"This is justice," he said. "Can you not see this? Can you not see what happens when you bring these -- these things into the world? The Prophet? Ha! What is the Will of the Prophet, eh? Aron. I'm sorry. It's hard. You have to be patient with me. There is no order any more. That's what he said, what he used to say. That man. That priest. Maintaining the order of things leads to an ordered life. Empty words from an empty church. An empty life."
Men Darnak seemed to lose focus again, his gaze wandering away.
"Leannis," said Aron. "What can we do? How can we help?"
Men Darnak spun back. "Put a curse on all you have brought into this world, for they are tainted. Put a curse on them as they have cursed us." He laughed, throwing out his arms and tilting his face up to the sky. "We are worse than the beasts. Do you hear me? Prophet, where are you? Do you hear?"
Aron strained against Markis's restraining hand. "We must do something."
"What can we do, Sir? I be thinking that there's not so much we can do."
A shout came from nearby. Another group of men had just crested the hill to the right. They were dressed in livery that Markis did not recognize.
"There he is," said one, pointing down at them. They quickened their pace toward the group.
As they neared, another spoke. "We come from Tarlain Men Darnak with instructions to bring his father back with us."
The sound of his son's name brought Men Darnak upright. He stood straight, firm. "Tarlain?" he said. "Tarlain. Tarlain..." The words trailed off.
"Principal Men Darnak," said one of the men as they drew closer.
With a sudden laugh, the old man turned. The next instant he was dashing away across the valley, calling out behind him. "Tarlain, Tarlain, Tarlain!"
"Principal Men Darnak, wait!"
Both groups of men rushed after him, leaving Markis and Aron standing alone apart from two of the new group who had remained behind. Within moments, all the others had disappeared from view over an intervening rise. Their shouts could still be heard over the hills.
One of the other two men approached them shaking his head. "It's terrible to see what's happened to the old man," he said. "Who are you?"
"This be Guildmaster Aron Ka Vail," said Markis. "I am taking him to the camp of Tarlain Men Darnak."
The man nodded after a pause, taking in their appearance. It seemed that there was nothing that could surprise anyone any more. "The camp's back over that way," he said, gesturing back over his shoulder. "But you'd best be quick. They're getting ready to move. We should go after the others. Can you find your way?"
Markis nodded. The two remaining guildsmen headed off in the direction that Men Darnak had taken.
"What would you be wanting, Guildmaster?" said Markis.
Aron sighed deeply. "I thought to be able to find Leannis and offer him what little support I could. I fear the only thing that can help him now is the Prophet himself."
"So, what would you?" asked Markis again.
"Take me to the camp," said Aron. "Take me to the camp."
Markis took the Guildmaster's arm and started leading him in the direction that Tarlain's man had indicated.
#
Markis led his father slowly into the camp. Somewhere he would find someone to look after the old man, and then, then when the time was right, he would reveal himself. That time was not yet though. As they moved through the clusters of men and Kallathik, preparing or simply standing around, he watched with interest. Everything he knew about the Kallathik made this sudden organization and focus surprising. What was it that had spurred them to such action?
Over to one side, he noticed some more men wearing the colors he now recognized as those belonging to Tarlain Men Darnak. These were not your classic Guildsmen. They were a rough collection of people, workers, miners, others, obviously pulled together under Tarlain's name for a single common purpose. In his current garb, he looked just as much a part of the motley collection. That Tarlain had the power to draw such a group together spoke of deep feeling running through the people, feeling he could have hardly imagined existed.
"I had no idea," he said to himself.
"What? Idea of what?" said Aron.
