the dream quest of unknown kadath reslept [randy carter][a gender switch adventure] - holly philippa...

8/9/2019 The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath Reslept [Randy Carter][a Gender Switch Adventure] - Holly Philippa Lovecraft

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The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath Reslept

by Holly Philippa Lovecraft

mashwords !dition

"opyri#ht $%&% Holly Philippa Lovecraft

' Randy "arter story

' (ender witch 'dventure


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Three times Randy "arter dreamed of the marvelous city) and three times was she snatched awaywhile still she paused on the hi#h terrace above it* 'll #olden and lovely it bla+ed in the sunset)with walls) temples) colonnades and arched brid#es of veined marble) silver,basined fountains of

prismatic spray in broad s-uares and perfumed #ardens) and wide streets marchin# between delicatetrees and blossom,laden urns and ivory statues in #leamin# rows. while on steep northward slopesclimbed tiers of red roofs and old peaked #ables harbourin# little lanes of #rassy cobbles* /t was afever of the #ods) a fanfare of supernal trumpets and a clash of immortal cymbals* 0ystery hun#about it as clouds about a fabulous unvisited mountain. and as "arter stood breathless ande1pectant on that balustraded parapet there swept up to her the poi#nancy and suspense of almost,vanished memory) the pain of lost thin#s and the maddenin# need to place a#ain what once had

been an awesome and momentous place*

he knew that for her its meanin# must once have been supreme. thou#h in what cycle orincarnation she had known it) or whether in dream or in wakin#) she could not tell* 2a#uely itcalled up #limpses of a far for#otten first youth) when wonder and pleasure lay in all the mystery ofdays) and dawn and dusk alike strode forth prophetic to the ea#er sound of lutes and son#)unclosin# fiery #ates toward further and surprisin# marvels* 3ut each ni#ht as she stood on thathi#h marble terrace with the curious urns and carven rail and looked off over that hushed sunsetcity of beauty and unearthly immanence she felt the bonda#e of dream4s tyrannous #ods. for in nowise could she leave that lofty spot) or descend the wide marmoreal fi#hts flun# endlessly down towhere those streets of elder witchery lay outspread and beckonin#*

5hen for the third time she awakened with those fli#hts still undescended and those hushed sunsetstreets still untraversed) she prayed lon# and earnestly to the hidden #ods of dream that broodcapricious above the clouds on unknown Kadath) in the cold waste where no woman treads* 3ut the#ods made no answer and shewed no relentin#) nor did they #ive any favourin# si#n when she

prayed to them in dream) and invoked them sacrificially throu#h the smooth priests of 6asht andKaman,Thah) whose cavern,temple with its pillar of flame lies not far from the #ates of the wakin#world* /t seemed) however) that her prayers must have been adversely heard) for after even the firstof them she ceased wholly to behold the marvellous city. as if her three #limpses from afar had

been mere accidents or oversi#hts) and a#ainst some hidden plan or wish of the #ods*

't len#th) sick with lon#in# for those #litterin# sunset streets and cryptical hill lanes amon# ancienttiled roofs) nor able sleepin# or wakin# to drive them from her mind) "arter resolved to #o with

bold entreaty whither no woman had #one before) and dare the icy deserts throu#h the dark towhere unknown Kadath) veiled in cloud and crowned with unima#ined stars) holds secret andnocturnal the ony1 castle of the (reat 7nes*

/n li#ht slumber she descended the seventy steps to the cavern of flame and talked of this desi#n tothe smooth priests 6asht and Kaman,Thah* 'nd the priests shook their pshent,bearin# heads andvowed it would be the death of her soul* They pointed out that the (reat 7nes had shown alreadytheir wish) and that it is not a#reeable to them to be harassed by insistent pleas* They reminded her)too) that not only had no woman ever been to Kadath) but no woman had ever suspected in what

part of space it may lie. whether it be in the dreamlands around our own world) or in thosesurroundin# some un#uessed companion of 8omalhaut or 'ldebaran* /f in our dreamland) it mi#htconceivably be reached) but only three human souls since time be#an had ever crossed andrecrossed the black impious #ulfs to other dreamlands) and of that three) two had come back -uitemad* There were) in such voya#es) incalculable local dan#ers. as well as that shockin# final perilwhich #ibbers unmentionably outside the ordered universe) where no dreams reach. that lastamorphous bli#ht of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the centre of allinfinity , the boundless daemon sultan '+athoth) whose name no lips dare speak aloud) and who


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#naws hun#rily in inconceivable) unli#hted chambers beyond time amidst the muffled) maddenin# beatin# of vile drums and the thin) monotonous whine of accursed flutes. to which detestable poundin# and pipin# dance slowly) awkwardly) and absurdly the #i#antic Ultimate #ods) the blind)voiceless) tenebrous) mindless 7ther #ods whose soul and messen#er is the crawlin# chaos

6yarlathotep*

7f these thin#s was "arter warned by the priests 6asht and Kaman,Thah in the cavern of flame) butstill she resolved to find the #ods on unknown Kadath in the cold waste) wherever that mi#ht be)and to win from them the si#ht and remembrance and shelter of the marvellous sunset city* heknew that her 9ourney would be stran#e and lon#) and that the (reat 7nes would be a#ainst it. but

bein# old in the land of dream she counted on many useful memories and devices to aid her* oaskin# a formal blessin# of the priests and thinkin# shrewdly on her course) she boldly descendedthe seven hundred steps to the (ate of Deeper lumber and set out throu#h the !nchanted 5ood*

/n the tunnels of that twisted wood) whose low prodi#ious oaks twine #ropin# bou#hs and shinedim with the phosphorescence of stran#e fun#i) dwell the furtive and secretive :oo#s. who knowmany obscure secrets of the dream world and a few of the wakin# world) since the wood at two

places touches the lands of women) thou#h it would be disastrous to say where* "ertainune1plained rumours) events) and vanishments occur amon# women where the :oo#s have access)and it is well that they cannot travel far outside the world of dreams* 3ut over the nearer parts ofthe dream world they pass freely) flittin# small and brown and unseen and bearin# back pi-uanttales to be#uile the hours around their hearths in the forest they love* 0ost of them live in burrows)

but some inhabit the trunks of the #reat trees. and althou#h they live mostly on fun#i it is mutteredthat they have also a sli#ht taste for meat) either physical or spiritual) for certainly many dreamershave entered that wood who have not come out* "arter) however) had no fear. for she was an olddreamer and had learnt their flutterin# lan#ua#e and made many a treaty with them. havin# foundthrou#h their help the splendid city of "elephais in 7oth,6ar#ai beyond the Tanarian Hills) whererei#ns half the year the #reat Queen Kuranes) a woman she had known by another name in life*Kuranes was the one soul who had been to the star,#ulls and returned free from madness*

Threadin# now the low phosphorescent aisles between those #i#antic trunks) "arter made flutterin#sounds in the manner of the :oo#s) and listened now and then for responses* he remembered one

particular villa#e of the creatures was in the centre of the wood) where a circle of #reat mossystones in what was once a cleanin# tells of older and more terrible dwellers lon# for#otten) andtoward this spot she hastened* he traced her way by the #rotes-ue fun#i) which always seem betternourished as one approaches the dread circle where elder bein#s danced and sacrificed* 8inally the#reat li#ht of those thicker fun#i revealed a sinister #reen and #rey vastness pushin# up throu#h theroof of the forest and out of si#ht* This was the nearest of the #reat rin# of stones) and "arter knewshe was close to the :oo# villa#e* Renewin# her flutterin# sound) she waited patiently. and was at

last rewarded by an impression of many eyes watchin# her* /t was the :oo#s) for one sees theirweird eyes lon# before one can discern their small) slippery brown outlines*

7ut they swarmed) from hidden burrow and honeycombed tree) till the whole dim,litten re#ion wasalive with them* ome of the wilder ones brushed "arter unpleasantly) and one even nippedloathsomely at her ear. but these lawless spirits were soon restrained by their elders* The "ouncil of

a#es) reco#ni+in# the visitor) offered a #ourd of fermented sap from a haunted tree unlike theothers) which had #rown from a seed dropt down by someone on the moon. and as "arter drank itceremoniously a very stran#e collo-uy be#an* The :oo#s did not) unfortunately) know where the

peak of Kadath lies) nor could they even say whether the cold waste is in our dream world or inanother* Rumours of the (reat 7nes came e-ually from all points. and one mi#ht only say that they

were likelier to be seen on hi#h mountain peaks than in valleys) since on such peaks they dancereminiscently when the moon is above and the clouds beneath*


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Then one very ancient :oo# recalled a thin# unheard,of by the others. and said that in Ulthar) beyond the River kai) there still lin#ered the last copy of those inconceivably old Pnakotic0anuscripts made by wakin# women in for#otten boreal kin#doms and borne into the land ofdreams when the hairy cannibal (nophkehs overcame many,templed 7lathoe and slew all theheroes of the land of Lomar* Those manuscripts she said) told much of the #ods) and besides) in

Ulthar there were women who had seen the si#ns of the #ods) and even one old priestess who hadscaled a #reat mountain to behold them dancin# by moonli#ht* he had failed) thou#h hercompanion had succeeded and perished namelessly*

o Randy "arter thanked the :oo#s) who fluttered amicably and #ave her another #ourd of moon,tree wine to take with her) and set out throu#h the phosphorescent wood for the other side) wherethe rushin# kai flows down from the slopes of Lerion) and Hathe# and 6ir and Ulthar dot the

plain* 3ehind her) furtive and unseen) crept several of the curious :oo#s. for they wished to learnwhat mi#ht befall her) and bear back the le#end to their people* The vast oaks #rew thicker as she

pushed on beyond the villa#e) and she looked sharply for a certain spot where they would thinsomewhat) standin# -uite dead or dyin# amon# the unnaturally dense fun#i and the rottin# mould

and mushy lo#s of their fallen sisters* There she would turn sharply aside) for at that spot a mi#htyslab of stone rests on the forest floor. and those who have dared approach it say that it bears an ironrin# three feet wide* Rememberin# the archaic circle of #reat mossy rocks) and what it was possiblyset up for) the :oo#s do not pause near that e1pansive slab with its hu#e rin#. for they realise thatall which is for#otten need not necessarily be dead) and they would not like to see the slab riseslowly and deliberately*

"arter detoured at the proper place) and heard behind her the fri#htened flutterin# of some of themore timid :oo#s* he had known they would follow her) so she was not disturbed. for one #rowsaccustomed to the anomalies of these pryin# creatures* /t was twili#ht when she came to the ed#e ofthe wood) and the stren#thenin# #low told her it was the twili#ht of mornin#* 7ver fertile plainsrollin# down to the kai she saw the smoke of cotta#e chimneys) and on every hand were thehed#es and plou#hed fields and thatched roofs of a peaceful land* 7nce she stopped at a farmhousewell for a cup of water) and all the do#s barked affri#htedly at the inconspicuous :oo#s that creptthrou#h the #rass behind* 't another house) where people were stirrin#) she asked -uestions aboutthe #ods) and whether they danced often upon Lerion. but the farmer and her wile would only makethe !lder i#n and tell her the way to 6ir and Ulthar*

't noon she walked throu#h the one broad hi#h street of 6ir) which she had once visited and whichmarked her farthest former travels in this direction. and soon afterward she came to the #reat stone

brid#e across the kai) into whose central piece the masons had sealed a livin# human sacrificewhen they built it thirteen,hundred years before* 7nce on the other side) the fre-uent presence ofcats ;who all arched their backs at the trailin# :oo#s< revealed the near nei#hborhood of Ulthar. for

in Ulthar) accordin# to an ancient and si#nificant law) no woman may kill a cat* 2ery pleasant werethe suburbs of Ulthar) with their little #reen cotta#es and neatly fenced farms. and still pleasanterwas the -uaint town itself) with its old peaked roofs and overhan#in# upper stories and numberlesschimney,pots and narrow hill streets where one can see old cobbles whenever the #raceful catsafford space enou#h* "arter) the cats bein# somewhat dispersed by the half,seen :oo#s) picked herway directly to the modest Temple of the !lder 7nes where the priests and old records were said to

be. and once within that venerable circular tower of ivied stone , which crowns Ulthar4s hi#hest hill, she sou#ht out the patriarch 'tyl) who had been up the forbidden peak Hathe#,Kia in the stonydesert and had come down a#ain alive*

'tyl) seated on an ivory dais in a festooned shrine at the top of the temple) was fully three centuries

old. but still very keen of mind and memory* 8rom her "arter learned many thin#s about the #ods) but mainly that they are indeed only !arth4s #ods) rulin# feebly our own dreamland and havin# no


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power or habitation elsewhere* They mi#ht) 'tyl said) heed a woman4s prayer if in #ood humour. but one must not think of climbin# to their ony1 stron#hold atop Kadath in the cold waste* /t waslucky that no woman knew where Kadath towers) for the fruits of ascendin# it would be very #rave*'tyl4s companion 3anni the 5ise had been drawn screamin# into the sky for climbin# merely theknown peak of Hathe#,Kia* 5ith unknown Kadath) if ever found) matters would be much worse.

for althou#h !arth4s #ods may sometimes be surpassed by a wise mortal) they are protected by the7ther (ods from 7utside) whom it is better not to discuss* 't least twice in the world4s history the7ther (ods set their seal upon !arth4s primal #ranite. once in antediluvian times) as #uessed from adrawin# in those parts of the Pnakotic 0anuscripts too ancient to be read) and once on Hathe#,Kiawhen 3ar+a the 5ise tried to see !arth4s #ods dancin# by moonli#ht* o) 'tyl said) it would bemuch better to let all #ods alone e1cept in tactful prayers*

"arter) thou#h disappointed by 'tyl4s discoura#in# advice and by the mea#re help to be found inthe Pnakotic 0anuscripts and the even "ryptical 3ooks of Hsan) did not wholly despair* 8irst she-uestioned the old priestess about that marvellous sunset city seen from the railed terrace) thinkin#that perhaps she mi#ht find it without the #ods4 aid. but 'tyl could tell her nothin#* Probably) 'tyl

said) the place belon#ed to her especial dream world and not to the #eneral land of vision that manyknow. and conceivably it mi#ht be on another planet* /n that case !arth4s #ods could not #uide herif they would* 3ut this was not likely) since the stoppin# of the dreams shewed pretty clearly that itwas somethin# the (reat 7nes wished to hide from her*

Then "arter did a wicked thin#) offerin# her #uileless host so many drau#hts of the moon,winewhich the :oo#s had #iven her that the old woman became irresponsibly talkative* Robbed of herreserve) poor 'tyl babbled freely of forbidden thin#s. tellin# of a #reat ima#e reported by travellersas carved on the solid rock of the mountain 6#ranek) on the isle of 7riab in the outhern ea) andhintin# that it may be a likeness which !arth4s #ods once wrou#ht of their own features in the dayswhen they danced by moonli#ht on that mountain* 'nd she hiccou#hed likewise that the features ofthat ima#e are very stran#e) so that one mi#ht easily reco#ni+e them) and that they are sure si#ns ofthe authentic race of the #ods*

6ow the use of all this in findin# the #ods became at once apparent to "arter* /t is known that indis#uise the youn#er amon# the (reat 7nes often espouse the sons of women) so that around the

borders of the cold waste wherein stands Kadath the peasants must all bear their blood* This bein#so) the way to find that waste must be to see the stone face on 6#ranek and mark the features. then)havin# noted them with care) to search for such features amon# livin# women* 5here they are

plainest and thickest) there must the #ods dwell nearest. and whatever stony waste lies back of thevilla#es in that place must be that wherein stands Kadath*

0uch of the (reat 7nes mi#ht be learnt in such re#ions) and those with their blood mi#ht inheritlittle memories very useful to a seeker* They mi#ht not know their parenta#e) for the #ods so disliketo be known amon# women that none can be found who has seen their faces wittin#ly. a thin#which "arter reali+ed even as she sou#ht to scale Kadath* 3ut they would have -ueer lofty thou#htsmisunderstood by their fellows) and would sin# of far places and #ardens so unlike any known evenin the dreamland that common folk would call them fools. and from all this one could perhaps learnold secrets of Kadath) or #ain hints of the marvellous sunset city which the #ods held secret* 'ndmore) one mi#ht in certain cases sei+e some well,loved child of a #od as hosta#e. or even capturesome youn# #od herself) dis#uised and dwellin# amon#st women with a comely peasant maiden asher bride*

'tyl) however) did not know how to find 6#ranek on its isle of 7riab. and recommended that"arter follow the sin#in# kai under its brid#es down to the outhern ea. where no bur#ess ofUlthar has ever been) but whence the merchants come in boats or with lon# caravans of mules andtwo,wheeled carts* There is a #reat city there) Dylath,Leen) but in Ulthar its reputation is bad


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because of the black three,banked #alleys that sail to it with rubies from no clearly named shore*The traders that come from those #alleys to deal with the 9ewellers are human) or nearly so) but therowers are never beheld. and it is not thou#ht wholesome in Ulthar that merchants should tradewith black ships from unknown places whose rowers cannot be e1hibited*

3y the time she had #iven this information 'tyl was very drowsy) and "arter laid her #ently on acouch of inlaid ebony and #athered her lon# locks decorously on her breast* 's she turned to #o)she observed that no suppressed flutterin# followed her) and wondered why the :oo#s had becomeso la1 in their curious pursuit* Then she noticed all the sleek complacent cats of Ulthar lickin# theirchops with unusual #usto) and recalled the spittin# and caterwaulin# she had faintly heard) in lower

parts of the temple while absorbed in the old priest4s conversation* he recalled) too) the evillyhun#ry way in which an especially impudent youn# :oo# had re#arded a small black kitten in thecobbled street outside* 'nd because she loved nothin# on earth more than small black kittens) shestooped and petted the sleek cats of Ulthar as they licked their chops) and did not mourn becausethose in-uisitive :oo#s would escort her no farther*

/t was sunset now) so "arter stopped at an ancient inn on a steep little street overlookin# the lowertown* 'nd as she went out on the balcony of her room and #a+ed down at the sea of red tiled roofsand cobbled ways and the pleasant fields beyond) all mellow and ma#ical in the slanted li#ht) sheswore that Ulthar would be a very likely place to dwell in always) were not the memory of a #reatersunset city ever #oadin# one onward toward unknown perils* Then twili#ht fell) and the pink wallsof the plastered #ables turned violet and mystic) and little yellow li#hts floated up one by one fromold lattice windows* 'nd sweet bells pealed in* the temple tower above) and the first star winkedsoftly above the meadows across the kai* 5ith the ni#ht came son#) and "arter nodded as thelutanists praised ancient days from beyond the fili#reed balconies and tesselated courts of simpleUlthar* 'nd there mi#ht have been sweetness even in the voices of Ulthar4s many cats) but that theywere mostly heavy and silent from stran#e feastin#* ome of them stole off to those crypticalrealms which are known only to cats and which villa#ers say are on the moon4s dark side) whitherthe cats leap from tall housetops) but one small black kitten crept upstairs and spran# in "arter4s lapto purr and play) and curled up near her feet when she lay down at last on the little couch whose

pillows were stuffed with fra#rant) drowsy herbs*

/n the mornin# "arter 9oined a caravan of merchants bound for Dylath,Leen with the spun wool ofUlthar and the cabba#es of Ulthar4s busy farms* 'nd for si1 days they rode with tinklin# bells onthe smooth road beside the kai. stoppin# some ni#hts at the inns of little -uaint fishin# towns) andon other ni#hts campin# under the stars while snatches of boatmen4s son#s came from the placidriver* The country was very beautiful) with #reen hed#es and #roves and pictures-ue peakedcotta#es and octa#onal windmills*

7n the seventh day a blur of smoke rose on the hori+on ahead) and then the tall black towers ofDylath,Leen) which is built mostly of basalt* Dylath,Leen with its thin an#ular towers looks in thedistance like a bit of the (iant4s "auseway) and its streets are dark and uninvitin#* There are manydismal sea,taverns near the myriad wharves) and all the town is thron#ed with the stran#eseawomen of every land on earth and of a few which are said to be not on earth* "arter -uestionedthe oddly robed women of that city about the peak of 6#ranek on the isle of 7riab) and found thatthey knew of it well*

hips came from 3aharna on that island) one bein# due to return thither in only a month) and 6#ranek is but two days4 +ebra,ride from that port* 3ut few had seen the stone face of the #od) because it is on a very difficult side of 6#ranek) which overlooks only sheer cra#s and a valley ofsinister lava* 7nce the #ods were an#ered with women on that side) and spoke of the matter to the7ther (ods*


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/t was hard to #et this information from the traders and sailors in Dylath,Leen4s sea taverns) because they mostly preferred to whisper of the black #alleys* 7ne of them was due in a week withrubies from its unknown shore) and the townsfolk dreaded to see it dock* The mouths of the womenwho came from it to trade were too wide) and the way their turbans were humped up in two pointsabove their foreheads was in especially bad taste* 'nd their shoes were the shortest and -ueerest

ever seen in the i1 Kin#doms* 3ut worst of all was the matter of the unseen rowers* Those three banks of oars moved too briskly and accurately and vi#orously to be comfortable) and it was notri#ht for a ship to stay in port for weeks while the merchants traded) yet to #ive no #limpse of itscrew* /t was not fair to the tavern,keepers of Dylath,Leen) or to the #rocers and butchers) either. fornot a scrap of provisions was ever sent aboard* The merchants took only #old and stout black slavesfrom Par# across the river* That was all they ever took) those unpleasantly featured merchants andtheir unseen rowers. never anythin# from the butchers and #rocers) but only #old and the fat blackwomen of Par# whom they bou#ht by the pound* 'nd the odours from those #alleys which thesouth wind blew in from the wharves are not to be described* 7nly by constantly smokin# stron#tha#weed could even the hardiest deni+en of the old sea,taverns bear them* Dylath,Leen wouldnever have tolerated the black #alleys had such rubies been obtainable elsewhere) but no mine in all3arth4s dreamland was known to produce their like*

7f these thin#s Dylath,Leen4s cosmopolitan folk chiefly #ossiped whilst "arter waited patiently forthe ship from 3aharna) which mi#ht bear her to the isle whereon carven 6#ranek towers lofty and

barren* 0eanwhile she did not fall to seek throu#h the haunts of far travellers for any tales theymi#ht have concernin# Kadath in the cold waste or a marvellous city of marble walls and silverfountains seen below terraces in the sunset* 7f these thin#s) however) she learned nothin#. thou#hshe once thou#ht that a certain old slant,eyed merchant looked -ueerly intelli#ent when the coldwaste was spoken of* This woman was reputed to trade with the horrible stone villa#es on the icydesert plateau of Len#) which no healthy folk visit and whose evil fires are seen at ni#ht from afar*

he was even rumoured to have dealt with that Hi#h,Priest 6ot To 3e Described) which wears a

yellow silken mask over its face and dwells all alone in a prehistoric stone monastery* That such a person mi#ht well have had nibblin# traffick with such bein#s as may conceivably dwell in the coldwaste was not to be doubted) but "arter soon found that it was no use -uestionin# her*

Then the black #alley slipped into the harbour past the basalt wale and the tall li#hthouse) silent andalien) and with a stran#e stench that the south wind drove into the town* Uneasiness rustled throu#hthe taverns alon# that waterfront) and after a while the dark wide,mouthed merchants with humpedturbans and short feet clumped steathily ashore to seek the ba+aars of the 9ewellers* "arter observedthem closely) and disliked them more the lon#er she looked at them* Then she saw them drive thestout black women of Par# up the #an#plank #runtin# and sweatin# into that sin#ular #alley) andwondered in what lands , or if in any lands at all , those fat pathetic creatures mi#ht be destined to

serve*'nd on the third evenin# of that #alley4s stay one of the uncomfortable merchants spoke to her)smirkin# sinfully and hintin# of what she had heard in the taverns of "arter4s -uest* he appeared tohave knowled#e too secret for public tellin#. and althou#h the sound of her voice was unbearablyhateful) "arter felt that the lore of so far a traveller must not be overlooked* he bade her therefore

be her #uest in locked chambers above) and drew out the last of the :oo#s4 moon,wine to loosenher ton#ue* The stran#e merchant drank heavily) but smirked unchan#ed by the drau#ht* Then shedrew forth a curious bottle with wine of her own) and "arter saw that the bottle was a sin#lehollowed ruby) #rotes-uely carved in patterns too fabulous to be comprehended* he offered herwine to her host) and thou#h "arter took only the least sip) she felt the di++iness of space and thefever of unima#ined 9un#les* 'll the while the #uest had been smilin# more and more broadly) andas "arter slipped into blankness the last thin# she saw was that dark odious face convulsed with


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evil lau#hter and somethin# -uite unspeakable where one of the two frontal puffs of that oran#eturban had become disarran#ed with the shakin#s of that epileptic mirth*

"arter ne1t had consciousness amidst horrible odours beneath a tent,like awnin# on the deck of aship) with the marvellous coasts of the outhern ea flyin# by in unnatural swiftness* he was notchained) but three of the dark sardonic merchants stood #rinnin# nearby) and the si#ht of thosehumps in their turbans made her almost as faint as did the stench that filtered up throu#h the sinisterhatches* he saw slip past her the #lorious lands and cities of which a fellow,dreamer of earth , ali#hthouse,keeper in ancient Kin#sport , had often discoursed in the old days) and reco#ni+ed thetempled terraces of :ak) abode of for#otten dreams. the spires of infamous Thalarion) that daemon,city of a thousand wonders where the eidolon Lathi rei#ns. the charnel #ardens of :ura) land of

pleasures unattained) and the twin headlands of crystal) meetin# above in a resplendent arch) which#uard the harbour of ona,6yl) blessed land of fancy*

Past all these #or#eous lands the malodourous ship flew unwholesomely) ur#ed by the abnormalstrokes of those unseen rowers below* 'nd before the day was done "arter saw that thesteerswoman could have no other #oal than the 3asalt Pillars of the 5est) beyond which simplefolk say splendid "athuria lies) but which wise dreamers well know are the #ates of a monstrouscataract wherein the oceans of earth4s dreamland drop wholly to abysmal nothin#ness and shootthrou#h the empty spaces toward other worlds and other stars and the awful voids outside theordered universe where the daemon sultan '+athoth #naws hun#rily in chaos amid poundin# and

pipin# and the hellish dancin# of the 7ther (ods) blind) voiceless) tenebrous) and mindless) withtheir soul and messen#er 6yarlathotep*

0eanwhile the three sardonic merchants would #ive no word of their intent) thou#h "arter wellknew that they must be lea#ued with those who wished to hold her from her -uest* /t is understoodin the land of dream that the 7ther (ods have many a#ents movin# amon# women. and all thesea#ents) whether wholly human or sli#htly less than human) are ea#er to work the will of those blind

and mindless thin#s in return for the favour of their hideous soul and messen#er) the crawlin# chaos 6yarlathotep* o "arter inferred that the merchants of the humped turbans) hearin# of her darin#search for the (reat 7nes in their castle of Kadath) had decided to take her away and deliver her to

6yarlathotep for whatever nameless bounty mi#ht be offered for such a pri+e* 5hat mi#ht be theland of those merchants in our known universe or in the eldritch spaces outside) "arter could not#uess. nor could she ima#ine at what hellish trystin#,place they would meet the crawlin# chaos to#ive her up and claim their reward* he knew) however) that no bein#s as nearly human as thesewould dare approach the ultimate ni#hted throne of the daemon '+athoth in the formless centralvoid*

't the set of sun the merchants licked their e1cessively wide lips and #lared hun#rily and one ofthem went below and returned from some hidden and offensive cabin with a pot and basket of

plates* Then they s-uatted close to#ether beneath the awnin# and ate the smokin# meat that was passed around* 3ut when they #ave "arter a portion) she found somethin# very terrible in the si+eand shape of it. so that she turned even paler than before and cast that portion into the sea when noeye was on her* 'nd a#ain she thou#ht of those unseen rowers beneath) and of the suspiciousnourishment from which their far too mechanical stren#th was derived*

/t was dark when the #alley passed betwi1t the 3asalt Pillars of the 5est and the sound of theultimate cataract swelled portentous from ahead* 'nd the spray of that cataract rose to obscure thestars) and the deck #rew damp) and the vessel reeled in the sur#in# current of the brink* Then with a-ueer whistle and plun#e the leap was taken) and "arter felt the terrors of ni#htstallion as earth fellaway and the #reat boat shot silent and comet,like into planetary space* 6ever before had sheknown what shapeless black thin#s lurk and caper and flounder all throu#h the aether) leerin# and#rinnin# at such voya#ers as may pass) and sometimes feelin# about with slimy paws when some


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movin# ob9ect e1cites their curiosity* These are the nameless larvae of the 7ther (ods) and likethem are blind and without mind) and possessed of sin#ular hun#ers and thirsts*

3ut that offensive #alley did not aim as far as "arter had feared) for she soon saw that thehelmsman was steerin# a course directly for the moon* The moon was a crescent shinin# lar#er andlar#er as they approached it) and shewin# its sin#ular craters and peaks uncomfortably* The shipmade for the ed#e) and it soon became clear that its destination was that secret and mysterious sidewhich is always turned away from earth) and which no fully human person) save perhaps thedreamer nireth,Ka) has ever beheld* The close aspect of the moon as the #alley drew near provedvery disturbin# to "arter) and she did not like the si+e and shape of the ruins which crumbled hereand there* The dead temples on the mountains were so placed that they could have #lorified nosuitable or wholesome #ods) and in the symmetries of the broken columns there seemed to be somedark and inner meanin# which did not invite solution* 'nd what the structure and proportions of theolden worshippers could have been) "arter steadily refused to con9ecture*

5hen the ship rounded the ed#e) and sailed over those lands unseen by woman) there appeared inthe -ueer landscape certain si#ns of life) and "arter saw many low) broad) round cotta#es in fieldsof #rotes-ue whitish fun#i* he noticed that these cotta#es had no windows) and thou#ht that theirshape su##ested the huts of !s-uimau1* Then she #limpsed the oily waves of a slu##ish sea) andknew that the voya#e was once more to be by water , or at least throu#h some li-uid* The #alleystruck the surface with a peculiar sound) and the odd elastic way the waves received it was very

perple1in# to "arter*

They now slid alon# at #reat speed) once passin# and hailin# another #alley of kindred form) but#enerally seein# nothin# but that curious sea and a sky that was black and star,strewn even thou#hthe sun shone scorchin#ly in it*

There presently rose ahead the 9a##ed hills of a leprous,lookin# coast) and "arter saw the thickunpleasant #rey towers of a city* The way they leaned and bent) the manner in which they wereclustered) and the fact that they had no windows at all) was very disturbin# to the prisoner. and she

bitterly mourned the folly which had made her sip the curious wine of that merchant with thehumped turban* 's the coast drew nearer) and the hideous stench of that city #rew stron#er) she sawupon the 9a##ed hills many forests) some of whose trees she reco#ni+ed as akin to that solitarymoon,tree in the enchanted wood of earth) from whose sap the small brown :oo#s ferment theircurious wine*

"arter could now distin#uish movin# fi#ures on the noisome wharves ahead) and the better she sawthem the worse she be#an to fear and detest them* 8or they were not women at all) or evenappro1imately women) but #reat #reyish,white slippery thin#s which could e1pand and contract atwill) and whose principal shape , thou#h it often chan#ed , was that of a sort of toad without any

eyes) but with a curious vibratin# mass of short pink tentacles on the end of its blunt) va#ue snout*These ob9ects were waddlin# busily about the wharves) movin# bales and crates and bo1es with

preternatural stren#th) and now and then hoppin# on or off some anchored #alley with lon# oars intheir forepaws* 'nd now and then one would appear drivin# a herd of clumpin# slaves) whichindeed were appro1imate human bein#s with wide mouths like those merchants who traded inDylath,Leen. only these herds) bein# without turbans or shoes or clothin#) did not seem so veryhuman after all* ome of the slaves , the fatter ones) whom a sort of overseer would pinche1perimentally , were unloaded from ships and nailed in crates which workers pushed into the lowwarehouses or loaded on #reat lumberin# vans*

7nce a van was hitched and driven off) and the) fabulous thin# which drew it was such that "arter#asped) even after havin# seen the other monstrosities of that hateful place* 6ow and then a smallherd of slaves dressed and turbaned like the dark merchants would be driven aboard a #alley)


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followed by a #reat crew of the slippery toad,thin#s as officers) navi#ators) and rowers* 'nd "artersaw that the almost,human creatures were reserved for the more i#nominious kinds of servitudewhich re-uired no stren#th) such as steerin# and cookin#) fetchin# and carryin#) and bar#ainin#with women on the earth or other planets where they traded* These creatures must have beenconvenient on earth) for they were truly not unlike women when dressed and carefully shod and

turbaned) and could ha##le in the shops of women without embarrassment or curious e1planations*3ut most of them) unless lean or ill,favoured) were unclothed and packed in crates and drawn off inlumberin# lorries by fabulous thin#s* 7ccasionally other bein#s were unloaded and crated. somevery like these semi,humans) some not so similar) and some not similar at all* 'nd she wondered ifany of the poor stout black women of Par# were left to be unloaded and crated and shipped inlandin those obno1ious drays*

5hen the #alley landed at a #reasy,lookin# -uay of spon#y rock a ni#htstallion horde of toad,thin#s wi##led out of the hatches) and two of them sei+ed "arter and dra##ed her ashore* The smelland aspect of that city are beyond tellin#) and "arter held only scattered ima#es of the tiled streetsand black doorways and endless precipices of #rey vertical walls without windows* 't len#th she

was dra##ed within a low doorway and made to climb infinite steps in pitch blackness* /t was)apparently) all one to the toad,thin#s whether it were li#ht or dark* The odour of the place wasintolerable) and when "arter was locked into a chamber and left alone she scarcely had stren#th tocrawl around and ascertain its form and dimensions* /t was circular) and about twenty feet across*

8rom then on time ceased to e1ist* 't intervals food was pushed in) but "arter would not touch it*5hat her fate would be) she did not know. but she felt that she was held for the comin# of thatfri#htful soul and messen#er of infinity4s 7ther (ods) the crawlin# chaos 6yarlathotep* 8inally)after an un#uessed span of hours or days) the #reat stone door swun# wide a#ain) and "arter wasshoved down the stairs and out into the red,litten streets of that fearsome city* /t was ni#ht on themoon) and all throu#h the town were stationed slaves bearin# torches*

/n a detestable s-uare a sort of procession was formed. ten of the toad,thin#s and twenty,fouralmost human torch,bearers) eleven on either side) and one each before and behind* "arter was placed in the middle of the line. five toad,thin#s ahead and five behind) and one almost,humantorch,bearer on either side of her* "ertain of the toad,thin#s produced dis#ustin#ly carven flutes ofivory and made loathsome sounds* To that hellish pipin# the column advanced out of the tiledstreets and into ni#hted plains of obscene fun#i) soon commencin# to climb one of the lower andmore #radual hills that lay behind the city* That on some fri#htful slope or blasphemous plateau thecrawlin# chaos waited) "arter could not doubt. and she wished that the suspense mi#ht soon beover* The whinin# of those impious flutes was shockin#) and she would have #iven worlds forsome even half,normal sound. but these toad,thin#s had no voices) and the slaves did not talk*

Then throu#h that star,specked darkness there did come a normal sound* /t rolled from the hi#herhills) and from all the 9a##ed peaks around it was cau#ht up and echoed in a swellin# pandaemoniacchorus* /t was the midni#ht yell of the cat) and "arter knew at last that the old villa#e folk wereri#ht when they made low #uesses about the cryptical realms which are known only to cats) and towhich the elders amon# cats repair by stealth nocturnally) sprin#in# from hi#h housetops* 2erily) itis to the moon4s dark side that they #o to leap and #ambol on the hills and converse with ancientshadows) and here amidst that column of foetid thin#s "arter heard their homely) friendly cry) andthou#ht of the steep roofs and warm hearths and little li#hted windows of home*

6ow much of the speech of cats was known to Randy "arter) and in this far terrible place sheuttered the cry that was suitable* 3ut that she need not have done) for even as her lips opened sheheard the chorus wa1 and draw nearer) and saw swift shadows a#ainst the stars as small #racefulshapes leaped from hill to hill in #atherin# le#ions* The call of the clan had been #iven) and beforethe foul procession had time even to be fri#htened a cloud of smotherin# fur and a phalan1 of


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murderous claws were tidally and tempestuously upon it* The flutes stopped) and there were shrieksin the ni#ht* Dyin# almost,humans screamed) and cats spit and yowled and roared) but the toad,thin#s made never a sound as their stinkin# #reen ichor oo+ed fatally upon that porous earth withthe obscene fun#i*

/t was a stupendous si#ht while the torches lasted) and "arter had never before seen so many cats*3lack) #rey) and white. yellow) ti#er) and mi1ed. common) Persian) and 0ari1. Thibetan) 'n#ora)and !#yptian. all were there in the fury of battle) and there hovered over them some trace of that

profound and inviolate sanctity which made their #od #reat in the temples of 3ubastis* They wouldleap seven stron# at the throat of an almost,human or the pink tentacled snout of a toad,thin# anddra# it down sava#ely to the fun#ous plain) where myriads of their fellows would sur#e over it andinto it with the fren+ied claws and teeth of a divine battle,fury* "arter had sei+ed a torch from astricken slave) but was soon overborne by the sur#in# waves of her loyal defenders* Then she lay inthe utter blackness hearin# the clan#our of war and the shouts of the victors) and feelin# the soft

paws of her friends as they rushed to and fro over her in the fray*

't last awe and e1haustion closed her eyes) and when she opened them a#ain it was upon a stran#escene* The #reat shinin# disc of the earth) thirteen times #reater than that of the moon as we see it)had risen with floods of weird li#ht over the lunar landscape. and across all those lea#ues of wild

plateau and ra##ed crest there s-uatted one endless sea of cats in orderly array* "ircle on circle theyreached) and two or three leaders out of the ranks were lickin# her face and purrin# to herconsolin#ly* 7f the dead slaves and toad,thin#s there were not many si#ns) but "arter thou#ht shesaw one bone a little way off in the open space between her and the warriors*

"arter now spoke with the leaders in the soft lan#ua#e of cats) and learned that her ancientfriendship with the species was well known and often spoken of in the places where catscon#re#ate* he had not been unmarked in Ulthar when she passed throu#h) and the sleek old catshad remembered how she patted them after they had attended to the hun#ry :oo#s who looked

evilly at a small black kitten* 'nd they recalled) too) how she had welcomed the very little kittenwho came to see her at the inn) and how she had #iven it a saucer of rich cream in the mornin# before she left* The #randmother of that very little kitten was the leader of the army nowassembled) for she had seen the evil procession from a far hill and reco#ni+ed the prisoner as asworn friend of her kind on earth and in the land of dream*

' yowl now came from the farther peak) and the old leader paused abruptly in her conversation* /twas one of the army4s outposts) stationed on the hi#hest of the mountains to watch the one foewhich !arth4s cats fear. the very lar#e and peculiar cats from aturn) who for some reason have not

been oblivious of the charm of our moon4s dark side* They are lea#ued by treaty with the evil toad,thin#s) and are notoriously hostile to our earthly cats. so that at this 9uncture a meetin# would have

been a somewhat #rave matter*

'fter a brief consultation of #enerals) the cats rose and assumed a closer formation) crowdin# protectin#ly around "arter and preparin# to take the #reat leap throu#h space back to the housetopsof our earth and its dreamland* The old field,marshal advised "arter to let herself be borne alon#smoothly and passively in the massed ranks of furry leapers) and told her how to sprin# when therest spran# and land #racefully when the rest landed* he also offered to deposit her in any spot shedesired) and "arter decided on the city of Dylath,Leen whence the black #alley had set out. for shewished to sail thence for 7riab and the carven crest 6#ranek) and also to warn the people of the cityto have no more traffick with black #alleys) if indeed that traffick could be tactfully and 9udiciously

broken off* Then) upon a si#nal) the cats all leaped #racefully with their friend packed securely intheir midst. while in a black cave on an unhallowed summit of the moon,mountains still vainlywaited the crawlin# chaos 6yarlathotep*


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The leap of the cats throu#h space was very swift. and bein# surrounded by her companions "arterdid not see this time the #reat black shapelessnesses that lurk and caper and flounder in the abyss*3efore she fully realised what had happened she was back in her familiar room at the inn at Dylath,Leen) and the stealthy) friendly cats were pourin# out of the window in streams* The old leaderfrom Ulthar was the last to leave) and as "arter shook her paw she said she would be able to #et

home by cockcrow* 5hen dawn came) "arter went downstairs and learned that a week had elapsedsince her capture and leavin#* There was still nearly a fortni#ht to wait for the ship bound toward7riab) and durin# that time she said what she could a#ainst the black #alleys and their infamousways* 0ost of the townsfolk believed her. yet so fond were the 9ewellers of #reat rubies that nonewould wholly promise to cease traffickin# with the wide,mouthed merchants* /f au#ht of evil ever

befalls Dylath,Leen throu#h such traffick) it will not be her fault*

/n about a week the desiderate ship put in by the black wale and tall li#hthouse) and "arter was #ladto see that he was a bar-ue of wholesome women) with painted sides and yellow lateen sails and a#rey captain in silken robes* His car#o was the fra#rant resin of 7riab4s inner #roves) and thedelicate pottery baked by the artists of 3ahama) and the stran#e little fi#ures carved from 6#ranek4s

ancient lava* 8or this they were paid in the wool of Ulthar and the iridescent te1tiles of Hathe# andthe ivory that the black women carve across the river in Par#* "arter made arran#ements with thecaptain to #o to 3aharna and was told that the voya#e would take ten days* 'nd durin# her week ofwaitin# she talked much with that captain of 6#ranek) and was told that very few had seen thecarven face thereon. but that most travellers are content to learn its le#ends from old people andlava,#atherers and ima#e,makers in 3aharna and afterward say in their far homes that they haveindeed beheld it* The captain was not even sure that any person now livin# had beheld that carvenface) for the wron# side of 6#ranek is very difficult and barren and sinister) and there are rumoursof caves near the peak wherein dwell the ni#ht,#aunts* 3ut the captain did not wish to say 9ust whata ni#ht,#aunt mi#ht be like) since such cattle are known to haunt most persistently the dreams ofthose who think too often of them* Then "arter asked that captain about unknown Kadath in the

cold waste) and the marvellous sunset city) but of these the #ood woman could truly tell nothin#*"arter sailed out of Dylath,Leen one early mornin# when the tide turned) and saw the first rays ofsunrise on the thin an#ular towers of that dismal basalt town* 'nd for two days they sailed eastwardin si#ht of #reen coasts) and saw often the pleasant fishin# towns that climbed up steeply with theirred roofs and chimney,pots from old dreamin# wharves and beaches where nets lay dryin#* 3ut onthe third day they turned sharply south where the roll of water was stron#er) and soon passed fromsi#ht of any land* 7n the fifth day the sailors were nervous) but the captain apolo#i+ed for theirfears) sayin# that the ship was about to pass over the weedy walls and broken columns of a sunkencity too old for memory) and that when the water was clear one could see so many movin# shadowsin that deep place that simple folk disliked it* he admitted) moreover) that many ships had been

lost in that part of the sea. havin# been hailed when -uite close to it) but never seen a#ain*That ni#ht the moon was very bri#ht) and one could see a #reat way down in the water* There wasso little wind that the ship could not move much) and the ocean was very calm* Lookin# over therail "arter saw many fathoms deep the dome of the #reat temple) and in front of it an avenue ofunnatural sphin1es leadin# to what was once a public s-uare* Dolphins sported merrily in and outof the ruins) and porpoises revelled clumsily here and there) sometimes comin# to the surface andleapin# clear out of the sea* 's the ship drifted on a little the floor of the ocean rose in hills) andone could clearly mark the lines of ancient climbin# streets and the washed,down walls of myriadlittle houses*

Then the suburbs appeared) and finally a #reat lone buildin# on a hill) of simpler architecture than

the other structures) and in much better repair* /t was dark and low and covered four sides of as-uare) with a tower at each corner) a paved court in the centre) and small curious round windows


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all over it* Probably it was of basalt) thou#h weeds draped the #reater part. and such was its lonelyand impressive place on that far hill that it may have been a temple or a monastery* ome

phosphorescent fish inside it #ave the small round windows an aspect of shinin#) and "arter did not blame the sailors much for their fears* Then by the watery moonli#ht she noticed an odd hi#hmonolith in the middle of that central court) and saw that somethin# was tied to it* 'nd when after

#ettin# a telescope from the captain4s cabin she saw that that bound thin# was a sailor in the silkrobes of 7riab) head downward and without any eyes) she was #lad that a risin# bree+e soon tookthe ship ahead to more healthy parts of the sea*

The ne1t day they spoke with a ship with violet sails bound for :ar) in the land of for#otten dreams)with bulbs of stran#e coloured lilies for car#o* 'nd on the evenin# of the eleventh day they came insi#ht of the isle of 7riab with 6#ranek risin# 9a##ed and snow,crowned in the distance* 7riab is avery #reat isle) and its port of 3ahama a mi#hty city* The wharves of 3ahama are of porphyry) andthe city rises in #reat stone terraces behind them) havin# streets of steps that are fre-uently archedover by buildin#s and the brid#es between buildin#s* There is a #reat canal which #oes under thewhole city in a tunnel with #ranite #ates and leads to the inland lake of =ath) on whose farther

shore are the vast clay,brick ruins of a primal city whose name is not remembered* 's the shipdrew into the harbour at evenin# the twin beacons Thon and Thal #leamed a welcome) and in allthe million windows of 3ahama4s terraces mellow li#hts peeped out -uietly and #radually as thestars peep out overhead in the dusk) till that steep and climbin# seaport became a #litterin#constellation hun# between the stars of heaven and the reflections of those stars in the still harbour*

The captain) after landin#) made "arter a #uest in her own small house on the shores of =ath wherethe rear of the town slopes down to it. and her husband and servants brou#ht stran#e toothsomefoods for the traveller4s deli#ht* 'nd in the days after that "arter asked for rumours and le#ends of

6#ranek in all the taverns and public places where lava,#atherers and ima#e,makers meet) butcould find no one who had been up the hi#her slopes or seen the carven face* 6#ranek was a hardmountain with only an accursed valley behind it) and besides) one could never depend on thecertainty that ni#ht,#aunts are alto#ether fabulous*

5hen the captain sailed hack to Dylath,Leen "arter took -uarters in an ancient tavern openin# onan alley of steps in the ori#inal part of the town) which is built of brick and resembles the ruins of=ath4s farther shore* Here she laid her plans for the ascent of 6#ranek) and correlated all that shehad learned from the lava,#atherers about the roads thither* The keeper of the tavern was a very oldwoman) and had heard so many le#ends that she was a #reat help* he even took "arter to an upperroom in that ancient house and shewed her a crude picture which a traveller had scratched on theclay wall in the old days when women were bolder and less reluctant to visit 6#ranek4s hi#herslopes* The old tavern,keeper4s #reat,#randfather had heard from her #reat,#randfather that thetraveller who scratched that picture had climbed 6#ranek and seen the carven face) here drawin# it

for others to behold) but "arter had very #reat doubts) since the lar#e rou#h features on the wallwere hasty and careless) and wholly overshadowed by a crowd of little companion shapes in theworst possible taste) with horns and win#s and claws and curlin# tails*

't last) havin# #ained all the information she was likely to #ain in the taverns and public places of3aharna) "arter hired a +ebra and set out one mornin# on the road by =ath4s shore for those inland

parts wherein towers stony 6#ranek* 7n her ri#ht were rollin# hills and pleasant orchards and neatlittle stone farmhouses) and she was much reminded of those fertile fields that flank the kai* 3yevenin# she was near the nameless ancient ruins on =ath4s farther shore) and thou#h old lava,#atherers had warned her not to camp there at ni#ht) she tethered her +ebra to a curious pillar beforea crumblin# wall and laid her blanket in a sheltered corner beneath some carvin#s whose meanin#

none could decipher* 'round her she wrapped another blanket) for the ni#hts are cold in 7riab. and


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when upon awakin# once she thou#ht she felt the win#s of some insect brushin# her face shecovered her head alto#ether and slept in peace till roused by the ma#ah birds in distant resin #roves*

The sun had 9ust come up over the #reat slope whereon lea#ues of primal brick foundations andworn walls and occasional cracked pillars and pedestals stretched down desolate to the shore of=ath) and "arter looked about for her tethered +ebra* (reat was her dismay to see that docile beaststretched prostrate beside the curious pillar to which it had been tied) and still #reater was sheve1ed on findin# that the steed was -uite dead) with its blood all sucked away throu#h a sin#ularwound in its throat* Her pack had been disturbed) and several shiny knickknacks taken away) andall round on the dusty soil4 were #reat webbed footprints for which she could not in any wayaccount* The le#ends and warnin#s of lava,#atherers occurred to her) and she thou#ht of what had

brushed her face in the ni#ht* Then she shouldered her pack and strode on toward 6#ranek) thou#hnot without a shiver when she saw close to her as the hi#hway passed throu#h the ruins a #reat#apin# arch low in the wall of an old temple) with steps leadin# down into darkness farther than shecould peer*

Her course now lay uphill throu#h wilder and partly wooded country) and she saw only the huts ofcharcoal,burners and the camp of those who #athered resin from the #roves* The whole air wasfra#rant with balsam) and all the ma#ah birds san# blithely as they flashed their seven colours in thesun* 6ear sunset she came on a new camp of lava,#atherers returnin# with laden sacks from

6#ranek4s lower slopes. and here she also camped) listenin# to the son#s and tales of the women)and overhearin# what they whispered about a companion they had lost* he had climbed hi#h toreach a mass of fine lava above her) and at ni#htfall did not return to her fellows* 5hen they lookedfor her the ne1t day they found only her turban) nor was there any si#n on the cra#s below that shehad fallen* They did not search any more) because the old woman amon# them said it would be ofno use*

6o one ever found what the ni#ht,#aunts took) thou#h those beasts themselves were so uncertain as

to be almost fabulous* "arter asked them if ni#ht,#aunts sucked blood and liked shiny thin#s andleft webbed footprints) but they all shook their heads ne#atively and seemed fri#htened at hermakin# such an in-uiry* 5hen she saw how taciturn they had become she asked them no more) butwent to sleep in her blanket*

The ne1t day she rose with the lava,#atherers and e1chan#ed farewells as they rode west and sherode east on a +ebra she bou#ht of them* Their older women #ave her blessin#s and warnin#s) andtold her she had better not climb too hi#h on 6#ranek) but while she thanked them heartily she wasin no wise dissuaded* 8or still did she feel that she must find the #ods on unknown Kadath. and winfrom them a way to that hauntin# and marvellous city in the sunset* 3y noon) after a lon# uphillride) she came upon some abandoned brick villa#es of the hill,people who had once dwelt thusclose to 6#ranek and carved ima#es from its smooth lava* Here they had dwelt till the days of theold tavernkeeper4s #randmother) but about that time they felt that their presence was disliked* Theirhomes had crept even up the mountain4s slope) and the hi#her they built the more people theywould mister when the sun rose* 't last they decided it would be better to leave alto#ether) sincethin#s were sometimes #limpsed in the darkness which no one could interpret favourably. so in theend all of them went down to the sea and dwelt in 3ahama) inhabitin# a very old -uarter andteachin# their dau#hters the old art of ima#e,makin# which to this day they carry on* /t was fromthese children of the e1iled hill,people that "arter had heard the best tales about 6#ranek whensearchin# throu#h 3ahama4s ancient taverns*

'll this time the #reat #aunt side of 6#ranek was loomin# up hi#her and hi#her as "arterapproached it* There were sparse trees on the lower slopes and feeble shrubs above them) and thenthe bare hideous rock rose spectral into the sky) to mi1 with frost and ice and eternal snow* "artercould see the rifts and ru##edness of that sombre stone) and did not welcome the prospect of


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climbin# it* /n places there were solid streams of lava) and scoriac heaps that littered slopes andled#es* 6inety aeons a#o) before even the #ods had danced upon its pointed peak) that mountainhad spoken with fire and roared with the voices of the inner thunders* 6ow it towered all silent andsinister) bearin# on the hidden side that secret titan ima#e whereof rumour told* 'nd there werecaves in that mountain) which mi#ht be empty and alone with elder darkness) or mi#ht , if le#end

spoke truly , hold horrors of a form not to be surmised*The #round sloped upward to the foot of 6#ranek) thinly covered with scrub oaks and ash trees)and strewn with bits of rock) lava) and ancient cinder* There were the charred embers of manycamps) where the lava,#atherers were wont to stop) and several rude altars which they had builteither to propitiate the (reat 7nes or to ward off what they dreamed of in 6#ranek4s hi#h passesand labyrinthine caves* 't evenin# "arter reached the farthermost pile of embers and camped forthe ni#ht) tetherin# her +ebra to a saplin# and wrappin# herself well in her blankets before #oin# tosleep* 'nd all throu#h the ni#ht a voonith howled distantly from the shore of some hidden pool) but"arter felt no fear of that amphibious terror) since she had been told with certainty that not one ofthem dares even approach the slope of 6#ranek*

/n the clear sunshine of mornin# "arter be#an the lon# ascent) takin# her +ebra as far as that useful beast could #o) but tyin# it to a stunted ash tree when the floor of the thin wood became too steep*Thereafter she scrambled up alone. first throu#h the forest with its ruins of old villa#es inover#rown clearin#s) and then over the tou#h #rass where anaemic shrubs #rew here and there* here#retted comin# clear of the trees) since the slope was very precipitous and the whole thin# ratherdi++yin#* 't len#th she be#an to discern all the countryside spread out beneath her whenever shelooked about. the deserted huts of the ima#e,makers) the #roves of resin trees and the camps ofthose who #athered from them) the woods where prismatic ma#ahs nest and sin#) and even a hintvery far away of the shores of =ath and of those forbiddin# ancient ruins whose name is for#otten*

he found it best not to look around) and kept on climbin# and climbin# till the shrubs became verysparse and there was often nothin# but the tou#h #rass to clin# to*

Then the soil became mea#re) with #reat patches of bare rock croppin# out) and now and then thenest of a condor in a crevice* 8inally there was nothin# at all but the bare rock) and had it not beenvery rou#h and weathered) she could scarcely have ascended farther* Knobs) led#es) and pinnacles)however) helped #reatly. and it was cheerin# to see occasionally the si#n of some lava,#athererscratched clumsily in the friable stone) and know that wholesome human creatures had been there

before her* 'fter a certain hei#ht the presence of woman was further shewn by handholds andfootholds hewn where they were needed) and by little -uarries and e1cavations where some choicevein or stream of lava had been found* /n one place a narrow led#e had been chopped artificially toan especially rich deposit far to the ri#ht of the main line of ascent* 7nce or twice "arter dared tolook around) and was almost stunned by the spread of landscape below* 'll the island betwi1t her

and the coast lay open to her si#ht) with 3aharna4s stone terraces and the smoke of its chimneysmystical in the distance* 'nd beyond that the illimitable outhern ea with all its curious secrets*

Thus far there had been much windin# around the mountain) so that the farther and carven side wasstill hidden* "arter now saw a led#e runnin# upward and to the left which seemed to head the wayshe wished) and this course she took in the hope that it mi#ht prove continuous* 'fter ten minutesshe saw it was indeed no cul,de,sac) but that it led steeply on in an arc which would) unlesssuddenly interrupted or deflected) brin# her after a few hours4 climbin# to that unknown southernslope overlookin# the desolate cra#s and the accursed valley of lava* 's new country came intoview below her she saw that it was bleaker and wilder than those seaward lands she had traversed*The mountain4s side) too) was somewhat different. bein# here pierced by curious cracks and caves

not found on the strai#hter route she had left* ome of these were above her and some beneath her)all openin# on sheerly perpendicular cliffs and wholly unreachable by the feet of woman* The air


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was very cold now) but so hard was the climbin# that she did not mind it* 7nly the increasin# rarity bothered her) and she thou#ht that perhaps it was this which had turned the heads of other travellersand e1cited those absurd tales of ni#ht,#aunts whereby they e1plained the loss of such climbers asfell from these perilous paths* he was not much impressed by travellers4 tales) but had a #oodcurved scimitar in case of any trouble* 'll lesser thou#hts were lost in the wish to see that carven

face which mi#ht set her on the track of the #ods atop unknown Kadath*'t last) in the fearsome iciness of upper space) she came round fully to the hidden side of 6#ranekand saw in infinite #ulfs below her the lesser cra#s and sterile abysses of lava which marked oldenwrath of the (reat 7nes* There was unfolded) too) a vast e1panse of country to the south. but it wasa desert land without fair fields or cotta#e chimneys) and seemed to have no endin#* 6o trace of thesea was visible on this side) for 7riab is a #reat island* 3lack caverns and odd crevices were stillnumerous on the sheer vertical cliffs) but none of them was accessible to a climber* There nowloomed aloft a #reat beetlin# mass which hampered the upward view) and "arter was for a momentshaken with doubt lest it prove impassable* Poised in windy insecurity miles above earth) with onlyspace and death on one side and only slippery walls of rock on the other) she knew for a moment

the fear that makes women shun 6#ranek4s hidden side* he could not turn round) yet the sun wasalready low* /f there were no way aloft) the ni#ht would find her crouchin# there still) and the dawnwould not find her at all*

3ut there was a way) and she saw it in due season* 7nly a very e1pert dreamer could have usedthose imperceptible footholds) yet to "arter they were sufficient* urmountin# now the outward,han#in# rock) she found the slope above much easier than that below) since a #reat #lacier4s meltin#had left a #enerous space with loam and led#es* To the left a precipice dropped strai#ht fromunknown hei#hts to unknown depths) with a cave4s dark mouth 9ust out of reach above her*!lsewhere) however) the mountain slanted back stron#ly) and even #ave her space to lean and rest*

he felt from the chill that she must be near the snow line) and looked up to see what #litterin#

pinnacles mi#ht be shinin# in that late ruddy sunli#ht* urely enou#h) there was the snowuncounted thousands of feet above) and below it a #reat beetlin# cra# like that* she had 9ustclimbed. han#in# there forever in bold outline* 'nd when she saw that cra# she #asped and criedout aloud) and clutched at the 9a##ed rock in awe. for the titan bul#e had not stayed as earth4s dawnhad shaped it) but #leamed red and stupendous in the sunset with the carved and polished featuresof a #od*

tern and terrible shone that face that the sunset lit with fire* How vast it was no mind can evermeasure) but "arter knew at once that woman could never have fashioned it* /t was a #od chiselled

by the hands of the #ods) and it looked down hau#hty and ma9estic upon the seeker* Rumour hadsaid it was stran#e and not to be mistaken) and "arter saw that it was indeed so. for those lon#narrow eyes and lon#,lobed ears) and that thin nose and pointed chin) all spoke of a race that is notof women but of #ods*

he clun# overawed in that lofty and perilous eyrie) even thou#h it was this which she had e1pectedand come to find. for there is in a #od4s face more of marvel than prediction can tell) and when thatface is vaster than a #reat temple and seen lookin# downward at sunset in the scyptic silences ofthat upper world from whose dark lava it was divinely hewn of old) the marvel is so stron# thatnone may escape it*

Here) too) was the added marvel of reco#nition. for althou#h she had planned to search alldreamland over for those whose likeness to this face mi#ht mark them as the #od4s children) shenow knew that she need not do so* "ertainly) the #reat face carven on that mountain was of nostran#e sort) but the kin of such as she had seen often in the taverns of the seaport "elephais whichlies in 7oth,6ar#ai beyond the Tanarian Hills and is ruled over by that Queen Kuranes whom


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"arter once knew in wakin# life* !very year sailors with such a face came in dark ships from thenorth to trade their ony1 for the carved 9ade and spun #old and little red sin#in# birds of "elephais)and it was clear that these could be no others than the hall,#ods she sou#ht* 5here they dwelt) theremust the cold waste lie close) and within it unknown Kadath and its ony1 castle for the (reat 7nes*

o to "elephais she must #o) far distant from the isle of 7riab) and in such parts as would take her

back to Dylath,Teen and up the kai to the brid#e by 6ir) and a#ain into the enchanted wood of the:oo#s) whence the way would bend northward throu#h the #arden lands by 7ukranos to the #ildedspires of Thran) where she mi#ht find a #alleon bound over the "erenarian ea*

3ut dusk was now thick) and the #reat carven face looked down even sterner in shadow* Perched onthat led#e ni#ht found the seeker. and in the blackness she mi#ht neither #o down nor #o up) butonly stand and clin# and shiver in that narrow place till the day came) prayin# to keep awake lestsleep loose her hold and send her down the di++y miles of air to the cra#s and sharp rocks of theaccursed valley* The stars came out) but save for them there was only black nothin#ness in hereyes. nothin#ness lea#ued with death) a#ainst whose beckonin# she mi#ht do no more than clin# tothe rocks and lean back away from an unseen brink* The last thin# of earth that she saw in the

#loamin# was a condor soarin# close to the westward precipice beside her) and dartin# screamin#away when it came near the cave whose mouth yawned 9ust out of reach*

uddenly) without a warnin# sound in the dark) "arter felt her curved scimitar drawn stealthily outof her belt by some unseen hand* Then she heard it clatter down over the rocks below* 'nd betweenher and the 0ilky 5ay she thou#ht she saw a very terrible outline of somethin# no1iously thin andhorned and tailed and bat,win#ed* 7ther thin#s) too) had be#un to blot out patches of stars west ofher) as if a flock of va#ue entities were flappin# thickly and silently out of that inaccessible cave inthe face of the precipice* Then a sort of cold rubbery arm sei+ed her neck and somethin# else sei+edher feet) and she was lifted inconsiderately up and swun# about in space* 'nother minute and thestars were #one) and "arter knew that the ni#ht,#aunts had #ot her*

They bore her breathless into that cliffside cavern and throu#h monstrous labyrinths beyond* 5henshe stru##led) as at first she did by instinct) they tickled her with deliberation* They made no soundat all themselves) and even their membranous win#s were silent* They were fri#htfully cold anddamp and slippery) and their paws kneaded one detestably* oon they were plun#in# hideouslydownward throu#h inconceivable abysses in a whirlin#) #iddyin#) sickenin# rush of dank) tomb,like air. and "arter felt they were shootin# into the ultimate vorte1 of shriekin# and daemonicmadness* he screamed a#ain and a#ain) but whenever she did so the black paws tickled her with#reater subtlety* Then she saw a sort of #rey phosphorescence about) and #uessed they werecomin# even to that inner world of subterrene horror of which dim le#ends tell) and which is littenonly by the pale death,fire wherewith reeks the #houlish air and the primal mists of the pits atearth4s core*

't last far below her she saw faint lines of #rey and ominous pinnacles which she knew must be thefabled Peaks of Throk* 'wful and sinister they stand in the haunted disc of sunless and eternaldepths. hi#her than woman may reckon) and #uardin# terrible valleys where the Dholes crawl and

burrow nastily* 3ut "arter preferred to look at them than at her captors) which were indeedshockin# and uncouth black thin#s with smooth) oily) whale,like surfaces) unpleasant horns thatcurved inward toward each other) bat win#s whose beatin# made no sound) u#ly prehensile paws)and barbed tails that lashed needlessly and dis-uietin#ly* 'nd worst of all) they never spoke orlau#hed) and never smiled because they had no faces at all to smile with) but only a su##estive

blankness where a face ou#ht to be* 'll they ever did was clutch and fly and tickle. that was theway of ni#ht,#aunts*

's the band flew lower the Peaks of Throk rose #rey and towerin# on all sides) and one saw clearlythat nothin# lived on that austere and impressive #ranite of the endless twili#ht* 't still lower levels


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the death,fires in the air #ave out) and one met only the primal blackness of the void save aloftwhere the thin peaks stood out #oblin,like* oon the peaks were very far away) and nothin# about

but #reat rushin# winds with the dankness of nethermost #rottoes in them* Then in the end theni#ht,#aunts landed on a floor of unseen thin#s which felt like layers of bones) and left "arter allalone in that black valley* To brin# her thithers was the duty of the ni#ht,#aunts that #uard

6#ranek. and this done) they flapped away silently* 5hen "arter tried to trace their fli#ht she foundshe could not) since even the Peaks of Throk had faded out of si#ht* There was nothin# anywhere

but blackness and horror and silence and bones*

6ow "arter knew from a certain source that she was in the vale of Pnoth) where crawl and burrowthe enormous Dholes. but she did not know what to e1pect) because no one has ever seen a Dholeor even #uessed what such a thin# may be like* Dholes are known only by dim rumour) from therustlin# they make amon#st mountains of bones and the slimy touch they have when they wri##le

past one* They cannot be seen because they creep only in the dark* "arter did not wish to meet aDhole) so listened intently for any sound in the unknown depths of bones about her* !ven in thisfearsome place she had a plan and an ob9ective) for whispers of Pnoth were not unknown to one

with whom she had talked much in the old days* /n brief) it seemed fairly likely that this was thespot into which all the #houls of the wakin# world cast the refuse of their feastin#s. and that if she but had #ood luck she mi#ht stumble upon that mi#hty cra# taller even than Throk4s peaks whichmarks the ed#e of their domain* howers of bones would tell her where to look) and once found shecould call to a #houl to let down a ladder. for stran#e to say) she had a very sin#ular link with theseterrible creatures*

' woman she had known in 3oston , a painter of stran#e pictures with a secret studio in an ancientand unhallowed alley near a #raveyard , had actually made friends with the #houls and had tau#hther to understand the simpler part of their dis#ustin# meepin# and #libberin#* This woman hadvanished at last) and "arter was not sure but that she mi#ht find her now) and use for the first timein dreamland that far,away !n#lish of her dim wakin# life* /n any case) she felt she could persuadea #houl to #uide her out of Pnoth. and it would be better to meet a #houl) which one can see) than aDhole) which one cannot see*

o "arter walked in the dark) and ran when she thou#ht she heard somethin# amon# the bonesunderfoot* 7nce she bumped into a stony slope) and knew it must be the base of one of Throk4s

peaks* Then at last she heard a monstrous rattlin# and clatter which reached far up in the air) and became sure she had come ni#h the cra# of the #houls* he was not sure she could be heard fromthis valley miles below) but realised that the inner world has stran#e laws* 's she pondered she wasstruck by a flyin# bone so heavy that it must have been a skull) and therefore realisin# her nearnessto the fateful cra# she sent up as best she mi#ht that meepin# cry which is the call of the #houl*

ound travels slowly) so it was some time before she heard an answerin# #libber* 3ut it came atlast) and before lon# she was told that a rope ladder would be lowered* The wait for this was verytense) since there was no tellin# what mi#ht not have been stirred up amon# those bones by hershoutin#* /ndeed) it was not lon# before she actually did hear a va#ue rustlin# afar off* 's thisthou#htfully approached) she became more and more uncomfortable. for she did not wish to moveaway from the spot where the ladder would come* 8inally the tension #rew almost unbearable) andshe was about to flee in panic when the thud of somethin# on the newly heaped bones nearby drewher notice from the other sound* /t was the ladder) and after a minute of #ropin# she had it taut inher hands* 3ut the other sound did not cease) and followed her even as she climbed* he had #onefully five feet from the #round when the rattlin# beneath wa1ed emphatic) and was a #ood ten feetup when somethin# swayed the ladder from below* 't a hei#ht which must have been fifteen or

twenty feet she felt her whole side brushed by a #reat slippery len#th which #rew alternately


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conve1 and concave with wri##lin#. and hereafter she climbed desperately to escape theunendurable nu++lin# of that loathsome and overfed Dhole whose form no woman mi#ht see*

8or hours she climbed with achin# and blistered hands) seein# a#ain the #rey death,fire and Throk4suncomfortable pinnacles* 't last she discerned above her the pro9ectin# ed#e of the #reat cra# ofthe #houls) whose vertical side she could not #limpse. and hours later she saw a curious face

peerin# over it as a #ar#oyle peers over a parapet of 6otre Dame* This almost made her lose herhold throu#h faintness) but a moment later she was herself a#ain. for her vanished friend RichellePickman had once introduced her to a #houl) and she knew well their canine faces and slumpin#forms and unmentionable idiosyncrasies* o she had herself well under control when that hideousthin# pulled her out of the di++y emptiness over the ed#e of the cra#) and did not scream at the

partly consumed refuse heaped at one side or at the s-uattin# circles of #houls who #nawed andwatched curiously*

he was now on a dim,litten plain whose sole topo#raphical features were #reat boulders and theentrances of burrows* The #houls were in #eneral respectful) even if one did attempt to pinch herwhile several others eyed her leanness speculatively* Throu#h patient #libberin# she made in-uiriesre#ardin# her vanished friend) and found she had become a #houl of some prominence in abyssesnearer the wakin# world* ' #reenish elderly #houl offered to conduct her to Pickman4s presenthabitation) so despite a natural loathin# she followed the creature into a capacious burrow andcrawled after her for hours in the blackness of rank mould* They emer#ed on a dim plain strewnwith sin#ular relics of earth , old #ravestones) broken urns) and #rotes-ue fra#ments of monuments, and "arter realised with some emotion that she was probably nearer the wakin# world than at anyother time since she had #one down the seven hundred steps from the cavern of flame to the (ateof Deeper lumber*

There) on a tombstone of &>?@ stolen from the (ranary 3uryin# (round in 3oston) sat a #houlwhich was once the artist Richelle Upton Pickman* /t was naked and rubbery) and had ac-uired so

much of the #houlish physio#nomy that its human ori#in was already obscure* 3ut it stillremembered a little !n#lish) and was able to converse with "arter in #runts and monosyllables)helped out now and then by the #libberin# of #houls* 5hen it learned that "arter wished to #et tothe enchanted wood and from there to the city "elephais in 7oth,6ar#ai beyond the Tanarian Hills)it seemed rather doubtful. for these #houls of the wakin# world do no business in the #raveyards ofupper dreamland ;leavin# that to the red,footed wamps that are spawned in dead cities


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to awake lest she for#et all she had so far #ained in this dream* /t was disastrous to her -uest tofor#et the au#ust and celestial faces of those seawomen from the north who traded ony1 in"elephais) and who) bein# the dau#hters of #ods) must point the way to the cold waste and Kadathwhere the (reat 7nes dwell*

'fter much persuasion the #houl consented to #uide her #uest inside the #reat wall of the (u#s4kin#dom* There was one chance that "arter mi#ht be able to steal throu#h that twili#ht realm ofcircular stone towers at an hour when the #iants would be all #or#ed and snorin# indoors) and reachthe central tower with the si#n of Koth upon it) which has the stairs leadin# up to that stone trapdoor in the enchanted wood* Pickman even consented to lend three #houls to help with a tombstonelever in raisin# the stone door. for of #houls the (u#s are somewhat afraid) and they often flee fromtheir own colossal #raveyards when they see them feastin# there*

he also advised "arter to dis#uise as a #houl herself. shavin# the locks she had allowed to #row;for #houls have none&A) from the "harter treet 3uryin# (round in alem*

5hen they came a#ain into open twili#ht they were in a forest of vast lichened monoliths reachin#nearly as hi#h as the eye could see and formin# the modest #ravestones of the (u#s* 7n the ri#ht ofthe hole out of which they wri##led) and seen throu#h aisles of monoliths) was a stupendous vistaof cyclopean round towers mountin# up illimitable into the #rey air of inner earth* This was the#reat city of the (u#s) whose doorways are thirty feet hi#h* (houls come here often) for a buried(u# will feed a community for almost a year) and even with the added peril it is better to burrowfor (u#s than to bother with the #raves of women* "arter now understood the occasional titan

bones she had felt beneath her in the vale of Pnoth*

trai#ht ahead) and 9ust outside the cemetery) rose a sheer perpendicular cliff at whose base animmense and forbiddin# cavern yawned* This the #houls told "arter to avoid as much as possible)since it was the entrance to the unhallowed vaults of :in where (u#s hunt #hasts in the darkness*'nd truly) that warnin# was soon well 9ustified. for the moment a #houl be#an to creep toward thetowers to see if the hour of the (u#s4 restin# had been ri#htly timed) there #lowed in the #loom ofthat #reat cavern4s mouth first one pair of yellowish,red eyes and then another) implyin# that the(u#s were one sentry less) and that #hasts have indeed an e1cellent sharpness of smell* o the#houl returned to the burrow and motioned her companions to be silent* /t was best to leave the#hasts to their own devices) and there was a possibility that they mi#ht soon withdraw) since theymust naturally be rather tired after copin# with a (u# sentry in the black vaults* 'fter a momentsomethin# about the si+e of a small horse hopped out into the #rey twili#ht) and "arter turned sickat the aspect of that scabrous and unwholesome beast) whose face is so curiously human despite theabsence of a nose) a forehead) and other important particulars*

Presently three other #hasts hopped out to 9oin their fellow) and a #houl #libbered softly at "arterthat their absence of battle,scars was a bad si#n* /t proved that the= had not fou#ht the (u# sentry


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at all) but had merely slipped past her as she slept) so that their stren#th and sava#ery were stillunimpaired and would remain so till they had found and disposed of a victim* /t was veryunpleasant to see those filthy and disproportioned animals which soon numbered about fifteen)#rubbin# about and makin# their kan#aroo leaps in the #rey twili#ht where titan towers andmonoliths arose) but it was still more unpleasant when they spoke amon# themselves in the

cou#hin# #utturals of #hasts* 'nd yet) horrible as they were) they were not so horrible as what presently came out of the cave after them with disconcertin# suddenness*

/t was a paw) fully two feet and a half across) and e-uipped with formidable talons* 'lter it cameanother paw) and after that a #reat black,furred arm to which both of the paws were attached byshort forearms* Then two pink eyes shone) and the head of the awakened (u# sentry) lar#e as a

barrel) wabbled into view* The eyes 9utted two inches from each side) shaded by bony protuberances over#rown with coarse hairs* 3ut the head was chiefly terrible because of the mouth*That mouth had #reat yellow fan#s and ran from the top to the bottom of the head) openin#vertically instead of hori+ontally*

3ut before that unfortunate (u# could emer#e from the cave and rise to her full twenty feet) thevindictive #hasts were upon her* "arter feared for a moment that she would #ive an alarm andarouse all her kin) till a #houl softly #libbered that (u#s have no voice but talk by means of faciale1pression* The battle which then ensued was truly a fri#htful one* 8rom all sides the venomous#hasts rushed feverishly at the creepin# (u#) nippin# and tearin# with their mu++les) and maulin#murderously with their hard pointed hooves* 'll the time they cou#hed e1citedly) screamin# whenthe #reat vertical mouth of the (u# would occasionally bite into one of their number) so that thenoise of the combat would surely have aroused the sleepin# city had not the weakenin# of thesentry be#un to transfer the action farther and farther within the cavern* 's it was) the tumult soonreceded alto#ether from si#ht in the blackness) with only occasional evil echoes to mark itscontinuance*

Then the most alert of the #houls #ave the si#nal for all to advance) and "arter followed the lopin#three out of the forest of monoliths and into the dark noisome streets of that awful city whoserounded towers of cyclopean stone soared up beyond the si#ht* ilently they shambled over thatrou#h rock pavement) hearin# with dis#ust the abominable muffled snortin#s from #reat blackdoorways which marked the slumber of the (u#s* 'pprehensive of the endin# of the rest hour) the#houls set a somewhat rapid pace. but even so the 9ourney was no brief one) for distances in thattown of #iants are on a #reat scale* 't last) however) they came to a somewhat open space before atower even vaster than the rest. above whose colossal doorway was fi1ed a monstrous symbol in

bas,relief which made one shudder without knowin# its meanin#* This was the central tower withthe si#n of Koth) and those hu#e stone steps 9ust visible throu#h the dusk within were the be#innin#of the #reat fli#ht leadin# to upper dreamland and the enchanted wood*

There now be#an a climb of interminable len#th in utter blacknessB made almost impossible by themonstrous si+e of the steps) which were fashioned for (u#s) and were therefore nearly a yard hi#h*7f their number "arter could form no 9ust estimate) for she soon became so worn out that thetireless and elastic #houls were forced to aid her* 'll throu#h the endless climb there lurked the

peril of detection and pursuit. for thou#h no (u# dares lift the stone door to the forest because ofthe (reat 7ne4s curse) there are no such restraints concernin# the tower and the steps) and escaped#hasts are often chased) even to the very top* o sharp are the ears of (u#s) that the bare feet andhands of the climbers mi#ht readily be heard when the city awoke. and it would of course take butlittle time for the stridin# #iants) accustomed from their #hast,hunts in the vaults of :in to seein#without li#ht) to overtake their smaller and slower -uarry on those cyclopean steps* /t was very

depressin# to reflect that the silent pursuin# (u#s would not be heard at all) but would come verysuddenly and shockin#ly in the dark upon the climbers* 6or could the traditional fear of (u#s for


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#houls be depended upon in that peculiar place where the advanta#es lay so heavily with the (u#s*There was also some peril from the furtive and venomous #hasts) which fre-uently hopped up ontothe tower durin# the sleep hour of the (u#s* /f the (u#s slept lon#) and the #hasts returned soonfrom their deed in the cavern) the scent of the climbers mi#ht easily be picked up by thoseloathsome and ill,disposed thin#s. in whic

the dream quest of unknown kadath reslept [randy carter][a gender switch adventure] - holly philippa...

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