"So the lovers are still here," he taunted. "But why do they stay so far apart? Here, you stupid fool, watch me; I'll show you how to make love to the girl. She's mine now. Menofra, the old Hellcat, is dead. Look at this sword! See the blood? That's Menofra's blood. I just killed her." He pointed the sword at Wood. "And just as soon as I've shown you how a lover should behave I'm going to kill you."
He took a step toward Gonfala, and as he did so steel thewed fingers gripped his sword wrist, the weapon was torn from his hand, and he was thrown heavily to the floor.
"Quiet, or I kill," a low voice whispered.
Phoros looked into the cold grey eyes of an almost naked giant who stood above him with his own sword pointed at his breast. "Who are you?" he quavered. "Don't kill me. Tell me what you want. You can have anything if you'll not kill me."
"I'll take what I want. Don't move." Tarzan crossed to Wood and cut the bonds that held him. "Release Gonfala," he said, "and when you have done that bind this man and gag him."
Wood worked quickly. "How did you get here?" Tarzan asked him.
"I was searching for Gonfala. I followed her trail to this city; then they took me prisoner. Today Phoros sent for me. In some way, probably through some of his people overhearing Spike and Troll, he got the idea that I knew how to work the Gonfal. Spike had been bragging about its powers, but neither he nor Troll had been able to do anything with it. They had also told some one that Gonfala was the goddess of the big stone, and so he brought us together and told us to show him some magic. Our meeting was so sudden and unexpected that we gave ourselves away-it must have been apparent to any one that we were in love. Anyway, Phoros got it; maybe because he was jealous. He has been trying to make love to Gonfala ever since she was captured, but he was too scared of his wife to go very far with it."
When Gonfala was liberated Wood trussed up Phoros, and as he was completing the work they heard the sound of shuffling footsteps in the corridor. They all stood, tense and silent, waiting. Would the footsteps pass the door, or was some one coming to this room? Nearer and nearer they came; then they paused outside, as though he who walked was listening. The door was pushed open, revealing a horrible apparition. Gonfala muffled a scream; Wood recoiled; only Tarzan showed no emotion. It was Menofra. A horrible wound gashed her head and one shoulder. She was covered with blood; and reeled with weakness from the loss of it, but she still retained her wits.
Stepping quickly back into the corridor, she closed the door and turned the key that the drunken Phoros had left in the lock; then they heard her crying loudly for the guard.
"We seem to be nicely trapped," commented Wood.
"But we have a hostage," Tarzan reminded him.
"What a horrible sight," said Gonfala, shuddering and nodding in the direction of the corridor. "How do you suppose it happened?"
The ape-man jerked a thumb in the direction of Phoros. "He could tell you. I imagine that he's rather glad that we were here with him."
"What a sweet couple," said Wood, "but I imagine there are a lot of married couples who would like to do that to one another if they thought they could get away with it."
"What a terrible thing to say, Stanlee," cried Gonfala. "Do you think that we would be like that?"
"Oh, we're different," Wood assured her; "these people are beasts."
"Not beasts," Tarzan corrected. "They are human beings, and they act like human beings."
"Here comes the guard," said Wood.
They could hear men approaching at a run along the corridor; they heard their exclamations when they saw Menofra and their excited questioning.
"There is a wild man in there," Menofra told them. "He has set the two prisoners free, and they have bound and gagged the king. They may kill him. I don't want them to; I want him for myself. Go in and capture the strangers and bring the king to me."
Tarzan stood close to the door. "If you come in without my permission," he shouted, "I will kill the king."
"It looks like you were on a spot, Phoros," said Wood, "no matter what happens. If Menofra gets you she'll hand you plenty." Phoros could make no reply because of the gag.
The warriors and the queen were arguing in the corridor. They could come to no decision as to what to do. The three prisoners in the room were no better off. Tarzan was puzzled. He told Wood as much.
"I knew an Athnean noble well," be said, "and through him I was led to believe that these people were rather noble and chivalrous, not at all like those I have seen here. There was a rumor in Cathne that there had been some change in government here, but the natural assumption was that another faction of the nobility had come into power. If these people are of the nobility, our friend Spike must be at least an archbishop."
"They are not of the nobility," said Wood. "They are from the lowest dregs of society. They overthrew the king and the nobility a few months ago. I guess they are pretty well ruining the country."
"That accounts for it," said Tarzan. "Well, I guess my friend, Valthor, can't help me much."
"Valthor?" exclaimed Wood. "Do you know him? Why say, he's the only friend I have here."
"Where is he? He'll help us," said Tarzan.
"Not where he is, he won't. He and I were fellow slaves at the elephant stables."
"Valthor a slave!"
"Yes, and lucky to be that," Wood assured him. "They killed off all the other members of the nobility they caught –except a few that joined 'em. The rest escaped into the mountains. Every one liked Valthor so much that they didn't kill him."
"It is a good thing that I didn't take any chances when I came here," remarked the ape-man. "They'd heard these rumors in Cathne; so I came in after dark to investigate before I tried to find Valthor or made myself known."
There was a rap on the door. "What do you want?" asked Tarzan.
"Turn the king over to the queen and we won't harm you," said a voice.
Phoros commenced to wriggle and squirm on the floor, shaking his head vigorously. Tarzan grinned.
"Wait until we talk it over," he said; then, to Wood, "Take the gag out of his mouth."
As soon as the gag was removed Phoros choked and spluttered before he could articulate an understandable word, so frightened and excited was he. "Don't let her have me," he finally managed to say. "She'll kill me."
"I think you have it coming to you," said Wood.
"Maybe we can reach a bargain," suggested Tarzan.
"Anything, anything you want," cried Phoros.
"Our freedom and a safe escort to The Pass of the Warriors," demanded the ape-man.
"It is yours," promised Phoros.
"And the big diamond," added Wood.
"And the big diamond," agreed Phoros.
"How do we know you'll do as you agree?" asked Tarzan.
"You have my word for it," Phoros assured him.
"I don't think it's worth much. I'd have to have something more."
"Well, what?"
"We'd want to take you with us and keep you close to me where I could kill you if the bargain were not kept."
"That too. I agree to everything, only don't let her get her hands on me."
"There is one more thing," added Tarzan. "Valthor's freedom."
"Granted."
"And now that you've got all that arranged," said Wood, "how in Hell are we going to get out of here with that old virago holding the fort with the guard out there? Have you ever been to a coronation, Tarzan?"
The ape-man shook his head.