CHAPTER XXIII
LYLDA'S PLAN
Back home, comfortably seated upon the broad balcony overlooking thelake, the three men sat waiting to hear their host's explanation of thestrange events they had witnessed. Lylda busied herself preparing alight noonday meal, which she served charmingly on the balcony whilethey talked.
"My friends," the Chemist began. "I tried to give you this morning, apicture of this world and the life I have been leading here. I think youunderstand, although I did not specifically say so, that all I saidrelated to the time when I first came here. That you would call thislife Utopia, because of the way I outlined it, I do not doubt; or atleast you would call it a state of affairs as near Utopian as any humanbeings can approach.
"All that is true; it was Utopia. But gentlemen, it is so no longer.Things have been changing of recent years, until now--well you saw whathappened this morning.
"I cannot account for the first cause of this trouble. Perhaps theMalite war, with its disillusionment to our people--I do not know. Faithin human kindness was broken: the Oroids could no longer trustimplicitly in each other. A gradual distrust arose--a growing unrest--adissatisfaction, which made no demands at first, nor seemed indeed tohave any definite grievances of any sort. From it there sprang leaders,who by their greater intelligence created desires that fed and nourishedtheir dissatisfaction--gave it a seemingly tangible goal that made itfar more dangerous than it ever had been before.
"About a year ago there first came into prominence the man whom you sawthis morning condemned to death. His name is Targo--he is aMalite--full-blooded I believe, although he says not. For twenty yearsor more he has lived in Orlog, a city some fifty miles from Arite. Hiswife is an Oroid.
"Targo, by his eloquence, and the power and force of his personality,won a large following in Orlog, and to a lesser degree in many othercities. Twice, some months ago, he was arrested and reprimanded; thelast time with a warning that a third offence would mean his death."
"What is he after?" asked the Very Young Man.
"The Targos, as they are called, demand principally a different divisionof the land. Under the present system, approximately one-third of allthe land is in the hands of the government. Of that, generally more thanhalf lies idle most of the time. The Targos wish to have this landdivided among the citizens. They claim also that most of the cityorganizations do not produce as large a dividend as the Targos couldshow under their own management. They have many other grievances thatthere is no reason for me to detail."
"Why not let them try out their theories in some city?" suggested theBig Business Man.
"They are trying them," the Chemist answered. "There was a revolution inOrlog about six months ago. Several of its officials wereassassinated--almost the first murders we have ever had. The Targos tookpossession of the government--a brother of this man you saw this morningbecame leader of the city. Orlog withdrew from the Oroid government andis now handling its affairs as a separate nation."
"I wonder----" began the Big Business Man thoughtfully. "Well, why notlet them run it that way, if they want to?"
"No reason, if they were sincere. But they are not sincere nor honestfundamentally. Their leaders are for the most part Malites, or Oroidswith Malite blood. And they are fooling the people. Their followers areall the more unintelligent, more gullible individuals, or those in whomthere lies a latent criminal streak.
"The thing doesn't work. Sexual license is growing in Orlog. Crimesagainst women are becoming more and more frequent. Offences committed bythose prominent, or in authority, go unpunished. Women's testimony isdiscredited, often by concerted lying on the part of men witnesses.
"Many families are leaving Orlog--leaving their land and their homesdeserted. In other cities where the Targos threaten to gain control thesame thing is happening. Most of these refugees come to Arite. We cannottake care of them; there is not enough land here."
"Why not take your army and clean them up?" suggested the Very YoungMan.
They were seated around a little table, at which Lylda was servinglunch. At the question she stopped in the act of pouring a steamingliquid from a little metal kettle into their dainty golden drinking cupsand looked at the Very Young Man gravely.
"Very easy it would be to do that perhaps," she said quietly. "But theseTargos, except a few--they are our own people. And they too are armed.We cannot fight them; we cannot kill them--our own people."
"We may have to," said the Chemist. "But you see, I did not realize, Icould not believe the extent to which this Targo could sway the people.Nor did I at first realize what evils would result if his ideas werecarried out. He has many followers right here in Arite. You saw thatthis morning."
"How did you catch him?" interrupted the Very Young Man.
"Yesterday he came to Arite," said Lylda. "He came to speak. With himcame fifty others. With them too came his wife to speak here, to ourwomen. He thought we would do nothing; he defied us. There was afight--this morning--and many were killed. And we brought him to thecourt--you saw."
"It is a serious situation," said the Doctor. "I had no idea----"
"We can handle it--we must handle it," said the Chemist. "But as Lyldasays, we cannot kill our own people--only as a last desperate measure."
"Suppose you wait too long," suggested the Big Business Man. "You saythese Targos are gaining strength every day. You might have a very badcivil war."
"That was the problem," answered the Chemist.
"But now you come," said Lylda. "You change it all when you come down tous out of the great beyond. Our people, they call you genii of theMaster, they----"
"Oh gee, I never thought of that," murmured the Very Young Man. "What_do_ you think of us?"
"They think you are supernatural beings of course," the Chemist saidsmiling. "Yet they accept you without fear and they look to you and tome for help."
"This morning, there at the court," said Lylda, "I heard them say thatTargo spoke against you. Devils, he said, from the Great Blue Star, comehere with evil for us all. And they believe him, some of them. It wasfor that perhaps they acted as they did before the court. In Arite now,many believe in Targo. And it is bad, very bad."
"The truth is," added the Chemist, "your coming, while it gives usunlimited possibilities for commanding the course of events, at the sametime has precipitated the crisis. Naturally no one can understand who orwhat you are. And as Lylda says, the Targos undoubtedly are telling thepeople you come to ally yourself with me for evil. There will bethousands who will listen to them and fear and hate you--especially insome of the other cities."
"What does the king say?" asked the Doctor.
"We will see him to-morrow. He has been anxiously waiting for you. Butyou must not forget," the Chemist added with a smile, "the king has hadlittle experience facing strife or evil-doing of any kind. It was almostunknown until recently. It is I, and you, gentlemen, who are facing theproblem of saving this nation."
The Very Young Man's face was flushed, and his eyes sparkled withexcitement. "We can do anything we like," he said. "We have the power."
"Ay, that is it," said Lylda. "The power we have. But my friend, wecannot use it. Not for strife, for death; we cannot."
"The execution of Targo will cause more trouble," said the Chemistthoughtfully. "It is bound to make----"
"When will you put him to death?" asked the Big Business Man.
"To-morrow he dies," Lylda answered. "To-morrow, before the time ofsleep."
"There will be trouble," said the Chemist again. "We are in no personaldanger of course, but, for the people who now believe in Targo, I amafraid----"
"A plan I have made," said Lylda. She sat forward tensely in her chair,brushing her hair back from her face with a swift gesture. "A plan Ihave made. It is the only way--I now think--that may be there comes noharm to our people. It is that we want to do, if we can." She spokeeagerly, and without waiting for them to answer, went swiftly on.
"This drug that you have brought, I shal
l take it. And I shall get big.Oh, not so very big, but big enough to be the height of a man it may beten times. Then shall I talk to the people--I, Lylda--woman of theMaster, and then shall I tell them that this power, this magic, is forgood, not for evil, if only they will give up Targo and all who are withhim."
"I will take it with you," said the Chemist. "Together we----"
"No, no, my husband. Alone I must do this. Ah, do you not know they saythese stranger devils with their magic come for evil? And you too, mustyou not forget, once were a stranger just as they. That the peopleknow--that they remember.
"But I--I--Lylda--a woman of the Oroids I am--full-blooded Oroid, nostranger. And they will believe me--a woman--for they know I cannot lie.
"I shall tell them I am for good, for kindness, for all we had, thattime before the Malite war, when every one was happy. And if they willnot believe, if as I say they will not do, then shall my power be indeedfor evil, and all who will obey me not shall die. But they willbelieve--no need will there be to threaten.
"To many cities I will go. And in them, all of those who want to live byTargo's law will I send to Orlog. And all in Orlog who believe him not,will I tell to leave, and to the other cities go to make their homes.Then Orlog shall be Targo's city. And to-morrow he will not die, but gothere into Orlog and become their king. For I shall say it may be thereare some who like his rule of evil. Or it may be he is good in differentfashion, and in time can make us see that his law too, is just and kind.
"Then shall live in Orlog all who wish to stay, and we shall watch theirrule, but never shall we let them pass beyond their borders. For if theydo, then shall we kill them.
"All this I can do, my husband, if you but will let me try. For me theywill believe, a woman, Oroid all of blood--for they know women do notlie." She stopped and the fire in her eyes changed to a look of gentlepleading. "If you will but let me try," she finished. "Myhusband--please."
The Chemist glanced at his friends who sat astonished by this flow ofeager, impassioned words. Then he turned again to Lylda's intent,pleading face, regarding her tenderly. "You are very fine, little motherof my son," he said gently, lapsing for a moment into her own style ofspeech. "It could do no harm," he added thoughtfully "and perhaps----"
"Let her try it," said the Doctor. "No harm could come to her."
"No harm to me could come," said Lylda quickly. "And I shall make thembelieve. I can, because I am a woman, and they will know I tell thetruth. Ah, you will let me try, my husband--please?"
The Chemist appealed to the others. "They will believe her, many ofthem," he said. "They will leave Orlog as she directs. But those inother cities will still hold to Targo, they will simply remain silentfor a time. What their feelings will be or are we cannot tell. Some willleave and go to Orlog of course, for Lylda will offer freedom of theirleader and to secure that they will seem to agree to anything.
"But after all, they are nothing but children at heart, most of them.To-day, they might believe in Lylda; to-morrow Targo could win themagain."
"He won't get a chance," put in the Very Young Man quickly. "If she sayswe kill anybody who talks for Targo outside of Orlog, that goes. It'sthe only way, isn't it?"
"And she might really convince them--or most of them," added the Doctor.
"You will let me try?" asked Lylda softly. The Chemist nodded.
Lylda sprang to her feet. Her frail little body was trembling withemotion; on her face was a look almost of exaltation.
"You _will_ let me try," she cried. "Then I shall make them believe.Here, now, this very hour, I shall make them know the truth. And they,my own people, shall I save from sorrow, misery and death."
She turned to the Chemist and spoke rapidly.
"My husband, will you send Oteo now, up into the city. Him will you tellto have others spread the news. All who desire an end to Targo's rule,shall come here at once. And all too, who in him believe, and who forhim want freedom, they shall come too. Let Oteo tell them magic shall beperformed and Lylda will speak with them.
"Make haste, my husband, for now I go to change my dress. Not as theMaster's woman will I speak, but as Lylda--Oroid woman--woman of thepeople." And with a flashing glance, she turned and swiftly left thebalcony.