"I haven't seen or heard anything of Cleonie lately." Helen paused in thought. "If, though, as I am now practically certain, it was one of the prime movers behind this brainless brat Ladora, it wouldn't dare leave the planet for very long at a time. As to how to find it, I don't quite know. Anybody would be apt to shoot me on sight. Would you dare fly this funny plane of yours down close to a few of our cities?" "Certainly. I don't know of anything around here that my screens and fields can't stop. Why?" "Because I know of several places where Cleonie might be, and if I can get fairly close to them, I can find it in spite of anything it can do to hide itself from me. But I don't want to get you into too much trouble, and I don't want to get killed myself, either, now that you have rescued me--at least, until after I have killed Cleonie and Ladora." "QX. What are we waiting for? Which way, Helen?" * * * * * "Back to the city first, for several reasons. Cleonie probably is not there, but we must make sure. Also, I want my guns--" "Guns? No. DeLameters are better. I have several spares." In one fleeting mental contact Clarrissa taught the Lyranian all there was to know about DeLameters. And that feat impressed Helen even more than did the nature and power of the weapon. "What a mind!" she exclaimed. "You didn't have any such equipment as that, the last time I saw you. Or were you ... no, you weren't hiding it." "You're right; I have developed considerably since then. But about guns--what do you want of one?" "To kill that nitwit Ladora on sight, and that snake Cleonie, too, as soon as you get done with it." "But why guns? Why not the mental force you always used?" "Except by surprise, I couldn't," Helen admitted, frankly. "All adult persons are of practically equal mental strength. But speaking of strength, I marvel that a craft as small as this should be able to ward off the attack of one of those tremendous Boskonian ships of space." "But she _can't_! What made you think she could?" "Your own statement--or were you thinking of purely Lyranian dangers, not realizing that Ladora, of course, called Cleonie as soon as you showed your teeth, and that Cleonie as surely called the Lensman or some other Boskonian? And that they must have ships of war not too far away?" "Heavens, no! It never occurred to me!" Clarrissa thought briefly. It wouldn't do any good to call Kim. Both the _Dauntless_ and the _Velan_ were coming, as fast as they could come, but it would be a day or so yet before they arrived. Besides, he would tell her to lay off, which was exactly what she was not going to do. She turned her thought back to the matriarch. "Two of our best ships are coming, and I hope they get here first. In the meantime, we'll just have to work fast and keep our detectors full out. Anyway, Cleonie won't know that I'm looking for her--I haven't even mentioned her to anyone except you."