r of it, and that night when
the darkness gave me cover, I took the risk of what beasts might be
prowling, and went to the place appointed. There was no rope dangling,
but presently one came down the smooth cliff face like some slender
snake. I made a loop, slipped it over a leg, and pulled hard as a
signal. Those above began to haul, and so I went back to the Sacred
Mountain after an absence of so many toilsome and warring years. There
were none to disturb the ascent. Phorenice's troops had no thought to
guard that gaunt, bare, seamless precipice.

The men who hauled me up were old, and panted heavily with their task,
and, until I knew the reason, I wondered why a knot of younger priests
had not been appointed for the duty. But I put no question. With us of
the Priests' Clan on the Sacred Mountain, it is always taken as granted
that when an order is given, it is given for the best. Besides, these
priests did not offer themselves to question. They took me off at once
to Zaemon, and that is what I could have wished.

The old man greeted me with the royal sign. "All hail to Deucalion," he
cried, "King of Atlantis, duly called thereto by the High Council of the
priests."

"Is Phorenice dead?" I asked.

"It remains for you to slay her, and take your kingdom, if, indeed,
when all is done, there remains a man or a rood of land to govern. The
sentence has gone out that she is to die, and it shall be carried into
effect, even though we have to set loose the most dreadful powers that
are stored in the Ark of the Mysteries, and wreck this continent in our
effort. We have borne with her infamies all these years by command sent
down by the most High Gods; but now she has gone beyond endurance, and
They it is who have given the word for her cutting off."

"You are one of the highest Three; I am only one of the Seven; you best
know the cost."

"There can be no counting the cost now, my brother, and my king. It is
an order."

"It is an order," I repeated formally, "so I obey."

"If it were not impious to do so, it would be easy to justify this
decision of the Gods. The woman has usurped the throne; yet she was
forgiven and bidden rule on wisely. She has tampered with our holy
religion; yet she was forgiven. She has killed the peoples of Atlantis
in greedy useless wars, and destroyed the country's trade; yet she was
forgiven. She has desecrated the old temples, and latterly has set up
in them images of herself to be worshippe