Neophytes of the Stone

by C Lee Tocci

  And still no one spoke.

  Finally, Todd nudged Lilibit. She shot him a glance and, with a jerk of his head, he indicated that she should do something; apologize, or at least say something. Her lower lip jutted out and she went back to glaring at Keotak-se.

  “Syxx is a liar!” The words burst out of Lilibit, hurt and furious. “You said so! You said he’s the Deceiver, and that’s the same as a liar! Right?”

  Todd was lost; he had no idea what Lilibit was talking about, but Gil-Salla nodded.

  “This is true,” Gil-Salla answered coolly, “but the most effective lies frequently have a seed of truth in them.”

  “And you lie too!” Lilibit turned on Keotak-se like an angry kitten. “You do! You lie!”

  Keotak-se looked down at her, no smile on his face. “It is true. I have lied when I have needed to. And yet, more often, I find the truth to be a sharper sword.”

  “What you said to Syxx,” there was an edge of panic in Lilibit’s fury, “that was a lie, wasn’t it? Admit it! You were lying! You made that up!”

  Keotak-se met Lilibit’s glower. Todd could only wonder what Lilibit had overheard Keotak-se and Syxx say, but at least now he knew what was upsetting her.

  “No,” Keotak-se answered at last. “I spoke the truth to Syxx. And he knew it as the truth, which is why he retreated.”

  “No!” Lilibit snarled, her fierce glare shooting from one elder to the next. “No! You’re wrong! You’re all wrong!”

  “Of what are we wrong about, child?” Gil-Salla asked softly. “Speak the words.”

  “Syxx thinks that I’m the Infant Stone Voice! And so does Tree! But they’re wrong! It’s not true!”

  Gil-Salla crouched down to meet Lilibit’s eyes and placed her hands on Lilibit’s shoulders. “It is true. It is your calling, child. You are the Infant Stone Voice.”

  “NO! NO! NO!” Lilibit screamed as she pulled away from Gil-Salla and tore across the hall. “I won’t! I can’t! I don’t know how to be a Stone Voice.”

  A pile of cushions in the corner fell victim to her tantrum as pillows and scraps of stuffing flew in all directions. The Elders stood as still and silent as the sunbeam.

  Todd saw tears in Lilibit’s eyes and that bothered him more than the tantrum. He couldn’t remember ever having seen Lilibit cry before. Her breath caught in her chest and hiccups racked her body. She trembled spastically and her legs buckled beneath her.

  Todd strode over and grabbed her shoulders. “Lilibit! That’s enough! Calm down before you make yourself sick!”

  Lilibit looked up at him, panic fading to shock. “Did you know?” she whispered, stunned.

  Todd wondered if they’d been wrong to keep the truth from her this long, but he knew that he couldn’t do it any longer. He nodded.

  “But I don’t know how to be a Stone Voice!” Lilibit plopped onto the floor in despair. “Can’t someone else do it? Marla would make a real good Stone Voice. Everyone likes her!”

  “It is your vocation, child.” Gil-Salla said softly as she walked over to her. “Your destiny. Your duty.”

  “But, but,” Lilibit stuttered in a daze. “But a Stone Voice is supposed to be strong!”

  With a hint of a smile upon her face, Gil-salla knelt down to look Lilibit in the eye. “Child, you are strong.”

  “But, a Stone Voice is supposed to be brave!”

  “Child.” Gil-Salla shook her head, “You are brave.”

  “Yeah, but a Stone Voice is supposed to be wise! I’m not wise!”

  “You will learn wisdom.”

  Lilibit’s eyes darted around the hall, looking for an escape.

  “Obedient!” Lilibit cried out. “Obedient! She’s supposed to be obedient!”

  There was no response to that. Cohanna and Keotak-se exchanged glances while Gil-Salla stared at Lilibit with sad eyes. A flicker of hope flashed across Lilibit’s face.

  Finally, Gil-Salla heaved a sigh and reached out to softly pat Lilibit’s cheek.

  “Well, I suppose we must learn to be content with three out of four.”

  Lilibit looked from Gil-Salla to Keotak-se, to Cohanna, and then to Todd, but what she saw in their faces gave her no reprieve.

  She collapsed on the floor and wept.