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13 - Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs · Moon Maid

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Speaker 1: Growing danger. The Palace of the Emperor stands a magnificent
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Speaker 1: pile upon the loftiest terrace of Lathe, extending completely around
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Speaker 1: the enormous crater. There are but three avenues leading to it,
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Speaker 1: from the terraces below, three magnificent stairways, each of which
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Speaker 1: may be closed by enormous gates of stone, apparently rocked
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Speaker 1: from huge slabs and intricately chiseled into marvelous designs, so
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Speaker 1: that at a distance they present the appearance of magnificent
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Speaker 1: lace world. Each gate is guarded by a company of
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Speaker 1: fifty warriors, their tunics bearing the imperial design in a
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Speaker 1: large circle over the left breast. The ceremony of our
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Speaker 1: entrance to the Imperial terrace was most gorgeous and impressive.
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Speaker 1: Huge drums and trumpets blared forth a challenge. As we
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Speaker 1: reached the foot of the stairway which we were to
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Speaker 1: ascend to the palace, high dignitaries in gorgeous trappings came
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Speaker 1: down the steps to meet us, as if to formerly
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Speaker 1: examine the credentials of Kotar and give official sanction to
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Speaker 1: his entrance. We were then conducted through the gateway across
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Speaker 1: a broad terrace beautifully landscaped and ornamented by statuary that
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Speaker 1: was most evidently the work of finished artists. These works
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Speaker 1: of art comprised both life size and heroic figures of
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Speaker 1: individuals and groups, and represented, for the most part historical,
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Speaker 1: legendary figures and events of the remote past, though there
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Speaker 1: were also likenesses of all the rulers of Lathe up
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Speaker 1: to and including Sagrov the present Gemedov. Upon entering the palace,
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Speaker 1: we were led to a banquet hall, where we were
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Speaker 1: served with food, evidently purely in accordance with ancient court ceremonial,
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Speaker 1: since there was little to eat and the guests barely
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Speaker 1: tasted of that which was presented to him. This ceremony
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Speaker 1: consumed but a few minutes of earth time, following which
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Speaker 1: we were conducted through spacious hallways to the throne room
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Speaker 1: of the Jemadar, an apartment of great beauty and considerable size.
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Speaker 1: Its decorations and lines were simple, almost severity, yet suggesting
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Speaker 1: regal dignity and magnificence upon adaeis. At the far end
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Speaker 1: of the room were three thrones, that in the center
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Speaker 1: being occupied by a man whom I knew at once
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Speaker 1: to be Sagroth. While upon either side sat a woman.
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Speaker 1: Gotah advanced and made his obeisance before his ruler, and
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Speaker 1: after the exchange of a few words between them, Koto
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Speaker 1: returned and conducted me to the foot of Sagroth's throne.
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Speaker 1: I had been instructed that it was in accordance with
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Speaker 1: court etiquette that I keep my eyes upon the ground
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Speaker 1: until I had been presented and Sagroth had spoken to me,
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Speaker 1: and that then I should be introduced to the Jemadav Empress,
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Speaker 1: when I might raise my eyes to her also, and
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Speaker 1: afterward to the occupant of the third throne, when I
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Speaker 1: should be formally presented to. Sagrath spoke most graciously to me,
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Speaker 1: and as I raised my eyes, I saw before me
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Speaker 1: a man of great size and evident strength of character.
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Speaker 1: He was by far the most regal appearing individual my
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Speaker 1: eyes had ever rested upon, while his low, well modulated,
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Speaker 1: yet powerful voice accentuated the majesty of his mien. It
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Speaker 1: was he who presented me to his Jamadav, whom I
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Speaker 1: discovered to be a creature fully as regal in appearance
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Speaker 1: as her imperial mate, and, although doubtless well past middle age,
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Speaker 1: still possessing remarkable beauty, in which was to be plainly
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Speaker 1: noted Nailah's resemblance to another. Again, I lowered my eyes
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Speaker 1: as Sagrath presented me to the occupant of the third throne,
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Speaker 1: Julan the Javadar. He repeated the form of book to
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Speaker 1: the presitation, raise your eyes to the daughter of Lathe
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Speaker 1: nah Yellah the Naulovah. As my eyes, filled doubtless with
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Speaker 1: surprise and incredulity, shot to the face of nah Yillah,
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Speaker 1: I was almost upon the verge of an exclamation of
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Speaker 1: the joy and happiness which I felt in seeing her again,
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Speaker 1: and in knowing that she was safely returned to her
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Speaker 1: parents at her city once more. But as my eyes
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Speaker 1: met hers, the exuberance of my spirit was as effectually
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Speaker 1: and quickly checked by her cold glance and haughty mien
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Speaker 1: as if I had received a blow in the face.
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Speaker 1: There was no hint of recognition in Nailah's expression. She
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Speaker 1: nodded coldly in acknowledgment of the presentation, and then let
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Speaker 1: her eyes pass above my head toward the opposite end
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Speaker 1: of the throne room. My pride was hurt and I
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Speaker 1: was angry, but I would not let her see how badly.
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Speaker 1: I was hurt. I have always prided myself upon my control,
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Speaker 1: and so I know that. Then I hid my emotion
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Speaker 1: and turned once more to sagrov as though I had
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Speaker 1: received from his daughter the Nanovhar, precisely the favor that
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Speaker 1: I had a right to expect. If the Javadar had
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Speaker 1: noticed aught peculiar, and either nigh Lah's manner or mine,
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Speaker 1: he gave no hint of it. He spoke again graciously
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Speaker 1: to me, and then dismissed me with the remark that
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Speaker 1: we should meet again later. Having withdrawn from the throne room,
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Speaker 1: Kotah informed me that following the audience, I should have
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Speaker 1: an opportunity to meet Sagrath less formal, since he had
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Speaker 1: commanded that I remain in the palace as his guest
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Speaker 1: during the meal which followed. It is a mark of distinction,
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Speaker 1: said Kota. But remember, Julan, the Javadar, that you have
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Speaker 1: accepted the friendship of Kotar and are his Allah. Do
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Speaker 1: not embroil me in the political intrigues of Laith, I replied,
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Speaker 1: I am a stranger with no interest in the internal
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Speaker 1: affairs of your country, for the reason that I have
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Speaker 1: no knowledge of them. One is either a friend or
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Speaker 1: an enemy, replied Kotar. I am not sufficiently well acquainted
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Speaker 1: to be accounted either, I told him. Nor shall I
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Speaker 1: choose my friends in laith until I am better acquainted,
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Speaker 1: nor shall another choose them form you are a stranger here,
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Speaker 1: said Kota. I speak in your best interests only if
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Speaker 1: you would succeed here, ay, if you would live even
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Speaker 1: you must choose quickly, and you must choose correctly. I, Kotar,
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Speaker 1: the Javadar have spoken. I choose my own friends, I replied,
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Speaker 1: according to the dictates of my honor and my heart.
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Speaker 1: I Julan, the Javadar have spoken. He bowed low in acquiescence,
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Speaker 1: and when he again raised his eyes to mine, I
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Speaker 1: was almost positive from the expression in them that his
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Speaker 1: consideration of me was marked by respect and resentment. We
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Speaker 1: shall see was all that he said, and withdrew, leaving
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Speaker 1: me to the kindly attention of some of the gentlemen
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Speaker 1: of Sagrov's court, who had been standing at a respectful
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Speaker 1: distance out of earshaf kotard myself. These men chatted pleasantly
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Speaker 1: with me for some time, until I was bidden to
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Speaker 1: join Sagrov in another part of the palace. I found
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Speaker 1: myself now with a man who had evidently thrown off
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Speaker 1: the restraint of a formal audience, though without in the
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Speaker 1: slightest degree relinquishing either his dignity or his majesty. He
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Speaker 1: spoke more freely, and his manner was more democratic. He
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Speaker 1: asked me to be seated, nor would he himself sit
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Speaker 1: until I had a point of lady in court etiquette,
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Speaker 1: which made a vast impression on me, since it indicated
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Speaker 1: that the first gentleman of the city must also be
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Speaker 1: the first in courtesy. He put question after question to
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Speaker 1: me concerning my own world and the means by which
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Speaker 1: I had been transported to Vanna. There are fragmentary, extremely
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Speaker 1: fragmentary legends, handed down from extreme antiquity, which suggest that
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Speaker 1: our remote ancestors had some knowledge concerning the other worlds
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Speaker 1: of which you speak, he said, But these have been
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Speaker 1: considered always the veriest of myths. Can it be possible that,
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Speaker 1: after all, they are based upon truth? The remarkable part
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Speaker 1: of them, I suggested, is that they exist at all,
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Speaker 1: since it is difficult to understand how any knowledge of
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Speaker 1: the outer universe could ever reach to the very depths
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Speaker 1: of Varnah. No, not by any means, he said, if
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Speaker 1: what you tell me is the truth, For our legends
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Speaker 1: bear out the theory that Vana is located in the
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Speaker 1: center of an enormous globe, and that our earliest progenitors
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Speaker 1: lived upon the outer surface of this globe, being forced
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Speaker 1: at last by some condition which the legends do not
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Speaker 1: even suggest, to find their way into this inner world.
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Speaker 1: I shook my head. It did not seem possible. And yet,
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Speaker 1: he said, noting the doubt that my expression evidently betrayed you,
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Speaker 1: yourself claim to have reached Vana from a great world
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Speaker 1: far removed from our globe, which you call the Moon.
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Speaker 1: If you reached us from another world, is it then
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Speaker 1: so difficult to believe that those who preceded us reached
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Speaker 1: Vana from the outer crust of this moon? It is
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Speaker 1: almost an historic certainty. He continued. That our ancestors possessed
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Speaker 1: great ships which navigated the air as you entered Vana
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Speaker 1: by means of a similar conveyance, may not they have
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Speaker 1: done Likewise? I had to admit that it was within
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Speaker 1: the range of possibilities, and in so doing to avow
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Speaker 1: that the moon men of antiquity had been millions of
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Speaker 1: years in advance of their brethren of the Earth. But
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Speaker 1: after all, was it such a difficult conclusion to reach
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Speaker 1: when one considers the fact that the Moon, being smaller,
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Speaker 1: must have cooled more rapidly than Earth, and therefore, provided
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Speaker 1: that it had an atmosphere, have been habitable to man
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Speaker 1: ages before man could have lived upon our own planet.
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Speaker 1: We talked pleasantly upon many subjects for some time, and
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Speaker 1: then at last sabrot the rose. We will join the
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Speaker 1: others at the tables now, he said, and as he
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Speaker 1: led the way from the apartment in which we had
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Speaker 1: been conversing alone, stone doors opened before us, as by magic,
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Speaker 1: indicating that the Jemadar of Lathe was not only well served,
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Speaker 1: but well protected or possibly well spied upon. After we
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Speaker 1: emerged from the private audience, guards accompanied us, some preceding
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Speaker 1: the Jemadar and some following, And thus we moved in
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Speaker 1: semi state through several corridors and apartments, until we came
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Speaker 1: out upon a balcony upon the second floor of the palace,
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Speaker 1: overlooking the terraces and the crater. Here, along the rail
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Speaker 1: of the bell were numerous small tables, each seating two.
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Speaker 1: All but two of the tables being occupied by royal
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Speaker 1: and noble retainers and the women. As the Gemedar entered,
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Speaker 1: these all arose facing him respectfully, and simultaneously through another
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Speaker 1: entrance came the Jemedav and Nila. They stood just within
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Speaker 1: the room, waiting until Sagroff and I crossed to them.
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Speaker 1: While we were doing so, Sagrov very courteously explained the
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Speaker 1: procedure I was to follow. You will place yourself upon
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Speaker 1: the nun of ours left, he concluded, and conduct her
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Speaker 1: to her table precisely as I conduct the Jemedav. NILA's
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Speaker 1: head was high as I approached her, and she vouchsafed
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Speaker 1: me only the nearest inclination of it. In response to
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Speaker 1: my respectful siltation in silence, we followed Sagroth and his
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Speaker 1: emperance to the tables reserved for us. The balance of
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Speaker 1: the company remained standing until at a signal from Sagrav,
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Speaker 1: we all took our seats. It was necessary for me
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Speaker 1: to watch the others closely, as I knew nothing concerning
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Speaker 1: the social custom to Lathe. But when I saw that
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Speaker 1: conversation had become general, I glanced at Nailah, the princess
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Speaker 1: of Laths, so soon forgets her friends, I asked, the
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Speaker 1: Princess of lathe never forgets her friends, she replied, I
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Speaker 1: know nothing of your customs here, I said, But in
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Speaker 1: my world even royalty may greet their friends with cordiality,
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Speaker 1: in seeming pleasure. And here too, she retorted, I saw
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Speaker 1: that something was amiss, that she seemed to be angry
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Speaker 1: with me, But the cause I could not imagine. Perhaps
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Speaker 1: she thought I had deserted her at the entrance to
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Speaker 1: the tunnel leading to the Calgar city. But no, she
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Speaker 1: must have guessed the truth. What then, could be the
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Speaker 1: cause of her cold aloofness? Who the last that I
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Speaker 1: had seen of her had been warm with friendship. I wonder,
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Speaker 1: I said, trying a new tack, if you were as
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Speaker 1: surprised to see me alive as I you. I had
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Speaker 1: given you up for lost Nailah, and I had grieved
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Speaker 1: more than I can tell you. When I saw you
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Speaker 1: in the audience chamber, I could scarce repress myself. But
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Speaker 1: when I saw that you did not wish to recognize me,
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Speaker 1: I could only respect you to sires. She made no reply,
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Speaker 1: but turned and looked out the window across the terraces
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Speaker 1: and the crater to the opposite side of Lathe. She
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Speaker 1: was ice who had been almost fire. No longer was
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Speaker 1: she little Nailave, the companion of my hardships and dangers.
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Speaker 1: No longer was she friend and contradant, but a cold
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Speaker 1: and haughty princess who evidently looked upon me with disfavor.
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Speaker 1: Her attitude outraged all the sacred tenets of friendship, and
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Speaker 1: I was angered. Princess, I said, if it is customary
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Speaker 1: for Lathians thus to cast aside the sacred bonds of friendship,
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Speaker 1: I should do as well to be among the Vagas
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Speaker 1: or the Kalkars. The way to either is open. She replied, haughtily,
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Speaker 1: you are not a prisoner in Knath. Thereafter, conversation languished
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Speaker 1: and expired as far at least as Nailand I were concerned,
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Speaker 1: and I was more than relieved when the unpleasant function
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Speaker 1: was concluded. Two young nobles took me in charge following
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Speaker 1: the meal. As it seemed that I was to remain
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Speaker 1: a guest in the palace for a while, and as
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Speaker 1: I expressed a desire to see as much of the
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Speaker 1: imperial residence as I might be permitted to, they graciously
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Speaker 1: conducted me upon a tour of inspection. We went out
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Speaker 1: upon the outer terraces, which overlooked the valleys in the mountains,
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Speaker 1: And never in my life have I looked upon a
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Speaker 1: landscape more majestic or inspiring. The crater of Lathe situated
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Speaker 1: upon a broad plateau entirely surrounded by lofty mountains, titanic
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Speaker 1: peaks that would dwarf our Alps into insignificance and reduce
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Speaker 1: the Himalayas to foothills lowered far into the distance. Upon
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Speaker 1: the upper side, the ice clad summits of those more
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Speaker 1: distant seemed to veritably topple above us, while a thousand
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Speaker 1: feet below us, the pinks and lavenders of the weird
15:28
Speaker 1: lunar vegetation lay like a soft carpet upon the gently
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Speaker 1: undulating surface of the plateau. But my guides seemed less
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Speaker 1: interested in the scenery than in me. They plied me
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Speaker 1: with questions continually, until I was more anxious to be
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Speaker 1: rid of them than aught else that I could think of.
15:48
Speaker 1: They asked me a little concerning my own world, and
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Speaker 1: what I thought of Lathe, and if I found the
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Speaker 1: Princess nai La charming, and my opinion of the Emperor Sagroth.
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Speaker 1: My answers must have been satisfactory. For presently they came
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Speaker 1: very close to me, and one of them whispered, you
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Speaker 1: need not fear to speak in our presence. We too
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Speaker 1: are friends and followers of Kota, a devil. I thought
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Speaker 1: they are bound to embroil me in their petty intrigues.
16:16
Speaker 1: What do I care for Sagroff and Kotar? And then
16:19
Speaker 1: my thoughts reverted to Nayillah. She had treated me cruelly.
16:24
Speaker 1: Her cold aloofness and her almost studied contempt had wounded me.
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Speaker 1: Yet I could not say to myself that Naillah was
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Speaker 1: nothing to me. She had been my friend, and I
16:35
Speaker 1: had been hers, and I should remain her friend to
16:39
Speaker 1: my dying day. Perhaps then, if these people were bound
16:43
Speaker 1: to draw me into their political disputes, I might turn
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Speaker 1: their confidences into profit for Nailah. I had never told
16:51
Speaker 1: them that I was a creature of Kotars, for I
16:53
Speaker 1: was not. Nor had I ever told Kotah that I
16:56
Speaker 1: was an enemy to sagrov In fact, I had led
17:00
Speaker 1: him to believe the very opposite. And so I gave
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Speaker 1: these two an evasive answer which might have meant anything,
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Speaker 1: and they chose to interpret it as meaning that I
17:10
Speaker 1: was one of them, Well, what could I do? It
17:14
Speaker 1: was not my fault of Ay insisted upon deceiving themselves
17:18
Speaker 1: that Nailah might yet need the friendship that she had scorned.
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Speaker 1: Has Tagarrath no loyal followers? Then I asked that you
17:26
Speaker 1: are all so sure of the success of the Kudhetta
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Speaker 1: that Kota plans ah you know about it, then cried
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Speaker 1: one of them. You are in the confidence of the Javadar.
17:37
Speaker 1: I let them think that I was. I could do
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Speaker 1: no harm. At least, did he tell you when it
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Speaker 1: was to happen? Asked the other, Perhaps already I have
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Speaker 1: said too much, I replied. The confidences of Kotar are
17:50
Speaker 1: not to be lightly spread about. You are right, said
17:54
Speaker 1: the last speaker. It is well to be discreet, But
17:57
Speaker 1: let us assure you, Jula the Javadar, that we are
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Speaker 1: equally in the confidence in favor of Kotank with any
18:03
Speaker 1: of those who serve him. Otherwise he would not have
18:06
Speaker 1: entrusted us with a portion of the work which must
18:08
Speaker 1: be done within the very palace of the Jenadakh. Have
18:11
Speaker 1: you many accomplices here? I asked, many, he replied, Outside
18:16
Speaker 1: of the Jenadar's guards. They remained loyal to Sagrov. It
18:21
Speaker 1: is one of the traditions of the organization, and they
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Speaker 1: will die for him. To a man, and he added
18:27
Speaker 1: with a shrug, they shall die. Never fear. When the
18:31
Speaker 1: time arrives and the signal is given, each member of
18:34
Speaker 1: the guard will be set upon by two of Kotar's
18:37
Speaker 1: faithful followers. I do not know how long I remained
18:41
Speaker 1: in the city had laid. Time passed rapidly, and I
18:44
Speaker 1: was very happy. After I returned to the dwelling of Mogul,
18:48
Speaker 1: I swam and dived with them and their friends in
18:51
Speaker 1: the baths up on our terrace, and also in those
18:53
Speaker 1: of Kotan. I learned to use the flying wings that
18:57
Speaker 1: I had first seen upon Nailah the day she fell
19:00
Speaker 1: exhausted into the clutches of the vagas. And many were
19:04
Speaker 1: the lofty and delightful excursions we took into the higher
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Speaker 1: mountains of the moon, when Mogo and his friends organized
19:10
Speaker 1: pleasure parties for that purpose. Constantly surrounded by people of
19:15
Speaker 1: culture and refinement, by brave men and beautiful women. My
19:19
Speaker 1: time was so filled with pleasurable activities that I made
19:23
Speaker 1: no effort to gage it. I felt that I was
19:26
Speaker 1: to spend the balance of my life here, and I
19:28
Speaker 1: might as well get from it all the pleasure that
19:31
Speaker 1: Laith could afford. I did not see Nigi Llah during
19:35
Speaker 1: all this time, and though I still heard a great
19:38
Speaker 1: deal concerning the conspiracy against Sagrov, I presently came to
19:43
Speaker 1: attach but little importance to what I did here. After
19:46
Speaker 1: I learned that the conspiracy had been on foot for
19:49
Speaker 1: over thirteen kells or approximately about ten or three years,
19:54
Speaker 1: and seemed, according to my informers, no nearer consummation than
19:58
Speaker 1: it ever had been in the past. Time does not
20:01
Speaker 1: trouble these people much, and I was told that it
20:04
Speaker 1: might be twenty kills before Kototok action, though on the
20:08
Speaker 1: other hand, he might strike within the next ola. There
20:12
Speaker 1: was an occurrence during this period which aroused my curiosity,
20:16
Speaker 1: but concerning which Mobo was extremely reticent. Upon one of
20:21
Speaker 1: the occasions that I was a visitor in Kotos's palace,
20:24
Speaker 1: I was passing through a little mused corridor in going
20:28
Speaker 1: from one chamber to another, when just ahead of me
20:31
Speaker 1: a door opened and a man stepped out in front
20:34
Speaker 1: of me. When he heard my footsteps behind him, he
20:37
Speaker 1: turned and looked at me, and then stepped quickly back
20:40
Speaker 1: into the apartment he had just left, and closed the
20:43
Speaker 1: door hurriedly behind him. There would have been nothing particularly
20:47
Speaker 1: remarkable in that had it not been for the fact
20:50
Speaker 1: that the man was not a Lathian but unquestionably a Kalkar.
20:56
Speaker 1: Believing that I had discovered an enemy in the very
20:58
Speaker 1: heart of Lathe, I leaped forward, and, throwing open the door,
21:02
Speaker 1: followed into the apartment into which the man disappeared. To
21:06
Speaker 1: my astonishment, I found myself confronted by six men, three
21:11
Speaker 1: of whom were Palkars, while the other three were Lathians,
21:15
Speaker 1: and among the latter I instantly recognized Kota himself. He
21:19
Speaker 1: flushed angrily as he saw me, but before he could speak,
21:23
Speaker 1: I bowed and explained my action. I crave your pardon, Javadar,
21:28
Speaker 1: I said, I thought that I saw an enemy of
21:30
Speaker 1: Laithe in the heart of her palace, and that by
21:33
Speaker 1: apprehending him I should serve you best. And I started
21:36
Speaker 1: to withdraw from the chamber. Wait, he said, you did right,
21:41
Speaker 1: But lest you misunderstand their presence here, I may tell
21:45
Speaker 1: you that these three are prisoners. I realized that at
21:49
Speaker 1: once when I saw you, Jafidar replied, no, U, I
21:52
Speaker 1: knew perfectly well that he had lied to me, and
21:55
Speaker 1: then I backed from the room, closing the door after me.
21:58
Speaker 1: I spoke to mogob at the next time that I
22:01
Speaker 1: saw him. You saw nothing, my friend, he said, Remember
22:04
Speaker 1: that you saw nothing. If you mean that, it is
22:08
Speaker 1: none of my business Mogo, I replied, I perfectly agree
22:11
Speaker 1: with you, and you may rest assured that I shall
22:14
Speaker 1: not meddle in affairs that do not concern me. However,
22:18
Speaker 1: I did considerable thinking upon the matter, and possibly I
22:22
Speaker 1: went out of my way a little more than one
22:24
Speaker 1: should who was attending strictly to his own business, that
22:28
Speaker 1: I might keep a little in touch with the course
22:31
Speaker 1: of the conspiracy. For no matter what I had said
22:34
Speaker 1: to Mogo, no matter how I attempted to convince myself
22:38
Speaker 1: that it did not interest me, the truth remained that
22:41
Speaker 1: anything that affected in any way the fate of Naillah
22:45
Speaker 1: transcended in interest any event which might transpire within Vama.
22:49
Speaker 1: In so far as I was concerned. The unobtrusive espionage
22:54
Speaker 1: which I practiced bore fruit to the extent that it
22:57
Speaker 1: permitted me to know that on at least three other occasions,
23:01
Speaker 1: delegations of Kalpar's visited Gotan. The fact that this ancient
23:07
Speaker 1: palace of the Prince of Laithe was a never ending
23:10
Speaker 1: source of interest to me aided me in my self
23:13
Speaker 1: imposed task of spying upon the conspirators, For the retainers
23:17
Speaker 1: of Coatsar were quite accustomed to see me in out
23:20
Speaker 1: of the way corridor, some passages, oftentimes far from the
23:23
Speaker 1: inhabited portions of the building. Upon the occasion of one
23:28
Speaker 1: of these tours, I had descended to a lower terrace
23:31
Speaker 1: along an ancient stone stairway which wound spirally downward, and
23:35
Speaker 1: had discovered a dimly lighted room in which were stored
23:39
Speaker 1: a number of ancient works of art. I was quietly
23:42
Speaker 1: examining these when I heard voices in an adjoining chamber.
23:47
Speaker 1: Upon no other conditions will he assist to Jabadar, said
23:50
Speaker 1: the speaker whose voice I first heard. His demands are outrageous,
23:55
Speaker 1: replied a second speaker. I refused to consider them. Lathe
23:59
Speaker 1: is impregnable. He can never take it. The voice was
24:02
Speaker 1: that of Kotan. You do not know him, Lathian, replied
24:05
Speaker 1: the other. He has given us engines of destruction with
24:09
Speaker 1: which we can destroy any city in Bana, he will
24:12
Speaker 1: give you Lathe. Is that not enough, but he will
24:16
Speaker 1: be Jemadar of Jemadar's and rule us all, exclaimed Kotok,
24:20
Speaker 1: the Jemadar of Laithe can be subservient to none. If
24:24
Speaker 1: you do not exceed, he will take Lathe in spite
24:27
Speaker 1: of you and reduce you to the status of a slave. Enough,
24:30
Speaker 1: Kalkar cried Kotar, his voice trembling with rage. Begone, Tell
24:35
Speaker 1: your master that Kotar refuses his base demands. You will
24:40
Speaker 1: regret that, Lathian replied the Kalkar, for you do not
24:43
Speaker 1: know what this creature has brought from another world. In
24:46
Speaker 1: knowledge of war and the science of destruction of human life,
24:51
Speaker 1: I do not fear him, snapped Kotar. My swords are many,
24:55
Speaker 1: my spearmen are well trained. Begone, and do not return
24:59
Speaker 1: until your master is ready to sue with Koto for
25:01
Speaker 1: an alliance. I heard receding footsteps, then, and following that
25:07
Speaker 1: a silence, which I thought indicated that all had left
25:10
Speaker 1: the chamber. But presently I heard Koto's voice again. What
25:15
Speaker 1: think you of it? He asked? And then I heard
25:18
Speaker 1: the voice of a third man, evidently Alavian. Replying, I
25:23
Speaker 1: think that if there is any truth in the fellow's assertions,
25:27
Speaker 1: we may not too quickly bring about the fall of
25:29
Speaker 1: Sagroth and place you upon the throne of Lathe. For
25:32
Speaker 1: only thus may we stand united against a common outside enemy.
25:37
Speaker 1: You are right, replied the Javadar. There are our forces.
25:40
Speaker 1: We shall strike within the owner. I wanted to hear more,
25:44
Speaker 1: but they passed out of the chamber then, and their
25:47
Speaker 1: voices became only a subdued murmur, which quickly trailed off
25:51
Speaker 1: into silence. What should I do? Within six hours Koto
25:56
Speaker 1: would strike at the power of Sagroth, and I well
25:59
Speaker 1: knew what that would mean to Narilah, either marriage with
26:03
Speaker 1: the new Jemadar or death, and I guessed that the
26:06
Speaker 1: proud princess would choose the latter in preference to Kotar.
26:10
Speaker 1: End of Chapter twelve, recording by Thomas Copeland.