I asked if she exercised an active rule over these people. He answered
that she did not, as she lacked sufficient interest in them; only when
she was angry with individuals she would destroy some of them by "her
arts," as she had power to do if she chose. Most of them indeed had
never seen her and only knew of her existence by rumour. To them she was
a spirit or a goddess who inhabited the ancient tombs that lay to the
south of the old city whither she had come because of the threatened war
with Rezu, whom alone she feared, he did not know why. He told me again,
moreover, that she was the greatest magician who had ever been, and
that it was certain she did not die, since their forefathers knew her
generations ago. Still she seemed to be under some curse, like the
Amahagger themselves, who were the descendants of those who had once
inhabited Kor and the country round it, as far as the sea-coast and
for hundreds of miles inland, having been a mighty people in their day
before a great plague destroyed them.

For the rest he thought that she was a very unhappy woman who "lived
with her own soul mourning the dead" and consorting with none upon the
earth.

I asked him why she stayed here, whereat he shook his head and replied,
he supposed because of the "curse," since he could conceive of no other
reason. He informed me also that her moods varied very much. Sometimes
she was fierce and active and at others by comparison mild and
low-spirited. Just now she was passing through one of the latter stages,
perhaps because of the Rezu trouble, for she did not wish her people to
be destroyed by this terrible person; or perhaps for some other reason
with which he was not acquainted.

When she chose, she knew all things, except the distant future. Thus
she knew that we were coming, also the details of our march and that
we should be attacked by the Rezuites who were going out to meet
their returning company that had been sent afar to find a white queen.
Therefore she had ordered him to go with soldiers to our assistance. I
asked why she went veiled, and he replied, because of her beauty which
drove even savage men mad, so that in old days she had been obliged to
kill a number of them.

That was all he seemed to know about her, except that she was kind to
those who served her well, like himself, and protected them from evil of
every sort.

Then I asked him about Rezu. He answered that he was a dreadful person,
undying, it was said