第12章
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  “ButMeriamunonlylaughedanddrewbackaspace。

  “’Notso,thouEnemy,’shesaid,’thiscirclethoumay’stnotbreak;

  itistoostrongforthee。Buttothework。Hataska,onceagainbythelinkoflifeanddeathIsummonthee——andthistimethoumustcome,thouwhowastawantonandnowart“greaterthantheQueen。“’

  “Andasshespoke,fromthedeadformofthewomanonOsiris’kneethereissuedforthanotherformandstoodbeforeus,asasnakeissuesfromitsslough。AndaswasthedeadHataskasowasthisform,featureforfeature,lookforlook,andlimbforlimb。ButstillthecorpseresteduponOsiris’knee,forthiswasbutthe/Ka/thatstoodbeforeus。

  “AndthusspokethevoiceofHataskainthelipsoftheKa:

  “’Whatwouldestthouwithmewhoamnomoreofthycompany,Othoubywhosehandmybodydidperish?Whytroublestthoume?’

  “AndMeriamunmadeanswer:’Iwouldthisofthee,thatthoushouldestdeclareuntomethefuture,eveninthepresenceofthisgreatcompany。Speak,Icommandthee。’

  “AndtheKasaid:’Nay,Meriamun,thatIcannotdo,forIambuttheKa——theDwellerintheTomb,theguardianofwhatwasHataskawhomthoudidstslay,whomImustwatchthroughallthedaysofdeathtillresurrectionis。OfthefutureIknownaught;seekthouthatwhichknows。’

  “’Standthouononeside,’quoththeQueen,andtheDwellerintheTombobeyed。

  “ThenoncemoreshecalleduponHataskaandtherecameasoundofrushingwings。Andbehold,ontheheadofthestatueofOsirissatagreatbird,featheredasitwerewithgold。Butthebirdhadtheheadofawoman,andthefacewasfashionedasthefaceofHataska。Andthusitspoke,thatwasthe/Bai/:

  “’Whatwouldestthouwithme,Meriamun,whoamnomoreofthycompany?

  WhydostthoudrawmefromtheUnderWorld,thoubywhosehandmybodydidperish?’

  “AndMeriamunsaid:’ThisIwouldofthee,thatthoushouldestdeclareuntomethefuture。Speak,Icommandthee。’

  “AndtheBaisaid:’Nay,Meriamun,thatIcannotdo。IambuttheBaiofherwhowasHataska,andIflyfromDeathtoLifeandLifetoDeath,tillthehourofawakeningis。OfthefutureIknownaught;

  seekthouthatwhichknows。’

  “’Restthouwherethouart,’quoththeQueen,andthereitrested,awfultosee。

  “ThenoncemoreMeriamuncalleduponHataska,biddingherhearthesummonswhereshewas。

  “AndbeholdtheeyesoftheDeadOnethatwasuponthekneeofOsirisglowed,andglowedtheeyesoftheDwellerintheTomb,andofthewingedMessengerwhosatabove。Andthentherewasasoundasthesoundofwind,andfromabove,cleavingthedarkness,descendedaTongueofFlameandrestedonthebrowofthedeadHataska。AndtheeyesofallthethousandthousandspiritsturnedandgazedupontheTongueofFlame。AndthendeadHataskaspoke——thoughherlipsmovednot,yetshespoke。Andthisshesaid:

  “’Whatwouldestthouwithme,Meriamun,whoamnomoreofthycompany?

  Whydostthoudaretotroubleme,thoubywhosehandmybodydidperish,drawingmefromthethresholdoftheDoubleHallofTruth,backtotheOverWorld?’

  “AndMeriamuntheQueensaid,’Oh,thou/Khou/,forthispurposehaveIcalledthee。IamawearyofmydaysandIfainwouldlearnthefuture。ThefuturefainwouldIlearn,buttheforkedtongueofThatwhichsleepstellsmenoword,andthelipsofThatwhichisa-coldaredumb!Tellme,then,thou,Ichargetheebythewordthathaspowertoopenthelipsofthedead,thouwhoinallthingsartinstructed,whatshallbetheburdenofmydays?’

  “AndthedreadKhoumadeanswer:’Loveshallbetheburdenofthydays,andDeathshallbetheburdenofthylove。BeholdonedrawsnearfromouttheNorthwhomthouhastloved,whomthoushaltlovefromlifetolife,tillallthingsareaccomplished。BethinktheeofadreamthatthoudreamedstasthoudidstlieonPharaoh’sbed,andreaditsriddle。Meriamun,thouartgreatandthynameisknownupontheearth,andinAmentiisthynameknown。Highisthyfate,andthroughbloodandsorrowshaltthoufindit。Ihavespoken,letmehence。’

  “’Itiswell,’theQueenmadeanswer:’Butnotyetmayestthougohence。FirstIcommandthee,bythewordofdreadandbythelinkoflifeanddeath,declareuntomeifhereupontheearthandinthislifeIshallpossesshimwhomIshalllove?’

  “’Insinandcraftandsorrow,Meriamun,thoushaltpossesshim;inshameandjealousagonyheshallbetakenfromtheebyonewhoisstrongerthanthou,thoughthouartstrong;byonemorebeautifulthanthou,thoughthouartbeautiful;andruinthoushaltgivehimforhisguerdon,andruinoftheheartshaltthouharvestforthyportion。Butforthistimesheshallescapethee,whosefootstepsmarchwiththine,andwithhiswhoshallbethineandhers。Nevertheless,inadaytocomethoushaltpayherbackmeasureformeasure,andevilforevil。I

  havespoken。Letmehence。’

  “’Notyet,OKhou——notyet。Ihavestilltolearn。Showmethefaceofherwhoismineenemy,andthefaceofhimwhoismylove。’

  “’Thricemayestthouspeaktome,Othougreatlydaring,’answeredthedreadKhou,’andthriceImaymakereply,andthenfarewelltillI

  meettheeonthethresholdofthehallwhencethouhastdrawnme。LooknowonthefaceofthatHataskawhomthouslewest。’

  “Andwelooked,andbeholdthefaceofdeadHataskachanged,andchangedthefaceoftheDouble,the/Ka/thatstoodononeside,andthefaceofthegreatbird,the/Bai/,thatspreadhiswingsabouttheheadofOsiris。Andtheygrewbeautiful,yes,mostexceedingbeautifulsothatitcannotbetold,andthebeautywasthatofawomanasleep。

  Thenlo,therehungaboveHataska,asitwere,theshadowofonewhowaswatchinghersleeping。Andhisfacewesawnot,OthouWanderer,itwashiddenbythevisorofagoldentwo-hornedhelm,andinthathelmstoodfast/thebronzepointofabrokenspear/!ButhewascladinthearmourofthepeopleoftheNorthernSea,theAquaiusha,andhishairfelldarkabouthisshoulderslikethepetalsofthehyacinthflower。

  “’Beholdthineenemyandbeholdthylove!Farewell,’saidthedreadKhou,speakingthroughdeadHataska’slips,andasthewordsdiedthebeautyfadedandtheTongueofFlameshotupwardsandwaslost,andoncemoretheeyesofthethousandthousanddeadturnedandlookeduponeachother,evenasthoughtheirlipswhisperedeachtoeach。

  “ButforawhileMeriamunstoodsilent,asoneamazed。Then,awaking,shewavedherhandandcried,’Begone,thou/Bai/!Begone,thou/Ka/!’

  “AndthegreatbirdwhereofthefacewasasthefaceofHataskaspreadhisgoldenwingsandpassedawaytohisownplace,andtheKathatwasinthesemblanceofHataskadrewneartothedeadone’sknees,andpassedbackintoherfromwhomshecame。Andallthethousandthousandfacesmeltedthoughthefieryeyesstillgazeduponus。

  “ThenMeriamuncoveredherheadandoncemorespoketheawfulWord,andIalsocoveredupmyhead。But,asmustbedone,thissecondtimeshecalledtheWordaloud,andyetthoughshecalleditloud,itcamebutasatinywhisperfromherlips。Nevertheless,atthesoundofit,oncemorewastheTempleshakenasbyastorm。

  “ThenMeriamununveiled,andbehold,againthefireburneduponthealtar,andonthekneesoftheOsirissatHataska,coldandstillindeath,androundthemwasemptinessandsilence。

  “’Nowthatallisdone,Igreatlyfearforthatwhichhasbeen,andthatwhichshallbe。Leadmehence,ORei,sonofPames,forIcannomore。’

  “AndsowithaheavyheartIledherforth,whoofallsorceressesistheverygreatest。Behold,thouWanderer,whereforetheQueenwastroubledatthecomingofthemaninthearmouroftheNorth,inwhosetwo-hornedgoldenhelmstandsfastthepointofabrokenspear。“

  “ThesethingsarenotwithouttheGods,“saidtheWanderer,whowascalledEperitus,whenhehadheardallthetaleofReithePriest,sonofPames,theHeadArchitect,theCommanderoftheLegionofAmen。

  Thenhesatsilentforawhile,andatlastraisedhiseyesandlookedupontheoldman。

  “Thouhasttoldastrangetale,Rei。OvermanyaseahaveIwandered,andinmanyalandIhavesojourned。Ihaveseenthewaysofmanypeoples,andhaveheardthevoicesoftheimmortalGods。Dreamshavecometomeandmarvelshavecompassedmeabout。IthasbeenlaiduponmetogodownintoHades,thatlandwhichthounamestAmenti,andtolookonthetribesoftheDead;butnevertillnowhaveIknownsostrangeathing。Formarkthou,whenfirstIbeheldthisfairQueenofthineIthoughtshelookeduponmestrangely,asonewhoknewmyface。

  Andnow,Rei,ifthouspeakesttruth,/she/deemsthatshehasmetmeinthewaysofnightandmagic。Say,then,whowasthemanofthevisionoftheQueen,themanwithdarkandcurlinglocks,cladingoldenarmourafterthefashionoftheAch?answhomyenametheAquaiusha,wearingonhisheadagoldenhelm,whereinwasfixedabrokenspear?“

  “Beforemesitssuchaman,“saidRei,“orperchanceitisaGodthatmyeyesbehold。“

  “NoGodamI,“quoththeWanderer,smiling,“thoughtheSidoniansdeemedmenothinglesswhentheblackbowtwangedandtheswiftshaftsflew。Readmetheriddle,thouthatartinstructed。“

  NowtheagedPriestlookedupontheground,thenturnedhiseyesupward,andwithmutteringlipsprayedtoThoth,theGodofWisdom。

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