‘Wait,’ Draulin’s voice said suddenly. There was a silence, followed by her saying, ‘Your . . . Majesty?’
Mallo sighed visibly, shooting me a glare. ‘Yes, it is I.’
‘You are supposed to be safe!’
‘I will not abandon my people,’ Mallo said.
I spun the mirror around. ‘So, it’s not just a couple of foolish Smedrys, but the Mokian royal line who are in danger here. You should . . .’
The image of the glass started to grow turbulent, ripples moving through it. I frowned, shaking the mirror.
‘. . . can’t . . . what . . . doing . . .’ Draulin’s voice said. ‘What . . .?’
‘I can’t see you either,’ I said to them.
The others in the room crowded around. I lowered the mirror so all could see.
‘That doesn’t look good,’ Kaz said, rubbing his chin.
‘This was supposed to last at least twenty days,’ Mallo said. ‘We—’
‘General Mallo!’ a voice cried. We turned as a young Mokian girl ran up the front steps to the palace and entered the main chamber.
‘What is it?’ Mallo asked, turning sharply.
‘The Librarian army,’ the girl said. ‘They’re doing something, something big. You should come see.’
1010
Okay, I can’t help myself. I’ve written three and a half books. I held my tongue. (Figuratively, unlike that guy back in Act V.) But I’m about to burst.
It is time to talk about religion in the Hushlands.
You Free Kingdomers may be confused by Hushlander religions. After all, they are all so very different, and their followers are all so very good at yelling at one another loudly that it’s hard to tell what any of them are saying. However, should you infiltrate Librarian nations and need to imitate a Hushlander, you’ll probably need to join one of their religions to blend in. Therefore, I’ve prepared this handy guide.
Religions, in the Hushlands, are basically about food.
That’s right, food. In following one religion or another, you end up boycotting certain foods. If you become Hindu, for instance, you give up beef. Mormons give up alcohol and coffee. Catholics can eat pretty much whatever they want, but have to give up the stuff they like the most for one month a year, while Muslims give up all food during the daytime hours of Ramadan.
So which religion is the best? Well, it depends. In my cultivated opinion, I’d suggest Judaism.
But that’s because I prefer the path of yeast resistance.
We stood atop the wooden palisade wall of Tuki Tuki watching the gigantic Librarian robots drive large, glowing rods into the ground. They shone blue in the night and were as tall as buildings. They illuminated the Librarian war camp, which was far more active now. Men and women had been awakened and were collecting their weapons and forming up battle lines.
‘What are they?’ Angola asked.
‘They look like some kind of glass device,’ Aydee said.
‘No,’ Kaz said. He stood atop a step stool and looked out at the Librarian camp, rubbing his chin. ‘This war is being led by the Order of the Shattered Lens.’
‘Who?’ I asked.
Bastille rolled her eyes at my ignorance.
‘The Shattered Lens is a Librarian sect, Al,’ Kaz said. He was a scholar of Talents, Oculatory Distortions, and – by extension – Librarians. ‘You’ve met the Dark Oculators, the Scrivener’s Bones, and the Wardens of the Standard. Well, the Shattered Lens is the last of them. And probably the largest. The other orders accept, even use, silimatic technology and Oculatory Lenses. These guys, though . . .’
‘They don’t?’ I asked.