for immediate
departure. When all was ready, and it did not take long, since the
warriors of Pal-ul-don require but little impedimenta on the march,
they moved toward the palace gate.

Suddenly Mo-sar approached his son. "The princess," he whispered. "We
must not leave the city without her--she is half the battle for the
throne."

Bu-lot, now entirely sober, demurred. He had had enough of fighting and
of risk. "Let us get out of A-lur quickly," he urged, "or we shall have
the whole city upon us. She would not come without a struggle and that
would delay us too long."

"There is plenty of time," insisted Mo-sar. "They are still fighting in
the pal-e-don-so. It will be long before they miss us and, with Ko-tan
dead, long before any will think to look to the safety of the princess.
Our time is now--it was made for us by Jad-ben-Otho. Come!"

Reluctantly Bu-lot followed his father, who first instructed the
warriors to aw