Part 39 (2/2)
”It is grey and pitiless, father The ht it, because of the cold,” and he drew his robe closer round him ”A few more days of this----” and he stopped, then went on ”Tell me of Jal, your lord”
”Jal is as Jal was, e very ill, yet when he was last in liquor he sang a song which told of deeds that he, and he whoether down in the south, rescuing the Goddess Aca from some who had taken her captive At least, so I understood that song”
”Perhaps you understood it wrong,” answered Nam ”Say, niece, do you still worshi+p this God?”
”I worshi+p the God Jal, but the man, Dweller in the Waters, I hate,” she said fiercely
”Why, how is this? But two days gone you told me that you loved him, and that there was no such God as this man, and no such man as this God”
”That was so, father, but since then he has thrustthat I weary him, and courts a handmaid of mine own, and therefore I derimly ”Perchance you demand the life of the God also?”
”Yes,” she replied without hesitation, ”I would see hiain Nam srandrew jealous of thee times, and you may live to see your desire satisfied by the death of the God Nohat of that woman?
How comes she to be with you?”
”She was bound by the order of Aca, father, and Jal was set to watch her; but I drugged Jal, and loosing her bonds I led her down the secret way, for she desires to speak to you”
”How can that be, niece? Can I then understand her language?”
”Nay, father, but she understands ours Had she been bred in the land she could not speak it better”
Na to the door he called to the priest without to lead in the stranger
”You have words to say to me,” he said
”Yes, lord, but not before these That which I have to say is secret”
Na his thoughts ”See, I ao, and when the door had closed behind thely
”Tellfroht
”How can I knoho you are, wanderer? Yet, had I met you by chance, I should have said that you were of our blood”
”That is so, lord, I am of your blood Cast your hter whos of your foes was chosen to be a bride to the Snake,” and she paused
”Speak on,” said Nam in a low voice
”Perchance you can recall, lord, that, ht of the sacrifice you helped that daughter to escape the fangs of the Snake”