“They have the appearance of splendid warriors,” said Turan.  “I have a great mind to walk boldly into their city and seek service.”

Tara shook her head.  “Wait,” she admonished.  “What would I do without you, and if you were captured how could you collect your reward?”

“I should escape,” he said.  “At any rate I shall try it,” and he started to rise.

“You shall not,” said the girl, her tone all authority.

The man looked at her quickly—­questioningly.

“You have entered my service,” she said, a trifle haughtily.

“You have entered my service for hire and you shall do as I bid you.”

Turan sank down beside her again with a half smile upon his lips. 
“It is yours to command, Princess,” he said.

The day passed.  Ghek, tiring of the sunlight, had deserted his rykor and crawled down a hole he had discovered close by.  Tara and Turan reclined beneath the scant shade of a small tree.  They watched the people coming and going through the gate.  The party of horsemen did not return.  A small herd of zitidars was driven into the city during the day, and once a caravan of broad-wheeled carts drawn by these huge animals wound out of the distant horizon and came down to the city.  It, too, passed from their sight within the gateway.  Then darkness came and Tara of Helium bid her panthan search for food and drink; but she cautioned him against attempting to enter the city.  Before he left her he bent and kissed her hand as a warrior may kiss the hand of his queen.

CHAPTER X

ENTRAPPED

Turan the panthan approached the strange city under cover of the darkness.  He entertained little hope of finding either food or water outside the wall, but he would try and then, if he failed, he would attempt to make his way into the city, for Tara of Helium must have sustenance and have it soon.  He saw that the walls were poorly sentineled, but they were sufficiently high to render an attempt to scale them foredoomed to failure.  Taking advantage of underbrush and trees, Turan managed to reach the base of the wall without detection.  Silently he moved north past the gateway which was closed by a massive gate which effectively barred even the slightest glimpse within the city beyond.  It was Turan’s hope to find upon the north side of the city away from the hills a level plain where grew the crops of the inhabitants, and here too water from their irrigating system, but though he traveled far along that seemingly interminable wall he found no fields nor any water.  He searched also for some means of ingress to the city, yet here, too, failure was his only reward, and now as he went keen eyes watched him from above and a silent stalker kept pace with him for a time upon the summit of the wall; but presently the shadower descended to the pavement within and hurrying swiftly raced ahead of the stranger without.