"It is well." Helmor leaned back in his seat. "See to it, Helmon, that the guard be changed. Distribute also a largess to the palace guard--announce additional pay to the soldiery in Berla of twenty mina, for the Zitran, and afterward as much. Gazar--have me these others watched. By Bel, our cousin may find it requires more to cast Helmor from his throne than the schemes of a woman and a priest." "Zitu." Croft breathed the word in his spirit. Helmor of Zollaria was far from asleep, indeed. More than that, now that he was awake he was well served. Panthor would seek an engraver of stones inside the next day or two, at latest, and Panthor would be watched. Helmor had more than one pair of eyes. Croft's confidence returned. After all, Kalamita and Ptah were not the only ones in Berla who played the game of statecraft, it would seem--and each day Naia and Jason would be watched by a fresh guard. More than that, additional pay would in a measure see the morale of the city's garrison restored. Once more as at the noon hour on the day before, Croft found himself swiftly uplifted as on invisible wings, his spirit filled with thankfulness to Zitu--the Father of all Life--with a voiceless paean of praise, for his everlasting justice, the inscrutability of his ways. In such a mood he returned again to Naia, and told her what had occurred--watched her astral fires pale and quicken, as side by side they bent above the child. "By Ga and Azil," he swore, "we shall not lose him. I go now to return in the flesh to Berla, by Zitu's aid inside Panthor's limit of days." "Zitu go with you and return again with you, Beloved," said Naia of Aphur, with the fire of her womanhood, her motherhood, in her purple eyes. * * * * * Back, back to Himyra, sped the spirit of Jason Croft. It crept into the form on the couch of molded copper and opened its eyes. It urged it up atingle with the knowledge it brought and all it involved. It sent it seeking an attendant, to bid the guardsman find the apartment of Robur and rouse him from his slumbers and summon him to the Mouthpiece of Zitu's chamber at once. And when Aphur's governor appeared with sleep driven swiftly from him, Croft told him all he had seen and heard. "Wherefore," he made an ending, "we go north from Himyra in three suns." "Three?" Robur stared. "But, by Zitu, Jason, think you their crews may learn so quickly to control them?" Croft nodded. "They are eager. In the morn I explain to them that there comes a need of haste. On the fourth day we go north with such as are able to follow. The rest may remain. Also, we take six of the airplanes with us." "Aye," Robur said--"yet can they fly not to such a distance. Short of Berla must they descend for fuel."