Power and greatness such as civilization had never known! Power even to reach the stars!
And--Garth thought wryly--a power that would be useless unless a cure for the Silver Plague could be found.
He was almost running now, his footsteps and Brown's echoing hollowly in the great rooms. Silently he cursed Paula Trent. There were other levels below, many of them, and she might be down there--which would make the task almost impossible.
A distant flicker of light jerked Garth to a halt. He switched off his lamp, motioning for Brown to do the same.
It came again, far away, a firefly glimpse.
"Guess so. Unless they're after us already."
They went on, running lightly on their toes. The light had vanished, but Garth knew the way. Suddenly they came out of a short tunnel into one of the great rooms, and relief flooded Garth as he saw Paula's face, pale in reflected light, a dozen feet away.
Simultaneously a faint sound came rhythmically--like dim drums.
Garth said sharply, "Hear that? Men coming down a ramp. Get the girl and let's go!"
But Paula was already coming toward them, blinking in the glare. "Who's that? Carver? I--"
Brown gripped her arm. "There's no time to talk now, Paula. We're in a jam. Keep your mouth shut and come along. Garth, can you get us back to that secret passage?"
"Maybe. It'll be blind luck if we make it. Turn your lamps out and link hands. Here." He felt Paula's firm, warm palm hard against his, and remembrance of Moira was suddenly unexpectedly painful. He had not seen an Earthgirl for years....
What of it, now? Garth moved cat-footedly forward, leading the others. He went fast. Once or twice he clicked on his light briefly. They could hear the noise of the search-party now, and a few times, could see distant lights.
"If they find that open panel--" Brown whispered.
Garth pressed them back into an alcove as footsteps grew louder. Luck stayed with them. The searchers turned off at another passage. After that--
It was like a nightmare, a blind, stumbling race through the blackness of Chahnn, with menace hiding everywhere. Garth's hand was slippery with perspiration against Paula's by the time he stopped, his light clicking on and off again almost instantly.
"This is it," he said. "The panel's shut."