A savage kick in the back of the knees caught him from behind in the same instant. His legs buckled. He spilled forward, asprawl on the floor. "A whip--!" cried Ylana, face white with passion. "A whip for this raider dog they call Jarl Corvett!" One of the Mercurian guards sprang forward, jerking off his heavy, _stanal_-buckled belt. "Here, _Shi_ Ylana! The plate will cut deep!" The girl snatched it from him. Her face contorted. "No, Ylana--!" It was her father, the _kabat_-haze fading from his eyes. "Would you drag yourself down to the level of this _chitza_, here before officers of the fleet--?" The girl turned on him as a _quirst_ turns on its pursuers. "Who talks of dragging down, and of the fleet?" she lashed fiercely. "Do you dare to speak--you, with your plots and schemes, your secret meetings--?" The high commissioner flushed to the hair. "Ylana! Silence!" "Was it you this _starbo_ and his scum dragged out of bed last night? Was it you who screamed and called the guard when they sought to flee in your own carrier?" Her father's jaws went stiff and set. His clenched fists bore down upon the table. But he broke before Ylana's eyes; said nothing more. The girl turned her back on him. Furiously, she challenged Jarl: "You were brave enough last night, when you dealt only with a helpless woman! But how is your courage now, bold raider? How does force taste, when another hand holds the lash?" Her shoulders twisted. Gripping the Mercurian's belt by the tongue, she slashed out with the heavy _stanal_ clasp. Jarl rocked back. The buckle sang past his face, so close he could feel its breath. But now, again, the _Malya's_ foot caught him from behind. It knocked him forward on his shackled hands, off balance. Before he could recover, the belt whipped down again. The buckle tore at his cheek. He rocked with pain. "Is it different, this time, raider?" Ylana shrieked. "Are you ready to sing another song?" Tight-jawed, stiff-backed, Jarl met her gaze. He did not speak. The girl's red lips peeled back. "I asked you a question, dog!" she cried. "I want an answer!" She slashed out with the belt again. The buckle seared his jaw and neck. "Answer me!" Wordless, Jarl swayed. The buckle ripped at his forehead. Blood gushed down into his eyes. "Answer me--!" Jarl lurched forward, clutching for her. But she darted back, out of his reach. The stylon gown rustled. The buckle tore a path along his scalp. The room blurred and swam before his eyes. Desperately, he tried to cover his face with his shackled hands. But the tangled chains were too short. He could only double forward, face to the floor. * * * * * The buckle struck behind his right ear with stunning force, a fiery knife stabbing through a red haze of pain. "Wait, Ylana--!" It was Atak the _Malya's_ voice, drifting dimly to Jarl as from afar. "Those blows to the head--he cannot last--"