the Amazon said finally. “This is your particular pigeon. Do you think we should explore, or are the wastes of space more appealing? Remember, there may be danger here—danger of a type we can’t envisage as yet.”
“Nothing new about that, far as we’re concerned,” Viona responded, feeling that her courage was being challenged. “Yes, I think we ought to look around. How about you, Mex?”
“Whatever the Crusaders do, I do,” he replied simply—and so it was decided.
CHAPTER TWO
WORLD OUT OF STEP
Ten minutes later, a test of the atmosphere having satisfied them that it was indeed breathable—as had been revealed in the earlier analysis from space—the quartet was on its way from the Ultra, having left the ship completely dead as far as any alien trying to start it up was concerned.
Walking on this unknown planet was both pleasant and exhilarating. The high oxygen content made breathing a deep and satisfying business, which in turn produced an energy never experienced on Earth, except perhaps in certain highly bracing coastal regions.
Abna was looking straight ahead, trying to form some kind of sense out of the cone-like buildings, but there seemed to be no satisfactory conclusion that he could reach. So finally they had come to the outermost edge of the quaint city and here they paused, each with a hand on their weapon belts, gazing down the main street with its queer buildings on either side.
“Houses or domiciles of some sort, I suppose?” Viona questioned at last, and the Amazon nodded.
“Presumably. But we—Life!” she broke off quickly.
There was no time to withdraw; not even time to dodge, as four inhabitants of this unknown world suddenly came in view from one of the buildings.
They were remarkable in appearance. The nearest resemblance the Amazon could think of was tulips, even to the color-scheme. The bodies were thin as pipe stems with truncated legs and rather broad feet. Shoulders, as such, did not exist. Instead there were enormous heads, as featureless and as glazed as tulip flowers. Arms seemed to be comprised of two tendrils of whip-like quickness at either side of the queer bodies.... There was no hint of clothing—so the general illusion of walking tulips that formed in the Amazon’s agile mind was quite an apt one.
Then, as the Amazon and Abna were glancing at each other and wondering what to do next, more of the creatures came into sight, moving around, some of them discussing and others heading for different edifices. Though there did not appear to be many of the tulip people, the effect was similar to that of a gathering on any main street anywhere, except for the absence of vehicular traffic. And, at times, there floated to the travelers that impossible language which they had heard over the Ultra’s radio—though how it was produced when the creatures had no mouths was a mystery.
“Well, we can’t stand here all day,” Abna said finally, his hand still on his proton-gun. “Better go in the midst of them and see what happens.”
He set the example by walking forward and the Amazon came up immediately behind him. A little more reticently Viona and Mexone followed, until at length they had come into the midst of the nearest group of tulip people—and here at close quarters the real fantasy of the creatures became obvious. They were like something out of a dream—eight feet high, with their missing faces and enormous bobbing heads. But they were sentient and vital; there was no doubt of that.
Warily, the Amazon and Abna watched, Viona and Mexone behind them with their hands on their weapons. But apparently no hostility was intended for, when a few feet away, the tulip beings stopped and writhed their arm-like appendages in something that could have passed for a salute.
Immediately Abna took his cue and raised his own arm in solemn greeting.
“We salute you, friends,” he said gravely, and inwardly wished he did not feel as though he were addressing a flowerbed. “We come from the deeps of space and would have audience with whoever is your ruler.”
“Very well, that can be granted.”
Abna blinked slightly. He was quite sure he had heard that response, and yet— He turned abruptly, and from the looks on the faces of his wife, daughter, and Mexone he knew it had been no illusion.
“They talk our language,” Viona whispered in amazement. “And without mouths! This is certainly some planet!”
“Vibration,” the Amazon said, as coldly practical as ever. “To say nothing of a high order of intelligence. They have absorbed our language in a matter of seconds—presumably by telepathic means.”
“Your statement is correct, woman of space.” It was impossible to judge which being was talking. “We are telepaths and have minds capable of both absorption and transmission of mental waves. Be assured that you are more than welcome here. If you will come with us, your wish to have audience with our ruler will be gratified.”
Abna relaxed a little and took a hand from his weapon. He gave the Amazon a significant glance and then stepped forward, falling in behind the tulip being as he about-turned and went back up the street. To either side of them the gathered tulip people fell aside, which seemed to suggest that the leader was a high dignitary of some kind.
“Makes you wonder what we’ve got into,” Abna murmured, as the Amazon fell into step beside him. “A planet that leap-frogs, populated by a form of life that’s basically vegetable, and yet they are telepaths and have space travel.”
“If they are telepaths we’ve got to watch ourselves,” Viona put in. “They’ll know all we’re thinking about and planning before we can even say anything.”
“There’s a way around that, too,” Abna told her. “Just blank your mind. I’ve trained you how to do it: now is the time to put it into practice.”
By this time they had practically walked the length of the street and followed their escorts into one of the larger cone-like edifices. Once inside it, with the eyes accustoming to the dimmer light following the brilliant sunshine, the full majestic beauty of the interior became apparent. The main hall they were now traversing appeared to be solid marble, the vaulted root supported in pseudo-Roman style by gigantic fluted pillars. In the midst of the marble ran traceries of deep yellow metal, which was probably gold.
“If you will wait,” came the voice, “our ruler will be informed of your presence. We regret the appointments are not designed for your type of bodies, but that was something we could not foresee.”
Their heads bobbing on their ridiculous bodies, the tulip beings departed and closed the door. In silence the travelers stared at the furniture. It seemed to be made up of curled creations, vaguely suggestive of an earthly helter-skelter on a small scale. Plainly the idea was that the tulip bodies could drape into the curved lineage as a human being sits in a chair.
“Well,” Abna said finally, turning, “I shouldn’t think even you, Viona, can be bored with this!”
“Bored! I’m fascinated! It’s the most peculiar world we’ve yet come across—”
She paused and turned as the door opened into the room there came the two most remarkable beings yet. These were quite ten feet tall, and still conveying the same tulip-like effect as their fellows. One was a deep sea green with a huge and bobbing head—and the other a flaming, almost hurtful scarlet. They moved silently, like their fellows, pausing at length and both inclining
