"Your Love; Your Lives; Your Souls!"
Lakla had taken no part in the talk since we had her bower. She had seated herself close to the O'Keefe. Glancing at her I had over her that brooding, look that was hers in that with the Three. It vanished; she arose; the Irishman without ceremony.
"Larry darlin'," said the handmaiden. "The Silent Ones us!"
"When do we go?" I asked; Larry's with interest.
"The time is now," she said—and hesitated. "Larry dear, put your arms about me," she faltered, "for there is something cold that at my heart—and I am afraid."
At his she herself together; gave a little laugh.
"It's I love you so that has power to me," she told him.
Without another word he and her; in we passed on, his arm still about her waist, and black close together. Soon we the that was the door to the of the Silent Ones. She it; then with a of the proud little that sent all the bronze-flecked flying, she pressed. It and once more the out, all about us.
Dazzled as before, I through the from the high, walls; paused, and my clearing, looked up—straight into the of the Three. The upon the handmaiden; as I had them do when we had them. She up; to listen.
"Come closer," she commanded, "close to the of the Silent Ones."
We moved, at the very of the dais. The thinned; the great over us; through the I a of necks, with as of pale-blue fire.
I came to attention with a start, for Lakla was a question only by her, and, it aloud, I for our benefit; for was the mode of those she was, and her, it was of speech.
"He has been told," she said, "even as you commanded."
Did I see a of pain across the eyes? Wondering, I at Lakla's and there was a of and bewilderment. For a little she her attitude; then the of the Three left her; upon the O'Keefe.
"Thus speak the Silent Ones—through Lakla, their handmaiden," the voice was like low notes. "At the of is that world of yours above. Yea, the doom, Goodwin, that ye and the of which, looking into your mind they see, say the Three. For not upon earth and upon earth can man means to the Shining One."
She again—and the to an fear.
"They say, the Silent Ones," she on, "that they know not they have power to destroy. Energies we know nothing of entered into its and are part of it; and still other it has to itself"—she paused; a of into her voice "and other still, that ye do know and by names—hatred and and and many others which are as that in the Keth; and among them—fear, which all those others—" Again she paused.
"But it is nothing of that of all, that which can make powerless all the others, that which we call—love," she ended softly.
"I'd like to be the one to put a little more in the beast," Larry to me, in our own English. The three bent, so slightly—and I gasped, and Larry a little white as Lakla nodded—
"They say, Larry," she said, "that there you touch one of the of the matter—for it is through the way of the Silent Ones to at the very life of the Shining One!"
The Larry to me was of wonder; and mine it—for what were this Three to our minds were but open pages, so easily read? Not long we conjecture; Lakla the little silence.
"This, they say, is what is to happen. First will come upon us Lugur and Yolara with all their host. Because of the Shining One will its lair; for despite all, the Dweller the Three, and only them. With this the Voice and the will to conquer. And if they do, then will they be enough, too, to us all. For if they take the they from the Dweller all and the end of the Three.
"Then will the Shining One be all free indeed; free to go out into the world, free to do there as it wills!
"But if they do not conquer—and the Shining One comes not to their aid, them as it its own Taithu—then will the Three be from a part of their doom, and they will go through the Portal, the Shining One the Veil, and, it through fear's opening, it."
"That's clear," the O'Keefe in my ear. "Weaken the morale—then smash. I've it a dozen times in Europe. While they've got their nerve there's not a thing you can do; their nerve—and not a thing can they do. And yet in cases they're the same men."
Lakla had been again. She turned, out hands to Larry, a wild in her eyes—and yet a shamed.
"They say," she cried, "that they give us choice. Remembering that your world in the balance, we have choice—choice to and help Yolara's armies—and they say they look not on that help. Or choice to go—and if so be you choose the latter, then will they another way that leads into your world!"
A had over the O'Keefe's as she was speaking. He took her hands and looked long into the eyes; up I saw the Trinity were them intently—imperturbably.
"What do you say, mavourneen?" asked Larry gently. The her head; trembled.
"Your shall be mine, O one I love," she whispered. "So going or staying, I am you."
"And you, Goodwin?" he to me. I my shoulders—after all I had no one to care.
"It's up to you, Larry," I remarked, his own phraseology.
The O'Keefe straightened, his shoulders, into the flame-flickering eyes.
"We stick!" he said briefly.
Shamefacedly I now that at the time I this not only irreverent, but in taste. I am to say I was alone in that of weakness. The that Lakla to Larry was with love, and although the had from the sweet eyes, they were with pride. And the marble of the Three softened, and the little died down.
"Wait," said Lakla, "there is one other thing they say we must answer they will us to that promise—wait—"
She listened, and then her white—white as those of the Three themselves; the widened, terror them; the whole of her like a in the wind.
"Not that!" she out to the Three. "Oh, not that! Not Larry—let me go as you will—but not him!" She up hands to the woman-being of the Trinity. "Let me it alone," she wailed. "Alone—mother! Mother!"
The Three their toward her, their pitiful, and from the of the woman One rolled—tears! Larry to Lakla's side.
"Mavourneen!" he cried. "Sweetheart, what have they said to you?"
He up at the Silent Ones, his hand toward the high-hung pistol holster.
The to him; white arms around his neck; her upon his until her ceased.
"This they—say—the Silent Ones," she and then all the of her came back. "O of mine!" she to Larry, into his eyes, his her white palms. "This they say—that should the Shining One come to Yolara and Lugur, should it its fear—and—do this—then is there but one way left to it—and to save your world."
She swayed; he her tightly.
"But one way—you and I must go—together—into its embrace! Yea, we must pass it—loving each other, the world, to the full all that we and all, our love, our lives, that you call soul, O loved one; must give ourselves all to the Shining One—gladly, freely, our love for each other high us—that this shall pass away! For if we do this, the Three, then shall that power of love we into it for a time all that which the Shining One has become—and in that time the Three can and slay!"
The blood from my heart; scientist that I am, essentially, my rejected any such as this of the of the Dweller. Was it not, the flashed, a by the Three out of their own weakness—and as it I looked up to see their eyes, full of sorrow, on mine—and they read the thought. Then into the of my mind came reflections—of history by the power of hate, of passion, of ambition, and most of all, by love. Was there not energy in these things—was there not a Son of Man who upon a on Calvary?
"Dear love o' mine," said the O'Keefe quietly, "is it in your to say yes to this?"
"Larry," she spoke low, "what is in your is in mine; but I did so want to go with you, to live with you—to—to you children, Larry—and to see the sun."
My were wet; through them I saw his on me.
"If the world is at stake," he whispered, "why of there's only one thing to do. God I was when I was up there—and many a man than me has gone West with and for the same idea; but these aren't and bullet—but I hadn't Lakla then—and it's the I have it all."
He to the Three—and did I in their a rigidity, an that sat upon them as as would upon men?
"Tell me this, Silent Ones," he cried. "If we do this, Lakla and I, is it sure you are that you can the—Thing, and save my world? Is it sure you are?"
For the and the last time, I the voice of the Silent Ones. It was the man-being at the right who spoke.
"We are sure," the rolled out like organ notes, shaking, vibrating, the ears as as their the eyes. Another moment the O'Keefe at them. Once more he his shoulders; Lakla's and into her eyes.
"We stick!" he said again, to the Three.
Over the of the Trinity that was—awesome; the in the vanished, them in which serenity, hope—an joyfulness. The woman sat upright, upon the man and girl. Her great as though she had her arms and had to her those others. The three pressed together for a moment; again. The woman forward—and as she did so, Lakla and Larry, as though by some force, were upon the dais.
Out from the two hands, long, six-fingered, thumbless, a of upon their white backs, and still in some way beautiful, power and—all womanly!
They forth; they touched the of Lakla and the O'Keefe; them, them together, them—lovingly, with more than a touch of benediction. And withdrew!
The rolled up once more, the Silent Ones. As as once we had gone we passed out of the place of light, the stone, to the handmaiden's chamber.
Only once on our way did Larry speak.
"Cheer up, darlin'," he said to her, "it's a long way yet the finish. An' are you that Lugur and Yolara are going to this thing off? Are you?"
The only looked at him, love and filled.
"They are!" said Larry. "They are! Like HELL they are!"
