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loose. Theseus and the golden woman were left once more alone upon the prize.
    “Beware, Captain Firebrand!” The melodious singsong of Tai Leng carried a faint whining undertone of Snish. “Those who claim enchantments which they don’t possess are indeed in danger from the warlocks of Knossos. I know!”
    “We shall see,” Theseus repeated, “when we arrive in Crete.”
    The south wind that brought the fleet had dropped into an utter calm. But the black mountain of the storm still loomed in the north, and now a fresh cold wind blew out of it again. The yellow sail filled. And the Cretan ships came about and sailed close to the prize, back toward Knossos.
    That change of the wind, Theseus knew, was a perfectly natural thing. A thousand times he had seen the windblow against a storm, and die, and rise again out of the cloud. And yet he could not help a shudder, at the way the winds seemed to serve the wizardry of Crete.
    The sun had not yet set when another long galley came out of the southwest. It bore no sail, and the mast was unshipped, for it came against the wind. But swift-flashing oars brought it on at racing speed, and presently Theseus couldsee that its standard was the golden eagle of Amur the Hittite.
    The galley hailed the black flagship. The admiral’s sail was briefly lowered, and oars brought the two vessels prow to prow. Two men leaped across to the flagship, and the black sail went up again.
    Across two arrow-flights of water, Theseus watched the two strangers hurry aft. He could see that one of them wore the long black robeof a Minoan priest, that the other was garbed in the yellow of Amur.
    The admiral, in his own purple, met them before his high cabin. The priest handed him something thin and white. He unrolled it, into a papyrus scroll. For a few moments he was motionless, as if reading. Then the three began waving their hands excitedly.
    No word of their conversation reached Theseus. But hesaw each of them,in turn, point in his direction. He was wondering, with growing apprehension, what they were talking about, when the liquid voice of Tai Leng softly called: “Captain Firebrand!”
    Theseus turned to the tall yellow woman leaning on the steering oar. Her smooth exotic face was intent, her long slanted eyes fixed on the distant group. Again Theseus found space to regret that her allure was all illusion.

    “Captain, you wish to know what they say of you?”
    “Of course I do.” Theseus stepped quickly to her side—and saw that mocking hint of Snish come back into her golden beauty. “You can tell?”
    “Eavesdropping is among the simplest bits of magic,” Tai Leng assured him—and her singsong had a nasal hint of Snish. “Even I have mastered that. Except, of course, that I cannot eavesdrop upon a more powerfulmagician.”
    “Well,” demanded Theseus, “what are they saying?”
    “The priest has brought a letter from Minos to the admiral. He read it aloud. It contains new orders with regard to your fate, Captain Firebrand.”
    Theseus glanced apprehensively back at the three. “And what are the new orders?”
    “Evidently Minos has consulted the screed of the future—and discovered that he was unwise in ordering youto be brought to Knossos for the games. Because the letter contains orders that you are to be slain at once.”
    The hand of Theseus slipped automatically toward the Falling Star. “Your body,” Tai Leng went on, “is to be sealed in a lead-lined casket, and secured by certain powerful talismans that the priest has brought with him, and dropped into the sea where it is deep.
    “Only your sword is tobe carried back to Knossos, as proof that you are dead.” The golden princess shuddered. “That makes matters appear very grave,” said her nasal singsong. “For both of us.”

F IVE

    “A ND WHAT ,” inquired Theseus, “are they saying now?”
    The slanted smoldering eyes of the golden girl—which showed, when Theseus looked closely, a curious yellow hint of