Between Worlds by Garret Smith

Author:Garret Smith [Smith, Garret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-05-11T16:00:00+00:00

ONCE, as I was leaving the chief market place, I saw the queen, accompanied by her two blind slaves, turn into a side street. A gaping crowd followed at respectful distance. I followed out of curiosity, and presently saw her joined by Tanner, who of all our ship’s company had been most outspoken in his opposition to Hunter at the last.

A little way down the street the quartet turned into a travelers’ home. Feeling it my duty to look into this strange proceeding, I withdrew to a convenient doorway and watched unseen.

Presently, one after another, every one of the opponents of Hunter who had formerly been of our ship’s company arrived and entered this travelers’ home.

It was evidently a prearranged meeting. There was conspiracy on foot.

I realized now, as I thought back over recent happenings, that since our arrival the queen, though apparently on the best of terms with all our party, Hunter in particular, had never at any time expressed to a caller any faith in his tale of a round Venus, and of worlds beyond the sky. She had always avoided discussion by declaring that she knew too little of such things. Moreover, she had developed the habit of spending much time going about the city alone, save for her two blind slaves, who were always with her. Evidently she had not been bent on excursions of mere curiosity.

Putting these circumstances together, I came to the conclusion that the queen was plotting for power through the medium of Hunter’s enemies. Her threat to rule in the Land of Light had been meant as no childish boast.

While I had no idea at the moment that Hunter’s ambitious cousin could make any real headway with such an absurd scheme, I realized at the same time that she might develop enough influence to create no end of trouble. I felt it my duty to go at once to Hunter and put him on his guard.

But on my way back to our lodgings I witnessed an act of a drama that for the moment drove out of my mind all thoughts of the apparently petty machinations of the queen.

It had to do with that other female nemesis of our leader, the Lady of the South. An astounding sequel it proved to the matter that sent me on my late journey to her home and had made a profound impression on my mind before it had been submerged by the more momentous affair of Hunter’s expedition.

I had just rounded the corner into the market-place again when I was startled by a clanging of gongs and an uproar of many excited voices. Out across the square opposite me poured an excited throng.

At first I saw only the mingling of drab and white of the usual crowd of men and women. But as I ran across the square for nearer view, an array of brilliant color burst from the center of the seething human mass. A long file of women, arrayed in shimmering robes of many hues, marching four abreast in tune to the clamorous gong-beats, pushed out into the open.

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