"The King Is Dead!"
AS THEY conversed Ja-don had led her down the stone stairway that leads from the upper floors of the Temple of the Gryf to the chambers and the corridors that honeycomb the rocky hills from which the temple and the palace are hewn and now they passed from one to the other through a doorway upon one side of which two priests stood guard and upon the other two warriors.The former would have halted Ja-don when they saw who it was that accompanied him for well known throughout the temple was the quarrel between king and high priest for possession of this beautiful stranger.
"Only by order of Lu-don may she pass," said one, placing himself directly in front of Jane Clayton, barring her progress.Through the hollow eyes of the hideous mask the woman could see those of the priest beneath gleaming with the fires of fanaticism.Ja-don placed an arm about her shoulders and laid his hand upon his knife.
"She passes by order of Ko-tan, the king," he said, "and by virtue of the fact that Ja-don, the chief, is her guide.Stand aside!"
The two warriors upon the palace side pressed forward."We are here, gund of Ja-lur," said one, addressing Ja-don, "to receive and obey your commands."
The second priest now interposed."Let them pass," he admonished his companion."We have received no direct commands from Lu-don to the contrary and it is a law of the temple and the palace that chiefs and priests may come and go without interference."
"But I know Lu-don's wishes," insisted the other.
"He told you then that Ja-don must not pass with the stranger?"
"No--but--"
"Then let them pass, for they are three to two and will pass anyway--we have done our best."
Grumbling, the priest stepped aside."Lu-don will exact an accounting," he cried angrily.
Ja-don turned upon him."And get it when and where he will," he snapped.
They came at last to the quarters of the Princess O-lo-a where, in the main entrance-way, loitered a small guard of palace warriors and several stalwart black eunuchs belonging to the princess, or her women.To one of the latter Ja-don relinquished his charge.
"Take her to the princess," he commanded, "and see that she does not escape."
Through a number of corridors and apartments lighted by stone cressets the eunuch led Lady Greystoke halting at last before a doorway concealed by hangings of jato skin, where the guide beat with his staff upon the wall beside the door.
"O-lo-a, Princess of Pal-ul-don," he called, "here is the stranger woman, the prisoner from the temple."
"Bid her enter," Jane heard a sweet voice from within command.
The eunuch drew aside the hangings and Lady Greystoke stepped within.Before her was a low-ceiled room of moderate size.In each of the four corners a kneeling figure of stone seemed to be bearing its portion of the weight of the ceiling upon its shoulders.These figures were evidently intended to represent Waz-don slaves and were not without bold artistic beauty.The ceiling itself was slightly arched to a central dome which was pierced to admit light by day, and air.Upon one side of the room were many windows, the other three walls being blank except for a doorway in each.The princess lay upon a pile of furs which were arranged over a low stone dais in one corner of the apartment and was alone except for a single Waz-don slave girl who sat upon the edge of the dais near her feet.
As Jane entered O-lo-a beckoned her to approach and when she stood beside the couch the girl half rose upon an elbow and surveyed her critically.
"How beautiful you are," she said simply.
Jane smiled, sadly; for she had found that beauty may be a curse.
"That is indeed a compliment," she replied quickly, "from one so radiant as the Princess O-lo-a."
"Ah!" exclaimed the princess delightedly; "you speak my language!
I was told that you were of another race and from some far land of which we of Pal-ul-don have never heard."
"Lu-don saw to it that the priests instructed me," explained Jane; "but I am from a far country, Princess; one to which I long to return--and I am very unhappy."
"But Ko-tan, my father, would make you his queen," cried the girl; "that should make you very happy."
"But it does not," replied the prisoner; "I love another to whom I am already wed.Ah, Princess, if you had known what it was to love and to be forced into marriage with another you would sympathize with me."
The Princess O-lo-a was silent for a long moment."I know," she said at last, "and I am very sorry for you; but if the king's daughter cannot save herself from such a fate who may save a slave woman? for such in fact you are."
The drinking in the great banquet hall of the palace of Ko-tan, king of Pal-ul-don had commenced earlier this night than was usual, for the king was celebrating the morrow's betrothal of his only daughter to Bu-lot, son of Mo-sar, the chief, whose great-grandfather had been king of Pal-ul-don and who thought that he should be king, and Mo-sar was drunk and so was Bu-lot, his son.For that matter nearly all of the warriors, including the king himself, were drunk.In the heart of Ko-tan was no love either for Mo-sar, or Bu-lot, nor did either of these love the king.Ko-tan was giving his daughter to Bu-lot in the hope that the alliance would prevent Mo-sar from insisting upon his claims to the throne, for, next to Ja-don, Mo-sar was the most powerful of the chiefs and while Ko-tan looked with fear upon Ja-don, too, he had no fear that the old Lion-man would attempt to seize the throne, though which way he would throw his influence and his warriors in the event that Mo-sar declare war upon Ko-tan, the king could not guess.
Primitive people who are also warlike are seldom inclined toward either tact or diplomacy even when sober; but drunk they know not the words, if aroused.It was really Bu-lot who started it.
"This," he said, "I drink to O-lo-a," and he emptied his tankard at a single gulp."And this," seizing a full one from a neighbor, "to her son and mine who will bring back the throne of Pal-ul-don to its rightful owners!"