CHAPTER X
ENTRAPPED
Turan the panthan approached the strange city under cover of the
darkness. He entertained little hope of finding either food or
water outside the wall, but he would try and then, if he failed,
he would attempt to make his way into the city, for Tara of
Helium must have sustenance and have it soon. He saw that the
walls were poorly sentineled, but they were sufficiently high to
render an attempt to scale them foredoomed to failure. Taking
advantage of underbrush and trees, Turan managed to reach the
base of the wall without detection. Silently he moved north past
the gateway which was closed by a massive gate which effectively
barred even the slightest glimpse within the city beyond. It was
Turan's hope to find upon the north side of the city away from
the hills a level plain where grew the crops of the inhabitants,
and here too water from their irrigating system, but though he
traveled far along that seemingly interminable wall he found no
fields nor any water. He searched also for some means of ingress
to the city, yet here, too, failure was his only reward, and now
as he went keen eyes watched him from above and a silent stalker
kept pace with him for a time upon the summit of the wall; but
presently the shadower descended to the pavement within and
hurrying swiftly raced ahead of the stranger without.
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