"Wait a minute," Iimmi said. "Jordde wanted to kill me, and did kill
Whitey because of something we might have seen. I bet this was the same
thing. Now, what was it?"
Hama smiled. "My telling you would do no good. Perhaps you can find out
from Snake, or my daughter, Argo Incarnate."
"But what do we do now?" Geo interrupted. "Take the jewels back to Argo,
I mean Argo on the ship? She's already used the jewels to control minds,
at least Snake's, so that means she's infected, too."
"Once you guessed the reason for her infection," said Hama. "We have
been watching you on our screens since you landed. Do you remember what
the reason was?"
"Do you mean her being jealous of her sister?" Geo asked.
"Yes. On one side her motives were truly patriotic for Leptar. On the
other hand they were selfish ones of power seeking. But without the
selfish ones, she would have never gotten so far as she did. You must
bring young Argo back and give the infection a chance to work itself
out."
"But what about the jewels?" asked Geo. "All three of them will be
together. Isn't that a huge temptation?"
"Someone must meet this temptation, and overcome it," said Hama. "You do
not know how much danger they are in while they are here on Aptor. Even
if the final danger is only delayed, that delay will make it safer to
bring them to Leptar."
Suddenly Hama turned to the screens and pushed a switch to on position.
The opaque glass was filled with a picture of the interior of the
temple. On the huge statue, a spotlight was following two microscopic
figures over the statue's shoulder. They were climbing over the statue's
elbow.
Hama increased the size. It was two people, not bugs, climbing down the
gigantic sculptured figure. They made their way along the statue's
forearm now, to the golden stalks of wheat in the god's black fist. One,
and then the other began to shimmy down the stems. They arrived at the
base and climbed over the rail. The screen enlarged again.
"It's Snake," said Geo.
"And he's got the jewel," Urson added.
"That's Argo with him," Iimmi put in. "I mean--one of the Argos." They
clustered around the screen, watching the congregation give way before
the two fearful children. The red-haired girl in the short white tunic
was holding onto Snake's shoulder.
Suddenly Hama turned the picture off, and they looked away from the
screen now, puzzled. "So you see," said the god, "the jewel has already
been stolen. For the sake of Argo, and of Hama, carry the jewels back to
Leptar. Young Argo will help you. Though her mother and I are pained to
see her go, she is as prepared for the journey as you are, if not more.
Will you do it?"
"I will," Iimmi said.
"Me too," said Geo.
"I guess so," Urson said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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