And already, as I came to know later, was the news passing
downward from City to City through all the vast Pyramid; so that the
Hour-Slips were full of the news; and every City eager and excited, and
waiting. And I better known in that one moment, than in all my life
before. For that previous calling, had been but vaguely put about; and
then set to the count of a nature, blown upon over-easily by
spirit-winds of the half-memory of dreams. Though it is indeed true, as
I have set down before this, that my tales concerning the early days of
the world, when the sun was visible, and full of light, had gone down
through all the cities, and had much comment and setting forth in the
Hour-Slips, and were a cause for speech and argument
. Now concerning the voice of this girl coming to us through the darkness
of the world, I will set out that which she had to tell; and this,
indeed, but verified the tellings of our most ancient Records, which had
so long been treated over lightly: There was, it would seem, somewhere
out in the lonesome dark of the Outer Lands, but at what distance none
could ever discover, a second Redoubt; that was a three-sided Pyramid,
and moderate small; being no more than a mile in height, and scarce
three quarters of a mile along the bases.
When this Redoubt was first builded, it had been upon the far shore of a
sea, where now was no sea; and it had been raised by those wandering
humans who had grown weary of wandering, and weary of the danger of
night attacks by the tribes of half-human monsters which began to
inhabit the earth even so early as the days when the half-gloom was upon
the world. And he that had made the plan upon which it was builded, was
one who had seen the Great Redoubt, having lived there in the beginning,
but escaped because of a correction set upon him for his spirit of
irresponsibility, which had made him to cause disturbance among the
orderly ones in the lowest city of the Great Redoubt.
Yet, in time, he too had come to be tamed by the weight of fear of the
ever-growing hordes of monsters, and the Forces that were abroad. And so
he, being a master-spirit, planned and builded the smaller Redoubt,
being aided thereto by four millions, who also were weary of the harass
of the monsters; but until then had been wanderers, because of the
restlessness of their blood.
And they had chosen that place, because there they had discovered a sign
of the Earth-Current in a great valley which led to the shore; for
without the Earth-Current no Refuge could have existence. And whilst
many builded and guarded, and cared for the Great Camp in which all
lived, others worked within a great shaft; and in ten years had made
this to a distance of many miles, and therewith they tapt the
Earth-Current; but not a great stream; yet a sufficiency, as was
believed. And, presently, after many years, they had builded the Pyramid, and
taken up their refuge there, and made them instruments, and ordained
Monstruwacans; so that they had speech daily with the Great Pyramid; and
thus for many long ages.