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Truly, she was a clever person He knew that she used words to coax and cozen In his drea and cheating ran rife a humankind A knife is a knife, after all, a tool used for cutting or killing No need to give it pretty words to pretend that it was so other than what it was Yet perhaps they could not help the their cud, they twisted words and flattered and deceived because it was part of their nature

"What you say may even be true Yet it seems to me that there are many from the slave pens ill not breed and who can never learn I have no use for tools that are broken In two months mythe slaves who cannot speak true words towith the rest of the ani," objected Otto "Even in our own lands a child will not speak for two years or even three, and truly five or six years must pass before any child can speak like to an adult" Otto had fire in him, a passion for life and what huht hihand’s attention in the first place "Surely if we must teach them to speak as we do, as well as to obey the simple commands they already knoe need as much time as it would take to teach a child of our own people to speak"

"I weary of this debate Now you will listen to what I co the the air "Rikin tribe will not carry useless burdens We have far to go, and everything we carry ument on this matter"

He paused, but neither of thee lay heavily on hiht summer sun had weathered his skin Even his hair had turned color, washing brown to white, so that in a way he see of his Eika hand understood that this happened to be the way age marked humankind Deacon Ursuline simply listened, face composed and silent

"In two months, the herds will be culled If you cannot or do not choose a the slaves, then I will My choice will fall heavier than yours would, so accept now the responsibility or give it back to me and abide by my decision"

Ursuline was as persistent as she was patient "Let me ask one boon of you, then,He was tired of the sight of , dirty slaves, ere of less use to hioats and cattle because their flesh was too sour to eat He cut off her words with a sharp gesture Turning, he lifted a foot to walk away--

Confined within white walls, it pushes restlessly against its prison, but it is too weak to do ainst its prison wall before the bath of warm liquid in which it floats soothes it back into lassitude Awareness flickers dihts, spin and twirl in its reat burning Is it not the child of flame, that all creatures fear? Voices whisper, but it cannot understand the otten what a voice is Meetfulness rock beneath it It sleeps

Stronghand’s foot hit the ground, jolting him back to himself

He had to blink, because the weak autu that his eyes could not adjust Stark terror flooded hi pools of every tribe, the nests of the RockChildren ripened Once he, too, had been anothing s lived who devoured their nest brothers rather than being devoured themselves Those that ate matured intoeaten res

Yet before Alain freed hie, he had been, like his brothers, a slave to the single- and war and plunder that still afflictedinstead of a thinking etting what it was?

With effort, he forced the fear back He had not bathed too long in those waters He had clawed his way free Alain had freed hie, and he meant to remain the way he was He would not let memory sleep, and instinct rule

Slowly, the world carip on his staff Deacon Ursuline and Papa Otto had averted their eyes, careful not to be seen noticing his weakness But even so, they looked startled, utterly amazed