The Sons of Isaac(131)

Bilqis sat in the special enclosure reserved for royalty while the people stood in the open courtyard watching the faint wraith of a crescent that the sick moon had become. As it drifted over the edge of the temple wall, a great wailing and beating of breasts, even pulling of hair and loud chanting, erupted. Ilumquh had sickened and was dead.

As the ceremony came to an end, Bilqis moved toward her palanquin. She was eager to leave the stench and depressing air of Ilumquh’s temple. Suddenly she noticed her maidens drawing back, even bowing, with a look of awe and fear on their faces. Bilqis turned and in the light of a waxed taper she saw the High Priest himself coming toward her. He made her feel uneasy. He wore the crown of Ilumquh with the dread eagle mask hanging by a cord around his neck. His ornate gold-encrusted robes were stained with blood, and there was the odor of burned flesh and singed hair that was stronger than the incense. His beard was clipped to a point and his eyes were cold.

Now as at other times in the past, it was his hands that bothered her the most. His fingers were long and tapered, always nervously plucking at things. He seemed to be constantly questioning, probing, and divining the worst in any situation.

Bilqis wished that her father had chosen another one of the priests for this office. Though he made an impressive sight before the great altar and his voice had power to make even brave men tremble, there was something almost sinister about Il Hamd. He was ambitious, even ruthless, where his interests were concerned. However, he needed her support and so she trusted him.

“My queen,” the High Priest said, bowing only slightly and not waiting for her recognition before he continued, “since I am the great Ilumquh’s high priest, it is my duty to warn you. If you don’t choose a consort soon there will be much trouble.”

“Trouble? Who will dare to cause trouble? It’s a private matter.”

“Nothing is private when one is a queen. It’s been three years since you came to the throne and still there is no consort.”

“Why now? Why are you bringing this up now?”

“The stars are in the right position for success. Your tribe demands it and the people are waiting. Who knows what evil will come upon us if there is no heir to the throne. At the time of the new moon, I will come for your answer.”

“What do you mean, my answer?”

“Why, I will expect you to have chosen someone from your tribe or one of the noble sheiks that have come forward with offers of marriage.”

Bilqis tossed her head defiantly. “I’ll have none of them,” she said emphatically.

“But you must not take the matter of the stars and their control so lightly. Think what it would mean to Sheba if there is no heir.”

“The men you’ve mentioned are all greedy vultures plotting to wear the crown of Sheba.”

“But you must understand. All the omens both in the stars and the sheep’s liver, the flying bats, and the drawing of the chances point to this time as being right for your marriage. When the people hear …”

“Then tell the people that when someone comes that is not self-seeking and greedy, someone who is strong, someone I can admire, then I’ll give myself, but not before.”

“You are asking the impossible. Only a god would fit that description. Tomorrow I will come for your decision.”

“You will have my decision right now. Until someone suitable is found, I will remain as I am.”

“So you have rejected the son of your uncle and the finest princes of Sheba as well as the neighboring kings. There is no one left but the god himself, Ilumquh.” His words were stern and harsh and Bilqis knew that he meant just what he said.

“And what if I choose the god Ilumquh?”

For a moment he seemed stunned. Then with a quick intake of breath he said, “Then you would come on the night of Ilumquh’s full strength and spend the night in his pillared pavilion. Hopefully you would conceive.”

“I would bring my maidens and …”

“You would have to come alone.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I must have your answer at the rising of the new moon. If you want strength, what could be stronger than Ilumquh?” With that he bowed low and disappeared into the shadows as quickly as he had appeared.

Bilqis was first angry and then frustrated. She wondered which of her relatives had thought of this. It was a trick. If she didn’t accept her cousin, then she would have to accept the strange ritual of coming to the temple as the bride of Ilumquh. It was impossible to refuse Ilumquh. The High Priest and her relatives were counting on this very thing. Of course they expected her to become what they called “reasonable” and marry her cousin. She would have to think about it. There must be some way out of this dilemma.