"It is supposed to take place in the public square. An old and barbaric rite in which a maiden is slain and the people file by and bathe their hands in her blood. It will be the signal for the final act of over-throw--when the rebels come into the open and slay all who remain faithful to Fanton." A new voice spoke. The two men turned. Fanton was sitting on the edge of the marble couch. Helen and Tommy were staring at him. Fanton's words were for Maxis. "You have done well. If I'd known before where loyalty lay, things might have been different." Maxis dropped to one knee. He bowed his head. "My lord." "No time for this. I must get to the Council." "It will be very dangerous." "But the uprising must be beaten down. The Council is still loyal. They must see that I am alive." Rex said, "I think you'll find--" Fanton waved him to silence. "We must hurry." * * * * * As the group left the Place of Eternal Strength, Maxis said, "Perhaps they will have to be assembled. If they are not in session--" "They _must_ be in session!" On the trip to the Amphitheater of the Gods, two rebels were killed and one loyal Martian added to the cavalcade. As they moved into the great hall, Fanton said, "They are here!" This appeared to be true. The seats flanking the central throne were still occupied. The throne itself was vacant. Immediately upon entering the great hall, Rex ran forward and climbed to the tier of benches. The council members sat silent, unmoving. Rex pushed the body of the nearest one. It tumbled off the bench like a sack of grain and fell to the floor. Fanton paled. "What does this mean?" "They're all dead," Rex replied. "When we were here before I noticed that none of them moved nor spoke. This is the work of a mad-man--Pandek. This is his joke. He rules all alone." Maxis said, "You will have to try and escape, my Lord. You must get to the Terrans and tell your story." Fanton considered. "If I run like a coward, thousands of loyal Martians will die. Their blood will be on my hands." "That's not true," Rex said, sharply. Further talk was interrupted by the sound of men approaching at a run. Fanton turned and pointed. "Behind that pillar! There is a small door that leads to an observatory platform above the square. Only my father knew of the stairway behind the wall." Fanton pressed a carved leaf in a decoration on the pillar and a small section of the seemingly unbroken wall moved inward. Fanton entered and the rest followed with Rex and Maxis and the new recruit bringing up the rear. Maxis said, "I will stay here and fight. I'm tired of running away." Rex dragged him into the opening. "Don't be a fool. There's a time to fight and a time to run. This is a time to run."