Chapter
Twenty-Four
Sweet Blossom did not want to speak, but went to her
room. Strong Dog told what happened.
2 "We walked into an ambush. There were
twenty-five of us, and nearly one-hundred of them. We fought our
way out without losing a man, but somehow one of their spearmen got
ahead of us. He had a clear throw at Sweet Blossom. He
couldn't miss.
3 Knowing Fox had no shield. He stopped the
spear the only way he could. It went clean through him, but he still
managed to throw his sword and take down the spearman! We got him
out of there, but he only lived a few minutes. We took him back to his
home village. They'll do him honor."
4 Sweet Blossom came out of her room. "I've
done my mourning," she announced, "now I'll live for him, doing the
things he wanted to do, freeing our people from the evil that oppresses
them. Let us put our sorrow aside, and return to our work." All
agreed.
5 Every Worship Day The Voice was speaking in
The Temple. As he was leaving one day, a young Warlock approached
him. "Sir," he asked, "I am Bright Sword. I would like very much
to sit in your Circle. Is there room?"
6 "There is room," announced The Voice.
"Come! Join us! That is a very unusual name, young
man. I have never heard of any clan called Sword. How did
you come by it?"
7 "My family turned from The Lords and joined
The One. But when I reached my manhood I took The Bread and The
Wine. They disinherited me, forbade me to use their Symbol.
8 So I went to The Temple and registered my
own Symbol....a fighting sword. A symbol for a new clan,
befitting a Warlock. A clan that will serve its people forever!"
9 "So must it be!" prayed The Voice.
10 Though Bright Sword joined The Voice's
Circle, he kept his position as a guard at the prison. Though The City
Warlock and Speaker wanted to be rid of him, they could find no charge
to dismiss him.
11 Great Bear's Circle was growing, and so was
The Voice's influence in the city. He convinced many of the merchants
to stop paying The City Speaker's extra charges. Almost all were
attacked. But Sweet Blossom and her men dealt quickly with the
attackers, and no lives were lost.
12 Help came to them from an unknown source,
as notes began to appear in Great Bear's yard, wrapped around stones.
As the messages appeared day and night, someone was always posted in
the yard to bring them in as soon as they appeared.
13 The notes often read 'this person or that
one will be attacked at noon, or, daybreak,' and would tell the number
of attackers and sometimes even describe them! Day after day,
night after night, these messages led them to The Hoods. "I don't know
who our note sender is," praised The Voice, "we may NEVER know.
But he is one of the greatest Servants The Lords ever had!"
14 The Voice continued to speak against
corruption and to teach that The Lords were forgiving. He noticed that
when he preached The Lords forgiveness, a certain man in The Temple
always paid great attention, hanging on every word. One day, he asked
Great Bear who the man was.
15 "That is Quick Hands," Great Bear told him,
"a former pickpocket. He has done three years at the mines on two
separate occasions, and was once up on charges for nearly beating an
old man to death. But it was proven the old man called him a son
of a dog, so The Speaker gave him two years of charity work instead of
sending him to the mines again. During those years a woman he was
working for turned him to The Lords.
16 Since then, he has been a good citizen,
making his living doing odd jobs. He has a room with some widows in the
city, which he gets in exchange for fathering their children!"
17 The Voice went over to the little
man. "Quick Hands," he inquired.
18 "Yes, Lord," the little man answered.
19 "I want you to appear every night at the
house of Great Bear to sit in his circle. You shall be a Speaker
for The Lords."
20 The little man shook all over.
"Surely, Lord," he pleaded, "you know my history. I am not a worthy
man. The people would look upon The Lords with disfavor if I
served Them!"
21 "Whom The Lords choose to serve," The Voice
snapped, "no man should ever question! Let Them be the judge of
who is worthy, and who is not worthy. I have said for you to come, I
will not argue. Come!"
22 "Yes, Lord!" the little man replied. "I
will be there!"
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