Forbid this wickedness. "
23 "I give you a direct order!" screamed the Warlock. "If you do not
obey it, it is mutiny! Hang them up!" Reluctantly the fighting people
obeyed. "High Damon, pick up that lash and do your duty!"
24 Two men came forward with lashes. Gray Goat nodded, and two women
from the crowd threw off their robes, stepped forward, and wrapped
their arms around the young men, shielding their bodies with their own
flesh.
25 "Will you put the lash to a Daughter of Gentleness?" asked Gray
Goat. "Will you put these barbs in her flesh? If you remove her,
another will take her place, and another, until you do not have enough
hands to kill them all, and watch your prisoners. You are men of The Lords. Must you fight your own people in order to
obey a wicked decree?"
26 The Damon looked to his partner, who looked scared and confused.
Then, the Damon threw down his lash, and the other man did likewise.
27 "Warlock," cried the Damon, "we stand on our rights. We will not
obey this Law. It is not legal. In any other matter we will obey you,
but in
this we will not. You are outside your authority. The First Speaker has
given us an order, that cannot be obeyed!"
28 "This is mutiny! " screamed the Warlock. "You will all face the ax
for this!"
29 "Better the ax," answered the Damon, "than shame! I am sending
letters by my friends to all other posts. If they know WE have stood
against this Law here, they will stand against it, elsewhere. You
cannot execute the entire army."
30 They took down the prisoners and the other prisoners started crying
"Saint! Saint! Saint!" as they were returned to them.