Prophecy Read Online Free PDF Page B

suggested ridiculing doubt. “We came across a farmstead in a hidden place, a spot where people obviously ran away to in order to work for
themselves
rather than the nobility. Guardsmen had been sent after them, and every man, woman, and child—including infants—had been hanged in front of their houses. If those guardsmen were to ride in here to do the same thing to one or more of your neighbors, which of you would be able to stand against them?”
    The muttering turned to a shocked silence at that, and then a boy flew in through the doorway. He looked around as he panted, obviously having run to the hall, and the man who had been called Refe stood up near his bench.
    “You wus right, sir,” the boy said at once, speaking to the man who had stood. “Ravis Grund ain’t nowheres around, not him and not none a the rest a his kin. Thet there fancy gold knocker is gone from th’ front door too, an’ inside everythin’s tossed ever’ which way.”
    “So now you know how the nobility and their hirelings take care of the people who produce their wealth,” Jovvi said once the panting boy had finished. “They desert them at the first sign of trouble, leaving them to live or die with only themselves to depend on. We’ve told you everything we know, and it might be best if you share that information with the rest of your neighbors and friends. Excluding anyone now would be more than foolish.”
    That gave us a reason to stand up and head for the way out, which I joined Jovvi in doing without delay.
    Those people would probably sit there debating what to do until the army was at their door, and I had no patience for staying there and watching it happen. I wanted
everything
over and done with, including going back to Gan Garee and settling with those thieves Seated on the Fivefold Throne. Only then would I be free to go about living my own life, one which would be nowhere near a certain man who cared nothing about me.
    “Excuse me, but I really need to speak to all of you,” a voice said, and I looked up to see that man named Lugal. He’d apparently pulled himself together, and now stood in the middle of the aisle between the two sections of benches, blocking our way to the door. “I have a—message I’ve been asked to pass on.”
    “A message from whom?” Lorand stepped forward to ask, his expression still less than friendly. “Who could have known we’d be by here, and what could they possibly have to say to us?”
    “It’s … from my colleagues, and I don’t think they
knew
you would be by here,” the man answered, still distracted to a great extent. “They probably sent the same message to every member of the Guild in this area, hoping one of them would be able to deliver it. As for how they knew you would be coming this way, they’reclose to Gan Garee and probably get the gossip from there on a regular basis. The message is that they’d like to speak to all of you before you return to Gan Garee. There’s a small town called Colling Green about three hours away from the city, and they’d like you to stop there first for a meeting.”
    “To what purpose?” Vallant asked, drawing the man’s attention. “Unless they intend to come into this … difficulty on our side, they can’t possibly have anythin’ to say that we need to hear. So why did they think we would bother?”
    “You expect
me
to know?” Lugal asked with more bitterness than exasperation. “I’m the one who didn’t even know what I was sending the young men and women from this district to—and that’s something
I
mean to discuss with my people as soon as possible. I can’t believe that
they
didn’t know, but they never said a word to the rest of us… Lorand, what about Hat? I was fairly certain that he’d never reach High strength, but I was under orders to send him for testing anyway. Did he…”
    “Did he die during that test?” Lorand finished when Lugal’s words simply trailed off. “No, Master Lugal, I know for a