A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, December 1949 — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ww he « ag ae 324 . ** Have you see Dahut ride by, Swift as cloudy shadows fly O’er the moon in stormy sky, On her stallion black as night— Shadows’ Queen—Dahut the White?” There was a queer silence. Then I noticed that de Keradel was sitting up odd- ly rigid and looking at me with that same expression he had worn when I had spoken of the Alkar-Az—and the Gatherer in the Cairn. Also that Bill’s face had bleached. I looked at the Demoiselle and there were little dancing orchid sparks .in her eyes. I hadn’t the slightest idea why the old song should have had such an effect. Helen said: “That’s a weird melody, Alan. Who was Dahut the White ?”’ “A witch, angel,” I told her. “A wicked, beautiful witch. Not a torch-tressed witch like you, but a blonde one. She lived twenty centuries or more ago in a city named Ys. Nobody knows quite where Ys was, but probably its towers rose where now the sea flows between Quiberon and Belle Isle. Certainly, it was once land there. Ys was a wicked city, filled with witches and sorcerers, but wickedest of all ~ was Dahut the White, the daughter of the King. She picked her lovers where she would. Then she cast them from her... -_ imto the sea, some say. Or, say others, she gave them to her shadows—” PILL interrupted: “What do you mean by that?” His face was whiter than before. De Keradel was looking sharply at him. I said: “TI mean—shadows, Didn’t I sing to 6 * or, aa CREEP, SHADOW! you that she was Queen of Shadows? She —. “\ x 4 3 » «< = Q . 2 > 9 _ 8 5 > was a witch—and could make shadows do her bidding. All sorts of shadows—shad- <a ows of the lovers she'd killed, demon shadows, Incubi and Succubi nightniares. “At last the Gods determined to take a hand. Don’t ask me what Gods. Pagan, if all this was before the introduction of Christianity—Christian, if after. Which- ever they were, they must have believed that who lives by the sword must die by the sword and all of that, because they sent to Ys a youthful hero with whom Dahut fell instantly, completely and madly in love. He was the first man she had ever loved, despite her former affairs. But he was coy—aloof. He could forgive her previous philandering, but before he would accept her favors he must be convinced — she truly loved him. How could she con- vince him? Quite easily. Ys, it appears, was below sea-level and protected by walls which kept out the tides. There was one gate which would let in the sea. Why was there such a gate? I don’t know. Probably for use in case of invasion, revolution or something of the sort. At any rate, the legend says, there was such a gate. The key to it hung always about the neck of the King of Ys, Dahut’s father. “Bring me that key—and I’ll know you love me,” said the hero. Dahut stole down to her sleeping father, and stole the key from his neck. She gave it to her lover. He opened the sea-gates. The sea poured in. Finish—for wicked Ys. Finish—for wicked Dahut the White.” “She was drowned?” asked Helen. “That’s the curious detail of the legend. The story is that Dahut had a rush of filial 4 . ‘ ; - ,* 7 ‘ , ; 7 «4 | es q 4 PS th , wie DA i Mi pl TN VP eo aii ie vf a ie, sh Me we eM am ra iv Ke (7a ads ih ‘ ‘<4 - +A/ee “— ¢ < 7 ) aa Ps ‘ «0 ope ‘ Ve ae YS 4 Ae PPro) 9ee Me ee Pe 4 Oe fi ' aN ehh A wi. Wy) oan. a oe pet sy _ nA OPS i TT Pe H we io vu i a bagi ve Lx es, fy a8 uy Mit Pie en ay AY ERTS P BROMO-SELTZER. FIGHTS HEADACHE THREE WAYS - o's eM AL yar For fast from ordin headache al- ways 2 ipgg Seals tose # fights head- ache three ways: 1. Relieves Pain of Headache. 2. Relieves Discomfort of Upset Stomach. 3. Quiets Jumpy Nerves. Caution: Use only as directed. Get Bromo- Seltzer at your drug store fountain of counter today. A product of Emerson Drug Company since 1887, 1 aaa tee: e be gia ba U7 ores ¥