第49章

"Possibly it is lack of food," replied the other."She mentioned, I believe, that she and her companions had not eaten for several days.""Brave are the warriors of O-Tar," sneered A-Kor; "lavish their hospitality.U-Dor, whose riches are uncounted, and the brave O-Tar, whose squealing thoats are stabled within marble halls and fed from troughs of gold, can spare no crust to feed a starving girl."The black haired U-Dor.scowled."Thy tongue will yet pierce thy heart, son of a slave!" he cried."Once too often mayst thus try the patience of the just O-Tar.Hereafter guard thy speech as well as thy towers.""Think not to taunt me with my mother's state," said A-Kor."'Tis the blood of the slave woman that fills my veins with pride, and my only shame is that I am also the son of thy jeddak.""And O-Tar heard this?" queried U-Dor.

"O-Tar has already heard it from my own lips," replied A-Kor;"this, and more."

He turned upon his heel, a supporting arm still around the waist of Tara of Helium and thus he half led, half carried her into The Towers of Jetan, while U-Dor wheeled his thoat and galloped back in the direction of the palace.

Within the main entrance to The Tower of Jetan lolled a half-dozen warriors.To one of these spoke A-Kor, keeper of the towers."Fetch Lan-O, the slave girl, and bid her bring food and drink to the upper level of the Thurian tower," then he lifted the half-fainting girl in his arms and bore her along the spiral, inclined runway that led upward within the tower.

Somewhere in the long ascent Tara lost consciousness.When it returned she found herself in a large, circular chamber, the stone walls of which were pierced by windows at regular intervals about the entire circumference of the room.She was lying upon a pile of sleeping silks and furs while there knelt above her a young woman who was forcing drops of some cooling beverage between her parched lips.Tara of Helium half rose upon an elbow and looked about.In the first moments of returning consciousness there were swept from the screen of recollection the happenings of many weeks.She thought that she awoke in the palace of The Warlord at Helium.Her brows knit as she scrutinized the strange face bending over her.

"Who are you?" she asked, and, "Where is Uthia?""I am Lan-O the slave girl," replied the other."I know none by the name of Uthia."Tara of Helium sat erect and looked about her.This rough stone was not the marble of her father's halls."Where am I?" she asked.

"In The Thurian Tower," replied the girl, and then seeing that the other still did not understand she guessed the truth."You are a prisoner in The Towers of Jetan in the city of Manator,"she explained."You were brought to this chamber, weak and fainting, by A-Kor, Dwar of The Towers of Jetan, who sent me to you with food and drink, for kind is the heart of A-Kor.""I remember, now," said Tara, slowly."I remember; but where is Turan, my warrior? Did they speak of him?""I heard naught of another," replied Lan-O; "you alone were brought to the towers.In that you are fortunate, for there be no nobler man in Manator than A-Kor.It is his mother's blood that makes him so.She was a slave girl from Gathol.""Gathol!" exclaimed Tara of Helium."Lies Gathol close by Manator?""Not close, yet still the nearest country," replied Lan-O."About twenty-two degrees* east, it lies."* Approximately 814 Earth Miles.

"Gathol!" murmured Tara, "Far Gathol!"

"But you are not from Gathol," said the slave girl; "your harness is not of Gathol.""I am from Helium," said Tara"It is far from Helium to Gathol;" said the slave girl, "butin our studies we learned much of the greatness of Helium, we of Gathol, so it seems not so far away.""You, too, are from Gathol?" asked Tara.

"Many of us are from Gathol who are slaves in Manator," replied the girl."It is to Gathol, nearest country, that the Manatorians look for slaves most often.They go in great numbers at intervals of three or seven years and haunt the roads that lead to Gathol, and thus they capture whole caravans leaving none to bear warning to Gathol of their fate.Nor do any ever escape from Manator to carry word of us back to Gahan our jed."Tara of Helium ate slowly and in silence.The girl's words aroused memories of the last hours she had spent in her father's palace and the great midday function at which she had met Gahan of Gathol.Even now she flushed as she recalled his daring words.

Upon her reveries the door opened and a burly warrior appeared in the opening--a hulking fellow, with thick lips and an evil, leering face.The slave girl sprang to her feet, facing him.

"What does this mean, E-Med?" she cried, "was it not the will of A-Kor that this woman be not disturbed?""The will of A-Kor, indeed!" and the man sneered."The will of A-Kor is without power in The Towers of Jetan, or elsewhere, for A-Kor lies now in the pits of O-Tar, and E-Med is dwar of the Towers."Tara of Helium saw the face of the slave girl pale and the terror in her eyes.