CHAPTER III -Thuvia, Maid of Mars

The third chapter of “Thuvia, Maid of Mars” titled “Treachery” unfolds amidst a backdrop of intrigue and imminent diplomacy following the abduction of Thuvia of Ptarth, stirring suspicion towards the Prince of Helium, Carthoris. Amidst the gathering of Martian nobility, including Tardos Mors and John Carter, the Warlord of Mars, the consensus is clear: prevent war between Helium and Ptarth and reassure Thuvan Dihn of Carthoris’s innocence. John Carter mandates Carthoris to personally dispel these suspicions at Ptarth, equipped with an offer of assistance to recover Thuvia.

Preparing for departure, a sinister act of sabotage unfolds unbeknownst to Carthoris; a duplicitous guard alters the settings of Carthoris’s flier’s compass, rendering it misleading. Despite dismissing an unsettling familiarity with the guard, Carthoris departs, riddled with personal turmoil over Thuvia’s feelings and the uncertainty of her whereabouts. Contemplating the likelihood of Thuvia’s flight being consensual with a lover, he succumbs to a restless sleep, haunted by despair and jealousy.

Awakening to an unfamiliar and desolate landscape far from Ptarth, Carthoris discovers the treachery that redirected his journey. His flier, manipulated by unknown forces, lands in a ghostly, abandoned city, not the bustling metropolis of Ptarth he expected. Amidst his confusion, a distressing scene below—a red woman being kidnapped by a brutish green Martian—spurs Carthoris into action, diving his craft groundward in a daring rescue attempt.

This chapter richly continues the blend of Martian honor, intrigue, and the peculiar blend of chivalry and technology that characterizes Burroughs’s saga. Its narrative, marked by treachery and the unknown, sets a thrilling pace for Carthoris’s quest beyond the mere recovery of Thuvia, hinting at challenges and alliances unforeseen. The silent, forsaken city where Carthoris lands serves not only as a physical setting but also mirrors the isolation and dread he confronts within, amplifying the stakes of his quest both personally and politically.