Абрахам Меррит - Dwellers in the Mirage

"If you believe I am no longer Dwayanu, then I am the man whose friend you trapped and murdered—the man whose love you trapped and would have destroyed. And if that be so—what claim have you upon me, Lur?"

She did not answer for moments; then she said:

"I have some justice on my side. I tell you I loved Dwayanu. Something I knew of your case from the first, Yellow–hair. But I saw Dwayanu awaken within you. And I knew it was truly he! I knew, too, that as long as that friend of yours and the dark girl lived there was danger for Dwayanu. That was why I plotted to bring them into Sirk. I threw the dice upon the chance of killing them before you had seen them. Then, I thought, all would be well. There would be none left to rouse that in you which Dwayanu had mastered. I lost. I knew I had lost when by whim of Luka she threw you three together. And rage and sorrow caught me—and I did…what I did."

"Lur," I said, "answer me truly. That day you returned to the Lake of the Ghosts after pursuit of the two women—were they not your spies who bore that lying message into Sirk? And did you not wait until you learned my friend and Evalie were in the trap before you gave me word to march? And was it not in your thought that you would then—if I opened the way into Sirk—rid yourself not only of those two but of Dwayanu? For remember—you may have loved Dwayanu, but as he told you, you loved power better than he. And Dwayanu threatened your power. Answer me truly."

For the second time I saw tears in the eyes of the Witch–woman. She said, brokenly:

"I sent the spies, yes. I waited until the two were in the trap. But I never meant harm to Dwayanu!"

I did not believe her. But still I felt no anger, no hate. The pity grew.

"Lur, now I will tell you truth. It is not in my mind to rule with Evalie over Karak and the Rrrllya. I have no more desire for power. That went with Dwayanu. In the peace I make with the dwarfs, you shall rule over Karak—if that be your desire. The dark girl shall go back with them. She will not desire to remain in Karak. Nor do I…"

"You cannot go with her," she interrupted me. "Never would the yellow dogs trust you. Their arrows would be ever pointed at you."

I nodded—that thought had occurred to me long before.

"All that must adjust itself," I said. "But there shall be no more sacrifices. The gate of Khalk'ru shall be closed against him for ever. And I will close it."

Her eyes dilated.

"You mean—"

"I mean that I will shut Khalk'ru for ever from Karak—unless Khalk'ru proves stronger than I."

She wrung her hands, helplessly.

"What use rule over Karak to me then…how could I hold the people?"

"Nevertheless—I will destroy the gate of Khalk'ru."

She whispered:

"Gods—if I had Yodin's ring…"

I smiled at that.

"Witch–woman, you know as well as I that Khalk'ru comes to no woman's call."

The witch–lights flickered in her eyes; a flash of green shone through them.

"There is an ancient prophecy, Yellow–hair, that Dwayanu did not know—or had forgotten. It says that when Khalk'ru comes to a woman's call, he—stays! That was the reason no woman in ancient Ayjilrand might be priestess at the sacrifice."

I laughed at that.

"A fine pet, Lur—to add to your wolves."

She walked toward the door, paused.

"What if I could love you—as I loved Dwayanu? Could make you love me as Dwayanu loved me? And more! Send the dark girl to join her people and take the ban of death from them on this side of Nanbu. Would you let things be as they are—rule with me over Karak?"

I opened the door for her.

"I told you I no longer care for power, Lur."

She walked away.

I went back to the window, drew a chair to it, and sat thinking. Suddenly from somewhere close to the citadel I heard a wolf cry. Thrice it howled, then thrice again.

"Leif!"

I jumped to my feet. Evalie was beside me. She peered at me through the veils of her hair; her clear eyes shone upon me—no longer doubting, hating, fearing. They were as they were of old.

"Evalie!"

My arms went round her; my lips found hers.

"I listened, Leif!"

"You believe, Evalie!"

She kissed me, held me tight.

"But she was right—Leif. You could not go with me again into the land of the Little People. Never, never would they understand. And I would not dwell in Karak."

"Will you go with me, Evalie—to my own land? After I have done what I must do…and if I am not destroyed in its doing?"

"I will go with you, Leif!"

And she wept awhile, and after another while she fell asleep in my arms. And I lifted her, and carried her into her chamber and covered her with the sleep silks. Nor did she awaken.

I returned to my own room. As I passed the table I picked up the locket, started to put it round my neck. I threw it back. Never would I wear that chain again, I dropped upon the bed, sword at hand. I slept.

Twice I awakened. The first time it was the howling of the wolves that aroused me. It was as though they were beneath my window. I listened drowsily, and sank back to sleep.

The second time I came wide awake from a troubled dream. Some sound in the chamber had roused me, of that I was sure. My hand dropped to my sword lying on the floor beside my bed. I had the feeling that there was someone in the room. I could see nothing in the green darkness that filled the chamber. I called, softly:

"Evalie! Is that you?"

There was no answer, no sound.

I sat up in the bed, even thrust a leg out to rise. And then I remembered the guards at my door, and Dara and her soldiers beyond, and I told myself that it had been only my troubled dream that had awakened me. Yet for a time I lay awake listening, sword in hand. And then the silence lulled me back to sleep.

There was a knocking upon my door, and I struggled out of that sleep. I saw that it was well after dawn. I went to the door softly so that I might not awaken Evalie. I opened it, and there with the guards was Sri. The little man had come well armed, with spear and sickle–sword and between his shoulders one of the small, surprisingly resonant talking drums. He looked at me in the friendliest fashion. I patted his hand and pointed to the curtains.

"Evalie is there, Sri. Go waken her."

He trotted past me. I gave greeting to the guards, and turned to follow Sri. He stood at the curtains, looking at me with eyes in which was now no friendliness at all. He said:

"Evalie is not there."

I stared at him, incredulously, brushed by him and into that chamber. It was empty. I crossed to the pile of silks and cushions on which Evalie had slept, touched them. There was no warmth. I went, Sri at my heels, into the next room. Dara and a half dozen of the women lay there, asleep. Evalie was not among them. I touched Dara on the shoulder. She sat up, yawning.

"Dara—the girl is gone!"

"Gone!" she stared at me as incredulously as I had at the golden pygmy. She leaped to her feet, ran to the empty room, then with me through the other chambers. There lay the soldier women, asleep, but not Evalie.

I ran back to my own room, and to its door. A bitter rage began to possess me. Swiftly, harshly, I questioned the guards. They had seen no one. None had entered; none had gone forth. The golden pygmy listened, his eyes never leaving me.

I turned toward Evalie's room. I passed the table on which I had thrown the locket. My hand fell on it, lifted it; it was curiously light…I opened it…The ring of Khalk'ru was not there! I glared at the empty locket—and like a torturing flame realization of what its emptiness and the vanishment of Evalie might signify came to me. I groaned, leaned against the table to keep from falling.