CHAPTER XXXVI. MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
Lona was so disgusted with the people, and especially with the women,that she wished to abandon the place as soon as possible; I, on thecontrary, felt very strongly that to do so would be to fail wilfullywhere success was possible; and, far worse, to weaken the hearts ofthe Little Ones, and so bring them into much greater danger. If weretreated, it was certain the princess would not leave us unassailed!if we encountered her, the hope of the prophecy went with us! Motherand daughter must meet: it might be that Lona's loveliness would takeLilith's heart by storm! if she threatened violence, I should be therebetween them! If I found that I had no other power over her, I wasready, for the sake of my Lona, to strike her pitilessly on the closedhand! I knew she was doomed: most likely it was decreed that her doomshould now be brought to pass through us!
Still without hint of the relation in which she stood to the princess,I stated the case to Lona as it appeared to me. At once she agreed toaccompany me to the palace.
From the top of one of its great towers, the princess had, in the earlymorning, while the city yet slept, descried the approach of the army ofthe Little Ones. The sight awoke in her an over-mastering terror: shehad failed in her endeavour to destroy them, and they were upon her! Theprophecy was about to be fulfilled!
When she came to herself, she descended to the black hall, and seatedherself in the north focus of the ellipse, under the opening in theroof.
For she must think! Now what she called THINKING required a clearconsciousness of herself, not as she was, but as she chose to believeherself; and to aid her in the realisation of this consciousness, shehad suspended, a little way from and above her, itself invisible in thedarkness of the hall, a mirror to receive the full sunlight reflectedfrom her person. For the resulting vision of herself in the splendour ofher beauty, she sat waiting the meridional sun.
Many a shadow moved about her in the darkness, but as often as, with acertain inner eye which she had, she caught sight of one, she refusedto regard it. Close under the mirror stood the Shadow which attended herwalks, but, self-occupied, him she did not see.
The city was taken; the inhabitants were cowering in terror; the LittleOnes and their strange cavalry were encamped in the square; the sunshone upon the princess, and for a few minutes she saw herself glorious.The vision passed, but she sat on. The night was now come, and darknessclothed and filled the glass, yet she did not move. A gloom that swarmedwith shadows, wallowed in the palace; the servants shivered and shook,but dared not leave it because of the beasts of the Little Ones; allnight long the princess sat motionless: she must see her beauty again!she must try again to think! But courage and will had grown weary ofher, and would dwell with her no more!
In the morning we chose twelve of the tallest and bravest of the boysto go with us to the palace. We rode our great horses, and they smallhorses and elephants.
The princess sat waiting the sun to give her the joy of her ownpresence. The tide of the light was creeping up the shore of the sky,but until the sun stood overhead, not a ray could enter the black hall.
He rose to our eyes, and swiftly ascended. As we climbed the steep wayto the palace, he climbed the dome of its great hall. He looked in atthe eye of it--and with sudden radiance the princess flashed upon herown sight. But she sprang to her feet with a cry of despair: alas herwhiteness! the spot covered half her side, and was black as the marblearound her! She clutched her robe, and fell back in her chair. TheShadow glided out, and she saw him go.
We found the gate open as usual, passed through the paved grove up tothe palace door, and entered the vestibule. There in her cage lay thespotted leopardess, apparently asleep or lifeless. The Little Onespaused a moment to look at her. She leaped up rampant against the cage.The horses reared and plunged; the elephants retreated a step. Thenext instant she fell supine, writhed in quivering spasms, and laymotionless. We rode into the great hall.
The princess yet leaned back in her chair in the shaft of sunlight, whenfrom the stones of the court came to her ears the noise of the horses'hoofs. She started, listened, and shook: never had such sound beenheard in her palace! She pressed her hand to her side, and gasped. Thetrampling came nearer and nearer; it entered the hall itself; movingfigures that were not shadows approached her through the darkness!
For us, we saw a splendour, a glorious woman centring the dark. Lonasprang from her horse, and bounded to her. I sprang from mine, andfollowed Lona.
"Mother! mother!" she cried, and her clear, lovely voice echoed in thedome.
The princess shivered; her face grew almost black with hate, hereyebrows met on her forehead. She rose to her feet, and stood.
"Mother! mother!" cried Lona again, as she leaped on the dais, and flungher arms around the princess.
An instant more and I should have reached them!--in that instant I sawLona lifted high, and dashed on the marble floor. Oh, the horrible soundof her fall! At my feet she fell, and lay still. The princess sat downwith the smile of a demoness.
I dropped on my knees beside Lona, raised her from the stones, andpressed her to my bosom. With indignant hate I glanced at the princess;she answered me with her sweetest smile. I would have sprung upon her,taken her by the throat, and strangled her, but love of the child wasstronger than hate of the mother, and I clasped closer my preciousburden. Her arms hung helpless; her blood trickled over my hands, andfell on the floor with soft, slow little plashes.
The horses scented it--mine first, then the small ones. Mine reared,shivering and wild-eyed, went about, and thundered blindly down the darkhall, with the little horses after him. Lona's stood gazing down at hismistress, and trembling all over. The boys flung themselves from theirhorses' backs, and they, not seeing the black wall before them, dashedthemselves, with mine, to pieces against it. The elephants came on tothe foot of the dais, and stopped, wildly trumpeting; the Little Onessprang upon it, and stood horrified; the princess lay back in her seat,her face that of a corpse, her eyes alone alive, wickedly flaming. Shewas again withered and wasted to what I found in the wood, and her sidewas as if a great branding hand had been laid upon it. But Lona sawnothing, and I saw but Lona.
"Mother! mother!" she sighed, and her breathing ceased.
I carried her into the court: the sun shone upon a white face, and thepitiful shadow of a ghostly smile. Her head hung back. She was "dead asearth."
I forgot the Little Ones, forgot the murdering princess, forgot thebody in my arms, and wandered away, looking for my Lona. The doors andwindows were crowded with brute-faces jeering at me, but not daring tospeak, for they saw the white leopardess behind me, hanging her headclose at my heel. I spurned her with my foot. She held back a moment,and followed me again.
I reached the square: the little army was gone! Its emptiness roused me.Where were the Little Ones, HER Little Ones? I had lost her children!I stared helpless about me, staggered to the pillar, and sank upon itsbase.
But as I sat gazing on the still countenance, it seemed to smile a livemomentary smile. I never doubted it an illusion, yet believed what itsaid: I should yet see her alive! It was not she, it was I who was lost,and she would find me!
I rose to go after the Little Ones, and instinctively sought the gateby which we had entered. I looked around me, but saw nothing of theleopardess.
The street was rapidly filling with a fierce crowd. They saw meencumbered with my dead, but for a time dared not assail me. Ere Ireached the gate, however, they had gathered courage. The women beganto hustle me; I held on heedless. A man pushed against my sacred burden:with a kick I sent him away howling. But the crowd pressed upon me, andfearing for the dead that was beyond hurt, I clasped my treasure closer,and freed my right arm. That instant, however, a commotion arose in thestreet behind me; the crowd broke; and through it came the Little Ones Ihad left in the palace. Ten of them were upon four of the elephants; onthe two other elephants lay the princess, bound hand and foot, and quitestill, save that her eyes rolled in their ghastly sockets. The two othe
rLittle Ones rode behind her on Lona's horse. Every now and then the wisecreatures that bore her threw their trunks behind and felt her cords.
I walked on in front, and out of the city. What an end to the hopes withwhich I entered the evil place! We had captured the bad princess, andlost our all-beloved queen! My life was bare! my heart was empty!