Presently there was a rapid tramp of many feet, an excited babel of voices entering the Council House. Into the lighted rooms came Lana Cain, and with her were old Stilicho, Brun Abe, the Jovian captain, and the waddling, gloating green-faced Uranian, Jenk Cheerly.
With them came four pirates who held atom-pistols against the backs of Gunner Welk and Sual Av. Gunner's clothing was torn, his temple bleeding from a wound, his cold blue eyes like icy flames. Sual Av's ugly face was taut and watchful.
"They'd never have got us, John,” rumbled the big Mercurian as they entered, “if they hadn't jumped us from behind."
"It's all my fault,” Thorn said bitterly.
Lana Cain was looking at Thorn. The girl's face was white and stunned, her blue eyes wide and unbelieving. Then as her gaze swung from Thorn's face to the rifled papers on the floor, her expression changed to one of flaming wrath.
"It's true, then,” she whispered throbbingly to Thorn. “You are a traitor to the Companions, a paltry thief trying to steal my secrets. And I know. what you were after!” she flared. “The secret of Erebus. Because I wouldn't tell it to you, you slipped in here, trying to steal it."
"Lana, listen—” Thorn began with desperate earnestness.
Lana cut him off with a stinging slap across the face. The space dog Ool jumped forward, great eyes blazing.
"All the time you were listening to my plans, pretending sympathy, you were only thinking of how you could get that secret from me!” flamed Lana. “I wouldn't tell it to you, because I didn't want you or anybody else to go to that terrible world. I almost wish now that I'd told you, that I'd let you go blundering out to Erebus to meet the horrible fate you'd meet there!"
"What are we waiting for? Why don't we blast these dogs down now?” demanded Brun Abo, the scarred-faced Jovian.