Something within her told her that she was in great and imminent danger, and the calm she had seen in the palace could not allay in her mind the terror of that unearthly cry she had heard three times from the hills. As she thought of it, she shuddered, and the icy fear seemed to run through all her limbs, chilling the marrow in her bones, and freezing her blood suddenly in its mad course.
"Left alone with your lover"-"it is the cry of your fate"-Atossa"s words kept ringing in her ears like a knell-the knell of a shameful death; and as she went over the bitter taunts of her enemy, her chilled pulses beat again more feverishly than before. She could not bear to sit still, but rose and paced the room in intense agitation. Would they never come back, those dallying slave-women?
The fan-girl tried to follow her mistress, and her small red eyes watched cautiously every one of Nehushta"s movements. But the queen waved her off and the slave went and stood beside the chair where she had sat, her fan hanging idly in her hand. At that moment, the Median woman entered the chamber.
"Where is he?" asked Nehushta, turning suddenly upon her.
The woman made a low obeisance and answered in trembling tones:
"They say that the high priest left the palace two hours ago, with the queen Atossa. They say--"
"Thou liest!" cried Nehushta vehemently, and her face turned white, as she stamped her foot upon the black marble pavement. The woman sprang back with a cry of terror, and ran towards the door. She had never seen her mistress so angry. But Nehushta called her back.
"Come hither-what else do they say?" she asked, controlling herself as best she could.
"They say that the wild riders of the eastern desert are descending from the hills," answered the slave hurriedly and almost under her breath. "Every one is flying-everything is in confusion-I hear them even now, hurrying to and fro in the courts, the soldiers--"
But, even as she spoke, an echo of distant voices and discordant cries came through the curtains of the door from without, the rapid, uneven tread of people running hither and thither in confusion, the loud voices of startled men and the screams of frightened women-all blending together in a wild roar that grew every moment louder.
Just then, the little Syrian maid came running in, almost tearing the curtains from their brazen rods as she thrust the hangings aside. She came and fell breathless at Nehushta"s feet and clasped her knees.
"Fly, fly, beloved mistress," she cried, "the devils of the mountains are upon us-they cover the hills-they are closing every entrance-the people in the lower palace are all slain--"
"Where is Zoroaster?" In the moment of supreme danger, Nehushta grew calm, and her senses were restored to her again.
"He is in the temple with the priests-by this time he is surely slain-he could know of nothing that is going on-fly, fly!" cried the poor Syrian girl in an agony of terror.
Nehushta laid her hand kindly upon the head of the little maid, and turning in the pride of her courage, now that she knew the worst, she spoke calmly to the other slaves who thronged in from the outer hall, some breathless with fear, others screaming in an agony of acute dread.
"On which side are they coming?" she asked.
"Prom the hills, from the hills they are descending in thousands," cried half a dozen of the frightened women at once, the rest huddled together like sheep, moaning in their fear.
"Go you all to the farther window," cried Nehushta, in commanding tones. "Leap down upon the balcony-it is scarce a man"s height-follow it to the end and past the corner where it joins the main wall of the garden. Run along upon the wall till you find a place where you can descend. Through the gardens you can easily reach the road by the northern gate. Fly and save yourselves in the darkness. You will reach the fortress before dawn if you hasten. You will hasten," she added with something of disdain in her voice, for before she had half uttered her directions, the last of the slave-women, mad with terror, disappeared through the open window, and she could hear them drop, one after the other, in quick succession upon the marble balcony below. She was alone.
But, looking down, she saw at her feet the little Syrian maid, looking with imploring eyes to her face.
"Why do you not go with the rest?" asked Nehushta, stooping down and laying one hand upon the girl"s shoulder.
"I have eaten thy bread-shall I leave thee in the hour of death?" asked the little slave, humbly.
"Go, child," replied Nehushta, very kindly. "I have seen thy devotion and truth-thou must not perish."
But the Syrian leaped to her feet, and there was pride in her small face, as she answered:
"I am a bondwoman, but I am a daughter of Israel, even as thou art. Though all the others leave thee, I will not. It may be I can help thee."
"Thou art a brave child," said Nehushta; and she drew the girl to her and pressed her kindly. "I must go to Zoroaster-stay thou here, hide thyself among the curtains-escape by the window, if any come to harm thee." She turned and went rapidly out between the curtains, as calm and as pale as death.
The din in the palace had partially subsided, and new and strange cries re-echoed through the vast halls and corridors. An occasional wild scream-a momentary distant crash as of a door breaking down and thundering upon the marble pavement; and then again, the long, strange cries, mingled with a dull, low sound as of a great moaning-all came up together, and seemed to meet Nehushta as she lifted the curtains and went out.
But the little Syrian maid grasped the Indian knife in her girdle, and stole stealthily upon her mistress"s steps.
CHAPTER XX.
Nehushta glided like a ghost along the corridors and dimly-lighted halls. As yet, the confusion seemed to be all in the lower story of the palace, but the roaring din rose louder every moment-the shrieks of wounded women with the moaning of wounded men, the clash of swords and arms, and, occasionally, a quick, loud rattle, as half a dozen arrows that had missed their mark struck the wall together.
Onward she flew, not pausing to listen, lest in a moment more the tide of fight should be forced up the stairs and overtake her. She shuddered as she pa.s.sed the head of the great staircase and heard, as though but a few steps from her, a wild shriek that died suddenly into a gurgling death hiss.
She pa.s.sed the treasury, whence the guards had fled, and in a moment more she was above the staircase that led down to the temple behind the palace. There was no one there as yet, as far as she could see in the starlight. The doors were shut, and the ma.s.sive square building frowned through the gloom, blacker than its own black shadow.
Nehushta paused as she reached the door, and listened. Very faintly through the thick walls she could hear the sound of the evening chant. The priests were all within with Zoroaster, unconscious of their danger and of all that was going on in the palace, singing the hymns of the sacrifice before the sacred fire,-chanting, as it were, a dirge for themselves. Nehushta tried the door. The great bronze gates were locked together, and though she pushed, with her whole strength, they would not move a hair"s breadth.
"Press the nail nearest the middle," said a small voice behind her. Nehushta started and looked round. It was the little Syrian slave, who had followed her out of the palace, and stood watching her in the dark. Nehushta put her hand upon the round head of the nail and pressed, as the slave told her to do. The door opened, turning slowly and noiselessly upon its hinges. Both women entered; the Syrian girl looked cautiously back and pushed the heavy bronze back to its place. The Egyptian artisan who had made the lock, had told one of the queen"s women whom he loved the secret by which it was opened, and the Syrian had heard it repeated and remembered it.
Once inside, Nehushta ran quickly through the corridor between the walls and rushing into the inner temple, found herself behind the screen and in a moment more she stood before all the priests and before Zoroaster himself. But even as she entered, the Syrian slave, who had lingered to close the gates, heard the rushing of many feet outside, and the yelling of hoa.r.s.e voices, mixed with the clang of arms.
Solemnly the chant rose around the sacred fire that seemed to burn by unearthly means upon the black stone altar. Zoroaster stood before it, his hands lifted in prayer, and his waxen face and snow-white beard illuminated by the dazzling effulgence.
The seventy priests, in even rank, stood around the walls, their hands raised in like manner as their chief priest"s; their voices going up in a rich chorus, strong and tuneful, in the grand plain-chant. But Nehushta broke upon their melody, with a sudden cry, as she rushed before them.
"Zoroaster-fly-there is yet time. The enemy are come in thousands-they are in the palace. There is barely time!" As she cried to him and to them all, she rushed forward and laid one hand upon his shoulder.
But the high priest turned calmly upon her, his face unmoved, although all the priests ceased their chanting and gathered about their chief in sudden fear. As their voices ceased, a low roar was heard from without, as though the ocean were beating at the gates.
Zoroaster gently took Nehushta"s hand from his shoulder.
"Go thou, and save thyself," he said kindly. "I will not go. If it be the will of the All-Wise that I perish, I will perish before this altar. Go thou quickly, and save thyself while there is yet time."
But Nehushta took his hand in hers, that trembled with the great emotion, and gazed into his calm eyes as he spoke-her look was very loving and very sad.
"Knowest thou not, Zoroaster, that I would rather die with thee than live with any other? I swear to thee, by the G.o.d of my fathers, I will not leave thee." Her soft voice trembled-for she was uttering her own sentence of death.
"There is no more time!" cried the voice of the little Syrian maid, as she came running into the temple. "There is no more time! Ye are all dead men! Behold, they are breaking down the doors!"
As she spoke, the noise of some heavy ma.s.s striking against the bronze gates echoed like thunder through the temple, and at each blow a chorus of hideous yells rose, wild and long-drawn-out, as though the fiends of h.e.l.l were screaming in joy over the souls of the lost.
The priests drew together, trembling with fear, brave and devoted though they were. Some of them would have run towards the door, but the Syrian maid stood before them.
"Ye are dead men and there is no salvation-ye must die like men," said the little maid, quietly. "Let me go to my mistress." And she pushed through the crowd of white-robed men, who surged together in their sudden fear, like a white-crested wave heaved up from the deep by a fierce wind.
Nehushta still held Zoroaster"s hand and stared wildly upon the helpless priests. Her one thought was to save the man she loved, but she saw well enough that it was too late. Nevertheless she appealed to the priests.
"Can none of you save him?" she cried.
Foremost in the little crowd was a stern, dark man-the same who had been the high priest before Zoroaster came, the same who had first hurled defiance at the intruder, and then had given him his whole allegiance. He spoke out loudly:
"We will save him and thee if we are able," he cried in brave enthusiasm for his chief. "We will take you between us and open the doors, and it may be that we can fight our way out-though we are all slain, he may be saved." He would have laid hold on Zoroaster, and there was not one of the priests who would not have laid down his life in the gallant attempt. But Zoroaster gently put him back.