144 The two men just continued on and finally
came to the door. Its bars were thick and close together, like those on
the windows. Inside, against the wall, was a comfortable-looking
bed. On the opposite wall, was a toilet and washcloth. The Voice
noticed the frame for a mirror by some shelves and pegs, but the mirror
was gone. "What happened to the mirror?" he asked.
145 "She pulled up a stone," the master told
him, "the first day she was in the prison and broke the mirror,
carefully gathering each piece and throwing them out the window."
146 The girl stood in the middle of the room
staring at them. She was exceptionally beautiful. She moved
closer, dragging the heavy chain that was fastened to her ankle. She
looked at The Voice. "Come, Speaker of The Lords," she mocked.
"Come in! You like what you see. Come! Partake of it!
I would not harm such a wonderful man. See how beautiful I am?
Come, enjoy me!"
147 The girl's father covered his face and
moved away from the door. The Voice raised his staff. "In
The Name of The Lords," he cried, "Thing of The Darkness. I
command you...be gone!"
148 The girl leapt for the door, but the chain
would only allow her to come within a few inches. She no
longer spoke with a woman's voice, but with that of a man.
"Fool!" he roared, "Your petty Lords do not have the strength to drive
ME out! Each day I grow stronger. Soon, I will be
free! Soon I will gather my following and the world will be
mine! I will be its god. I will remove all others who stand
before me. Your petty Lords will be a forgotten dream!"
149 The Voice thrust his staff through the bars and touched the girl's chest. "Begone, evil!" he cried.
150 There was a flash of light, the girl gave
a horrid cry, and jumped back. "Fool!" cried the man's voice, "I
am invincible! I am the all powerful, the god of gods! You
do not have the Power to destroy me, and neither does the priest of The
One. Neither of you has the strength!" It began to laugh
hideously, the laugh of a madman!
151 The Voice stepped back. He knew the
thing was right. He did not have the Power to drive it out.
Neither he nor the priest of The One could defeat it alone, but
perhaps....perhaps....
152 The thing in the cage had turned away, but
it suddenly spun back. "NO!" it cried, "NO!" charging to the bars. "It
won't work, you fool! It won't work. You haven't a
prayer! I would destroy you both! I would drink your blood
and eat your hearts!"
153 But The Voice knew he felt his fear. He
knew he had thought the right thought and smiled. He put the tip of his
staff to the ground, and slowly walked around the prison until the two
ends of the circle joined.
154 "If you love your daughter," he told the
master of the house, "you must do as I say. I am going to talk with the
priest, and I may send a messenger with instructions. Allow no
one to cross this circle. Give her no food or water, no one must step
upon the circle and break it. Will you obey my instructions?"
155 "No, father!" the girl pleaded at the
door, "No! I'm your baby, your love! Don't listen to him,
DON'T!"
156 The master of the house turned to The
Voice. "Whatever you tell me to do," the master answered, "I will
do it."
157 The Voice nodded and headed back through
the gate. The girl cried after him, "Please, sir,
don't! Don't, please! He'll only destroy you, and hurt
me! Please, don't!"
158 But The Voice only marched on, stopping to
thank the servant at the gate. He hurried on to the
village. His own people greeted him at the gate.
159 "I have been to the farm," he
announced. "I have no time for formalities. Gather the
people at The Temple. I must speak with The Priest of The One!"
160 He made his way quickly, to The One's
temple. He found The Priest standing with several of his
followers at the foot of his steps. "Greetings, Voice of The
Lords," welcomed The Priest. "I have been expecting you. You have
seen it?"
161 "Yes," answered The Voice, "we must
destroy it. Neither of us can destroy it alone. We must
work together. Will you fight it with me?"
162 "What is your plan?" asked The Priest.
163 The Voice removed four stones from his
pocket, two large ones, and two small ones. "You must take two of
these," he instructed, "a small one and a large one. Tomorrow,
beginning at high sun, we must bless them.
164 Fast and pray until midnight, then we must
meet at the village gate, and go and do battle with him. While we
are doing these things, our people must clear the farm of every living
thing that they can find.
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