The Moon That Vanished — Leigh Brackett

They say that Venus once had a moon. It rode in the clouds like a disc of fire and the god who dwelt within it was supreme over all the other gods. He watched the surface of the planet and all that was done upon it. But the lesser gods were jealous, and one day they were able to destroy the palace of the Moon-god.David Heath, an earthman, is an outcast on Venus. He lost everything when he and his partner, Ethne, went searching for the legendary Moonfire. Racked by visions that torment him he wonders if the visions are the trauma of losing the love of his life or if they are something more. The Moonfire is believed to give its finder godlike powers. But it can also strip men of their vitality and cause them to waste away. His life in tatters Heath has but one choice go back out and find the Moonfire again and use its powers to bring back his lost love. But can it be done, will a second encounter with the Moonfire kill him?