The Romance of Golden Star ...Griffith, George Chetwynd
Science
The Romance of Golden Star ...
Griffith, George Chetwynd
Fantasy fiction
'Yes, Brothers of the Blood, I read your thought. The stranger from the
land which is the greatest of all lands in the world of to-day, is a
true Son of the Sun, though not of our blood, for his heart is clean and
his tongue is straight and his arm strong, and perchance it may please
our Father to bring about that which he has put into our hearts.'
At this another murmur ran round the hall, and every head was bowed in
assent.
Now all this time the three Englishmen had been standing patiently in
the midst of the hall, looking about them at its splendours, and waiting
till I should speak to them, for the professor knew enough of the
Quichua tongue to follow what I had been saying, and had told the others
that I was speaking of them. Now I spoke to them in English, and told
them what I had brought them to the throne-room for, and then I had
chairs placed for them at top of the hall, to my left hand.
When they had taken their places, I asked the professor to speak in
Spanish to those assembled, and tell them whether or not the story of my
return to life was true, and whether or not Golden Star had been found
where Anda-Huillac and the priests had placed her, and had been, like
me, restored to life by the arts of Djama his friend. This he did in
few, straight words, and after him Djama rose at my bidding and told
them also what he had done. When he had finished I took the Llautu from
my head and raised it above me with outstretched arms and said in a loud
voice,--
'If you, O Children of the Blood and Sons of the Ancient Race, believe
now that I am in truth Vilcaroya, son of Huayna-Capac, and lawful heir
of the divine Manco, from whom all the Incas of our race draw their
royal blood, then take me for your lord as my father was the lord of
your fathers; or if any shall have yet doubt in his heart, let him
speak now or for ever be silent.'
Then with one accord they rose from their seats and came before me and
prostrated themselves on the shining pavement of the throne-room, and
began to chant, in a low, soft tone, the Song of Homage with which of
old the new-crowned Incas had been hailed, generation after generation,
Sons of the Sun and lords of life and death throughout the Land of the
Four Regions.
And now a wondrous thing happened. As I stood there facing the prostrate
throng, lowering the Llautu on to my head, I heard a low, sharp cry
beside me on my right hand. I turned half round, and there I saw Golden
Star staring at me with eyes burning with the light that shone through
them from her new-awakened soul.
Her hands were clasped to her temples, pushing back her thick, bright
hair from her forehead. Her face was flushed, and her half-open lips
were working as though they were striving to shape some long-forgotten
words. At the instant that the Llautu touched my brows, she rose to her
feet. Then a cry burst from her lips and went ringing down the hall, and
the next moment she had thrown herself forward and I had caught her in
my arms.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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