Chapter Eighteen
Now, some days after Mad Dog had attacked Gray Dove, The High
Priest of Tr entered The King's court and asked for audience,
which The King granted.
2 "Your Majesty," announced The High Priest, "I
bring distressing news. There is a group of rabble in our country
led by an insane old man, who speaks treason against our King,
and denies his divine right to rule."
3 The King looked up, angry. "Who do you speak of?" he
asked. "I will have his head!"
4 "I speak of The Old Fox," The high Priest told The
King, "and his Worshippers of Spirit. They say Your Majesty
is only a man who has taken power by ordinary means, and is not
divinely appointed by the gods."
5 The King sat back. "Hmmm," he said, "one of my
councilmen was speaking of an Old Fox just before he died. He
presented me with a petition changing his heirs. You say he
denies my authority?"
6 "He teaches that you are a man," The Priest answered,
"and worthy of respect because you are a good King, and
should be obeyed as long as you are just. But if you should be
unjust, unfair to the people, then the people should disobey
you."
7 "He does, does he?" roared The King, "We will
see about that! Page! Go and fetch this Old Fox. Tell him I want
him here after the midday meal, that I wish him to answer to
these treasonous charges against him."
8 The page nodded, and hurried off. Pleased, The High Priest
withdrew. The King would make quick work of this Old Fox, he
thought. But one of The King's Councilmen leaned over and
whispered in his ear. "Be cautious, Your Majesty, this Old
Fox is the leader of many followers. His new Religion has spread
rapidly. Some of the people in this courtroom may be his
followers, and some of the leaders of your army. Treat him too
harshly, and there may be a rebellion; a rebellion they might
win!"
9 Now, The King trusted this man's judgment, and took heed to his
words.
10 Now, that was visiting The Speakers School Infirmary. One of
The School's students, morning The Old Fox after speaking in been
attacked by a group of young men and beaten. The Old Fox had come
the marketplace, had in to comfort Lord, for your visit,"
the young man complimented. "Though I continue with my him.
11 "I am grateul, studies it gets here."
12 "Do not worry about it," comforted The Old Fox.
"You will soon be well, kind of lonesome and I will keep you
company and help you with your studies."
13 "Thank you, Lord," the young send someone to man you
go, will you answer a question for me?"
14 "If it is within my power!" The Old answered.
"Lord, before Fox who beat me," the young man began,
"said I had a demon, and they would drive it replied,
"Ask!"
15 "The men from my body. Now, I have had much time to
consider, and the thought has bothered me. I have heard many
tales of demons, and truly believe they exist. But what are they,
Lord? Where do they come from? Where do they get their awful
powers?"
16 The Old Fox rose and began to stroll about the room, holding
tightly to his staff. "Demons," he said, "were
once cruel and wicked people who committed terrible acts while
they lived. Now, so great was their evil, so horrid their deeds,
that they could not even enter The Spirit World. Even The
Darkness was not dark enough to hide them! They knew if they
entered The Spirit World, they would die. The pain that they had
caused others would explode them like a bursting bubble, and
their sparks would go out forever.
17 So not daring to enter The Spirit World, they hide in The
Material World in dark crevices and caverns, where no light can
reach. And they venture out only at night, constantly seeking a
new body they can possess. For as they have never entered The
Spiritual World, they cannot be reborn.
18 Now, they cannot feed on The Light, for that will destroy
them, so they feed on The Darkness. They feast where there is
hate, greed, lust. They are ravenous on a battlefield, gorging
themselves on the blood, on the hate, and the anger.
19 They glory in causing wars, for when there is strife and
anger, they feed. And on The Darkness they become powerful. And
if men will serve them, they give them that power."
20 "They can feed on men's souls?" asked the student.
21 "They can harm no righteous man," The Old Fox said,
"but as each person leaves their body, the body still, for a
while, generates spiritual energy, and the demons feast on it
until there is nothing left. Sometimes, they seize on an evil
person when they die, but they cannot keep them from going into
Spirit, so they can only cause them a little pain. It is the
living they want to control. The more hate they make, the more
they feed.
22 Sometimes you can see them in the temples of the gods,
especially those gods that usually one always there, demand
blood. There is feasting on the sacrifices."
23 The young man shivered. "How do How do you know when you
fight them, Lord? one has possessed a body, a living body?"
24 "There are ways of possessed," explained The telling
if a person is Old Fox, "if they tend to stay away from
light, sleep during the day night, if they are afraid of your and
be awake at touch, or will not enter a holy building, if they are
afraid of mirrors; that a person may be these are all signs
possessed.
25 As to fighting them there are only two ways they can be family
of a possessed destroyed. One, the person
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