He looked haggardly at Gordon and Lianna. “All this treachery has already shaken the Empire. And the southern star-kingdoms are wavering. Their envoys have requested urgent audience with me tonight, and I fear they mean to throw off their alliance with the Empire!”

Chapter XXIII. The Secret of the Empire

GORDON suddenly noticed that Lianna's slim figure was sagging with weariness. He uttered an exclamation of self-reproach.

“Lianna, you must be half dead after all you've been through.”

Lianna tried to smile. “I'll admit that I won't be sorry to rest.”

“Captain Burrel will see you to your apartments, Lianna,” said Jhal, Arn. “I want Zarth to be here with me when the star-kingdom envoys come, to impress on them that our royal house is again united.”

He added to Hull Burrel and Val Marlann, “You two and all your men are completely cleared of the mutiny charge, of course. I'm your debtor for life for helping to expose Corbulo and save my brother.”

When they had escorted Lianna out, Gordon sank tiredly into a chair. He was still feeling reaction after the long strain.

“Zarth, I'd rather let you rest too but you know how vital it is to hold the star-kingdoms when this crisis is deepening,” Jhal said. “Curse that black devil, Shorr Kan.”

A servant brought saqua and the fiery liquor cleared Gordon's numbed mind and brought strength back into his weary body.

Presently a chamberlain opened the door of the room, bowing low.

“The ambassadors of the Kingdoms of Polaris, of Cygnus, of Perseus and of Cassiopeia, and of the Baronies of Hercules Cluster.”

The envoys, in full dress uniforms, stopped in amazement when they saw Gordon standing beside Jhal Arn.

“Prince Zarth!” said the chubby Hercules envoy. “But we thought…”

“My brother has been completely cleared and the real traitors have been apprehended,” Jhal informed them. “It will be publicly announced within the hour.”

His eyes ran over their faces. “Gentlemen, for what purpose have you requested this audience?”

The chubby Hercules ambassador looked at the grave aged envoy from Polaris Kingdom. “Tu Shal, you are our spokesman.”

Tu Shal's lined old face was deeply troubled as he stepped forward and spoke.

“Highness, Shorr Kan has secretly just offered all our kingdoms treaty of friendship with the League of Dark Worlds. He declares that if we cling to our alliance with the Empire, we are doomed.”

The Hercules ambassador added, “He has made the same offer to us Barons, warning us not to join the Empire.”

Jhal Arn looked swiftly at Gordon. “So Shorr Kan is now sending ultimatums? That means he is almost ready to strike.”

“We none of us have any love for Shorr Kan's tyranny,” Tu Shal was saying. “We prefer to hold to the Empire that stands for peace and union. But it is said that the Cloud has prepared such tremendous armaments and has such revolutionary new weapons that they'll carry all before them if war comes.”

Jhal Arn's eyes flashed. “Do you dream he can conquer the Empire when we have the Disruptor to use in case of necessity?”

“That's just it, highness,” said Tu Shal. “It's being said that the Disruptor was never used but once long ago, and that it proved so dangerous then that you would not dare to use it again.”

He added, “I fear that our kingdoms will desert their allegiance to the Empire unless you prove that that is a lie. Unless you prove to us that you do dare to use the Disruptor.”

Jhal Arn looked steadily at the envoys as he answered. And his solemn words seemed to Gordon to bring the whisper of something alien and supernally terrible into the little room.

“Tu Shal, the Disruptor is an awful power. I will not disguise that it is dangerous to unchain that power in the galaxy. But it was done once when the Magellanians invaded, long ago.

“And it will be done again, if necessary. My father is dead, but Zarth and I can unloose that power. And we will unloose it and rive the galaxy before we let Shorr Kan fasten tyranny on the free worlds!”

Tu Shal seemed more deeply troubled than before. “But highness, our kingdoms demand that we see the Disruptor demonstrated before they will believe.”

Jhal's face grew somber. “I had hoped that never would the Disruptor have to be taken from its safekeeping and loosed again. But it may be that it would be best to do as you ask.”

His eyes flashed. “Yes, it may be that when Shorr Kan learns that we can still wield that power and hears what it can do, he will think twice before precipitating galactic war.”

“Then you will demonstrate it for us?” asked the Hercules envoy, his round face awed.

“There's a region of deserted dark-stars fifty parsecs west of Argol,” Jhal Arn told them. “Two days from now, we'll unchain the power of the Disruptor there for you to see.”

Tu Shal's troubled face cleared a little. “If you do that, our kingdoms will utterly reject the overtures of the Cloud.”

“And I can guarantee that the Barons of the Cluster will declare for the Empire!” added the chubby envoy from Hercules.

When they had gone, Jhal Arn looked with haggard face at Gordon. “It was the only way I could hold them, Zarth. If I'd refused, they'd have been panicked into submitting to Shorr Kan.”

Gordon asked him wonderingly, “You're really going to unloose the Disruptor to convince them?”

The other was sweating. “I don't want to, God knows. You know Brenn Bir's warning as well as I do. You know what nearly happened when he used it on the Magellanians two thousand years ago.”

He stiffened. “But I'll run even that risk, rather than let the Cloud launch a war to enslave the galaxy!”

Gordon felt a deeper sense of wonder and perplexity, mixed with cold apprehension.

What was it, really, the age-old secret power which even Jhal Arn who was its master could not mention without fear?

Jhal Arn continued urgently. “Zarth, we'll go down now to the Chamber of the Disruptor. It's been long since either of us was there, and we must make sure everything is ready for that demonstration.”

Gordon for the moment recoiled. He, a stranger, couldn't pry into this most guarded secret in the galaxy!

Then he suddenly realized that it made little difference if he did see the thing. He wasn't scientist enough to understand it. And in any case, he'd be going back soon to his own time, his own body.

He'd have to find a chance to slip away to Earth in the next day or so, without letting Jhal Arn know. He could order a ship to take him there.

Once again, at that thought, came the heartbreaking realization that he was on the verge of parting forever from Lianna.

“Come, Zarth!” Jhal was saying impatiently. “I know you must be tired, but there's little time left.”

They went out through the ante-room, Jhal Arn waving back the guards who sprang to accompany them.

Gordon accompanied him down sliding ramps and through corridors and down again, until he knew they must be deeper beneath the great palace of Throon than even the prison where he had been confined.

They entered a spiral stair that dropped downward into a hall hollowed from the solid rock of the planet. From this hall, a long, rock-hewn corridor led away. It was lighted by a throbbing white radiance emitted by luminous plates in its walls.

As Gordon walked down this radiant corridor with Jhal Arn, he felt an astonishment he could hardly conceal. He had expected great masses of guards, mighty doors with massive bolts, all kinds of cunning devices to guard the most titanic power in the galaxy.

Instead, there seemed nothing whatever to guard it. Neither on the stair nor in this brilliant corridor was there anyone. And, when Jhal Arn opened the door at the corridor end, it was not even locked.