"Yes," she said; "I brought one."
"Can you use it?" I asked.
"I never have used one," she replied.
"Then give it to Llana of Gathol; she can use if it necessary, and very effectively too."
We approached to within about a hundred feet of the flier and stopped. This was the crucial moment; I was almost afraid to whistle, but I did. There was an immediate answer from the vicinity of the flier. I listened a moment for voices that might betray the presence of the enemy, but there were none.
We advanced quickly then, and I helped the girls over the rail. "Where are you, Ptor Fak?" I asked. "Are you alone?"
"On deck," he said, "and I don't think there is anyone around."
"All the warriors of Invak could be here now," I said, as I reached the controls and started the motor.
A moment later the little ship rose gracefully into the air, and almost immediately from below us, we heard shouts and imprecations. The Invaks had seen the ship, but too late to prevent our escape. We were safe. We had accomplished what a few hours before would have seemed impossible, for then Ptor Fak and I were chained to trees and Llana of Gathol was a captive in another part of the city.
"We owe Rojas a great debt of gratitude," I said.
"A debt," she replied, "which it will be very easy, and I hope pleasant, for you to repay."
I winced at that; I saw a bad time ahead for me. I would rather face a dozen men with my sword than one infuriated or heartbroken woman. Before we reached Helium, I would have to tell her; but I decided to wait until we had regained visibility.
Perhaps it would have been easier to tell her while we were both invisible, but it seemed a cowardly way to me.
"You are going on to Helium, John Carter?" asked Llana.
"Yes," I said.
"What will they think of a flier coming in by itself with no one on board?" she asked.
"We will have to wait until we become visible before we approach the city," I replied. "We must not take any more of the invisibility spheres."
"Who is John Carter?" asked Rojas. "Is there another here of whom I did not know?"
"I am John Carter," I replied. "Dotar Sojat is merely a name that I assumed temporarily."
"Then you are not the Sultan of Swat?" demanded Rojas.
"No," I replied, "I am not."
"You have deceived me."
"I am sorry, Rojas," I said; "I was not trying to deceive you-about my name; as a matter of fact I never told you I was the Sultan of Swat; I told some warrior who questioned me." If she were angry about my deceiving her concerning my name and status, how was she going to take the fact that I did not love her, and that I already had a mate! I was as unhappy as a live eel in a frying pan; then of a sudden I decided to take the bull by the horns and get the whole thing over with. "Rojas," I began, "though I did not deceive you about my name, I did deceive you in a much more important matter."
"What is that?" she asked.
"I used your-ah-friendship to gain freedom for Llana of Gathol. I pretended to love you when I did not; I already have a mate."
I waited for the explosion, but no explosion came; instead there was a faint, tinkling, little laugh. I continued to wait; no one spoke; the silence became oppressive. Momentarily I expected a dagger to be slipped into me; or that Rojas would leap overboard; but neither of these things occurred, and I sat there at the controls wondering about that laugh. Perhaps the shock of my avowal had unbalanced Rojas' mind. I wished that I could see her, and at the same time I was glad that I could not-and I was certainly glad that no one could see me, for I felt like a fool.
I couldn't think of anything to say, and I thought the silence was going to last forever, but finally Llana of Gathol broke it. "How long will we remain invisible?" she asked.
"A little more than ten zodes from the time you took the sphere," said Rojas. "I shall become visible first, and then probably either John Carter or Ptor Fak, as I imagine that they took the spheres about the same time; you will be the last to regain visibility." Her voice was perfectly normal; there was no trace of nervousness nor bitterness in it. I couldn't make the girl out.
Perhaps she was the type that would bide its time until it could wreak some terrible revenge. I'll tell you that I had plenty to think about on that trip to Helium.
Chapter 13
Shortly after dawn, I saw a most amazing phenomenon-I saw just a suggestion of the outline of a shadowy form beside me; it took shape slowly: Rojas was materializing! The effects of the invisibility compound were disappearing, and as they disappeared Rojas appeared. There she sat gazing out across the Martian landscape, the shadow of a happy smile upon her lips; somehow she reminded me of a cat which had just swallowed a canary.
"Kaor!" I said, which is the Barsoomian equivalent of Good Morning, Hello, or How do you do? — in other words, it is a Barsoomian greeting.
Rojas looked in my direction but of course she could not see me.
"Kaor," she replied, smiling. "You must be very tired, John Carter; you have had no sleep all night."
"When Llana of Gathol awakens, I shall sleep," I replied; "she can handle the controls quite as well as I."
"I have never been beyond the forests of Invak before," said Rojas. "What a drab, lonely world this is."
"You will find the Twin Cities of Helium very beautiful," I said. "I hope that you will like it there, Rojas."
"I am sure that I shall," she said; "I am looking forward to being in Helium with you, John Carter."
I wondered what she meant by that. The girl was an enigma; and I gave up trying to find a solution for her, and when Llana of Gathol spoke a moment later, and I knew that she was awake, I asked her to take the controls.
"We will cruise around outside of Helium," I said, "until we have all regained visibility," and then I lay down and fell asleep.
It was late that night before we had all regained visibility, and the next morning I approached Helium. A patrol boat came up to meet us, and recognizing my flier, it came alongside. The officer in command, and, in fact, the whole crew were overjoyed to see both Llana of Gathol and myself, alive and safe. The patrol boat escorted us to the hangar on the roof of my palace, where we received a tremendous welcome, as we had both been given up for dead long since.
Ptor Fak, Llana, and Rojas were behind me when I took Dejah Thoris in my arms; then I turned and presented Rojas and Ptor Fak to her.
"Had it not been for Rojas," I told Dejah Thoris, "none of us would have been here," and then I told her very briefly of our capture and incarceration in Invak.
I watched Rojas very closely as Dejah Thoris took both her hands in hers and kissed her on the forehead; and then, to my surprise, Rojas threw her arms about her and kissed her squarely on the mouth; the girl was absolutely bewildering.
After we had all breakfasted together Dejah Thoris asked me what my plans were now. "I shall see Tardos Mors immediately," I replied, "and after I have arranged for the dispatch of a fleet for Gathol, I shall fly there myself, alone, to reconnoiter."
"Why alone?" demanded Dejah Thoris; "But why should I ask? It has always been your way to do things alone."
I saw Tardos Mors and made the necessary arrangements for the dispatch of a fleet to Gathol; and then I returned to my palace to bid Dejah Thoris goodby; and as I passed through the garden, I saw Rojas sitting there alone.
"Come here a moment, John Carter," she said; "I have something to say to you."
Here it comes, I thought; well, it would have to be gotten over sooner or later, and it would be a relief to get it over at once.