Grenfell was a forceful man. Once his decision was announced, he sat with the aged, impractical rulers of the Hill City government, doing his utmost to cope with the chaos of hasty preparations for defense into which the Hill City was plunged. Earth and civilized Mercury were allied against a Mercurian barbarian nation.

News of the advancing army from the Cold Country had come to the Hill City; and then other parties of girls had flown in to tell that the Water City was being attacked.

Across all the distant copper hills refugees were straggling.

But the occupants of the Water City had been caught unawares. There had been recently, over all this section, one of the dread black storms. Whirling black clouds, so thick that the half-light of day became like the blackest of a stormy Earth night. And a sweep of winds, and torrential rain.

The invaders from the Cold Country had advanced through the storm; when it had cleared and daylight had come again, they were infesting the Water City, surrounding it on all sides, men with deadly weapons and a hundred giant insects.

So ran the reports that came to the Hill City. The men and the married women, the children, the aged of both sexes all these in the Water City would meet death. Only the flying virgins could escape.

From where Guy and Toh were, they could hear the turmoil of the palace overhead, and outside in the garden, the shouts of an excited crowd.

Guy leaped to his feet. "Those shoutswhat are they saying?" They stood listening. The cries were muffled by the palace walls and blurred by the sound of rushing water in an irrigation flume which passed nearby.

"Tohcan't you distinguish?" Guy understood the Mercurian language fairly well, but it was native to Toh. He cried suddenly, "It's something about Roc's ship!" There was a doorway from Guy's room leading into a short corridor. They hurried through it to a gate which admitted them to the open, just beyond the garden wall. The garden was thronged with milling, frightened people. There were lowering black clouds overhead: aftermath of the storm. A deep twilight hung over the small lake nearby, the high metal sides of the water flume; and behind the garden, the outlines of the palace were faintly distinguishable with dim lights now in its windows.

There were high spreading trees out here, heavy with clinging air vines and huge exotic flower blossoms. Tiny lights showed in the spreading circular city. The crowd in the garden and along the banks of the small artificial lake milled aimlessly about. Girls were flapping in and out of it. Others were perched on the high side of the flume, and in the trees.

Urged by men on the ground, they flew up to gaze over the city, and came back again. Or flew to the palace roof, demanding news from the men up there.

Occasionally dots in the sky materialized into figures of girls flying in from distant points. They dropped down into the garden, or by the lake, or upon the palace roof and were immediately set upon by the eager crowd.

Guy and Toh stood gazing. Toh ran to a nearby group of men, then came back.

"They were shouting from the roof that the silver ball was seen passing over the Water City."

"Nothing else? Did it land?"

"They don't know." There were other shouts. They stood momentarily alone.

Toh added, "They say the Water City is wrecked, but the invaders have turned backnot coming this way. Grenfell is going after them with the Flying Cube. Our army is being organized."

"Then Dr. Grenfell will want us," said Guy. "We'd better go in." They turned, but stopped again. On a little balcony of the palace a man appeared; he stood calling for silence, then began addressing the crowd. The Earthmen, with their flying ship, were going to lead an army to repel these invaders.

There was no immediate danger; the enemy was all on the other side of the Water City now, apparently not planning to advance for the present. Mobilizing or waiting for reinforcements.

Guy and Toh listened. But Guy's attention was distracted.

A girl came fluttering down from overhead and landed on the ground quite near them, falling into a heap. Guy thought she was wounded; she lay huddled, with wings spread behind her, not attempting to rise.

Guy and Toh ran to her, bent over her. A small girl, smaller than Tama; a trail-looking httle creature, not over fifteen.

Flowing draperies lay on her white limbs; her golden hair was braided and fastened to her sides; her spreading wings were blue-feathered. She raised her white face to Guy.

"Aina!" he cried. "Why Aina" He and Toh knew her well; a girl of the Hill City. She had gone recently to the Water City to see the young man whom she was to marry.

"Guy Palisse! And Tohmy friend, Tohl Oh, where is Tama? We need her." She spoke in English; one of the score or so of the girls whom Tama had taught. She was not hurt now, merely winded from her swift flight. She stood up, panting to get her breath while they told her how the Cube had come from Earth, and that Tama was a prisoner.

Aina gasped, "I saw it land! It was beyond the Water City, where the Cold Country men were gathering. I saw it come down and join them... . Guy, you knew my -loved one ]al of the Water City? He is dead I I was with him. I tried to fly up with him. I could noti I am too small too weak" She buried her face in her hands. "He A brue caught him as he fell back into the water." Guy held her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Aina." She raised her face. "I knowthis is not the time for crying"

"No, Ainawe must think of the living." Decision came to Guy. "Aina, will you help us?" She was suddenly calm. "What can I do?"

"Are you strong enough to fly now?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"Do you know where there is a platform large enough to carry Toh and me and two or three others, if we can rescue them? Can you get a few girlsas many as the platform needs to bear itperhaps ten?"

"And have them bring it here?"

"Nowe would be seentoo many questions. Take it" Toh interrupted. "I will tell you where to take it." He named a distant point of the city. "There may not be anyone there now."

"Yes," agreed Guy. "We'll meet you there. Soon?"

"I can have it before you can get there." She spread her wings, leaped, and flapped upward past the tree branches and was gone.

Guy had no definite plan; he would make one as they went.

"Toh, we can get near the ball, creep up on it through the Water City marshes, if only the weather will stay dark."

"If we could get weapons" They were both unarmed except for small knives. Guy said, "I'll get them now from Grenfell." It occurred to him that Grenfell might stop their going.

But he realized that the scientist must be told about the landing of the ball.

"Listenthat man up there!" Toh's voice was eager.

From the balcony of the palace the Mercurian official was still haranguing the crowd. Other girls reported having seen.

the silver ball. The man on the balcony was saying that it had gone now, off over the daik mountains toward the Cold Country.

"That might be true or it might not," Guy whispered. "We must go, anyway." Toh agreed. "Listen to what he is saying! We have time to get there and back before Dr. Grenfell will need us." The speaker was announcing that the Flying Cube would soon be ready to start for the Water City, to make a survey and to follow the ball into the Cold Country. A giant ray projector was being mounted on the Cube, and defensive electronic barrage armament. Within a few hours it would be ready to start.

Guy and Toh departed at once, pushing through the gathering people along the lakeshore, they passed into the narrow city streets. By the Light Country living cycle, this was the middle of the time of sleep. None were sleeping in the Hill City this night.

Walking and running, Guy pulling Toh by the hand, they hastened through the city, ascending toward the distant heights beyond it.