Karola pressed his arm against her warm side. Her violet eyes glared in fear out of the white, lovely face. Her scarlet mouth begged, "Do not do it, Thor. I beg you. I am afraid."
"There is nothing to fear. The Discoverer sounds as if he knows what he's doing. And you do want to go back to Klogor, don't you?"
The girl flushed so that a delicate pale rose flooded her neck and cheeks. Her violet eyes were brilliant as her torrent of gold hair seemed to gather new brightness from the sun.
"I am not sure. It is a nice life, this roaming in open air, across great prairies."
Thor held her hand. "You wait. I'll be back."
He lay down. His last recollection was the feel of Karola's long nails pressing the flesh of his hand....
Thor hung bodiless in blackness. He was aware with all the five senses of him, that life teemed about and all around the blackness, that something walked and spoke and moved. Thor struggled until a dull pain pounded and throbbed all through his being.
"Patient. Be patient," counseled a gentle voice.
"Are you the Discoverer?"