CHAPTER XX
_Unseen Menace_
That day following the burial of Wolfgar, there was nothing ofimportance occurred. No news from the Earth could get in. I felt thatthe Earth might be planning an attack. Probably was, since war had beendeclared. Yet that of course was months away.
Tarrano apparently was engaged in the pleasurable triumph of the comingWater Festival. All day he seemed engaged in planning it. But I knewthat he was engaged secretly with far sterner things concerning the ColdCountry, which lay a day's journey from us. But what they were, I didnot know.
The Water Festival was all we talked of. That afternoon, Tarranodescribing it, said smilingly:
"They say it is for me. But, Lady Elza--it is _I_ who plan it--for you.You have not seen the Red Woman." A gleam of amusement played upon hislips; but as he regarded Elza, I saw another look--of speculation, asthough he were gauging her.
"The Red Woman, Lady Elza. She will preside tonight. You will findher--very interesting. We will watch her together, you and I."
I did not know then what he meant; but I remembered the words later, andunderstood only too well.
Just after sundown, when I chanced to be in a small boat alone, near thepalace, the first of two significant incidents occurred. From theshadows beneath a house, the head of a swimming man emerged. A _slaan_,and he gripped the sides of my boat as I drifted.
"Wait, Earth man." He spoke in the quaint universal language, which Iunderstood, though imperfectly.
I gazed at him. A bullet-like head, with sullen, blazing eyes. He added:"We do not blame you--or your woman, Elza--or the Princess Maida. Haveno fear, but guard yourself well tonight."
Before I could speak he had sunk into the water, swimming beneath it. Icould see the phosphorescence of his moving body as he swam away intothe shadows beyond my line of vision.
The other incident came a moment later. As I was gazing down into thewater I saw a moving metal shape. A triangular metal head, as of adiver's cap. More than that, it turned upward; and behind its pane was aman's face. Unfamiliar to me--yet the face of an Anglo-Saxon man ofEarth! Unmistakable! It stared at me a moment--no more than three orfour feet below my boat. And then it moved away and vanished.
I had no opportunity to speak alone with Elza, or Georg or Maida thatentire evening. Always Tarrano was with us. We sat upon the palacebalcony, we men smoking our arrant-cylinders. Tarrano talked and jokedlike a care-free youth. He was very courteous to Elza, with a holidayspirit upon him. But his eyes never relaxed; and often I could see himmeasuring her.
The aural lights mounted the sky. The holiday spirit which was onTarrano was spreading everywhere throughout the city. Boats gaylybedecked--in such contrast to the funeral cortege of poor Wolfgar justthe night before--began passing the palace on their way to the festivalwaters. Men and laughing girls thronged them. All with red maskscovering their faces. The men in grey tight-fitting garments, withconical caps and flowing plumes; the girls in bright-colored, flowingrobes, and tresses dangling with flowers entwined in them.
The balcony upon which we sat was close above the water level. Thebarges, of every size and kind, glided past. Sometimes the girls wouldshower us with flower petals. One small boat paused before us. A girlstood up to wave at me. Her hand, held up with the loose robe fallingback from her slim white arm, offered me a huge scarlet blossom. Thelove offering. As I hesitated, her laughter rippled out. She tore themask from her face. Her red mouth was smiling; her eyes, provocative,were dancing with mischief. She tossed the flower into my face as herescort, with a shout of mock anger, pulled her back to him.
Their boats glided on.
Other boats passed; some with girls gayly strumming instruments ofmusic. One boat with a man strumming, and a girl on a small dais,dancing with a whirl of black veils. As they came opposite to us anotherman in the boat reached up and pushed the girl overboard. She fell intothe water with a scream of laughter; came up like a mermaid and theypulled her aboard, the veils and her hair clinging to her.
At last Tarrano signified that we must go. It was upon me then to makean effort to draw back, to keep Elza and Maida at the palace with Georgand me. My heart was heavy with foreboding. Amid all this laughter andmusic--pleasure of the senses reigning supreme here in the Great Citytonight--I could not miss a sense of impending evil. The _slaans_propelling the boats were stolid and grim. Not for them, this dalliance.Not for their women, this music and laughter, these daring costumes todisplay their beauty. The _slaan_ women, drab with work, were slinkingabout unnoticed. Often I would see a boat of them slip by, furtively, inthe shadows. Drab women, watching these beauties, resentful, sullen--andwith what purpose smouldering in their hearts I could only guess.
The very air--to me at least--seemed pregnant with impending evil. Iknow that Georg felt it too. Often I had caught his eye as he regardedme. Once he started to whisper to me aside, but like a flash, Tarranowith his microphonic ear, turned to interrupt us.
I wanted to stay with Elza at the palace. Suddenly I was afraid ofTarrano, more afraid for Elza than I had ever been. And who, and whatwas this Red Woman? Maida knew, of course. Maida had been very solemnfor hours; thoughtful, almost grim.
And the _slaan_ in the water who said he did not blame us. He had warnedus to guard ourselves. But how? There were no weapons. On this night ofpleasure nothing would have been more incongruous.
And that metal cap in the water with a man's face behind it? An Earthman of my own race! What did it mean?
I was perturbed--frightened. But I did not demur when Tarrano led us tohis flower-bedecked barge. Of what use?
We were paired. Georg with Maida; Elza with Tarrano. And I? Tarrano toldme curtly--and with a smile of ironic amusement--that when we reachedthe festival so handsome a man as I would have no trouble engaging theattention of some Venus maiden.
On cushions in the barge we reclined while our _slaans_ poled us alongthe streets. Tarrano was feeding sweets to Elza as though they were gayyoung lovers. Poor little Elza! She was frightened. Her face was atrifle pale, her lips set. But she, too, knew that we were wholly inTarrano's power, and she made the best of the situation. Sometimes shewould laugh gayly; but I could not miss the note of fear in it.
The progress of our barge was slow. Boats clustered around us, theiroccupants pelting us with flowers. A deluge spray of perfume was turnedon us--a heavy, exotic scent, almost cloying. It lay redolent on ourgarments for hours.
Presently Tarrano gave us masks. And long robes for Maida and Elza tocover the gay holiday dresses they were wearing.
At the edge of the city a canal had been dug through the hillside. Wepassed slowly through it, under archways of dangling colored lights,around a sharp bend and came upon the Water Festival. And--withimpending tragedy for the moment forgotten--I gazed for this first timeat such a scene of pleasure and beauty as I had never even imagined.