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On either side of the throne, now stood examples of his Tent Guard.  These men were specially chosen at birth for this service, huge men with shoulders of great girth, trained for years in all forms of combat and other arts.  They stood with arms crossed and eyes closed.  In their training, they developed a heightened sense of hearing that almost allowed them to fight with their eyes closed.  This is probably good, thought Consus, because in this tent the strange lights and deep flickering shadows might hinder more than guide a fight.

No others were in the room with them.  This was not a good sign for Consus.

He stepped up to his usual spot and presented himself.  The back side of the throne faced him.  It was made of the same glossy, black, dehydrated look that characterized the twisted columns.  The throne did not turn around. 

Consus waited.  He always had to wait.  He had to remind himself why he put up with this.  First, it was the law of the land, fieldy to one’s liege lord.  Second, and by far the most important, he was a powerful lord.  He possessed power to punish and reward richly.  It was hope for the later that motivated Consus to suffer through the terror of his position.  He was usually not disappointed.

Then he heard the distinct voice of his master in a low crackling noise that fell dead in this tent of thick, sound absorbing cloth.  As the voice warmed up, it grew louder but still more of a hiss than a voice, like the bones of an old man waking up after a long slumber.  “What have you brought me?”

In fear, Consus held out the cloth wrapped small chest with trembling hands.  “Only what you have asked me for, Gray Wolf.”

Still the throne did not turn around.  “And what of its owner?” the voice asked.

“Escaped.”  Consus stood there shaking hoping upon hope that the tone of his voice would not betray his true cowardly actions.  He believed his master could tell truth from a lie by just hearing one word, and since Consus was not telling the whole truth, he hoped his master could not tell in just one word.

Scroll 1: History's Mirror                                                                                    Chapter 1: Treasures from the Past