“Our king, too, is ill. A very old man.” He shook his head dubiously.
“Oh,” said Jim. “Well, then we—”
Sonya seemed to take the thought from him. “I have already told my cousin,” she said quickly, “that you must swear your allegiance to the king at once. We need you. You men look very strong, very masterful.”
She said it frankly, merely as a statement of fact, but there was an unconscious admiration in her gaze. “We need you and we . . . perhaps we need the girls.” She said the last with a singular, enigmatic emphasis.
“Right,” said Jim heartily. “You fix it up for us, get the audience. I want to be out of here. We’ve been tied here like time-keepers in a tower.”
“Our king will die. That is sure now. Our girls must act; it is now or never!”
VIII
REBELLING VIRGINS
It was from Sonya that we first learned any tangible details of this new realm. She and I, with Dolores and Alice, were seated by Dr. Weatherby’s bedside. Two days had passed. His condition was unchanged. We were sure now that he would never regain consciousness.
The old king too, was more gravely ill than before. He had sent for us so that at his bedside we might take the oath of service. Jim had gone with Ren. The rest of us remained beside the dying doctor. The end would come soon, at any time now, doubtless.
Sonya was talking softly. I turned from the bedside to regard her earnest face.