her sleeping. I sought you and found you also sleeping. I knew no harm would come to you, and I went my ways — and forgot you. Then I came here again — and found Yuruk and these the maid had slain.”
The great eyes flashed.
“Now do I honor the maid for the battle that she did,” she said, “though how she slew so many strong men I do not know. My heart goes out to her. And therefore when I bring her back she shall no more be plaything to Norhala, but sister. And with you it shall be as she wills. And woe to those who have taken her!”
She paused, listening. From without came a rising storm of thin wailings, insistent and eager.
“But I have an older vengeance than this to take,” the golden voice tolled somberly. “Long have I forgotten — and shame I feel that I had forgot. So long have I forgotten all hatreds, all lusts, all cruelty — among — these —” She thrust a hand forth toward the hidden valley. “Forgot — dwelling in the great harmonies. Save for you and what has befallen I would never have stirred from them, I think. But now awakened, I take that vengeance. After it is done”— she paused —“after it is over I shall go back again. For this awakening has in it nothing of the ordered joy I love — it is a fierce and slaying fire. I shall go back —”
The shadow of her far dreaming flitted over, softened the angry brilliancy of her eyes.
“Listen, you two!” The shadow of dream fled. “Those that I am about to slay are evil — evil are they all, men and women. Long have they been so — yea, for cycles of suns. And their children grow like them — or if they be gentle and with love for peace they are slain or die of heartbreak. All this my mother told me long ago. So no more children shall be born from them either to suffer or to grow evil.”
Again she paused, nor did we interrupt her musing.
“My father ruled Ruszark,” she said at last. “Rustum he was named, of the seed of Rustum the Hero even as was my mother. They were gentle and good, and it was their ancestors who built Ruszark when, fleeing from the might of Iskander, they were sealed in the hidden valley by the falling mountain.
“Then there sprang from one of the families of the nobles — Cherkis. Evil, evil was he, and as he grew he lusted for rule. On a night of terror he fell upon those who loved my father and slew; and barely had my father time to fly from the city with my mother, still but a bride, and a handful of those loyal to him.
“They found by chance the way to this place, hiding in the cleft which is its portal. They came, and they were taken by — Those who are now my people. Then my mother, who was very beautiful, was lifted before him who rules here and she found favor in his sight and he had built for her this house, which now is mine.
“And in time I was born — but not in this house. Nay — in a secret place of light where, too, are born my people.”
She was silent. I shot a glance at Drake. The secret place of light — was it not that vast vault of mystery, of dancing orbs and flames transmuted into music into which we had peered and for which sacrilege, I had thought, had been thrust from the City? And did in this lie the explanation of her strangeness? Had she there sucked in with her mother’s milk the enigmatic life of the Metal Hordes, been transformed into half human changeling, become true kin to them? What else could explain —
“My mother showed me Ruszark,” her voice, taking up once more her tale, checked my thoughts. “Once when I was little she and my father bore me through the forest and through the hidden way. I looked upon Ruszark — a great city it is and populous, and a caldron of cruelty and of evil.
“Not like me were my father and mother. They longed for their kind and sought ever for means to regain their place among them. There came a time when my father, driven by his longing, ventured forth to Ruszark, seeking friends to help him regain that place — for these who obey me obeyed not him as they obey me; nor would he have marched them — as I shall — upon Ruszark if they had obeyed him.
“Cherkis caught him. And Cherkis waited, knowing well that my mother would follow. For Cherkis knew not where to seek her, nor where they had lain hid, for between his city and here the mountains are great, unscalable, and the way through them is cunningly hidden; by chance alone did my mother’s mother and those who fled with her discover it: And though they tortured him, my father would not tell. And after a while forthwith those who still remained of hers stole out with my mother to find him. They left me here with Yuruk. And Cherkis caught my mother.”
The proud breasts heaved, the eyes shot forth visible flames.
“My father was flayed alive and crucified,” she said. “His skin they nailed to the City’s gates. And when Cherkis had had his will with my mother he threw her to his soldiers for their sport.
“All of those who went with them he tortured and slew — and he and his laughed at their torment. But one there was who escaped and told me — me who was little more than a budding maid. He called on me to bring vengeance — and he died. A year passed — and I am not like my mother and my father — and I forgot — dwelling here in the great tranquillities, barred from and having no thought for men and their way.
“AIE, AIE!” she cried; “woe to me that I could forget! But now I shall take my vengeance — I, Norhala, will stamp them flat — Cherkis and his city of Ruszark and everything it holds! I, Norhala, and my servants shall stamp them into the rock of their valley so that none shall know that they have been! And would that I could meet their gods with all their powers that I might break them, too, and stamp them into the rock under the feet of my servants!”
She threw out white arms.
Why had Yuruk lied to me? I wondered as I watched her. The Disk had not slain her mother. Of course! He had lied to play upon our terrors; had lied to frighten us away.
The wailings were rising in a sustained crescendo. One of the slaying stars slipped over the chamber floor, folded its points and glided out the door.
“Come!” commanded Norhala, and led the way. The second star closed, followed us. We stepped over the threshold.
For one astounded, breathless moment we paused. In front of us reared a monster — a colossal, headless Sphinx. Like forelegs and paws, a ridge of pointed cubes, and globes thrust against each side of the canyon walls. Between them for two hundred feet on high stretched the breast.
And this was a shifting, weaving mass of the Metal Things; they formed into gigantic cuirasses, giant bucklers, corselets of living mail. From them as they moved — nay, from all the monster — came the wailings. Like a headless Sphinx it crouched — and as we stood it surged forward as though it sprang a step to greet us.
“HAI!” shouted Norhala, battle buglings ringing through the golden voice. “HAI! my companies!”
Out from the summit of the breast shot a tremendous trunk of cubes and spinning globes. And like a trunk it nuzzled us, caught us up, swept us to the crest. An instant I tottered dizzily; was held; stood beside Norhala upon a little, level twinkling eyed platform; upon her other side swayed Drake.
Now through the monster I felt a throbbing, an eager and impatient pulse. I turned my head. Still like some huge and grotesque beast the back of the clustered Things ran for half a mile at least behind, tapering to a dragon tail that coiled and twisted another full mile toward the Pit. And from this back uprose and fell immense spiked and fan-shaped ruffs, thickets of spikes, whipping knouts of bristling tentacles, fanged crests. They thrust and waved, whipped and fell constantly; and constantly the great tail
