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06 - Thuvia, Maid of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs · Classic Science Fiction Books

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  Chapter six, The Jeddak of Lothar. The girl looked her incredulity. They
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  lay in piles. She murmured, there were thousands of them but a minute
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  ago, and now continued Carthoris, there remain but the Banths and the carcasses
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  of the green men. They must have sent forth and carried the dead bowmen
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  away while we were talking, said the girl. It is impossible, replied
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  Carthoris. Thousands of dead lay there upon the field but a moment, since
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  it would have required many hours to have removed them. The thing is uncanny.
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  I had hoped, said Thuvia, that we might find an asylum with
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  these fair skinned people. Notwithstanding their valor upon the field of battle, they
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  did not strike me as a ferocious or warlike people. I had been about
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  to suggest that we seek entrance to the city, But now I scarce know
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  if I care to venture among people whose dead vanish into thin air. Let
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  us chance, it, replied Carthoris. We can be no worse off within
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  their walls than without. Here we may fall prey to the Banths or the
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  no less fierce Torquasians. There, at least we shall find beings molded after
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  our own images. All that causes me to hesitate, he added, is
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  the danger of taking you past so many danths. A single sword would scarce
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  prevail, or even a couple of them to charge simultaneously. Do not fear
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  on that score, replied the girl, smiling, The banths will not harm
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  us. As she spoke, she descended from the platform, and, with
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  Carthoris at her side, stepped fearlessly out upon the bloody field in the direction
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  of the walled city of Mystery. They had advanced but a short distance when
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  a banth, looking up from its gory feast, descried them with an angry
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  roar. The beast walked quickly in their direction, and at the sound of
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  its voice, a score of others followed its example. Carthoris drew his long
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  sword. The girl stole a quick glance at his face. She saw the
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  smile upon his lips, and it was as wine to sick nerves. For
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  even upon warlike barsoom, where all men are brave, woman reacts quickly to
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  quiet indifference, to anger, to dare deviltry, that is, without bombast.
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  You may return your sword, she said, I told you that the
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  bans would not harm us. Look, and as she spoke she stepped quickly
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  toward the nearest animal. Carthoris would have leaped after her to protect her,
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  but with a gesture she motioned him back. He heard her calling to the
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  banths in a low, sing song voice that was half purr. Instantly,
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  the great heads went up, and all the wicked eyes were riveted upon the
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  figure of the girl. Then, stealthily they commenced moving toward her. She
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  had stopped now and was standing waiting them, one closer to her than the
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  others. Hesitated, She spoke to him imperiously, as a master might speak
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  to a refractory hound. The great carnivore let its head droop, and,
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  with tail between its legs, came slinking to the girl's feet, and after
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  it came the others, until she was entirely surrounded by the savage man eaters.
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  Turning, she led them to where Carthoris stood. They growled a little
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  as they neared the man, but a few sharp words of command put them
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  in their places. How do you do it, exclaimed Carthoris. Your father
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  once asked me that same question. In the galleries of the Golden Cliffs within
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  the Aughts Mountains, beneath the temples of the ferns. I could not answer
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  him, nor can I answer you. I do not know whence comes my
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  power over them. But ever since the day that Satore Throg threw me among
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  them in the banth pit of the holy Ferns, and the great creatures fawned
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  upon me instead of devouring me, I ever have had the same strange power
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  over them. They come at my call and do my bidding, even as
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  the faithful Woolah does the bidding of your mighty sire. With a word,
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  the girl dispersed the fierce pack roaring. They returned to their interrupted feast,
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  while Carthoris and Thuvia passed among them toward the walled city. As they advanced,
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  the man looked with wonder upon the dead bodies of those of the green
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  men that had not been devoured or mauled by the banths. He called the
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  girl's attention to them. No arrows protruded from the great carcasses. Nowhere upon
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  any of them was the sign of mortal wound, nor even slightest scratch or
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  abrasion. Before the Bowman's dead had disappeared, the corpses of the Torquasians had
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  bristled with the deadly arrows of their foes. Where had the slender messengers of
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  death departed? What unseen hand had plucked them from the bodies of the slain?
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  Despite himself, Carthoris could scarce repress a shudder of apprehension as he glanced
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  toward the silent city before them. No longer was sign of life visible upon
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  wall or rooftop. All was quiet, brooding, ominous quiet. Yet he
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  was sure that eyes watched them from somewhere behind that blank wall. He glanced
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  at Thuvia. She was advancing with wide eyes fixed upon the city gate.
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  He looked in the direction of her gaze, but saw nothing. His gaze
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  upon her seemed to arouse her as from a lethargy. She glanced up at
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  him, a quick, brave smile, touching her lips, and then,
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  as though the act was involuntary, she came close to his side and placed
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  one of her hands in his. He guessed that something within her that was
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  beyond her conscious control, was appealing to him for protection. He threw an
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  arm about her, and thus they crossed the field. She did not draw
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  away from him. It is doubtful that she realized that his arm was there,
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  so engrossed was she in the mystery of the strange city before them.
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  They stopped before the gate. It was a mighty thing. From its construction,
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  Carthoris could but dimly speculate upon its unthinkable antiquity. It was circular closing
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  a circular aperture, and the heliumite knew from his study of ancient Barsoomian architecture
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  that it rolled to one side, like a huge wheel, into an aperture
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  in the wall. Even such old world cities as ancient Anthor were as yet
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  undreamed of when the races lived that built such gates as these. As he
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  stood speculating upon the identity of this forgotten city, a voice spoke to them
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  from above. Both looked up. There, leaning over the edge of the
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  high wall was a man. His hair was auburn, his skin fair,
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  fairer even than that of John Carter the Virginian. His forehead was high,
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  his eyes large and intelligent. The language that he used was intelligible to the
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  two below, yet there was a marked difference between it and their Barsoomian tongue.
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  Who are you, he asked, asked, and what do you here
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  before the gate of Lothar. We are friends, replied Carthoris. This is
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  the princess Thuvia of Ptarth, who was captured by the Torquasian Horde. I
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  am Carthoris of Helium, Prince of the House of Tardos Mors Jeddak of Helium,
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  and son of John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and of his wife
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  dejah Thoris. Ptarth repeated the man Helium. He shook his head. I
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  never heard of these strange places, nor did I know that there dwelt upon
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  Barsoom a race of thy strange color. Where may these cities lie? Of
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  which you speak? From our loftiest tower, we have never seen another city
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  than Lothar. Carthoris pointed toward the northeast. In that direction lie Helium and
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  Ptarth. He said, Helium is over eight hundred thousand hids from Lotho,
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  while Ptarth lies nine thousand, five hundred hods northeast of Helium. Footnote on
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  Barsoom. The ad is the basis of linear measurement. It is the equivalent
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  of an earthly foot, measuring about eleven point six nine four earth inches.
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  As has been my custom in the past, I have generally translated Barsoomian symbols
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  of time, distance, et cetera, into their earthly equivalent, as being
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  more easily understood by Earth readers. For those of a more studious turn of
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  mind, it may be interesting to know the Martian table of linear measurement,
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  and so I give it here. Ten sofads equals one ad. Two hundred
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  ads equals one had, One hundred hads equals one care ad. Three hundred
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  and sixty care ads equals one circumference of mars at equator. A had or
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  Arsumian mile contains about two thousand, three hundred and thirty nine earth feet.
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  A charade is one degree. A sopod is about one point one seven earth
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  inches. End of Footnote Still, the man shook his head. I know
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  nothing beyond the Lotharian hills, he said, Naught may live there beside the
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  hideous green hordes of Torcas. They have conquered all Barsoom except this single valley
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  and the city of Lothar. Here we have defied them for countless ages,
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  though periodically they renew their attempts to destroy us. From whence you come,
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  I cannot guess, unless you be descended from the slaves the Torkasians captured in
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  early times when they reduced the outer world to their vassalage. But we had
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  heard that they destroyed all of their races, but their own. Carthoris tried
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  to explain that the Torcasians ruled but a relatively tiny part art of the surface
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  of Barsoom, and even this only because their domain held nothing to attract the
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  Red race. But the Lotharian could not seem to conceive of anything beyond the
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  Valley of Lothar other than a trackless waste peopled by the ferocious green hordes of
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  Torquas. After considerable parleying, he consented to admit them into the city,
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  and a moment later, the wheel, like a gate, rolled back within
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  its niche and Thuvia and Carthoris entered the city of Lothar. All about them
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  were evidences of fabulous wealth. The facades of the buildings fronting upon the avenue
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  within the wall were richly carven, and about the windows and doors were oftentimes
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  set foot wide borders of precious stones, intricate mosaics, or tablets of beaten
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  gold bearing bass reliefs depicting what may have been bits of the history of this
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  forgotten people he with whom they had conversed across the wall was in the avenue
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  to receive them. About him were a hundred or more men of the same
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  race. All were clothed in flowing robes, and all were beardless. Their
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  attitude was more of fearful suspicion than antagonism. They followed the newcomers with their
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  eyes, but spoke no word to them. Carthoris could not but notice the
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  fact that, though the city had been but a short time before surrounded by
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  a horde of bloodthirsty demons, yet none of the citizens appeared to be armed,
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  nor was there sign of soldiery about. He wondered if all the fighting
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  men had sallied forth in one supreme effort to rout the foe, leaving the
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  city all unguarded. He asked their host. The man smiled, No creature
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  other than a score or so of our sacred banths has left Lothar to day,
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  he replied. But the soldiers, the bowmen, exclaimed, Carthoris,
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  we saw thousands emerge from this very gait, overwhelming the hordes of Torcass and
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  putting them to rout with their deadly arrows and their fierce banths. Still the
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  man smiled, his g knowing smile. Look, he cried, and pointed
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  down a broad avenue before him. Carthoris and Thuvia followed the direction indicated,
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  and there, marching bravely in the sunlight, they saw advancing toward them a
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  great army of bowmen. Ah, exclaimed Thuvia. They have returned through another
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  gate. Or perchance these be the troops that remained to defend the city.
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  Again, the fellows smiled his uncanny smile. There are no soldiers in Lothar,
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  he said. Look. Both Carthoris and Thuvia had turned toward him while
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  he spoke, and now as they turned back again toward the advancing regiments,
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  their eyes went wide in Astuoni, for the broad avenue before them was as
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  deserted as the tomb. And those who marched out upon the hordes today,
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  whispered Carthoris, they too were unreal. The man nodded, but their arrows
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  slew. The green warriors insisted Thuvia. Let us go before Tario, replied
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  the Lotharian, he will tell you that which he deems it best. You
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  know, I might tell you too much. Who is Tario asked Carthoris.
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  Jeddak of Lothar replied, the guide leading them up the broad avenue, down
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  which they had but a moment since seen the phantom army. Marching for half
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  an hour, they walked along lovely avenues between the most gorgeous buildings that the
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  two had ever seen. Few people were in evidence. Carthoris could not but
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  note the deserted appearance of the mighty city. At last they came to the
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  royal Palace. Carthoris saw it from a distance, and, guessing the nature
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  of the magnificent pile, wondered that even here there should be so little sign
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  of activity and life. Not even a single guard was visible before the great
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  entrance, nor into the gardens beyond, into which he could see, was
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  there sign of the myriad of life that pulses within the precincts of the royal
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  estates of the Red Jeddaks. Here, said their guide is the Palace of
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  Tario. As he spoke, Carthoris again let his gaze rest upon the wondrous
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  palace. With a startled exclamation. He rubbed his eyes and looked. Again.
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  No, he could not be mistaken. Before the massive gate stood a
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  score of centuries within. The avenue leading to the main building was lined on
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  either side by ranks of bowmen. The gardens were dotted with officers and soldiers,
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  moving quickly to and fro, as though bent upon the duties of the
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  minute. What manner of people were these who could conjure an army out of
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  thin air? He glanced at Thuvia, She too, evidently had witnessed the
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  transformation. With a little shudder, she pressed more closely toward him. What
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  do you make of it? She whispered? It is most uncanny. I
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  cannot account for it, replied Carthoris, unless we have gone mad. Carthoris
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  turned quickly toward the Lotharian. The fellow was smiling broadly. I thought that
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  you just said there were no soldiers in Lothar, said the Heliumite, with
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  a gesture toward the guardsman. What are these ask Tario, replied the other.
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  We shall soon be before him. Nor was it long before they entered
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  a lofty chamber, at one end of which a man reclined upon a rich
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  couch that stood upon a high dais. As the trio approached, the man
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  turned dreamy eyes sleepily upon them. Twenty feet from the dais, their conductor
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  halted and whispering to Thuvia and Carthoris, to follow his example, threw himself
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  headlong to the floor. Then rising to hands and knees, he commenced crawling
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  toward the foot of the throne, swinging his head to and fro, and
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  wiggling his body as you have seen a hound do when approaching its master.
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  Thuvia glanced quickly toward Carthoris. He was standing erect with high held head and
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  arms folded across his broad chest. A haughty smile curved his lips. The
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  man upon the daiis was eyeing him intently, and Carthoris of Helium was looking
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  straight in the other's face. Who be these Jav asked the man of him
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  who crawled upon his belly along the floor. O Tario, most glorious,
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  Jeddak, replied Jav. These be strangers who came with the hordes of Torquas
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  to our gates, saying that they were prisoners of the Green Man. They
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  tell strange tales of cities far beyond lothar Arise, Jav commanded Tario, and
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  ask these two why they show not to Tario the respect that is his due.
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  Jav arose and faced the strangers at sight of their erect positions, his
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  face went livid. He leaped toward them creatures. He screamed, down down
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  upon your bellies before the last of the Jeddaks of Barsoom. End of chapter six