For, when that day cometh, ye shall have signs and portents from the
world beyond. Wisdom cometh out of life, and life walketh out of wisdom.
Yea, in the manner of life and of spirit ye shall have them, and of
substance even like unto you yourselves.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that we shall be on guard.
By these signs ye shall know them; even by the truths I have taught
thee. The way of life is an open door; wisdom and virtue are its keys.
And when the intelligence shall be lifted to the plane above--then shalt
thou know!
Mark ye well the Spot of Life! He that openeth it is the precursor of
judgment. Mark him well!
And thus shall the last days come to pass. See that ye are worthy, O
wise ones! For behold in those last days there shall come among ye--
The chosen of a line of kings. First there shall be one, and then there
shall be two; and the two shall stay but the one shall return.
The false ones. Them ye shall slay!
The four footed: The call to humility, sacrifice and devotion, whom ye
shall hold in reverence even as you hold me, the Jarados.
And on the last day of all--I, the Jarados!
Beware ye of sacrilege! Lest I take from ye all that I have given ye,
and the day be postponed--beware ye of sacrilege!
And if the false ones cometh not, ye shall know that I have held them.
Know ye the day!
Sixteen days from the day of the prophet, shall come the day of the
judgment; and the way shall be opened, on the last day, the sixteenth
day of the Jarados.
Hearken to the words of the Jarados, the prophet and mouthpiece of
the infinite intelligence, ruler of justice, peace, and love! So be it
forever!
Chick read it a second time. Like all prophecies, it was somewhat
Delphic; but he could get the general drift. In that golden script he
was looking into the heart of all Thomahlia--into its greatness, its
culture, its civilisation itself. It was the soul of the Blind Spot, the
reason and the wherefore of all about him.
He heard someone step up behind him, and he turned. It was the Senestro,
going over the words of the prophecy.
“Can you read it, Sir Phantom?” asked the handsome Bar. His black eyes
were twinkling with delight. “Have you read it all?”
He put a hand on Chick's shoulder. It was a careless act, almost
friendly. Either he had the heart of a devil or the chivalry of a
paladin. He pointed to a line:
“'The false ones. Them ye shall slay.'”
“And if I were the false one, you would slay me?” asked Watson.
“Aye, truly!” answered the splendid prince. “You are well made and
good to look upon. I shall hold you in my arms; I shall hear your bones
crack; it shall be sweeter music than that of the temple pheasants,
who never sing but for the Jarados. I shall slay you upon the Spot, Sir
Phantom!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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