Chapter 3

Flamefall

The Flamefalls spent Shabbat in the desert. They had begun early that day, leaving town in ones and twos, taking with them tents, floor mats, blankets, water and food. A steady if random exodus which no one noticed.

There were two reasons why they did this. The first was as a salute to their ancestors who were born in the desert, lived their lives there and who, by one means or another, died there as well. The Flamefalls honored them by spending this night and day in their harsh world.

The second was far more practical. With the town at rest, it was vulnerable. Yes, the rules could be broken if it meant saving a life but still no one could kill, and people simply would not expect an attack from outside. So the Flamefalls spent the day in the desert to protect the innocent in the town. They used the time to pray and strengthen their already strong faith, to meditate and to discuss strategy. It was the only time they were all gathered together in one area. Five or six would spend an hour on the perimeter, sitting calmly and keeping watch in all directions. Flamefalls had learned that demons and devils were often stupid even if they were vile and violent. If a tactic failed, they would often try the same tactic again. But the ones who sent them were smarter. So the camp moved a little each week. Demons and devils sometimes tried to sneak thru, thinking the way would be open .. only to find it wasn’t.

Japheth was the last to arrive and he had only minutes to spare. He sank down on a mat and closed his eyes. He put it down to his age, the fact he was a little breathless.

“We wondered if you’d make it, Elder,” Elohim remarked.

“I had business in town,” Japheth replied. “The scholars have come back.”

Heads turned at this, frowns appeared on brows.

“Once the little ones are sleeping, we must debate,” Japheth announced.

Ruth eased closer to her brother. “Will he tell them of your ideas?”
“I don’t know,” Daniel shrugged. “Japheth looks a little flushed, though with trepidation or excitement I can’t say.”

The Flamefalls, being who they were and what they were, had certain exemptions granted to them. They celebrated the Shabbat, followed the rituals as any other family did, but, if it proved necessary, they could break the commandment about not killing. In that, the Shabbat was no different to any other day of the week. The Flamefalls had their rules which applied all the time. They were fierce, deadly warriors but only against the enemies of God. They did not become involved in the merely bad. They could not harm or kill an innocent with their terrible weapons. If they did, a foul, immediate punishment awaited them. It was motive enough to stay pure.

The night was well advanced when Japheth called them together.

“There are two this time,” he began. “Skilled, they are; blending truth with untruth. I saw them arrive earlier today and followed them to the inn. They did not stay long inside before they emerged again to walk the streets, and do what scholars do best – observe and learn. Of the two, one is younger. Daniel, you spoke with one the other day.”

“I did, Elder,” Daniel nodded.

“I believe it is the same man. This time, he brings a companion with him. Older by some fifteen or so years. The younger is sharp with suspicion. The older is dull with fear yet he has a mind like a trap. Clever, oh yes. The younger would be prone to rashness, I believe, but the other thinks over many years. Why he is so afraid, I don’t know, but it was almost a stench coming off him. Despite that, he is resolved. Determined.”

“Determined to do what, Elder?” Shem inquired, frowning.

“As yet, I cannot answer you, Shem,” Japheth replied. “I approached them, as it was obvious they knew I was following. The younger told me they were strangers, new in town, and lost, and he asked, quite openly, why I was trailing them. He has a sharp way with his words, as we do at need. He then said they were not thieves. He was covering himself. He told me they were respectable men here on personal business.”

“Hah,” Shem snorted scornfully.

“I asked what kind and the younger one answered with truth and lies. A friend of theirs had died recently – which is the truth – and the widow had asked them to determine the details – which was a lie.”

“Sharp indeed,” Jacob breathed. “As you say, Elder, they cover themselves.”

“Their sect is a secret one, Jacob. But, I admit, I was impressed. I told him he was not playing an honest game. He flushed – always a revelation. He said that it was no game because a man was dead. As of yet, the older man had said nothing. But he studied me closely. His fear did not rise but neither did it fade. Then I asked if they were scholars and the older one said they were. I asked if they’d take some advice and the older one said they would but the younger one at once added that they might not act upon it. I said that, if they were wise men, they should act upon this. Then I told them to leave town as soon as the Shabbat was over, that they would be safe until then but I could not answer for what might happen after. I told them plainly that we didn’t want them here and they were to leave as soon as they could.”

Japheth pulled a blanket around his shoulders because the air had a chill nip.

“At that, the younger one gave me a ferocious, narrow eyed stare and the older one went quite pale. I thought he might have fallen but he recovered. They walked away, back toward the inn. I hurried here.”

Elohim leaned closer. “But why did you say that to them, Elder? If you had ignored them, they would have learned nothing and gone away as ignorant as they arrived.”

Japheth paused for a long moment. “Because I listened to Daniel and then I thought deeply about what he had said. And I decided that he is right.”

Eyes turned to Daniel son of Jacob, and Daniel stared at the striped mat upon which he was sitting. But he felt Ruth’s hand close proudly about his forearm.

“In what way is he right?” Shem inquired.

“Daniel said this Legacy is a threat to us.” Japheth held up a hand for silence because angry muttering had broken out. “Not in the same way a devil or a demon is a threat. The Legacy is growing. We know they are in Beersheba. These two in our town are not from that city. They have come from closer. They draw their members from a wide area. The younger one, he has the look of Babylon about him. The older has the accent of Egypt. Now, when Daniel and I spoke the other day, he told me that, if the Legacy poses a danger to us, even in all innocence, they are a threat and we cannot ignore them. If we do, one or more of us will die and suffer the terrible consequences promised should we kill an innocent. I do not want that to happen. Neither does Daniel. We have to draw a line and tell the Legacy they must not cross it .. or lives will be lost. It will be our lives, not theirs .. at least, not in the same way. We lie to protect our secrecy. Now we lie to save our lives. That is why I made the open threat, Shem, why I approached them. Now we must see if they do as they are told.”

“There’s as much chance of that happening as there is of the sun rising in the west,” Elohim muttered.

“Elder, my son spoke of war with this Legacy,” Naomi began. “War between Flamefalls and ordinary mortals who, while a threat, are not evil … Forgive me, but I don’t see how we can win. The first assault would have us punished.”

“I thought the same, Naomi,” Japheth nodded, “which is why I spoke so forcefully against it the other evening. I realize now that .. I was wrong. Being the Elder of this group,” he smiled ruefully, “does not always grant me the wisdom I should possess. Sometimes, it takes a younger pair of eyes to see what is obscured to the rest of us. These hands,” he continued, holding them up, “can make fire dance and lightning to spit. But they also weave mats. Hold my cup and prepare my food. We are used to war in the pure sense. But other wars are fought. Our war with the Legacy must be .. an ordinary one.”

Japheth looked round. “Daniel, explain what we mean.”

“Yes, Elder.” Daniel eased forward. “We must enforce our message to the scholars that they cannot intrude into our battles with evil. There are many ways to do this. A war of words, such as Japheth began today. We can imply threats, even make direct threats without ever meaning to carry them out. We can humiliate them into retreat. A war of example. When we next go up against evil and, if the Legacy is there as well, we restrain them and let them see what it is we do, then release them again. We allow them to consider what it would be like to be caught between us and our prey, allow them to learn that nothing stops us from the kill. And, then, there is the war of physical punishment. My fists can swing a punch as easily as hold a fiery sword. If the Legacy still will not learn, we beat it into them. Nothing cuts thru stubborn ears and eyes like a sharp thump in the gut.”

Shem actually looked impressed. “I think that has a chance of working,” he admitted.

“I believe so too. At least,” Japheth commented, “it is worth a try. The one thing we cannot do is uproot and move on. We cannot leave the innocent to face the evil with only the Legacy as their defense. It would be turning our backs on our duty and our birthright.”

Heads were nodding at this and Japheth smiled at them.

“We take every chance we can to harry this .. enemy. Use every tactic and strategy to force them into retreat. Let no man, woman, or child, be tempted to use his or her weapons. We do not want to kill them, only to get rid of them from our hunting grounds and our lives.”

Japheth paused, looking into every face. “As of this night,” he said quietly, “the Flamefalls are at war.”

*****

While the camp slept, bundled in blankets against the cold, Ruth and Daniel were on watch duty. It wasn’t truly breaking the rules of Shabbat. Sitting quietly on an outcrop of rock and keeping guard on the desert wasn’t work to them. It was a way of life.

“Are you honored, Daniel?” she breathed, her eyes shining.

“Pride’s a sin,” he responded. “But .. I feel honored my words had worth enough to be shared. And I am amazed that Shem thinks they can work.”

“But they can. They must,” she commented.

“I know. But Shem? Whatever happened to .. we don’t need them, and, keep away from them, they’re trouble?”

Ruth laughed softly. “Shem likes a good scrap. He’s never happier than when he’s in the thick of action. He fears growing old, Daniel. Not because he’ll be old but he’ll have to give way to the younger ones. This war has given him new purpose.”

Daniel glanced round. “In what way?” he frowned.

“We are all fit and agile. Physical training to get in shape won’t be a problem for us. But a war where we cannot use the weapons we’ve had since birth … We need other weapons and training in how to use them.”

Daniel swallowed, his eyes growing alarmed. “We want to scare them, not hurt them.”

“Daniel, you’ve brought the idea this far. Now you have to let it go so others can take it forward. Shem has suggested training in the use of a staff, possibly the bow as well, but the staff certainly. Fists are all well and good but a staff gives extra reach. We can use it to knock the legs out from under them. The staff is hardly a deadly force weapon, Daniel. And .. you have to remember that, if we are taking action to defend our lives, we must expect the Legacy to take similar action. We will be making threats against them.”

He sighed. “Fighting must be the last resort. If they would only .. listen, none of this would be necessary. We could explain – ”

“How? We are secret even more than they are. How could we explain?”

“We don’t tell them how or what or who, we tell them why we must have this freedom. It’s a holy duty which we are born to do. Ours isn’t a secret like theirs is. And we are older. More experienced in these matters. We don’t have a problem with the Legacy wanting to study, and learn and understand. Our problem is that they will cross our path at the worst possible moment. If they would just .. keep away … ” He sighed again and slowly shook his head. “But they won’t do that because they won’t listen. Dedication is a two edged sword. It means you can’t back off from the first obstacle you meet. If we had done that at the start … So why would they?”

Ruth hesitated, watching the desert, cold and clear under the stars. “This is the best time, Daniel.”

“Why?”

“Because they are at the start. They’re more flexible. They are still finding the best way forward. If we can influence the Legacy now, we save our descendents a lot of trouble.” She folded her arms around her drawn up knees. “Who knows but, in some far distance time in the future, Flamefalls and Legacy will work together every day, maybe even living in the same house.”

Daniel grinned. “Now that would be a miracle,” he remarked.

She laughed. “Well, they have been known to happen.”

*****

When the Shabbat ended at sunset the next evening, they dismantled the camp and, leaving a band of Flamefalls in the desert on patrol, the rest headed back to town. A few hurried. A few tarried. The others walked at various speeds so they wouldn’t all arrive together. The few who went on ahead had specific orders – check the scholars are not keeping watch for us. If they are, report back and we will decide what to do.

“Of course, it might not be necessary,” Japheth remarked after the runners had gone. He walked briskly with Elohim, Jacob and Naomi. “The scholars may have heeded the threat and gone home.”

“Do you truly believe that, Elder?” Naomi wondered.

“No, I don’t. I read it in their eyes. They are fearful and suspicious but they will not run. The men and women who willingly choose to enter a war such as the one we fight, and have fought for many centuries, are a different breed. Courage burns within them like a clear light. If we need proof of that, consider the scholar your son met out here only the other day. He knew the danger was real and it was present yet he would not leave. We might say it was folly because we have the greater experience but we must also admit the man’s courage. And that was in a demon’s hunting ground. In comparison, my threats are hot air and nothing more. They will not run.”

“Then what will they do?” Jacob frowned.

“Possibly try to discover why we made the threat in the first place. For my part, I am curious as to why the older of the two has so much fear in his heart.”

“Because .. one of his friends has died?” Elohim suggested.

“It could be. We must remember, though, their courage. They surely expect demons and devils to fight to kill. It would make a sane man cautious but not fearful to that degree. I sensed from him a horror close to the surface. A horror of .. simply being in our town.”

“What kind of men are these scholars?” Jacob murmured, confused. “To be pragmatic in the face of evil and death, yet to feel horror at being in a strange town ..? It makes no sense.”

“Your son is wise, Jacob,” Japheth replied. “He said we must learn about these Legacy men. Perhaps then we can find the sense and answer your question.”

*****

Japheth was proved right – the scholars did not bow to the threat and run away, their tails tucked between their legs. The morning dawned bright and hot, people rose to start their day, and the scholars returned to the square where the well was located opposite Jacob’s workshop. And, there, they waited and they watched. In the shadows, Jacob watched them in turn. For such a powerful man, he felt strangely vulnerable. Powerless. Almost hunted. If it had been one of evil’s demons, Jacob would have known exactly what to do. But these were just two ordinary men doing nothing more malicious than watching him, and he was hamstrung.

“Father ..?” Daniel breathed. “What are your orders?”

“We need water,” Ruth said. “Someone has to go out there. We are Flamefalls. Nothing scares us except … ” She raised her eyes to the ceiling.

“And we are at war with them,” Naomi added.

“I’ll go,” Ruth offered, picking up a pottery ewer.

“They look as I feel,” Jacob muttered. “Helpless.” He shook himself. “Daniel, Esau .. we have work to do. Shem needs staves. And the sooner we arm ourselves, the better,” he added darkly.

Ruth kept her gaze on the ground as she approached the well. She had felt the eyes of the men on her as she’d left the workshop. As she lowered the pail on its rope, she glanced quickly up. The younger man’s eyes widened and he stared for several seconds before dragging his gaze away.

Ruth, too, looked away, if only to hide her confusion. The feeling she sensed from him was recognition and that wasn’t possible. She’d never seen him before in her life. Ruth wasn’t scared of them and, her confusion shoved into the background, she looked up again, resolved to learn as much as she could.

“Good day to you,” she began. “You are .. strangers here. I’ve not seen you before and I know most everyone who lives here.”

“Good day to you,” the younger man responded. The older nodded politely. “Forgive me .. but you have a brother. He works over there.”

Ruth felt the same fear coming from the older man as Japheth had described but, mostly, she felt surprise and that came from herself.

“Yes, I do,” she answered.

“What can you tell us of Enoch’s death?”

Ruth blinked and concentrated on raising the pail. “I do not know the name.”

“You were in the desert. So was your brother. So was Enoch. I know it to be true.”

“How?” she demanded, dipping the ewer into the pail. “How do you know this?”

“I saw you there.”

Ruth didn’t know how it was possible but he was telling the truth. She turned on them. “It’s true. I was there.”

“Did you kill Enoch?” the older man asked in a solemn voice.

“No. I tried to get him to leave. He refused to listen. And he died because he was so stubborn. Later, we dug a grave and buried him. We did not know his name so we couldn’t put up a marker.”

She tossed her head in defiance. “You say you are wise men. Scholars. You try to understand things which are beyond your ability. Can you understand this? Stay out of our way. It’s simple enough. Leave us alone. Spread the word to your other Legacy members. If we should meet again, people may die. We do not want that. We want to be left alone .. and that’s all.”

She turned and walked away, the ewer balanced on one hip, and she sensed shock coming from the two men – shock and horror. Ruth felt she’d struck a good second blow in the war of words.

Naomi took the ewer as soon as her daughter was inside. “What did you say?”

Some strange tone in her mother’s voice made Ruth look up. “What is it?”

“They’ve gone.”

Ruth glanced back to the well. “I .. only made conversation. I was trying to learn about them, Mother. But it was very peculiar … He told me I have a brother who works in here.”

Naomi bustled Ruth into the courtyard. “Daniel spoke with him the other day. You left the workshop. You and your brother are alike. He guessed correctly, that’s all.”

“I realize that but it was the way he said it. He was very sure. And then, without warning, he asked me what I could tell him about Enoch’s death.”

Naomi frowned. “Who ..? You mean the scholar who died?”

Ruth nodded. “I told him I did not know the name, and he stated I was in the desert, so was Daniel and so was Enoch, and that he knew it to be true.” She hesitated. “And he was telling the truth yet, I swear to you, he wasn’t in the desert that day. The scholar was alone. Daniel and I sensed the demon, and Shem and the scholar, and no one else. So I asked him how he knew it .. and he said he saw me there. Mother, he wasn’t lying. How is it possible he could see without being there?”

Naomi thought but had no answers. “Go on. Something you did or said reached thru to them.”

“I admitted the truth. I said I was there. And then the older one asked me plainly if I killed Enoch. Japheth was right, the older one is full of fear but he still has the courage to ask. I told him what happened that day, that Daniel and I tried to get him to leave and that he refused to listen. Later, I said, we buried him. And, then, I gave them a warning. I told them to stay out of our way, leave us alone, to spread the word to the other Legacy members. I said that, if we should meet again, people may die and that we didn’t want that. As I walked away from them, I sensed .. shock and horror. Is that it, do you think? Is the war over before it’s started?” She sounded a little disappointed.

Naomi slowly shook her head. “I think you raised the stakes and they’ve simply retreated for the moment to consider their next move. They will be more cautious in the future.”

“I did that? How?”

“You mentioned their Legacy. That told them their secret isn’t as secret as they believed.”

*****

Over the days which followed, the Flamefalls felt inwardly persecuted as never before in their history, yet outwardly they maintained a coldly menacing confidence in the face of the continued and increasing scrutiny. Quiet threats were muttered on the streets as Flamefall passed Legacy member. Questions were asked in return. How did they know of the Legacy? How many others had they told? Exactly what did they know? No answers were ever given. The Flamefalls only used it to gain an upper hand. They would smile slowly, knowingly, and they could feel the paranoia and fear inch upward.

After a week had gone by, the two men left town and the Flamefalls breathed a sigh of relief. Japheth said it was merely a lull, a brief respite and that they would be back.

“You mean we haven’t won?” Elohim demanded.

“We have struck some telling blows, it is true, but this war has hardly begun. We have learned very little and they have learned nothing, except .. that we don’t give up either. They will return because we are a mystery and they study the mysteries. In the meantime, we use this period to practice our new skills with these new weapons. I have a profound feeling that, when the scholars come back, we are going to need them.”

The scholars returned a week after that, and they came in force. Eight of them rode into town on their donkeys and, by the expressions they wore on their faces, they meant business this time.

Two went to the inn to secure accommodation, the remaining six walked boldly into Jacob’s workshop. Jacob, Daniel and Esau straightened from their tasks.

“Can I help you?” Jacob inquired.

“You see?” one of the scholars remarked, pointing. “It is very clear.”

“Yes, it is,” agreed another. He looked round at a face the Flamefalls knew. “You were right to bring this to our attention, Elias.”

“Do you have a reason to be in here?” Jacob asked, his voice harder.

“Only to give you fair warning, demon worshipper. We know who you are and we will hunt you down and stop your perverted, evil practices.”

“Not if we find you first!” Daniel retorted hotly.

The scholar stepped forward. “Your threats don’t worry me, boy.”

“And you think your threats make me shiver? Think again,” Daniel invited, flushing at the insult.

“Get out,” Jacob ordered. “Now!”

“We won’t allow evil to thrive. We will root it out and destroy it. And no sect of assassins will stop us,” the scholar warned, then gestured to his companions and walked out.

Esau was trembling with anger. Jacob closed the workshop and ushered the two young men out to the courtyard. “Sit, calm yourselves,” he ordered. “Take comfort in knowing that we have learned a lot.”

“Have we?” Esau exclaimed.

“Oh yes. They believe we worship demons, are enslaved by evil powers to an evil cause, and that we are a sect of assassins targeted at the Legacy. That explains a lot,” Jacob commented. “I must speak with Japheth. He needs to know this. Esau, you are on patrol tonight. Go home, get some rest. Daniel, you stay here, keep watch.”

“Father .. how do they know us?” Daniel asked.

“At a guess .. by the one thing which physically unites us.” Jacob leaned closer and tapped a finger on Daniel’s hair. “The mark of victory.”

*****

Japheth, after listening to Jacob’s news, called an urgent gathering. Several were missing as they were on patrol with Esau in the desert. Two Flamefalls stood guard at Japheth’s door and another kept watch on the back of the house. Even so, they were taking a huge risk meeting like this in the town.

Japheth was silent for a long, stretched moment, and, for once, he seemed to show his years. The others, sitting around him, felt the future yawn before them, a horribly uncertain time where nothing was safe and enemies they couldn’t fight surrounded them.

Eventually, the old man stirred. “Daniel, your idea is still good .. but the time is not right,” he said quietly. “At the beginning, when Gabriel himself descended from Heaven and blessed Joseph and Leah, the first two Flamefalls, brother and sister, and Michael told them their lives’ work, and the rules under which they must live, and warned of the responsibility which accompanies such an awesome God-given power, we understood that, in that moment, we were made different from all others. To us was granted health and, to a degree, wealth, and far sight and hearing. Our senses grew more than an ordinary man’s. We could tell the lie of a man’s heart by sensing his moods and whether his words rang true or false. We have fought the enemies of our Lord for two thousand years .. but we cannot fight this enemy because they are God’s creatures. Therefore, and my heart is truly heavy, I say we must abandon this town. We will not leave it defenseless. We will put a ring of power around it so that evil may not trouble those within. We will go quietly and live elsewhere. What you can carry with you, take. What you cannot, leave it behind. We start this night.”

Shem’s mouth was hanging open in outrage, not at Japheth or his words but at the Legacy who had forced a retreat upon them.

“But, Elder,” he spluttered, “they believe us to be the exact opposite of what we are!”

“What do you suggest, Shem?” Japheth inquired.

“That we … ” Shem fell silent.

“Tell them the truth, perhaps? As a response to a misunderstanding. We have been misunderstood before and we will be again. That is no reason to reveal our secrets. Let the Legacy exist in ignorance. Tomorrow, they will have no one to question or to accuse. Their secret sect of assassins will have vanished into the night. If they are wise .. that should say to them that they have misjudged.”

“And my idea, Elder?” Daniel asked.

“In time, Daniel. In the beginning, we were too scared of breaking the rules to make ourselves bigger and more than we were. The Flamefalls, the mortal angels of God’s army, were meek and humble. So it must be for us again. The Legacy has no such restrictions. They will make enemies amongst their fellow men and they will learn by their mistakes. When the time is right, the Flamefalls and the Legacy will meet again and, perhaps, it will be under a more benign sky. But not now. We are forbidden to harm them. We cannot cast off our cloak of secrecy to tell them the truth. They believe we are evil and they would kill us. And we would have to let them. Better to go deeper into the darkness and to weave shadows about ourselves than be annihilated.”

Japheth looked round at them. “Some of us will meet again. Some .. this is farewell. May the Lord grant you a long life and a purposeful one. God’s speed to you, wherever you go.”

*****

“I feel we’ve come full circle,” Ruth remarked. “Once we were nomads and, here we are, nomads again. Still, it’s a good night for walking in the desert.”

Daniel grunted. He was weighted down with a pack and he was pushing a cart. He was amazed at what his mother had said they could carry. Behind him, Naomi walked with a pack tied to her shoulders and she spoke softly with Sarai, Esau’s mother. Hezerah, Sarai’s husband, had been dead four years, overwhelmed by a demon bigger and faster than he was. Jacob walked nearby, his pack heavier and his cart more fully laden than either of Daniel’s. He’d brought with him as many tools as he could. Beside him was Shem. Shem had never married but he lived in hope. Sarai was a good-looking woman …

“It’s miles to the next .. anywhere,” Daniel commented.

“If we have to, we’ll live in caves,” Ruth declared. “We’ll hunt for our food.”

He grunted again. His spine was hurting. There was a cooking pot jabbing on a nerve.

“Do you think we’ll meet up with them again in our lifetime?” she asked.

“I hope not. They’ve caused us more than enough heartache, Ruth. If we settle somewhere only for them to show up again … ”

“Will it be so bad?” she sighed.

“They know us. Japheth sent some of us north, to warn others. We had a good life in that town! And now we are like sand rats, driven from our homes … ”

“But we can blind their eyes now we know how they know. They won’t recognize us again, Daniel. We can be safe wherever we go.”

He glanced at her. “You’re too optimistic by far,” Daniel told her. “This isn’t some .. idle nuisance, Ruth. The Legacy is here to stay. It will grow. It’ll spread.”

“So will we,” Ruth defended.

“And we have the greater fear because we have the most to lose. We cannot run forever. We cannot hide away forever. They have driven us into the desert. What happens when the world grows older and the desert shrinks? Where will we go then? Into underground caves? Never seeing the light of day again? At some point, some .. time, we have to make a stand. I thought we would do it now. You said it was the right time.”

“It is. But it isn’t the good time to do it. Consider, in this past month, we have discovered the Legacy and they have misunderstood us. They are still a largely unknown quantity. How did that man see us when he wasn’t there? Until we know the answer to that, until we know what they represent … And .. Japheth was right. He said the Legacy is a child. And children often get things wrong and react without thinking. Maybe .. it just needs to mature a little, and we will be able to deal with them as two adults discussing a problem.”

Daniel grunted. “May it happen long after I’m with the ancestors.”

Ruth smiled. “Daniel, you see farther than any of us .. but, in that, you are very wrong.”

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