"2569-36" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jerome Bigge - Warlady 7 - The Dularnian Queen)2569 A.D.! THE DULARNIAN QUEEN AN ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Thirty Six "I wonder `if' Tara is dead?" Darlanis said to me as we flew along. "You never found her body, or any evidence that she is." "The water in the strait is too cold for swimming," I said. "She would have lost consciousness after `immersion' in it for any period of time," I answered, wondering myself if Tara was yet alive? Was it possible that she could have survived to reach the shore. I thought it "possible", although she would have quickly died of "exposure" given the night time temperatures that "early" in the year. I recalled the "vision" I'd had seeing a woman, her hair in flames, leap from the blazing deck of Tara's ship into the strait. Could "that" have been the infamous Bajan princess? "Even if she `is', we still have to `deal' with her `organi- zation', and with whoever she left as her second in command now," Darlanis retorted, now making a minor adjustment to the controls. "The Wyomings have the Priestesses," I said to Darlanis, who nodded back, giving me a "puzzled" smile. I recalled "what" Lor- raine had once attempted, wondered if such a thing was possible? "Everyone `does' but for Valeris' people," Darlanis said. "It will not be `possible' to win a war against her," I said then. "Valeris will flee to the north, to the east, scatter her women over an area we know `little' about," I mused thoughtfully. There was little known about the polar regions but legends now. "She has ships, the ability to cross the Bering Strait," the Empress replied. "And we don't know if she has `allies' or not." ***************************************************************** The white gowned High Priestess of Dularn smiled at the old woman standing there half terrified holding a letter in her hand, the other Priestess then closing the door quietly behind herself. The High Priestess could sense the woman's fear, although "why" the old woman was so terrified she didn't know, since the Priest- esses of Lys often "helped" those in various sorts of "trouble" as long as such "matters" were not actually "crimes" as such in their own eyes. Such actions often much to the "annoyance" of the myriad "Kings" and "Queens" that now "ruled" the Earth. The Priestesses of Lys even back in the "time" of Janet Rogers having clearly understood the "difference" between "real" crime and "po- litical" crime, something here surprisingly enough that few Amer- icans of our time understand, our "gun laws" being an "example". "I was `sent here' to give you `this'," the old woman said, now handing over the letter she had been given by Princess Tara. The High Priestess' eyes meeting hers as she took the envelope... "It is from a woman whom I now believe is Princess Tara Bisan." The High Priestess' quick intake of breath left no doubt of her own surprise at this, it being believed that Tara had been killed in the attack made by the Priestesses upon her ship for violation of the "weapons laws" that forbade any weapon using explosives. ***************************************************************** "Sometimes I think we're like a couple of schoolgirls, `do- ing' things to `spite' the other," I ventured to Darlanis as the black V-tailed Beechcraft Bonanza now flew towards my own land... "I think we `behave' the way we do because both of us feel the `need' to constantly `prove' ourselves in the eyes of others," Darlanis answered back. "Neither of us really feel that we `deserve' being `what' we are either, so we constantly seem to `act' like a pair of children with `chips on our shoulders'." I nodded, my eyes meeting those of the Imperial Empress. My child- hood was not a "happy" one, and the "same" is true of Darlanis'. There are those in Dularn who consider me just a "gold digger", and those in the Empire who "note" that Darlanis is half-Martian! "Sometimes I wonder `how' I ever ended up Queen of Dularn," I smiled back. I was in my younger years much the "gold digger". I was "blonde", beautiful, and well aware too of it. Such is, I feel, judging from my own experience, why so many young girls "go wrong" despite the best efforts of their parents to prevent it... "I know how I `got' to `where' I am," Darlanis smiled. "I have problems at times trying to `justify' what I did back then." Darlanis having "slept" her way to the "crown" as has been noted. "Sharon," I smiled, remembering what I'd read about the "re- lationship" between Lorraine's step daughter and the Empress. I was well aware that Darlanis was a woman who had "done" things that it might be hard to "justify" later on to one like Sharon. "She `worships' you," I said, watching the clouds above. "It is `hard' being `what' I am," Darlanis said to me. "No doubt Janet Rogers felt the `same'," I smiled. "I'm not a `Janet Rogers'," Darlanis smiled back. "But we both know a woman who `is'," I smiled. "She `is' what she `is'," Darlanis smiled then. ***************************************************************** "You are `aware' of the `contents' of this?" the High Priestess asked the old woman as she sat there on a sofa beneath a painting of Lys, the painting reminding one somewhat of Tais... The "implications" of the letter in its contents were terrifying! "I was told that it was in a nature of a `warning'," she an- swered back, well aware of "what" Princess Tara had told of it... Whether or not such things were "true" were another matter, she felt, feeling that Princess Tara was no doubt dangerously insane! "It is a matter that in any case I feel `another' should `handle'," the High Priestess answered, then leaving the room, speaking softly to the Priestess waiting outside to keep an "eye" on the old woman and see that she did not leave the Temple now... ***************************************************************** "How much longer until we reach Arsana?" I asked Darlanis. "Another hour, I think," the Empress smiled back at me. "`This' is going to be `hard' to `stop' now," I spoke. "Sexual hatred is," Darlanis answered, looking over at me. "Like some `nightmare' out of the past we thought would nev- er return," I spoke, looking down at the ocean there far below... "`Something' from a time that is six centuries in our past now." "Women got `greedy', thought they could `have' it all," Dar- lanis smiled. "One of the major failures of democratic society." I was well enough educated in our history to know of such things. "`Vote' yourself whatever you wanted," I smiled back at her. I was well aware of the history of the United States before the time of Janet Rogers. The country had come close to "collapse" due to everyone trying to vote themselves more and more "goodies" like children "squabbling" over who got the biggest piece of pie. The United States had gone "bankrupt" at the end of the century, which had in turn resulted in the "election" of Janet Rogers... I wondered if perhaps we weren't better off the way that we were? There is little evidence that we wouldn't repeat the same "mis- takes" all over again if we ever had the "chance" to do so now... "There are those who believe in the same idea now," Darlanis said to me. "And some of them can sound pretty convincing too." The golden haired Empress thinking of one certain woman she knew! Fortunately Lorraine was wise enough to veto some of Sanda's more "radical" ideas. Ideas that would have delighted any "Democrat"! "We have `those' in Dularn," I smiled back at the Empress. Pharis had been one of `them' too, I recalled thoughtfully then. "I have plenty in my own Senate," Darlanis grinned back. "You don't have the absolute veto power I do," I smiled. "Queen Denise `knew' what she was doing," Darlanis smiled. ***************************************************************** "I am Tais, the First Priestess," Tais spoke as she stepped into the room, her own telepathic powers such that she had no doubts now that Princess Tara actually was still yet alive de- spite everything! And the contents of the letter left no doubts in her mind at least that Tara had indeed been the "abode" of the "QUEEN OF DARKNESS". That evil "Demoness" who was said to be the consort of the EVIL ONE, master of Hell itself, the "Being" from another plane of existence who even dared oppose LYS herself for the souls of intelligent beings throughout the entire Universe! The same supernatural "Being" that Man had once called the Devil! "My daughter is with her now," the old woman said, well aware that Tais was head of the Priestesses, and effectively the "Queen of the Solar System" at least from what Tara had told her! "What Tara has `done' is a matter for the civil authorities, not for us," Tais smiled back, laying her hand on the old woman's shoulder. "But her letter, if true, is a very serious matter..." "You `believe' in such things?" the old woman breathed out. "From `personal experience'," the First Priestess smiled. 2569 A.D.! THE DULARNIAN QUEEN AN ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE OF MAN By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Thirty Six "I wonder `if' Tara is dead?" Darlanis said to me as we flew along. "You never found her body, or any evidence that she is." "The water in the strait is too cold for swimming," I said. "She would have lost consciousness after `immersion' in it for any period of time," I answered, wondering myself if Tara was yet alive? Was it possible that she could have survived to reach the shore. I thought it "possible", although she would have quickly died of "exposure" given the night time temperatures that "early" in the year. I recalled the "vision" I'd had seeing a woman, her hair in flames, leap from the blazing deck of Tara's ship into the strait. Could "that" have been the infamous Bajan princess? "Even if she `is', we still have to `deal' with her `organi- zation', and with whoever she left as her second in command now," Darlanis retorted, now making a minor adjustment to the controls. "The Wyomings have the Priestesses," I said to Darlanis, who nodded back, giving me a "puzzled" smile. I recalled "what" Lor- raine had once attempted, wondered if such a thing was possible? "Everyone `does' but for Valeris' people," Darlanis said. "It will not be `possible' to win a war against her," I said then. "Valeris will flee to the north, to the east, scatter her women over an area we know `little' about," I mused thoughtfully. There was little known about the polar regions but legends now. "She has ships, the ability to cross the Bering Strait," the Empress replied. "And we don't know if she has `allies' or not." ***************************************************************** The white gowned High Priestess of Dularn smiled at the old woman standing there half terrified holding a letter in her hand, the other Priestess then closing the door quietly behind herself. The High Priestess could sense the woman's fear, although "why" the old woman was so terrified she didn't know, since the Priest- esses of Lys often "helped" those in various sorts of "trouble" as long as such "matters" were not actually "crimes" as such in their own eyes. Such actions often much to the "annoyance" of the myriad "Kings" and "Queens" that now "ruled" the Earth. The Priestesses of Lys even back in the "time" of Janet Rogers having clearly understood the "difference" between "real" crime and "po- litical" crime, something here surprisingly enough that few Amer- icans of our time understand, our "gun laws" being an "example". "I was `sent here' to give you `this'," the old woman said, now handing over the letter she had been given by Princess Tara. The High Priestess' eyes meeting hers as she took the envelope... "It is from a woman whom I now believe is Princess Tara Bisan." The High Priestess' quick intake of breath left no doubt of her own surprise at this, it being believed that Tara had been killed in the attack made by the Priestesses upon her ship for violation of the "weapons laws" that forbade any weapon using explosives. ***************************************************************** "Sometimes I think we're like a couple of schoolgirls, `do- ing' things to `spite' the other," I ventured to Darlanis as the black V-tailed Beechcraft Bonanza now flew towards my own land... "I think we `behave' the way we do because both of us feel the `need' to constantly `prove' ourselves in the eyes of others," Darlanis answered back. "Neither of us really feel that we `deserve' being `what' we are either, so we constantly seem to `act' like a pair of children with `chips on our shoulders'." I nodded, my eyes meeting those of the Imperial Empress. My child- hood was not a "happy" one, and the "same" is true of Darlanis'. There are those in Dularn who consider me just a "gold digger", and those in the Empire who "note" that Darlanis is half-Martian! "Sometimes I wonder `how' I ever ended up Queen of Dularn," I smiled back. I was in my younger years much the "gold digger". I was "blonde", beautiful, and well aware too of it. Such is, I feel, judging from my own experience, why so many young girls "go wrong" despite the best efforts of their parents to prevent it... "I know how I `got' to `where' I am," Darlanis smiled. "I have problems at times trying to `justify' what I did back then." Darlanis having "slept" her way to the "crown" as has been noted. "Sharon," I smiled, remembering what I'd read about the "re- lationship" between Lorraine's step daughter and the Empress. I was well aware that Darlanis was a woman who had "done" things that it might be hard to "justify" later on to one like Sharon. "She `worships' you," I said, watching the clouds above. "It is `hard' being `what' I am," Darlanis said to me. "No doubt Janet Rogers felt the `same'," I smiled. "I'm not a `Janet Rogers'," Darlanis smiled back. "But we both know a woman who `is'," I smiled. "She `is' what she `is'," Darlanis smiled then. ***************************************************************** "You are `aware' of the `contents' of this?" the High Priestess asked the old woman as she sat there on a sofa beneath a painting of Lys, the painting reminding one somewhat of Tais... The "implications" of the letter in its contents were terrifying! "I was told that it was in a nature of a `warning'," she an- swered back, well aware of "what" Princess Tara had told of it... Whether or not such things were "true" were another matter, she felt, feeling that Princess Tara was no doubt dangerously insane! "It is a matter that in any case I feel `another' should `handle'," the High Priestess answered, then leaving the room, speaking softly to the Priestess waiting outside to keep an "eye" on the old woman and see that she did not leave the Temple now... ***************************************************************** "How much longer until we reach Arsana?" I asked Darlanis. "Another hour, I think," the Empress smiled back at me. "`This' is going to be `hard' to `stop' now," I spoke. "Sexual hatred is," Darlanis answered, looking over at me. "Like some `nightmare' out of the past we thought would nev- er return," I spoke, looking down at the ocean there far below... "`Something' from a time that is six centuries in our past now." "Women got `greedy', thought they could `have' it all," Dar- lanis smiled. "One of the major failures of democratic society." I was well enough educated in our history to know of such things. "`Vote' yourself whatever you wanted," I smiled back at her. I was well aware of the history of the United States before the time of Janet Rogers. The country had come close to "collapse" due to everyone trying to vote themselves more and more "goodies" like children "squabbling" over who got the biggest piece of pie. The United States had gone "bankrupt" at the end of the century, which had in turn resulted in the "election" of Janet Rogers... I wondered if perhaps we weren't better off the way that we were? There is little evidence that we wouldn't repeat the same "mis- takes" all over again if we ever had the "chance" to do so now... "There are those who believe in the same idea now," Darlanis said to me. "And some of them can sound pretty convincing too." The golden haired Empress thinking of one certain woman she knew! Fortunately Lorraine was wise enough to veto some of Sanda's more "radical" ideas. Ideas that would have delighted any "Democrat"! "We have `those' in Dularn," I smiled back at the Empress. Pharis had been one of `them' too, I recalled thoughtfully then. "I have plenty in my own Senate," Darlanis grinned back. "You don't have the absolute veto power I do," I smiled. "Queen Denise `knew' what she was doing," Darlanis smiled. ***************************************************************** "I am Tais, the First Priestess," Tais spoke as she stepped into the room, her own telepathic powers such that she had no doubts now that Princess Tara actually was still yet alive de- spite everything! And the contents of the letter left no doubts in her mind at least that Tara had indeed been the "abode" of the "QUEEN OF DARKNESS". That evil "Demoness" who was said to be the consort of the EVIL ONE, master of Hell itself, the "Being" from another plane of existence who even dared oppose LYS herself for the souls of intelligent beings throughout the entire Universe! The same supernatural "Being" that Man had once called the Devil! "My daughter is with her now," the old woman said, well aware that Tais was head of the Priestesses, and effectively the "Queen of the Solar System" at least from what Tara had told her! "What Tara has `done' is a matter for the civil authorities, not for us," Tais smiled back, laying her hand on the old woman's shoulder. "But her letter, if true, is a very serious matter..." "You `believe' in such things?" the old woman breathed out. "From `personal experience'," the First Priestess smiled. |
|
|