The Dark Lord's Demise (33 page)

"I sure do. I mean-yes, very much, your majesty." Betty was
glad when the queen laughed lightly to cover her awkwardness.
She felt more and more at home with this gracious lady. During the
night they had traveled together in a special royal carriage. The
queen told Betty it was able to take them faster than horses wherever they wished to go. It was an exciting ride to the Island of
Geburah. The queen entertained the young girl with stories about
the island during the whole trip.

Now Betty pointed across the lake. "What are those buildings
way over on the other side?"

"Ah, yes, today it is clear enough to see them. Sometimes the
haze hides them from view. That is the royal lodge where the king
and members of his family may enjoy a holiday from time to time. I
will take you there soon. And someday, when you are queen, it
shall be yours."

"When you are queen. " The words rang golden bells in Betty's
head. She actually would reign as queen over this beautiful land.
Then her mind picked up on Hisschi's phrase "royal lodge." She
thought a moment before she recalled where she had heard it.
"Oh, yeah, is that where they put the children nobody wants?"

"Pardon me?"

"The children they pick up off the street. They get sent there,
right? It's like a camp. Lisa Friesen told me."

Betty gasped. Strong hands had grasped her shoulders and
whirled her around. Her face was inches from the queen's face.
The queen's eyes burned with an expression Betty had never
before seen in them: a mix of fury and fear. "You have seen Lisa Friesen! When? Where?" With every syllable she shook Betty violently.

"I-I-In the g-garden, y-your m-m-majesty!"

"The garden? What was she doing there?"

"She came to talk to me. Ow! That hurts!"

"What did she say? Tell me!"

"Nothing! Nothing!"

A male voice rumbled up from the courtyard below. "Your majesty? Your royal highness? How is the view today? Perhaps you wish
to descend the stairs and describe it to me."

Lord Lunacy's icy gaze overlooked Betty and bored into Hisschi's skull. The queen instantly let go and descended the stairs.
Betty followed, though she would have liked to run along the wall
and escape-not that she could get far on this island.

The queen curtsied. Betty did the same and wobbled only a little
on the way back up. She had met Lunacy just this morning and
didn't like him very much. The queen showed him respect, so she
thought she'd better do the same, but she didn't trust him. The
queen claimed that Lunacy and Gaal were one and the same. Betty
knew that this waxen-faced person with cold eyes was nothing like
the white-robed man who had come into her chamber and talked
so mysteriously of power and freedom.

"You were having a discussion?" the Dark Lord said. It was not a
question.

"Betty, unfortunately, has a misunderstanding about the use of
the royal lodge," replied the queen. Her composure was now perfectly in place. "She believes that unwanted children go there."

"And have you enlightened her?"

Hisschi licked her lips and entwined her fingers together. She
stumbled only a little as she said, "Betty, you must learn this if you
are to be queen. If we are to govern Anthropos well, we must keep
order in the land. Certain undesirable elements must not be
allowed to ... to pollute the ..." Hisschi gave Lunacy a look that
bordered on helplessness. His grim smile did not change.

Betty didn't know what the queen was talking about, but somehow it made her very uncomfortable. She decided to change the
subject to something that she really did want to talk about. "If you don't mind, my lord, your majesty, sir, can I ask you about something else? I don't think I quite understand yet how things work in
Anthropos."

Hisschi looked relieved as Lunacy said, "The workings of
Anthropos are indeed deep. Ask me your question."

"Well, King "higvah is king, right? And his wife here Queen Hisschi is queen. I'm used to calling them `your majesties.' But you seem
to be above both of them. How can you be above a king and a
queen?"

"It is indeed a deep question. The easiest way to explain is to say
that someone must be highest. Ages ago that burden fell to me.
Some may envy me this position. They should not. It comes with
heavy responsibilities and cares."

A weaver bee dived at them, followed by another. Betty and
Hisschi ducked. Lunacy said, "They will not harm us here. My
power is over them."

Betty made sure the bees had left before she tried to take in the
Dark Lord's answer. "You're the highest? Well then what about the
alliance between you and Gaal? Aren't you and Gaal supposed to
be equals?"

Lunacy barely controlled himself at the sound of the detestable
name. "Another excellent question. You are a seeker of wisdom.
Certainly the One-Whose-Name-We ... that is, the one you mention, and myself are in partnership. However, it is not good governance when two equal parties attempt to share equal power."

"But I thought you and him were really one and the same. Do
you mean you aren't? Sorry, I guess I still don't get it." In her mind
Betty heard the white-robed man's strange haunting words: You
must walk toward me. You must walk in your heart.

Lunacy took a deep breath. "He and I are allied in our purposes.
Nevertheless, final decisions must rest with one and one alone. I
am that one. It is not a role I desired. I have accepted the burden as
my duty to Anthropos." He glanced at Queen Hisschi. "Remember
that, Lady Betty, when you come into the throne. You must never
fall into the trap of coveting my authority and power."

Hisschi ducked her head and walked away from Lord Lunacy.
He was sure he heard her snicker. He restrained himself from sharp words. The girl still stood before him wide-eyed. "Perhaps
you wish to go back up on the wall and enjoy the view," he suggested. "For now do not trouble yourself about wild stories. Rumors
are the enemy of truth."

Betty was glad for any excuse to get away from this man. She
hurried back up the steps. She didn't even mind that she tripped
over her long skirts once or twice. She wanted to get up on the wall,
look across the lake and think about Gaal, what he had said to her,
and even what Lisa had said about him. She knew for sure that he
was absolutely different from this Lunacy. And she knew she liked
Gaal much, much better.

Wes, Lisa and Kurt padded downstairs in their new clean clothes
but barefoot. After hot baths in their rooms, they felt refreshed and
surprisingly wide-awake. Fresh logs crackled in the fireplace. An
oil lamp with a beaded glass chimney glowed on the table. Unseen
hands had done these tasks, as they did all tasks in a Gaal tree. The
remains of the earlier meal had been cleared away. Spread out on
the table was another, more lavish meal: roast meat, chicken, potatoes, vegetables swimming in butter, breads, a huge green salad
and various kinds of cooked fruits. Lisa said, "Those fruit dishes
are called compotes. I saw it in a cookbook."

"Quit showing off," Kurt told her. She knew he meant it in fun.

They sat down and started in on the food. Lisa said, "You know
what a Gaal tree reminds me of? It reminds me of a miniature version of the Bayith of Yayin!" Kurt and Wes agreed as they piled
food on their plates.

The Bayith of Yayin was Gaal's magnificent marble palace, lit
with rose-colored light and filled with music and laughter. Its halls were lined with jeweled, fluted columns of marble. Banners of
scarlet and gold hung from high-embossed ceilings. At the foot of
the entrance stairway was a pool with a fountain, far more magnificent than the pool in the gardens of Nephesh Palace. In that pool
the followers of Gaal were washed of all filthiness. They emerged
cleaner than they had ever been in their lives, wearing simple
white gowns with gold circlets on their heads. Within the Bayith of
Yayin, Gaal delighted to provide for his guests' enjoyment. Crowds
of people of all ages continually feasted in its halls.

You might wonder why the Friesens didn't run straight to the
Bayith of Yayin when they realized the soldiers were after them.
But the Bayith of Yayin was not in any particular spot. It emerged
from the mist whenever and wherever Gaal chose. Nor was it any
particular size. There was always room for more servants of Gaal to
enter its halls.

Wes chewed more slowly. He put down his fork. "Lisa, what you
said reminds me of something we talked about on the trail. We said
that Gaal is with us, even if we can't see him. Remember?" Kurt and
Lisa, their mouths full, nodded. Wes went on, "Gaal has kept us
safe on this trip. He's kept us from getting killed several times over.
Now he's given us all this food, hot baths, clothes-"

Kurt swallowed and asked, "Are you saying we're not grateful to
him? Because I am. I think we all are."

"Of course we are. But shouldn't we do more than just tell each
other that? Shouldn't we tell him that? If we really believe he's here?
I mean, if he's anywhere, he ought to be right here in a Gaal tree."

The others stopped with food halfway to their mouths. Lisa
looked around and shivered a little, just as she had in the dungeon.
"You're right, Wes. But how do we talk to him? Where is he? Do we
look at the table or the ceiling or the fireplace or some corner of
the room?"

"Gaal can't be in a corner of this room," Kurt replied. "It's circular. It doesn't have corners. But it's kind of scary to think Gaal is
right here."

"Scary but exciting," Lisa said.

"Exciting but peaceful," Wes said. "Let's not worry about exactly
where he is. Let's just talk to him." He cleared his throat. He didn't know where to look, so he stared vaguely at the opposite wall. "Uh,
Gaal, thanks a lot for saving us from the soldiers and from that
ogre."

"And thanks for making the darkness go away," Lisa added. Her
eyes roamed the room and settled on a particular swirl in the carpet pattern. "And thanks for this Gaal tree. It's almost as good as
your Bayith of Yayin!"

Kurt said, "And for the food, baths, clothes, fire in the fireplace,
and-I don't remember what all else. Oh, yeah, and for Philo and
Vulcanus."

Silence filled the room a moment. The fire hissed and cracked.
They half-wished the Shepherd would say something but were
half-afraid to hear his voice. Lisa thought again of the dungeon
where she told Betty that Gaal was always with them. She asked,
"Gaal, could you please talk some sense into Betty?"

"That isn't a thanks," Kurt pointed out.

"I know, but if anybody is going to help her, it'll have to be him.
That queen's got her in her clutches. I tried to help her, I really
did, but she wouldn't listen to me and-"

Wes put a hand on Lisa's arm. "Hey, hold it. You did your best.
But I do think it's okay to ask Gaal to take care of Betty. And while
we're at it, Gaal, could you help Uncle John and Aunt Eleanor get
along better?"

"Wes! They're in Winnipeg!" Kurt sputtered.

"So?"

"So Gaal's not in Winnipeg! He can't do anything for Uncle
John and Aunt Eleanor!" Kurt's statement hung in the air a long
moment. Then Kurt added, "Can he?"

Philo stomped a hoof and rustled his hay. Lisa said, "I don't
know, Kurt. I have a feeling. . ." She left her sentence unfinished.