Adventure stories; Fantasy fiction; Tarzan (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
"Yes, Thagosoto," replied Zoanthrohago, summoning a warrior whom he
directed to remove Tarzan and Komodoflorensal to a chamber where they
could be secured until their presence was again required.
CHAPTER XV
Through several chambers and corridors they were conducted toward the
center of the dome on the same level as the chamber in which they had
left the king and the walmak until finally they were thrust into a
small chamber and a heavy door slammed and barred behind them.
There was no candle in the chamber. A faint light, however, relieved
the darkness so that the interior of the room was discernible. The
chamber contained two benches and a table--that was all. The light
which faintly illuminated it entered through a narrow embrasure which
was heavily barred, but it was evidently daylight.
"We are alone," whispered Komodoflorensal, "and at last we can
converse; but we must be cautious," he added. "'Trust not too far the
loyalty of even the stones of your chamber!'" he quoted.
"Where are we?" asked Tarzan. "You are more familiar with Minunian
dwellings than I."
"We are upon the highest level of the Royal Dome of Elkomoelhago,"
replied the prince. "With no such informality does a king visit
the other domes of his city. You may rest assured that this is
Elkomoelhago's. We are in one of the innermost chambers, next the
central shaft that pierces the dome from its lowest level to its roof.
For this reason we do not need a candle to support life--we will obtain
sufficient air through this embrasure. And now, tell me what happened
within the room with Elkomoelhago and Zoanthrohago."
"I discovered how they reduced my stature," replied Tarzan, "and,
furthermore, that at almost any time I may regain my full size--an
occurrence that may eventuate from three to thirty-nine moons after
the date of my reduction. Even Zoanthrohago cannot determine when this
thing will happen."
"Let us hope that it does not occur while you are in this small
chamber," exclaimed Komodoflorensal.
"I would have a devil of a time getting out," agreed Tarzan.
"You would never get out," his friend assured him. "While you might,
before your reduction, have crawled through some of the larger
corridors upon the first level, or even upon many of the lower levels,
you could not squeeze into the smaller corridors of the upper levels,
which are reduced in size as the necessity for direct supports for the
roof increase as we approach the apex of the dome."
"Then it behooves me to get out of here as quickly as possible," said
Tarzan.
Komodoflorensal shook his head. "Hope is a beautiful thing, my friend,"
he said, "but if you were a Minunian you would know that under such
circumstances as we find ourselves it is a waste of mental energy. Look
at these bars," and he walked to the window and shook the heavy irons
that spanned the embrasure. "Think you that you could negotiate these?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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