to his eyes as heturned and allowed her to enter. For a long time he could not speak, theshame and the hurt and pride and the strange new sudden emotions in himnot suffering him to talk. At last he said:
"Too-che, I love you and I cannot deny you anything. If you put thisshame upon me, I will bear it as my own. Consider this your home, and meas your slave. If I did not love you, I would not bear this, but I do."
Too-che saw the conflicting emotions upon his face, how his dark redlips struggled to remain firm, how his thin, wide nostrils trembled, howhis eyes were wet with unshed tears, how his shoulders bowed as with asudden burden.
"Oh my dear Chojon, I have no other friend to whom I can turn--and thatI thought of you, who has only loved me from afar with your eyes andyour soft, sad songs, should tell you that I bring you no shame orinsult. This is not the child of another man, for I have been with noman, ever. This is a child of the legends, a son of a God in the skies,our God, Mazda. He is a miracle, as hard for me to believe as for you,but it is true."
Too-che could not stand the unbelieving eyes of Chojon, who thought thatToo-che lied, and looked down at the sleeping babe in her arms, sayingwith a pitiful voice ...
"Please, little stranger who talks like a wise man, wake and tell myChojon that you are not the son of a man, but the son of one whom nomaid could resist or run away from, ever. Tell him, little one!"
And Mazda heard Too-che imploring speech of her child and made it tospeak with his own voice.
"Chojon, what my mother says is true. I am the child of the All-light,endowed with powers beyond ordinary men to accomplish my Lord'smysterious purposes here on earth. Do not hold my mother the less for mybirth."
Chojon sank slowly to his knees, realization stealing over him as heheard the adult words issue from the suckling babe's mouth. The unshedtears began to pour from his eyes in relief, for he knew now thatToo-che might not love him yet as she would when she learned love, butat least she had given herself to no other mortal man. And the miracleof the Child of a God there before him lighted up his face as his inwardsoul, so that he took up his lute and lifted his rich, deep voice in ajoyous song--the Song of Zarathustra. For the legend of their people hadthe name of the babe-to-come as Zarathustra, and Chojon knew that itsname was thus, now.
* * * * *
Too-che dwelt for some time in the house of Chojon, and the songs ofChojon were circulated among all the singers of the city, so thateveryone knew he sheltered the Child of the God, Mazda, in his home.
The songs of Chojon came at last to the King's ears, and as one of thesongs proclaimed Zarathustra as stronger in one finger than all thepower of So-qi, he let out a great oath and set his soldiers to findToo-che and the babe. But Chojon heard of the search. He took Too-cheand her babe out of the gates in the night and went off into the forestand joined a band of Listians, who are raisers of goats, and a fine,strong people.
Now when the search failed to find the babe, So-qi proclaimed that everymale child of the City Oas would be slain if the child was not found.And within a week So-qi was sorry, because his own wife gave birth to alittle son whose life was already forfeited by royal decree unlessToo-che and her child were found. And they were not to be found in allPar'si'ya.
Asha, the old philosopher, who had been in hiding all this time, nowcame out of his hole and went to the King to give him counsel.
As Asha progressed through the city, mothers with male children in theirarms on all sides were making their way through the streets to the gatesto flee the city. For no decree of a King of Oas may be repealed, but islaw forevermore.
The King sat upon his throne of skulls, gnawing his nails off hisfingers, for he had either to slay his own son or say that a law oncemade by a king could be un-made.
If he allowed the law to be thus abused even by himself, such was thenature of his people they would have no respect for him, and might evenkill him for a fool who could not enforce his own decrees when they hurthim a little.
So it was that when Asha presented himself before the King, So-qi asked:
"What shall I do, O Asha? My son has smiled in my face!"
Asha was prepared for this, and answered:
"Thou shalt send me and thy son and thy daughter's son and every maleinfant to the slaughter pens, and have us all beheaded and cast intothe fire! Otherwise it will come true as the infant Zarathustraprophesied: his hand will smite Oas city, and it will fall as a heap ofstraw."
So the king appointed a day for the slaughter, and ninety thousand maleinfants were adjudged to death.
Chojon, from the safety of the forest, made a scornful song about thetyrant of Oas who went to war against babes, and it was sung everywherein the city, and the king could do nothing about it, for it was cleverlyworded, seeming to approve, though in satire only.
* * * * *
When the day for the slaughter arrived, there were but a thousandappeared with their babes out of the ninety thousand adjudged todeath--all the rest having fled to the forest as had Chojon.
The King saw an excuse in this to get out of killing his own son, andstood pondering how to escape his own decree. His wife, Betraj, camebefore him, holding out her son, saying:
"Here, oh King, take thou thy flesh and blood and prove the inexorablejustice of the King's decrees."
But the King said:
"Let the officers go and collect all the others who have fled beyond thewalls, and until all are gathered here before me, no matter how long ittakes, let the decree be suspended."
Now the God, Mazda, moved the soldiers' minds to see that their King hadnot the backbone to enforce his own decree when it hurt himself andthey, one and all, took up stones and stoned the King to death.
Asha, standing stripped for the slaughter, was made King by the clamorof the men who stoned So-qi to death.
A great voice came out of the sky and announced to the people that Godhad given them a new and righteous ruler. Asha bowed his head andaccepted the task put upon him. The people gave thanks to Mazda, theGod, and Asha proclaimed him to all the city.
Off in the forest, Too-che lifted her eyes to those of Chojon andthanked him for saving her son. And Chojon touched her with hisfingertips, and kissed her on her lips, and the child crowed lustily tosee their love.
These two walked through the Forest of the Goats, Too-che bringingbeauty like a spring breeze with her, and Chojon singing and touchinghis harp with magic fingers, so that joy and love walked before them,announcing them to the Listians--the people of the forest.
When Zarathustra, the infant child the woman bore in her arms, lifted uphis piping voice and spoke to these rude wild people, their worshipsprang into life--for surely these were Gods come to them. And thus, allthe people gave up the worship of murder and became Zarathustrians.
THE END
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Amazing Stories_ April 1949. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
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