to the doorway and beckoned to someone
outside.

* * * * *

Two Sepharian warriors entered, Dylara between them. She was disheveled
and rumpled, the protecting skin of Jalok, the panther, was awry; but
her head was unbowed, her shoulders erect, and her glance as haughty as
that of the princess, Alurna, herself.

No one said anything for a long moment. The sheer beauty of the girl
captive seemingly had struck them dumb.

Jotan broke the silence. "By the God!" he gasped. "Are you jesting? This
is no half-wild savage!"

Alurna, her eyes flashing dangerously, turned toward the speaker. The
first man ever to attract her, and already raving over some unwashed
barbarian who soon was to be a common slave!

"Perhaps you would like to have her as your mate," she said sweetly, but
with an ominous note in her tone.

Urim shot a startled glance at his daughter. He had heard that edge to
her voice before this, and usually it meant trouble for someone.

Jotan kept his eyes on the prisoner. "She would grace the life of any
man," he declared with enthusiasm, totally unaware of Alurna's mounting
jealousy.

Tamar, seated next to Jotan, forced a loud laugh. "My friend loves to
jest," he announced in a palpable attempt to break the sudden tension.
"Pay no attention to him."

Although Dylara understood most of what was being said, she was too
upset to follow the conversation itself. She was awed and a little
frightened by the undreamed-of magnificence about her. As much as she
had hated Tharn, being with him was far better than belonging to those
who had her now. But Tharn was dead, stricken down by a slender stick
and heavy club.

"Take her to the slave quarters," instructed Urim finally. "Later, I
shall decide what is to be done with her."

Dylara was led up two broad flights of stairs and deep within the left
wing of the palace, her escort halting at last before massive twin
doors. Here, two armed guards raised a heavy timber from its sockets,
the doors swung wide, and she was led down a long hall past several
small doors on either side of the corridor.

The men stopped before one of these doors, unbarred it, and thrust
Dylara into the room beyond. Then the door closed and she heard the bar
drop into place.

* * * * *

At first, her eyes were hard put to distinguish objects in the faint
light entering through a long narrow, stone-barred opening set high up