I will tell you what happened next as plainly as I can.
You will read about what Constance and I went through, but I will not try to describe the rage that filled my soul. Some things are beyond words. Even Dante or Milton would struggle to put such horror into language.
And frankly, I do not want to relive that hour in my imagination.
So I will give you the facts, with as little comment as possible.
I think that will be enough.
Helzephron was gone for quite a while.
During his absence, Vargus appeared once and looked at me.
I will not describe his face.
When the hawk-faced man finally returned, he dragged my chair to the far end of the room. Then he pushed the writing table in front of me, creating a barrier between us.
Everything he did was slow and deliberate.
That was what frightened me most.
His lips stretched into a tight smile, showing his teeth.
He placed another chair against the opposite wall.
Then he went through the curtained doorway again.
A moment later, he came back with Connie.
The room seemed to spin around me.
Then everything went dark.
My throat tightened so badly that I could not speak.
But I could see my girl clearly.
I had never seen her look like that before.
She was deathly pale. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, and every trace of happiness had disappeared from her beautiful face.
Yet she did not look thinner, and there were no new lines on her face.
The color had left her cheeks, and the shine had disappeared from her hair. But somehow I felt that her physical health had not been seriously damaged.
When she spoke, I knew I was right.
I also understood why she was still strong.
Her spirit had not been broken.
All the courage she had always possessed seemed to have gathered inside her and hardened into an unshakable determination.
Her voice was filled with such contempt that it cut me like a whip.
It was almost unbelievable that Helzephron could stand there and listen to her.
But his eyes had that strange red glow again, like the eyes of a mad hound.
“What new devilry is this?” Connie demanded when she saw me tied up behind the table.
“Do you think I need any more proof to know where you came from and whom you serve?”
“Look at this gentleman,” Helzephron said. “Look at him carefully.”
“Another miserable prisoner?”
Her voice rose with disgust.
“So now you have added torture to your crimes. And you dare to make me watch it?”
She turned toward the door, her face filled with hatred and disgust.
But before she could go any farther, she stopped.
“Sir, you have fallen into the hands of a terrible scoundrel, but—”
“Connie! Darling, don’t you know me?”
The words burst out of me before I could stop them.
It was a terrible mistake.
I cursed myself the moment I saw what happened.
She looked at me as though I had struck her.
She staggered and collapsed into the chair, unconscious.
I was almost unconscious myself.
A roaring sound filled my ears, like a great waterfall.
I felt as though I were drowning.
When I finally recovered, Wilson, the maid, was tending to her mistress.
I heard liquid being poured, but I could see nothing because Helzephron was standing directly in front of me, watching everything.
“Helzephron,” I said hoarsely, “this can’t go on. For God’s sake, stop it!”
“Get her away before she wakes up and do whatever you want with me.”
I desperately searched for something that might move him.
He turned slowly toward me.
“Too late now,” he said.
“You both have to go through with it.”
The hatred had disappeared from his eyes.
His voice was strangely distant.
“There is no other way.”
He moved to the side and leaned against the wall.
He watched Constance silently as she began to regain consciousness.
Her eyes opened.
Helzephron made an impatient gesture.
Wilson immediately disappeared through the doorway.
Poor woman. I could see the terror in her face.
As soon as I thought Connie could understand me, I spoke.
I had to tell her the truth.
It might be my last chance.
Strangely, Helzephron did not stop me.
“Yes, it is me, Constance. I’m disguised. That’s why you didn’t recognize me.”
“Darling, everything is going to be all right.”
“Just be brave a little longer.”
I watched understanding appear in her eyes.
Then her eyes suddenly filled with love.
“John!”
“You’ve come at last.”
“I’ve been waiting so long.”
Then she noticed that I was tied up.
Her expression changed.
“But you’re tied up!”
“You’re in this man’s power too!”
“For the moment, perhaps,” I said.
“But that doesn’t matter.”
“He has been found. His time is almost over.”
“He knows it.”
“I made one mistake, and he captured me. But outside, our forces are closing in.”
“For him, the whole world has now become no bigger than this little room.”
Helzephron gave no reaction.
He stood there like a stone statue, towering over us.
I doubt he even heard what we were saying.
“Tell me quickly,” I said.
“He hasn’t hurt you, has he?”
“He hasn’t laid a hand on you?”
“He hasn’t harmed you?”
A bitter laugh escaped her.
“He has stolen me away from life and kept me here as a prisoner.”
“But I have been given food, and this cage is gilded with the money he has stolen.”
“He knows perfectly well that if he ever touched me, I would kill myself.”
“No power in the world could stop me.”
“Not even all his clever precautions.”
“He knows that.”
“Thank God his time is finally coming to an end.”
“Tell me everything, quickly.”
“A great deal depends on it.”
How could I tell her that Helzephron intended to kill me?
How could I explain that he could do it long before any help arrived?
“He dared to do something worse,” she said.
Her voice had become harder than I had ever imagined a woman’s voice could be.
“He dared to offer me what he calls love.”
“Love.”
She almost spat the word.
“The word is disgusting coming from a man like him.”
“He raved, threatened me, begged me.”
“He wanted me to marry him.”
“He wanted me to run away with him and become his wife.”
She shuddered violently and sank back into the chair, exhausted.
I searched desperately for something to say.
What could I possibly do?
I knew without doubt that she would rather die than surrender to him.
But Helzephron could still torture her for hours.
Perhaps he would escape for a while in that extraordinary ship of his.
Then again, perhaps the airships searching for him had already gathered in sufficient numbers to stop even the Pirate Ship.
There could be a battle in the sky.
Our cruisers’ heavy guns might tear the Pirate Ship apart.
And Connie would be aboard her.
What could I say?
Helzephron pushed himself away from the wall.
He slowly lit a cigarette.
His hand was trembling violently.
Then he looked at Constance.
“You have already told me that you love Sir John Custance,” he said.
“I heard you say it yourself two days ago.”
“But love can mean many things.”
“You may have said it simply to keep me away from you.”
“Sir John Custance is here now.”
“He is completely in my power.”
“What does that mean for you and him?”
Connie looked at him silently.
There was not the slightest trace of fear in her eyes.
“I will tell you,” she said at last.
“That man is my man.”
“And I am his woman.”
“From this moment until the end of time.”
“For all eternity.”
“You cannot understand what I mean. I know that.”
“But if words have any meaning at all, mine are clear.”
Helzephron suddenly threw away his cigarette.
Then he gave a long sigh.
The sound startled me.
I could not understand it.
“Well,” he said quietly.
“That is another illusion gone.”
“The last one.”
“My whole life seems to have been nothing but a series of lost illusions.”
“I loved you.”
“And I still love you.”
“I love you with all the strength of a nature that, whatever else it may be, is stronger than that of most men in this weak world.”
“I would have given you a love so rich, so complete, so powerful that you would have forgotten this man’s hold over you.”
“My love would have destroyed your passion for him.”
“And you would have loved me in return.”
“You believe you would not.”
“But I know better.”
“It would have been flame meeting flame.”
“Love.”
He paused.
“Now I see that it really is too late.”
He did not raise his voice.
There was nothing especially dramatic about his words.
Yet to me they sounded like the tolling of a huge bell.
A bell ringing while the gates of hell slowly opened.
“Yes,” Connie said quickly.
“Too late.”
“And now you finally understand.”
“It could never have happened.”
“So let us go.”
“Please, be quick.”
“Untie John.”
“You must be hurting him.”
For the first and last time that night, tears rolled down my cheeks.
Perhaps there had still been some small piece of goodness left inside Helzephron.
Perhaps some part of the man he had once been was still alive.
He had not always belonged entirely to evil.
But now I saw that final trace of goodness disappear.
There was no mistaking it.
It was as though I were watching the last light go out of a human soul.
Helzephron stared steadily at Constance.
“Sir John can go,” he said.
“Despite everything I hate about him, I am willing to let him leave unharmed.”
“My dear girl, the choice is entirely yours.”
She did not understand.
“Then let him go now.”
“At once.”
“That man,” Helzephron replied, “will either walk out of here alive, or die a particularly unpleasant death.”
“He will either go free or become nothing more than a pile of clothes within half an hour.”
“You will decide which, Constance.”
Her eyes slowly widened.
I think she finally understood.
“It is very simple,” he continued.
“If I cannot have real love, then Fate has at least given me the power to demand the next best thing.”
“The appearance of love.”
“The moment you solemnly promise to marry me, Sir John will walk out onto the moor.”
I gave Connie a quick warning glance.
Would he believe that she had become as selfish and cruel as he was?
Everything depended on it.
“You can’t do that, Constance,” I said.
I deliberately let my voice tremble.
I wanted Helzephron to hear a faint hint of hope.
I gave her another warning signal.
Helzephron barely moved.
But I saw a faint smile appear around his cruel lips.
He was taking the bait.
“It would be a terrible sacrifice,” I continued.
“What is my life worth, even to the State, if it costs you such a sacrifice?”
I thought that last part was particularly clever.
Thank God Connie understood immediately.
She played her part perfectly.
She let out a cry of pain and covered her face with both hands.
“I cannot let you die!”
“Don’t you know that I love you?”
“Isn’t your life more important than anything?”
I answered eagerly.
“But what about your own happiness?”
Connie made a passionate gesture as though she were giving up everything.
Then she turned toward our captor.
“Sir, have you no mercy?”
“Have you no compassion?”
“I have only one need,” Helzephron replied.
“Then leave us alone.”
“Let me speak with Sir John for a few minutes.”
She beckoned to him.
He came closer and lowered his head.
“Go,” she whispered.
“I cannot persuade him while you are here.”
“Leave us alone.”
“I will do my best.”
The fool was completely under her control.
That single whisper seemed to transform him.
“Yes,” he said.
“I’ll go.”
Then he added, “I don’t think our friend will need much persuading.”
“You may even be pleased to marry a real man after all.”
He was halfway to the door when suspicion suddenly returned.
“How do I know you’re not planning some trick?” he snarled.
“Trying to untie him, perhaps?”
“Not that either of you would have any chance of escaping.”
“I give you my word of honor,” Connie replied.
“Or you can tie me up as well.”
“That would be safest.”
“Fasten me to this chair so I cannot move.”
Helzephron shook his head impatiently.
Then the door slammed shut.
We were alone.
I spoke immediately.
There was no time to waste.
“My darling, this is goodbye.”
“We have managed to steal these few moments from him so that we can say farewell.”
Her face was full of love and courage.
She smiled at me.
“Is there no way out?”
“None.”
“This is the end.”
“We fooled that devil for a minute.”
“When he comes back and understands what we’ve done, everything will happen very quickly.”
“Now listen.”
I explained the whole situation in a few sentences.
I told her that Helzephron’s escape was almost impossible now.
But I also told her the truth about what would happen if the Pirate Ship were attacked.
She would almost certainly die with it.
“What does that matter?” she said.
“I would kill myself anyway rather than let him touch me.”
“I already have the means.”
Then she looked at me with shining eyes.
“My love, I have never been prouder of you than I am now.”
My heart swelled with love for her.
She had never doubted me.
Not for one second had she believed that I would allow her to make such a sacrifice.
We had not even needed to discuss it.
It was enough to know that we trusted each other completely.
That kind of love was worth dying for.
“And you see, darling,” she continued, “it won’t be long.”
“We’ll be together again in a few hours.”
“And this time, we’ll never be separated again.”
Very quietly, very solemnly, we said goodbye.
Neither of us was unhappy.
A strange peace came over us, together with a feeling of almost overwhelming joy.
That moment was too sacred for me to describe.
I looked at her one last time.
Her face was calm and radiant.
I tried to burn that image into my memory.
I wanted it to be the last thing I saw.
Then I called for Helzephron in a strong voice.
The instant he entered the room and saw our faces, he understood.
He became very quiet.
But that dull red light had returned to his eyes.
He looked like a mad dog staring through the darkness.
For a moment, I almost felt sorry for him.
He seemed like a man dying of thirst, desperate for even a single drop of water.
Yet he was burning in his own private hell.
I prayed for only one thing.
I did not want Constance to watch me die.
It seemed that my prayer was answered.
Helzephron seized her roughly, led her to the curtained doorway, and pushed her through it.
Then he whistled.
Vargus entered through the other door.
Both men moved with cold efficiency.
They reminded me of paid executioners carrying out a routine job in a prison.
Once again, they tied a cloth over my head.
Then they lifted the chair.
They carried me away.
The swinging motion continued for a long time.
I must have been taken a considerable distance from the room where I had suffered.
At last, the chair was set down.
I heard the powerful beating of waves.
Cool air touched my face.
I knew where I was.
The central cavern.
And we were near its entrance.
So that was their plan.
They were going to throw me down onto the rocks and into the whirlpools below.
Then I felt strong, slender fingers around my neck.
Vargus.
The pianist.
I shuddered at his touch.
The cloth was pulled away from my head.
My guess had been right.
I was surrounded by the vast, cathedral-like cavern.
But now dozens of lights were burning.
A huge blue arc lamp hung from the roof.
All the shadows and mystery had disappeared.
And not far away stood the great Pirate Ship.
She rested on rubber-covered wheels, lowered beneath her floats by an adaptation of the Raynor-Wallis patent.
She towered beneath the domed roof, her enormous wings stretching from one side of the cavern to the other.
She was beautiful in design.
She was also a terrifying machine of power.
Even at that moment, with death almost upon me, I could not help wanting to examine her.
I wanted to climb aboard and discover the wonders hidden inside her.
The deepest passion of a man’s life does not die easily.