第53章

"Always has U-Van been a true and dependable warrior.Could it be--?" he glanced piercingly at Ghek."Thou hast a strange head that misfits thy body, fellow," he cried."Our legends tell us of those ancient creatures that placed hallucinations upon the mind of their fellows.If thou be such then maybe U-Van suffered from thy forbidden powers.If thou be such O-Tar will know well how to deal with thee." He wheeled about and motioned his warriors to follow him.

"Wait!" cried Ghek."Unless I am to be starved, send me food.""You have had food," replied the warrior.

"Am I to be fed but once a day?" asked Ghek."I require food oftener than that.Send me food.""You shall have food," replied the officer."None may say that the prisoners of Manator are ill-fed.Just are the laws of Manator," and he departed.

No sooner had the sounds of their passing died away in the distance than Ghek clambered from the shoulders of his rykor, and scurried to the burrow where he had hidden the key.Fetching it he unlocked the fetter from about the creature's ankle, locked it empty and carried the key farther down into the burrow.Then he returned to his place upon his brainless servitor.After a while he heard footsteps approaching, whereupon he rose and passed into another corridor from that down which he knew the warrior was coming.Here he waited out of sight, listening.He heard the man enter the chamber and halt.He heard a muttered exclamation, followed by the jangle of metal dishes as a salver was slammed upon a table; then rapidly retreating footsteps, which quickly died away in the distance.

Ghek lost no time in returning to the chamber, recovering the key, relocking the rykor to his chain.Then he replaced the key in the burrow and squatting on the table beside his headless body, directed its hands toward the food.While the rykor ate Ghek sat listening for the scraping sandals and clattering arms that he knew soon would come.Nor had he long to wait.Ghek scrambled to the shoulders of his rykor as he heard them coming.

Again it was the officer who had been summoned by U-Van and with him were three warriors.The one directly behind him was evidently the same who had brought the food, for his eyes went wide when he saw Ghek sitting at the table and he looked very foolish as the dwar turned his stern glance upon him.

"It is even as I said," he cried."He was not here when I brought his food.""But he is here now," said the officer grimly, "and his fetter is locked about his ankle.Look! it has not been opened--but where is the key? It should be upon the table at the end opposite him.

Where is the key, creature?" he shouted at Ghek.

"How should I, a prisoner, know better than my jailer the whereabouts of the key to my fetters?" he retorted.

"But it lay here," cried the officer, pointing to the other end of the table.

"Did you see it?" asked Ghek.

The officer hesitated."No but it must have been there," he parried.

"Did you see the key lying there?" asked Ghek, pointing to another warrior.

The fellow shook his head negatively."And you? and you?"continued the kaldane addressing the others.

They both admitted that they never had seen the key."And if it had been there how could I have reached it?" he continued.

"No, he could not have reached it," admitted the officer; "but there shall be no more of this! I-Zav, you will remain here on guard with this prisoner until you are relieved."I-Zav looked anything but happy as this intelligence was transmitted to him, and he eyed Ghek suspiciously as the dwar and the other warriors turned and left him to his unhappy lot.