Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
1
289
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, August 1930
·
Various
49
Madge
sat
on
Axelson's
right,
and
Nat
on
his
left.
The
girl's
lightheartedness
had
left
her;
her
face
grew
strained
as
Axelson's
motives--which
Nat
had
not
dared
disclose
to
her--disclosed
themselves
in
his
manner.
Once,
when
he
laid
his
finger
for
a
moment
against
her
white
throat,
she
started,
and
for
a
moment
it
seemed
as
if
the
gathering
storm
must
break.
For
Nat
had
talked
with
his
men,
and
all
had
agreed
that
they
would
not
turn
traitor,
though
they
intended
to
temporize
as
long
as
possible,
in
the
hope
of
catching
the
Black
Caesar
unawares.
Then
slowly
a
somber
twilight
began
to
fall,
and
Axelson
rose.
"Let
us
walk
in
the
gardens
during
the
reign
of
Erebos,"
he
said.
"Erebos?"
asked
Nat.
"The
black
world
that
overshadows
us
each
sleeping
period,"
answered
Axelson.
Nat
knew
what
he
meant.
The
dark
companion
of
Eros
revolves
around
it
every
six
hours;
the
day
of
Eros
would
therefore
never
be
longer
than
six
hours,
this
without
reckoning
the
revolution
of
Eros
around
the
sun.
But
owing
to
its
small
size,
it
was
probable
that
it
was
bathed
in
almost
perpetual
sunshine.
The
sweet
scent
of
the
flowers,
much
stronger
than
of
any
flowers
on
earth,
filled
the
air.
They
walked
across
the
green
lawn
and
entered
a
jungle
path,
with
bamboos
and
creeping
plants
on
either
side,
and
huge
palmlike
trees.
Behind
them
stalked
the
guards
with
their
ray-rods.
A
lake
of
deepest
black
disclosed
itself.
Suddenly
Madge
uttered
a
scream
and
clung
to
Nat.
"Look,
look!"
she
cried.
"It's
horrible!"
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
