CHAPTER XXII

"_Vengeance of Togaro!_"

To Dianne, and to the guard in the doorway, I was a figure an inch or so in height, plainly to be seen if I moved too fast, or left the shadows of the floor. But I did neither. I reached Dianne safely, though it took me a long time.

I circled behind her. I climbed upon the heights of the cushion, I touched her robe. Did I dare pluck at it? I thought I might perhaps attract her attention.

I took another ten minutes, or it may have been half an hour, climbing along the cushion to its other side. And presently her hand, as she idly moved it, came to rest quite near me. I looked up and saw that her face was turned my way.

I decided to chance it. I darted forward and stood against the curve of her wrist. She felt me. Her instinctive movement of the hand knocked me over, but I fell into the soft billows of the cushion. I lay quiet, praying that she might not cry out.

She recognized me! She made no sound, did not even move. But near me one of her fingers was gently swaying.

I held myself motionless, waiting. In a moment I could feel her turning cautiously, so that her robe might hide me from the guard's view.

A fold of the robe presently came over me like a great golden curtain. Her finger, larger than my body, came carefully feeling for me. I reached for it. Clung to it. It pulled me as it slowly shifted away. And then her thumb came near. I was carefully lifted, carried with a gentle swoop through the air and set down twenty feet away.

A deep shadow was here; I was near the back wall of the cabin. I knew Dianne wanted me to stand quiet; knew that she was planning how we might communicate. Her voice sounded as she spoke to the guard. Their native language--I could not understand it, but quite evidently she was telling him that she was tired, for presently she lay prone, with her head on the cushion.

Her face was turned toward me, and away from the guard. She had made our opportunity. I ran forward. The guard could have seen me then, but he did not, and in a moment Dianne's head was between me and him. I climbed again upon the cushion. I stood beside Dianne's face. Her ear was near me.

"Dianne!"

Her lips moved, whispering, "Yes, Frank!"

"Dianne--I came, riding Togaro. I have the drugs."

"Be very careful, Frank."

I had no conscious plan. I was unarmed now--I had dropped my weapon in the cabin of the other ship when I leaped for Togaro's waist. But there must be some way of getting Dianne out of this room, out of the ship, back to Drake.

"Dianne, do you think if I could get larger and surprise this guard that we could get out?" She had seen more of our surroundings than I.

"No!" She was plainly agitated, but she held herself quiet, just her lips moving in the faintest of whispers. "No! Don't get larger--not now! The passage is full of men--they're loading the ship. We'll be starting soon, Frank, you can escape! Go! Go now--get back to Drake."

"No," I murmured. "Dianne, then you must get small."

"Frank! Run!"

Togaro had returned! I leaped from the cushion and hid near by.

An hour passed. I think it must have been that long. Togaro was talking with Dianne. They spoke in English. He was very gentle with her. He told her they were almost ready to start; told her with triumph that his expedition was larger and in better shape than he had expected.

Dianne knew that father was guarding the rock fragment, and that all these thousands of Togarites could never escape into our earth-world. Togaro knew that also. But he ignored it. Had he a plan perhaps to get his hordes out of the rock?

Dianne was apparently very docile; but I could hear how cautious she was in all she said.

The sounds of the embarkation were constantly audible. Togaro said at last, "I think we are ready."

He went to the door and spoke to the guard. Dianne seized the opportunity to flash me a warning glance.

Togaro came back. "I've ordered the start."

The familiar shock came as the size-changing current suffused the ship. It began enlarging. Togaro took Dianne to the window.

"Stand here, little sweet one."

His tone made me shudder. His arm went around her shoulders. I could see her shrink with repulsion and fear.

"Togaro--"

At once he withdrew his arm. Strange scoundrel! He knew how to handle this girl--or thought he did. He said,

"My silly little Dianne--you almost love me!" He was quizzically ironical. "Almost, but not quite! But that--all in good time I will correct it. Just now we have more important things to worry us."

"Yes," she murmured. "Togaro, you are hurting me."

"Hurting you? I am not touching you!"

"Hurting me--with your threat against my world."

"How strange a way to say it! Hurting you! Which world do you mean I threaten? Why, Dianne, I threaten all worlds!"

He said it boastfully, but with complete irony. "You know that, Dianne. I am as you once told me, the great heartless fiend. The incarnate devil--is that the way you say it in English? The heartless, murderous Togaro. Ah, but not concerning you, little Dianne. My heart is very full of love for you."

She surprised me, and him equally, by retorting vehemently,

"That is a lie! You love yourself--you are in love with your own dream of conquest. Not in love with me! Filled with desire for me? Not very much, Togaro! Enough to make you want to hold me here, amuse yourself with dallying--because you think you are a very great lover. But your greatest desire is to murder! To kill! To destroy your fellow creatures--and you ask me to try to love you."

He put his arm around her again, but she flung him away. He laughed.

"Masterful little woman--a fit mate for Togaro, master of the earth. Would you not say it so, Dianne? You have used all your words and have none left? But if you will not talk, at least you will stand here with me and look out of the window. See, we have come above the island trees now."

They stood silent, gazing. From down by the floor I could see nothing. Then along the wall I noticed where a translucent pane came to the floor to join a floor window. It was dark over there. I ran; and found a jutting edge of casement around which I could peer and see out. It occurred to me that with Togaro and Dianne absorbed, with their backs to the cabin, I might now get large. But the guard had not relaxed.

I stared through the window. We were a gigantic ship now. Our growth was spreading us over the island. I gazed down from a height at the small island trees; they were being mashed beneath us as we grew. The island's hill was near by; we shoved our way at it.

The island was dwindling beneath us. Then Togaro called an order. I could hear the echoes of it being relayed to the control room. The ship lifted; moved away from the tiny island, and settled on the water. I saw on the island some of Togaro's men growing to giants.

The red light of dawn was in the sky. It was the scene Drake, Ahlma and Alt were witnessing as they stood by the palace. Our size-changing current went off. We lay, a monstrous vehicle, with shallow water all around us, and a tiny green island near by.

I heard Togaro say:

"We are not floating, Dianne. See, the water is so shallow, we are grounded upon the bottom. The curve of this little earth is already apparent beneath us--the ends of our ship are in the air."

"Togaro!" His words, the implication of which escaped me then, brought a horror to her. "Togaro, we will depart without getting larger?"

He did not answer, he merely laughed and said, "Wait and see, Dianne. Look now; my loyal followers are arriving."

The giants, clustered with their tiny human freight, came wading. They stood in the lashed blood-red waters; then came aboard.

The ship resounded with the turmoil of their arrival. They thronged the corridors; their tiny human burdens were taken from them and herded like ants into the various cabins. One of the giants, still littered, came to our door and spoke to Togaro. I saw him as a fellow about Togaro's own height. The people he was carrying were as small as I now was myself. He presently turned and went away.

The embarkation proceeded. For ten minutes or so, Togaro left Dianne and went outside. He commanded her to stay by the window; and with the guard doubly watchful, she obeyed.

Nor did I move. I saw Togaro outside, standing in the water. His figure grew so monstrous beside the ship that only the lower part of his legs was visible. He was searching the horizon, no doubt, to make sure that no more of his men were coming. Then, after a moment, he was dwindling. He came aboard in his former size.

"All are aboard, little Dianne. We are ready to make the final start."

She said, with a frightened hush to her voice: "Start away in space, Togaro?"

"No!" he said grimly. "We shall stay here, Dianne, resting upon the curve of your little world--and grow a little larger. Why not?"

She could find no words. He added, "We're leaving this world Mita forever, Dianne."

She burst out, with more anger than horror this time--but I knew it was a pretended anger, and that horror was sweeping her. "Why not, indeed! Bring death here to no purpose--why not?"

"I'll tell you," he said: "I would have ruled your world, with you as my queen. Your people would not have me. Rejected me--made me an outcast. Now they shall pay for it!"

He said it with a horrible, calm grimness. "Pay for it, Dianne, by dying! Death at the hand of Togaro. Vengeance of Togaro. Ten million people die, because Togaro is angry!"

It struck her silent; she stood white and silent and helpless beside him. And as though Fate were determined to keep me helpless also, the guard at the door stood with renewed alertness, his gaze searching the room.