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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eight, The Hall of Doom. As Thuvia of Ptarth
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  Speaker 1: saw Carthoris depart from the presence of Tario, leaving her
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  Speaker 1: alone with the man, a sudden qualm of terror seized her.
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  Speaker 1: There was an air of mystery pervading the stately chamber.
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  Speaker 1: Its furnishings and appointments bespoke wealth and culture, and carried
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  Speaker 1: the suggestion that the room was often the scene of
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  Speaker 1: royal functions, which filled it to its capacity. And yet
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  Speaker 1: nowhere about her, in antechamber or corridor was there sign
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  Speaker 1: of any other being than herself and the recumbent figure
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  Speaker 1: of Tario, the Jeddak, who watched her through half closed
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  Speaker 1: eyes from the gorgeous trappings of his regal couch. For
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  Speaker 1: a time after the departure of jab and Carthoris, the
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  Speaker 1: man eyed her intently. Then he spoke, Come nearer, he said,
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  Speaker 1: And as she approached, whose creature are you? Who has
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  Speaker 1: dared materialize his imaginings of a woman? It is contrary
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  Speaker 1: to the customs and the royal edicts of Lothar. Tell me, woman,
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  Speaker 1: from whose brain have you sprung? Javes? No, do not
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  Speaker 1: deny it. I know that it could be no other
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  Speaker 1: than that envious realist. He seeks to tempt me. He
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  Speaker 1: would see me fall beneath the spell of your charms,
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  Speaker 1: and then he, your master, would direct my destiny and
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  Speaker 1: my end. I see it all, I see it all.
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  Speaker 1: The blood of indignation and anger had been rising to
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  Speaker 1: Thuvia's face. Her chin was up a haughty curve upon
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  Speaker 1: her perfect lips. I know not, she cried, of what
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  Speaker 1: you are pratting. I am Thuvia, princess of Ptarth. I
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  Speaker 1: am no man's creature. Never before to day did I
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  Speaker 1: lay eyes upon him. You call jav Nor, upon your
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  Speaker 1: ridiculous city, of which even the greatest nations of Barsoom
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  Speaker 1: have never dreamed. My charms are not for you, nor
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  Speaker 1: such as you. They are not for sale or barter,
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  Speaker 1: even though the price were a real throne. And as
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  Speaker 1: for using them to win, you are worse than futile power.
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  Speaker 1: She ended her sentence with a shrug of her shapely
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  Speaker 1: shoulders and a little scornful laugh. When she had finished,
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  Speaker 1: Tario was sitting upon the edge of his couch, his
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  Speaker 1: feet upon the floor. He was leaning forward, with eyes
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  Speaker 1: no longer half closed but wide, with a startled expression
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  Speaker 1: in them. He did not seem to note the majest
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  Speaker 1: of her words and manner. There was evidently something more
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  Speaker 1: startling and compelling about her speech than that. Slowly he
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  Speaker 1: came to his feet by the fangs of comal. He muttered,
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  Speaker 1: but you are a real a real woman, no dream,
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  Speaker 1: no vain and foolish figment of the mind. He took
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  Speaker 1: a step toward her with his hands outstretched. Come, he whispered,
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  Speaker 1: Come woman. For countless ages have I dreamed that some
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  Speaker 1: day you would come, And now that you are here,
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  Speaker 1: I can scarce believe the testimony of my eyes. Even now,
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  Speaker 1: knowing that you are real, I still half dread that
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  Speaker 1: you may be a lie. Thuvia shrank back, she thought
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  Speaker 1: the man mad. Her hand stole to the jeweled hilt
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  Speaker 1: of her dagger. The man saw the move and stopped.
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  Speaker 1: A cunning expression entered his eyes. Then they became at
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  Speaker 1: once dreamy and penetrating, as they fairly bored into the
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  Speaker 1: girl's brain. Thuvia suddenly felt a change coming over her.
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  Speaker 1: What the cause of it she did not guess, But
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  Speaker 1: somehow the man before her began to assume a new
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  Speaker 1: relationship within her heart. No longer was he a strange
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  Speaker 1: and mysterious enemy, but an old and trusted friend. Her
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  Speaker 1: hand slipped from the dagger's hilt. Tario came closer. He
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  Speaker 1: spoke gentle, friendly words, and she answered him in a
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  Speaker 1: voice that seemed hers and yet another's. He was beside
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  Speaker 1: her now, his hand was up her shoulder, His eyes
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  Speaker 1: were down bent towards hers. She looked up into his face.
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  Speaker 1: His gaze seemed to bore straight through her, to some
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  Speaker 1: hidden spring of sentiment within her. Her lips started in
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  Speaker 1: sudden awe and wonder at the strange revealment of her
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  Speaker 1: inner self that was being laid bare before her consciousness.
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  Speaker 1: She had known Tario forever. He was more than friend
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  Speaker 1: to her. She moved a little closer to him. In
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  Speaker 1: one swift flood of light, she knew the truth. She
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  Speaker 1: loved Tario Jeddak of Lothar. She had always loved him.
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  Speaker 1: The man, seeing the success of his strategy, could not
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  Speaker 1: restrain a faint smile of satisfaction, whether there was something
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  Speaker 1: in the expression of his face, or whether from Carthoris
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  Speaker 1: of Helium and a far chamber of the palace came
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  Speaker 1: a more powerful suggestion. Who may say, but something there
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  Speaker 1: was that dispelled the strange hypnotic in fluence of the man,
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  Speaker 1: as though a mask had been torn from her eyes.
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  Speaker 1: Thuvia suddenly saw Tario as she had formerly seen him, and,
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  Speaker 1: accustomed as she was to the strange manifestations of highly
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  Speaker 1: developed mentality which are common upon Barsoom, she quickly guessed
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  Speaker 1: enough of the truth to know that she was in
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  Speaker 1: grave danger. Quickly she took a step back, tearing herself
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  Speaker 1: from his grasp, But the momentary contact had aroused within
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  Speaker 1: Tario all the long buried passions of his loveless existence.
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  Speaker 1: With a muffled cry, he sprang upon her, throwing his
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  Speaker 1: arms about her and attempting to drag her lips to
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  Speaker 1: his woman. He cried, lovely woman, Tario would make you,
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  Speaker 1: Queen of Lothar. Listen to me, Listen to the love
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  Speaker 1: of the last Jeddak of Barsoom. Thuvia struggled to free
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  Speaker 1: herself from his embrace. Stop creature, she cried, Stop, I
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  Speaker 1: do not love you. Stop or I shall scream for help.
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  Speaker 1: Tario laughed in her face. Scream for help he mimicked.
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  Speaker 1: And who within the walls of Lothar is there who
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  Speaker 1: might come in answer to your call? Who would dare
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  Speaker 1: enter the presence of Tario unsummoned. There is one she replied,
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  Speaker 1: who would come, and coming dare to cut you down
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  Speaker 1: upon your own throne if he thought that you had
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  Speaker 1: offered a front to Thuvia of Ptarth, who jav asked Tario.
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  Speaker 1: Not Jav nor any other soft skinned Lotharian, she replied,
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  Speaker 1: But a real man, a real warrior, Carthoris of Helium. Again,
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  Speaker 1: the man laughed at her. You forget the bowmen, he
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  Speaker 1: reminded her, what could your red warrior a comp against
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  Speaker 1: my fearless legions. Again he caught her roughly to him,
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  Speaker 1: dragging her toward his couch. If you will not be
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  Speaker 1: my queen, he said, you shall be my slave. Neither
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  Speaker 1: cried the girl. As she spoke the single word, there
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  Speaker 1: was a quick movement of her right hand, Tario, releasing her,
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  Speaker 1: staggered back, both hands pressed to his side. At the
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  Speaker 1: same instant, the room was filled with bowmen, and then
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  Speaker 1: the Jeddak of Lothar sank senseless to the marble floor.
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  Speaker 1: At the instant that he lost consciousness, the bowmen were
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  Speaker 1: about to release their arrows into Thuvia's heart. Involuntarily, she
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  Speaker 1: gave a single cry for help, though she knew that
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  Speaker 1: not even Carthoris of Helium could save her. Now, then
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  Speaker 1: she closed her eyes and waited for the end. No
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  Speaker 1: slender shafts pierced her tender sigh. She raised her lids
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  Speaker 1: to see what stayed the hands of her executioners. The
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  Speaker 1: room was empty save for herself and the still form
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  Speaker 1: of the Jeddak of Lothar lying at her feet, a
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  Speaker 1: little pool of crimson staining the white marble of the floor.
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  Speaker 1: Beside him, Tario was unconscious. Thuvia was amazed. Where were
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  Speaker 1: the bowmen? Why had they not loosed their shafts? What
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  Speaker 1: could it all mean? An instant before, the room had
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  Speaker 1: been mysteriously filled with armed men, evidently called to protect
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  Speaker 1: their jeddak. Yet now, with the evidence of her deed
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  Speaker 1: playing before them, they had vanished as mysteriously as they
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  Speaker 1: had come, leaving her alone with the body of their ruler,
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  Speaker 1: into whose sides she had slipped her long keen blade.
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  Speaker 1: The girl glanced apprehensively about, first for signs of the
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  Speaker 1: return of the bowmen, and then for some means of escape.
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  Speaker 1: The wall behind the dais was pierced by two small
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  Speaker 1: doorways hidden by heavy hangings. Thuvia was quickly running toward
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  Speaker 1: one of these when she heard the clank of a
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  Speaker 1: warrior's medal at the end of the apartment behind her. Ah.
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  Speaker 1: If she had but an instant more of time, she
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  Speaker 1: could have reached that screening arrass and perchance have found
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  Speaker 1: some avenue of escape behind it. But now it was
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  Speaker 1: too late. She had been discovered. With a feeling that
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  Speaker 1: was akin to apathy, she turned to meet her fate,
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  Speaker 1: and there before her, running swiftly across the broad chamber
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  Speaker 1: to her side, was Carthoris, his naked long sword gleaming
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  Speaker 1: in his hand. For days she had doubted the intentions
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  Speaker 1: of the Heliumite. She had thought him a party to
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  Speaker 1: her abduction. Since fate had thrown them together. She had
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  Speaker 1: scarce favored him with more than the most perfunctory replies
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  Speaker 1: to him remarks unless at such times as the weird
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  Speaker 1: and uncanny happenings at Lothar had surprised her out of
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  Speaker 1: her reserve. She knew that Carthoris of Helium would fight
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  Speaker 1: for her, but whether to save her for himself or another,
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  Speaker 1: she was in doubt. He knew that she was promised
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  Speaker 1: to Coulan Tith Jeddak of Cowl. But if he had
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  Speaker 1: been instrumental in her abduction, his motives could not be
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  Speaker 1: prompted by loyalty to his friend or regard for her honor.
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  Speaker 1: And yet as she saw him coming across the marble
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  Speaker 1: floor of the audience chamber of Tario of Lothar, his
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  Speaker 1: fine eyes filled with apprehension for her safety, his splendid
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  Speaker 1: figure personifying all that is finest in the fighting men
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  Speaker 1: of marshal Mars, she could not believe that any faint
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  Speaker 1: trace of perfidy lurked beneath so glorious an exterior. Never,
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  Speaker 1: she thought, in all her life, had the sight of
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  Speaker 1: any man been so welcome to her. It was with
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  Speaker 1: difficulty that she refrained from rushing forward to meet him.
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  Speaker 1: She knew that he loved her, but in time she
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  Speaker 1: recalled that she was promised to cool on tith. Not
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  Speaker 1: even might she trust herself to show too great gratitude
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  Speaker 1: to the Heliumite, lest he misunderstand. Carthoris was by her
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  Speaker 1: side now, his quick glance had taken in the scene
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  Speaker 1: within the room, the still figure of the Jeddak sprawled
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  Speaker 1: upon the floor, the girl hastening toward a shrouded exit.
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  Speaker 1: Did he harm Ethuvia, he asked. She held up her
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  Speaker 1: crimsoned blade that he might see it. No, she said,
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  Speaker 1: he did not harm me. A grim smile lighted Carthoris's face.
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  Speaker 1: Praise be our first ancestor, he murmured. And now let
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  Speaker 1: us see if we may not make good our escape
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  Speaker 1: from this cursed city before the Lotharians discover that their
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  Speaker 1: Jeddak is no more with the firm authority that sat
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  Speaker 1: so well upon him, in whose veins flowed the blood
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  Speaker 1: of John Carter of Virginia and dejah Thoris of Helium.
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  Speaker 1: He grasped her hand, and, turning back across the hall,
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  Speaker 1: strode toward the great doorway through which Jab had brought
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  Speaker 1: them into the presence of the Jeddak earlier in the day.
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  Speaker 1: They had almost reached the threshold when a figure sprang
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  Speaker 1: into the apartment through another entrance. It was Jab, He too,
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  Speaker 1: took in the scene. Within a glance. Carthoris turned to
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  Speaker 1: face him, his sword ready in his hand and his
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  Speaker 1: great body shielding the slender figure of the girl. Come
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  Speaker 1: Jab of Lothar, He cried, Let us face the issue
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  Speaker 1: at once, for only one of us may leave this
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  Speaker 1: chamber alive with Thuvia of Ptarth. Then, seeing that the
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  Speaker 1: man wore no sword, he claimed, bring on your bowman, then,
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  Speaker 1: or come with us as my prisoner until we have
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  Speaker 1: safely passed the outer portals of thy ghostly city. You
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  Speaker 1: have killed Tario, exclaimed the Jav, ignoring the other's challenge.
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  Speaker 2: You have killed Tario. I see his blood upon the floor,
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  Speaker 2: real blood, real death. Tario was, after all as real
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  Speaker 2: as I. Yet he was an etherealist. He would not
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  Speaker 2: materialize his sustenance. Can it be that they are right? Well,
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  Speaker 2: we too are right? And all these ages we have
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  Speaker 2: been quarreling, each saying that the other was wrong. However
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  Speaker 2: he is dead. Now of that I am glad. Now
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  Speaker 2: shall jeb come into his own Now? Shall Jav be
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  Speaker 2: Jeddak of Lothar.
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  Speaker 1: As he finished, Tario opened his eyes and then quickly
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  Speaker 1: sat up. Traitor, assassin. He screamed, and then kudar kudar,
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  Speaker 1: which is the Barsoomian for guard. Jav went sickly white.
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  Speaker 1: He fell upon his belly, wriggling toward Tario.
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  Speaker 2: Oh my Jeddak, my Jeddak.
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  Speaker 1: He whimpered.
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  Speaker 2: Jeev had no hand in this, Jev, your faithful Jav.
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  Speaker 2: But just this instant entered the apartment to find you
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  Speaker 2: lying prone upon the floor, and these two strangers about
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  Speaker 2: to leave. How it happened, I know not believe me,
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  Speaker 2: Most glorious Jeddak cea s nave.
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  Speaker 1: Cried Tarrio, I heard your words.
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  Speaker 2: However he is dead.
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  Speaker 1: Now of that I am glad. Now shall Jav come
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  Speaker 1: into his own Now? Shall Jav be Jeddak of Lothar
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  Speaker 1: at last? Traitor? I have found you out. Your own
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  Speaker 1: words have condemned you as surely as the acts of
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  Speaker 1: these red creatures have sealed their fates. Unless he paused,
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  Speaker 1: unless the woman, but he got no further Carthoris guessed
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  Speaker 1: what he would have said, and before the words could
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  Speaker 1: be uttered, he had sprung forward and struck the man
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  Speaker 1: across the mouth with his open palm. Tario frothed in
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  Speaker 1: rage and mortification. And should you again affront the Princess
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  Speaker 1: of Ptarth, warned the Heliumite, I shall forget that you
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  Speaker 1: wear no sword, not forever may I control my itching
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  Speaker 1: sword hand. Tario shrank back toward the little doorways behind
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  Speaker 1: the dais. He was trying to speak, but so hideously
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  Speaker 1: were the muscles of his face, working that he could
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  Speaker 1: utter no word for several minutes. At last he managed
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  Speaker 1: to art intelligibly. Die. He shrieked, die, and then he
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  Speaker 1: turned toward the exit. At his back. Jav leaped forward,
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  Speaker 1: screaming in terror.
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  Speaker 2: Have pity, Tario, have pity. Remember the long ages that
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  Speaker 2: I have served you faithfully, Remember all that I have
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  Speaker 2: done for Lothar. Do not condemn me now to the death, hideous,
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  Speaker 2: save me, Save me.
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  Speaker 1: But Tario only laughed a mocking laugh and continued to
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  Speaker 1: back toward the hangings that hid the little doorway. Jav
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  Speaker 1: turned toward Carthoris. Stop him, he screamed, stop him.
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  Speaker 2: If you love life, let him not leave this room.
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  Speaker 1: And as he spoke, he leaped in pursuit of his Jeddak.
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  Speaker 1: Carthoris followed Jav's example, but the last of the Jeddaks
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  Speaker 1: of Barsoom was too quick for them. By the time
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  Speaker 1: they reached the arras behind which he had disappeared, they
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  Speaker 1: found a heavy stone door blocking their further progress. Jav
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  Speaker 1: sank to the floor in a spasm of terror. Come man,
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  Speaker 1: cried Carthoris. We are not dead yet. Let us hasten
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  Speaker 1: to the avenues and make an attempt to leave the city.
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  Speaker 1: We are still alive, and while we live, we may
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  Speaker 1: yet endeavor to direct our own destinies of what avail
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  Speaker 1: to sink spineless to the floor. Come be a man,
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  Speaker 1: Jav but shook his head.
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  Speaker 2: Did you not hear him call the guards?
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  Speaker 1: He moaned.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, if we could have but intercepted him, then there
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  Speaker 2: might have been hope. But alas he was too quick
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  Speaker 2: for us.
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  Speaker 1: Well, well, exclaimed Carthoris impatiently. What if he did call
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  Speaker 1: the guards, There will be time enough to worry about
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  Speaker 1: that after they come. At present, I see no indication
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  Speaker 1: that they have any idea of over exerting themselves to
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  Speaker 1: obey their Jeddak's summons. Jav shook his head mournfully. You
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  Speaker 1: do not understand, he said. The guards have already come
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  Speaker 1: and gone. They have done their work, and we are lost.
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  Speaker 1: Look to the various exits. Carthoris and Theuvia turned their
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  Speaker 1: eyes in the direction of the several doorways which pierced
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  Speaker 1: the walls of the great chamber. Each was tightly closed
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  Speaker 1: by huge stone doors. Well, asked Carthoris, we are to
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  Speaker 1: die the death, whispered Jav faintly. Further than that, he
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  Speaker 1: would not say, He just sat upon the edge of
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  Speaker 1: the Jeddak's couch and waited. Carthoris moved to Thuvia's side, and,
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  Speaker 1: standing there with naked sword, he let his brave eyes
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  Speaker 1: roam ceaselessly about the great chamber, that no foe might
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  Speaker 1: spring upon them unseen. For what seemed hours, no sound
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  Speaker 1: broke the silence of their living tomb. No sign gave
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  Speaker 1: their executioners of the time or manner of their death.
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  Speaker 1: The suspense was terrible. Even Carthoris of Helium began to
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  Speaker 1: feel the terrible strain upon his nerves. If he could
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  Speaker 1: but know how and whence the hand of death was
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  Speaker 1: to strike, he could meet it unafraid. But to suffer
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  Speaker 1: longer the hideous tension of this blighting ignorance of the
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  Speaker 1: plans of their assassins was telling upon him grievously. Thuvia
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  Speaker 1: of Ptarth drew quite close to him. She felt safer
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  Speaker 1: with the feel of his arm against hers, and with
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  Speaker 1: the contact of her The man took a new grip
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  Speaker 1: upon himself. With his old time smile, he turned toward her.
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  Speaker 1: It would seem that they are trying to frighten us
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  Speaker 1: to death, he said, laughing, and shame be upon me
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  Speaker 1: that I should confess it. I think they were close
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  Speaker 1: to accomplishing their designs upon me. She was about to
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  Speaker 1: make some reply when a fearful shriek broke from the
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  Speaker 1: lips of the Lotharian. The end is coming, he cried,
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  Speaker 1: The end is coming.
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  Speaker 2: The floor, the floor, Oh Komal be merciful.
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  Speaker 1: Thuvia and Carthoris did not need to look at the
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  Speaker 1: floor to be aware of the strange movement that was
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  Speaker 1: taking place. Slowly, the marble flagging was sinking in all
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: directions toward the center. At first, the movement, being gradual,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: was scarce noticeable, but presently the angle of the floor
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: became such that one might stand easily only by bending
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  Speaker 1: one knee considerably. Jav was shrieking still and clawing at
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  Speaker 1: the royal couch that had already commenced to slide toward
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  Speaker 1: the center of the room, where both Thuvia and Carthoris
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: suddenly noted a small orifice which grew in diameter as
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  Speaker 1: the floor assumed more closely a funnel like contour. Now
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  Speaker 1: it became more and more difficult to cling to the
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  Speaker 1: dizzy inclination of the smooth and polished marble Carthoris tried
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  Speaker 1: to support Thuvia, but himself commenced to slide and slip
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  Speaker 1: toward the ever enlarging aperture. Better to cling to the
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  Speaker 1: smooth stone, he kicked off his sandals of zitidar hide
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  Speaker 1: and with his bare feet braced himself against the sickening tilt,
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  Speaker 1: at the same time throwing his arms supportingly around the
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: girl in her terror, her own hands clasped about the
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: man's neck, her cheek was close to his death. Unseen
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: and of unknown form settled close upon them. And because
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: unseen and unknowable, infinitely more terrifying. Courage, my princess, he whispered.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: She looked up into his face to see smiling lips
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: above hers, and brave eyes untouched by terror, drinking deeply
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: of her own. Then the floor sagged and tilted more swiftly.
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: There was a sudden slipping rush as they were precipitated
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: toward the aperture. Jav's screams rose weird and horrible in
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: their ears, and then the three found themselves piled upon
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: the royal couch of Tario, which had stuck within the
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: aperture at the base of the marble funnel. For a
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: moment they breathed more freely, but presently they discovered that
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: the aperture was continuing to enlarge. The couch slipped downward.
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: Jav shrieked again. There was a sickening sensation as they
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: felt all let go beneath them as they fell through
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: darkness to an unknown death. End of chapter eight.