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From the boundary of Torquas to the city of Aaanthor is a distance of some two hundred haads, so that the Heliumite had before him a journey of more than one hundred and fifty Earth miles between him and Aaanthor. He could at best but hazard a chance guess that toward Aaanthor Thuvia would take her flight.
Kar Komak turned toward the Heliumite, a grim smile upon his lips. "Why should we fight," he asked. "Against such fearful odds? There is another way a better way. Look!" He pointed toward the companion-way that led below deck. The green men, a handful of them, had already reached the Thuria's deck, as Carthoris glanced in the direction the Lotharian had indicated.
Had it been that she had surrendered to her father's wishes because of pique that the handsome Heliumite had not taken advantage of his visits to her father's court to push the suit for her hand that she had been quite sure he had contemplated since that distant day the two had sat together upon the carved seat within the gorgeous Garden of the Jeddaks that graced the inner courtyard of the palace of Salensus Oll at Kadabra?
She could not believe that Carthoris had deliberately deserted her, and so she kept a constant watch for him; but as she bore too far to the north in her search for the tunnel she passed the Heliumite as he was returning to Lothar in search of her. Thuvia of Ptarth was having difficulty in determining the exact status of the Prince of Helium in her heart.
Tario frothed in rage and mortification. "And should you again affront the Princess of Ptarth," warned the Heliumite, "I shall forget that you wear no sword not for ever may I control my itching sword hand." Tario shrank back toward the little doorways behind the dais. He was trying to speak, but so hideously were the muscles of his face working that he could utter no word for several minutes.
The fellow did not wait to ask the reason for his coming; instead he leaped upon him with a long-sword, so that Astok had to parry a dozen vicious cuts before he could disengage himself and flee back down the runway. A moment later Carthoris and Thuvia entered the corridor from the secret chamber. "Well, Kar Komak?" asked the Heliumite.
Beside the stage lay the Thuria, with three warriors on guard. Again the Heliumite and the Lotharian fought shoulder to shoulder, but the battle was soon over, for the Prince of Helium alone would have been a match for any three that Dusar could produce. Scarce had the Thuria risen from the ways ere a hundred or more fighting men leaped to view upon the landing-stage.
It was with difficulty that the Heliumite repressed a cold smile as the noble passed within a foot of him within a foot of the long, slim, Heliumitic blade that swung in his harness. How easy it would have been! How easy to avenge the cowardly trick that had been played upon him to avenge Helium and Ptarth and Thuvia!
It was circular, closing a circular aperture, and the Heliumite knew from his study of ancient Barsoomian architecture that it rolled to one side, like a huge wheel, into an aperture in the wall. Even such world-old cities as ancient Aaanthor were as yet undreamed of when the races lived that built such gates as these.
Carthoris also discarded the metal from his harness, or such of it as might serve to identify him as a Heliumite, or of royal blood, for he did not know to what nation belonged this waterway, and upon Mars it is always well to assume every man and nation your enemy until you have learned the contrary.
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