"It is a troublesome and stormy office to reign over the wild men of Oestrich, to feast in the crowded hail, and to lead die warriors to the fray.
"Surely, if I feasted not, neither went out to war, they might say, "This is no king, but the cripple Morven;" and some of the race of Siror might slay me secretly.
"But can I not be greater far than kings, and continue to choose and govern them, living as now at mine own ease?
"_Verily, the stars shall give me a new palace, and many subjects_."
Among the wise men was Darvan; and Morven feared him, for his eye often sought the movements of the son of Osslah.
And Morven said "It were better to TRUST this man than to BLIND, for surely I want a helpmate and a friend."
So he said to the wise man as he sat alone watching the setting sun:
"It seemeth to me, O Darvan! I that we ought to build a great pile in honor of the stars and the pile should be more glorious than all the palaces of the chiefs and the palaces of the king; for are not the stars our masters?
"And thou and I should be the chief dwellers in this new palace, and we would serve the G.o.ds of night, and fatten their altars with the choicest of the herd, and the freshest of the fruits of the earth."
And Darvan said:
"Thou speakest as becomes the servant of the stars. But will the people help to build the pile, for they are a war-like race and they love not toil?"
And Morven answered:
"_Doubtless the stars will ordain the work to be done. Fear not_."
"In truth thou art a wondrous man, thy words ever come to pa.s.s," answered Darvan; "and I wish thou wouldest teach me, friend, the language of the stars."
"a.s.suredly if thou servest me thou shalt know," answered the proud Morven; and Darvan was secretly wroth that the son of the herdsman should command the service of an elder and a chief.
And when Morven returned to his wife he found her weeping much.
Now she loved the son of Osslah with an exceeding love, for he was not savage and fierce as the men she had known, and she was proud of his fame among the tribe; and he took her in his arms and kissed her, and asked her why she wept.
Then she told him that her brother, the king, had visited her and had spoken bitter words of Morven.
"He taketh from me the affection of my people," said Siror, "and blindeth them with lies. And since he hath made me king, what if he take my kingdom from me? Verily, a new tale of the stars might undo the old."
And the king had ordered her to keep watch on Morven"s secrecy, and to see whether truth was in him when he boasted of his commune with the Powers of Night.
But Orna loved Morven better than Siror, therefore she told her husband all.
And Morven resented the king"s ingrat.i.tude, and was troubled much, for a king is a powerful foe; but tie comforted Orna, and bade her dissemble and complain also of him to her brother, so that he might confide to her unsuspectingly whatsoever he might design against Morven.
There was a cave by Morven"s house in which he kept the sacred hawk, and wherein he secretly trained and nurtured other birds against future need, and the door of the cave was always barred.
And one day he was thus engaged when he beheld a c.h.i.n.k in the wall, that he had never noted before, and the sun came playfully in; and while he looked he perceived the sunbeam was darkened, and presently he saw a human face peering in through the c.h.i.n.k.
And Morven trembled, for he knew he had been watched.
Morven ran hastily from the cave, but the spy had disappeared among the trees, and Morven went straight to the chamber of Darvan and sat himself down.
Darvan did not return home till late, and he started and turned pale when he saw Morven.
But Morven greeted him as a brother, and bade him to a feast, which, for the first time, he purposed giving at the full of the moon, in honor of the stars.
And going out of Darvan"s chamber, he returned to his wife, and bade her hair, and go at the dawn of day to the king, her brother, and complain bitterly of Morven"s treatment, and pluck the black schemes from the breast of the king. "For surely," said he, "Darvan hath lied to thy brother, and some evil awaits me that I would fain know."
So the next morning Orna sought the king, and she said:
"The herdsman"s son hath reviled me, and spoken harsh words to me; stall I not be avenged?"
Then the king stamped his feet and shook his mighty sword.
"Surely thou shalt be avenged, for I have learned from one of the elders that which convinceth me that the man hath lied to the people, and the base-born shall surely die.
"Yea, the first time that he goeth alone into the forest my brother and I will fall upon him and smite him to the death."
And with this comfort Siror dismissed Orna.
And Orna flung herself at the feet of her husband.
"Fly now, O my beloved!--fly into the forests afar from my brethren, or surely the sword of Siror will end thy days."
Then the son of Osslab folded his arms, and seemed buried in black thoughts; nor did he heed the voice of Orna, until again and again she had implored him to fly.
"Fly!" he said at length. "Nay, I was doubting what punishment the stars should pour down upon our foe. Let warriors fly. Morven, the prophet, conquers by arms mightier than the sword."
Nevertheless Morven was perplexed in his mind, and knew not how to save himself from the vengeance of the king.
Now, while Morven was musing hopelessly, he heard a roar of waters; and behold the river, for it was now the end of autumn, had burst its bounds, and was rushing along the valley to the houses of the city.
And now the men of the tribe, and the women, and the children, came running, and with shrieks to Morven"s house, crying:
"Behold the river has burst upon us!--Save us, O ruler of the stars!"
Then the sudden thought broke upon Morven and he resolved to risk his fate upon one desperate scheme.
And he came out from the house calm and sad, and he said:
"Ye know not what ye ask; I cannot save ye from this peril: ye have brought it on yourselves."
And they cried: "How? O son of Osslah--we are ignorant of our crime."
And he answered:
"Go down to the king"s palace and wait before it, and surely I will follow ye, and ye shall learn wherefore ye have incurred this punishment from the G.o.ds."