Roya contorted to sink her teeth into that tail coiled around her ankle. Ophid hissed with pain. Leaping free, Roya snatched the other chair as she dodged around the table. Ophid only stood before the door--his red eyes burning unwinkingly. Roya knew he was trying to hypnotize her again. But if she didn't let herself watch him.... Roya centered her gaze on his redly mottled black torso. But Ophid was swaying in a slow sinuous rhythm. Roya felt herself begin swaying with him. In violent desperation Roya hurled her chair. Ophid only caught it and set it down softly. There were no more this side of the table. Ophid began moving slowly toward Roya. His hissing voice was like his eyes--impelling. "There are no warriors from your Outer World. There is no one...." In desperation Roya upended the table and darted for the door. Only reaching out, Ophid eased the table to the floor. Roya fumbled frantically at the latch--but couldn't release it! Feeling Ophid's eyes burning over her, she whirled. Rippling sinuously, tail swaying in rhythm, Ophid was moving slowly backward. His hissing voice was an opiate. "It is useless, fair one. You cannot resist what is to be...." Had Toka and the others not really come! Ophid was standing by his filthy nest now. "Come, fair one," he bid softly. "Come, fair one ... come...." Those eyes--that voice.... Flesh chilled and crawling, Roya took a slow step--another.... "... And another step, fair one ... one more ... just one more...." Roya took another slow step--into those arms. "... Relax, fair one ... relax ... relax...." His scaly arms tightened about her. His fingers moved over her. His scaly chest pressed against her breast. His slimy legs touched against her. His facile tail coiled up around her flesh. Her legs quivered.... Roya's senses reeled. If only she could speak ... one word.... "Toka!" Roya heard her scream as from a distance. "Tok--" Ophid's slimy lips were on her mouth.... Ophid glanced up as his den door slammed out. Battle-ax swinging and rage flaming through him, Toka leaped the overturned table. With one convulsion Ophid hurled Roya at Toka, kicked aside the mossy nest and plunged through the floor. Fast as thought Toka dropped his ax and caught Roya. She met his anxious gaze. "I'm all right now, Toka." Snatching up his ax, Toka hurried Roya for the doorway. As he braced Ophid's den, the haze momentarily thinned, revealing the next door, a considerable distance beyond, had been braced--by Rok as he had begun on that sector. Taking Roya's arm, Toka hurried through the shifting haze and stalagma. "But Elees!" Roya protested. The haze swirled away ahead, revealing Rok and an unharmed Elees and Old Ledo. "Let's get out!" Toka ran for the path. Old Ledo ran to the moss den. "All right, come on!" The pitiful slave girls fell in behind the old warrior as he joined Toka on the narrow path.