29.
able to go then," he said.
"No," North affirmed, "They will not let you in. I will have to go alone. But it will be alright. You can wait for me outside."
"I don't think it will take long," his uncle told him.
"Did you finish the books?" asked North.
"Yes. Do you have any idea of how rich you are? Your father made some very good investments after The Hashon War, and he seems to have been given interests in several properties. You're a very rich young man!"
"Really?" North was amazed. "It is a good thing I have you as a guardian...I had no idea. Someone else could have robbed me blind, and I would never have known!"
"Do you think there'll be any trouble about that?" asked his uncle.
"No, they never question who one selects, except if that person, too, is brought on charges, and I don't think there's any chance of that!"
"No," his uncle replied. "Will you be safe in The Temple alone?"
"Oh yes. They'd never dare let anything happen to me there."
"All right. But you'd better try to get some rest. Can you do it without breaking down?"
"I think so," North said, and he went back to his room and rested a couple more hours. Then he got up and showered, and put on clean clothes. He wondered what he should wear, and then decided to put on his school uniform. He was eating his lunch when the doorbell sounded. His uncle answered it and soon returned with three members of The Lord's Guard.
"Are you Northern Star?" their leader asked.
"Yes," was the answer, "what is it?"
"We have been ordered to see to your safety," the leader answered, "for the next few weeks, and escort you to the ceremonies this afternoon. This apartment has two entrances, does it not?"
"Yes," replied North. "The hallway and the balcony."
Turning to the two men with him, the officer sent one to the hall door, and the other to the balcony. North noticed all three men had heavy swords but no shields. Apparently, somebody was worried about his safety. Otherwise, they would not have been so heavily armed. The guard returned to North.
"Do you intend to fly to the ceremonies or use a flier?"
"Which would you prefer?" asked North.
"A flier," said the guard, "I would prefer you not be in the open."
"Very well," North agreed. "But may we use ours? I don't want to