been on a long journey." His words surprised Lisa. She
thought they must all look terrible after the insect attack. Then she
remembered that they didn't have any sting marks, and again she
wondered why.
Kurt was annoyed that Ildreth didn't believe him. He blurted
out, "We're from a far-off world called Canada!"
Ildreth roared with laughter. "Canada! What place of makebelieve is that? Do you hear the boy's wild imaginings, Shamith?"
He turned to the older Matmon, who did not laugh. "I have heard
of such a place," Shamith said simply. Ildreth shut down his laughter.
Shamith looked directly at Lisa. "What say you, young lady?
Does your friend here speak the truth? Do you come from this faroff world of which he speaks?"
"He's not my friend; he's my brother," Lisa answered. She
thought she could at least avoid the question for a minute. While
she tried to think of what to say next, she saw both Matmon's crinkled eyes grow large and round. They stared past the children at
the heap of dead giant insects.
"How came it that they are all dead?" Ildreth demanded.
"Wes here killed them," explained Kurt. He wanted his brother
to get the credit. He hoped Ildreth and Shamith would be
impressed.
Shamith asked quickly, "And none escaped?"
"Yeah, a few. They went that-a-way," Lisa answered. She pointed
into the woods and giggled. It sounded like something out of a
corny Western movie.
The faces of Shamith and Ildreth went blank, at least as blank as
the weather-worn and leathery face of a Matmon could. They
glanced at each other. Ildreth's voice was tight as he said, "You
have slain thousands of royal weaver bees! King Tiqvah is in need
of them! How shall he obtain silk for thread and rope? How is he
to have honey to soothe-" Ildreth stopped himself as though he
had said too much. Anyway, the Friesens had quit listening at the
words King Tiqvah.
"You mean Kardia and Suneidesis's son?" Lisa asked. "He's the
king now?" They had known Tiqvah on a previous visit to Anthropos. He was about Wes's age. Gaal sent the Friesens on a mission to
rescue Tiqvah and Suneidesis when a witch imprisoned them in a
cave beneath the sea. Later Tiqvah's father, King Kardia, died after
the battle with the dragon at the royal lodge on Lake Nachash.
When the Friesens left Anthropos, Tiqvah was about to begin his
rule under the wise guidance of his mother. The Friesens couldn't
wait to see him again-a boy-king who was also their good friend!
Shamith did not hide his scorn at Lisa's question. "Indeed we
speak of King Tiqvah. How could anyone not know of him? For
close to three decades he has reigned over Anthropos-since long
before any of you were born."
Close to three decades! The children were stunned into silence.
They tried to sort out the passage of time. In Canadian time it had
been only a little over a year since they last saw Tiqvah.
Ildreth's eyes narrowed. "I see this news displeases you. Had
you hoped to find some other reigning in his stead?"
Betty had been totally lost through this conversation. Now she
blurted out, "I didn't expect to find anybody reigning in anybody's
stead!"
What happened next might have been a scene from that corny
Western movie Lisa thought of, except it was all too real. Both Matmon stepped quickly from raft to shore. Ildreth grabbed Wes and
Lisa and held one of them tightly in each arm as in a clamp.
Shamith grabbed Betty and Kurt in the same way. They pulled the
children onto the raft. They were calm, efficient and impossible to
resist no matter how much the children struggled and dragged
their feet.
The Matmon muttered words like "Traitors!" "Anarchists!"
"Rebels!" as they pinned the children face down on the splintery
logs. Somehow they managed to open their leather packs and
extract some cord, with which they bound the children. They
stepped away, picked up their paddles and pushed off. The raft,
with six aboard now, started back across the lake for the far shore
thought they must all look terrible after the insect attack. Then she
remembered that they didn't have any sting marks, and again she
wondered why.
Kurt was annoyed that Ildreth didn't believe him. He blurted
out, "We're from a far-off world called Canada!"
Ildreth roared with laughter. "Canada! What place of makebelieve is that? Do you hear the boy's wild imaginings, Shamith?"
He turned to the older Matmon, who did not laugh. "I have heard
of such a place," Shamith said simply. Ildreth shut down his laughter.
Shamith looked directly at Lisa. "What say you, young lady?
Does your friend here speak the truth? Do you come from this faroff world of which he speaks?"
"He's not my friend; he's my brother," Lisa answered. She
thought she could at least avoid the question for a minute. While
she tried to think of what to say next, she saw both Matmon's crinkled eyes grow large and round. They stared past the children at
the heap of dead giant insects.
"How came it that they are all dead?" Ildreth demanded.
"Wes here killed them," explained Kurt. He wanted his brother
to get the credit. He hoped Ildreth and Shamith would be
impressed.
Shamith asked quickly, "And none escaped?"
"Yeah, a few. They went that-a-way," Lisa answered. She pointed
into the woods and giggled. It sounded like something out of a
corny Western movie.
The faces of Shamith and Ildreth went blank, at least as blank as
the weather-worn and leathery face of a Matmon could. They
glanced at each other. Ildreth's voice was tight as he said, "You
have slain thousands of royal weaver bees! King Tiqvah is in need
of them! How shall he obtain silk for thread and rope? How is he
to have honey to soothe-" Ildreth stopped himself as though he
had said too much. Anyway, the Friesens had quit listening at the
words King Tiqvah.
"You mean Kardia and Suneidesis's son?" Lisa asked. "He's the
king now?" They had known Tiqvah on a previous visit to Anthropos. He was about Wes's age. Gaal sent the Friesens on a mission to
rescue Tiqvah and Suneidesis when a witch imprisoned them in a
cave beneath the sea. Later Tiqvah's father, King Kardia, died after
the battle with the dragon at the royal lodge on Lake Nachash.
When the Friesens left Anthropos, Tiqvah was about to begin his
rule under the wise guidance of his mother. The Friesens couldn't
wait to see him again-a boy-king who was also their good friend!
Shamith did not hide his scorn at Lisa's question. "Indeed we
speak of King Tiqvah. How could anyone not know of him? For
close to three decades he has reigned over Anthropos-since long
before any of you were born."
Close to three decades! The children were stunned into silence.
They tried to sort out the passage of time. In Canadian time it had
been only a little over a year since they last saw Tiqvah.
Ildreth's eyes narrowed. "I see this news displeases you. Had
you hoped to find some other reigning in his stead?"
Betty had been totally lost through this conversation. Now she
blurted out, "I didn't expect to find anybody reigning in anybody's
stead!"
What happened next might have been a scene from that corny
Western movie Lisa thought of, except it was all too real. Both Matmon stepped quickly from raft to shore. Ildreth grabbed Wes and
Lisa and held one of them tightly in each arm as in a clamp.
Shamith grabbed Betty and Kurt in the same way. They pulled the
children onto the raft. They were calm, efficient and impossible to
resist no matter how much the children struggled and dragged
their feet.
The Matmon muttered words like "Traitors!" "Anarchists!"
"Rebels!" as they pinned the children face down on the splintery
logs. Somehow they managed to open their leather packs and
extract some cord, with which they bound the children. They
stepped away, picked up their paddles and pushed off. The raft,
with six aboard now, started back across the lake for the far shore
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