Cautiously I peered into the room. It was richly furnished, though somewhat vulgarly, floors heaped with furs, carved chests and benches. In a bracket a torch flared, illuminating the room. It was empty.

I swung my leg over the low sill and entered the room as quietly as I could.

Darnad and the others followed me.

Then we all stood there, staring at one another, listening intently for some sound that might indicate where the women were imprisoned.

It came at last—a low tone that could have been anything. All we could be sure of was that it issued from a human throat.

It came from a room on our left.

Darnad and I went towards the room, with the warriors following. We paused at the door which, surprisingly, was unbarred.

Now from within came a sound that seemed like a soft laugh—a woman's laugh. But it could not be a laugh. I must have misheard. The next sound was a voice, pitched low and impossible to make sense of.

Darnad looked at me. Our eyes met, and then with a concerted movement we flung open the door.

Torchlight showed us the two within.

One was Horguhl, standing close to the window.

The other was Shizala—my Shizala!

Shizala was bound hand and foot.

But Horguhl was unfettered. She stood with hands on hips smiling down at Shizala, who glared back at her.

Horguhl's smile froze when she saw us. Shizala gave a glad cry: "Michael Kane! Darnad! Oh, thank Zar you have come!"

Horguhl stood there expressionlessly, saying nothing.

I stepped forward to untie Shizala. As I worked at her bonds I kept a suspicious eye on the Vladnyar girl, uncertain of her part in this. Was she or was she not a prisoner?

It did not seem likely now. Yet...

Horguhl suddenly laughed in my face.

I finished untying Shizala's bonds. "Why do you laugh?" I asked.

"I thought you were dead," she replied, not answering my question. And then she lifted her head and let out a piercing shriek.

"Silence!" Darnad said in a fierce whisper. "You will alert the whole palace. We intend you no harm."

"I am sure you do not," she said as Darnad stepped towards her. "But I mean you harm my friends!" Again she shrieked.

There was a disturbance outside in the corridor.

Shizala's eyes glistened with tears—but with gladness also—as she stared up into my face. "Oh, Michael Kane—somehow I knew you would save me. I thought they had killed you—and yet. . ."

"No time for conversation," I said brusquely, trying to hide the emotion that her closeness brought to my breast. "We must escape."

Darnad had his hand over Horguhl's mouth. He looked unhappy, not used to treating a woman so.

"Horguhl is no prisoner," Shizala said. "She—"

"I can see that now," I said. "Come—we must hurry."

We turned and left the room. Darnad released his hold on Horguhl and followed us.