The aged Martian whirled with amazing agility. Jim saw the look of
incredulity that leaped into his eyes. Bhruulo leaned heavily forward,
his two hands gnarling about his cane. Then his lips quirked into a
toothless smile, and he started to say something.
That was to throw Jim off guard. Simultaneous with his speech he lifted
his hands lightning-like, and the cane levelled. But Jim was expecting
that. With a single sinuous movement his pistol was in his hand, its
bluish beam was pencilling out. It caught Bhruulo squarely in the
chest before he could press the button on his own weapon. He staggered
forward, his cane-weapon sagged; he tried to level it again but could
not. Still he staggered forward, hatred mingled with horror in his
eyes. With amazing strength his spindly legs carried him across the
room, as he mouthed unintelligible Martian words.
[Illustration: The electronic beam caught Bhruulo squarely in his chest.]
Jim fell back a step. He hoped Bhruulo would not find strength in his
arms. Would that damned Martian never die? Jim knew his beam had bored
a hole clear through the creature's chest; he could see the blackish
blood oozing from it. Jim felt a cold horror gnawing at the pit of his
stomach even as he aimed carefully and the electro-beam flashed out
three more times. He saw three more holes rake across the Martian's
chest.
Bhruulo fell with a crash right at Jim's feet, and the cane clattered
from his fingers. Even the mask of death could not erase the hate from
those ebon eyes as Bhruulo stared lifelessly up at him.
Jim shuddered once, then reached out with his foot and turned Bhruulo
over so that he lay face downward.
* * * * *
He was aware of Kaarji standing beside him, and Kaarji saying quickly,
tensely: "Jim Landor! You remember when I said that this time I should
not return from the Polar wastes? This is what I meant, I know now what
I must do. But you must hurry, get back and tell the other men, or none
of you will ever leave M'Tonak!"
Jim stared at him uncomprehendingly, trying to listen at the same time
to Kaarji and to the jubilant voice of the Dim-Ing that was surging in
him again.
"Kaarji--what do you mean?"
"I mean, Jim Landor, that I know the intentions of the Dim-Ing! I know
at last what has happened to my race and what might happen to Earth.
But it shall not happen!"
Kaarji leaped toward the glassite cage at the foot of the electronic
tower. In a few strides he was there, had hurled himself within it and
barred the door behind him. His eyes were glowing and purposeful, as he
stared out at Jim who came running.
"You had better hurry, Jim Landor, and warn the others. Do not try to
stop me, for I have a feeling this cage is impregnable. In a very short
time I can wreck these controls, the electronic zones will cease and
the entire cavern roof will collapse under the pressure of millions of
tons! Get back to the others and escape from M'Tonak."
He turned deliberately and examined the controls banked around him. He
reached to his pouch of _tsith_ stems, and placed a few of them in his
mouth before he continued.
"I suggest you try to distract the Dim-Ing's thought as much as
possible, so it won't center on me here. I will try to hold out for
half an hour at least, longer if possible. But hurry!"
Conflicting emotions swept across Jim like a flood, but were beaten
down by the cold realization that Kaarji intended to carry this thing
through without compromise. The Martian would destroy all of M'Tonak,
including the Dim-Ing and himself, in an endeavor to save Earth from
the thing that had happened so subtly on Mars.
Jim whirled, started to race away but turned back. "All right, Kaarji.
Thanks seems a pretty feeble word for what you are doing, but if I get
back to Earth I shall see that you are never forgotten for this. Now
give me the rest of those _tsith_ stems--I have an idea!"
Without question Kaarji opened the glassite door, and tossed out the
pouch of stems. Jim snatched it up and raced away without a backward
glance. He hurried from the room and up the stone stairs to the
corridors again.
* * * * *
There the Dim-Ing's power struck more forcefully into his mind. It
seemed somehow diabolically gleeful now. But Jim hurried on, hurried
_toward_ the evil entity. Finally he stood at the foot of the towering
well, and saw the spinning globular shape descend upon its coalescing
pillar of light.
"You did it well," the thought came flashing. "You kept your promise.
The thing I have dreamed of for ages has happened, Bhruulo is out
of my way and I have a free hand! Yes, Earthman, now I see in your
mind everything that Bhruulo told you. There are other Earthmen here,
completing a huge ship by which to go back to your planet. _That_ is
what Bhruulo was counting on, _that_ is what he would not tell me. He
had planned to take me to Earth and there keep me under his control,
as he has here. But now that you have so kindly removed Bhruulo, I can
do this by myself! I need only wait until the men have completed their
ship, then blast their minds to annihilation!"
This Dim-Ing was the ultimate evil, not Bhruulo! Jim had known it
all along, and now he realized how he had played into its hands!
A momentary panic seized him. He could picture the thing landing
the spaceship on Earth's northern or southern polar ice, or in the
unexplored depths of Brazilian jungle. Hidden from the sight and
knowledge of men for years, it would carry on the subtle destruction of
Earthian minds as it had Martian; and now, unhampered by Bhruulo, it
would grow in size and potency until who could say what the end would
be! Perhaps there would be no end; there were other planets besides
Mars and Earth....
"Thank you, Earthman, that is a thought I will remember. But your
mental pictures of the terrain of Earth were rather vague. Show me more
clearly."
Jim felt the agonizing mental fingers tearing the tissues of his brain
apart.
At the base of the well he saw the obscure little door Bhruulo had
opened to manipulate the pale, pencilling beams. Instantly, Jim was
on his knees, had wrenched it open. He did not try to work the beams,
knowing the Dim-Ing could have stopped him in an instant; he merely
tossed the pouch of _tsith_ stems out into the center floor of the
well, and rose quickly.
"There's an offering for you! I kept my promise and killed Bhruulo, now
you keep yours and let me go!"
The entity had made no such promise and Jim knew it. But he whirled and
raced down the corridor unheeded. It was only the element of surprise
that would carry him through now, surprise and utter wildness. He even
laughed wildly aloud as he ran on. And nothing stopped him!
Nothing stopped him until he was halfway to the outer door leading to
the street. Then he felt a terrific impact, he stumbled, fell to his
knees and toppled forward on his face. He arose against a tremendous
physical pressure and staggered on. Again he felt that impact, as he
was battered against the marble corridor walls. But with a fierce
tenacity he kept his feet, and kept going.
He reached the street. His legs were heavy as if he were fighting
against a hundred gravities. He felt that the Dim-Ing was merely toying
with him, as a cat with a mouse. As Jim hurried on, or tried to hurry,
to the place where he would find Conley and Spurlin and the score of
other men, he knew that one man could not hope to stand against that
awful power. But perhaps many men, in perfect mental accord....
Again he felt the strange, fierce tingling in every fiber of his being
until he thought he was walking in a sluggish sea of fire. It seemed
hours later when he reached the familiar building and hurried along the
metal-lined tunnel where the Dim-Ing's radiations seemed a little less
intense. It was with a feeling of profound gratitude that he pushed
through a final door, and sank down into a soothing oblivion. But not
before he glimpsed many men rushing toward him, with surprised shouts.
Among them he saw Conley.