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“She went. He took her–“

“She went–voluntarily?”

“Yes. The people saw her running out with Franklin, and Groff and the other men. Oh, Lee–what–what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” He stood for a moment dazed, confused–panting, his fingers twitching. If only he could get a grip on Franklin’s throat. And so Vivian went too! That was a laugh–girl of the streets, pretty worthless, on Earth. But here–she had seemed to sense what this realm could mean.

“Aura, where would Groff be likely to go?”

“Go? Why–why I do remember, Groff often went up into the hills. He never said why?”

“Would they have any weapons?”

“Weapons?” Her eyes widened as though for a second she did not comprehend. “Weapons? You mean–instruments with which to kill people? No–how could there be? But a knife can kill. A knife cut old Arkoh’s throat. We have knives–in the houses–and knives that are used for the harvests–“

She had turned to gaze out toward the glowing hills…. “Oh, Lee–look–“

Numbed, with their breath catching in their throats, they stared. Out by the hills a man’s figure rose up–monstrous, gigantic figure.

Franklin! He stood beside the little hill, with a hand on its top, his huge bulk dwarfing it! Franklin, a titan, his head and shoulders looming monstrously against the inky blackness of the sky!

CHAPTER V

Combat of Titans

“Aura, you think you know where Groff may have gone–those times he went out into the hills?”

“Yes. I think so. Lee–that giant, I think now I understand what must have happened.”

The giant shape of Franklin, a mile or two from them, had stood for a moment and then had receded, vanished momentarily as he moved backward behind the hills. Lee and Aura, stunned, still stood beside the little rocky path. Lee’s mind was a turmoil of confusion, with only the knowledge that he must do something now, quickly. There were no weapons here in this peaceful little realm. Four or five of these madmen villains–what need had they of weapons? The monstrous power of size. The thought of it struck at Lee with a chill that seemed turning his blood to ice. The monster that Franklin had become–with a size like that he could scatter death with his naked hands.

* * * * *

“I remember now,” Aura was gasping. “There was a time when your grandfather was working on his science. Groff was helping him then. Your grandfather taught Groff much.”

“Working at what?”

“It was never said. Then your grandfather gave it up–he had decided it would not be wise here.”

* * * * *

Some individual apparatus, with the size-change principle of the space-globe? And Groff had gotten the secret. An abnormality here–Groff with the power of evil latent within him, tempted by this opportunity. What could he have hoped to accomplish? Of what use to him would it be to devastate this little realm? Bitter irony swept Lee. Of what use was vast personal power to anyone? Those madmen of Earth’s history, with their lust for conquest–of what use could the conquest be to them? And yet they had plunged on.

He realized that with Groff there could have been a wider field of conquest. Groff had heard much of Earth. With the power of size here, he could master this realm; then seize the space-globe. Go with it to Earth. Why, in a gigantic size there, he and a few villainous companions could master the Earth-world. A mad dream indeed, but Lee knew it was a lustful possibility matched by many in Earth’s history.

And then Franklin had come here. Franklin, with his knowledge of Earth which Groff would need. Franklin, with his inherent feeling of inferiority–his groping desire for the strength and power of size. What an opportunity for Franklin!