As Sin Ying struggled with the silent sentry a second pair of hands, one hand sporting the longest, yellowish fingernails she had ever seen, grasped her by her shoulders and roughly pushed her back into the room.
Wu Ning saw the girl was about to speak and brought a finger to his lips to signal silence. "Hush, child, if you wish to not be like your guard!" he hissed assertively.
Sin Ying looked suspiciously from Astrologer to the guard. "Why? What's wrong with him?" she asked.
"Haven't you noticed he does not speak?" Wu Ning continued.
"Yes... So?" said Sin Ying.
"He has no tongue. He spoke without respect once and the Warlord gave him a choice: his life or his tongue. You now know his choice." Sin Ying stared at the sentry her eyes slowly widening. Then she looked back at Wu Ning and lowered her eyes in resignation (for the moment).
"Behave and do as you are told and you shall have food and increasingly generous freedoms. Disobey or show any disrespect and you will lose freedoms and go without food. It is your choice. You have been warned." Wu Ning turned and with a nod to the sentry left Sin Ying's chamber, his silken robe making swishing sounds as he moved towards the door.
Sin Ying watched him leave and then looked once more at the sentry. A sudden impulse struck her and she said to the sentry, "I'm sorry you cannot speak. It must make some things very hard for you. I will not be trouble to you." Then Sin Ying returned to her small table and meager portion of food, buried her face in her hands and began to cry.
The sentry made no motion, but upon hearing the girl's words and seeing her cry, his otherwise harshly expressioned face softened ever so slightly and he felt the barest touch of sadness at the girl's plight. Then his sense of duty prevailed and he resumed his watch unmoving and remote.
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Roulv Dania hid himself as best he could behind the low pile of stones evidently cast there by the Ch'in farmers who cleared the land. The troop of mounted Ch'in rode closely by seemingly unaware of his presence. They passed him without incident allowing the slave to feel safe once more, that is, until the gruff voice behind him spoke out.
Dania turned, knees trembling to see the source of the voice...
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Civi rolled around on the floor lashing out at anything and at nothing at all. His mouth and lower face were wet with spittle and foam. His eyes were first black, then blue, then grey and becoming black again, changing repeatedly in this manner as the entities within fought for control of the boy-child's mind and body.
The battle was silent, wordless - the warrior child against the demon possessor - valiant youth against ageless evil...
The demon prevailed as the son of Civis Romanus retreated back into his protected place to escape the power of the demon and to consider his next attempt at recovery.
The Master hissed his anger at the interference from within and rose to his feet. These disturbances will not do, he thought to himself. I have my goal set and I shall not let this, this mortal child disrupt my plan. There will come a final reckoning and I shall deal with him once and forever. Now, as to this Warlord. It is time to deal with him directly. But subtly... yes, subtly...
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Civis Romanus looked down at the talisman in his hand. His horse continued in the direction first headed by command of its rider. He rubbed its shiny dull surface contemplating its design. The tree of crucifixion? Why carry such a talisman? No greater more painful punishment has been devised by Roma than the death delivered by this tree. Not even scourging is considered more cruel and even then it is used only as a preliminary punishment before the criminal is finally lashed to the branches of the tree and left to slowly die.
Titus and Accipiter, riding next to Civis, both looked at him as he rubbed and felt the surface of the talisman. It was Titus who broke the silence. "What have you there, Civis?" he asked.
"A talisman carried by someone who must be part of our expedition," said Civis. "It was found near the place where Roulv Dania was last seen in the camp. Some suggest he lost it or left it there."
"Strange object to carry. I hear it has significance to some who are considered enemies of Caesar." Civis looked up at Titus and then down once more at the object.
"I cannot believe that Dania is an enemy of Caesar."
"I did not say that Dania was an enemy; only that the talisman of the crucifixion tree is considered significant to some in this way." Civis did not answer Titus this time.
"There is symbolism in it for some." This time it was Accipiter speaking. "I am told it is a symbol of hope," he said.
Again Civis looked up, this time at Accipiter. "How can the tree of death be a symbol of hope?" asked Civis. Gaius looked at Civis his green eyes giving off ever so slightly a hint of gold in the daylight sun. "You must ask that of someone who carries the talisman, Civis, don't you think?"
Civis felt again the surface of the talisman. If indeed you convey hope, he thought, then let it be hope that Civi is alive and shall be found. But the talisman did not respond, and so Civis returned it to the small pouch at his side and removed from the pouch the other talisman, Dania's, brought to him by Marcus.
Civis held the stylistic figure of the fish by its chain and watched the sunlight play off its surface as the plodding of his horse and the slight breeze combined to make the figure rock back and forth and spin slightly. Accipiter watched Civis toy with the talisman and smiled ever so slightly. Then Civis shook his head and placed the fish talisman in the same pouch that held the tree of crucifixion. They continued in the direction indicated by Dania's pathmark.
[This message has been edited by Civis Romanus (edited 06-21-2001 @ 03:42 PM).]