" 'There in the dusk of the temple when the Eight Assassins came—the eight Sheiks-el-Djebel, all in white—chanting the Yakase of Sabbah—always that dirge when they came and spread their eight white shrouds on the temple steps——' "
Her voice caught; she waited to recover her composure. Then went on:
"The ambition of Genghis was to conquer the world by force of arms. It was merely of physical subjection that he dreamed. But the Slayer of Souls——"
"Who?" asked Recklow sharply.
"The Slayer of Souls—Erlik's vice-regent on earth—Hassan Sabbath. The Old Man of the Mountain. It is of him I am speaking," exclaimed Tressa Norne—with quiet resolution. "Genghis sought only physical conquest of man; the Yezidee's ambition is more awful, for he is attempting to surprise and seize the very minds of men!
There was a dead silence. Tressa looked palely upon the four.
"The Yezidees—who you tell me are not sorcerers—are using power—which you tell me is not magic accursed by God—to waylay, capture, enslave, and destroy the minds and souls of mankind."
Chapter 5 The Assassins, Slayer of Souls, Robert W. Chambers
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