THE QUEEN OF TIME
2570 A.D.!
A TALE OF ADVENTURE IN THE SECOND DARK AGE
By Jerome B. Bigge
Chapter Forty Two
"Don't keep glancing back," I "warned" June in a low hiss as we rode into Trella proper. I'd had Queen Joyce conceal herself beneath a large canvas so that no one would know "what" she was. While I had no doubt that the people would eventually learn that I'd brought the ruler of the mutants of the ruins of Los Angeles into Trella, I did feel that inside my palace I might be able to "control" things a bit better than I could here in the streets...
"We wouldn't stand much chance against a mob," she replied.
"I do have my flamethrowers," I answered with a grim smile. The look of "horror" there on her face at this making me smile. The weapons had not proved all that effective against armored mu- tants, but against ordinary humans they would be terribly lethal! I recalled how Bob Simmons had used such a weapon back in 2567...
"Yes, my... Warlady," June Colt answered, her thoughts quite visible there on her face. Like most people, even Warrioresses, the idea of "mass destruction", of killing large numbers of "ci- vilians" was something almost "unthinkable". Only Princess Tara had ever done such things, and her name was spoken of by many in much the same light now as one might have spoken of the EVIL ONE.
"I do not take pleasure in killing," I said to her then. I saw her "nod", her dark eyes briefly for a second holding my own. "On the other hand there have been times that I have found such to be `necessary' and at such times I have taken life," I added.
"The people are quite `curious'," she spoke, regarding them as they gathered to watch us trotting up the cobblestoned street. I was the Queen of Trelandar, and naturally drew some attention, especially considering the size of the force that I had with me. It being common knowledge, I supposed know, as to the nature of the expedition that I'd taken with me into the ruins of Los An- geles. Into a place that no one had ever dared to enter before.
"We'll be `all right' as long as Joyce keeps her wits," I smiled back. One glimpse of her and as we used to say back in the Twentieth Century, "the fecal matter would be hitting the ro- tary air circulation device". And using the flame throwers on a mob, while "effective", would most certainly result in "problems" later on for me. Especially given the sort of "leadership" that my own political enemies might be able to provide here now too...
"They are going to learn eventually," June now reminded me, pulling on the reins of her unicorn as a child dashed across the street just in front of us. Its mother half hesitating to pursue it for a brief second before then dashing across in front of me. My gigantic dire wolf, nearly as large as a unicorn, still easy to control despite the crowds that now lined both sides of the street. The shopkeepers, the passersby, everyone stopping now.
"How did the people behave when Princess Tara was Darlanis' Warlady?" I smiled back. Tara had ruled by terror, by fear. It had been "effective" for much the same reasons that there had not been any "riots" in Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia. The "same" was true of Janet Rogers' NEW ORDER after the "rioting" of 2010. Janet had ordered machine guns used. It had been an "effective" way of teaching people the "folly" of rioting. There had been no more riots after that. Discipline is sometimes "necessary" both for children and for societies. On the other hand one must know "when" to do such things and when not to do such things too here. This is, I might mention, a point of disagreement between me and my otherwise quite excellent Prime Minister, Mrs. Sanda Talen. I fear she believes too much in the idea of "democracy", and fails to realize that at times "discipline" is what is really needed...
"You are not Princess Tara," my officer smiled back at me.
"Perhaps she too believed in what she did," I smiled back.
"Did you `associate' with people of my `race' in your time?" she suddenly asked me, a question that came as a sudden "jolt"!! "I `ask' because Keri said something to me that there have been very great changes in things since the time you left your time." I had told Keri a great deal, which she had then put into print.
"The `Blacks' of my time were not like those of this," I said. "The `War', for all its destruction, served to give us a form of `racial equality' that would have been impossible before. It is my theory that a `genetic cleansing' occurred afterwards." I was also aware that among Blacks the women were more "intelli- gent" than the men, something that had been known in my own era.
"People still worship that which is `white', `blonde'," she pointed out in reply. The Priestesses depicted "Lys" as being a white skinned, blonde haired woman. SHE has of course neither shape or form, and appears to you only as you wish to see Her as.
"The Lorr doubtlessly played their `role' here," I answered, Amethysta then trotting up beside us putting a halt to all this. The palace just ahead of us, the guardswomen on duty opening the gates as they saw us coming. The sun hot in the sky overhead...
"You are taking a great risk on my behalf," Joyce said to me as I showed her the room where she might stay here at the palace. I had no doubt that word would eventually reach the city that I had a mutant living here in the palace. What the "reaction" of the people would be was something I couldn't accurately predict.
"I am not a woman of this time," I smiled back at her.
"The `second Janet Rogers'," Joyce grinned in reply.
"The first wasn't too bad either," I smiled in turn.
"When Les Hawkins finds out..." Sanda said to me when I left Joyce's room, the implications of her words no doubt being shared by many here in the royal palace. I had weapons, the Warrioress- es to defend the palace against a mob, but eventually a siege by the people would be enough to bring defeat even with our flame- throwers and everything else. On the other hand I'd already sent a telegraph to Darlanis, who I trusted to know about such things. I did not think the Priestesses would "interfere", due to Tais. On the other hand I couldn't be too "sure" about that either now!
"He will no doubt `exploit' the situation," I smiled back.
"Such `matters' are often best settled with `steel'," Queen Amethysta smiled, her eyes glowing into mine as I nodded in turn.
"Or by an expert with the crossbow," June Colt added then.
"I don't `agree' with such `ideas', but perhaps..." Sanda mused thoughtfully, it being obvious to me that she was under considerable "pressure" from everything here too. She was the effective "ruler" of Trelandar in that she made most of the day to day decisions, and while I could "overrule" her, I rarely did.
"Maybe there's `hope' for you yet," Amethysta smiled back.
"I'm no `stranger' to such things," Sanda smiled in turn.
"I'd like the night `off'," June said to me as I nodded. I was sitting with Bob and Carol, talking about the "old times"...
"I suppose it won't `hurt'," I answered, seeing her nod.
"I'm going to ask my `lover' to marry me," June spoke.
"That's pretty `sudden', isn't it?" I ventured in reply.
"I've been thinking about it for some time," she replied.
"Is he... like you?" Bob asked, sitting there with Carol.
"We share the same `ancestry'," June smiled back at him.
"Be sure that you share `more' than that," Carol ventured.
"I think we do, we can `talk' together," June Colt answered.
"That is always `important'," Bob smiled at the Black woman.
"`Different' than a woman from our time," Bob said to me as soon as June had left the room. I supposed June was "different". She was culturally a "white" woman, and not really a "Black" in the sense that one of the 20th or 21st Century would have been.
"She's aware of being a `non-white'," I smiled back at him. June did look upon such things a bit differently than I did, but on the other hand racial prejudice of the sort known in their era is almost unknown here in the 26th Century. There is a "dislike" of certain peoples, but this is more related to political events, to the sort of "activities" that are commonplace among Nevadas and so forth. In any case the crime rate among the various races is virtually the same from what data I've been to collect here...
"She thinks highly of you," Carol said, regarding me then.
"I'm not the `easiest' Queen to serve," I smiled in reply.
"I think she admires you for `what' you are," she said.
"My `upstanding moral character'?" I laughed softly.
"You are like few others," the old woman answered.
"Are you wondering if I did the `right thing'?" I asked Jon.
"With another wife, perhaps, but not with you," he smiled.
"I'm not `infallible'," I smiled, undressing before him.
"You're still `better' than anyone else I know," he said.
"There are a lot of women better looking than me," I noted.
"What makes a woman `good' isn't always her looks," Jon ex- plained as I got into the bed beside him. Moving into his arms so he could hold me close. The night sounds coming through the open window, a few stars visible if one looked closely here now.
"I will eventually look like Carol does now," I pointed out.
"I married you for better or for worse," he now smiled back. "And so far its been all `better'," he said, kissing me then...