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She walks with
purpose, a darkly purpose,
and many fear
her tread.
In ancient
circles, old as time itself,
her very name
was dread.
She walked the
Earth when it was newly-made,
and held sway
even then,
Over creatures,
long since extinct,
that came
before the race of men.
For she is
ancient, eons-old,
and often was
her name sung,
By her Children
in the Halls of Ulthar -
Praise to this
Ancient One!
Her beauty is
not wholesome,
like that of
Lythalia, her sister,
Here is a
seductive beauty, a feline grace,
and few can
resist her.
Her love is a
dark love, an unwholesome thing,
this Mistress
of the Darkness,
Yet she knows
her power, and plays upon this,
to draw men to
this seductress.
She promises
the love of a goddess,
power, wealth,
immortality -
Who could
resist such a deadly lure?
Not I, I tell
you, not even thee!
But tell me:
can a man love a goddess,
even one such
as she?
For I do love
her,
or so does my
heart tell me.
Although once a
good man,
a man of God, I
would not hesitate,
To do by her
whatever she demands,
no matter
consecrate.
For murder,
even that most terrible sin,
I would not
falter.
To worship
there in her fires of lust,
my seed upon
her altar.
But I warn you
now, her power spreads,
again she will
hold sway.
Over beast and
man alike, swift
approaches the
Ancient Ones' day.
If you are of
the fortunate few, who know her not,
avoid her lure -
For me it is
too late, to her I belong,
and it is sure,
By stream or
brook, in field or cave,
on hill or vale
or hollow;
Wherever the
road may lie, where walks Istasha,
I, too, shall
follow.
"Where Walks Istasha" : Reprinted from Eldritch Tales (#23) Summer 1990 with kind permission of the author.
1997 by Peter A. Worthy
"Where Walks Istasha" © 1990-1997 James Ambuehl.
