[The King said unto Syrahn, the prophet]: “I have a need.” And Syrahn answered: “Thou art a man.” And the King said: “Where lie the days that were and certain hours?” And Syrahn answered: “These things lie in a cave afar from here, and over the cave stands sentinel one Kai, and this cave Kai hath guarded from the gods and men since ever the Beginning was made”… And the face of Kai was as a warrior that vanquisheth cities and burdeneth himself not with captives, and his form was as the forms of gods, but his eyes were the eyes of beasts; before whom came the King of Averon with elephants and camels bearing burdens of gold, and trusty servants carrying precious gems.
Appearance List Later editions: Time and the Gods (circa 1918, unauthorized omnibus), Time and the Gods (1922) revised by Dunsany, Time and the Gods (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1922), Beyond the Fields We Know (Ballantine, 1972) ed. Lin Carter.
Description [The King said unto Syrahn, the prophet]: “I have a need.” And Syrahn answered: “Thou art a man.” And the King said: “Where lie the days that were and certain hours?” And Syrahn answered: “These things lie in a cave afar from here, and over the cave stands sentinel one Kai, and this cave Kai hath guarded from the gods and men since ever the Beginning was made”… And the face of Kai was as a warrior that vanquisheth cities and burdeneth himself not with captives, and his form was as the forms of gods, but his eyes were the eyes of beasts; before whom came the King of Averon with elephants and camels bearing burdens of gold, and trusty servants carrying precious gems.
