Free Queen of Sheba by Roberta Kells Dorr Page B

meant to fool your queen.”
    At that the creature seemed to wilt. He let the fur robe slide from his shoulders and sat before her stunned and submissive. The blood dripped from his cheek where she had scraped him with the mask. He reached up and felt his cheek then looked at his hand. “You have wounded me,” he said with growing indignation.
    “And you have deceived me. For a whole month you have had me bathing in sour goat’s milk, eating bitter roots and testicles of goats.” Her mouth grimaced in memory of the awful ordeal.
    “You suffered no special affront. We ask that of everyone.”
    “Ohhhh! How could you? Why should you ask that of everyone? It’s not Ilumquh; it’s you. Everything is false. Everything’s a trick. It’s all the ergot drug and your clever manipulation. There’s no Ilumquh. Admit it old man—there’s no Ilumquh!”
    For a moment the High Priest looked stunned and then he collected himself. “Who is wise enough to know if there is an Ilumquh. If there isn’t, there should be. If he doesn’t speak, he should speak. It’s not our fault if we must at times speak and act for him.”
    “Stop! Stop! This is unbearable.” Bilqis was walking back and forth pausing only now and then to glare at the old High Priest. “You were going to pass yourself off as Ilumquh and be the father of my child. How could you dare to be so bold with me?”
    The High Priest rose to his feet and tugged at the skins he wore around his waist, “It was all for you, all for you. A little deception, but what does that matter? You would have had the heir you need and stopped the people’s complaint but now …”
    “A little deception you call it. It’s a little thing that you have robbed me of my god. Cheated me, lied to me.”
    “But, but don’t you see it was for a good cause?”
    “Oh,” Bilqis exploded, “truth means nothing to you.”
    “Nothing if it is inconvenient, my queen, and this was very inconvenient.”
    “Don’t you think I would rather deal with the truth than to depend on a lie? Truth is everything. Without truth the whole world has gone mad.”
    The High Priest looked stunned. It was evident that he had no idea why she was so angry. “You are upset that I left you out of the plot to gain an heir for Sheba.”
    “Yes, yes but more. I am upset that you lied to me.”
    The High Priest fell to his knees and pleaded. “It was just a little deception and it would have solved all our problems.”
    Bilqis pulled her robes out of his hands and drew herself up to her full height. “To me truth is everything. I am the queen and I must know the truth at any cost. Now open the door. I must tell my people the truth.”
    The priest’s eyes narrowed and he jumped to his feet. “My queen, I beg you, don’t be so foolish. The people are ignorant. They believe in Ilumquh. They plant and harvest by his strength.”
    “And they are terrified that he will desert them. You’re a scoundrel of the worst sort, and I intend to expose you to my people for what you are.”
    The priest adjusted the fur robe and stiffened as though resisting her harsh words. It was obvious he had regained some of his composure. “I doubt that you will do any such thing if you think about it.”
    “Why, why should I not tell my people the truth?” Her eyes were flashing as she backed toward the door.
    “You’ll not tell them because they won’t believe you. They’d rather kill their queen than believe Ilumquh doesn’t exist.”
    Bilqis hesitated. She knew he told the truth. The people were simple and couldn’t understand something so alien to all they had been taught.“Open the doors!” she said finally with quiet dignity.
    “But …” the High Priest was again anxious.
    “I’ll not expose you now.” Her tone was clipped and firm. “I need time to think. Now open the door.”
    The High Priest fell at her feet in obvious fright. “My queen, you must appear before the people waiting in the great temple. They