www.freeclassicebooks.com

CHAPTER VI - IN THE TOILS OF HORROR

What the creature had told her gave Tara of Helium food for thought. She had

been taught that every created thing fulfilled some useful purpose, and she tried

conscientiously to discover just what was the rightful place of the kaldane in the

universal scheme of things. She knew that it must have its place but what that

place was it was beyond her to conceive. She had to give it up. They recalled to

her mind a little group of people in Helium who had forsworn the pleasures of life

in the pursuit of knowledge. They were rather patronizing in their relations with

those whom they thought not so intellectual. They considered themselves quite

superior. She smiled at recollection of a remark her father had once made

concerning them, to the effect that if one of them ever dropped his egotism and

broke it it would take a week to fumigate Helium. Her father liked normal people--

people who knew too little and people who knew too much were equally a bore.

Tara of Helium was like her father in this respect and like him, too, she was both

sane and normal.

Outside of her personal danger there was much in this strange world that

interested her. The rykors aroused her keenest pity, and vast conjecture. How

and from what form had they evolved? She asked Ghek.

"Sing to me again and I will tell you," he said. "If Luud would let me have you, you

should never die. I should keep you always to sing to me."

The girl marvelled at the effect her voice had upon the creature. Somewhere in

that enormous brain there was a chord that was touched by melody. It was the

sole link between herself and the brain when detached from the rykor. When it

dominated the rykor it might have other human instincts; but these she dreaded

even to think of. After she had sung she waited for Ghek to speak. For a long time

he was silent, just looking at her through those awful eyes.

"I wonder," he said presently, "if it might not be pleasant to be of your race. Do

you all sing?"

"Nearly all, a little," she said; "but we do many other interesting and enjoyable

things. We dance and play and work and love and sometimes we fight, for we are

a race of warriors."

"Love!" said the kaldane. "I think I know what you mean; but we, fortunately, are

above sentiment--when we are detached. But when we dominate the rykor--ah,

that is different, and when I hear you sing and look at your beautiful body I know

what you mean by love. I could love you."

The Chessmen of Mars