I had never seen Torrogo Hadjez, and was curious for a look at his face, but restrained my impatience until Loralie plucked at my arm.
"Look!" she whispered. "Look who sits upon the throne!"
I raised my eyes, and the features of my arch-enemy, Taliboz, leered down at me. For a moment I was stunned as I saw him sitting there, arrayed in the royal scarlet and wearing the insignia of the Torrogo of Olba. Then my hand flew to my sword hilt and I sprang forward. But before I could take a second step strong arms pinioned my own from behind and my weapons were wrested from me.
"I trust," Taliboz said, bowing to Loralie, "that you will excuse this poor reception, but as your coming was unexpected we were totally unprepared to greet you with the pomp and circumstance due visiting royalty." He turned to his minister. "See that suitable apartments are prepared for Her Highness of Tyrhana at once and conduct her there, Maribo. And Vinzeth," he said, addressing the mojak who had conducted us to the throne room, "you will also conduct Torrogi Zinlo to the suite that awaits his coming."
"You fiend!" said Loralie, facing him with flashing eyes. "What are you going to do with the prince!"
"Have no fear, Your Highness," responded Taliboz. "No harm shall come to him. Not now, anyway. Later, his fate shall rest in your fair hands."
I was dragged out a side door by two guards.
They took me down a small elevator which, it seemed to me, traveled into the very bowels of the planet before it stopped. Then I was jerked out of the car and pulled along a narrow, dimly lighted passageway that seemed to have been hewn from solid rock, until we came before a door of massive metal bars.
One of the guards produced a key with which he unlocked this door, and I was flung inside with such force that I fell sprawling on a cold stone floor and the door clanged shut behind me.
Scarcely had I fallen to the stone floor of the dungeon cell into which I had been hurled, when a shadowy form darted from its dim interior and was helping me to my feet.
"Are you hurt, Highness?" the man asked solicitously. I recognized the voice instantly, though the features were still indistinguishable to me, my eyes not having become accustomed to the semidarkness.
"Lotar!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I was placed under arrest with all my officers and crew immediately after you left with the villainous Vinzeth. So far as I know, my men are confined in the cells around us."
"But what is the meaning of it all? Where is the Torrogo Hadjez, and how did Taliboz attain the scarlet and the imperial throne?"
"At the time of Your Highness's disappearance from the Black Tower, Taliboz and a number of his henchmen disappeared also," said Lotar. "A short time ago he returned alone, disguised as a merchant of Adonijar and driving one of the swift mechanical vehicles which are manufactured in that country. His disguise was penetrated by a soldier of the imperial guard, who placed him under arrest and took him before Torrogo Hadjez.
"His Majesty questioned Taliboz about your disappearance, and he told a story which was believed by some and discredited by others—namely, that there was a plot on foot among the guards of the Black Tower to assassinate you as you slept. He said that he, with Vinzeth and Maribo and his men, had fought, protecting you from death, until they were driven back, and you were dragged to the tower top and spirited away by the plotters in one of the tower airships.
"As quickly as he could, so his story went, he returned to his fighting craft and set out in pursuit of your abductors. They finally crashed, he said, in the wild country of the cave-apes beyond Adonijar, where you and your abductors were killed in the crash. All of his men were killed and eaten by cave-apes, and he barely escaped with his life to Adonijar, where he had purchased a merchant's outfit and vehicle with which to traverse the high road to Olba."
"I have met liars," I said, "on three planets, but Taliboz seems to be prince of them all. This, however, does not explain how the traitor attained the throne. I left him, paralyzed by a tork projectile, in a forest near the mountains of the cave-apes. That he escaped the perils of the jungle is little short of miraculous."
"No one could disprove the story told by Taliboz," Lotar pointed out, "as everyone in the Black Tower had been slain. Torrogo Hadjez could do nothing but thank him for attempting to save your life, reward him with costly presents, and restore to him all the honor and authority which had been his before his departure. That the Torrogo did not believe his story, however, was evidenced by the fact that his air navy continued to patrol the globe in search of Your Highness."
Someone rapped sharply on one of the massive bars of the cell door with the hilt of a weapon. It was one of the guards assigned to patrol the corridor.
"Less noise in there, prisoners," he growled, then passed on.
"I learned more while we were being held in one of the upper rooms after our arrest on the palace roof," continued Lotar softly. "As you are probably aware, every man who awaited us on the roof was a henchman of Taliboz. Your Imperial father, Highness, died at the hands of an assassin several days ago. The dagger found driven in his back was proved to be that of Arnifek, his prime minister. With Torrogo Hadjez dead and your highness presumably so, there was no successor to the throne and it was necessary for a new Torrogo to be elected by acclamation. Taliboz was thus elected. He immediately had Arnifek, the supposed assassin; executed, made Maribo his prime minister, and Vinzeth captain of the palace guards."
"Do you think Arnifek was guilty of the murder?"
"Of course not. Taliboz—or one of his tools—did it with Amifek's dagger. It was part of his plan to get control of the Olban government. Why he has let you live even this long is a mystery to me."
"It is no mystery to me," I answered. "He dropped some hint of his purpose before he sent me from the throne room, for I heard him tell Princess Loralie that my fate should rest in her hands. He will attempt to force Loralie into marriage with him by threatening my life—and have me slain once the marriage is consummated."
"You are right, Highness," said Lotar. "Taliboz plays for even greater stakes—to unite the only air power and the mightiest maritime nation of Zarovia, Olba and Tyrhana, by marriage. Adonijar would probably form an alliance with him because her ruler is married to the princess's aunt. He would be the wealthiest and most influential monarch on the globe. Nor is there a single nation powerful enough to oppose such a strong alliance—not even Reabon, with her mighty army. Reabon is far across the ocean, and besides, her great warlike Torrogo died recently, leaving his daughter, Vernia, to rule in his stead."
"Reabon," I mused. "The name sounds familiar. Ah, I remember. That is the country to which Grandon went."
"Grandon?" he exclaimed, puzzled. "The name has a foreign sound."
"An old friend of mine. You would not know him. He is, as you say, a foreigner. ... Is this Taliboz so popular that the people would gladly make him Torrogo by acclamation?"
"Far from it, Highness," replied Lotar, "though he probably persuaded some of them to espouse his cause by convincing them that he had risked his life in an attempt to save yours."
"It looks," I said, "as if it were impossible to escape from here."
"I am familiar with these dungeons, Highness, as I served in the palace guard for two years. There is a way to escape—a secret way which I doubt very much whether Taliboz himself knows. But we must first get past yonder barred door and the armed guard in the corridor."
"If that is all," I replied, "I see freedom in the offing. Follow my instructions implicitly, and we'll soon be out of this."
"You have but to command, Highness."
"Very well. When next the guard approaches on his rounds, talk very loudly. No doubt he will stop and order you to be silent. When he does this, insult him."
"But he will only come in and beat me with the flat of his scarbo, Highness."
"Do as I say, Lotar. I will attend to the rest."
It was not long before we heard the heavy footfalls of the guard in the corridor. I
immediately started a conversation with my companion in a loud voice.
"Silencel" roared the guard. "The other prisoners want to sleep."
"Be on your way, you clumsy lout," replied Lotar, "and do not in the future forget how to address your superiors."
"My superiorsl Ho, hoi" jeered the guard. "Very soon will I show you who is superior, a prisoner or his jailer."
He took a bunch of keys from his belt pouch and fumbled among them until he found the one that fitted our door.
"Now see what you have done, Lotar," I exclaimed, simulating great fear. "You have got us a beating with that noisy tongue of yours."
The guard flung open the door, a grin of delight on his features. Such a man would not only welcome any opportunity to torture a fellow creature, but would seek such an opportunity.
"So, O cub of a dead marmelot, you fear a beating," snarled the guard. "It is well that a weakling such as you can never mount the throne."
"Were he on the throne," Lotar snapped, "hahoes like you would be working in the quarries where they belongl"
The guard raised his scarbo for a heavy blow at the defenseless Lotar. This gave me the opening for which I had been waiting. With a single bound I was in front of him. Before he could recover from his surprise I planted a crashing right hook on the point of his jaw. He went down like a felled ninepin, nor was a second blow necessary.
I gave his tork and dagger to Lotar, but retained the scarbo myself. It took us but a few moments to bind and gag the prostrate guard with the straps of his own accouterments. We dragged him back into a comer, closed and locked the cell door, and tiptoed stealthily down the corridor, the young captain in the lead.
"Let us release your men," I said.
"Your Highness's life is too precious to risk for them. Still, if it is your Highness's command . . ."
It IS.
Pausing before the first cell door, Lotar peered within. "Here are six of them," he whispered, testing his keys in the lock.
Looking over his shoulder, I saw six shadowy forms on the floor, and could hear their breathing as they slept.
When he had found the right key, Lotar opened the door quietly and stepped within. One by one he awakened the sleeping men, cautioning silence.
We went from cell to cell until we had released forty-five men—all but five of the crew of Lotar's aerial battleship. He was opening their cell door when we heard the clatter of footsteps, the clank of weapons and the sound of talking. Armed men were approaching by way of a transverse corridor.
"Quick, into this cell, every man of you," I ordered.
Silently our forty-five filed into the cell with the remaining five. When all were inside there was standing room only.
"Now, Lotar," I whispered, "let us go to greet our callers."
He whipped out his dagger and followed me to the intersection of the two corridors, where we crouched, breathlessly awaiting the approach of the enemy.
CHAPTER XIV
As lotah and I crouched against the corridor wall in the dungeon beneath the Imperial Palace of Olba we could hear our unseen enemies drawing nearer and nearer in the transverse passage way. How many there were, or how well they were armed, we had no means of knowing. But we were desperate, and had there been an entire company of them we could have done nothing but fight like cornered rats.
Two guards, fully armed, suddenly rounded the turn facing us. Out came the scarbo of the one nearest me, but before he could use it my point had found his throat. He went down with a queer gurgling sound. Lotar had, meanwhile, sprung on the other guard like an enraged marmelot, burying his dagger in his breast. Simultaneously, we withdrew our dripping weapons, thinking this was all, when suddenly a third guard rounded the comer.
This time we had no element of surprise in our favor, for he had seen us as quickly as we had him.
He quickly clapped his hand to his tork, at the same time raising his voice to alarm the guards. "Helpl Two pris—"
He said no more, nor had he even an opportunity to press the tork button, for with Ughtning quickness that the eye could scarce follow, Lotar had hurled his bloody dagger straight at the enemy's face. It entered his opened mouth with such force that the point protruded from the back of his neck and the hilt clicked against his teeth. With a look of amazement and horror on his twisted features, he slumped to the floor.
"Get their weapons, Lotar," I ordered, and hurried to summon our men. With the weapons of the three guards we partly armed six of them, and once more hurried away under the guidance of Lotar.
But we had not gone far when there was a great clamor and much shouting behind us, and we knew our escape had been detected. We bounded forward now, without any attempt at silence. A moment later Lotar called a halt before a huge, cylindrical pillar about three feet in diameter, which to all outward appearances was exactly like the many other pillars which supported the stone roof of the corridor.
Whipping out his dagger, he pressed the point into a tiny crack in the floor in front of it, whereupon, much to my amazement, I saw that the pillar was turning quite rapidly, and as it turned, moved up into the rock above it like a gigantic screw. In a few seconds its base was above the floor, and beneath it there yawned a black well.
"Into it, every man of you, quickly," ordered Lotar.
The man nearest the wall paused gingerly on the edge.
"Leap," ordered the captain. "It is not far."
In he went, and we could see that the spot where he had landed was scarcely seven feet below the floor level. After him, as fast as they could find room, crowded the other men. But meanwhile, the sounds from behind us told us that our pursuers were dangerously near.
It seemed an age before the last man leaped into the hole, followed quickly by Lotar and me.
Stooping down, the young mojak pressed a lever in the floor. The pillar started downward, the direction of its turning reversed, and soon we stood in total darkness. Judging from the sounds above, the thing had been accomplished just in time. The large party of guards above clattered on past without even stopping to investigate.
"They do not suspect," said Lotar, "which is well. It may be that we shall want to pass this way again. Come, I will lead the way."
As none of us had the means to make a light, we moved forward like blind men, following the voice of Lotar, who seemed to know the way by heart. "A steep slope ahead," he would sing out, or, "A sharp turn here. Look out for it." We followed him in the inky blackness.
The tunnel had apparently been hewn through the rock stratum that underlay this part of Olba. How it was ventilated I had no means of knowing, but though the air was cool and moist it seemed quite fresh.
When we had traveled for more than an hour in this fashion, I asked Lotar how much farther we had to go.
"We are but a third of the way, Highness," he responded. "This tunnel leads to the Black Tower."
"And whom do you expect to find in the Black Tower?"
"Friends. It is hardly likely that Taliboz has manned it with his henchmen so soon, but even if he has, some of us are armed, and we have the advantage of surprise on our side."
"Unless," I observed, "he discovers that we have come this way and sets a trap for us."
"It is not likely. The guards in the dungeon were completely baffled. By now I doubt not that the traitorous Taliboz is exceedingly mystified and furiously angry."
It was nearly ten Earth miles from the Imperial Palace to the Black Tower, so that, traveling blindly as we were, it took us more than three and a half hours to make the trip.
When we reached our destination, Lotar cautioned silence and groped about in the darkness for some time. Then I heard the click of a lever and the turning of a cylinder, and presently a circle of light appeared above our heads—most welcome after three and a half hours of intense darkness.
Gripping the edge of the floor, Lotar drew himself up and peered cautiously about. Evidently satisfied that he was unobserved, he clambered on out of the hole, beckoning to us
to follow. It was not long before we had our entire company lined up in a large room, the ceiling of which was supported by pillars similar to the one which had been raised to let us in. Lotar then pressed the hidden button that started the pillar rotating in the opposite direction, and watched it turn back into place, leaving no sign of the way by which we had come.
There were three windows in the room through which the first faint streaks of dawn were visible. There were also three doors. Lotar slowly and. carefully opened one of these. But scarcely had he looked out ere a sharp challenge was hurled at him from the corridor.
"Move and you diel Who are you?"
"Lotar, Mojak in the Imperial Air Navy," replied the young officer.
"What do you here?"
"That," replied Lotar, "I will tell your mojak if you will fetch him. Who is in command here?"
"Pasuki commands," replied the guard.
"A good and loyal soldier. Take me before him."
He motioned with his hand for us to remain in the room. Then he stepped out, .closing the door after him. Evidently the guard had not the slightest suspicion of our presence.
Not more than ten minutes elapsed ere the door opened once more and Lotar entered, followed by a tall, straight, white-bearded man who wore the uniform of Mojak of the Black Tower Guards, easily distinguished by the small replica of the tower worn on the helmet and the same device in relief on the breastplate.
The old soldier bowed low with right hand extended palm downward.
"Pasuki is yours to command as of old, Highness," he said, "and overjoyed that the report of Your Highness's death was false."
I did not, of course, remember Pasuki, but it was quite evident that he remembered the former Zinlo. "You were ever a true and loyal soldier, Pasuki," I -replied. "See that these men I have brought with me are fed, housed and armed."
After a brief order for the disposal of Lotar's men to a mojo who waited outside, Pasuki conducted us to the telekinetic elevator and by, it to my apartments.
"I'll send for you men soon," I told them. "Meanwhile we must try to devise some plan of attack on this wily Taliboz, and find a way to rescue Her Highness of Tyrhana."
Robert Grandon 02 Prince of Peril Page 14