"I am Princess Maida——"
Georg whispered to us: "Hereditary ruler of the Central State——"
I nodded. "Watch, Georg——"
"Prisoner——" came next: "Like yourselves, and we must escape."
She paused a moment, letting her arms drop to her sides, shaking the glorious waves of her white hair with a toss of her head. Then, at a gesture from Georg that he understood, she began again:
"Escape tonight——"
I half expected that any moment Tarrano or one of his men would burst in to stop this. But the signals continued.
"I am sending you a friend—tonight—soon—he will come to you. With plans for our escape. A good friend——"
Her tower abruptly went dark. Cautiously I gazed down from our balcony. Argo had appeared on the spider bridge; he was pacing back and forth. Did he suspect anything? We could not tell, but it seemed not. It was the midnight hour; a brilliant white flash swept the city to mark it.
In a low corner of the balcony, behind the glow of our barrage, we crouched together, whispering excitedly. But cautiously, for we knew that the microphonic ears of a jailor might be upon us. The Princess Maida—here in Tarrano's hands! She was sending us a friend—tonight—soon; a friend who would help us all to escape.