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Ashalla was cold today, colder than it would normally have been in Tilar, where Wi
After all that she had been through in her life, she felt that she deserved the attention of the Prophets. It had taken her the better part of the past year to get permission from the rest of the Vedek Assembly to view the Tear of the Prophet, the Orb of Prophecy and Change, the most valuable and revered object on all of Bajor—and its most closely guarded secret. As the most junior member of the Vedek Assembly, Wi
Vedek Wi
She brushed her soft, light hair before do
She belonged to Essa now, as much as she could belong to another person. He was an influential man; though he held no power under Cardassian authority, he was powerful nonetheless. It made Wi
A soft rap came at the door, and Wi
“Vedek, I come to inform you that we ca
“Ca
The monk went right on speaking as if he had not been interrupted. Her irritation with his insolence made Wi
“Prylar Bek? What could this possibly have to do with the Tear of the Prophets?”
“An emergency council of the Vedek Assembly,” the monk stated, repeating the first part of his message. “You, of course, are required to attend. It must be done immediately. There is not time for anyone to travel, and we ca
Wi
Soon they were joined by seven other vedeks of the assembly, with Sharet presiding as the senior member. There were several core members away, but as the Shikina Monastery was currently home to the main body of the Assembly, it would be up to the attending vedeks to conduct the meeting, to hear the message, and to make whatever decisions might need to be made. In spite of her disappointment, Wi
“Prylar Bek has sent us a coded message in the hand of a mock prisoner smuggled off Terok Nor,” Vedek Sharet informed the others, not wasting any time. “He has learned from someone on the station that a new detection grid could put the life of the kai—and, indeed, the lives of every Bajoran—in grave danger. The grid is purported to be almost ready—it will be operational within the week. He has insisted that the shrine where she has hidden must be completely evacuated, for the Cardassians will be sure to find it just as soon as the new system goes online.”
“Who is his source?” Vedek Preta demanded. “How can we even be sure that the coded message is genuine? This could be a trap to bring the kai out into the open.”
Wi
Vedek Sharet smiled patiently. “We must come to a quick conclusion, my brothers and sisters,” she said. “We must decide which poses a greater risk: evacuating the kai—preferably here, to the Shikina Monastery—or doing nothing.”
“Bek is a trustworthy man,” Vedek Marin said. “We must do this.”
The other votes were cast, with four of those in attendance voting to reject the warning as a trap, and four opting to immediately inform the kai of the possible danger and to arrange to have her secretly transported to the Shikina Monastery. It fell to Wi
The decision made, some monks were recruited immediately to take the message to Kendra, so that Ranjen Stassen could be contacted at the shrine of the kai. Wi
“Vedek Wi