too eager to
be home, for his mind was still reeling from the fearful discovery of
his journey.

The station was completely empty as Ravdin walked down the ramp to the
shuttles. At the desk he checked in with the shiny punch-card robot, and
walked swiftly across the polished floor. The wall panels pulsed a
somber blue-green, broken sharply by brilliant flashes and overtones of
scarlet, reflecting with subtle accuracy the tumult in his own mind. Not
a sound was in the air, not a whisper nor sign of human habitation.
Vaguely, uneasiness grew in his mind as he entered the shuttle station.
Suddenly, the music caught him, a long, low chord of indescribable
beauty, rising and falling in the wind, a distant whisper of life....

The concert, of course. Everyone would be at the concert tonight, and
even from two miles away, the beauty of four hundred perfectly
harmonized voices was carried on the breeze. Ravdin's uneasiness
disappeared; he was eager to discharge his horrible news, get it off his
mind and join the others in the great amphitheater set deep in the
hillside outside the city. But he knew instinctively that Lord Nehmon,
anticipating his return, would not be at the concert.

Riding the shuttle over the edges of Jungle-land toward the shining
bright beauty of the city, Ravdin settled back, trying to clear his mind
of the shock and horror he had encountered on his journey. The curves
and spires of glowing plastic passed him, lighted with a million hues.
He realized that his whole life was entangled in the very beauty of this
wonderful city. Everything he had ever hoped or dreamed lay sheltered
here in the ever-changing rhythm of colors and shapes and sounds. And
now, he knew, he would soon see his beloved city burning once again,
turning to flames and ashes in a heart-breaking memorial to the age-old
fear of his people.

The little shuttle-car settled down softly on the green terrace near
the center of the city. The building was a masterpiece of smoothly
curving walls and tasteful lines, opening a full side to the south to
catch the soft sunlight and warm breezes. Ravdin strode across the deep
carpeting of the terrace. There was other music here, different music, a
wilder, more intimate fantasy of whirling sound. An oval door opened for
him, and he stopped short, staggered for a moment by the overpowering
beauty in the vaulted room.

A girl with red hair the color of new flame was dancing with enthralling
beauty an