26 She kissed him one more time, and they went
to sleep. In the morning The Voice was alone when he woke
up. He dressed, went to the kitchen to find everyone else there.
Sweet Blossom was sitting at the table with Strong Dog. They seemed to
be having a little argument.
27 "I still don't think you should go
out!" Strong Dog argued. "Give it a couple of days.
Get your strength back. You've been through something other people
couldn't have survived. Give your body a chance to recover!"
28 "If my body recovers any more," said Sweet
Blossom, "I might not be able to stand it! My people have been
without me for over a month. I've got to find out what's
happening! They depend on me!"
29 Strong Dog put his hand on her belly. "So
does she!" he demanded. He saw The Voice and rose. "Sir," he requested,
"will you talk some sense into this woman?"
30 "You're doing just fine!" answered The Voice, "She's your problem now!"
31 Everyone laughed. "Now wait a
minute!" argued Strong Dog. "Oh, damn! I'm going with her!"
32 He went to his room to get his things, and
The Voice smiled at Sweet Blossom. "Good choice!" he grinned.
33 Silent Dog kissed Sweet Blossom on the
cheek then made some quick signs to her that the others couldn't
see. "Thanks," she signed back. "I'll remember that."
34 "All right you two," said strong Dog, as he
entered the room. "It's not fair to gang up on me!"
35 Everyone laughed, and each headed off to
their particular business. The Voice warned everybody for the
child's sake, "Don't tell anyone what you know. As far as we're
concerned she's just a normal little girl who we'll all love and help
raise, nothing unusual about her at all. Maybe someday future
generations will know the wonders that happened here. But for our
generation it's best no one knows. Let her have her second chance in
peace." Everyone agreed without question.
36 Sweet Blossom was with child. It was simply
another of The Voice's miracles. No one needed to know anything else.
The rest could be a secret kept for a future time.
37 The Voice left the house and headed down
for the docks. For some strange reason he had an urge to meet the
incoming boats. All morning he sat on the dock watching the boats come
in. The large ships sat at anchor in the deep water and the small
shallow bottom boats went to and fro, bringing cargo in and taking it
out. The Voice looked at the new docks being built out into the
deep water and knew that this old way of doing things would soon come
to an end.
38 Soon, the big ships would come right up to
the docks to unload. But he was sure these little boats would
find other uses. He noticed one boat coming in that was different
from the rest. It had one big mast, and a small one, and nets
rolled up on its deck. As it neared the docks, he watched its crew of
four tie up to the dock.
39 There were three men and a young
woman. The young woman looked up at him and smiled, then returned
to the rope she was pulling. As she looked up again, her smile turned
to terror. With incredible speed she grabbed the fishing spear behind
her and threw it.
40 The Voice froze, but the weapon was not
meant for him. There was a loud cry behind him, and a thud, as
the spear met flesh. The Voice turned to see a man behind him,
knife raised to strike. But the arm, knife, and hand were pinned to the
wall of the building by the three prongs of the spear!
41 With an agonizing cry, the man pulled the
weapon from his arm, turned, and sped down the street. He didn't get
far. A fighting man stepped out of an alleyway and cut him down.
42 The Voice walked over. "Too bad you had to
kill him," he remarked. "But he can't answer any questions dead, can
he?"
43 "With these thugs," explained the Warlock,
"you can't take any chances." He nodded to some men. They picked
up the body and carried it away.
44 "Good throw, young woman!"
complimented The Voice. "I seem to always be thanking women for saving
my life. It's getting to be a bad habit! What is your name,
girl?"
45 "Yellow Thorn Blossom," the girl
answered. "No thanks necessary, sir. Good citizens must stand
together. Glad I was here!"
46 "I'm The Voice of The Lords," The Voice
continued, "I'd like to have you come study with me. I can
arrange a place for you to live, and some work so you can earn some
spending money. Would you be interested?"
47 The girl looked at the older man in the
boat. "You mean, make her a Speaker, Lord?" the man asked.
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