The Snake Mother by Merritt Abraham

Author:Merritt, Abraham [Merritt, Abraham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: NewBook, Fantasy, Pulp
Publisher: Fantastic Novels
Published: 1940-11-06T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XV

THE ARENA OF THE DINOSAURS

THE floor of the arena was an immense oval about three hundred feet across, a half mile in length, and covered with smooth yellow sand. Around this oval ran a wall of polished, jade-green stone four times the height of a tall man. There were grated openings in it here and there, a few of them much larger than that through which Graydon peered. Beyond the wall, tier upon tier of stone seats stretched back to the amphitheater’s rim a hundred and fifty feet high. Here gay banners streamed. Within the greater oval was a smaller one, made of a thick four-foot wall; the two made a track about fifty feet wide.

Almost directly opposite Graydon was a wide section thronged with the YuAtlanchans. Slender green-lacquered pillars arose from it, supporting silken awnings. It was like a gigantic flower garden with the gay and vivid hues of the women’s garments blossoming out of the dominant green which evidently was Lantlu’s chosen color.

Bordering this inclosure of the nobles was a double file of the green-kilted Emers bearing javelins and bows; then came a wide and empty area of the seats, another double file of the soldiers, and beyond them thousands of the Indians arrayed in holiday dress.

And beyond them stretched tier upon tier, untenanted — mute witnesses to the dwindling numbers of the ancient people.

In the curiously clear air, distances were foreshortened. At the very front he saw Lantlu, surrounded by a group of laughing nobles. Who was the woman beside him? Not Suarra — surely not Suarra!

Dorina!

Even as he recognized her, he heard Regor cursing, knew he, too, had seen her.

But Dorina was not laughing with the others. She sat, chin on clenched hands, looking somberly across the arena, staring straight at where they hid, as though — as though she watched them! Graydon drew back in hasty confusion.

“Will that weapon of yours reach her?” Regor’s face was black with hate.

“Easily — but I’d rather try it on Lantlu,” answered Graydon.

“No — neither of them. Not now.” He shook his head, recovering his control. ‘It would bring us no closer to Huon. But that rotting daughter of a carrion eater, that buala — to come to watch him die!”

“Well, she doesn’t seem very happy about it,” said Graydon.

Regor groaned, began searching around the sides of the grating for its fastenings. “We must get this open,” he grumbled. “Get Huon to us when they let him out… . Where’s the cursed lock? Then we can run back to the tunnel and get away by that other door… . Better send Kon to carry him back… . No, Kon can run faster than any of us, but not faster than the arrows … they’d fill him with them before he was halfway there … No, well have to wait … by the Seven … ah, there it is!”

There was the sound of bolts slipping. He tried the door. It was open. Twice they locked and unlocked it, and

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