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Or rather on hers," and she pointed to the dead Atene. "Yes, on hers who made this war. At least she should thank me who have sent so royal a host to guard her through the darkness." "Yet it is terrible," said Leo, "to think of thee, beloved, red to the hair with slaughter." "What reck I?" she answered with a splendid pride.
But she mastered the animal with her whip and voice, and called out "Who is this draped hag of the Mountain that stops the path of the Khania Atene and her dead lord? My guests, I find you in ill company, for it seems that you are conducted by an evil spirit to meet an evil fate.
Still, because of its rocky bottom and steep, opposing banks, it looked formidable enough, while on the crests of those banks, in squadrons and companies of horse and foot, were gathered the regiments of Atene.
Ayesha was still woman enough to have worldly ambitions, and the most dread circumstance about her superhuman powers was that they appeared to be unrestrained by any responsibility to God or man. She was as we might well imagine a fallen angel to be, if indeed, as she herself once hinted and as Atene and the old Shaman believed, this were not her true place in creation.
I saw the knife vanish to the hilt in her body, as I thought, but this cannot have been so since it fell to the ground, and she who should have been dead, took no hurt at all. Feeling that she had failed, with a movement like the sudden lurch of a ship, Atene thrust at Ayesha, proposing to hurl her to destruction in the depths beneath.
"To the Hesea of the College on the Mountain, known as Ayesha upon earth, and in the household of the Over-world whence she has been permitted to wander, as 'Star-that-hath-fallen " "A pretty sounding name, forsooth," broke in Ayesha; "ah! but, Atene, set stars rise again even from the Under-world. Read on, thou Oros." "Greetings, O Ayesha.
Perchance my face is but as thy heart fashions it, or as my will presents it to the sight and fancy of its beholders. But hark! The scouts have touched." As Ayesha spoke a sound of distant shouting was borne upon the wind, and presently we saw a fringe of horsemen falling back slowly upon our foremost line. It was only to report, however, that the skirmishers of Atene were in full retreat.
"Nothing," I answered, "it is for them to play." "Come to us," called the Khania across the water. "I swear that we mean no harm. Are we not alone?" "I do not know," answered Leo, "but it seems unlikely. Where we are we stop until we are ready to march again." Atene spoke to Simbri.
I am somewhat changed, Kallikrates, since I kissed thee on the brow and named thee mine, yonder in the Caves of Kor." Leo looked about him desperately, till his eyes fell upon the mocking face of Atene, who cried "Bid her unveil, my lord. I swear to thee I'll not be jealous." At that taunt he took fire.
Now at once. Atene will shelter thee till spring, when thou canst cross the mountains and return to thine own world again, and to those things of common life which are thy joy.
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