A third alcove revealed a room similar to the others except that it was occupied. A pale Mercurian girl was asleep on the bed. Her black hair lay on her white shoulders like stains of ink. A broad band of green metal encircled one naked ankle. Jaro drew in his breath sharply. A temple priestess, one of the ex-brides of Nemi. He was beneath the temple of the rain god. Albert Peet's men had not captured him after all. The thought induced a new chain of reasoning. He remembered the lights flashing out back in the grog shop. His thought at the time: "Mercurians." It dawned on him that Karfial Hodes' men must have rescued them from Peet's hired Mercenaries. But why? He put the plug back into place. The following two chambers were empty. At first, he thought the next one was too. He was about to insert the plug when a girl entered from the dressing room. His lips formed an inaudible whistle. The girl was Joan Webb. * * * * * Jaro, observing Joan Webb through the peep hole, saw that her tawny brown eyes were strained, frightened, her shorts and blouse rumpled as if slept in. He wondered suddenly how much time had elapsed since the fight in the grog shop. Joan turned and went back into the dressing room. Jaro, with a broad grin, found the handle, swung back the secret panel. He squeezed through the narrow aperture, drew shut the panel behind him. Joan came back into the room. He said: "Hail, fairest of all maidens. I am Nemi come for my bride." Joan screamed, sprang back into the dressing room, peered at him wildly around the edge of the frame. "You!" she said. She came out. "Where did you come from?" Jaro bounced up and down on the edge of the bed. "How did you rate this?" he asked. "You should have seen my cell. You've been imprisoned in the lap of luxury." Joan repeated, "Where did you come from?" He waved his hand airily. "Out of the nowhere into the here." She observed him dubiously, said, "Listen Nemi, if you can get in and out as you please, let's not loiter." He grinned, led her to the secret entrance, pushed back the panel. "Oh!" said Joan. "You almost had me believing that Nemi stuff." "Come on." He squeezed through the exit, disappeared. Joan hesitated, peering with alarm into the black hole. "The way I have to trust you!" Jaro reached out a hand, pulled her through, pushed the panel in place. They were immediately in darkness so thick, so dense that they could feel it. "Where are you?" said Joan, a panicky note in her voice. "Here," Jaro laughed. "Oh!" she ejaculated. "Really, Mr. Moynahan." "What happened back in the grog shop?" Joan hesitated, said, "It's all kind of foggy. I was simply petrified with fright. When the lights went out, someone grabbed me. I tried to cry out for you only someone had his hand over my mouth. I couldn't do anything but gurgle. They dragged me toward the back of the shop. I thought.... Well, never mind what I thought." Jaro chuckled.