The Dark Lord's Demise

by John White

  "Gone," croaked Vulcanus.

  Wes whistled softly. "We could see everything, but we couldn't hear it. You must have told them a whopping lie to get them to leave."

  "Not a lie," said the bird.

  Philo suddenly barged out through the door, nearly knocking clown Kurt and Lisa. He tore off a mouthful of grass and lay down to take a luxurious roll in the evening light. "Itches," he grunted as he squirmed on his back. Meanwhile, Vulcanus peered past the children into the mysterious tree house. Wes sighed and said, "Come on in. I doubt if any vulture has ever been inside a Gaal tree. But if any deserves to, it's you."

  Vulcanus hopped up the single step. "Why do you call me vulture? I am an eagle."

  "Well, let's just say you're not like the eagles in our world. In fact, you're not like the eagles we used to know in Anthropos." Vulcanus did not listen. His eyes were as big as vulture eyes can get. After a thorough survey of the room he spoke in a hoarse whisper. "Long ago I heard of Gaal trees, but I had never seen one. I understood that they may be found anywhere and that they appear when needed most. I had also heard that a Gaal tree is always an oak."

  Kurt asked, "But why were you so sure this was a Gaal tree?"

  "Frequently I patrol this forest, Lord Kurt. I know its terrain well. Never before this day have I seen this oak in this clearing."

  The Friesens stared at Vulcanus, then at their secure and comfortable refuge. They had always believed that Gaal trees appeared when needed. But to know that this one came out of nowhere ... "Gaal does take care of us!" Lisa breathed.

  "We should know that by now," Kurt answered. His tone was not sarcastic or scolding. He said it to himself as much as to Lisa.

  Wes agreed. "We know it, but sometimes it's good to have somebody remind us. Thanks, Vulcanus. And thanks for whatever you did for us out there. Uh-oh, here comes the horse. It's going to be like a menagerie in here tonight." Philo's white bulk reentered the room. Immediately he sniffed and turned to one side. He had discovered what the children had overlooked. This Gaal tree included a small addition: a wood-floored area with straw, a bucket of water, sweet-smelling hay and a box of grain.

  Wes unbuckled the Sword of Geburah from his waist and stretched his aching arms and legs. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel like a good hot bath and a good long sleep. Dinner will be here on the table when we're ready. Or breakfast, depending on when we wake up. It always works that way. Uh, Vulcanus, you're welcome to stay, but I don't know if anything on the menu will appeal to you."

  "Thank you, Lord Wesley. I prefer to hunt rodents in the grass and sleep on a tree branch." His eyes glittered. "Hundreds of fat field mice live in this clearing. Already I know their dens and trails. The soldiers disturbed them for me during their laughable search." He walked crow fashion to the door. A ray of low sun hit his feathers and for an instant they glistened bronze. He hopped out, and the door swung closed.

  "So, wretched spirit! Our prey escaped in the darkness. Very unfortunate for you and for your future. If you cannot show the least amount of competence ..." Lord Lunacy leaned forward with hands tensed on the long table.

  Jewel-like sparks flashed within the gray spirit's form like colored lightning. "I beg to differ with you, my lord! Do not blame me if your darkness confused my soldiers! If' you had told me you planned to send it, I would have prepared them-"

  Lunacy brought his fist down on the table. The blow threatened to split the wood. "Idiot! I did not send that darkness! It fell while the fools wasted our time with their petty, jealousies!"

  For once the spirit fumbled for words. Its skirts swirled as it paced back and forth in an agitated manner. "But you call yourself the Lord of Darkness! If you did not send it, then what was its source?"

  "Why don't you go ask the One Whose Mouth I Will Not Dirty ... how does that go?"

  Automatically the spirit replied, "The-One-Whose-Name-WeWill-Not-Dirty-Our-Mouths-To-Speak." Its mind ran in a new direction. If the Dark Lord himself had not sent the darkness, who or what had sent it? What did it mean?

  Lunacy gave a low and dangerous laugh. "Perhaps you will ask the Accursed One. It is said that he and I have formed an alliance. Perhaps you take that news too seriously. Perhaps you traffic with him behind my back."

  The spirit's breath tightened in its throat. "Traffic with him? Me? Never! How can you imagine-"

  "It would explain your repeated slip-ups. Perhaps your will is to let the three escape and wreck the plans of the Mystery."

  "No! I have already sent a troop of soldiers after them. Even now they should be in the act of putting an end to the children."

  "For that we shall wait and see." Lunacy's glittering eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I chose you and made you into a human queen. Your subjects call you `your majesty.' Perhaps you begin to imagine yourself above me." He leaned back and appeared to relax, then snapped, "Is this not true?"

  "No! I deny it! What traitor has told you this?"

  "Your own conscience has told me."

  "I hate the Accursed One! I serve only you!"

  "Only me? Do you not also serve yourself when it coincides with service to me?"

  The queen bowed slightly. "Benefits shall ever accompany the service of one so great as your majesty."

  Lunacy's laugh was enormous. The queen relaxed. The tension had left the chamber, at least for now. Queen Hisschi said, "If it pleases you, my lord, I will go now and see to my charge."

  "The young female Betty Riggs? Of course. You are sure she has no memory of being brought here to the island?"

  "None, my lord. The enchantment was indeed deep."

  Lunacy let the queen go. He sat a moment in thought. Soon he rose and followed her out of the room and down the stairs of the Tower of Geburah.

  The Dark Lord strolled about the courtyard of the rebuilt island fortress. He enjoyed his ability to make himself so large that his head filled it room or small enough to walk inside a courtyard. The smooth inner walls and the close-fitting stones of the buildings pleased him greatly. His Matmon stonemasons had done excellent work. Every stone was of a different shape, but all fit together in a massive, vertical jigsaw puzzle.

  His mind went back to the original fortress, built in the miserable time when John the Sword Bearer was in Anthropos. Matmon had done that work also. Their skills at stonework were unequaled by any other beings. The Dark Lord chuckled to recall that the original fortress was built as a defense against the forces of the Mystery. It was constructed to surround and protect the Tower of Geburah, where the Regents would appear to rule Anthropos.

  Lunacy gazed up at the tower. The room directly below the top room was where he often summoned the queen in spirit form. A few weaver bees buzzed and dived about his head but did not touch him. Yes, the Regents had arrived, and eventually from them had come Gaal-Lunacy recoiled as the hated name entered his head. That Despised One thought he had defeated the Mystery by his laughable self-sacrifice on the altar at Bamah. The event was a setback but not a final defeat. As the island fortress fell into disuse, the Dark Lord commandeered the ruins. The remote setting made an excellent headquarters to rethink his strategy and to plan for the future of Anthropos.

  Now the rebuilt fortress crowned the island. This time the Matmon builders had worked under Lord Lunacy's personal direction. Some had always remained loyal to him. Others came under his influence because they believed his story of an alliance between himself and-that Other.

  Lunacy turned around to take in a view of the entire castle. He appreciated beauty. He took offense when people thought he loved ugliness. Many claimed that everything he touched turned foul. They failed to see the glory of his works.

  Queen Hisschi, for example. She was beautiful. And the young Lady Betty was attractive. She had the promise of great beauty as she matured. Even better, she liked to command others. Best of all, she desired to be thought wise.

  As Lunacy turned, he saw both the queen and the princess. Betty stood on top of the wide southern wall and
looked out over the lake. Her rich robes resembled those Queen Hisschi wore. She stood with chin tilted slightly upward in imitation of royal dignity. How quickly she learns, he thought. He turned his attention to the queen herself, who began to ascend the stairs. It is not easy to climb an old stone stairway with no handrail in long skirts, but the queen accomplished it gracefully. Halfway up she must have spoken to Betty, for Lunacy saw the girl's head turn. He allowed himself a small tight smile of satisfaction before he strode away.

  The queen joined Betty on the fortress wall. "Do you enjoy the view, my daughter?"

  "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!"