"Into the western mountains, toward the outer ocean--she told me, Murray. She came and told me as soon as she felt it safe to do so. She came to me tonight in the Zitran pyramid--astrally, of course. You know I told you I was going to Zitra to see Jadgor in a matter concerning the government railroad control--" I nodded. "She found me there tonight. She had been afraid to leave the body before, lest something happen to little Jason. It was last night this thing occurred--and my body's still in Zitra." I sensed the tenseness of his emotion. "I'm so utterly impotent to help her, Murray. Would Zitu I were here to follow and wrest her from them." "From whom?" I questioned. Plainly he knew more of the matter than I did--as much at least as Naia had told him. "See here, Croft--" He appeared to grip himself as he answered. "Forgive me, Murray. The Zollarians, of course. It was an armed band of those Sons of Zitemku that attacked here in my absence. There"--he pointed at the body of Mitlos--"lies an example of their work." His words whipped my attention--brought up a vivid picture of all the abduction of Naia and her child by men from the northern hostile nation might embrace. "Zollarians?" I said. "She told you?" "Yes." He nodded. "They--they must have been planning it, Murray--they must have been using spies." "Unless," I rejoined, "it was merely a wandering band of marauders." I had a general knowledge of the western coast of Aphur and the intervening country. Practically uninhabited, wild and rugged, it would be easy, I thought, for men of such ilk to have landed on its shores. "Wandering band?" Croft said with something like impatience. "Murray, talk sense. They knew enough to seize Naia of Aphur--the fairest woman of her nation, of its best blood--the wife of the Mouthpiece of Zitu, who has twice defeated their schemes and their armies--and her child." I nodded. He had not lost his ability to judge the situation even then, and judge it clearly. I ceased offering either suggestions or comment and asked a question: "Then what do you intend?" "I intend to follow her--learn what is behind this damnable action first." "Astrally?" I recalled that more than once ere this he had adopted such means to gain information toward Zollaria's undoing, and I began to comprehend. He gave me a glance. "Of course. It's the only way I can follow with the cursed hulk of me in Zud's pile of rock in Zitra. And I want you to go with me tonight. Man, I'm trying to keep as cool as I may, but--I'm in need of sympathetic support. Before Naia left me she said they stopped for an hour's rest, but that before daylight faded they had seen the outer ocean from a hill, and a ship. I think that ship is waiting for her, Murray--and that once we are on it, to see and not be seen, hear and not be heard, we shall learn something of the truth." "Then let's get on it," I suggested. "This is a terrible ordeal for her. When she came to you tonight, was she frightened?"