Ray Palmer

“ Rok instantly deduced the cause. "The Dragon Men must be attacking Kosanna!"
Gesturing the black leader to kneel, Roya was aboard the massive back, one hand clutching to a spike for support. Elees and the men were with her and Roya's voice rang on the jungle air. "Go for Toka!"
The colossus heaved up running. Down the slope it tore with a battle roar. With a combined roaring that filled the air with deafening thunder the mass of Big Snakes swarmed in behind—all the armor-plated ones first. Through the dense jungle as though it were grass the colossal black leader tore the way. ”

“ With terrible strength and blinding speed Toka powered his mighty battle-ax in screaming drives. Again and again fangs cracked away and venom sprayed. Over and over skulls were split and brains showered wide. Reptilian bodies were cut twain and blood flew as in a rain. The terrace ran red and was slippery with warm gore.
Toka fought on with the increasing recklessness of a warrior who only wants to sell his life for the highest price! And Ophid was a crazed demon standing atop the massive balustrade and ranting for the destruction of Kosanna! ”

“ Picking up a stone lounge, Toka slammed it to the doors. The heavy lounge shattered—the doors stood impervious. Why hadn't he and Rok used their battle-axes when they had the chance!
The great doors suddenly opened and the cortege was there.
Toka's voice was a whip. "Where are my comrades!"
Alota bowed servantly. "Only the Council Of Kosanna's Old Ones may now answer Toka's divine testing."
If only these princesses were men so a man could beat a straight answer out of them! "Then take me to the Old Ones at once!" Toka strode into the Hall Of Life and followed Alota. ”

“ Ophid began moving slowly toward Roya. His hissing voice was like his eyes—impelling. "There are no warriors from your Outer World. There is no one...."
In desperation Roya upended the table and darted for the door. Only reaching out, Ophid eased the table to the floor. Roya fumbled frantically at the latch—but couldn't release it! Feeling Ophid's eyes burning over her, she whirled. Rippling sinuously, tail swaying in rhythm, Ophid was moving slowly backward.
His hissing voice was an opiate. "It is useless, fair one. You cannot resist what is to be...."
Had Toka and the others not really come! ”

“ In the concave entry of the palace, a princess with a black wand waited alone.
An odd exaltation was in her voice. "O Great Prince Toka. Welcome to your divine palace. I am Princess Alota." With a bow, she turned and led them down an immense hall. "Great Prince Toka's Hall Of Life," Alota intoned.
Beginning on the inner sides of the great entry portals, art work progressively lined the walls and the many sets of huge doors. In exquisite execution it portrayed Toka's eventful life from birth in distant Sandcliff to his latest victory—exactly as it had all occurred! ”

“ Toka was slamming open the huge entry portals.
The gonging silenced. Kosanna spread away below—deserted. Toka was alone atop the sacred stairway. Fighting being surging with terrible power, he poised with his battle-ax a whistling blur around his head. And from that down-river cavern shot Ophid—astride the neck of a monstrous dragon. Out streaked more, at least half a hundred—lines of wild Dragon Men riding each one.
Ophid's lead dragon streaked in low over the city. The swarm behind spread out and the dragons landed in the avenues. ”

“ Kolano shrugged. "For ages untold, your coming has been foreseen in the Sphere Of All Time."
"And you and the Old Ones?"
"The Old Ones were born of palace princesses and selected to study for the Council by the Old Ones of their time. I, too, am of a palace princess—and was selected by the present Old Ones to be the mother of your son."
Toka eyed her sardonically. "I don't know if the Sphere Of All Time reported this, but in my part of the Outer World we believe people should love each other first." ”

“ The ravenously screaming battle-axes of Rok and Old Ledo—of Roya and Elees—joined Toka's in this desperate finale.
But Toka's fighting heart was abruptly clutched in an icy grip as a club cracked to Roya's ax arm! She dropped her weapon. Red eyes blazing, Ophid leaped atop the black spike-back's neck and was scrambling recklessly up the viciously lashing length. Rok and Old Ledo were desperately occupied with flying monsters. Elees did not see. Yellow fangs dripping venom, Ophid was nearly to Roya now. And she dare not jump—a sea of wildly fighting Dragon Men awaited. ”

“ Toka sauntered to the quintet of white chairs at the head of the table. Each chair back bore a small but perfect likeness of the member of the "divine" party who was to sit in it.
"Aren't there any men in this palace?" Elees wondered lowly.
"Maybe the whole place is a harem," Rok posed puckishly, "just waiting for Toka."
Toka was aware of Roya instantly stiffening. Comparing her sunny blonde and creamy-tan loveliness with the titian and milk-white beauty of the Kosanna princesses, Toka failed to see why Roya should be irritated.
Alota raised her wand. ”

“ Faint and clear the answer came—a chorus of roaring.
Standing on tiptoe and straining to see, Roya felt the tingles racing through her. "See them coming!"
Far down valley, the monsters were a river of colossal power. They were in many colorings and mottlings, in many forms and sizes—all tearing for this butte. Great trees were mown down like blades of grass before the powerfully racing leaders. Swamps and rivers were as nothing. There was no stopping them—no slowing them. They had heard their human master needed them! ”

“ Toka leaped to the altar and strode for the edge. The gonging and choraling was so tremendous that the very stonework vibrated underfoot.
With a gaze of coming passion, Kolano turned. "O Great Prince Toka—it is the moment." ”

“ Roya fought to control her terror. "My friend and I are not of Kosanna! Release us or our people shall destroy you!"
The King of the Dragon Men only reached for her. Roya ducked and leaped. Ophid's claws grazed her back, then she was past him and the door yawned ahead. But with blinding swiftness Ophid's tail whipped around Roya's ankle and crashed her to the floor. Then his sinuous arms wrapped about her and he was carrying her away through the eddying haze and stench to a door above which was sculptured a spiked collar. Two dragons were coiled on guard beside the door.
"Toka!" ”

“ The cortege forming the entire party marched for the Hall Of Life—where the final victory over the hordes of Ophid was portrayed in huge scenes. But there remained space there still for many more scenes.
Going down the sacred stairway, Toka glanced to Kolano. "How about the hordes of Ophid?"
"There are no men of Ophid or dragons left alive," Kolano assured. ”

“ The Old Ones' silvery eyes on him, Toka heard Kolano's contralto echo in the vast court. "As divinely ordained, Great Prince Toka shall listen."
Though he strained mightily, he could not do otherwise.
"When the Dragon Women bore only males and so became extinct," Kolano's contralto echoed calmly, "the men of Ophid exacted tribute from Kosanna. Yet Kosanna girls gave birth only to Dragon Men. Thus, even though Kosanna grows ever less, ten girls still are sacrificed each night—lest Ophid come and destroy all Kosanna and take all our girls." ”

“ But no immobility held him—only desire to get his great battle weapons and go for Roya!
"... Place your rings! Place your rings!..."
Where was his ax and knife!
"... On the other's finger! On the other's finger!..."
Toka thrust his ring on Kolano's marriage finger and received her brilliant band.
"... You are one! You are one!..." The Old Ones paused. "It is done!"
At once all Kosanna was gonging and choraling to the heights of joy. The air beat with it. The stone trembled with it. Rok and Old Ledo were muttering savagely. Kolano was trying to embrace Toka. ”

“ Down into a vast red pit of stalagmites and stalactites, of yellow steam and slimy green moss hangings, the way led. And each dragon placed its prize in a green cage, latched the door, then flapped away into a great den of their own. ”

“ The way led on across the square and to a great white-and-gold stairway that rose away to an immense domed palace. All choraling abruptly ceased and the bearers gently lowered the palanquins. Toka and party stepped out.
The old patriarch assumed a ceremonial pose. "O Great Prince Toka. No farther may we lowly ones travel." He bowed to the girl with the wand. "May you and the Princess Wanda now ascend to your divinely ordained tasks."
Aware of Roya's sarcastically raised eyebrow, Toka played on. "Lead up, good Princess Wanda."
Halfway up the long stairway, Rok frowned. ”

“ Toka scarcely noted another pair of scenes—one showing him and his party asleep last night, the other portraying his quarters awry and him whaling that lounge against the doors.
Alota was touching her wand to a pair of great doors on her left, to reveal a golden stairway leading up in a broad spiral. Alert, Toka leaped up the long spiral to a pair of gigantic black doors. They swung away and Toka stepped through. He was on a broad black terrace that circled a vast court. A golden light diffused through the domed roof. ”

“ At that moment the main portals swung in for the cortege to clear away the dining service.
As the portals swung shut again, Toka glanced cynically at Kolano. "Everybody knows just when to come and go." ”

“ Roya raised the next finger and pointed to Old Ledo. The next finger was Rok, the next Roya herself. Each time the intently watching Big Snake understood. Roya raised her thumb. The Big Snake whined plaintively. Roya pointed in the direction of the underground river and sang a snatch of the choral that had enticed them in there. The Big Snake frowned.
Roya held up her right hand and raised and lowered those fingers again and again and gestured that hand toward the underground area. Then she gripped her right hand, representing Kosanna, around her left thumb, representing Toka. ”