Alltutha, managed to smile in a superior way, even though he felt far from superior.   "My Lord Emperor," Alltutha said, "These are surely the sort of tales told by the common man.   These tales commonly are about a champion of the people and are calculated to make the common people feel good.   I mean, this person cannot exist!   First of all, if she were to be found, I would have found her by now, if no one else could.   And secondly, the sort of things she's supposed to be able to do beggar the imagination.   In a word, they are impossible!"   Then Alltutha smiled even more confidently, hoping that the emperor would believe him.

   The emperor regarded Alltutha evenly.   "If that is so then why do the stories persist long after it has become obvious to everyone that this person does not exist?"

   " Hope.   And Hope dies hard, My Lord!   But the savages will be beaten!   It is just a matter of time --"

   The Emperor didn't let Alltutah finish.   You'd best hope for your sake that this person is but a tale!   In the meantime, send out ten of your best men and look again.   Make sure! Make very, very sure!!   The Empire cannot afford to let a champion of the people live!"

   Alltutha felt constrained to defend his position.   The Emperor did not appreciate weakness. "But we have looked everywhere, My Lord!"

   "Well then look again and again and again.   I want this person found and the heart of the savages broken -- if she does truly exist, that is!"

   "Yes, My Lord Emperor.   It will be done," Alltutha said, bowing out of the Royal Presence and glad to be escaping with his life!   Alltutha felt a renewed purpose.   This Charianna person, if she existed, was not going to make a fool of him!   The only question that remained, if she were found, was whether or not she would live to face the emperor!

   As Alltutha was leaving the palace a man in a cloak sidled up to him.   Instantly, Alltutha was on alert.   He had his enemies like anyone else.   He drew his sword and would have killed without questioning first, but what the man said stopped him.

   In a voice heavy with grief and resignation the man said, "I don't know where Charianna is.     But I do know that you are looking for her.   And I also know what I and her daughter can do to stop her."

   "And you are?" Altutha asked, sternly.

   "I am her former husband, Jevstan." the man replied in a weary voice.

   Alltutha's finely tuned senses told him the man was speaking the truth.   Taking the man by the arm and escorting him towards the palace which he, Alltutha had just left, he said, "Come this way, Jevstan." "Let us talk more, you and I."

****************************************************************************

   As Charianna, Rikke and Tarlmissa sat around the rickety table in the poorly lit dwelling, in the capital city of Hjeelir, the Emperor's city, discussing their next move, Charianna suddenly found herself looking at Tarlmissa and Rikke with pride.   And that led her into thinking back over the two past years that had brought them all to this place.

   Tarlmissa had -- inadvertantly, to say the least! -- started the whole thing by nearly getting herself killed in a stupid dueling accident.   Of course she had died later, but Charianna, through the power of PQ had been instrumental in raising her from the dead.   During the past two years Tarlmissa had gone from being a gawky teenager of fifteen to a very poised young woman of seventeen.  (Of course she was only poised when the most of the time, Charianna, mused with a small smile.   Tarlmissa was still a teenager and could be childish when the whim struck her.)   Her deep red hair, very similar to Perki's when let down, reached way below her waist. Now, though, she had it tied up in a braid so that it wouldn't get in her way if and when action called.   And of course her figure had filled out to the point that she was now a very shapely woman.   But she had had also done more than grow up and fill out.   She had also been a very apt student.   She had eagerly embraced Charianna's teaching and, after a few misadventures, she had become nearly Charianna's equal in using PQ.   Charianna looked for a moment at Tarlmissa with secret, almost maternal pride.   Since she had left her husband and daughter, Tarlmissa had become almost like a second daughter to her.   Briefly Charianna wondered where Jevstan and Frika were, then decided, firmly, that she wouldn't think about that now.

   Instead she focused on Rikke.   The years had been kind to him.   His face was not lined, he only had a small bit of gray in his dark hair, at the temples, and his figure had not thickened with age.   Of course Charianna had seen to it that she took a small hand in that, utilizing the power of the PQ.   But Rikke would have stayed younger and lived longer had he been able to utilize the power of the PQ himself.   But he never could and Charianna dreaded the day when she could no longer do anything for him.   Resolutely, she put that idea out of her mind and tried to focus on the here and now.   Rikke was still a vital man and would remain so, for years to come, with or without what little PQ Charianna could employ in his case.

   But she found she couldn't quite focus on the present.   Not just yet.   Having thought about Jevstan and Frika for the first time in, she didn't know how long, Charianna found she could not dismiss the memories quite that easily.   Against her will, she was led back to a night that she didn't want to remember, but couldn't quite forget.

   It was the last time she'd ever saw Jevstan and Frika.   It had been in their chambers in their part of the pueblo.   And there had been anger and hurt.   The biggest problem was that Jevstan, despite seeing what PQ could do when it came to bringing Frika back to life, had never really endorsed it.   He was grateful of course, he'd said, that it had restored Frika to them, but it seemed somehow in defiance of the natural order of things and he wasn't sure that it wasn't witchcraft. "How are we to know that someday, sometime, either Frika's soul will be held in account or that she won't become some kind of soulless monster?" He'd asked, more than once.   He'd also been of the opinion that if Charianna renounced this power that Frika would somehow benefit.   Frika, afraid that her father was right, had sided with him.   No amount of explaining that it WAS a natural order had convinced Jevstan.   The final argument had come when Jevstan had laid down an ultimatum.   He'd insisted that it was either him and Frika or else the PQ.   Charianna had refused, adamantly, to renounce and denounce.   One part of her had hoped that he would relent.   But he hadn't and she had left with a heavy heart because she knew she would never see them again, but also, strangely, feeling relieved.

   Briefly, she considered sending someone to look for them.   But would it do any good?   No!   It would more than likely just re-open the old hurt and argument for no good cause!   She HAD already had that thought a hundred times before and a hundred times had came to the same exact conclusion she'd just reached.   So.   There was only one thing left to do now -- like there had always been.   Focus on the present.   Resolutely, she did so.   But in her heart and mind she couldn't resist -- just like all the times before -- telling Jevstan and Frika that she was sorry.   So sorry!

   As she turned away from her inner turmoil and looked at Rikke, really seeing him for the first time in several moments, she noticed that he was looking at her strangely and she was sure that he'd said something she hadn't caught.

   "Are you all right?" Rikke asked.

   Charianna tried to suppress a shiver and failed.   She gave Rikke a rueful, brave smile, "I'll be OK in a moment.   It was just ghosts from my past come to haunt me for a moment or two.   Now.   What were you saying?"

   He looked at her sharply for a moment longer, but when Charianna just smiled back, he said, "I was saying that I was wondering how sure you are that this will work.   I mean, did the PQ give you an inside look at the emperor's mind or something?"

   Tarlmissa answered before Charianna could formulate a response, "Oh, Daddy! You know that we could read his mind.   But why bother?   We already know by his actions what's on his mind!"

   When it appeared that Tarlmissa wasn't going to add anything, that instead she was just going to sit there and stare at her farher with the smug superiority of gifted youth, Charianna chuckled and addded, "Yeah.   It doesn't depend on the emperor or all his army.   It depends on us, all of us!   And if I thought for one moment that all my teaching was in vain then I would go back to Perki and forget about it.   But I KNOW that my message has got across.   Sure, we're going to lose some lives; more lives than the PQ can restore, but that is just the price we'll have to pay.   And in the end, we WILL win out.   Besides all that, we've had this discussion before.   So why bring it up on the eve of the Great Peaceful Protest?   Are you getting fatally cold feet?   Because if you are then don't worry.   Tarlmissa and I won't let anything happen to you.   We both love you too much!" Charianna reached across the table and squeezed Rikke's arm lovingly.

   Rikke evaded the issue for a moment.   "Speaking of Perki, why isn't she here? I mean, since she started all this shouldn't she be directly involved?   I mean, I guess I would have asked before, but I was just too involved in other things!"

   This time Charianna managed to get an answer in before Tarlmissa could say anything. "Perki isn't here for two reasons.   First of all once we get this religion established Perki isn't going to hang around.   So it just makes sense for us to do it as much on our own as possible.   And secondly, who said she wasn't directly involved?   Being the Master of masters of PQ she is ready at a moment's notice, should we need to play a trump card.   But I doubt it will come to that and so does Perki.   So she's just waiting in the wings.   Now.   You didn't answer my question.   ARE you getting cold feet?" And Charianna smiled a challenge at him.

   This time before Rikke could answer Tarlmissa said in reproach, "Daddy!   You've got to stop thinking like a military man!   Just because you've always been doesn't mean that you have to keep being that way!" And then she added, teasingly, "And you know you haven't asked about Perki before because you were too busy trying to justify your existence!   But that's OK!   You can justify all you want, I'll still love you!"

   "Well, I wouldn't have put it quite that way.   Just think of all the things you've seen me and Tarlmissa do in the past two years.   How can you doubt that the people will forsake us?   You know as well as I do that the poor people of the empire have no more to lose than my people!" Charianna said, still smiling challengingly at Rikke, while she gave Tarlmissa a wink.

   Rikke threw his hands up in surrender. "OK!   OK!! How can I doubt the two people I love most in the world?" Then he reached across the table to hug them both at once.   At that moment a knock sounded at the door.   Rikke broke the hug and looked an urgent question at Charianna.

   "There you go doubting again!   Of course it's them!   It's the regional representaives.   Who else did you think it would be?" Charianna asked, grinning at his slight alarm.

   As Charianna got up to open the door to admit the visitors, Rikke said, "It always amazes me how you do that!   And wait! Before you open that door!   Are you sure that they'll like me?"

   For an answer, Charianna just gave him an indulgent smile as she reached for the door handle.   Behind Rikke's back Tarlmissa rolled her eyes upward as if imploring the heavens for more strength.

   When Charianna opened the door four figures quickly entered, getting out of the exposed doorway.   Charianna, quickly shut and locked the door behind them.   Rikke and Tarlmissa stood up from the table and waited expectantly while the four removed cloaks.   When the cloaks were removed three men and one woman stood revealed.   Tarlmissa came forward and took the cloaks while they all stood and looked at each other curiously.

   Charianna waited until Tarlmissa had the cloaks hung on pegs and had turned back to face the group.   Then she began the introductions, introducing each of them to each other and then to Rikke.   The first man, a portly bald headed man with a ruddy complexion, Charianna introduced to everyone as Tulvak.   He was a baker with a jovial manner who hailed from the northern part of the capital city. The second man, a tall, thin man with a big beaky nose, a narrow face and a stoic disposition, Charianna introduced as Yuka, a farmer from the southern outskirts of the capital.   The third man, a short, wiry individual with sandy brown hair, overly large hands and a pugnacious nature, Charianna said was Reelapi, a sword smith from the western part of town.   The last to be introduced was Revajori.   A woman of medium height with coal black hair, violet colored eyes and a mystical air about her, Revajori was a fortune teller from the eastern part of the capital, Charianna explained.

   After hands were shook all around, the group seated itself at the table at Charianna's behest and Charianna said, "Shall we begin?"   Four heads nodded somber assent.   "OK, "Charianna went on, "I know you all know me and Tarlmissa and have for some time and that you have just now met Rikke and each other.   There was an excellent reason for that, of course.   So no one could expose the others.   Despite having just met tonight as a group, however, I KNOW we all can work together.   I know that because I know you all.   We will mesh together quickly.   Now I am going to turn the floor over to Rikke who will answer any questions you may have about him, he will also take your reports and then he will go into the co-ordination of the plan, I mean to see if he can poke any holes in it.   I'm letting Rikke do this because he needs to feel useful."

   When everyone saw the mischevious twinkle in Charianna's eye they chuckled for a few moments.   Charianna let them and then when the chuckling died down she gave them all a serious look and said, "No.   Seriously, Rikke, being the Governor of the Inner Provinces has lots of experience in co-ordinating campaigns!   I mean, you all could have just reported to me the state of your readiness or lack of same thereof, but I wanted you to tell it to Rikke because he is going to be in charge of that aspect also, I am going to have a different role and, anyway, I wanted it to be more official, like this.   That way, it will make it seem more formal -- and formality will give it credence and weight.   OK?" Again everyone nodded.   Charianna looked towards Rikke. "Why don't you start with the Q&A and go from there?"

   Rikke nodded and quickly took charge.   "Who wants to go first?" he asked.

   Reelapi spoke up first.   Charianna would have been surprised if he hadn't.   "Are you really Rikke Starhm, the Governor of the Inner Provinces?   If you are, what are you doing involved in this? I mean --" he looked to Charianna in half appeal and half apology, "how do we know he isn't a spy for the Emperor?"

   Rikke started to make some sort of combative reply.   Charianna, sitting beside Rikke, sensed this and put a restraining hand on his arm.   She answered for Rikke, "It's a fair question, Rikke, Reelapi.   But you should know me by now.   If Rikke is with us, it means he's OK!"

   Rikke gently shook Charianna's hand off his arm.   He gave her a challenging look.   "I'm capable of speaking for myself, Charianna.   I'm surprised you don't know the story of my daughter and how Charianna brought her back to life, Reelapi."   First he gave Reelapi a pointed look.   Then he gave Charianna a hurt look.   Charianna knew what the look meant.   She squeezed his arm and smiled at him, whispering into his ear, "That's just Reelapi's way.   Don't be offended by it."

   "I do know the story!   How could I not?   I just meant that maybe you couldn't be trusted anyway.   I mean, how do we know that your allegiance to the Emperor isn't stronger than anything else?"   Before Rikke could answer, Reelapi went on, "Let me make myself even more clear.   I mean just because Charianna saved your daughter's live does that really mean anything?   How are we supposed to know that you are truly involved?   It doesn't neccessarily have to follow you know!" Reelapi said, sitting forward and leaning across the table as if he were daring Rikke to take a punch at him.   The others looked at Rikke uncertainly as if Reelapi might really have a point after all.

   Rikke struggled with a strong impulse to reach across the table and grab the little guy.   But he was stopped by three things.   Reelapi would not neccessarily know how Rikke felt, not everyone reacted the same way -- for all Reelapi knew, Rikke MIGHT be an uncaring monster.   Also, it would not make Rikke look good in the eyes of the others.   And, finally, Rikke was stopped by the fact that he'd had a sudden inspiration. "Something tells me you once were frustrated because you wanted to be a soldier and for some reason you couldn't be.   So you went to sword making as the next best alternative."   Reelapi started to interject a comment.   Rikke held up a forestalling hand and went inexorably on, "Well, in this new world we are going to build there will be no need for soldiers -- or swords.   And I think Tarlmissa will back me up on this.   If she never sees another sword it will be too soon.   Besides all that, you know ARE a soldier of sorts.   Only it's a soldier of peace.   And not the peace of the sword."

   Reelapi gave Rikke a very measured look and after a bit of contemplation said, "I like the way you think and talk and I am satisfied that you ARE with us!"   Then he relaxed, sitting back from his combative posture and crossing his big hands across his chest comfortably.

   "OK. I think I know all I need to know about you, Reelapi, for now!" Rikke said, in half jest.   Reelapi grinned in appreciation of the small joke and relaxed even more.   Rikke looked around at the remaining three.   "Who's next?" he asked.   When no one volunteered, Rikke looked at Revajori and asked, "You.   Charianna introduced you as a fortune teller.   Since we all know that fortune telling is a sham what drew you to Charianna?"   He smiled to take some of the sting from his words.

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