Faith, Hope, and Charity

The Vote

"Okay, come on." Darius says, rising from the table and leading Korban out of the dining pit.

Now it's just me and Tress, sitting at the table in silence. Some of the Griffin Riders are already beginning to congregate in the plaza.They're pulling out chairs from the tables and carrying them up to the plaza, arraying them in circles. Just looking at them makes me start to bounce out of nervousness. I try to ignore all the movement, but when I can't, I turn to Tress and say, "Good luck."

"Do you believe me now?"

"I just don't like Isra."

She smiles a little and then stands, making her way up to the plaza. I finish off my breakfast, follow her up, and find a place to sit. Griffins and people alike are gathering now, filling the space with bodies as they crowd together. I barely notice when Korban slips into the chair next to me.

"Isaac's making all sorts of friends."

He snaps to look at me, "What did he do to you?"

"Relax. He was just being stupid."

"You and I seem to be the only people who think so."

I nod and watch as the Isra approaches the circle of space Tress is standing beside. I look out over the crowd and count. Twenty five, a common enough number for a night in the tavern. Only some are men; There are many women and a few children. Lazar's sitting on his griffin next to another man with the same dark skin. While they look pensive, I see a lot of bored looks. Isaac is standing next to Isra and a cadre of other young men and women stand next to him. Maybe that's who Korban was talking about.

Isra walks out onto the floor and says, "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Two nights ago, a group of refugees came to the summit of Moon Mountain and were transported here. After taking care for them, they told me an outlandish story behind why they are here. They asked for help from the Griffin Riders to defeat a shadowy threat, for which they have no proof of existing, and when I told them no, asked to take it to all of you."

"I will allow them to tell you their story, after which I will give you my reasoning. Following that, you will have the opportunity to ask questions. At the end, we will take a vote."

She turns towards Tess and motions towards the stage. Everybody is looking at her, some in wonder and others in disgust. Some of the griffins are watching the procedings as well. Tress gazes over them and begins to explain. After she reaches the part of the story when she arrived in Nakhot, she turns to me and says, "One of my companions will explain what occured there. I fear if you were to hear it from me, you would not believe it."

For a moment, I sit in my chair like stone. Then eyes turn towards me and Korban prods me up, so I stand and walk slowly to stand beside her. Some look at me in contempt and others are disinterested at best.

"I was a slave in Nakhot city when came." Several of the people lean forward to hear me, so I raise my voice to continue, "The night hse came, there was a fire inside of the kitchen that consumed the entire inn. Charity got me out and Tress took us to the gate. She used this magical rod in order to defeat the guards and blow a hole in the gate. After we found shelter, she explained to us why she had come."

I catch a look of sympathy from a mother with a toddler on her lap, sitting in the midst of the audience. The man sitting next to her is watching me with the pensive look Lazar has too. The toddler stares at me with big blue eyes, the same color as her father's.

I smile a little and talk a little louder, "She said there is a being called Irudipen who is plotting to awaken the dragon. She said another being called Ama told Tress to come and find you in order to help her stop him."

A group of people has started to chat. Tress's voice rushes across the space, "And what have we experienced since then, Faith?"

I look to Korban as I continue, "Since I heard that story, I have suffered a lot. We were caught in a sandstorm that almost killed us. We were captured by rajika slavers and almost sold back into slavery. We almost died of hunger, thirst, and cold. And a shade almost killed us on Moon Mountain."

"A shade that one of your own saw." Tress says, pointing to Korban.

He nods, "I saw it."

Tress continues, "The shade is an agent of Irudipen, sent to stop us before we could reach you. If you do notihing, the dragon will wake and the world will burn. There will be no escape for us. For this reason, I beg for your help."

"A moving speech." Isra says as she steps up beside us, "But we are concerned with facts. We know that there are shadowy and powerful figures living in this realm, but there is no evidence that such a being is plotting to destroy our world. While the travelers might cite the dream the zho received as being enough, I am not so sure."

"It was no dream." Tress interjects, "The fey spoke to me in the light of day."

"But how can we know for ourselves? What evidence is there of Irudipen? Of this fey you say spoke to you?"

"There are records in your library that detail an attack on a library in the land south of here known as Rasla. There is also the story of the boy who came with us of a fisherman who was abducted, both acts in line with Irudipen's character."

"Stories. Not facts. By your own admission. I will not send my people to chase a figment of your imagination."

She turns to the audience, "You may ask your questions."

The stares of the crowd are boring into me. I want to sit down, but their gazes hold me in place. Korban is looking around the room, searching for something.

One of the riders stands, "I would like to ask the young lady the same that our leader has asked. How can we know if what you say is true?"

"There are six witnesses of the shade's attack, including one of your own riders;" Tress responds, "why else would we be attacked if not to be opposed?"

"The creature could have attacked you for some other reason. A personal reason." Isra says.

"My personal demons are not as easily beat as the shade." Tress rumbles like a cloud filled with thunder.

"If I may..." the mother that I saw before is standing up, holding her baby at her side. Isra withdraws so that we might face her.

"What will you do after this vote is taken? In either case."

Tress is about to answer, but the woman interrupts, "No. I want to hear from the girl."

"Me?"

She nods.

"That has nothing to do with if it's true or not!" Korban shouts from across the room.

But I know that they suspect the same thing that Isra does, so I answer,"I don't know. I've lost everything coming here. But now that I'm here, I have something and could have more. If you leave and perish fighting Irudipen, I would loose even more. But if you would stay, I would be safe. I would not benefit anything by sending you to fight Irudipen."

"What information do you have of this Irudipen?" Somebody shouts at me.

"I have told you before." Tresss says, "He is a being of immense power who wants to awaken the dragon. He delights in destruction and death. He attacks centers of learning and abducts the weak. What more do you wish to know?"

"We will hold the vote now." Isra interrupts.

"Wait! What if they have questions?" Korban shouts.

Isra's gaze freezes, "All those who are in favor of pursuing this Irudipen, please raise your hand."

The mother from before raises her hand, followed by her husband. Lazar and the man next to them raise their hands. Two others and Korban raise their hands. Seven.

"All those opposed?"

Some hands shoot into the air and many more follow. Isra raises her hand. Nineteen.

"We will not pursue this Irudipen."