Janus whirled to the window. A louder sound came swelling up from the tiny savages below as they caught sight of him.
"Shut up, we haven't got your damned Shining Stone! I wish V'Naric would tell 'em so," he added, coming away. "Sounds like they want our blood!"
Devries had a better idea of what they wanted, but he kept still. They hadn't long to wait. V'Naric came. He left some of his men outside, shut off the electrical barrier and stepped into the room and turned it on again. He held his flame-pistol ready in his hand.
"I am indeed sorry to have kept you waiting," he said with over-emphasized politeness, "but I had to consult with the Lahk-tzor as to your disposal. He has waited long. He is anxious to begin."
"And who might he be?" asked Janus, glaring.
V'Naric turned serious black eyes upon him. "Lahk-tzor," he said, obviously seeking the right term, "is our word for what you Earthmen might call the Greatest One, or the Ultimate—or more laterally, perhaps, the Brain."
"The Brain, eh?" Ketrik spoke up scornfully. "Well, if this Brain of yours has half the sense it was born with, it'll think twice before—"
V'Naric turned on him with suddenly angry eyes, and Janus intervened quickly: "Just what is this Brain, or Lahk-tzor? And if he's in authority here, why don't you take us to him?"
"That is not necessary. He is interested in you, but very impersonally." V'Naric's voice was cold. "I have been instructed to allow you to choose among yourselves who will be the One."