The Greatest Works of Otis Adelbert Kline - 18 Books in One Edition. Otis Adelbert Kline

      Presently a soft hand sought his, and clung there.

      “What is it?” he asked hoarsely, endeavoring to still the quiver of emotion that suddenly took possession of his vocal cords.

      I am tired—oh, so tired. And yes, frightened. To think that I should be frightened!”

      “Here,” he said, stripping off his cloak and rolling it into a pillow. “I have been inexcusably thoughtless. Now lie with your head on this pillow, so, and try to get some sleep. I will keep watch.”

      He withdrew a little way and once more sat quietly with senses alert for the slightest sound or sign of hostile attack. It was some time before her regular breathing, scarcely audible above the sound of the rushing waters, told him that she slept.

      Toward morning the noises made by the amphibians ceased, and Grandon grew drowsy. His head nodded forward on his breast. Suddenly their craft gave a terrific lurch that rolled the girl into his lap. It was only his clutching the gills of the toadstool with both hands that kept them from being pitched into the water.

      “What was that?” asked the girl, breathlessly, awake in an instant.

      Another lurch followed.

      “Hold on and I will try to find out,” he said.

      Drawing his sword, he crept near the edge while the lurching continued. He clung to the rim with one hand and prodded the water about him with his sword, completely circling the craft without encountering anything other than the rushing waters. It was not until a dash of spray struck him in the face and he tasted salt that he realized the truth. They were on a body of salt water, possibly a large lake or an ocean. He made his way back to where the girl clung, and related his discovery.

      “The river on which we were floating,” she explained, “empties into the great Azpok Ocean, the ocean of mysteries, of man-eating monsters and of terrible storms that destroy the mightiest of ships as easily as the smallest boats. To navigate the ocean is to court death in many sudden and appalling forms.”

      An hour passed before morning dawned. In the meantime the roughness of the sea had abated a little, making it less difficult to keep their places. They were riding long, rolling swells that elevated and lowered their craft with very little lurching. There was no land in sight.

      All through that long, sultry day and the following night they drifted, without sighting aught save birds and a few leaping fish. Just before dawn they were rudely startled by a violent tilting of their craft, followed by a roaring and swirling of the water about them. Grandon barely had time to seize the girl ere they were engulfed by a huge wave which capsized the craft and precipitated them into a seething maelstrom of black water.

      Down—down, they went into the dark depths. The Earthman fought gamely, but as the minutes passed the violence of the waves increased and he felt his strength waning. He realized that, barring the intervention of some unforeseen aid, the battle against death would soon end in defeat.

      With body numbed and hope gone, he suddenly felt the sandy beach below his feet. He staggered forward, dragging the girl with him, and was knocked flat by a mighty breaker. Crawling painfully onward, driving his flagging muscles by a supreme effort of will, he finally collapsed on the dry sand, just beyond reach of the waves.

      When Grandon regained consciousness it was daylight. His first thought was for the girl who lay face downward beside him. As he lifted her tenderly in his arms he gave silent thanks, for she was breathing.

      Presently she opened her eyes and, for a moment, there was a startled expression in them. “Where are we?” she asked.

      “I haven’t the slightest idea,” replied Grandon. “I have no knowledge of Zarovian geography.”

      “A prince, and you know naught of geography? That is indeed strange. Do they not teach it in your country?”

      “I am fairly well acquainted with the geography of the planet Earth —Terra—on which I. was born, but we of that world know nothing of the geography of this one because of your cloud-filled atmosphere.”

      She looked up at him in amazement. “But you wear the garments and insignia of the royal house of Uxpo. Moreover, you very closely resemble a prince of that house. Who are you?”

      “I am Robert Grandon, of Terra.”

      “Grandon, of Terra? Ah, I recall the name. A Grandon, of Terra, was recently acclaimed Prince of Uxpo. It was said that he came in fulfillment of a prophecy from another world. And you are he. Truly the pranks of fortune are most amazing! Yesterday I made war on you; today I look to you for protection.”

      “You made war on me? May I ask who you are?”

      “Can it be that you do not recognize me? I am Vernia, of Reabon.”

      It all came to him in a flash. The lifelike painting in the shrine at the marble quarries. “How did you happen to be wandering alone and unarmed in the fern forest?”

      “I did not set out alone. When I started away from the camp I was accompanied by my four guards, and was armed with a tork and scarbo. Zueppa sent a messenger from the front to inform me that your men had broken through our lines and were headed for the camp. He advised me to leave at once, saying that the guards would conduct me to a safe place until your army had been overcome. I followed Zueppa’s counsel, but had gone only a short distance when the guards disarmed me, and informed me that I was their prisoner.

      “They were about to bind my hands when the giant reptile appeared on the scene. Though traitors, they were brave men, for they stood their ground to do battle with the monster. He killed the foremost man with a single snap of his jaws. A second man met a like fate, and I believe he devoured all four of them —although I am not certain, as I turned and ran through the forest. When the storm came, I lost my bearings completely. I reached the river’s edge where I fainted when I saw those terrible jaws poised above me. I presume that I should have been devoured then and there had the reptile not already eaten my guards.”

      “Who is Zueppa?”

      “He is one of my officers—a good commander and strategist.”

      “He may be a good soldier, but he is unquestionably a liar. My men did not break through your lines at all until after the storm had struck, and then only in small, scattered groups.”

      “Then Zueppa was implicated in the plot. But who could have planned it, and for what purpose?”

      “That, I am unable to tell you.”

      He looked at her so long and so searchingly that she grew uneasy. “Of what are you thinking?”

      “I was wondering what fate you would have meted out to me had your men captured me yesterday.”

      She smiled. “I should probably have had you beheaded.”

      “And now we reach Reabon in safety I shall make you supreme commander over all the armies.”

      “Why?”

      “As your reward for saving my life.”

      “I ask no reward for that, nor could I accept it, much as I appreciate the honor.”

      “It is the second highest in the greatest nation of Zarovia, an office second only to my own. Why, any king on the globe would be glad to exchange his position for it.”

      “I have been made Prince of Uxpo,” replied Grandon, “under my own name and because of my deeds in behalf of that kingdom. I should rather be the tiniest twinkling star in the heavens than the most beautiful and brilliant planet.”

      “I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”

      “Planets shine by reflected light-stars by virtue of their own brilliancy. As your general I should merely reflect the greatness that is yours.”

      “Perhaps you should prefer to continue the war.”

      “Infinitely. But pray, let us hold to our truce.