Chapter II

Toka's dreamless slumber seemed to have lasted but moments. The ceiling was just returning to its full light of day as Toka sat up. The beds of Rok and Old Ledo were empty. And Toka's weapons were nowhere to be found! He was into the girls' room. Nothing! He was to the pool. Nothing. He stepped to the lounge room. The emptiness mocked him. Why couldn't he have seen that drowsiness last night was abnormal! Hot anger spread through Toka. _If anyone had harmed Roya_.... Picking up a stone lounge, Toka slammed it to the doors. The heavy lounge shattered--the doors stood impervious. Why hadn't he and Rok used their battle-axes when they had the chance!

The great doors suddenly opened and the cortege was there.

Toka's voice was a whip. "Where are my comrades!"

Alota bowed servantly. "Only the Council Of Kosanna's Old Ones may now answer Toka's divine testing."

If only these princesses were men so a man could beat a straight answer out of them! "Then take me to the Old Ones at once!" Toka strode into the Hall Of Life and followed Alota.

Toka scarcely noted another pair of scenes--one showing him and his party asleep last night, the other portraying his quarters awry and him whaling that lounge against the doors.

Alota was touching her wand to a pair of great doors on her left, to reveal a golden stairway leading up in a broad spiral. Alert, Toka leaped up the long spiral to a pair of gigantic black doors. They swung away and Toka stepped through. He was on a broad black terrace that circled a vast court. A golden light diffused through the domed roof. In mid-court a huge crystal sphere rested atop a black sculpture of nude maidens.

Seated in great chairs around the far half of the court were twelve men in voluminous black robes. Above flowing white beards their features displayed the withering of antiquity. Their silvery eyes never wavered from Toka.

"O Great Prince Toka," a mellow contralto intoned, "Queen Kolano and the Old Ones welcome your divine presence!"

In the huge black chair directly between the twelve Old Ones sat a woman surpassing in beauty all Kosanna's princesses. Her attire was the typical green scantiness--brilliantly jeweled.

"Where are my friends and weapons!" Toka's demand rang in the vaulted court.

Kolano's contralto echoed mellowly. "O Great Prince Toka--behold the Sphere Of All Time!"

Kolano and the Old Ones centered their silvery eyes on the huge Sphere. A faint thrumming sang through the court and a chill swept the air. The golden light faded swiftly. The Sphere seemed suspended in a black void.

"O Great Prince Toka!" Kolano intoned. "Behold the time of Present!"

The Sphere shone with a pale cold light and Toka saw his quarters. The rooms had been cleaned and straightened. Rok and Old Ledo were sprawled comfortably on their beds, their weapons beside them. The Sphere Of All Time abruptly dulled.

"O Great Prince Toka!" Once more Kolano's contralto echoed through the chill and thrumming air, "Behold the time of Past and Present!"

Again the Sphere shone with that pale cold light. Toka saw Kosanna's square as in moonlight and shadow. The door between the feet of that colossal statue of him swung in. Led by Alota, a procession of princesses marched out--each four carrying a black bier on which lay a girl. The first eight wore only small Toka figurines between their breasts. These eight girls were laid in a row on the fore edge of the altar.

Two more biers were carried out. Deprived only of weapons and consciousness, their occupants were Roya and Elees! They were added to the girls at altar's edge. At a wave of Alota's wand the princesses retired.

Toka wanted to cry out--but even in speech he was immobile! And ten dragons swept over the deserted city. Flapping above the altar, each monster whipped its tail about a girl and carried her away. Back over the city the dragons lined--and shot into that down-river cavern.

The Sphere Of All Time held to the route--through a dungeon gloom, on to a weirdly illumined area of slowly swirling steam and grotesque stalagmites, then through a black tunnel guarded by a dragon at coiled rest. Down into a vast red pit of stalagmites and stalactites, of yellow steam and slimy green moss hangings, the way led. And each dragon placed its prize in a green cage, latched the door, then flapped away into a great den of their own.

Regaining consciousness and beholding their position, the Kosanna girls began shuddering in abject fear. Of finer stuff, Roya and Elees fought to retain reason and hope--when a horde of the pit's inhabitants came into view!

Terror ripped through Toka. The things were half man and half dragon, their slimy scaliness a shiny black mottled through with a fiery red. From their flat reptilian heads lidless red eyes burned with an insatiable lust. From their mouths yellow fangs thrust down to vicious needlepoints. Their hands and feet ended in ten long and sinuous digits. Their bodies continued on down beyond their pelvis to become a tail that ended in a restless coil of blue rattles.

The Sphere Of All Time toured that pit. Working abjectly at cutting and gathering moss, or hopeless slaves in the dens pocking the pit's perimeter, were hundreds of Kosanna girls.

Fear and rage tore through Toka. Yet even with the tremendous strength that came surging from his depths he could not move or speak!

The Sphere Of All Time dulled. The taut thrumming and chill faded. The blackness changed swiftly to golden light. Kolano and the Old Ones centered their silvery eyes on Toka. The spell dropped from him.

* * * * *

Toka whirled to leave--but in that instant he could not move! The Old Ones' silvery eyes on him, Toka heard Kolano's contralto echo in the vast court. "As divinely ordained, Great Prince Toka shall listen."

Though he strained mightily, he could not do otherwise.

"When the Dragon Women bore only males and so became extinct," Kolano's contralto echoed calmly, "the men of Ophid exacted tribute from Kosanna. Yet Kosanna girls gave birth only to Dragon Men. Thus, even though Kosanna grows ever less, ten girls still are sacrificed each night--lest Ophid come and destroy all Kosanna and take all our girls."

Toka's voice was his to make an angry demand. "Why were Roya and Elees included last night!"

Kolano smiled calmly. "As ordained by the Sphere Of All Time, Great Prince Toka must have that incentive to destroy Ophid."

Toka blazed his request. "Then restore my fellow warriors and me at once--that we may attack Ophid!"

"On one condition."

If only he could regain his weapons! The sweat of fear was on him now. "What is your condition!"

"Great Prince Toka must wed me first."

The woman was mad! Toka rang out his instant decision. "I refuse!"

Kolano shrugged. "Great Prince Toka is even now reconsidering--and seeing that certain things are ordained."

Held immobile and bathed in a cold sweat, Toka found his swift mind reconsidering. Roya and Elees--about to be--He dare not think it--his reason would shatter to insanity! The sweat dripped into his eyes as he fought his voice from shaking. "I accept!"

Kolano was smiling softly. "Great Prince Toka may now return to his rooms. The wedding shall then occur--after which Toka shall be given his weapons and sent to the realm of Ophid."

The Old Ones' silvery eyes lessened their hypnotic intensity and Toka whirled for the opening doors. A gong was joyous somewhere outside. An exultant choraling was beginning. The high portals at the bottom of the spiral stairway swung in as Toka neared the last step. The cortege ran to escorting position as Toka raced down the Hall Of Life. He spared a glance for the latest art work--a portrayal of his recent experiences up in that domed court.

Alota was flashing her wand to his doors. Toka was across the restored lounge room and into his bedroom--was shaking Rok violently, then Old Ledo.

"Holy lizards!" Rok snapped. "What's wrong?"

The distant gonging and choraling an affirming background, Toka tried to begin educating his friends.

But the angry Rok leaped for the lounge room. "I'll murder every blasted Kosannan and dragon in my way!"

The deadly angry Old Ledo's voice rasped more sanely. "We've got to get Toka's weapons first!"

Rok swung abruptly to Toka. "Where are they!"

"I get them after I marry Kolano!"

Rok and Old Ledo stared. But the portals were swinging. Alota and the cortege was waiting. Toka had to play his part out--it was the fastest way.

Toka sped back up the Hall Of Life. A new scene had been added--Toka awakening Rok and Old Ledo and his explanatory discussion with them. The great entry portals were swinging and Kosanna's exalted gonging and choraling flooded about Toka as he ran down the long stairway. The massed Kosannans in the square formed a lane to the altar where Kolano was waiting.

"I've never killed any woman," Rok offered loyally, "but--"

"Save it for the Dragon Men!" Toka leaped to the altar and strode for the edge. The gonging and choraling was so tremendous that the very stonework vibrated underfoot.

* * * * *

With a gaze of coming passion, Kolano turned. "O Great Prince Toka--it is the moment."

"Let's get on with it!" Toka snapped.

Kolano raised a jeweled arm to the Kosannans. The gonging and choraling abruptly silenced. The door between the feet of the colossal statue swung away and the black-robed Old Ones marched out in a double line to Toka and Kolano. The leading two ceremoniously carried deeply fringed black pillows, one goldenly embroidered GREAT PRINCE TOKA, the other GREAT QUEEN KOLANO. All twelve Old Ones began a sing-song chant in anciently quavering voices.

"O Great Prince Toka! O Great Queen Kolano! Take up your ring! Take up your ring!..."

As did Kolano from hers, so Toka took up the fiery jeweled ring from his pillow.

"Face each other! Face each other!" the Old Ones chanted as all Kosanna listened.

Toka fought his features expressionless.

"... Extend left hands! Extend left hands!..."

Kolano's silvery eyes smouldered possessively at Toka.

"... Extend third fingers! Extend third fingers!..."

The cold sweat was bathing Toka again. But no immobility held him--only desire to get his great battle weapons and go for Roya!

"... Place your rings! Place your rings!..."

Where was his ax and knife!

"... On the other's finger! On the other's finger!..."

Toka thrust his ring on Kolano's marriage finger and received her brilliant band.

"... You are one! You are one!..." The Old Ones paused. "It is done!"

At once all Kosanna was gonging and choraling to the heights of joy. The air beat with it. The stone trembled with it. Rok and Old Ledo were muttering savagely. Kolano was trying to embrace Toka.

He thrust her from him. "My weapons--where are they?"

Disappointment was momentarily hot in Kolano's eyes. "They are here, O Great Prince Toka! And your canoe awaits beside the wharf!"

From beneath the voluminous robes of the second pair of Old Ones appeared Toka's weapons. Snatching his battle knife and buckling it on, Toka grabbed his great battle-ax and leaped from the altar. The wildly joyous Kosannans parted. Rok and Old Ledo fleet at his flanks, Toka raced across the square and down to the wharf. Only a long black canoe was awaiting. In a split instant Toka was kneeling at the bow thwart with black paddle in hand. Rok was as ready amidships, Old Ledo in the stern.

The men thrust free of the wharf and dug their paddles. The canoe leaped for the down-river cavern. Only dripping gloom met straining eyes. Only the liquid swishing of three paddles digging fast and deep came to the ears. And ever Toka's being strained ahead to that hell-hole where Roya was....