loose. Blayne was on his feet again in an instant.

Elliot's first punch crashed through Blayne's guard. The fat man reeled backward, lost his footing, and toppled off the embankment into the quiet water below, shouting wildly as he fell. As he struck, he shot up a torrent of water that splashed over Elliot's feet.

Suddenly the water was quiet no longer. There was a swirl beneath the river's surface, and Blayne's body became the center of a tangle of dark saurian shapes. Blayne screamed just once before the razor-sharp teeth dragged him beneath the water. A red stain formed and drifted slowly down the sluggish stream, and then the water was quiet once again.

Elliot stood on the riverbank, gasping heavily as he fought to recover his breath, and mopped away the blanket of gnats that had adhered to him during the fight. He watched the streaks of red drifting downstream, and knew that his own life was forfeit now for Blayne's.

He shook his head and turned away. There was nothing else he could have done. He started to walk slowly back away from the river.

There was a rustling sound in the air above him. He looked up, into the blazing sun, and a moment later was crouching in a huddled ball on the ground. The Dragonbird was dropping gently toward him. Elliot remembered only too well what those gleaming talons had done to the sacrificial animal strapped to the altar.

And then—

Do not be afraid, a calm, silent voice said. You have done me a great service, Daniel Elliot.

The Dragonbird settled lightly to the ground, and Elliot saw deep intelligence glowing in the creature's golden eyes. It seemed almost as if the thing could read his mind.

I can read your mind, Daniel Elliot, came the telepathic reply.

"You—you're intelligent, then?"

There was a touch of sorrow in the mental voice as the bird said: I am the last of my race. We were the rulers of Venus long before your ancestors had discovered the use of fire. But—

After a pause, the bird continued. Well, no matter. What happened does not concern you. I permit myself to be worshipped by these natives. They bring me food and keep me comfortable, and in return, I hypnotize their enemies and keep their small island safe. It is a pleasant life, 

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