distress burst out of him, even though he tried to keep silent.
"I'll tell you what's not right! What you were doing to Blaze! That's not right! You were cleansing him! I saw! You had no right to do that!"
He knew there were tears in his eyes, and his voice was shrill like a hurt child's, but he couldn't help it.
"No right?" exclaimed Narrow Path. "Your brother is a traitor!"
"He is not!"
"Blaze of Justice has shown himself to be too weak to withstand temptation. He has placed the entire Community in grave danger. He is to be cast out. Of course he must be cleansed! Would you have us turn loose a weak and bitter man with all the powers of the Nomana at his command?"
Seeker was too stunned to reply. In his struggle to understand, he recalled the words he had heard as he lay on the bed.
"Is it because of the secret weapon in Radiance?"
Narrow Path gasped.
"You see!" he said to the woman. "He's part of it!"
Now the woman too was looking grave.
"What do you know of a secret weapon?" she said.
"Nothing."
Seeker's heart was sinking. He realized how bad it must look to them.
"What does it matter what he knows?" said Narrow Path. "Already it's too much. He must be made safe, too."
"No!" cried Seeker, shrinking away.
"Don't scare the boy!" said the woman.
"You know it as well as I do. He can't be sent back until he's been made safe."
"Please!" said Seeker. "It was a voice. I did what the voice said."
"Of course," said Narrow Path with a shrug of incredulity. "A voice told you. How convenient."
There came a grunt from the wheelchair, and a series of snuffling noises, and the Elder woke up.
"A voice?" The words emerged without his mouth seeming to move, a sound creaky with extreme age. "Did the boy say he heard a voice?"
He fixed Seeker with his small bright eyes, like the eyes of a bird. His face was so deeply lined that it was hard to read his expression, but the eyes seemed to Seeker to be alert and kind.
"It was a voice in the middle of my head."
"In your head?" The Elder nodded as if this made perfect sense to him. "Have you heard such a voice before?"
"No, Elder."
"Where were you when you heard this voice?"
"In the Cloister Court, Elder. Just in front of the Garden."
The Elder nodded once more. Then he looked up at the other two Nomana and said to them gently,
"Leave me alone with the boy."
"Elder," said Narrow Path, "in light of the present danger—"
The Elder raised one bony hand.
"I know all about the present danger, Brother. Leave us, please."
So the two Nomana left, and Seeker was alone with the Elder and his silent attendant meek.
"Now, boy," said the Elder. "When you heard this voice, did you also feel a sensation of sweetness?"
"No, Elder."
"Nor pain?"
"No, Elder."
"Very good. So tell me what this voice in your head said to you."
"The voice said—the voice said—"
Seeker found he was unable to finish his sentence. The Elder watched him with his bright little eyes and seemed unsurprised.
"No matter what the voice said. Who do you suppose it was speaking to you?"
"I don't know, Elder."
"But you can make a guess."
"I think perhaps it was the Lost Child, Elder."
The Elder closed his eyes and nodded his head.
"Why should the One who made all things speak to you, boy?"
"I don't know, Elder."
And truly he did not know. It had never happened to him before, or to anyone he had ever heard of. Even his mother, who was very devout and spoke of the All and Only as you might speak of an old friend, never claimed to have heard an actual voice.
"But you believe," said the Elder, with his eyes still closed, "that whoever spoke to you wished you to enter the Nom."
"I don't know, Elder." As he said this, Seeker realized this was exactly what he did believe, even though it made no sense. So he added, "Yes, Elder. I do think that."
"Of course you do. And whoever spoke to you led you to your brother."
"Yes, Elder."
The old man mused awhile in silence. Seeker's thoughts returned to Blaze, to
"I'll tell you what's not right! What you were doing to Blaze! That's not right! You were cleansing him! I saw! You had no right to do that!"
He knew there were tears in his eyes, and his voice was shrill like a hurt child's, but he couldn't help it.
"No right?" exclaimed Narrow Path. "Your brother is a traitor!"
"He is not!"
"Blaze of Justice has shown himself to be too weak to withstand temptation. He has placed the entire Community in grave danger. He is to be cast out. Of course he must be cleansed! Would you have us turn loose a weak and bitter man with all the powers of the Nomana at his command?"
Seeker was too stunned to reply. In his struggle to understand, he recalled the words he had heard as he lay on the bed.
"Is it because of the secret weapon in Radiance?"
Narrow Path gasped.
"You see!" he said to the woman. "He's part of it!"
Now the woman too was looking grave.
"What do you know of a secret weapon?" she said.
"Nothing."
Seeker's heart was sinking. He realized how bad it must look to them.
"What does it matter what he knows?" said Narrow Path. "Already it's too much. He must be made safe, too."
"No!" cried Seeker, shrinking away.
"Don't scare the boy!" said the woman.
"You know it as well as I do. He can't be sent back until he's been made safe."
"Please!" said Seeker. "It was a voice. I did what the voice said."
"Of course," said Narrow Path with a shrug of incredulity. "A voice told you. How convenient."
There came a grunt from the wheelchair, and a series of snuffling noises, and the Elder woke up.
"A voice?" The words emerged without his mouth seeming to move, a sound creaky with extreme age. "Did the boy say he heard a voice?"
He fixed Seeker with his small bright eyes, like the eyes of a bird. His face was so deeply lined that it was hard to read his expression, but the eyes seemed to Seeker to be alert and kind.
"It was a voice in the middle of my head."
"In your head?" The Elder nodded as if this made perfect sense to him. "Have you heard such a voice before?"
"No, Elder."
"Where were you when you heard this voice?"
"In the Cloister Court, Elder. Just in front of the Garden."
The Elder nodded once more. Then he looked up at the other two Nomana and said to them gently,
"Leave me alone with the boy."
"Elder," said Narrow Path, "in light of the present danger—"
The Elder raised one bony hand.
"I know all about the present danger, Brother. Leave us, please."
So the two Nomana left, and Seeker was alone with the Elder and his silent attendant meek.
"Now, boy," said the Elder. "When you heard this voice, did you also feel a sensation of sweetness?"
"No, Elder."
"Nor pain?"
"No, Elder."
"Very good. So tell me what this voice in your head said to you."
"The voice said—the voice said—"
Seeker found he was unable to finish his sentence. The Elder watched him with his bright little eyes and seemed unsurprised.
"No matter what the voice said. Who do you suppose it was speaking to you?"
"I don't know, Elder."
"But you can make a guess."
"I think perhaps it was the Lost Child, Elder."
The Elder closed his eyes and nodded his head.
"Why should the One who made all things speak to you, boy?"
"I don't know, Elder."
And truly he did not know. It had never happened to him before, or to anyone he had ever heard of. Even his mother, who was very devout and spoke of the All and Only as you might speak of an old friend, never claimed to have heard an actual voice.
"But you believe," said the Elder, with his eyes still closed, "that whoever spoke to you wished you to enter the Nom."
"I don't know, Elder." As he said this, Seeker realized this was exactly what he did believe, even though it made no sense. So he added, "Yes, Elder. I do think that."
"Of course you do. And whoever spoke to you led you to your brother."
"Yes, Elder."
The old man mused awhile in silence. Seeker's thoughts returned to Blaze, to
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