Medek turned away from the window. "It is not well to seek escape in that direction," he said, as he returned to the outer corridor, closing the door behind him.
"How awful, madame," whimpered Annette.
"Yes," replied Jane, "but his sufferings were mercifully brief. Perhaps, after all, it is just as well. His mind is gone. Prince Sborov had become a maniac."
"What a terrible price he paid. But is it not, perhaps, that he deserved it, madame?"
"Who shall say? But we, too, are paying a terrible price for his greed and his wife's vanity. The thing she sought is here, Annette."
"What thing, madame? Not the restorer of youth?"
"Yes. Kavandavanda holds the secret, but neither the princess nor any other could have gotten it from him. We should all have met a terrible fate just the same had the entire party succeeded in reaching the village of the Kavuru—the fate that is reserved for you and me."
"What fate, madame? You frighten me."
"I do not mean to, but you may as well know the truth. If we do not succeed in escaping we shall be butchered to furnish ingredients for Kavandavanda's devilish potion that keeps the priests of Kavuru always youthful."
"S-s-sh, madame!" cautioned Annette, fearfully. "What was that?"
"I don't know. It sounded as though someone in the corridor had tried to scream."
"Then there was a thud, as though someone had fallen. Did you hear that?"
"Yes—and now someone is trying the door. They are slipping the bolt."
"Oh, madame! Some new horror."
The door swung open and a figure stepped into the room. A voice spoke. "Woman! Are you there?" It was the voice of Ogdli.
"I am here," said Jane.
"Then come quickly. There is no time to be lost."
"But how about the slave in the corridor? He will see us go out."
"The slave is there, but he will not see us. Come!"
"Come, Annette! It is our only chance."
"The other woman is here?" demanded Ogdli.
"Yes," replied Jane. "And if I go, she must go."
"Very well," snapped the Kavuru, "but hurry."
The two girls followed the man into the corridor. Across the doorway lay the body of Medek. The dead eyes were staring up at them. Ogdli kicked the black face and gave a short laugh. "He looks, but he does not see."
The girls shuddered and pressed on behind the warrior. He led them cautiously along dark corridors. At the slightest sound he dragged them into pitch-black rooms along the way until he was sure there was no danger of discovery. Thus, much time was consumed in nerve-wracking suspense.
Ogdli advanced with evident trepidation. It was apparent that now that he had embarked upon this venture he was terrified—the shadow of Kavandavanda's wrath lay heavy upon him.
The night dragged on, spent mostly in hiding, as the trio made their slow way toward the secret entrance to the tunnel that led out into the jungle.
Once more they crept on after a long period of tense waiting and listening in a dark chamber; then Ogdli spoke in a relieved whisper. "Here we are," he said. "Through this doorway. The entrance to the tunnel is ha this room. Make no noise."
He pushed the door open cautiously and entered the chamber, the two girls following closely behind him. Instantly hands reached out of the dark and seized them. Jane heard a scuffling and the sound of running feet; then she was dragged out into the corridor. A light was brought from another apartment —a bit of reed burning in a shallow vessel.
Annette was there, close to her, trembling. They were surrounded by five sturdy warriors. In the light of the sputtering cresset the men looked quickly from one to another.
"Where is Ogdli?" demanded a warrior. Then Jane realized that her would-be abductor had vanished.
"I thought you had him," replied another. "I seized one of the girls."
"I thought I had him," spoke up a third.
"And so did I," said a fourth, "but it was you I had. He must have run for the tunnel. Come, we'll go after him."
"No," objected the first warrior. "It is too late. He has a good start. We could not catch him before he reached the forest."
"We could not find him there at night," agreed another. "It will soon be daylight; then we can go after him."
"We'll see what Kavandavanda says when we take the women to him," said the first warrior. "Bring them along."
Once again the girls were led through the corridors of the temple this time to an apartment adjoining the throne-room. Two warriors stood before the door. When they saw the girls and were told what had happened, one of them knocked on the door. Presently it was opened by a black slave, sleepily rubbing his eyes.
"Who disturbs Kavandavanda at this hour of the night?" he demanded.
"Tell him we have come with the two white girls. He will understand."
The black turned back into the apartment, but in a few moments he returned.
"Bring your prisoners in," he said; "Kavandavanda will see you."
They were led through a small antechamber lighted by a crude cresset to a larger apartment similarly illuminated. Here Kavandavanda received them, lying on a bed covered with leopard skins.
His large eyes fixed themselves upon Jane. "So you thought you could escape?" he asked, a crooked smile twisting his weak lips. "You were going to run off with Ogdli and be his mate, were you? Where is Ogdli?" he demanded suddenly, as he realized that the man was not with the others.
"He escaped—through the tunnel," reported a warrior.
"He must have thought Kavandavanda a fool," sneered the high priest. "I knew what was in his mind. There are only six men beside myself who know about the tunnel. Ogdli was one of them; the other five are here." He was addressing Jane. "I sent these five to wait at the entrance to the tunnel until Ogdli came, for I knew he would come." He paused and gazed long at Jane; then he turned to the others. "Take this other one back to the room of the three snakes," he ordered, "and see that she does not escape again." He indicated Annette with a gesture. "This one I will keep here to question further; there may have been others concerned in the plot. Go!"
Annette cast a despairing look at Jane as she was led from the room, but the other could give her no reassurance nor encouragement. Their position seemed utterly without hope now.
"Good-bye, Annette." That was all.
"May the good God be with us both, madame," whispered the French girl as the door was closing behind her.
"So," said Kavandavanda when the others had left, "you were going to run off into the jungle with Ogdli and be his mate? He was going to break his vow because of you!"
The shadow of a sneer curled the girl's lip. "Perhaps Ogdli thought so," she said.
"But you were going with him," Kavandavanda insisted.
"As far as the jungle," replied Jane; "then I should have found some means to escape him; or, failing that, I should have killed him."
"Why?" demanded the high priest. "Have you, too, taken a vow?"
"Yes—a vow of fidelity."
He leaned toward her eagerly. "But you could break it—for love; or, if not for love, for a price."
She shook her head. "Not for anything."
"I could break mine. I had thought that I never could, but since I have seen you—" He paused; and then, peremptorily, "if I, Kavandavanda, am willing to break mine, you can break yours. The price you will receive is one for which any woman might be willing to sell her soul—eternal youth, eternal beauty." Again he paused as though to permit the magnitude of his offer to impress itself upon her.
But again she shook her head. "No, it is out of the question."
"You spurn Kavandavanda?" His cruel mouth imparted some of its cruelty to his eyes. "Remember that I have the power to destroy you, or to take you without giving anything in return; but I am generous. And do you know why?"