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Arcot's face was white once more as he thought of the danger he had run, of the terrible consequences possible of that 'amusement. "I think we had best start on the ship. I'll go get some sleep now, and then we can go." Arcot led the way to the ship, while Torlos, Morey and Wade and Stel Felso Theu accompanied him.
Torlos of Nansal, that planet Arcot had discovered on his first voyage across space, far in another Island of Space, another Island Universe, was not constructed as are human beings of Earth, nor of Venus, Talso, or Ortol, but most nearly resembled, save in size, the Thessians.
For two days, the Ancient Mariner lay hidden in the hills. It was visible all that time, but at least two of the men were watching the sky every hour of the day. Torlos himself was, they knew, perfectly trustworthy, but they did not know whether his people were as honorable as he claimed them to be.
They asked Torlos to stand guard on the ship while they got some much needed sleep, and Torlos consented readily after getting the permission of the Supreme Three. The Earthmen were returned to their ship under heavy guard to prevent further attempts at assassination. It was seven hours after they had gone to sleep that it came.
"What avails strength against air, Torlos?" he asked, smiling. "For safety's sake," Torlos thought, "I want to be your friend!" He grinned widely. Arcot led the way on into the control room, where Morey had already started to follow the great fleet toward the city. "What are we going to do at the city?" Arcot asked Torlos telepathically.
In order to keep from being damaged, we had to destroy one of their city-protecting ray buildings." This last thought was hard to transmit; Arcot had pictured mentally a scene in which the ray building was ripped out of the ground and hurled into the air. In sudden anxiety and concern, Torlos stared into Arcot's eyes. And in that look, Arcot read what even telepathy had hidden heretofore.
He was a secret service agent without official status, and therefore an officer had been assigned to accompany the Earthmen. Torlos seemed to be relaxing in the soft, warm sunlight of his native world. It had been years since he had seen that yellow sun except from the windows of a space flier. Now he could walk around in the clear air of the planet of his birth.
They waited, ready for any hostile action as the tiny ship approached rapidly, circling slowly downward as it came nearer. It landed a few hundred feet away, and Torlos emerged, running rapidly toward the Earth ship. Arcot let him in through the airlock. Torlos smiled broadly. "I had difficulty in convincing the Council that my story was true.
Arcot could feel the sadness in his mind as he thought of the fact that his inadvertent destruction of the city had undoubtedly killed some of his own people. Torlos paused a moment, then asked: "Is there any message you wish me to give the Supreme Council of Three?" "Yes," replied Arcot. "Repeat to them the offer we so foolishly made to the Commanding One of Sator.
Behind him came another Wade, Torlos, Stel Felso Theu, and indeed all the members of their party save Arcot himself! The Galactians stared in wonder then comprehended and laughed together. Arcot had sent artificial matter images of them all! Their images stepped out, and the Venonian crowd which had collected, stared in wonder at the giants, looming twice their height above them.
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