She felt his mood. Head tilted, she looked at him and whispered, "What is it? Where did you get that axe? And your eyes--there is a little sorrow in them. Why, Thor?" "I will tell you, darling. But I must tell the others, too. I want Gordon's advice." Gordon wrung his hand and then held out some cooked meat on the point of a sword. Thor was famished. He sat with legs crossed before him and ate and ate. Karola sat close to him, watching him with her large violet eyes. Once in a while she touched the great war-axe, running the pink tips of her fingers along the fresh scratches on the steel. Thor dug his greasy fingers into the sand, powdering them; then he rubbed them dry. "I talked to Aava," he said slowly. "He came into the gatestone that I carried. He tempted me. I--almost yielded." The others stared at him. Thor fastened his eyes on the heart of the fire, where the twigs and dried grasses glowed bright red. It was easier, looking there, to tell his tale, than to look into the eyes of his friends. * * * * * He concluded, "I do not have the gatestone now. I left it there, in the ship. Otherwise, we would have Aava with us, with every move we make. And Aava is what we are fighting. The odds are bad enough, without taking your enemy into your confidence." Thor raised his eyes. He looked at Karola. He said, "I am sorry. Say that it's all right." To his surprise, she laughed. Her violet eyes poked fun at him. She whispered, "No woman can compete with a dream. Stalyl was only that. At the same time, a dream cannot compete with a living woman. I am a living woman." She leaned over and kissed him gently, then sat back. Peter Gordon said slowly, "What can we do now? It's a rotten situation. The others expect us. If we can't find a way to return them to the settlement--" He broke off, shaking his head. Thor slid his hand up and down the stained ivory haft of the axe. He said, "The androids came into this dimension with the use of a gatestone. If we could find it, we could use that one. All the robots were killed, but I saw no gatestone." "Perhaps the Black Priest used one to transmit them into this world. Then there wouldn't be any gatestone at all," said Gordon. Thor opened his eyes, and blinked. He got to his feet, lifting his axe. "There's a chance. Aava will send someone to get the gatestone I hid in the ship. Then, if he should return to the gatestone--or we can get us one from an android--there might be a chance." Peter Gordon drew his bow toward him and strung it. "Let's go," he said gruffly. They went in the dark of the night, when the moons were below the horizon. Thor led, trotting swiftly with the long Indian stride an old Cherokee had taught him. Karola and Slag ran side by side. Peter Gordon, bow in hand and fingers touching the string of it, loped far behind, eyes continually moving.