She was just outside the door and Parr felt something like momentary confusion before the hate came. Yet when it did it was tinged and colored as he thought of her walking toward them, alone. He tried to concentrate on her remembered image, tried to call up the previous hate in all its glory. He could not; instead, even the hate he knew drained away. In its place he felt--not fear exactly--not fear for himself but of the inevitability of death. Not his death--hers. He saw Kal's lips curl, and then he winced. Fingernails dug into his palms. And the door opened and she stood before them. There was a breathless instant, absolutely still, while time hung fire. Her eyes were aflame. Eyes, he knew, that were capable of softness as well. Eyes steady, intent, unafraid. He was frozen in delicious surprise that tingled his spine, and he felt his scalp crawl. He also felt deep awe at her courage. She came into the room, closed the door, stood with her back leaning lightly against it. Her eyes blazed into his. Her red lips moved delicately. "Hello," she said. "I've been looking for you." She had not glanced at Kal. "Now!" Kal cried wildly. Parr wanted to scream something meaningless, but before the sound could bubble forth the room seemed to erupt into a colored blaze. She had struck at him with a lethal assault! He reeled, fighting back for his life, conscious now of Kal fighting at his side. Her eyes were steady, and her face frowned in concentration. She was icy calm in the struggle and there was cold fury in her whips of thought. But slowly, under their resistance, her eyes began to widen in surprise. For a breath-held moment, even with the two of them against her, the issue seemed in doubt; Kal half crumpled, stunned by a blast of hot thought that seared away his memory for one instant. She could not turn fast enough to Parr, nor could she, in feinting his automatic attack, strike again at Kal. Then again, the two of them were together, and slowly, very slowly, they hedged her mind between them and shielded it off. Kal recovered. Parr gritted his teeth in a mental agony he could not account for and stripped at her outer shield. Kal came in too and the shield began to break. The Oholo still stood straight and contemptuous in defeat, her eyes calm and deadly as she still struggled against them. She struck once; more with fading strength and Parr caught the thrust and shunted it away. And then he was in her mind. * * * * * He held a stroke that would burn like a sun's core, and almost hurled it. But there was a great calmness before him and he hesitated a fraction of a second in doubt as he stared deep into her glazing eyes. He felt his heart throb in new pain. Kal struck over him, and the Oholo went limp, suddenly, and sank unconscious to the floor, a pathetic rag doll. A tiny wisp of thought struggled out and faded. Kal cried in triumph and gathered for the final blow.