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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] Dlands 37- Demons of Eden "Who is the current holder of that title?" Ryan asked. Joe's face darkened a bit with anger and sorrow. "That is the cause of this conflict, Ochinee. The last Guardian was a shaman named Towasi. I was his student. He had no son, so I proved myself worthy of his mantle by going out into the world and destroying all the remains of the predark evil. I was on that path when you met me. When I returned to Ti-Ra'-Wa, I learned that Towasi had died, without officially passing on his knowledge or title." "You said he had no son," Krysty said. "He had no other children?" "One. You met her, Ochinee, that night in Amicus." "Sisoka?" Joe nodded grimly. "She has no more knowledge of how to enter the cavern safely and manipulate the energies there than I, but she claims the title. Over a period of months the people of Ti-Ra'-Wa broke into factions. The brotherhood of Cavern Keepers, of which I am a ranking chief, seized this, the main village. Sisoka organized our military, the Wolf Soldiers, and settled some miles from here, around the entrance to the cave." Ryan sighed, shook his head. The story of Ti-Ra'-Wa seemed too incredible to believe, almost like stories he had read in books as a child, back at Front Royal. A long-hidden valley, holding the relics of an ancient civilization in North America, a valley from which all Native peoples, all life itself, had sprung, a valley where wild beasts were on the same footing as humankind. "Surely," Doc said, "there is more to this conflict than a mere disagreement over who is the rightful heir to a largely meaningless title." "Meaningless?" Joe repeated scornfully. "Perhaps it seems so to you, but whoever holds the title of Guardian holds the future of the world." Mildred blinked in surprise. "I don't understand." With an almost fanatical intensity, Joe whispered, "The energies pent up in the cavern are the same as that which were released at the moment of creation, when this planet, perhaps the entire universe exploded into existence. My ancestors tended to these energies, worshiped them, knew how to manipulate them to various degrees. You've seen evidence file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/J...thlands%20037%20-%20Demons%20of% 20Eden.html (152 of 258) [12/30/2004 8:13:13 PM] Page 94 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Dlands 37- Demons of Eden of that, and the use of these energies helped Ti-Ra'-Wa stay hidden for so many centuries. I and my brotherhood wish to manipulate those same energies again, to use them as they were used aeons ago to reshape, to remold, to heal the Earth." Everyone stared at Joe in shock. He was evidently accustomed to such incredulous reactions to his pronouncement, because he continued speaking quickly, giving no one time to interpose a question about his smity or lack thereof. "The world is an abomination," he said, "populated with unnatural monsters and spiritually dark people. The waters are poisoned, the sky full of deadly gases and radiation. All that can be reversed, Sisoka and her faction say my dream is only a power mad ambition, that I am tampering with the natural order. I say the natural order has already been tampered with. It's been turned upside down, and it must be set right. The future of Grandmother Earth is at stake here, the future of humanity itself. Can we turn our backs on our Grandmother without turning our backs on the high laws themselves?" Shaking his head vehemently, black tresses flying, Joe answered his own question. "No, we cannot. Not when we have the means and power to transform Deathlands into a mirror image of Ti-Ra'-Wa!" Despite his growing doubt and suspicion, Ryan couldn't help but feel sympathy for Joe's burning passion. It was a wonderful dream, to turn the clock back, to transform the horror of this world into an Eden and vanquish all the demons spawned by the skydark. He also realized the magnetic power of the man, the innate leadership that had enabled him to overcome his followers' fears of breaking tribal tradition. "Sisoka and the Wolf Soldiers do not agree with your ambition?" Doc asked. "Not in practice. We used to talk about it, she and I, at night " Joe broke off, and his eyes reflected a painful memory. "Sisoka believes that the energies are holy, the life source, the heart of Grandmother Earth. To manipulate them, even for a good cause, is arrogance, blasphemy. She fears that mortals cannot hope to command such power without incurring devastating results." "The cure might be worse than the disease?" Mildred commented with a rueful smile. "Such is her fear. I maintain that this valley is living evidence the energies can be manipulated successfully, beneficially." Jak shuddered. "Crazy talk gives me creeps." file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/J...thlands%20037%20-%20Demons%20of% 20Eden.html (153 of 258) [12/30/2004 8:13:13 PM] Dlands 37- Demons of Eden Seating his spectacles more comfortably on his nose, J.B. asked, "So what do you want us to do, Joe? Go over to the lair of the Wolf Soldiers and chill them all, the ones on two and four legs both?" Joe looked dismayed and even a little shocked. "I don't want to exterminate them. It's simply that they must allow the Cavern Keepers to fulfill our purpose and duties and the ancient vow to Ah-badt-dadt-deah. However, I'm not ruling out any course of action." J.B.'s practical mind zeroed in on tactics. "How much of this valley do you Cavern Keepers hold?" "Only this southern quarter, and a few other places near the river." "How long have you been at war?" Krysty asked. "We've been observing an armed truce, at least until last night. But now blood has been spilled, and that means they're willing to kill to prevent us from entering the cavern. That means we must do the same. Sisoka must have followed me to Amicus to block my attempt to recruit you. She failed when she failed to kill you, Ochinee, and they failed last night. Now, though I regret it, open warfare begins." Page 95 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html "How many people live in this valley?" J.B. asked. "A little over a thousand. My faction is in the minority. Only my blaster tipped the scales and allowed us to drive away the Wolf Soldiers and occupy the city. However, we can't put more than three hundred warriors into the field. The Wolf Soldiers not only outnumber us in manpower, but they have an equal number of wolves as allies." "Pretty stiff odds," said J.B. "But if you drove them away with one blaster, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |