The chop plopped into the river. The water churned violently--and
calmed. The fish had devoured the chop almost instantly! The river was
swarming with the vicious creatures now. And the raft was moving faster
than the river--a school of the fish adhering to the craft and driving
it!
As Toka swiftly used the sweep, Rok and Old Ledo thrust their poles
as brakes. But the water roiled violently and in instants the fish
shredded sweep and poles off at the water line. Above the party's heads
the choraling slowly rose in volume. As the raft rounded a huge bend,
Toka felt his nerves tighten.
The luminous cavern and its river straightened and flowed between
colossal green pillars set close together from wall to wall and from
roof down into the river. The raft was only twenty paces from the
colossal grill and being driven inexorably toward it. The choraling of
Toka's name came through even clearer....
"Look!" Roya exclaimed.
* * * * *
Rising silently, the massive columns hung from the roof like green
fangs. The fish drove the raft on, and the columns descended with
a watery whisper. The cavern widened. From the right bank, fields
and forests stretched away. On the left bank was a city of spheroid
structure. Massed along the banks and bridges, the choralers were
human, their green attire but scantily adequate, their titian hair worn
in a loop between the shoulders.
The raft scraped gently against a wharf and Toka led his party ashore.
As the patriarchal dignitaries stepped forward, Toka noted another
universal characteristic--all these strange people had pale silvery
eyes.
But Roya was startled by something else. "Toka! Those figurines on
their necklaces are perfect likenesses of you!"
The oldest patriarch was reverent. "Yes, fair Roya. All Kosanna wears
Great Prince Toka's divine likeness."
Toka glanced a warning to his startled comrades--_accept this situation
and play along_.
"Great Prince Toka," the patriarch bid. "Your palanquins await your
divine pleasure."
Toka lounged into the one bearing his likeness on its sides. Roya and
the others occupied the rest. The procession wound through the city,
into a great square packed with choraling Kosannans and toward a
colossal statue that was Toka, even to his royally engraved weapons!
On the great white altar base black braziers were being lit by
beautiful girls. As the procession came beside the altar, a girl
with a jeweled wand stepped down to march on the right side of
Toka's palanquin. The way led on across the square and to a great
white-and-gold stairway that rose away to an immense domed palace.
All choraling abruptly ceased and the bearers gently lowered the
palanquins. Toka and party stepped out.
The old patriarch assumed a ceremonial pose. "O Great Prince Toka. No
farther may we lowly ones travel." He bowed to the girl with the wand.
"May you and the Princess Wanda now ascend to your divinely ordained
tasks."
Aware of Roya's sarcastically raised eyebrow, Toka played on. "Lead up,
good Princess Wanda."