Dead Silence
Sun streamed through the misty morning air into the room, light hung on a cloud. Cricket sat on the bed staring at the pen turning slowly between her two fingers. There wasn't anything special about it, she was just staring.
I'm not worried about me, I will die when my time comes. I'm worried about all of us.
Sunny had meant the state of society and Cricket thought of Kari's desperate letter for anyone who was willing to please help their Consilium hold Janus to trial. They were that scared of him. All of them. Terrified that he would wipe them all out if they even attempted.
Her mind grappled for some reason - any explination - for how any mage could think that such things were acceptable or remotely civilized. She was reminded of the outcries of Hierarchs - that living under the threat of death, the tyranny of fear - this was no way for our society to be...
...and yet there was that indignant handful that insisted *their* criminal activity was acceptable because they did it in the name of some greater calling or authority (kill for Jesus), they were outraged if society dared to denounce (or worse, do something) about them.
So vehement was their hatred, so self-righteous were their tirades and arguments, there was a small part of her that was forced to consider if they were right. Everything seemed blurry and it made her feel crazy and eyes lost their focus in memory...
"Do you want to learn how to fight, instead?"
The thought barely croaked out, choked up by an animosity that wasn't meant for him. I don't want to learn how to hurt people. Her Obrimos nature in her flared even as tears spilled in the dirt.
Here she was. Stuck choosing between Patton and Gandhi. Neither did she wish to be a combatant, nor did she feel like being a victim to the agenda of someone else's greed.
"Good." He said, brushing his thumb over her wetted cheek and she looked up at him. "You should never want to learn a thing like that."
"I just want to find the wise path to the end of this. We need the truth."
Quietly she wondered...again...what other option she had.
Because the point of a gun was only law that Liberty understood...when the final showdown came to pass, a law-book was no good.
I'm not worried about me, I will die when my time comes. I'm worried about all of us.
Sunny had meant the state of society and Cricket thought of Kari's desperate letter for anyone who was willing to please help their Consilium hold Janus to trial. They were that scared of him. All of them. Terrified that he would wipe them all out if they even attempted.
Her mind grappled for some reason - any explination - for how any mage could think that such things were acceptable or remotely civilized. She was reminded of the outcries of Hierarchs - that living under the threat of death, the tyranny of fear - this was no way for our society to be...
...and yet there was that indignant handful that insisted *their* criminal activity was acceptable because they did it in the name of some greater calling or authority (kill for Jesus), they were outraged if society dared to denounce (or worse, do something) about them.
So vehement was their hatred, so self-righteous were their tirades and arguments, there was a small part of her that was forced to consider if they were right. Everything seemed blurry and it made her feel crazy and eyes lost their focus in memory...
"Do you want to learn how to fight, instead?"
The thought barely croaked out, choked up by an animosity that wasn't meant for him. I don't want to learn how to hurt people. Her Obrimos nature in her flared even as tears spilled in the dirt.
Here she was. Stuck choosing between Patton and Gandhi. Neither did she wish to be a combatant, nor did she feel like being a victim to the agenda of someone else's greed.
"Good." He said, brushing his thumb over her wetted cheek and she looked up at him. "You should never want to learn a thing like that."
"I just want to find the wise path to the end of this. We need the truth."
Quietly she wondered...again...what other option she had.
Because the point of a gun was only law that Liberty understood...when the final showdown came to pass, a law-book was no good.