CHAPTER XXI
A RISK FOR LOVE
"Ey, ey, he is a craven and he called me 'doddering fool'!" The speakerwas I-Gos and he addressed a knot of chieftains in one of the chambersof the palace of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator: "If A-Kor was alive therewere a jeddak for us!"
"Who says that A-Kor is dead?" demanded one of the chiefs.
"Where is he then?" asked I-Gos. "Have not others disappeared whomO-Tar thought too well beloved for men so near the throne as they?"
The chief shook his head. "And I thought that, or knew it, rather; I'djoin U-Thor at The Gate of Enemies."
"S-s-st," cautioned one; "here comes the licker of feet," and all eyeswere turned upon the approaching E-Thas.
"Kaor, friends!" he exclaimed as he stopped among them, but hisfriendly greeting elicited naught but a few surly nods. "Have you heardthe news?" he continued, unabashed by treatment to which he wasbecoming accustomed.
"What--has O-Tar seen an ulsio and fainted?" demanded I-Gos with broadsarcasm.
"Men have died for less than that, ancient one," E-Thas reminded him.
"I am safe," retorted I-Gos, "for I am not a brave and popular son ofthe jeddak of Manator."
This was indeed open treason, but E-Thas feigned not to hear it. Heignored I-Gos and turned to the others. "O-Tar goes to the chamber ofO-Mai this night in search of Turan the slave," he said. "He sorrowsthat his warriors have not the courage for so mean a duty and thattheir jeddak is thus compelled to arrest a common slave," with whichtaunt E-Thas passed on to spread the word in other parts of the palace.As a matter of fact the latter part of his message was purely originalwith himself, and he took great delight in delivering it to thediscomfiture of his enemies. As he was leaving the little group of menI-Gos called after him. "At what hour does O-Tar intend visiting thechambers of O-Mai?" he asked.
"Toward the end of the eighth zode*," replied the major-domo, and wenthis way.
* About 1:00 A. M. Earth Time.
"We shall see," stated I-Gos.
"What shall we see?" asked a warrior.
"We shall see whether O-Tar visits the chamber of O-Mai."
"How?"
"I shall be there myself and if I see him I will know that he has beenthere. If I don't see him I will know that he has not," explained theold taxidermist.
"Is there anything there to fill an honest man with fear?" asked achieftain. "What have you seen?"
"It was not so much what I saw, though that was bad enough, as what Iheard," said I-Gos.
"Tell us! What heard and saw you?"
"I saw the dead O-Mai," said I-Gos. The others shuddered.
"And you went not mad?" they asked.
"Am I mad?" retorted I-Gos.
"And you will go again?"
"Yes."
"Then indeed you are mad," cried one.
"You saw the dead O-Mai; but what heard you that was worse?" whisperedanother.
"I saw the dead O-Mai lying upon the floor of his sleeping chamber withone foot tangled in the sleeping silks and furs upon his couch. I heardhorrid moans and frightful screams."
"And you are not afraid to go there again?" demanded several.
"The dead cannot harm me," said I-Gos. "He has lain thus for fivethousand years. Nor can a sound harm me. I heard it once and live--Ican hear it again. It came from almost at my side where I hid behindthe hangings and watched the slave Turan before I snatched the womanaway from him."
"I-Gos, you are a very brave man," said a chieftain.
"O-Tar called me 'doddering fool' and I would face worse dangers thanlie in the forbidden chambers of O-Mai to know it if he does not visitthe chamber of O-Mai. Then indeed shall O-Tar fall!"
The night came and the zodes dragged and the time approached whenO-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, was to visit the chamber of O-Mai in searchof the slave Turan. To us, who may doubt the existence of malignantspirits, his fear may seem unbelievable, for he was a strong man, anexcellent swordsman, and a warrior of great repute; but the factremained that O-Tar of Manator was nervous with apprehension as hestrode the corridors of his palace toward the deserted halls of O-Maiand when he stood at last with his hand upon the door that opened fromthe dusty corridor to the very apartments themselves he was almostparalyzed with terror. He had come alone for two very excellentreasons, the first of which was that thus none might note histerror-stricken state nor his defection should he fail at the lastmoment, and the other was that should he accomplish the thing alone orbe able to make his chiefs believe that he had, the credit would be fargreater than were he to be accompanied by warriors.
But though he had started alone he had become aware that he was beingfollowed, and he knew that it was because his people had no faith ineither his courage or his veracity. He did not believe that he wouldfind the slave Turan. He did not very much want to find him, for thoughO-Tar was an excellent swordsman and a brave warrior in physicalcombat, he had seen how Turan had played with U-Dor and he had nostomach for a passage at arms with one whom he knew outclassed him.
And so O-Tar stood with his hand upon the door--afraid to enter; afraidnot to. But at last his fear of his own warriors, watching behind him,grew greater than the fear of the unknown behind the ancient door andhe pushed the heavy skeel aside and entered.
Silence and gloom and the dust of centuries lay heavy upon the chamber.From his warriors he knew the route that he must take to the horridchamber of O-Mai and so he forced his unwilling feet across the roombefore him, across the room where the jetan players sat at theireternal game, and came to the short corridor that led into the room ofO-Mai. His naked sword trembled in his grasp. He paused after eachforward step to listen and when he was almost at the door of theghost-haunted chamber, his heart stood still within his breast and thecold sweat broke from the clammy skin of his forehead, for from withinthere came to his affrighted ears the sound of muffled breathing. Thenit was that O-Tar of Manator came near to fleeing from the namelesshorror that he could not see, but that he knew lay waiting for him inthat chamber just ahead. But again came the fear of the wrath andcontempt of his warriors and his chiefs. They would degrade him andthey would slay him into the bargain. There was no doubt of what hisfate would be should he flee the apartments of O-Mai in terror. Hisonly hope, therefore, lay in daring the unknown in preference to theknown.
He moved forward. A few steps took him to the doorway. The chamberbefore him was darker than the corridor, so that he could justindistinctly make out the objects in the room. He saw a sleeping daisnear the center, with a darker blotch of something lying on the marblefloor beside it. He moved a step farther into the doorway and thescabbard of his sword scraped against the stone frame. To his horror hesaw the sleeping silks and furs upon the central dais move. He saw afigure slowly arising to a sitting posture from the death bed of O-Maithe Cruel. His knees shook, but he gathered all his moral forces, andgripping his sword more tightly in his trembling fingers prepared toleap across the chamber upon the horrid apparition. He hesitated just amoment. He felt eyes upon him--ghoulish eyes that bored through thedarkness into his withering heart--eyes that he could not see. Hegathered himself for the rush--and then there broke from the thing uponthe couch an awful shriek, and O-Tar sank senseless to the floor.
Gahan rose from the couch of O-Mai, smiling, only to swing quicklyabout with drawn sword as the shadow of a noise impinged upon his keenears from the shadows behind him. Between the parted hangings he saw abent and wrinkled figure. It was I-Gos.
"Sheathe your sword, Turan," said the old man. "You have naught to fearfrom I-Gos."
"What do you here?" demanded Gahan.
"I came to make sure that the great coward did not cheat us. Ey, and hecalled me 'doddering fool;' but look at him now! Stricken insensible byterror, but, ey, one might forgive him that who had heard your uncannyscream. It all but blasted my own courage. And it was you, then, whomoaned and screamed when the chiefs came the day that I stole Tara fromyou?"
"It was you, then, old scoundrel?" demanded
Gahan, moving threateninglytoward I-Gos.
"Come, come!" expostulated the old man; "it was I, but then I was yourenemy. I would not do it now. Conditions have changed."
"How have they changed? What has changed them?" asked Gahan.
"Then I did not fully realize the cowardice of my jeddak, or thebravery of you and the girl. I am an old man from another age and Ilove courage. At first I resented the girl's attack upon me, but laterI came to see the bravery of it and it won my admiration, as have allher acts. She feared not O-Tar, she feared not me, she feared not allthe warriors of Manator. And you! Blood of a million sires! how youfight! I am sorry that I exposed you at The Fields of Jetan. I am sorrythat I dragged the girl Tara back to O-Tar. I would make amends. Iwould be your friend. Here is my sword at your feet," and drawing hisweapon I-Gos cast it to the floor in front of Gahan.
The Gatholian knew that scarce the most abandoned of knaves wouldrepudiate this solemn pledge, and so he stooped, and picking up the oldman's sword returned it to him, hilt first, in acceptance of hisfriendship.
"Where is the Princess Tara of Helium?" asked Gahan. "Is she safe?"
"She is confined in the tower of the women's quarters awaiting theceremony that is to make her Jeddara of Manator," replied I-Gos.
"This thing dared think that Tara of Helium would mate with him?"growled Gahan. "I will make short work of him if he is not already deadfrom fright," and he stepped toward the fallen O-Tar to run his swordthrough the jeddak's heart.
"No!" cried I-Gos. "Slay him not and pray that he be not dead if youwould save your princess."
"How is that?" asked Gahan.
"If word of O-Tar's death reached the quarters of the women thePrincess Tara would be lost. They know O-Tar's intention of taking herto wife and making her Jeddara of Manator, so you may rest assured thatthey all hate her with the hate of jealous women. Only O-Tar's powerprotects her now from harm. Should O-Tar die they would turn her overto the warriors and the male slaves, for there would be none to avengeher."
Gahan sheathed his sword. "Your point is well taken; but what shall wedo with him?"
"Leave him where he lies," counseled I-Gos. "He is not dead. When herevives he will return to his quarters with a fine tale of his braveryand there will be none to impugn his boasts--none but I-Gos. Come! hemay revive at any moment and he must not find us here."
I-Gos crossed to the body of his jeddak, knelt beside it for aninstant, and then returned past the couch to Gahan. The two quit thechamber of O-Mai and took their way toward the spiral runway. HereI-Gos led Gahan to a higher level and out upon the roof of that portionof the palace from where he pointed to a high tower quite close by."There," he said, "lies the Princess of Helium, and quite safe she willbe until the time of the ceremony."
"Safe, possibly, from other hands, but not from her own," said Gahan."She will never become Jeddara of Manator--first will she destroyherself."
"She would do that?" asked I-Gos.
"She will, unless you can get word to her that I still live and thatthere is yet hope," replied Gahan.
"I cannot get word to her," said I-Gos. "The quarters of his womenO-Tar guards with jealous hand. Here are his most trusted slaves andwarriors, yet even so, thick among them are countless spies, so that noman knows which be which. No shadow falls within those chambers that isnot marked by a hundred eyes."
Gahan stood gazing at the lighted windows of the high tower in theupper chambers of which Tara of Helium was confined. "I will find away, I-Gos," he said.
"There is no way," replied the old man.
For some time they stood upon the roof beneath the brilliant stars andhurtling moons of dying Mars, laying their plans against the time thatTara of Helium should be brought from the high tower to the throne roomof O-Tar. It was then, and then alone, argued I-Gos, that any hope ofrescuing her might be entertained. Just how far he might trust theother Gahan did not know, and so he kept to himself the knowledge ofthe plan that he had forwarded to Floran and Val Dor by Ghek, but heassured the ancient taxidermist that if he were sincere in hisoft-repeated declaration that O-Tar should be denounced and supersededhe would have his opportunity on the night that the jeddak sought towed the Heliumetic princess.
"Your time shall come then, I-Gos," Gahan assured the other, "and ifyou have any party that thinks as you do, prepare them for theeventuality that will succeed O-Tar's presumptuous attempt to wed thedaughter of The Warlord. Where shall I see you again, and when? I gonow to speak with Tara, Princess of Helium."
"I like your boldness," said I-Gos; "but it will avail you naught. Youwill not speak with Tara, Princess of Helium, though doubtless theblood of many Manatorians will drench the floors of the women'squarters before you are slain."
Gahan smiled. "I shall not be slain. Where and when shall we meet? Butyou may find me in O-Mai's chamber at night. That seems the safestretreat in all Manator for an enemy of the jeddak in whose palace itlies. I go!"
"And may the spirits of your ancestors surround you," said I-Gos.
After the old man had left him Gahan made his way across the roof tothe high tower, which appeared to have been constructed of concrete andafterward elaborately carved, its entire surface being covered withintricate designs cut deep into the stone-like material of which it wascomposed. Though wrought ages since, it was but little weather-wornowing to the aridity of the Martian atmosphere, the infrequency ofrains, and the rarity of dust storms. To scale it, though, presenteddifficulties and danger that might have deterred the bravest ofmen--that would, doubtless, have deterred Gahan, had he not felt thatthe life of the woman he loved depended upon his accomplishing thehazardous feat.
Removing his sandals and laying aside all of his harness and weaponsother than a single belt supporting a dagger, the Gatholian essayed thedangerous ascent. Clinging to the carvings with hands and feet heworked himself slowly aloft, avoiding the windows and keeping upon theshadowy side of the tower, away from the light of Thuria and Cluros.The tower rose some fifty feet above the roof of the adjacent part ofthe palace, comprising five levels or floors with windows looking inevery direction. A few of the windows were balconied, and these morethan the others he sought to avoid, although, it being now near theclose of the ninth zode, there was little likelihood that many wereawake within the tower.
His progress was noiseless and he came at last, undetected, to thewindows of the upper level. These, like several of the others he hadpassed at lower levels, were heavily barred, so that there was nopossibility of his gaining ingress to the apartment where Tara wasconfined. Darkness hid the interior behind the first window that heapproached. The second opened upon a lighted chamber where he could seea guard sleeping at his post outside a door. Here also was the top ofthe runway leading to the next level below. Passing still fartheraround the tower Gahan approached another window, but now he clung tothat side of the tower which ended in a courtyard a hundred feet belowand in a short time the light of Thuria would reach him. He realizedthat he must hasten and he prayed that behind the window he nowapproached he would find Tara of Helium.
Coming to the opening he looked in upon a small chamber dimly lighted.In the center was a sleeping dais upon which a human form lay beneathsilks and furs. A bare arm, protruding from the coverings, lay exposedagainst a black and yellow striped orluk skin--an arm of wondrousbeauty about which was clasped an armlet that Gahan knew. No othercreature was visible within the chamber, all of which was exposed toGahan's view. Pressing his face to the bars the Gatholian whispered herdear name. The girl stirred, but did not awaken. Again he called, butthis time louder. Tara sat up and looked about and at the same instanta huge eunuch leaped to his feet from where he had been lying on thefloor close by that side of the dais farthest from Gahan.Simultaneously the brilliant light of Thuria flashed full upon thewindow where Gahan clung silhouetting him plainly to the two within.
Both sprang to their feet. The eunuch drew his sword and leaped for thewindow where the helpless Gahan would have fallen an easy victim to a
single thrust of the murderous weapon the fellow bore, had not Tara ofHelium leaped upon her guard dragging him back. At the same time shedrew the slim dagger from its hiding place in her harness and even asthe eunuch sought to hurl her aside its keen point found his heart.Without a sound he died and lunged forward to the floor. Then Tara ranto the window.
"Turan, my chief!" she cried. "What awful risk is this you take to seekme here, where even your brave heart is powerless to aid me."
"Be not so sure of that, heart of my heart," he replied. "While I bringbut words to my love, they be the forerunner of deeds, I hope, thatwill give her back to me forever. I feared that you might destroyyourself, Tara of Helium, to escape the dishonor that O-Tar would doyou, and so I came to give you new hope and to beg that you live for methrough whatever may transpire, in the knowledge that there is yet away and that if all goes well we shall be freed at last. Look for me inthe throne room of O-Tar the night that he would wed you. And now, howmay we dispose of this fellow?" He pointed to the dead eunuch upon thefloor.
"We need not concern ourselves about that," she replied. "None daresharm me for fear of the wrath of O-Tar--otherwise I should have beendead so soon as ever I entered this portion of the palace, for thewomen hate me. O-Tar alone may punish me, and what cares O-Tar for thelife of a eunuch? No, fear not upon this score."
Their hands were clasped between the bars and now Gahan drew her nearerto him.
"One kiss," he said, "before I go, my princess," and the proud daughterof Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, and The Warlord of Barsoomwhispered: "My chieftain!" and pressed her lips to the lips of Turan,the common panthan.