The Star Kings

Her eyes lighted as he opened his own.

“Zarth, you've been unconscious more than a day. I was begi

“I'm all right,” he muttered. He tried to sit up, but her little hands quickly forced him back down onto the pad.

“Don't, Zarth-you must rest until your nerves recover from the electroshock.”

He glanced at the porthole window. The vista of blazing stars outside seemed unchanged. He could glimpse the black blot of the Cloud, looking only a little larger in the distant forest of suns.

Lia

Gordon groaned. “Lia

“I've thought and thought about it and I still can hardly believe it,” Lia

Gordon himself no longer doubted. The evidence was too overwhelming.

“Men will betray any trust when ambition drives them, and Corbulo is ambitious,” he muttered. Then, as deeper realization came to him, “Good God, this means that if the League does attack the Empire, the Commander of the Empire forces will sabotage their defense.”

He rose painfully from the bunk despite Lia

“If we could only get word back to Throon somehow. That would at least put Jhal Arn on his guard.”

Lia

It all spun in John Gordon's mind in a bewildering chaos of known and unknown factors, in the hours that followed.

A few things, though, stood out clearly. They all, everyone in this universe, thought that he was Zarth Arn. And thus it was believed that he knew the secret of the Disruptor, that mysterious scientific weapon known only to Arn Abbas and his two sons.

That was why Corbulo had risked the plot that was sending him and Lia

The Markab droned on and on. When the ship bells signaled evening of the arbitrary “day,” the aspect of the starry firmament had changed. Orion Nebula flamed now in all its titan glory far in the east.

Straight ahead, far in the distance against the remotest suns of the galaxy, brooded the black blot of the Cloud. It was visibly larger than before, and its gigantic dimensions were now becoming more clearly apparent.

Neither Thern Eldred nor any of his officers or men entered the cabin. There was no opportunity for a second attack. And after searching vainly through the room, Gordon conceded defeatedly that there was nothing in it that might facilitate escape.

Sick anxiety for Lia

But she did not seem afraid as she looked up at him. “Zarth, at least we're together for a little while. It may be all of happiness we'll get.”

Gordon found his arms instinctively starting to go around her, his hand touching her shining hair. But he forced himself to step back.

“Lia

Lia

Gordon had never in his life wanted anything so much as to reach forth to her. But to do so would be the blackest treachery.

Treachery to Zarth Arn, who had trusted his body, his life, to Gordon's pledge. Yes, and treachery to Lia

For if he were able to reach the Earth laboratory, it would be the real Zarth Arn who would come back to her-Zarth Arn, who loved Murn and not Lia

“That won't ever happen!” whispered a subtle, tempting voice in Gordon's mind. “You and she will never escape from the Cloud. Take what happiness you can, while you can.”

Gordon desperately fought down that insinuating voice. He spoke huskily to the puzzled woman.

“Lia

She seemed stricken by amazement, unbelief. “But Zarth, at Throon that morning you told me you loved me!”

Gordon nodded miserably. “I know. I wish to God I hadn't. It was wrong.”

Little clouds began to gather in Murn's gray eyes. She was white to the lips.

“You mean that you are still in love with Murn, after all?”

Gordon forced the answer to that out of strained, desperate resolve. He spoke what he knew was the exact truth.

“Zarth Arn does still love Murn. You have to know that, Lia

The incredulity in Lia

Gordon had expected stormy resentment, wrath, bitter reproach. He had steeled himself against them. But he had not expected this deep, voiceless hurt, and it was too much for him.

“To the devil with my promise!” he told himself fiercely. “Zarth Arn wouldn't hold me to it if he knew that situation-he couldn't.”

And Gordon stepped forward and grasped the woman's hand. “Lia

He rushed on. “I'm not Zarth Arn. I'm an entirely different man, in Zarth Arn's body. I know it sounds incredible, but-”

His voice trailed off. For he read in Lia

“Let us at least have no more lies, Zarth!” she flared.

“I tell you, it's true!” he persisted. “This is Zarth Arn's physical body, yes. But I am a different man.”

He knew from the expression on her face that his attempt had failed. He knew that she did not believe and never would believe.

How could he expect her to believe it? If positions had been reversed, would he have credited such a wild assertion? He knew he wouldn't.

No one in this universe would credit it, now Vel Quen was dead. For only Vel Quen had known about Zarth Arn's fantastic experiments.

Lia

“There is no need for you to explain your actions by wild stories of dual personality, Zarth. I understand clearly enough. You were simply doing what you conceived to be your duty to the Empire. You feared lest I might refuse the marriage at the last moment, so you pretended love for me to make sure of me and of Fomalhaut's support.”

“Lia

She ignored his interruption. “You need not have done it, Zarth. I had no thought of refusing the marriage, since I knew how much depended on my kingdom supporting the Empire.

“But there's no further need for stratagems. I will keep my promise and so will my kingdom. I will marry you, but our marriage will be only a political formality as we first agreed.”

John Gordon started to protest, then stopped. After all, the course she proposed was the only one he could take.

If the real Zarth Arn returned, his marriage with Lia

“All right, Lia

He gestured, as he spoke, toward the porthole. Out there in the star-blazing void ahead of the rushing cruiser, the monster blot of the Cloud was looming ever bigger and closer.

Lia