Priestess of the Flame
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countrymen, standing notfar away, watching the ship. He held something in his hand.
"'He has one of your hand bombs,' she told me. 'I found it while Iwas hidden and took it with me when I left. If you do not come withme, he will throw it against the ship, destroy it, and those withinit.'
"There was nothing else for me to do. She permitted me to explain nomore than I did in the note I left. I pleaded with her; did all Icould. Finally I persuaded her to give you the word she did, therebefore the great flame.
"She brought me back here at the risk of her own life, and, what iseven more precious to her, her power. In--in her own way, she lovesme...."
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It was an amazing story; a second or two passed before any of us couldspeak. And then words came, fast and joyous; our friend, our trustedfellow-officer had come back to us! I felt as though a great blackcloud had slid from across the sun.
And then, above our voices, rose a great mutter of sound. We glancedat one another, wonderingly. Hendricks was the first to make a move.
"That's the mob!" he said, darting toward the door. We followed himswiftly to the exit of the ship, through the air-lock, out into theopen.
Hendricks had spoken the truth. Liane was walking, very slowly anddeliberately, her head flung back proudly, toward the city. Comingtoward her, like a great ragged wave, was a mighty mass of humanity,led by capering old men--undoubtedly the lesser priests, who hadturned against her.
"The portable projectors, sir!" begged Correy excitedly. "A pair ofthem, and that mob--"
"We're bound by our promise," I reminded him. "She's not afraid; herpower is terrible. I believe she'll win without them. Look!"
Liane had paused. She lifted one hand in a gesture of command, andcalled out to the rabble. Correy translated the whole thing for melater.
"Halt!" she cried sharply. "Who moves upon the Chief Priestess of theFlame earns the embrace of the Flame!"
The crowd halted, cowering; then the old man shouted to them andgestured them onward. With a rush, the front ranks came on.
"So!" Liane called out to them. "You would disobey Liane? Yet even yetit is not too late; Liane gives you one chance more. You little knowthe Chief Priestess of the Flame if you think she will tolerate anencroachment of her power. Back! Back, I say, or you all shall feelthe might of Liane!"
Before her tirade the mob faltered, but again the crazed old men ledthem on.
Liane turned, saw us, and made a regal gesture of farewell. From thebosom of her tunic she snatched a small black object, and swung ithigh above her head.
"The bomb!" shouted Hendricks. "She has it; she--"
At the very feet of the onrushing crowd the black object struck. Therewas a hollow roar; a blast of thundering air swept us backward to theground.
When we scrambled to our feet, Liane was gone. The relentless mob hadgone. Where they had been was a great crater of raw earth, strewn withghastly fragments. Far back toward the city a few straggling figuresran frantically away from that scene of death.
"Gone!" I said. "Power was a mania, an obsession with her. Even herdeath was a supreme gesture--of power, of authority."
"Liane," Hendricks whispered. "Chief Priestess of the Flame ... Giverof Death...."
* * * * *
With Liane gone, and with her the old men who had tried to snatch herpower from her hand, and who might have caused us trouble, therebellion of the Lakonians was at an end.
Leaderless, they were helpless, and I believe they were happy in thechange. Sometimes the old ways are better than the new, and Liane'sregime had been merciless and rather terrible.
There are many kinds of women: great women, and women with smallsouls; women filled with the spirit of sacrifice; selfish women, goodwomen and bad.
And Liane? I leave her for you to judge. She was a woman; classify herfor yourself.
After all, I am an old man, and perhaps I have forgotten the ways ofwomen. I do not wish to judge, on one hand to be called bitter andhard, on the other hand to be condemned as soft with advancing age.
I have given you the story of Liane, Chief Priestess of the Flame.
How, you clever and infallible members of this present generation, doyou judge her?
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