The Dark Lord's Demise (22 page)

Betty was speechless. She started to say several things, but they
sounded silly and inadequate.

The queen turned around again. Betty expected to see tears on
her cheeks, but there were none. Some of her sadness had given
way to an attitude of strong purpose. She rose from the bench and
beckoned, "Come, my dear child, let us walk it bit. We will go
through the garden of roses."

Betty got up from the ground (not very gracefully) and accompanied the queen around the fountain. The goldfish swam after them
along the curve of the pool. Betty staggered a bit to think Queen
Hisschi had called her "my clear child." She had never thought a
royal person would call her by such an affectionate name.

The queen and Betty left the fountain and passed through a
white lattice gate into a rose garden of stunning variety and beauty.
A narrow path paved with small, white stones wound among the
rose bushes. Hisschi told Betty the name of each variety. Betty liked flowers but didn't know much about them, and anyway these
were probably different from the roses in Canada. She lagged
behind the queen to admire the blooms and sniff their fragrance.
Some blooms were huge and deep red. Others were small, light
pink and dainty. Some glowed with yellow and gold tones or shimmered creamy white. One entire section of the garden was given
over to multicolored blooms. The setting sun bathed the garden in
a warm glow. The bushes cast deep-blue shadows.

Betty watched the queen move gracefully along the path. Surely
this lovely woman was a servant of Gaal! Betty could never believe
that Queen Hisschi was not to be trusted. She caught up with her
and said, "Your majesty, excuse me, but could I ask you some
thing?"

"What is it, my (fear?"

Again for a moment Betty's head spun. "Uh-What else can you
tell me about this person called Gaal?"

The queen did not answer right away but instead touched a
bright-red blossom. She stroked its petals and cradled it in her
strong yet graceful hand. Finally she said, "Some call him a person.
I prefer to think of him as the Mystery Beyond Knowing. He is the
True One, the Eternal, the One Who Never Dies. He is the source
of life for all-myself, you, the king, these roses. All life traces itself
to his power."

"You mean he made everything here?" Betty sniffed a large
bloom of deep purple fringed with crimson. She could not recall
seeing the color in any rose of her own world. Its fragrance filled
her nose with powerful perfume. The scent almost overwhelmed
her.

The queen replied, "Gaal not only made all that is. He is within
all that is. He is one with all that is. Do you enjoy that rose?"

"Yes, very much. Though it's kind of strong."

"If you enjoy the rose, then you enjoy Gaal, for it is part of him.
You cannot say that Gaal and the rose are two distinct things. It is
all one."

"I think I get what you mean," answered Betty. She was not sure
she understood. However, since the queen already thought well of'
her, she wanted to build on her reputation.

The queen became very animated. In one swift action she
moved to a bush of exquisite white roses, broke off the largest
bloom and extended it to Betty. Betty was in shock. She thought the
queen herself was about to curtsy. She reached for the rose, fumbled it and dropped it on the pathway. Before Betty could pick it
up, Queen Hisschi stooped to retrieve the flower. The stem had
large gracefully curved thorns. Betty took the rose and held it carefully and securely between thumb and two fingers. She was
relieved that only a couple of petals had been knocked off.

The queen's eyes shone. "Betty Riggs, you are like a daughter to
me. I want to tell you a wonderful truth. Sadly, few in Anthropos
are ready to accept it. They have not reached the place of wisdom.
But you are different. You are wise beyond your years. I know you
are ready for this knowledge." The queen resumed her walk. Betty
tried to take in what the woman had said: "You are like a daughter
to me." She hurried to catch up.

"Ages ago our people imagined a great division between the one
known as Gaal and a very powerful one known as Lord Lunacy,"
the queen continued. "People chose sides as children choose sides
in a game. But the game had bitter consequences. People's loyalties built walls of hate between them. They fought wars over whose
leader was superior. How foolish! I must say the followers of Gaal
showed particular blindness and narrowness of view. They were
not open to the wider truths. Would you like to wear that flower in
your hair?"

Queen Hisschi took the white rose and tucked it into Betty's
hair. Betty winced. "Ow, the thorns!"

Hisschi broke off each triangular thorn and put the stripped
stem hack into Betty's hair. She said, "It is most lovely! You are most
lovely!" She turned away to hide her face and compose herself.
Betty didn't know what to say, so she waited. Occasionally she
touched the rose in her hair to make sure it stayed in place.

When the queen turned around again, her expression was a
heartbreaking mixture of tears and smiles. "Betty, I have told you
that King Tigvah and I have no living descendants. If this were
merely our private grief, we would bear it in silence. But greater
than our love for family is our love for Anthropos. Our childless state is a great danger for the future of the kingdom."

"You mean because there's no heir to the throne?"

"Exactly. The king, as you know, is not well. I shall be a childless
widow, perhaps sooner than any of us knows. If the king dies, the
weight of my grief may ... may slay me."

Queen Hisschi moved to an ornate wrought-iron bench, sat and
put her face in her hands. Even her sadness was a lovely gesture.
Betty wanted to sit by the queen and pat the woman on the knee,
but she didn't think she should do that to royalty. Hisschi looked
up and continued: "I truly believe grief caused the death of Tiqvah's mother, Suneidesis, after his father, Kardia, died. And when I
am gone, I fear the kingdom will split into factions, each with its
hero, each battling for the throne."

"Like a civil war? They're the worst kind."

"I cannot tell you the pain such a terrible prospect causes his
majesty and myself. Since the king's illness came upon him, we
have talked much-that is, when he is strong enough-about possible solutions. We have begged Gaal to help us. We feared he
would send us no answer." The queen turned her luminous gray
eyes on Betty. "Until you came to us."

"Me?"

"Betty Riggs, my heart would be the happiest in Anthropos if
you would consent to live here in Nephesh Palace with myself and
King Tigvah."

Betty blinked rapidly. "You mean I'd stay here? And you'd kind
of adopt me?"

"If you mean that we would be as your mother and father, and
you would be our daughter, yes. That is exactly what I propose."

Betty was dizzy. She wanted to sit down hard on the iron bench.
Before she had a chance, the queen stood and took her by the
elbow. "Let us return to the pool, where you may look at your
reflection." They walked quickly while the queen talked in a
breathless voice. Now and then she squeezed Betty's elbow for
emphasis. "My daughter, if you are to be part of our family, there is
a wonderful joy that I must share with you. No doubt in your world
people have many misunderstandings, such as the one I describe
between the followers of Lord Lunacy and the followers of Gaal. Such quarrels are most harmful. They are based not on truth but
on illusion."

"Illusion? What do you mean?"

The queen slowed her pace and turned thoughtful. "It is simplest to say that there is no quarrel between Lord Lunacy and Gaal
and never has been. The old ideas of good and evil have now
played themselves out like-like a fountain that has run out of
water, like a rose bush that has shriveled at the root. Lunacy and
Gaal are in perfect accord! Indeed, they are one and the same. To
those who are not ready for this truth, we can say they have formed
an alliance. In truth, they never were at odds with one another, for
there is no division between them."

Betty was confused. She had met Gaal and thought he was wonderful and kind. If this Lord Lunacy was the same as Gaal, then he
must be wonderful and kind also. Yet something bothered her.
"Are you really sure the two are the same? Wes and Lisa and Kurt
made it sound like it was Gaal and nobody else."

"What would you expect them to say? They are fanatical followers of Gaal. Fanatics are most dangerous. Sadly, they miss the very
purposes of their own leader. He would never say that it is him or
nobody, as you so quaintly put it."

Betty was thrilled that Queen Hisschi considered her worthy to
hear these deep secrets. And to live in the palace and be adopted
by a king and queen-that would make her a princess! She'd never
again move away and leave behind all that was familiar. She
touched the rose in her hair. Suddenly she felt light-headed and
overwhelmed. "Your majesty, I'm terribly sorry, but it's it little too
much for me to take in right now. I don't think I feel well. Besides,
these shadows are getting long, and I'm kind of cold. Could we go
inside?"

"Of course, my dear child. Forgive me. You look so lovely that I
forget your ordeal of the past days. I shall go in now and give
instructions to the head servants. Tonight you shall dine with my
lord the king and myself. You may pass through that door there. It
opens into a hall that will lead to your own chamber." She smiled
the most sweet, open and accepting smile Betty had ever seenexcept perhaps that of Gaal. Her eyes sparkled in the low sunlight. "May the True One grant that it shall be your chamber forever!"
The queen gathered up her skirts and hurried away. Even her
quick stride was graceful.

Betty stood near the fountain. She gazed down into the pool.
Several large goldfish looked up at her and dumbly worked their
round mouths. How did the queen expect her to see her reflection
in this swirling water? What was that? Had one of the goldfish
called her name? Again the voice came: "Pssst! Betty! Over here!"

A section of the tall hedge vibrated and shed a few leaves. The
voice came from behind that hedge! The stiff branches parted
slightly to reveal a hand that motioned for her to come over. Betty
was nervous but curious. She stepped closer-and gasped in surprise. Through the hedge she saw the face of Lisa Friesen!

The sight of Lisa Friesen was like a glass of cold water tossed in
Betty's face. Already she was proud of her special place in Queen
Hisschi's affections. She couldn't let Lisa and her brothers butt in
on that. She stiffened her back and raised her chin. "Well, Lisa,
what's all the big secrecy?"

Lisa motioned Betty toward her. "Please! Come around the end
of the hedge. There's a path inside here where nobody can see

Betty folded her arms and declared, "If you've got something to
say to me, you can come out in the open."

"You'll understand once I explain to you. Oh, gosh, I wish I had
the Mashal Stone!"

"The what?"

"Just come around the end of the hedge. And act casual. Please. "

Betty was peeved but also curious. She shot a quick glance
around and saw no one. She slipped around the hedge and found
herself in a narrow gravel lane between two hedges. Betty looked Lisa up and down critically. "Well you're dressed in nice new
clothes. Where'd you get those? They're not nearly as nice as mine.
How do you like my dress?" She twirled around and let the long,
silky skirt billow out for Lisa's admiration.

Lisa paid no attention to Betty's dress. She got right to the point.
"What did Queen Hisschi tell you?"

"Were you spying on me? I'll tell! You'll be in big trouble!"

"Betty, please listen. You can't trust the queen. She isn't a true
follower of Gaal. She may say she is, but Wes and Kurt and I are
sure she isn't. Oh, I know you don't know what I'm talking about. I
tried to explain when we were in the dungeon, but I got mad at you
and didn't do a very good job. See, the person we talk about, Gaal,
is-"