Now Yolara was there--all this had taken barely more than five seconds. She thrust herself between the three men and the Dweller. She spoke to it--and the wild buzzing died down; the gay crystal tinklings burst forth again. The Thing murmured to her--began to whirl--faster, faster--passed down the ivory pier, out upon the waters, bearing with it, meshed in its light, the sacrifices--swept on ever more swiftly, triumphantly and turning, turning, with its ghastly crew, vanished through the Veil! Abruptly the polychromatic path snapped out. The silver light poured in upon us. From all the amphitheatre arose a clamour, a shouting. Marakinoff, his eyes staring, was leaning out, listening. Unrestrained now by Rador, I vaulted the wall and rushed forward. But not before I had heard the green dwarf murmur: "There is something stronger than the Shining One! Two things--yea--a strong heart--and hate!" Olaf, panting, eyes glazed, trembling, shrank beneath my hand. "The devil that took my Helma!" I heard him whisper. "The Shining Devil!" "Both these men," Lugur was raging, "they shall dance with the Shining one. And this one, too." He pointed at me malignantly. "This man is mine," said the priestess, and her voice was menacing. She rested her hand on Larry's shoulder. "He shall not dance. No--nor his friend. I have told you I dare not for this one!" She pointed to Olaf. "Neither this man, nor this," said Larry, "shall be harmed. This is my word, Yolara!" "Even so," she answered quietly, "my lord!" I saw Marakinoff stare at O'Keefe with a new and curiously speculative interest. Lugur's eyes grew hellish; he raised his arms as though to strike her. Larry's pistol prodded him rudely enough. "No rough stuff now, kid!" said O'Keefe in English. The red dwarf quivered, turned--caught a robe from a priest standing by, and threw it over himself. The _ladala_, shouting, gesticulating, fighting with the soldiers, were jostling down from the tiers of jet. "Come!" commanded Yolara--her eyes rested upon Larry. "Your heart is great, indeed--my lord!" she murmured; and her voice was very sweet. "Come!" "This man comes with us, Yolara," said O'Keefe pointing to Olaf. "Bring him," she said. "Bring him--only tell him to look no more upon me as before!" she added fiercely. Beside her the three of us passed along the stalls, where sat the fair-haired, now silent, at gaze, as though in the grip of some great doubt. Silently Olaf strode beside me. Rador had disappeared. Down the stairway, through the hall of turquoise mist, over the rushing sea-stream we went and stood beside the wall through which we had entered. The white-robed ones had gone. Yolara pressed; the portal opened. We stepped upon the car; she took the lever; we raced through the faintly luminous corridor to the house of the priestess.