The Amuzgar

Astra heard a murmer of "Noes." She then heard a bass voice say, "Goodness, Boomer, why the blindfold? If they want to spread reports of what is happening in this room, I say that we should let them."

Boomer replied, "It is my responsibility if they cause problems, amuzgar."

"Then guard the doors and let there be light for our guests. Would you keep them in this state until Doazda arrives? That is not the way that things should be done."

"May I speak with you in private, amuzgar?"

The two men left the room. There was a shuffling of feet and some rapid breathing, as those in the room rushed to the door to try and see if they could catch the gist of the discussion. There was another sudden scurrying as everyone went back to their original place. The door opened. The amuzgar spoke.

"Boomer has told me a few things that I did not know. Astra and Hesht, you may observe us without blindfolds, as we have nothing to hide. You are asked not to leave this room, except under escort. If you do try to leave, then you will be placed under house arrest until the Master of Still House comes back."

"Would that be Doazda?" Astra asked.

"Yes, khanomam", answered Boomer.

"I suppose that I have no choice," said Astra, who removed her blindfold.

She had somehow expected something different. She had underestimated the number of people in the room. She was sitting on one of six long benches, arranged in two columns of three benches, facing a white pedestal. To her right there was a small wooden block, an octavo book, a wax tablet and a stylus. Eight of the people in the room were children. Another five looked like farmers, with heavy features and dirty clothes. There was Hesht, of course, who looked as out of place as she did. She could not tell if Boomer were still here. The amuzgar was a man with long grey hair and a beard. His face was creased with wrinkles, but his brown eyes were clear and, unusual for an old man in the Hespaniard countryside, he had all his teeth. He stood on a pedastal in the front of the room. He glanced around the room, looking at each member of his audience. When his eyes met Astra's, Astra thought that he smiled a bit more, and nodded his head slightly.

He then said, "Please turn to the front of your books, to page seventeen."

The amuzgar said, "There is but one God, and the King is his steward."

The crowd replied, "And we are all the children of God. May our lives bring light to the dark corners of the world."

Astra raised the book to her face, as if she were near-sighted. The real reason that she did this to hide any signs of discomfort that she might have shown. She was already uncomfortable, being the only Aqualarian in a room full of Hespaniards. Somehow it did not seem as bad when she was out of doors, she thought. But this call and refrain of the Hespaniard Creed singled her out as an alien more completely than her white hair, unusual height, or fair skin. Her people did not believe in a single God, and certainly did not see the King of Hespan as his steward. And she did not consider Aqualaria as a "dark corner" of the world, to be shown the light by the expansion-happy Kingdom of Hespan.

After the first shock, she asked herself more questions as she ignored the rest of the Creed. She had been under the impression that the Tange was a lawless, wild region. The Still House, if that was what this manor was, seemed to be quite organized. And why would these alchemists embrace a religion that venerated the King? Wasn't the King at best a problem for them? Were these even alchemists? There was a lot that was unknown. Just keep your mouth shut until you can find a way to leave, Astra thought.

A quiet in the room intruded on Astra's thoughts, and she now paid attention. The amuzgar started to speak.

"Hesht and Astra, would you stand up and tell us a little about yourselves?"

Hesht spoke up, and said, "I am Hesht from Golabi. I work for Doazda Agha and others, as a messenger." He glanced at Astra, and then spoke up, "and this is Astra, who is another messenger that is passing through."

Astra, seeing fifteen pairs of eyes staring at her, smirked in a nervous reaction to the attention, looked down toward the ground, and thought, "Please don't ask me to speak."

The amuzgar said, "Both of you, welcome to our little gathering. I look forward to talking to you at lunch at the Near North field house. And I hope that you will be able to continue with us into the afternoon, but that is Boomer's decision."

As Hesht and Astra sat back down on their bench, the amuzgar thought to himself, "I do not see why Boomer would not let them hear Eriki Agha. But it is better to check, as Eriki is from the outside, and he is going to talk to us about the new knowledge as it relates to farming."

The amuzgar continued, "Today I am going to talk about one of the pillars of the Hespaniard Creed. Children, if you want to play while I am talking, please copy the figures of page 38 on your tablets."

1. Astra listened to the amuzgar's speech.
2. Astra leafed through the book.

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