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
Page 46