She held the piece of crystal in her hand!
With an expression of triumph upon her beautiful face, she held out her arms and approached Leo.
But she never reached him. A figure bounded forward with the swiftness of an enraged panther; a blade flashed in the air, and the would-be bride fell to the stone floor, the blood spurting from a wound in her left side.
It was Azurma who had committed the deed, and with flashing eyes and heaving breast she drew herself to her full height.
“Thus I have broken the laws of Hez!” she exclaimed, in a dramatic tone. “Do with me what you will, O queen!”
It had all happened so quickly that our friends were utterly astounded, and before they could fully comprehend what had taken place, Azurma was seized and bound, and conducted from the building.
And the girl who had proven so unfortunate in picking out the crystal—she never spoke again. The blade had severed her heart in twain, and the beautiful Azurma was a murderess!
Leo turned sick at heart when he realized that he was the cause of the tragedy, and he leaned against the wall in a dazed condition.
“Remove the body!”
It was Queen Olive who spoke.