A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, December 1949 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

Of Ys, and at his right Dahut, and at his % lett a white-robed, yellow-eyed priest _ around whose forehead was a narrow band ¥ of gold and at whose girdle the sacred _ maul with which the breasts of my own _ people were beaten in before the Alkar- _ Az. He had watched me, malevolently. - And the King had grown sleepy, nod- ding... nodding . A, But now I was in Dahut’s tower The ’ - storm was stronger and so were the surge and beat of waves.on the stone prow of 2 Ys. The rosy light was dim, and the shadows in the green hangings were mo- _tionless. Yet I thought that they were closer to the surface; were watching me. In my hands were three slender bars of sea-green metal, strangely notched and serrated; upon each the symbol of the trident. The longest was three times the _ space between my index finger and wrist, _ the shortest-the length of my hand. They B hang from a bracelet, a thin band of silver in which was set a black. stone bearing re in crimson the trident symbol that was _ the summoning name of the sea-god. They . were the keys of Ys, given by the sea-god Bs. te, those who had built Ys. “The keys to the sea-gates! = And Dahut stood before me. She was " like a girl in her robe of white, her slen- der feet bare; hair of silvery gold flow- "ing over exquisite shoulders and the rosy light weaving a little aureole around her EB head. I who was Alan Caranac thought: | She looks like a saint. But I who was E ord of Caranac knew nothing of saints, antl only thought: How can I kill this woman, evil as I* bnow her to be! She said, simply: “Now can you trust, Lord of me?”’ I dropped the keys and set my hands on her shoulders: “Yes.” She raised her lips to me, like a child. I felt pity for her. So I lied. I said: “Let the keys stay where they are, white flower. In the morning, before your father awakens, you shall take them back to him. It was but a test, sweet white flame.”’ She looked at me, gravely: “Tf you wish it, so shall it be done. But there is no need. Tomorrow you shall be King of Ys.” I felt a little shock go through me, and pity fled. If that promise meant any- thing it meant that she was going to kill her father as remorselessly as she had offered to kill her child. She said, dream- ily : “He grows old, And he is weary. He will be glad to go. And with these keys— I give you all. hind me all life that I have lived. Those I have slain I forget, as ‘you will forget. And their shadows shall—cease to be.” Again I heard that sighing whisper go round the room, but she did not—or if she did, she gave it no heed. And suddenly she clasped me in her arms, and her lips clung to mine. I HAD not been asleep. Knowing what . I must do, I had not dared to sleep though sleep pressed heavy on my eyes. Yet I must have dozed, for suddenly I became conscious of a whispering close to my ear, and I knew that the whisper had not just begun. T lifted my fread, The rosy light was dim. . : f James 'M. Davis* switched to Calvert —found today’s best blend is also today’s very best buy! ° . *of Boise, Idaho ALVERT RESERVE BLENDED WHISKEY—86.8 PROOF —65% GRAIN TRAL SPIRITS. CALVERT DISTILLERS CORP., NEW YORK CITY With them—lI lock be- ~ al 7 “he <r" Ge od ~ . re) o,¢ ‘} ? ‘ v ian «Pak * . bale ) Shy: w/ deat, ~~ 2 OR s ayill tae j ya ait, rhea” oP) a te, salt 4' Hi ““ > WR RS SNS ay ee TALS J 7 er ‘Ve ‘ > ¥ be! Ysa tg 4 [Aa 7 t 7 4 " iP Ay tee aA es EAS . ry"? 4 . ote aarp wt b] dey 7 ~ % 4 ‘ }