VI

Dawn broke gray and red in the east and grew to gold as the new sun

soared free. But Roya's anxious eyes only stared away into the west.

"Hear it!" Rok cried suddenly.

It was like the rolling, rolling, rolling of distant thunder coming,

steadily out of the west. The big slick-skin whipped its huge head

aloft to blast a mighty roar down the valley. Faint and clear the

answer came--a chorus of roaring.

Standing on tiptoe and straining to see, Roya felt the tingles racing

through her. "See them coming!"

Far down valley, the monsters were a river of colossal power. They were

in many colorings and mottlings, in many forms and sizes--all tearing

for this butte. Great trees were mown down like blades of grass before

the powerfully racing leaders. Swamps and rivers were as nothing. There

was no stopping them--no slowing them. They had heard their human

master needed them! They were coming--to the last one!

And now the thundering of their swift coming filled the air and shook

the very earth till a person could scarcely stand erect. It swayed the

mightiest trees as in a gale. The roaring for battle slammed into the

sense, took the breath and beat upon the body. And the grassy butte

was swarming with the terrible colossi. Towering above Roya, a mighty

armor-plated spike-back rumbled for directions.

Gesturing to the big slick-skin she had been carefully educating during

the night, Roya pointed to the black-back and worked her mouth as if

talking. The slick-skin began rumbling to the black leader. Instantly

facing his impatient fellows massed on the slopes, the black spike-back

reared up and began gesturing his huge forelimbs as he roared at them.

Anger mounting even higher, the Big Snakes roared to be off for Toka.

At that moment a frantic gonging came faint but clear from the

direction of the entrance to Kosanna. Rok instantly deduced the cause.

"The Dragon Men must be attacking Kosanna!"

Gesturing the black leader to kneel, Roya was aboard the massive back,

one hand clutching to a spike for support. Elees and the men were with

her and Roya's voice rang on the jungle air. "Go for Toka!"

The colossus heaved up running. Down the slope it tore with a battle

roar. With a combined roaring that filled the air with deafening

thunder the mass of Big Snakes swarmed in behind--all the armor-plated

ones first. Through the dense jungle as though it were grass the

colossal black leader tore the way. He burst clear and shot across the

Big Brown in a geysering spray to plunge into the luminous cavern.

The angrily roaring monster's huge head was stretched out low over the

deep water--and Roya saw the vicious fish were not present! But the

armored monster, as did the others close behind, beat the water to

colored foam.

The monstrous spike-back raced around another bend and tore for that

grill of green columns--but that massive structure was drawn into the

vaulted roof! There was nothing to impede the way!

"Listen to the sounds from Kosanna!" Elees cried.

"The fight's on!" Rok yelled in helpless anxiety.

"Oh, Toka!" Roya prayed.

"Here we come!" Old Ledo chanted.

The cavern opened into Kosanna. The angrily roaring spike-back burst

clear and the wild battling spread away in all its detail.

Roya's heart was in her cry. "There's Toka--fighting in the palace

entry!"

With a roaring that blasted through the wild din of battle the black

colossus was already tearing for Toka. The mass of following Big Snakes

swept into the city with a vengeance.

* * * * *

Screaming Dragon Men and their hissing and rattling monsters were a

flood trying to down Toka by sheer weight of numbers. The insane Ophid

stood on the massive balustrade and urged his crazed subjects on. Toka

stood in the concavity of the palace entry and drove his battle-ax

with blinding speed. Jagged clubs were as little deterrent to his

mighty weapon as were the slimy bodies of the frothing monstrosities

that wielded them. But on they and their huge dragons came. And in but

another moment....

A mighty roaring suddenly cut through the battle din. Toka spared an

instant's glance. The familiar black bulk of an armor-plated Big Snake

burst from the up-river cavern and tore into Kosanna!

Perched gracefully atop that spiked back was Roya!

Rok and the others were with her--battle-axes swinging. More Big Snakes

thundered into Kosanna--more--roaring viciously and already battling

the hordes of Ophid.

But Roya was coming--leading the attack! She still loved him! The

exultation surged through Toka. And to his superb strength and speed

was added this toxin to drive him to greater fury of a different nature.

Down in Kosanna, Ophid's men and dragons were locked in raging battle

with the colossal Big Snakes. Those jagged clubs were as nothing. But

those long yellow fangs of Ophid's men and their dragons--the venom

they injected as they bit home on unarmored Big Snake anatomy! The

ferociously fighting slick-skins dropped in their tracks and sprawled

in utter limpness--then immediately began bloating till their colossal

bodies burst in a gory explosion!

But the viciously battling armor-plates were impervious to those

striking fangs. They trampled Ophid's men and slammed them to lifeless

smears. They caught the flying dragons and ripped the writhing, hissing

and striking things to shreds.

The terrace began heaving violently beneath Toka's feet and the

colossal black leader with Roya aboard loomed up and exploded into this

insane melee. Dragon Men and flying monsters and colossal armor-plated

heads and tails whirled in wild battle. The ravenously screaming

battle-axes of Rok and Old Ledo--of Roya and Elees--joined Toka's in

this desperate finale.

But Toka's fighting heart was abruptly clutched in an icy grip as

a club cracked to Roya's ax arm! She dropped her weapon. Red eyes

blazing, Ophid leaped atop the black spike-back's neck and was

scrambling recklessly up the viciously lashing length. Rok and Old Ledo

were desperately occupied with flying monsters. Elees did not see.

Yellow fangs dripping venom, Ophid was nearly to Roya now. And she dare

not jump--a sea of wildly fighting Dragon Men awaited.

With a fervent prayer Toka snatched at his waist. His arm whipped and

his great battle knife streaked away.

[Illustration: _With a fervent prayer Toka snatched at his great battle

knife._]

But that moment had its price--a pair of fangs sank into Toka's leg.

Even as his ravenous knife blade sang through the Dragon Man's neck

Toka's senses reeled. His last memory was of Roya screaming, "Toka!"

* * * * *

Toka's mind fought harder and slowly made his weary body come alive,

made it want to struggle back there--to Roya. The blackness slowly fell

away and Toka looked up into Roya's deep blue eyes. Her lips were warm

and sweet.

"Brother!" Rok was observing fervently. "Was that close!"

"One less berry," Old Ledo reflected sagely, "and that venom would have

been too much." Indeed, the black fruit had once again demonstrated its

healing power.

"No Roya and there would be no anything now," Elees was pointing evenly.

"The Sphere Of All Time," Kolano was assuring easily, "is never wrong."

As Roya drew up from him, Toka sat up. He was on the bed in the bridal

suite. The gore-spattered Roya and Elees, Rok and Old Ledo, the sheerly

clad Kolano and the black-robed Old Ones, were all circled about him.

Roya faced Kolano. "I don't know whether your Sphere Of All Time is

ever wrong or not, but I know your marriage to Toka is not honest." She

held her battle-ax ready.

Kolano smiled softly. "And so, Roya, you will kill me if you can--to

free your Toka."

Kolano's knowledge momentarily disconcerted Roya--and Toka.

"But I am freeing Toka." Kolano mused in intimate memory. "Now that the

element of Toka is in me."

Touching a chair for support, Roya stared starkly at Toka.

Toka leaped from the bed and drilled his angry gaze at Kolano. "That

isn't true and you know it!"

"Toka, Roya--please," Kolano smiled. "It is true--but not the way you

think."

"I think," Toka warned levelly, "we'd better have a few explanations."

"When Toka and I kissed last night," Kolano explained sincerely, "his

spirit--the spirit of a mighty warrior of the Outer World--mingled with

my spirit and left something of that warrior spirit in me." She gazed

frankly at Roya. "And that is all it was--purely spiritual."

Toka met Roya's relieved gaze.

"So," Kolano continued quietly, "when I next wed one of the men of

Kosanna--one who found the spirit to do battle against the hordes of

Ophid--our sons shall be worthy of becoming Kosanna's new leaders."