 Atea, savage white queen of Tor, has learned of Jeanette Burton's rescue from the Chamber of Serpents by Wong Tai and of their invasions of her treasure cave. She follows them with a company of palace guards and surprises the Chinese in the act of looting her jewel caskets. Ordering their immediate death by sacrifice to the fires of Tor, Atea conducts her captives to the Hall of Pantu, the Chamber of Sacrifice. Tarzan and O'Rourke, meanwhile, have opened the city gates to the invading hordes of Rathor, and leaving the invasion and sack of Tor to the savage Rathorians, the ape man, Darno and O'Rourke, fight their way into the palace in search of Jeanette. As the three white men enter the deserted council chamber, the sound of chanting voices comes to them from the Hall of Pantu. They recognize the chant of sacrifice. This way, the Hall of Pantu at the end of the corridor. Come on. Sacrifice, Tarzan. There are many guards before that door. Right to the devil with the yellow scum. If Jeanette's in there, we'll get her out. No! Oh, listen. That sounded like Jeanette. Oh, my God, it is Jeanette. Are the devils a murderer in her? No! We're coming, Jeanette, of course, la. Oh, grass, I've warned you. Well, yeah. Look, back there, coming down the corridor. Who can use Rathorians? Come on. With the speed of a charging lion, the fierce challenging cry of the bull ape ringing piercingly from his throat, Tarzan leaps directly into the midst of the yellow guardsmen. In his hands, the great two-edged Torian's sword, its reddened blade reflecting the light from burning wall pressets, whistles through the air in great sweeping arcs. Straight through the living wall of yellow-skinned, gigantic Torians, the eight-man cleaves a path to the heavy door of the Hall of Pantu. Behind him, Darno and O'Rourke wielding savage weapons, fight desperately to prevent the Torians from closing in. Darno, O'Rourke, come on. Leave them to O'Conn, his Latorians. Here, the door. Inside, quick. Tarzan! The door, O'Rourke. Close it. At Atea's screaming command, Mantar, the high priest, springs from the circle of startled priests, toward the lever in the base of the huge golden image that operates the stone trap over the fire pit. Across the chamber, near the door, Darno and O'Rourke halt in their tracks, staring in frozen horror as the priest's hand reaches out to grasp the lever. Swift as thought, Tarzan swings the long Torian sword back over his shoulder, brings it forward in one powerful sweep, and lets go. True as an arrow launched from a bow, the huge weapon flashes point foremost across the chamber to bury itself to the hilt in the breast of the high priest. With a scream, Mantar sinks writhing in death to the floor. The remaining priests stand petrified, gazing fearfully at the ape man who reaches back snatching O'Rourke's sword from his hands. The first one to move toward that lever dies as Mantar died. Tell them, Atea. And you think Tarzan of the Apes, that will save Jeanette Burton? Not so. One step away from that door by you or one of your companions, and she dies by these sacrificial knives. Won't I remain where you are? Mon Dieu, she is holding Jeanette on the edge of the storm trap with a knife at her throat. If anyone touches that lever... O'Rourke, faith in me, that divile himself strike the woman dead where she stands. If I could only get my two hands on her for one little minute... Easy, O'Rourke. Stand still, Wong. Atea, don't be a fool. Your city's fallen into the hands of Sean Rattour and his warriors. Your nobles and fighting men are dead or prisoners. Jeanette's death won't help you now. Never the less she will die in the fires of Thor or by the blade of sacrifice. Unless the Sean of Rattour and you, Tarzan of the Apes, are prepared to bargain for her life. What do you want? The Sean and his warriors will evacuate my city at once. He may take with him all Rattorian slaves. I am not authorized to negotiate terms for the Sean, Dono. Nor am I. You'll have to make your own terms with the Sean, Atea. What do you want of me? Your intervention under Paul Dono with his friend, the Sean. You have my word for that and Dono's, right, Dono? Oui, Tarzan. And your acceptance of the kingship of Thor, Tarzan of the Apes. Oh, no, Tarzan. No, you mustn't listen to him. Silence, you little fool. Or I bury this blade in your throat. Oh, by the saints I'll make that she devils. All right, Atea. As far as I am concerned, you have my word. Okay, Tarzan. The woman speaks with a double tongue. She is without honor, crafty, vindictive, as evil as sin. So speaks my most worthy and loyal consular, Wang Tai, who is himself the soul of honor, who bites the hand that feeds him and renders from the one who has saved his miserable life. To combat fire, my illustrious queen, one must himself apply the torch. And as this one has so often stated, the shadow moves as the sun directs. Therefore, Tarzan, my friend, I warn you, walk softly. Walk softly. As the crafty Chinese speaks, he moves surreptitiously inch by inch toward Atea, where she stands holding Jeanette beside the fire trap. Unobserved by all but the watchful Tarzan, Wang moves closer. Closer. Enough. Enough of this talk. Tarzan, what is your answer to my terms? Do you accept? I'm a Montazan, before you answer. Would it not first be well for Atea to learn whether or not she has a kingdom to offer? Perhaps the Shah of Rathor has other plans for the governing of Tor and for Atea. Then they will be set aside if Jeanette Burton is to live. Speak, Tarzan. Tarzan herself, Tarzan, she's planning divalement. You have my word that I will return, Atea. Oh, Tarzan. Providing you put down that knife and Jeanette and Wang come over here to us, now. Pernigarh, Tarzan. Her eyes are trying to deliver a message to one of those priests. I know. Not so fast, Tarzan of the Apes. Jeanette Burton will step out from under this knife only when the order has been given and guaranteed by yourself for the Rathorians to leave Tor, and not before. You'll have to take that up with the Shah later. No, now. Send for him. Darno, go outside and see if you can find Uka. Deliver Atea's message to him. Lahando, Tarzan! Lahando! Tarzan, to heaven, please! The priest to whom Atea has pledged a signal and cried out leaps suddenly forward to the base of the golden idol in the lever. As his clawing fingers fasten themselves on the handle, Tarzan's sword whistles through the air and buries itself between his shoulders. With a scream of savage agony, the dying priest throws himself against the lever, pulling the handle with him as he falls. Seeing one of their number felled by the lightning action of the eight men, the other yellow-skinned priest, screaming with terror, rushed for the door behind the golden idol to disappear in the secret passageways of the Temple of Pantu. A dull, heavy rumble of grinding rock and the stone tap beside which the women stand begins to slide open. Oh, Tarzan of the apes, you thought to cheat Atea of her vengeance. She on that button dies and it fires a thaw and with the knife of sacrifice in her heart. Le feu, Tarzan! The fire! Absurdly trapped! Eyes glittering evenly, the savage queen raises the sacrificial knife. As she leans forward to drive it into Jeanette's heart, Wong Tai throws himself between the two women. His shoulder striking Jeanette hurls her away from the opening trap. The descending knife with all Atea's strength behind it plunges deep into his unprotected back. The force of his forward lunge and Atea's blow carries him staggering to the brink of the open, roaring fire pit. Oh, that's it, leave it, Tarzan! Lieutenant, quick! Oh, mon Dieu! They will fall! Connoring at the edge of the horrible pit, Wong turns, throws his arms round Atea. He who strikes with a sharp point will not himself be safe for long. Listen, Patrick. He dragged her into the fire pit along with him. Jeanette, you're all right? Not hurt? No. No, I'm all right. But, but Dr. Wong... He saved your life, Jeanette. Oh, very dear. And as he himself might have said, may the all-seeing guide his footsteps into the heavenly palaces of his distinguished ancestors. Faith, and I'm taking back everything I ever said or thought of him. Oh, I'd like to take the head and buy the hand and call him friend. He, he wasn't a heathen, Tarzan. More than once, he saved this all from Atea's jealous anger. Especially me. If it hadn't been for Dr. Wong... Oh, we'll remember him, Acusler, as a real friend. With a queer way of saying things, most folks couldn't understand. And they voyaged. Look, they're on the trap. A necklace of rubies. They must have fallen from his pocket. He got them from Atea's treasure cave. He wanted me to have them. I couldn't take them. Take them. Atea has no further use for them. And the rest of the treasure? We'll stay where it is, O'Rourke. Oh, faith, and I want none of it. N'ai moi non plus, nor I. Et bien, mes amis. What now? Oh, let's get out of here. All I ask is to get as far away as possible from this awful place. And as quickly as we can. You're right, Jeanette. You and O'Rourke will be safe with the Shan and Uka. They'll see that you'll reach civilization safely. I mean that you're not going with us. You, you're going to stay here? You forget. Darno and I are on a special mission. Ah, oui. I myself had almost forgotten. We still have a task to perform. Monsieur Ismet is ivory poaching and slave trading. We'll take care of that in due time. Tomorrow we go back to my jungle. Meanwhile, we'll find O'Rourke and tell him our plans regarding Jeanette and O'Rourke.