Part 2 (1/2)

Then there was the _Gibi_, a monstrous bee, also friendly to the lizard people It supplied the cavern dwellers ax, and in return the Folk gave the Gibi colonies shelter during the unhealthful tihly civilized were the Folk They did no work by hand, except the finer kinds of jewel setting and carving Machines wove their metal cloth, machines prepared their food, harvested their fields, hollowed out neellings

Freed fro projected on the screen pictures of vast laboratories and great libraries of scientific lore But all they knew in the beginning, they had learned from the Ancient Ones, a race unlike thenty over _Tav_ Even the Folk themselves were the result of constant forced evolution and experimentation carried on by these Ancient Ones

All this wisdo could not tell, although he insisted that the danger was very real

There was so within the blue wall of the crater which disputed the Folk's rule

As Garin tried to probe further a gong sounded Urg arose

”It is the hour of eating,” he announced ”Let us go”

They cae roo three walls, benches before it Urg seated hi Garin to do likewise The wall facing them opened and two trays slid out There was a platter of hot e and a cluster of fruit, still fastened to a leafy branch This the Ana eyed so wistfully that Garin gave it to the creature

The Folk ate silently and arose quietly when they had finished, their trays vanishi+ng back through the wall Garin noticed only males in the roo the Folk

He ventured a question

Urg chuckled ”So, you think there are no woo to the Hall of Women that you may see”

To the Hall of Wo in its richness, stones worth a nation's ranso from its domed roof and painted walls Here were the matrons and maidens of the Folk, their black forms veiled in robes of silver net, each cross strand of which was set with a tiny ge scales

There were not many of them--a hundred perhaps And a few led by the hand smaller editions of themselves, who stared at Garin with round yellow eyes and chewed black fingertips shyly

The women were intrusted with the finest jeork, and with pride they showed the stranger their handiwork At the far end of the hall was a wonderous thing in theOne of the silver nets, which were the foundations of their robes, was fastened there and three of the wo s Here and there they had varied the pattern with tiny e opals, so that the finished portion was a rainbow

One of the workers s in her voice as she explained:

”This is for the Daughter when she cohter! What had the Lord of the Folk said? ”This youth is fit tohad said that the Ancient Ones had gone frohter?” he deht”

”Where is she?”

The woman shi+vered and there was fear in her eyes ”Thrala lies in the Caves of Darkness”

”The Caves of Darkness!” Did she mean Thrala was dead? Was he, Garin Featherstone, to be the victined to unite hi touched his arm ”Not so Thrala has not yet entered the Place of Ancestors”

”You know hts are easy to read Thrala lives Sera served the Daughter as hand us Sera, do you show us Thrala as she was”

The wo had used for his language lesson She gazed into it and then beckoned the flyer to stand beside her

The h a , into a roo of rose quartz On the floor were thick rugs of silver rose And a great heap of cushi+ons made a low couch in the center