t fire, and
then the darkness melted further before a wave of light from the
opposite wall. Now could be seen the warriors who, with gleaming
outdrawn swords, were clustered around the girl. Shabako was gripping
her arm and shaking her roughly: the High Priest was drawing to a
stop before her, to stand glaring at her with hate-inflamed eyes.

"Tell us!" roared the Pharaoh. "Where is the man?"

She looked at him levelly. Her eyes were quite calm, and she breathed
evenly. There was a glorious light in her eyes as she replied.

"I will tell thee," she said; "though thou wilt not comprehend. He
vanished. Vanished, even as a god. He was here beside me, in the
darkness and then suddenly he was gone. But why not? For he was a
god...."

The soldiers gaped at her. Silence came down in the Temple. The High
Priest did not break it, but only stared closely at the girl with eyes
that suddenly had something more than hate in them--comprehension, and
a trace of fear....

But the Pharaoh Shabako's eyes were only wrathful, and he shouted:

"A god? Vanished, sayest thou? Lies! Lies! But thou canst not lie to
Aten! The God knows of a way to loosen thy tongue!"

Despite herself, Taia shuddered. She knew that way.

* * * * *

Gradually the Temple was filling with other worshippers come to see
the sacrifice, and soon there were sixty or seventy of them. The men
outnumbered the women two to one, and none of them was very old. Fifty
was about their age limit--and those who were near this age were
reluctant to let their eyes rest on the hands of the idol. When they
did glance at them, and at the cruel knife blade in the upper one,
fear showed on their faces. There were also very few children....

Hrihor's thin features grew unreadable in the coldness that settled
upon them. He was now in the role of High Priest: apart, separate from
the common mob before him; interpreter of Aten's divine mysteries:
playing his part of one who listened to a god's awful whisperings.
Impassively he superintended the binding of Taia by a priestess, who
tightened the cords around the girl's slim body with claw-like hands,
a gleam of unholy anticipation on her fleshless, soured face. Then the
High Priest turned from the altar and faced the crowd of people.

"Silence!" he commanded. "Silence, before thy God Aten!"

A hush fell instantly. Their eyes centered on the bound figure of the
girl, standing just beside the lowermost