The Building of the Moon Pool
She paused, her long through her own bronze-flecked ringlets. Selective this, with a vengeance, I thought; an in which of would in time result in the out of the to from type that in all organisms; resulting, obviously, at last, in three of black-haired, ruddy-haired, and silver-haired—but this, with a of it came to me, was also an of the dark-polled ladala, their fair-haired and of the golden-brown Lakla!
How—questions to through my mind; by the handmaiden's voice.
"Above, far, above the of the Shining One," she said, "was their temple, the of sun and moon. All about it were other temples walls, each its own space and and and a lake; the city, the city of the gods of this land—"
"It is the Nan-Matal that she is describing," I thought.
"Out upon all this looked the Taithu who were now but the of the Shining One as it had been the messenger of the Three," she on. "When they returned the Shining One spoke to them, promising them over all that they had seen, yea, under it of all earth itself and later of other earths!
"In the Shining One had craft, cunning; knowledge to that which it desired. Therefore it told its Taithu—and told them truth—that not yet was it time for them to go forth; that slowly must they pass into that world, for they had from of earth and it power to into and through the above. Then it them, them what to do. They the I saw you, their way to it that path which from it you sped.
"It to them that the that is moon is to the that is it, for the of its birth was the too of moon birth and into it the and powers that in that earth child: and it them how to make that which what you call the Moon Pool opening is close its Veil upon the cliffs.
"When this was done it them how to make and how to place the seven lights through which moon into Moon Pool—the seven lights that are to its own seven as its are to moon fires—and which would open for it a path that it tread. And all this the Taithu did, so that neither those of their were set against the Shining One the men above know of it.
"When it was done they moved up the path, the Moon Pool Chamber. Moon through the seven globes, upon the pool; they saw arise, embrace, and one with the moon flame—and then up through Moon Pool, itself the of light, whirling, radiant—the Shining One!
"Almost free, almost upon the world it coveted!
"Again it them, and they the passage portal you first; set the its stones, and themselves to the moon king and his to them as the Shining One had instructed.
"Now was the moon king with when he looked upon the Taithu, with protecting of light in Moon Pool Chamber, and their words. Yet, being crafty, he of the power that would be his if he and how the of the sun king would dwindle. So he and his a with the Shining One's messengers.
"When next the moon was and its upon Moon Pool, the Taithu there again, the child of the Three take shape the pillars, speed away—and out! They a shouting, a of terror, of and of worship; a silence; a sighing—and they waited, in their of light, for they to were they near the paths that would have them to look without.
"Another tumult—and came the Shining One, with joy, pulsing, triumphant, and its a man and woman, ruddy-haired, golden-eyed, in and by side—gloriously, hideously. And still them it above the Moon Pool and—sank!
"Now must I be brief. Lat after the Shining One forth, returning with its sacrifices. And after each it grew—and and more cruel. Ever when it passed with its toward the pool, the Taithu who a swift, intoxication, a of spirit, from it to them. And the Shining One what it had promised them of dominion—and in this new they too forgot.
"The land was with and open strife. The moon king and his kind, through the of the Taithu and the of the Shining One, had powerful and the sun king and his were darkened. And the moon that the child of the Three was the moon god itself come to with them.
"Now and when they they took with them great of this country. And the land itself to sink. Then said the moon king that the moon had called to to that another than he was worshipped. The people and there was slaughter. When it was over there was no more a sun king any of the ruddy-haired folk; were they, to the at breast.
"But still the higher; still the land!
"As it of the people were through Moon Pool Chamber and here. They were what now are called the ladala, and they were place and set to work; and they thrived. Came many of the fair-haired; and they were dwellings. They sat the Taithu; they as they with the dancing of the Shining One; they learned—not all; only a little part but little enough—of their arts. And the Shining One more out there the black amphitheatre; stronger—and the of its the Veil increased.
"Nor did the Taithu who to the old check this—they not. By the of the land above, their own were imperilled. All of their and all of their it took to keep this land from perishing; had they help from those others for the of the Shining One; and they had no time to with them the earth with they had foregathered.
"At last came a slow, flood. It rolled to the of the of the city of the gods—and these now were all that were left of my people on earth face.
"I am of those people," she paused, looking at me proudly, "one of the of the sun king is still alive in the ladala!"
As Larry opened his mouth to speak she a hand.
"This did not recede," she on. "And after a time the remnant, the moon king leading them, joined those who had already below. The still, the ceased, and now those Ancient Ones who had been take breath. And anger them as they looked upon the work of their kin. Again they the Three—and the Three now what they had done and their was humbled. They would not the Shining One themselves, for still they loved it; but they these others how to their work; how also they might the Taithu were it necessary.
"Armed with the of the Three they forth—but now the Shining One was indeed. They not it!
"Nay, it and was prepared; they not pass its Veil seal its abode. Ah, strong, strong, of will, full of and had the Shining One become. So they upon their who had gone and them perish, to the last. The Shining One came not to the of its servants—though they called; for its will was the that they were of no use to it; that it would and with them—who had so little of the power and of its Taithu and therefore no upon it. And while this was black-haired and fair-haired ran and and were but of terror.
"The Ancient Ones took counsel. This was their decision; that they would go from the gardens the Silver Waters—leaving, since they not kill it, the Shining One with its worshippers. They sealed the mouth of the passage that leads to the Moon Pool Chamber and they the of the so that none might tell where it had been. But the passage itself they left open—having I think, of a thing that was to come to pass in the future—perhaps it was your here, my Larry and Goodwin—verily I think so. And they all the save that which we three to the Dweller's abode.
"For the last time they to the Three—to pass upon them. This was the doom—that here they should remain, alone, among the Akka, by them, until that time when they would have will to the they had created—and now—loved; might they death, their until this had come to pass. This was the they put upon the Three for the that had from their pride, and they it with their that it might not be broken.
"Then they passed—to a land they had where the Shining One not go, the Black Precipices of Doul, a green land—"
"Ireland!" Larry, with conviction, "I it."
"Since then time upon time had passed," she on, unheeding. "The people called this place Muria after their land and soon they where had been the passage the Taithu had sealed. The moon king the Voice of the Dweller and always with the Voice is a woman of the moon king's who is its priestess.
"And many have been the of the Shining One, through the Moon Pool—returning with still others in its coils.
"And now again has it restless, for the spaces. It has spoken to Yolara and to Lugur as it did to the Taithu, promising them dominion. And it has stronger, to itself power to go on the moon where it will. Thus was it able to your friend, Goodwin, and Olaf's wife and babe—and many more. Yolara and Lugur plan to open way to earth face; to with their and under the Shining One the world!
"And this is the the Silent Ones me tell you—and it is done."
Breathlessly I had to the of a long-lost world. Now I speech to voice the question with me, the thing that as close to my as did the of Larry, the whole object of my quest—the of Throckmartin and those who had passed with him into the Dweller's lair; yes, and of Olaf's wife, too.
"Lakla," I said, "the friend who me here and those he loved who him—can we not save them?"
"The Three say no, Goodwin." There was again in her the with which she had looked upon Olaf. "The Shining One—feeds—upon the of life itself, setting in its place its own and its own will. Its are only through which it gleams. Death, say the Three, is the best that can come to them; yet will that be a great indeed."
"But they have souls, mavourneen," Larry said to her. "And they're alive still—in a way. Anyhow, their have not gone from them."
I a from his words—sceptic though I am—holding that the of has been proved by laboratory methods—for they to me that when I had Throckmartin, Edith had been close him.
"It was days after his wife was taken, that the Dweller Throckmartin," I cried. "How, if their wills, their life, were gone, how did they each other all that horde? How did they come together in the Dweller's lair?"
"I do not know," she answered, slowly. "You say they loved—and it is true that love is than death!"
"One thing I don't understand"—this was Larry again—"is why a girl like you out of the black-haired crowd; so and one might say, so regularly, Lakla. Aren't there any red-headed boys—and if they are what of them?"
"That, Larry, I cannot answer," she said, very frankly. "There was a of some kind; how or by I know not. But for long the Murians the return of the Taithu and they the Three. Even the Shining One those who had it—for a time; and not now is it to them—that I know. Nor are Yolara and Lugur so sure. It may be that the Three it: but how or why I know not. I only know that it is true—for here am I and from where else would I have come?"
"From Ireland," said Larry O'Keefe, promptly. "And that's where you're going. For 'tis no place for a girl like you to have been up—Lakla; what with people like frogs, and a half-god three devil, and red oceans, an' the only Irish and the Silent Ones up there, their hearts. It's no place for ye, and by the of St. Patrick, it's out of it soon ye'll be gettin'!"
Larry! Larry! If it had but been true—and I see Lakla and you me now!
