COMPANIONS IN MISERY
In the Myles Cabot was to be Att the Terrible, king of the Roies—for in the manner common to these aborigines, by being up by the and then used as a for the of the king.
In of this, he slept and of radio sets and blast and mines, until he was by a soft his shoulder.
A voice spoke close to his ear: “A life for a life.”
“So you have that proverb on this as well as in Cupia?” was his reply. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
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“I am the soldier you saved from the torrent, and what I want is to that favor. It is true that you are a friend of Otto the Bold?”
“Yes.”
“Then come. The of Grod the Silent, Prince Otto’s father, are but a from here. I am on over you for the moment. Come, while there is yet time.”
Cabot in haste. The other the which his elbows. Oh, how good it to have his arms free once more! He them aloft, and and the and muscles. Excruciating pain through the nerves of his forearm, but it was pain, easy to bear, for it peace and to his members.
He all his rapidly, and the pain gave way to a tingling, which in turn off as the blood through his and once more. He a of relief.
“Come!” the commanded.
Together the two left the tent, and their way among the other out of the camp, and a path, the Roy in advance, with Myles following, the other’s hand for guidance.
Myles all of direction in the black night, but the other, and on Poros, and hence used to the daily of twelve hours of darkness, walked sure-footedly ahead, and to know where he was going.
Finally, after about two hours of this progress lights appeared ahead, and presently there came the sentry’s challenge: “Halt! Who is there?”
“Two with word for Grod the Silent,” Cabot’s replied.
In an aside, Cabot inquired: “How it that this is guarded, the which the village of Sur was not?”
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“There is no need to post when against the Vairkings, for Vairkings go out in the dark, but we Roies are different.”
“Why, then, did we meet no when your camp?”
“Because we were going out. We passed one but he did not challenge us. Coming would be different.”
At this point the interposed: “Stop that among yourselves. Ho there, a light!”
Whereat a small on the quick, with torches. The leader his with one palm, and Myles and his carefully.
“This is a Vairking,” he said in surprise, the leather of the earth-man. “You are spies. Seize them!”
In an they were and bound, and into under guard.
When came, Myles was and then Grod the Silent. The earth-man as he entered, but there was no of on the of the King of the Roies.
“Who are you?” the asked, “and what are you doing here?”
“I am Cabot the Minorian,” was the reply, “a of Att the Terrible.”
“Do not mention that name in my presence!” the king; then: “I do not to your name, but your looks familiar. Where have I you before?”
“In the near Sur.”
Grod’s clouded.
“I remember. You me with your fist,” said he, darkly; then a bit: “But you me. Why?”
“Because your death would the Roy name you do not permit me to mention.”
“You improve,” Grod declared, smiling. “Know, then, that we Roies to the maxim, ‘A life for a life.’ Accordingly, I shall set you free, and shall myself with into the soldier who you here.”
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“You give me a life for a life unconditionally?” asked Myles.
“Yes.”
“Then give me the life of the soldier who saved me from the one. Shoot your into my instead.”
“Very of you,” Grod said. “And really, it makes but little to me just I upon. Ho guard! Bring the other in.”
One of the withdrew, and presently returned with—Quivven! Quivven, of all persons!
Cabot gasped, and so did the golden-furred Vairking maiden; then the single word, “You!”
The smiled. Said he, “A mistake, guard; I meant you to the Roy soldier who was with this one early this morning. But it has out to be a mistake, for it has to my attention the that this common Vairking man and this Vairking lady are acquainted.”
While the Roy was speaking an idea to Cabot: He was by the of of this to save a life. Chivalry that he save the life of this than that of himself, or the soldier who had him from Att the Terrible. Yet what would Lilla think?
Did he not it to Lilla to save his own life in order that he might some day return across the to save her from the unknown which her? For him to himself and her, or himself, for the of some woman, would Lilla with jealousy.
Luckily Lilla was not here to see him make his choice. He was an officer and a gentleman, to but one open. And if he in the way that would Lilla, then that very would prevent Lilla from knowing.
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So, his mind up, he spoke: “O king, you still me a life. Inasmuch as your has the mistake of this lady for the Roy warrior, life I had elected to save, I now accept the substitution, and elect that you shall her life in place of mine.”
Quivven the Golden Flame at him with of and in her eyes. Grod the Silent in a manner which Myles, but Quivven did not notice this, so Myles let it pass.
Then the Roy king spoke: “We shall see about that later. Meanwhile, guard, in the right prisoner.”
The withdrew, and soon returned with the soldier who had Myles.
“Why did you this Vairking, who was a of your forces?” Grod asked the newcomer.
“Because he me from a torrent, O king,” was the reply. “A life for a life.”
“Quite true,” Grod admitted, his contemplatively. “But was it necessary to that end that you your own forces?”
“No, O king,” the soldier replied, “but I would on your side. I have had of the one who our outfit.”
“Good!” Grod, his hands. “We shall need every man we can muster. Thus have you your own life and freedom. Unbind him, guards, and give him weapons, so that he may for us. As for you, you yellow minx, the you out of here the it will me. We are at war, and have no place in warfare. Therefore I give you your life, which this one had purchased.
“Do not think,” he continued, “that I do not know who you are, or that I do not that I you for high ransom. But for the present it my purposes to you; for my mind is a one-cart road, and at present I am in an and personal war.
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“Besides, if I were to keep you, my enemy might of you and the himself, which would do. Twelve days from now, if I should be in need of carts, a messenger from me will call at the of Theoph the Grim; and if you are at all grateful, you will make me a present of about twenty wagons.
“As for you,” to Myles, “your life is mine, since you failed to it. Some day I may call upon you for it, but for the present I wish to use it. You are detailed, as my personal representative, to this lady safely to Vairkingi. Now of you out of here, for I have more to do. I must put my army on the march.”
One of the up to Myles and cut his bonds. Quivven had not been bound.
“May I have arms, O king, so that I can your mission with to you?” Myles asked, with a in his eyes.
“You keep on improving,” Grod replied. “Yes, you may. Here, take my own sword. You are a man and an able warrior, as my well remembers. May the Builder that some day we shall by side.”
This gave Cabot an idea. “Why can that not be now?” he suggested. “Why not an with Vairkingi against the one?”
But Grod the Silent his head. “No,” he said positively, “it cannot be. In the place, the one is himself to make such an against me; and in the second place, this is my own private fight. I have spoken.”
Then Cabot had a idea. “About the wagons,” he said, “would you mind sending for them to my north of Vairkingi? That would be more convenient.”
“Very well,” Grod replied.
Roy then the two with portable rations, and them for a from the camp, until they a trail. This, the them, to Vairkingi. There the Roies left Myles and Quivven alone.
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The thing that she asked was, “With all these full of Roies, do you that we shall be safe?”
“I think so,” Myles replied. “The very that they are at will keep them much too to about us. Come on.”
As they the trail, each related his or her to the other. Cabot’s have already been set down. As for Quivven, she had gone with a soldiers to for Myles after his party had returned and reported his by the river; but her party had been killed, and she had been taken prisoner.
“Did Grod you with respect?” Myles asked, with fists.
“Absolutely,” she replied, her head. “I a man so impersonal. I am to have men my presence and pay some attention to my existence. But this brute—why, I might just as well have been a piece of or one of his servants. I don’t he now what color my are, or I’m or not. And you’re just as as he is,” she added irrelevantly.
“Your are blue, and you are very pretty,” Cabot replied. “In fact, you closely my own wife, the Princess Lilla, who for me across the seas.”
“Which me to ask,” Quivven said abruptly. “How successful was your expedition, from your being and into all of trouble?”
So he told her about the in the of the river. Also how he had what were zinc-blende and galena. Then they in detail his plans for his factories. From time to time they some of the food which had been them.
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The day sped, and near, yet still they were upon the road with no of Vairkingi or of any familiar to either of them. Quivven was for stopping and resting, but Myles her on.
“No how you are,” he said, “it is not safe to stop in this country.”
So still she on. The sky without the of the west. All too well they what that portended—one of the heaven-splitting so common on Poros. And they were right. The broke, the in one of sound, the and the rain in sheets. The a torrent, so that they had to their and upon a boulder, in order to avoid being by the water.
The rain stopped as as it had begun. Again the sky appeared overhead. The disappeared, but left in its wake a wet, muddy, and trail, which the two took up their once more.
Several times Quivven and fell, until at last her had to help her in order to keep her going at all. But, in of this assistance, she and cried.
“I shall not go one step farther,” she asserted.
Myles seated himself her and talked to her as one would a child. And that was what she was, a little child.
“You can’t here,” he urged, “the ground is damp, the night is on, and your is wet.”
“I don’t anything about anything,” she sobbed. “All that I know is that I positively cannot go on.”
So he that it would be necessary to his tactics. “I am of you,” he replied, “You, the of a king, and can’t a little exercise! Why, I you are just plain lazy.”
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For reply she jumped to her in a rage. “Oh, you beast!” she cried. “You beast! You common soldier, you! I’ll you that I can as much as the of your Cupia, though the men of my country, our common soldiers, would be not to a lady to any more than is necessary. Oh, I you, I you, I you!”
“You are not being to more than is necessary,” her replied. “In the place it is necessary to go on; and, in the second place, I am not you. You can go on or not, just as you see fit, but as for me, I don’t to the night here in this wet valley. Good-by!”
For reply Quivven ahead of him with, “Oh, how I you!” and around a turn in the trail.
