Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 87

“Let’s try again. What is your name?”

“Whatever name you wish.”

Tama blocked her from collapsing the shield. The Elder was furious enough that her staff illuminated. Her friends brought Tama down to her knees.

“You punish him for rejecting his answer, and then would punish him when he deferred to your authority,” Tama offered in defense.

“He is being defiant. Defiance is punishable…”

“He is not defiant. He can’t harm us. He is not fighting. He has committed to this path and we hold the superior position. He should be allowed to speak his truth, regardless of what you think of it. If consensus rejects it, then that is on us,” Tama said.

“There is truth in that.”

Tama was surprised she had an ally in the group. She hid her surprise. It was possible it wasn’t an ally, just a neutral acceptance of her statement.

“That he can’t harm us? That is so obvious it shouldn’t be spoken.”

“He used tech to counter your attack. If he wanted to retaliate, he would have,” Tama said. “My brother is a peaceful man. He would not kill a rabbit. He can fight, and he will if so provoked, and if he had wanted- Sinter would be gone. You need to be more considerate in this matter. He has been to the depth of the ocean. He lived with giants. You should fear him.”

“There are no giants…”

“The drowning you allude to. You and he schemed that out to create a myth?”

“Tama is not that sort,” Lanore said. “She is not humble, but she is as timid as a rabbit and will not fight.”

“Those are exactly the type to scheme. And having male do her bidding leaves her plausible deniability.”

There was debate about whether their attack had indeed be blocked, or had simply failed. It eventually wound back to the point he was capable of waging devastating war. Tama went on further, “if he wanted to attack you even here, even now, he is capable. He is exercising restraint, and that warrants our appreciation.” There was contempt and mockery in response to that.

“Then why doesn’t he?”

“Dereference to a higher power,” Tama asked. “Mother called him here.”

“We speak for Mother!”

Again they turned to Shen.

“Who are you?”

“There is no answer I can give you that will satisfy. I have a name, but I am not just that. You wish to label me, and I resist your constraints. I am what I am, and no matter how you pen it down, I am still only that. But should you say I am that, then I guess am that, until I am not," Shen said.

The shield was collapsed, and when it bounced back, it was collapsed again. He lay on the floor, fetal position.

“How dare you blasphemy in this temple?”

“I told you that he knows our sacred text, that he is Seer,” Lanore said. “This is enough to warrant his death. Why do you delay in this?”

“If you kill him, there will be consequences,” Tama said.

“You’re threatening us?”

“Of course not. I am a Seer, you will accept that I have vision. You will sort it like you would any vision, even if should take you years of study to understand it. You kill him, the world will change,” Tama said. “I wish to preserve the world.”