"It would seem, then, Yolara, that there _is_ a thing of the Silent Ones ye fear!" she said. "Well--the kiss of the _Yekta_ I promise you in return for the embrace of your Shining One."

She looked at Larry, long, searchingly, and suddenly again with all that effect of sunlight bursting into dark places, her smile shone upon him. She nodded, half gaily; looked down upon me, the little merry light dancing in her eyes; waved her hand to me.

She spoke to the giant frog-man. He wheeled behind her as she turned, facing the priestess, club upraised, fangs glistening. His troop moved not a jot, spears held high. Lakla began to pa.s.s slowly--almost, I thought, tauntingly--and as she reached the portal Larry leaped from the dais.

"_Alanna_!" he cried. "You'll not be leavin' me just when I've found you!"

In his excitement he spoke in his own tongue, the velvet brogue appealing. Lakla turned, contemplated O'Keefe, hesitant, unquestionably longingly, irresistibly like a child making up her mind whether she dared or dared not take a delectable something offered her.

"I go with you," said O'Keefe, this time in her own speech. "Come on, Doc!" He reached out a hand to me.

But now Yolara spoke. Life and beauty had flowed back into her face, and in the purple eyes all her hosts of devils were gathered.

"Do you forget what I promised you before Siya and Siyana? And do you think that you can leave me--me--as though I were a _choya_--like _her_." She pointed to Lakla. "Do you--"

"Now, listen, Yolara," Larry interrupted almost plaintively. "No promise has pa.s.sed from me to you--and why would you hold me?" He pa.s.sed unconsciously into English. "Be a good sport, Yolara," he urged, "You _have_ got a very devil of a temper, you know, and so have I; and we'd be really awfully uncomfortable together. And why don't you get rid of that devilish pet of yours, and be good!"

She looked at him, puzzled, Marakinoff leaned over, translated to Lugur. The red dwarf smiled maliciously, drew near the priestess; whispered to her what was without doubt as near as he could come in the Murian to Larry's own very colloquial phrases.

Yolara's lips writhed.

"Hear me, Lakla!" she cried. "Now would I not let you take this man from me were I to dwell ten thousand _laya_ in the agony of the _Yekta's_ kiss. This I swear to you--by Thanaroa, by my heart, and by my strength--and may my strength wither, my heart rot in my breast, and Thanaroa forget me if I do!"

"Listen, Yolara"--began O'Keefe again.

"Be silent, you!" It was almost a shriek. And her hand again sought in her breast for the cone of rhythmic death.

Lugur touched her arm, whispered again, The glint of guile shone in her eyes; she laughed softly, relaxed.

"The Silent Ones, Lakla, bade you say that they--allowed--me three _tal_ to decide," she said suavely. "Go now in peace, Lakla, and say that Yolara has heard, and that for the three _tal_ they--allow--her she will take council." The handmaiden hesitated.

"The Silent Ones have said it," she answered at last. "Stay you here, strangers"---the long lashes drooped as her eyes met O'Keefe's and a hint of blush was in her cheeks--"stay you here, strangers, till then.

But, Yolara, see you on that heart and strength you have sworn by that they come to no harm--else that which you have invoked shall come upon you swiftly indeed--and that I promise you," she added.

Their eyes met, clashed, burned into each other--black flame from Abaddon and golden flame from Paradise.

"Remember!" said Lakla, and pa.s.sed through the portal. The gigantic frog-man boomed a thunderous note of command, his grotesque guards turned and slowly followed their mistress; and last of all pa.s.sed out the monster with the mace.

CHAPTER XXI

Larry's Defiance

A clamour arose from all the chambers; stilled in an instant by a motion of Yolara's hand. She stood silent, regarding O'Keefe with something other now than blind wrath; something half regretful, half beseeching. But the Irishman's control was gone.

"Yolara,"--his voice shook with rage, and he threw caution to the wind--"now hear _me_. I go where I will and when I will. Here shall we stay until the time she named is come. And then we follow her, whether you will or not. And if any should have thought to stop us--tell them of that flame that shattered the vase," he added grimly.

The wistfulness died out of her eyes, leaving them cold. But no answer made she to him.

"What Lakla has said, the Council must consider, and at once." The priestess was facing the n.o.bles. "Now, friends of mine, and friends of Lugur, must all feud, all rancour, between us end." She glanced swiftly at Lugur. "The _ladala_ are stirring, and the Silent Ones threaten. Yet fear not--for are we not strong under the Shining One?

And now--leave us."

Her hand dropped to the table, and she gave, evidently, a signal, for in marched a dozen or more of the green dwarfs.

"Take these two to their place," she commanded, pointing to us.

The green dwarfs cl.u.s.tered about us. Without another look at the priestess O'Keefe marched beside me, between them, from the chamber.

And it was not until we had reached the pillared entrance that Larry spoke.

"I hate to talk like that to a woman, Doc," he said, "and a pretty woman, at that. But first she played me with a marked deck, and then not only pinched all the chips, but drew a gun on me. What the h.e.l.l! she nearly had me--_married_--to her. I don't know what the stuff was she gave me; but, take it from me, if I had the recipe for that brew I could sell it for a thousand dollars a jolt at Forty-second and Broadway.

"One jigger of it, and you forget there is a trouble in the world; three of them, and you forget there is a world. No excuse for it, Doc; and I don't care what you say or what Lakla may say--it wasn't my fault, and I don't hold it up against myself for a d.a.m.n."

"I must admit that I'm a bit uneasy about her threats," I said, ignoring all this. He stopped abruptly.

"What're you afraid of?"

"Mostly," I answered dryly, "I have no desire to dance with the Shining One!"

"Listen to me, Goodwin," He took up his walk impatiently. "I've all the love and admiration for you in the world; but this place has got your nerve. Hereafter one Larry O'Keefe, of Ireland and the little old U. S. A., leads this party. Nix on the tremolo stop, nix on the superst.i.tion! I'm the works. Get me?"

"Yes, I get you!" I exclaimed testily enough. "But to use your own phrase, kindly can the repeated references to superst.i.tion."

"Why should I?" He was almost wrathful. "You scientific people build up whole philosophies on the basis of things you never saw, and you scoff at people who believe in other things that you think _they_ never saw and that don't come under what you label scientific. You talk about paradoxes--why, your scientist, who thinks he is the most skeptical, the most materialistic aggregation of atoms ever gathered at the exact mathematical centre of Missouri, has more blind faith than a dervish, and more credulity, more superst.i.tion, than a cross-eyed smoke beating it past a country graveyard in the dark of the moon!"

"Larry!" I cried, dazed.

"Olaf's no better," he said. "But I can make allowances for him.

He's a sailor. No, sir. What this expedition needs is a man without superst.i.tion. And remember this. The leprechaun promised that I'd have full warning before anything happened. And if we do have to go out, we'll see that banshee bunch clean up before we do, and pa.s.s in a blaze of glory. And don't forget it. Hereafter--I'm--in--charge!"

By this time we were before our pavilion; and neither of us in a very amiable mood I'm afraid. Rador was awaiting us with a score of his men.

"Let none pa.s.s in here without authority--and let none pa.s.s out unless I accompany them," he ordered bruskly. "Summon one of the swiftest of the _coria_ and have it wait in readiness," he added, as though by afterthought.

But when we had entered and the screens were drawn together his manner changed; all eagerness he questioned us. Briefly we told him of the happenings at the feast, of Lakla's dramatic interruption, and of what had followed.

"Three _tal_," he said musingly; "three _tal_ the Silent Ones have allowed--and Yolara agreed." He sank back, silent and thoughtful.[1]

"_Ja!_" It was Olaf. "_Ja!_ I told you the Shining Devil's mistress was all evil. _Ja!_ Now I begin again that tale I started when he came"--he glanced toward the preoccupied Rador. "And tell him not what I say should he ask. For I trust none here in Trolldom, save the _Jomfrau_--the White Virgin!

"After the oldster was _adsprede_"--Olaf once more used that expressive Norwegian word for the dissolving of Songar--"I knew that it was a time for cunning. I said to myself, 'If they think I have no ears to hear, they will speak; and it may be I will find a way to save my Helma and Dr. Goodwin's friends, too.' _Ja_, and they did speak.

"The red _Trolde_ asked the Russian how came it he was a worshipper of Thanaroa." I could not resist a swift glance of triumph toward O'Keefe. "And the Russian," rumbled Olaf, "said that all his people worshipped Thanaroa and had fought against the other nations that denied him.

"And then we had come to Lugur's palace. They put me in rooms, and there came to me men who rubbed and oiled me and loosened my muscles.

The next day I wrestled with a great dwarf they called Valdor. He was a mighty man, and long we struggled, and at last I broke his back. And Lugur was pleased, so that I sat with him at feast and with the Russian, too. And again, not knowing that I understood them, they talked.