Part 19 (2/2)

'Thou canst tell me a true word--me and the people of Zu-Vendis Art thou, or art thou not, about to take this foreign wolf,' and she pointed to Sir Henry with her toy spear, 'to be a husband to thee, and share thy bed and throne?'

Curtis winced at this, and turning towards Sorais, said to her in a low voice, 'Methinks that yesterday thou hadst other names than wolf to call er flag, the blood fla if not original, she, seeing that the thing was out, and that there was nothing further to be gained by concealment, answered the question in a novel and effectual manner, inspired thereto, as I firmly believe, by coquetry and a desire to triu frorace on to where her lover stood There she stopped and untwined the golden snake that ound around her arm Then she bade him kneel, and he dropped on one knee on the olden snake with both her hands, she bent the pure soft metal round his neck, and when it was fast, deliberately kissed him on the brow and called him her 'dear lord'

'Thou seest,' she said, when the excitedher sister as Sir Henry rose to his feet, 'I have put my collar round the ”wolf's” neck, and behold! he shall be , and that is my answer to thee, Queen Sorais, my sister, and to those with thee Fear not,' she went on, solden snake she had twined round his old, and it shall not gall thee'

Then, turning to the audience, she continued in a clear proud tone, 'Ay, Lady of the Night, Lords, Priests, and People here gathered together, by this sign do I take the foreigner to husband, even here in the face of you all What, am I a Queen, and yet not free to choose the man whoirl in all oes ar instead of a great lord fairer and stronger than any here, and having iven hi what he is!' And she took his hand and gazed proudly on hi the people And such was her sweetness and the power and dignity of her person, and so beautiful she looked standing hand in hand there at her lover's side, so sure of his and endure all things for hiht, which I aht the fire fro face, and cheered her like wild things It was a bold stroke for her to ination; but human nature in Zu-Vendis, as elsewhere, loves that which is bold and not afraid to break a rule, and is moreover peculiarly susceptible to appeals to its poetical side

And so the people cheered till the roof rang; but Sorais of the Night stood there with downcast eyes, for she could not bear to see her sister's triumph, which robbed her of the man whom she had hoped to win, and in the awfulness of her jealous anger she trembled and turned white like an aspen in the wind I think I have said somewhere of her that she re the sa power about her Well, it was all awake now, and like the face of the furious ocean it awed and yet fascinated e is always a beautiful sight, but such beauty and such a rage I never saw combined before, and I can only say that the effect produced orthy of the two

She lifted her white face, the teeth set, and there were purple rings beneath her glowing eyes Thrice she tried to speak and thrice she failed, but at last her voice caleaolden scales of her cuirass

'And thinkest thou, Nyleptha,' she said in notes which pealed through the great hall like a clarion, 'thinkest thou that I, Sorais, a Queen of the Zu-Vendi, will brook that this base outlander shall sit upon my father's throne and rear up half-breeds to fill the place of the great House of the Stairway? Never! never! while there is life in my bosom and a man to follow me and a spear to strike with Who is on n wolf and those who came hither to prey with him to the dooainst the sun? or, Nyleptha, I give thee War--red War! Ay, I say to thee that the path of thy passion shall beof thy towns and watered with the blood of those who cleave to thee On thy head rest the burden of the deed, and in thy ears ring the groans of the dying and the cries of the s and those who are left fatherless for ever and for ever

'I tell thee I will tear thee, Nyleptha, the White Queen, from thy throne, and that thou shalt be hurled--ay, hurled even froreat way to the foot thereof, in that thou hast covered the name of the House of hiers--all save Boughom because thou didst do me a service I will save alive if thou wilt leave these orously and ejaculated 'Can't be done' in English)--'that I rap you in sheets of gold and hang you yet alive in chains froels that fly east and west and north and south froiddiest pinnacles of the Te to the land And as for thee, Incubu, thou shalt die in yet another fashi+on that I will not tell thee now'

She ceased, panting for breath, for her passion shook her like a storm, and a h the hall Then Nyleptha answered calnity:

'Ill would it beconity, oh sister, so to speak as thou hast spoken and so to threat as thou hast threatened Yet if thou wilt ainst thee, for if rips thine armies by the throat Sorais, I fear thee not I weep for that which thou wilt bring upon our people and on thyself, but for myself I say--I fear thee not Yet thou, who but yesterday didst strive to win my lover and n wolf”, to be _thy_ lover and _thy_ lord' (here there was an iht, as I have learnt but since thou didst enter here, didst creep like a snake into -place--ay, even by a secret way, and wouldst have foully murdered me, thy sister, as I lay asleep--'

'It is false, it is false!' rang out Agon's and a score of other voices

'It is _not_ false,' said I, producing the broken point of the dagger and holding it up 'Where is the haft from which this flew, oh Sorais?'

'It is not false,' cried Good, determined at last to act like a loyal ht by the White Queen's bed, and on er broke'

'Who is onher silver spear, for she saw that public sywan, thou co close to her, in a low, concentrated voice 'Thou pale-souled fool, for a reward thou shalt eat out thy heart with love of htest have been ! At least I hold _thee_ in chains that cannot be broken

'_War! War! War!_' she cried 'Here, with my hand upon the sacred stone that shall endure, so runs the prophecy, till the Zu-Vendi set their necks beneath an alien yoke, I declare war to the end Who follows Sorais of the Night to victory and honour?'

Instantly the whole concourse began to break up in indescribable confusion Many present hastened to throw in their lot with the 'Lady of the Night', but sost the foruard, who suddenly turned and h which Sorais' people were already passing Uaas, as present and had taken the whole scene in, seeing with adot away others would follow his example, seized the man, who drew his sword and struck at hi back with a wild shout, and, avoiding the sword cuts, began to peck at his foe with his terrible axe, till in a few seconds the man's fate overtook him and he fell with a clash heavily and quite dead upon the marble floor

This was the first blood spilt in the war

'Shut the gates,' I shouted, thinking that wetroubled with the idea of couards were already passing through thealloping of horses and the rolling of her chariots

So, drawing half the people after her, Sorais was soon passing like a ind through the Frowning City on her road to her headquarters at M'Arstuna, a fortress situated a hundred and thirty miles to the north of Milosis

And after that the city was alive with the endless tra war, and old Uo through a show of sharpening Inkosi-kaas's razor edge

CHAPTER XIX A STRANGE WEDDING