other," she exclaimed, remembering, "where is he? I
saw--I thought--and the guard; he wanted to take me--oh!"

Hands fluttering to cover her face, she was sobbing now, and Blaine
raised her in his arms, clumsily attempting to comfort her.

"Your brother," he said gently; "I'm afraid the guard did away with
him. He is no more."

"Y-yes. I remember now; I saw." She shuddered and became still, her
tousled golden head somehow finding a comfortable hollow beneath
Blaine's shoulder.

And then, bravely, she sat erect and faced him. "I--I suppose I
shouldn't feel so badly," she said. "We always expect it. But I was so
fond of him, and he was the last. I am alone now."

"Not alone," said Blaine; "you have me--us, that is. We are the Earth
men, you know. And you are safe here."

"You are Carson?" she inquired.

"Yes, and my friend is Farley. That is how your people address us, but
we had rather you call us Blaine and Tommy."

Tom Farley was grinning like an idiot. Didn't he have any more sense?
Blaine thought. The girl would think he was making fun of her.

"I am Ulana," she said simply.

The stone door opened silently and Tiedus slipped in, closing it
swiftly behind him. He stared at the girl and at the trussed-up figure
of the guard.

"So!" he exclaimed; "this is the explanation." He breathed heavily as
if he had run a long way, and his face was flushed with excitement.

"Why? What's wrong?" Blaine sensed a calamity.

"The Zara--she must have seen you in the crystal. She is in a murderous
rage and has visited her wrath on the Tritu Anu. Even now Dantor is on
his way to Ilen-dar in answer to her summons."

"Tiedus! I'm sorry. It is my fault entirely, but--but we heard Ulana
cry out."

"You did quite right, Carson. I should have done the same myself. And
actually it makes little difference as far as we Rulans are concerned.
We had not long to remain in this life, anyway. It is only that your
hiding place might be revealed; that our plans to outwit the Llotta
will fail."

"You--you think she will make away with Dantor?"

"No; he is too valuable as a scientist. But the guards are awaiting her
orders to repeat what happened in the Tritu Nogaru. She depends on the
work of this laboratory a great deal, though it may be she will stay
her hand."

* * * * *

He was fussing with the controls of the small crystal as he spoke, and
it sprang into life with the peculiar shiftin