The days and nights passed by with an odd swiftness that has never
before been seen or felt.
Boyce and Lloyd didn't appear to do much else than run the learning
sessions in the Blue Mansion, catering to whomever, and from whatever,
class they were from.
One cardinal attended the first two days of the academy's opening and
he reported to the ArchBishop Manguino that everything was being
handled straight as in the Blaisaman and that political ideologies were
discussed as philosophical arguments rather than as private opinions.
Everything in the academy was normal and there were no conspiracies or
treasonous talk being made within the mansion and so the cardinal
stopped attending the classes there.
The second day after the cardinal stopped coming to the classes Boyce
and Lloyd finally began to teach all those enlisted to their cause,
about the Twentieth Century civilisation.
The great book that Brook had given to his son and Lloyd, was passed
around to each person that knew how to read the written English, which
had survived to some extent, since that fallen age.
Those capable of reading the book, read it aloud to those who could
not, and all those who had been made familiar with the ancient book,
gawked at the wondrous pictured in the book. The pictures were of
strange machines that could fly and ships that travelled space, and
there were pictures of giant buildings that touched the skies. They
were great hollow mountains made by man, out of glass and steel and
rock.
The most loyal and m of the more intelligent students were taught how
to battle, hand-to-hand, with someone. They watched the hours of
demonstrations presented by Lloyd and Boyce.
However, due to the lack of time available to them to train, all that
they could do was watch Lloyd and Boyce's movements, then later teach
other; again, by demonstration and example.
Several months of military training were condensed into a week of
intense study and what's more, Halls never knew what was happening.
Throughout the two men's instruction, Zoro was present, relentlessly
perched; either on a piece of furniture on upon Boyce's shoulder.
To many of those loyal citizens there to learn Boyce's knowledge, Zoro
became a symbol of freedom from the evil monastic rule.
Boyce, with his interesting pet, had become quite popular in
Pomperaque, the word passing throughout the entire land of Phoride in a
manner that resembled that of legend.
Orren was certain that the two men from Besten presented a clear and
present threat to the ArchBishop and his established rule on this
continent. He couldn't allow his feelings to go without notice and he
discussed the prophesy, given to Manguino by the Seer, Jessuum Benitar,
with other cardinals who specialised in the interpretation of scripture
and prediction.
All of them agreed that the Seer's words were indeed strange and non of
them could agree on
their exact meaning, so the Cardinal Orren took to examining the
recorded text by himself.
With every subsequent reading of the words, Orren became more
frustrated and less did he succeed in his understanding of any of it.
He hoped that he would soon free whatever hidden meaning was held
within the vision that Jessuum conveyed to Manguino when he began to
degenerate his power and standing, for the sake of copulating with
Eckma.
Pure thought and logic slowed Orren's perspective for the explanation
of the prophetic forecast.
It happened one night that something that resembled an answer came to
Orren, and it was a strange coincidence that Manguino had glimmers of
thought that were similar.
In their like dreams, certain lines in the prophesy seemed to repeat
themselves and both Manguino and Orren began to realise their meanings.
The lines that held the most clarity for them were: 'Four great
elements, ride on high' and 'Black feathers from his shoulders jut'.
These lines reflected the omen and possibly even the new strangers.
However, there was no proof that they were upon the correct
considerations.
The next day that ArchBishop and Cardinal Orren confided to one another
about their dreams and about the interpretations that came to them
thereof.
Manguino told Orren that he heard the prophet's chant repeating itself
through his mind and peaking in clarity and volume at certain lines.
Orren had said the same thing to the ArchBishop and they discussed
their dreams, and what they thought their dreams meant, over the span
of several hours since they woke.
Both men were eager to strip clean the text of the prophesy in order
to reveal, to themselves, the long awaited answer.
"I understand the Mons, Your Grace!" Orren blurted out to the
ArchBishop. "It was the night before the two strange Bestenese entered
Pomperaque. I saw the Mons."
Orren paced about the ArchBishop's office, and Manguino sat at his desk
in his respective garb, listening to the great Cardinal Orren.
He walked back to the desk, from the window, lifted his palms before
him as if weighing the air that he passed through.
"The Mons were four, each on a horse, and each rider was clad in armour
and was the same colour as the horses. They were in the sky. So I
believe now that our Seer's predictions may be true. The Mons are
these four elements that ride on high."
Manguino sighed and rocked back and forth in his chair. He was pleased
to have made some head-way in answering the puzzling prophesy. Yet,
somehow he felt that there wasn't enough proof to be able to point to
Boyce and Lloyd and say that they were involved.
" 'Black feathers from his shoulders jut' ..." said the ArchBishop. "
... is strangely similar to that Boyce Loebh and his dirty crow. There
is one point, however, that has me question if that is so."
He stood up and moved around to the front of the desk and sat on it.
He motioned with his hands as he spoke to Orren, giving him his
explanation and other questions concerning it.
"That odd crow rides on Boyce Loebh's shoulder, it doesn't just from
it. Shoulders are mentioned instead on of shoulder -- this may be
misleading! It may be making us seek the reality of the forecast by
invoking within us our own dislikes for these men." he said to Orren.
Orren nodded and then shrugged while the chair on which he sat gently
swivelled to and fro. He looked right into the ArchBishop's eyes as he
thought that the ArchBishop may actually be right.
"I understand your thoughts. We don't want to make it a habit of
unjustly accusing those people that we do not trust only in order to
quell our own fright. Both of these Bestenese are popular with the
people as being great teachers. My men have reported to me no
treasonous news about them."
Orren raised himself from the chair and went over to the chiffonnier
behind Manguino and poured himself some wine.
"The Mons just rode across the Phoridene sky. They never rode in the
streets. Whatever happens will be minor." he said to Manguino before
he gulped the glass of wine into his gut.
"We should keep our wits about us and look for some strangers with
black feathers either growing out of their shoulders or adorning their
apparel."
"I will get some of my men to watch out for that happenstance." Orren
promised his master. "I will also put the Phoridene army on
battle-alert. I feel that to be the prudent action."
"We should wait, at least for a few more days and I don't believe that
the army will really be needed."
Orren became tense and he Questioned the ArchBishop's reasoning for not
letting him ready for defence. Afterall, Orren was in charge of the
army.
"We don't need tension between ourselves, Your Holiness!" Orren
finally said. "We have to be ready for anything. The people of this
city, and outlying towns and villages, have been behaving very
strangely in recent times. They don't seem to be expressing their
dislike for their living conditions and over-taxing. They wane in
their fear of you. Something is very wrong."
"You are surely like your father, Allen, was. You worry too much,
Cardinal. We should not worry about anything. We are strong and no
sane person would try anything against us. I am god of Phoride, and
of this hemisphere. Gods cannot be harmed."
The ArchBishop has always been thought of as a god, and has been made
to be worshipped as much but he had never before shown that he believed
it, too.
Orren left his presence and called a necessary meeting with the higher
cardinals and convinced them to back his giving his army a full alert
status.
Later, Manguino called on Orren to bring the two strangers to his
office for questioning. He was seemingly having second thoughts about
his own suspicions but, being a god, he didn't admit to it.
That afternoon Boyce and Lloyd came to Halls to see the ArchBishop.
Boyce had Zoro on his shoulder and it was making a great deal of noise,
listening to it echo throughout the cathedral and looking as if it was
enjoying itself.
Lloyd felt uneasy because this would be the first time that the members
of Halls could see his face clearly and he prayed that no one would
recognize him, from that day in the square, a decade ago.
They entered the ArchBishop's office with a majesty and saw Manguino
sitting at his desk with Orren in a chair off to his right side.
"We are pleased to have this visit, my friends!" said Manguino and he
smiled. "We would like to congratulate both of you on your successful
start with your school. I may be interested to attend some of your
lectures one day soon, but before I do, I would like to know something
about your backgrounds."
Boyce and Lloyd looked at one another and Zoro jumped off of Boyce's
shoulder and glided to the window. Boyce and Lloyd waited for a moment
and Lloyd knew that he had to speak since he was the older of the two.
"We are honoured to appear before you!" said Lloyd and he moved closer
to the front of the desk. "Thank-you for your notice and maybe with
your satisfaction we may be able to join our academy with the
Blaisaman?"
"Anything is possible!" exclaimed Orren in a snide voice.
The men didn't understand the tone coming from Orren but they took it
in stride. They didn't want anything to anger them this afternoon
since they were supposed to be intellectuals, not barbarians.
Both knew that it would be difficult to keep their anger subdued but it
was necessary for the success of their years of planning for the
take-over of Phoride.
"I would like to know of your educational background!" Manguino said
and motioned to both of them to sit down and they did.
"We had many years of study at the Blaisaman in besten and we have
travelled and studied, in many other places before deciding to come
here."
Boyce spoke slowly and steadily to the ArchBishop and Orren, trying to
ensure that each word sank into their minds.
"How long did you travel and how did you come to be in our city? You
have not been seen travelling along the known caravan routes and this
makes us curious."
Orren was the type of man that dove right for the heart of whatever he
wanted to know. He could not engage in side-stepping discussions
because they became dull and took too long to reach the information
that was desired.
"We have been travelling, fairly extensively for almost ten years now.
We have been to nearly every part of this continent, always taking
routes that were not extensively used." said Lloyd.
"Just as our trip from Besten to your city." said Boyce. "We
travelled as directly south as we could, going through the Dark Forest,
Sedara and Palatka. In fact, we were just leaving Palatka when Urre's
government was toppled!"
Lloyd wasn't pleased with Boyce telling these two evil clerics about
their taking the passage through the Dark Forest. He saw the two men's
expressions when Boyce told them that.
"How very interesting that you survived passing that inhospitable
forest." jeered Orren.
"Yes, it was interesting," began Boyce. "but it wasn't as dangerous
as our avoiding of the Elkinni slavers."
Lloyd felt better now, and more at ease. Boyce was adding some fantasy
to the truths that he had told them earlier. He was satisfied that
Boyce was handling the situation and so he relaxed more.
There was a shaky silence that rippled through the mood in the room.
All four men had experienced it, and when it came about, Zoro became
spooked and flew out the window and back to the Blue Mansion.
As it flew back to the Mansion, Empal was coming down, on the
Kenttitian Eagle, to the clearing in the Joenine Forest.
Zoro swooped up into the air and after displaying some silly-looking
acrobatics, he soared down to the roof tops of the mansion.
Only Orren saw Zoro fly out. Boyce an Lloyd were both too busy keeping
their thoughts in
line while in their hosts' presences, but this effort of their's
appeared to be to no useful avail.
Orren had come right out to them and told them both about his idea
behind a prophesy that they had been given.
Manguino sat back and studied the men's expressions but didn't see too
much that was odd or revealing.
"I must tell you both that we do not like your presence in Phoride. We
do not trust you, but in so long as you keep to what you have been
doing you will be tolerated."
Boyce felt like laughing and he had to ask the cardinal exactly what he
meant.
"I meant to say, " Orren replied. "that you will continue to teach in
accordance to those rules and methods, as are followed by other
learning institutions, within our domain. No personal thoughts or
opinions concerning the certain 'questionable' topics, will be allowed."
"You two are doing fine as academicians but we do not want to find that
treason is being discussed at the mansion." added Manguino.
Boyce and Lloyd said nothing, they just bowed their heads in
submission, necessary as a sign of protocol.
They stood up and bowed to the ArchBishop and waited for their
dismissal from his office. Following a few moments of intense glaring
between themselves, Manguino gave them leave and they left.
Orren walked around to the front of the desk and made his way to the
window and looked down to the interior of the quadrangles where many
novices reclined, near the fountain.
"Can you believe their supposed travels?" Orren asked but more as a
statement.
"You never know with the human animal, my loyal friend. Men have lied
since their
dawning. There is no such thing as truth, only variations of an
accepted lie!" commented Manguino.
"We should have asked how they survived their passage through the Dark
Forest." said Orren, then he gave a little laugh. "Maybe the gremlins
helped them through."
Whatever the case may be, Orren, I am not certain that they should be
totally mistrusted. They do not appear to have a threatening quality
about them."
"I still believe that we should keep them both under surveillance for a
while."
"Alright. Do that, for your own benefit and arrange for me a social
evening. I want to celebrate my safety."
Orren wanted to disapprove his request but he knew that Manguino would
only get someone else to do it for him.
He agreed and left the ArchBishop's presence, to carry though with the
order.