And the diviner rose up, stroking his grey beard, and spake guardedly-"e;There are certain events,"e; he said, "e;upon the ways of Fate that are veiled even from a diviner's eyes, and many more are clear to us that were better veiled from all; much I know that is better unforetold, and some things that I may not foretell on pain of centuries of punishment.
Thus passed away in the hour of her iniquities before Annolith, in the two thousand and thirty-second year of her being, in the six thousand and fiftieth year of the building of the World, Babbulkund, City of Marvel, sometime called by those that hated her City of the Dog, but hourly mourned in Araby and Ind and wide through jungle and desert; leaving no memorial in stone to show that she had been, but remembered with an abiding love, in spite of the anger of God, by all that knew her beauty, whereof still they sing.
And the longing of Rold in his dreams to see the sword caused him to walk still sleeping from his mother's house to the hall wherein were the trophies of the heroes.
Then the King spake dolefully in the Hall of Kings, and said: "e;May I not find at last the gods, and must it be that I may not look in Their faces at the last to see whether They be kindly?
There was also another prophet and his name was Shaun, who had such reverence for the gods of Old that he became able to discern their forms by starlight as they strode, unseen by others, among men.
There in Pegana lay the gods asleep, and in a corner lay the Power of the gods alone upon the floor, a thing wrought of black rock and four words graven upon it, whereof I might not give thee any clue, if even I should find it-four words of which none knoweth.
Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, edited by Hugo and Wold Fantasy Award nominated editor Warren Lapine, brings you the very best in science fiction and fantasy.
The long-awaited, profoundly moving, and unforgettable new novel from PEN Awardwinning Native American author Mona Susan Power, spanning three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women from the 19thcentury to the present day.
One of the most revered names in Science Fiction and Fantasy, the incomparable Roger Zelazny was honored with numerous prizes-including six Hugo and three Nebula Awards-over the course of his legendary career.
