“He said if anyone understood God’s will, then I must understand it . . . but I don’t!” She shook her head, tears close. “I’m just a med-tech, a Natali, and I don’t know why Ship showed me that!”

Thomas spoke in a whisper: “That’s all the man said?”

“No . . . he told the people in the crowd not to weep for him but for their children. And he said something about a green tree.”

“If they do these things in a green tree, what will they do in a dry?” Thomas intoned.

“That’s it! That’s what he said! What did he mean?”

“He meant . . . he meant that the powerful grow more deadly in times of adversity—and what they do in the roots can be felt to the ends of the branches—forever.”

“Then why have you created this army? Why are you going out there to . . .”

“Because I must.”

Thomas resumed his way down the trail, refusing to respond to her. Others who had chosen to climb down caught up, pressed close. She had no other opportunity to speak to him. They were at the foot of the cliffs soon and she had her own duties while Thomas set off about his war.

Ferry was one of the people Thomas assigned to medical work. She knew what Thomas and Kerro thought about the old man and this prompted her now to kindness toward him. While she worked with Ferry in the rude fabric shelter below the cliffs, she heard Thomas speaking to his army.

“Blessed be Ship, my strength, which teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight.”

Was that any way for a Ceepee to talk? She asked this of Ferry while they worked.

“That’s the way Oakes talks.” The old man seemed resigned to his fate but eager to help her.

The army was busy at its preparations then, Panille standing nearby like a cold observer. She did not like the nearness of the demons, but he said they would not harm the people here. He said the hylighters had filled the demons’ senses with a false world which kept them in check.

Ferry shambled past her then, glancing oddly at her nose ring.

She wondered how Ferry felt about the way Thomas talked. Thomas spoke about the old man in front of him as though Ferry were not there.

“This old fool doesn’t have any real power,” Thomas had said. “Oakes thinks he has a corner on the real power and the symbolic power, right here on Black Dragon. He doesn’t share power. He’s set himself up here for easy pickings compared to what we’d have encountered at Colony.”

“I told him he was moving too soon,” Ferry had said.

Thomas had ignored him, addressed Panille. “Ferry’s a liar, but we can use him. He must know something valuable about Oakes’ plans.”

“But I don’t know anything.” The old man’s voice quavered.