nchecked, partially covering the
stairway. Meltor cautiously kicked the vegetation away, aware it might
be the hiding place of little Sleeza, the snake--Sleeza, whose bite
meant a lingering, painful death.

Suddenly the man jumped back, voicing a yell of terror, and almost
upsetting Dylara. His prodding foot had torn away a curtain of foliage,
disclosing the bleached skeleton of a man, stretched out on one of the
steps. The skull had rolled a few paces away, and lay there grinning
malevolently up at them.

Dylara shuddered, shrank back. She had seen the bones of man before; but
under present conditions and surroundings the gleaming skeleton seemed a
horrible prophecy of her own fate.

"Who could it have been?" she asked in an awed whisper.

Meltor forced a grin. He had managed to regain control of his shattered
nerves.

"Old Rydob, the hermit," he replied. "And no prettier in death than he
was in life. Some say he was the brother of Pryak, the high priest."

Taking Dylara by the elbow, he urged her past the pile of bones and over
the threshold.

* * * * *

They came into a huge, high-ceilinged room, well-lighted by the sun.
From its appearance the girl judged that Rydob had spent most of his
time here; the ruins of a bed stood in one corner, while a large table
in the center of the room held a jumbled collection of stone dishes and
bowls. Several tunics, rotten with mildew, hung across one of the three
chairs about the table.

And over everything was a thick layer of dust and cobwebs and the
droppings of countless rodents.

Meltor kicked over two of the stools to clear them of dust, replaced
them, then cleared the table top in the same way.

"Sit there," he said, pointing to one of the stools.

Dylara obeyed without a word, watching the man seat himself across the
table from her.

There followed a period of silence. Thus far, Meltor had carried out his
plan to the letter. But now, faced with the unpleasant part of his task,
he was beginning to feel decidedly qualmish.

How truly beautiful she was! Not the empty loveliness of perfect
features alone; there was personality and fire and a keen, alert mind
mirrored in those grave brown eyes and the sweet curve of sensitive
lips.

And then he thought of Alurna and the secret she held, and the memory
put an abrupt end to growing misgivings.

Dylara, who was trying to fathom what lay behind the man's cold
expressionless face,