Iimmi and Geo froze. Urson said, "The jewels...." Suddenly, crouched low like an animal, the big man sprang onto the rocks and ran toward the river's edge. Three shadows, one white, two dark, converged above him, cutting the moonlight away from him. If he saw them, he did not stop. Iimmi and Geo stood up from their crouched positions. Urson reached the shore, threw himself along the rock, and swiped at the hand. Instantly he was covered by flailing wings. The membranous sails splashed in the water. Two seconds later, Urson rolled from beneath the layers of membrane that still struggled half on land and half in the water. He started forward up the rocks. He slipped, regained his footing, and then came on, nearly falling into Geo's and Iimmi's waiting arms. "The jewels," Urson breathed. The struggle continued a minute longer on the water. Something was holding them down, twisting at them. Then suddenly, the creatures stilled, and like great leaves, the three forms drifted apart, caught quietly in the current, and floated away from the rocks. Then two more forms bobbed to the surface, faces down, rocking gently, backs slicked wet and green, shiny under the moonlight. "But those were the ones who--" Geo began. "Are they dead?" His face suddenly hurt a little, with something like the pain of verging tears. Snake nodded. "Are you sure?" asked Iimmi. His voice came slowly. _Their ... thoughts ... have ... stopped_, Snake said. Crouched down in front of them, Urson opened his great hands. The globes blazed even in the dim light through the leaves, and the chain and the wet thong hung over his palm to the ground. "I have them," he said, "... the jewels!" CHAPTER IX Snake reached down, picked the beads up from Urson's hand. The sound of wings had stopped. "Where do we go now?" Urson asked. "Follow the general rule, I guess," said Iimmi. "Since we know Hama does have a temple somewhere, we try to find it, get the third jewel, and rescue Argo Incarnate. Then get back to the ship." "In three days?" asked Urson. They had related the rest of what they had found to him by now. "Well, where do we start looking?" "The Priestess said something about a band of Hama's disciples behind the fire mountain. That must mean the volcano we saw from the steps in the City of New Hope." Iimmi turned to Snake. "Did you read her mind enough to know if she was telling the truth?" Snake nodded. Iimmi paused for a moment. "Well, since the river is that way, we should head," he turned and pointed, "... in that direction." They fixed their stride now and started through the moon-brushed foliage. "I still don't understand what was going on back at the monastery," Geo said. "Were they really priestesses of Argo? And what was Jordde doing?" "I'd say yes on the first question, and guess that Jordde was a spy for them for an answer to the second." "But what about Argo--I mean Argo on the ship?" asked Geo. "And what about Snake here?"