"They lured you down here where the rest of their army was waiting—it had been a calculated tactic—and when you reached the floor of the cavern-world they attacked you and wiped out your army. Isn't that what happened?" I had already guessed most of this, of course.

"Y-yes. They took prisoners. I am amongst the last of them left alive."

"How many prisoners?"

"Several hundreds."

I was horrified. Now it was plain that, as I had surmised, this move of the Argzoon had been carefully planned for years. The first force had been badly defeated, but it had severely weakened the strength of the southern nations. Secondly, the southern army's punitive force that had followed the Argzoon here had been led into a carefully laid trap and the weary warriors must have been fairly easy game for a force of fresh Argzoon warriors waiting in ambush. Then the Argzoon had put the second half of their strategy into operation, going secretly south in small numbers with the object of taking the south by surprise, beginning with Varnal. Something had disrupted this strategy—perhaps my slaying of their master-mind—and the plan had broken down. But much damage had been done. The south would take years recovering from the blow and while recovering would face constant danger from other, stronger would-be aggressors. The Vladnyar, for instance.

Now I asked the slave the leading question:

"Tell me—have two women been brought here recently? A dark one and a fair one."

“There h-has been a woman prisoner..."

Only one! I prayed that Shizala had not been killed on the way.

"What does she look like?"

"She is very beautiful—fair-haired—a Karnala woman, I think..."

I sighed with relief. "But what of Horguhl the Vladnyar—the dark-haired woman?"

"Ah!" His voice was a muted scream. "Do not mention th-that name. Do not mention it!"

"What is wrong?" I could see that he was in an even worse state now than when I had originally confronted him. Spittle ran down his chin and his eyes flickered crazily. He was trembling in every part of his body. He hugged himself, hunched and twitching. He began to moan slowly.

I seized his shoulder, trying to shake some selfcontrol into him, but he fell to the floor and continued to moan and tremble.

I knelt beside him. "Tell me—who is Horguhl— what is her part in this?"

"Ah! P-please—leave me. I will not tell them you are here ... Y-you must go. L-leave!"

I continued to shake him. 'Tell me!"

Suddenly a new voice spoke from behind me. A cool, mocking voice full of controlled, malicious humor...

"Leave the poor wretch alone, Michael Kane. I can answer your question better than he. My guards mentioned a disturbance in the store-room so I came to investigate myself. I have been halfexpecting you."