119 "You'll be too busy, anyway!" The Voice assured him.
120 With
The Children of The Gentleness mourning their dead, little could be
done that day. The evening meal came late and there was little
conversation until The Lords Beggar and his escort arrived for lessons.
121 As the
guard sat down to eat, his eyes fell on Half Face and he jumped to his
feet. "Lord!" he cried, "I cannot eat with this man! You will
excuse me."
122 Half
Face rose. "No," he announced, "I will drive no man from the
table. If any leave it shall be me. Take your place."
123 "Do me no favors!" the guard snapped.
124 "I do
you none!" Half Face answered. "I wish to cause no
disruption. From now on I will take my food in my room."
125 "I do
not like this," The Voice snapped, "you show rudeness when we are
guests in this house. Who are you to say who can sit at this
table, and who cannot? That is for our hosts."
126 "A bargain, Lord," answered the guard. "I will eat with him if he will bare his face!"
127 Without
a word, Half Face turned and left. But as he passed The Voice, he
whispered, "For my sake, Lord, do not rebuke him. He has reason."
128 Later
that evening, as The Voice passed Half Face's room he found the
door ajar, and from inside heard giggling. He peeked in and saw
several of the house's children gathered around this strange, sombre
man. He was telling them stories, making gestures with his hands
like flying birds an running animals. The Voice continued down
the hall.
129 The
next day as The Beggar's guard was preparing to leave for his duties,
The Voice approached him. "I wish an explanation," he requested.
130 "It is
a family thing, Lord," the guard explained, "but if you take that man
into your Circle, there will be nothing but trouble."
131 "If I
do not know the cause of your anger," asked The Voice, "how can I judge
this man? Why are you so against him?"
132 The guard hesitated for a moment, then looked at The Voice and said two words "Sand snake."
133 For a
moment The Voice did not understand, and then he remembered. A
large caravan camped on the banks of the river attacked by
bandits. Twenty-five fighting people, and one-hundred-fifty
travelers, and there had been only one survivor.
134 The
Voice sighed. "I see," he said. When the others were gone, The
Voice found Half Face in the kitchen. "Take off your patch," he
ordered.
135 Without
a complaint, Half Face obeyed. The hideous scar in the shape of a
"C" covered most of his face on that side. The Voice looked at it
in disgust. "How could anyone do that to another man?" he said
aloud.
136 "Mobs,"
answered Half Face, "do not worry about pity or, compassion. Their only
thought is punishment. It was not enough for them that The
Council of Warlocks stripped me of my rank, and banished me. They
wanted me to know pain. Well, I know pain, every day, when I look
in a mirror, and every night when I sleep." He put the patch back
on. "I'll leave," he continued, "my being here will cause you too much
trouble. It was a bad idea to begin with."
137 "You'll
leave," commented The Voice, "when The Lords will it, and not
before! There is a Healer in the city. Maybe he can do
something about some of that pain."
138 "You want me to stay?" Half Face asked.
139 "The
Lords brought you here," The Voice explained, "obviously they intend to
use your skills. Others judged you and set your punishment.
That is over and done with. I care nothing about your past. It is
your future I want!"
140 "My life is yours!" promised Half Face. He finished packing his food and went out the door.
141 Yawning
Bear and Strong Bear's ashes were taken from the city back to their
native village to be entombed on their family ground with their
Ancestors.
142 Half
Face joined the Circle, and The Voice began to teach. Half Face
soon gathered a body of bold followers who he soon led on daring raids
throughout the city.
143 Captive
women in two houses of pleasure were freed. Pon dealers were
raided. Several Hood storehouses were broken into and the stolen
goods they contained returned to their owners.