"Papageno, you come too," said the woman warrior. "You shall wait on the prince. You have spent too much time among the birds, if you think that they have qualified you to brag of dragons." She gave Papageno a half-kindly, half-stern push in front of them, but he could not speak. He made a few helpless grimaces and grunts, but with the bridle fixed over his mouth he could not utter a word. Tamino went with them, and as they left the clearing he saw in the distance dark towers rising over the wall of a great fenced enclosure.
"There lies the palace of the Starqueen, the Lady of the Night," the warrior woman Kamala said. "There shall you be an honored guest, and with the coming of darkness shall the Queen of the Night receive you into her gracious presence."
CHAPTER FIVE
Jwalled enclosure was a city of broad streets, where men, women, and Halflings both male and female mingled in the squares and streets, along the narrow alleys and before the houses that Tamino saw everywhere. The people of the city were of two distinct stocks: tall, dark, and aquiline like the Starqueen's ladies, or fair-skinned with blond or reddish hair, not unlike the folk of the Empire of the West. Intermingled thickly in the streets and gardens were Halflings of all kinds; many looked dirty and neglected, half-starved and filthy, in greater squalor than any animal.
There were also many like Papageno, obviously servants of some noble house: well fed and sleek, they mostly wore collars, chains, or fantastic costumes which seemed to be a kind of livery. Most of them looked ridiculous so gotten up. They might, Tamino thought, have been attractive, and even had their own dignity, had they been treated either as animals or human beings. But there seemed no middle ground; either dressed-up pets like complicated toys, or slaves, with the disability of being only half human, or dirty neglected animals. Animals, thought Tamino, would have been better treated.
There was no sign of squalor or neglect in the palace, though he did see one disconsolate creature who looked half ox, half man. His shoulders were enormous, like the muscles in chest and arms; he had thick, coarse hair which grew down over a low, broad forehead, bulging suggestively as if horns were budding. He looked unhappy and stupid; there was not in his face any of the quickness Tamino had seen in Papageno's.
He wore a rough garment of leather, which struck Tamino as being the same kind of tastelessness that clothed Papageno in feathers. His hands were clumsy, the fingers thick and covered with calluses like horn. He was dragging a heavy broom along the corridors, clumping on feet as horny and stumpy as hooves. The hairy, thick-set body was manlike enough except for huge genitals bulging the leather apron. Wrists and ankles were burdened with fetters. Tamino wondered what the bull-man's offense had been, whether he had displeased someone as Papageno seemed to have displeased the Queen's ladies.
The women conducted him to a suite of rooms.
"Pray, make yourself at home; if you want for anything, Papageno will make sure it is brought to you," Disa said. "Papageno, serve him well, and perhaps the Queen will be gracious enough to free you."
Papageno bent humbly to the ground, making the mumbling sounds which were all that he could utter.
When the ladies had gone, Tamino explored the rooms. There was a luxurious bath, which reminded him that he had been traveling for many days and that after a long time in the desert, he had washed only sketchily in the forest pool.
"I'd like a bath," he remarked aloud, then became aware of Papageno crouching nearby, making his inarticulate sounds.
"I'm really sorry, my poor fellow; I honestly think they were too harsh with you," he said. "Turn round and I'll see if I can get you out of that thing."
Papageno shrank away; evidently the thought of displeasing the ladies was worse to him than the pain of the device. He pushed Tamino into the bathroom and made signs to him to disrobe, and in a little while a couple of furry Halflings—who made Tamino think of the otter-woman he had met in the forest—came into the room and with many frolicsome splashings filled the bathtub and guided Tamino into it. The water was warm and pleasant, though not hot enough to be enervating. Tamino scrubbed the dirt of his journey from his body with pleasure, aided by the otter-creatures, who frisked round him in the bath, making it obvious to him that he could give them no greater pleasure than to use their bodies as sponges, brushes, and towels.
Towels indeed, large and dry and fuzzy, they provided when at last, reluctantly, he dragged himself from the water and made it clear that while they might serve excellently well as sponges and washcloths they were no use at all as drying towels. The room was flooded with soapy water and suds, and Tamino could not, in fact, imagine more pleasant bath companions than a couple of friendly otter-people. He was really almost embarrassed by their obvious sensuous enjoyment of the whole process, but they were as innocent about it as a couple of huge friendly dogs, and he supposed that if they were trained as bath attendants, there was no reason they should not enjoy their work.
But the bath was finally done, and Tamino returned to the main room of the suite to discover that his dusty and travel-worn clothing had vanished. In its place were tunic and breeches of finely spun silk, deep crimson in color, and girdled with a heavy belt reinforced with plates of copper. There were drawers and stockings of soft cotton, and his boots had been cleaned and rubbed to a high polish. A cloak fastened with a silver chain, in a gray as subtle as the very silver itself, completed the outfit, and Tamino felt once again like the prince he had been.
Papageno looked at him with mute admiration, and gestured to a pair of Halflings, of the same stumpy leather-clad breed as the chained man he had seen pushing the broom. They went away and came back with a succession of silver trays, laden with all manner of delicious food and drinks. There was also a good-size jug of wine. Papageno made mournful chirping moans as he set out the fine food and poured Tamino a glass of the sparkling pale yellow wine. It was heady, with the sweet perfume of many mingled fruits, and after a second glass Tamino felt as if his fortunes had definitely taken a turn for the better.
He lounged at ease on a couch padded with silks and pillows, eating slices of the fine-textured bread, of finer grain than he had ever tasted in his homeland, savoring the platters of roast meats, and the cakes of honeyed fruit. When he had finished his meal, the attendants brought him his bow, which like his boots had been refurbished, rubbed and polished and fitted with new strings and a supply of finely crafted arrows.
Whatever could be said for the way the Starqueen's attendants treated her Halfling servants—and the lady herself could hardly be blamed for that—her palace could certainly not be faulted for luxury and hospitality.
Suddenly there was a sound like a great rushing wind. The doors of the apartment swept open, the bull-halflings who were clearing away the meal made mournful bellowing sounds and hurried away, their hooves shaking the floor. The windows swung wide, opening on the night and the stars beyond the balcony.
Then the three ladies were once again in the room.
They too had changed their attire: all of them, including the warrior woman, wore dark robes that glittered as if they had been washed in moonbeams and Stardust. Shimmering crescents crowned their brows, and it seemed to Tamino that their eyes in the pale lamplight shone with the very glimmer of the evening stars that were beginning to shine outside.
Kamala whispered—Tamino knew her voice now— "She comes, our Lady of the Darkness and Queen of all the Stars!"
"She comes! Do her honor!" commanded Disa's imperious voice. The rushing of wind beyond the doors grew almost to hurricane proportions, so that the windows rattled and the curtained hangings flapped and rustled like wild birds.
Then silence, utter and entire. The last of the lamps flickered into darkness. Tamino could hear a little clicking sound. Papageno's teeth were chattering, and he heard the painful chirping moan which was the only sound the Halfling could make with his bridled mouth.
In the darkness there was a faint glow like the moon rising within the room. Abruptly, with a thunderclap, she stood before t
hem, crowned with the moon and gleaming in a mantle of a million million stars: Queen of the Night.
Tamino fell to his knees, awe-struck before her beauty and majesty. The glow dimmed. Suddenly the candles in the room were burning again, Tamino never knew how, and the awesome figure of the Starqueen had dwindled. Now she was nothing more, or so it seemed to the overawed young man, than a fragile, aging woman, small in stature. Her face, lined and careworn, still held the remnants of great beauty. She came softly toward him, her steps as noiseless as cloud; like cloud, too, was the pale misty wrap about her shoulders.
She said, and her voice was as soft as a night wind through the branches of the trees, "Do not be afraid of me, my son. I know that you are strong and honorable, and I know with what courage you have met the hazards of the journey."
Tamino opened his mouth, but could not speak. He wondered if this fragile little lady were any more real than the overpowering vision of the Goddess of Night. Which was her real semblance—or was her true being something completely other than either of these?
The Queen went on, her voice a sorrowful and faraway murmur, "You see before you the unhappiest of women. My daughter, the child of my old age and the comfort of my solitary life, has been stolen from me by an evil fiend named Sarastro, and I tremble for her fate. You are wise and strong, and Sarastro would have no power over an uncorrupt youth like you, a stranger to these lands ... I can ask no help of my own people, for he has exerted his evil will over all the folk of this countryside."
Fingers as delicate and unsubstantial as mist pressed something hard into Tamino's palm. "Here," the voice that was like the twilight whisper of a wind through an oasis, "you will see the likeness of my daughter. Does she find favor in your eyes? Your courage and strength, and your high station as the son of the Emperor make you her equal, and worthy of her. If you will undertake her rescue, you shall be rewarded. She is not married nor promised in marriage, and her dower—" The Star-queen paused. "—is the very kingdom of the Night. Have courage, and restore to me my daughter—and you shall rise higher than you could ever have dreamed."
Tamino found in his hands a small hard flat object like a mirror. Gazing out from the surface of the mirror was the fair, tear-stained face of a lovely young girl.
She could not have been more than fifteen years old. Her features were delicately made; he could see not the slightest resemblance to the Starqueen, neither to the awesome Goddess—if that had been anything more than illusion—nor to the dark, aging woman who stood before him in her shrouding veils. The girl in the portrait—or was it some kind of magical mirror?—was very fair-skinned, her eyes deep-set in a fringe of long blond lashes, her brows almost too pale to be seen. Tears stood in the violet eyes, tears smeared the delicate cream of her cheeks, tears tangled the long eyelashes. Her robe of white silk was cut modestly high, but he could just see the swell of young breasts.
"She is beautiful," he whispered. "What is her name?"
There was a soft answering whisper in the room, "Pamina," but he hardly heard. His eyes seemed to have been trapped by the lovely breathing face.
Then there was another thunderclap; lightning flared through the room and he was alone, clutching in his sweating hands the mirror, on which the lovely face of a young girl stared magically out at him.
Papageno was still whimpering in the corner. The magical darkness was gone; Tamino realized that outside the room it was barely sunset. Night and darkness had been an illusion, created by the Starqueen.
He stood perfectly silent, wondering if he had fallen into a bizarre dream. But the face of the young girl in the mirror was real, though magical.
And surely she was no more than a part of that magic? The Queen had first appeared as awesome and terrible; then she had revealed her true self, a sorrowing mother. Tamino thought of his own mother. She had died when he was very young and he could hardly remember her face, though, now that he thought of it, she must have looked something like the Queen. He told himself that he would have helped this unhappy and deeply wronged woman, even if her daughter had not been beautiful and even if she had not promised him her daughter's hand and dowry.
He looked again at the lovely face of the weeping girl in the portrait. She was not crying now; she looked angry and frightened, and in the darknesses of the magical mirror it seemed to him that he could see a shadow behind her. The shadow of the evil sorcerer, her kidnapper?
Sarastro, that was the name; a man accursed, if he would tear a daughter from her mother for his own evil purposes. What could he possibly want with the girl? Tamino told himself that he was naive: what could that corrupt priest want with the girl, except to make her one of his deluded disciples, and perhaps take advantage of her youth and beauty?
Papageno was still making his pitiable mumbling chirps when the Starqueen's three ladies came into the room.
"Papageno," Disa said, and the bird-man cringed. Tamino could almost hear him wondering what new cruel frolic they had devised for him as their butt. Instead she beckoned him to her, and he went forward slowly, reluctantly, more afraid to disobey than of whatever treatment he might receive.
"Her Graciousness, Queen of the Night, has instructed that you are to be forgiven," Disa said, turned him briskly around and whipped the bridle from his lips. "Now beware of lying and bragging, naughty fellow!"
Papageno, capering with delight, made haste to go to the table where the remnants of the luxurious meal brought for Tamino were still lying on their trays. He caught up a handful of fruits and cakes, then looked fearfully at Tamino.
Tamino gestured to him to help himself, and Pa-pageno crammed the goodies into his mouth. The ladies ignored him.
"Prince Tamino, have you resolved to accept the Queen's mission?" Disa asked.
She spoke with a solemnity that was almost ritual. He answered in the same tone.
"I have, lady."
"Then take this," she said, and extended to him a long leather case. From the shape, Tamino thought it might be a sword, and was grateful; he had, after all, expected this journey to be religious in nature and had brought nothing in the shape of a weapon. With eager fingers he unwrapped it.
But it was not a weapon. It was—what was it? A long hollow reed, varnished and painted with curious symbols; along its length were a series of holes, each one a little smaller than his fingertip. Tamino wondered if he looked as confused as he felt by this curious gift.
"Do not be disappointed," Kamala said. "I, who am a warrior, tell you this is a weapon I have long coveted, and would give you my sword, spear, and bow for it. What do you think it is?"
"It looks to me like something one of my father's musicians would play," said Tamino, wondering if she had meant her offer and if he ought to take her up on it, and if the Queen would be offended if he did. "I should tell you, my lady, that while I have some small skill with music, I know but little of playing the flute. I was reared as a hunter and a warrior, not as a minstrel or entertainer."
"You will be able to play this flute," said Disa, "for it has magical qualities. And within Sarastro's realm it will be of more value to you than any other weapon, or all other weapons together; for it has some powers over his deluded slaves. And, make no mistake, of these he has many, for he has forced his delusions on all the people in the surrounding countryside. You may even find that he has bent the princess to his will; she is very young and she may even have come to believe Sarastro's pretense of noble purposes. She may not wish to leave his realms."
"I will make certain she knows the truth," Tamino promised.
"Papageno," Zeshi said sharply. "Where are you going?"
Tamino turned around and saw that the Halfling was trying to sneak inconspicuously out of the chamber, his hands filled with cakes and sugared fruits.
He mumbled, "Back to my little hut in the forest, ladies. This place is too fine for me. Please excuse your humble servant, and I wish you all good night. And my gracious compliments to your lady the Queen, and to Princess Pamina,
and to the prince, and to all of you fine ladies, and sleep well, and pleasant dreams. Good night to all of you, good night." He gave a soft, pleasant whistle on his little birdcall, turned and stepped toward the door.
"Come back here," Disa said. "I did not tell you, but it is the will of her Graciousness that you shall go with Prince Tamino on his quest, to guide him and serve him well."
"Oh, no, my lady, oh, no!" Papageno stared at them in dismay. "Oh, no, I am your humble servant, but truly I must decline such an honor! Why, Sarastro would tear me to pieces and feed me to his buzzards! The prince deserves a—a better and braver servant than I am. Why, I'm such a liar and a braggart, you said it yourself, Lady Disa, I'm a very unworthy person. Why don't you send one of your warriors to guide him?"
"Because Sarastro would know one of my warriors at once," said Kamala. "And with you he is unfamiliar, so you will be safe within his realm. Don't be afraid; Prince Tamino will protect you, and if I hear that you have not served him well, you will have to reckon with me!"
Papageno looked back and forth between Tamino and Lady Disa, not able—Tamino could almost hear what he was thinking—to decide whether he was more afraid of the unknown Sarastro or of the ladies, and what they would be sure to do to him if he defied them. Tamino was sorry for him, but at the same time not at all unhappy that he was to have a companion on his quest.
He put his arm around the Halfling's shoulders.
"Cheer up, friend Papageno," he said. "I'll look after you. In fact, you know more about this part of the world than I do; we'll have to look after each other."
"Why, you don't think we'd let our gallant champion go without his own weapon?" Zeshi said good-naturedly. "Her Graciousness has sent a gift for you as well, Papageno." She handed him something wrapped in a cloth. The bird-man unwrapped it with curious fingers. It was a small frame on which little bells were fastened, with a finger-brace to keep the bells from sounding until they were touched. Papageno's fingers reached out to touch it, but Disa gestured to prevent him.
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