Page:Amazing Stories Volume 21 Number 06.djvu/125

Rh Mexitli is an Apollo."

"Just what did Eemeeshee mean by mentioning Apollo? Just what did Eemeeshee mean by mentioning the name Apollo? How could he know anything about a God moderns think Greek?" Saba turned to Lane, saying,

"I will show you our Apollo records from the past. Apollo was a God known all over earth when he was here, and he is well known to Eemeeshee from his dream life—which is made up of records, is in truth a reliving of the ancient God life. That is why he is so frightened. The coming of Mexitli is to him a sign of Apollo's anger. He would not be frightened, but long immersion in the record dream life has made him unable to think of such things as in the past. To him they are very much today, and he is frightened of Mexitli who was a very vengeful follower of Apollo. Sometime I will show you records of that time when Apollo was on earth."

"All that is not much help to us. We are now in grave danger without Eemeeshee's help to us. Whoever is doing the faking that scared Eemeeshee off must have some idea of following up the fake with an attack. We've got to find him first."

"We shall." Saba was grim, and her women hastened about on her thought orders, too fast for Lane to hear or understand what she was telling them.

OW, from the projection of the terrible figure of Mexitli, a tall black-feathered giant of horrific aspect, his mouth a great, fanged cavern in his painted face, his hands holding strange instruments—from this grotesque figure from the far past of the Amerind domination of cavern life—came streamers of pale fire out upon them. Stronger and stronger grew these pale streamers of fire, and pain and heat began to drive them back from proximity to the great and growing, solid-seeming apparition.

Saba shouted to Lane.

"Do not fear or flee. If he could kill with the mech he has activated he would do so. He may cause pain and discomfort, but I doubt he can kill—or he would."

Again that terrible voice from the past flung its weird thought-pictures at us from the apparition, saying:

"One every day. Now it will be one every minute, till you flee again as before. I am not what you think. Die, dogs of Indians, die! You are not men. Your leader flees. You are shameless cowards. Flee! Flee!"

Even as Lane absorbed the abstract message and made it into words in his mind, a long streamer wrapped around Stevens from head to foot. He dropped to the floor, writhing and shrieking in agony. Lane leaped forward, seized Stevens' shoulders, dragged him back from the pale, painful fire of the rays.

They had not bothered to bind or imprison the woman Da Sylva or her companion, and in the chamber with Lane were only Saba, Stevens and two or three of the Red Legion. They had depended on the many ray beams from the ray chambers they had occupied on holding such captives. For it is impossible for a person to run away from a ray; its vast range makes the attempt somewhat like that of an ant trying to run away from a tidal wave. It just can't be done.

But with Eemeeshee fleeing in the distance, and most of the ray mech engaged in hunting for the source of the Mexitli projection, Da Sylva heaved her heavy body into one of the empty half-spheres, followed by Miro, and made the attempt anyway. They did not notice her till she was some distance down the long corridor leading to the ancient highway toward the north.

Lane sprang to the stationary ray installation in the big chamber and sent Da Sylva's own ray after her, flashed a bolt into the drive mech of the car, stopped it, smoking, dead, about a mile down the corridor. Other than that, they found no time to bother with the two women, left them trudging on foot toward the highway. They would have time later to pick them up. Meanwhile this new menace had to be dealt with.

Da Sylva found another abandoned grav-car and made good her escape—thanks to the confusion. They were to pay for their carelessness with this she-scorpion.

ABA at last traced the tenuous projection beam to its source. Lane, watching, was puzzled to find several ragged, dirty workmen in a great ray chamber, manipulating the telesolidograph expertly. Saba sent a telaug beam into the chamber asking,

"Who are you?"

In their minds the answer "Votan