第27章

This in itself constitutes an unimpeachable indictment of weakness, Then, influenced doubtless by an illogical feeling of sentiment, you permitted her to walk abroad in the fields to a place where she was able to make an almost successful attmept to escape.Your own reasoning power, were it not defective, would convince you that you are unfit.The natural, and reasonable, consequence is destruction.Therefore you will be destroyed in such a way that the example will be beneficial to all other kaldanes of the swarm of Luud.In the meantime you will remain where you are.""You are right," said Ghek."I will remain here until Luud sees fit to destroy me in the most reasonable manner."Tara of Helium shot a look of amazement at him as they led her from the chamber.Over her shoulder she called back to him:

"Remember, Ghek, you still live!" Then they led her along the interminable tunnels to where Luud awaited her.

When she was conducted into his presence he was squatting in a corner of the chamber upon his six spidery legs.Near the opposite wall lay his rykor, its beautiful form trapped in gorgeous harness--a dead thing without a guiding kaldane.Luud dismissed the warriors who had accompanied the prisoner.Then he sat with his terrible eyes fixed upon her and without speaking for some time.Tara of Helium could but wait.What was to come she could only guess.When it came would be sufficiently the time to meet it.There was no neccessity for anticipating the end.

Presently Luud spoke.

"You think to escape," he said, in the deadly, expressionless monotone of his kind--the only possible result of orally expressing reason uninfluenced by sentiment."You will not escape.You are merely the embodiment of two imperfect things--an imperfect brain and an imperfect body.The two cannot exist together in perfection.There you see a perfect body." He pointed toward the rykor."It has no brain.Here," and he raised one of his chelae to his head, "is the perfect brain.It needs no body to function perfectly and properly as a brain.You would pit your feeble intellect against mine! Even now you are planning to slay me.If you are thwarted in that you expect to slay yourself.You will learn the power of mind over matter.I am the mind.You are the matter.What brain you have is too weak and ill-developed to deserve the name of brain.You have permitted it to be weakened by impulsive acts dictated by sentiment.It has no value.It has practically no control over your existence.You will not kill me.

You will not kill yourself.When I am through with you you shall be killed if it seems the logical thing to do.You have no conception of the possibilities for power which lie in a perfectly developed brain.Look at that rykor.He has no brain.

He can move but slightly of his own volition.An inherent mechanical instinct that we have permitted to remain in him allows him to carry food to his mouth; but he could not find food for himself.We have to place it within his reach and always in the same place.Should we put food at his feet and leave him alone he would starve to death.But now watch what a real brain may accomplish."He turned his eyes upon the rykor and squatted there glaring at the insensate thing.Presently, to the girl's horror, the headless body moved.It rose slowly to its feet and crossed the room to Luud; it stooped and took the hideous head in its hands;it raised the head and set it on its shoulders.

"What chance have you against such power?" asked Luud."As I did with the rykor so can I do with you."Tara of Helium made no reply.Evidently no vocal reply was necessary.

"You doubt my ability!" stated Luud, which was precisely the fact, though the girl had only thought it--she had not said it.

Luud crossed the room and lay down.Then he detached himself from the body and crawled across the floor until he stood directly in front of the circular opening through which she had seen him emerge the day that she had first been brought to his presence.