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Sister Georgia glanced over her shoulders. "Prelate, you must get out of here or you will be killed or captured." She started pushing A
A
"I'm here to rescue the Sisters. Something has happened to give us the rare opportunity to help you escape."
"There is no way-"
"Silence," A
Sister Georgia gasped. "That's not possible."
"Oh really? I'm telling you it is so. If you don't believe me, then why do you think your power is gone?"
Sister Georgia stood mute as A
"Well?" A
Sister Georgia's tongue darted out to wet her lips. "We aren't allowed to open ourselves to our Han. Jagang only allows us to do so if he wants something. Otherwise, we mustn't. He's in our minds-he's a dream walker, Prelate. He can tell if we touch our Han without permission. It's something you don't dare try twice.
"He can control it. He can make you very sorry for anything you do which he doesn't like." The woman was dissolving into tears again. "Oh, Prelate…”
A
Sister Georgia pulled back. "Away? You can't. The dream walker is in our minds. He could be watching us right this very minute. He can do that, you know."
A
Sister Georgia began objecting. A
"Take me to the other Sisters. I'll have no argument, do you hear? We must get away while we have a chance."
"But Prelate, we can't-"
A
Tears welled in the woman's eyes. "No, Prelate."
"Then get me to the tent with the other Sisters of the Light. I intend on getting you all away from Jagang this very night."
"But Prelate-"
"Move! Before we're caught here!"
Sister Georgia snatched up the pail of porridge and scurried off. A
Even as she did, men still occasionally noticed her and reached out to snatch at her skirt. Most would laugh when she squeaked and scooted away.
When another man caught the Sister's wrist, A
"You are going to get us killed," Sister Georgia whispered as she hustled between wagons.
"Well, I didn't think you were in the mood for what the fellow had in mind."
"If a soldier insists, we have to. If we don't… Jagang teaches us lessons if we don't-"
A
The woman opened her mouth to object, but A
"As the Creator is my witness, Sister Georgia, I've seen more shilly-shallying out of you in the last ten minutes than your first five hundred years in this world. Now, get me to the other Sisters, or I'll make you wish for Jagang's clutches instead of mine."
CHAPTER 45
A
A crowd of women huddled inside the dimly lit tent, some lying down, some sitting on the ground hugging their knees, some with arms around one another like frightened children. Not many even bothered to look up. A
She reproved herself; these women had suffered unspeakable abuse.
"Shoo," Sister Rochelle, sitting near the tent opening, said, without meeting A
"Good for you, child," A
Half the women looked up at the sound of A
Some were dressed in outfits A
A
Women all round blinked with disbelieving eyes.
"It's really her," Sister Georgia said. "She's really alive. She didn't die, like we thought. Prelate A
"Well," A
Women were rushing to their feet. It rather reminded A
Sisters of the Light were women of strength, women of fortitude, women of decisive intelligence. A
She ran a gentle hand down a head beside her. "Sister Lucy. You are a sight for my tired eyes." A
And then they were all falling to knees to bow to her, to whisper their prayers to the Creator for her safety, to weep with disbelief.
"There, there. None of that," she said, wiping her fingers across the cheek of Sister Lucy, clearing away the, tears. "None of that. We have important business, and we've no time for a good cry, not that I'm saying you aren't all entitled. But later would be an excellent time for it, while right now is not."
Sisters kissed the hem of her dress. More came forward on their knees to do the same. They were the lost, who were now found. It nearly broke A
She smiled her best Prelate smile and indulged them, touching each head, blessing each of them by name and thanking the Creator aloud for sparing each life and guarding each soul. It was an informal, formal audience with the Prelate of the Sisters of the Light.
She didn't think it the proper time to insist on reminding them she was no longer the Prelate, that she'd given the office to Verna for safekeeping. At that moment of joy, it just wasn't important.
A
"Listen now, all of you. Hush. We will have more than enough time later to share our joy at being together. Now I must tell you why I have come.
"Something terrible has happened. But as you know more than most, there must be balance in all things. The balance is that the terrible event will, in the Creator's balance, allow you to escape."