"By Bel," Helmor exclaimed, as all the suggestion embraced burst suddenly upon him. "Come then to the palace. Let us speak of this more fully. Delay thy departure as guests of Helmor and his people till morn." "Aye." Croft assented without hesitation, his stern face strangely exalted by the thought that out of this night of warring purpose and emotion, peace between age-old foemen might be born. Back, then, they made their way through the streets along which they had rushed so short a time in so vastly different a fashion to regain the square before the palace--where only the light of the fire urns now served to show Avron, still sitting at his station in the pit of his machine. And there Croft, lifting his signaling-flash, sent a final message to the mighty shapes still circling over the city. "Remain until the morning. Watch for the plane at dawn." Robur's answering flash winked promptly back at him redly, and bidding Helmon join them, they entered the palace, through which Jason had flitted in the astral presence so many times. Yet different now indeed was the situation, as Helmor summoned slave-girls to attend on Naia, provide for her every comfort. He left her with Croft for the moment and Croft drew her into his arms. For a long, long moment he held her, sensing her nearness--her dearness--the truth that now again, not only in spirit but in body, was she his own. "Beloved!" he whispered, and crushed her to him. "Beloved!" she whispered, and threw back her golden head to lift her purple eyes to him. So for a long moment, and then she spoke again. "And thou canst accomplish thy purpose, beloved--were it not well worth suffering, indeed? Thinkest thou Helmor is taken with the notion?" "Aye," said Jason, and he paused as he recalled Gaya's words that out of his bereavement, his agony of spirit, would come not only peace to his soul, but a possible peace between the nations--and found himself undecided, but his own thought of such a peace as he had offered Helmor had been first inspired by a woman's attempt to give him encouragement in a troubled hour of need. "Zitu grant it." Naia nestled against him. "Go then and arrange it. I shall pray for thy success upon my knees." After that, Croft left her, and rejoined Helmor and his son. To that same apartment in which Jason had inspired his dream of warning against Kalamita, the Zollarian monarch led them, and there they took up the matter of a treaty between their nations, at the point where they had laid it down. * * * * *