Chapter three
Burning eyes of a pagan idolGlowing with baleful fires, the eyes of the idol poured out a malevolent radiance. Twin pits of flame beside the arrogantly beaked nose, the eyes smoked greenly with a sense of contained horror most unnerving.
Impossible to say which one of us moved first.
As one we rushed toward the idol in its alcove.
What we shouted, what we said, I do not know. I think each one of us wanted to get a grip on the bird-idol and rip away the masked face to discover just what trickery was at work. The emerald fire blossomed into a fierce blaze of green fire. Then it vanished. As we reached the statue only cold lusterless glass eyeballs gazed dispassionately down on us.
“Sink me!” I burst out. “Here’s a task for Khe-Hi and old Evold!”
We prowled around the idol
