"Because one of the prisoners was an old man whom I am certain was acting as their thought-coordinator." Wor laughed. "I, personally, slit his scrawny throat from ear to ear. Without a thought-coordinator their barrier can not last." "Does Sin know?" Margaret asked anxiously. "She has no idea." Wor was very proud of himself. "The Night should catch her off guard, and when that precious creature of yours kills her Victor she will be unreceptive for the moment. Then I--we--shall receive the Power." "What weapon?" Margaret inquired. "A blast rod, of course. That way the backfire will take care of your creature too, automatically." "You think of everything," Margaret said admiringly. "Has Sin agreed that we bring him?" "Not willingly," Wor admitted. "It was extremely difficult to persuade her." "Why?" "Because I couldn't let her guess how close The Night really is. I had to report failures and suppress news of victories. And after four man-lives of waiting Sin is impatient. "Oh, the tongue-lashings she gave me. She called me stupid and incompetent and a strategic imbecile, and I believe if it weren't for memories of nights--memories of things that happened before she took that perverted fancy--I would have been relieved of command of the Forces." "The ungrateful wretch, after all the victories you have won for her!" "But she'll pay for those insults--soon. She finally gave her permission." Margaret laughed, and then her voice became very prim and self-righteous. "It would serve her exactly right for treating you that way, Wor darling." * * * * * Eldon was never to know whether Highness Sin was suspicious or merely cautious. But while Margaret was away she came to see him. Victor accompanied her, dressed in a flashy uniform, an arrogant expression on his narrow face, very conscious of his position as chosen consort. Eldon cowered, trembling and simulating fear and a total lack of recognition, keeping his real thoughts screened against Sin's mind and his disgust from finding physical expression. His heightened sensitivity made him acutely aware of what she was. At one time, before she had surrendered herself to an alien master, she had been just a woman. But not now. Her body was lovely enough, almost too lovely, but something _not human_ had entered into it. And she was far older and more experienced in evil than any human had a right to be. "Are you being treated well?" she asked in Vardan. Eldon made a grunt of incomprehension. Victor translated her question, but Eldon only stared. An expression of annoyance crossed Sin's haughty face. She continued her questioning, with Victor translating, but received no intelligent response. Then she made a determined effort to read his mind, but he was on guard and screened his thoughts with the phantom images and chaotic emotions of mental disorder.