Riverworld, Day 43, Afternoon

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On seeing the church, Benjamin began to speak, but then stopped
himself, deferring to Jeanne. But it was Charles, awe-struck, who knelt
on the deck of the boat and murmured in Latin.

"Heavenly Father, Divine Leader, you take this time to answer our needy
prayer and show us this sign of your love and power.  With great thanks
and supplication, I entreat thee, and promise thee that I will stay the
true course and see your will done in this."

He stood again.  "It is a true sign and blessing that the very element
of our prayer and search is put before us.  We must take this as both
a sign to stop here, and a sign that God himself, guides our hand in
these matters.

"Any symbol of the crucifix, is a good sign. Be these people of a more
modern religion, or of great Rome itself, they can provide us with
some blessing and guidance in our search.  Rarely has the Church ever
turned away those seeking knowledge, and never has the church sought
to hide itself from Evil.  How I wish that the Great Pope Leo, were
living here, but that is too much to hope for.  Even in his blindness
was his judgment fair and even, and his love of God and his people
the strongest of all the Popes.  I would hope for a Roman Catholic
Church, but We will take the sign for what it gives to us.

"If it please you all, let us put in here."

"Yes!" agreed Jeanne.

Charles turned and spoke quietly to her, placing his hand gently
on her shoulder.

"Jeanne, I must hope that this reinforces your faith, and shows you
that perhaps, even if your voices have faded, that God is still with
you and listening to your prayers."

"La, sir," she replied. "I do not take credit for this occurrence;
surely it was your prayers that the Lord heard. For you have proven
yourself a man of God, and he hears the voices of the righteous."

Shaw brought the boat toward the shore again.  "As we don't know just
what kind of reception we will be receiving," he said, "I suggest that
we keep our identities to ourselves for the time being, especially the
two of you."  He nodded at Charles and Jeanne. "At least until we
know who our hosts are. After all, they could be English."

Jeanne's palpable enthusiasm dimmed slightly.  "Yes, of course you are
correct. In my eagerness, I was blinded."

Benjamin chuckled at Shaw.  "When I left behind my prior Life, the
English were none too happy with me, either."

"Oh?" Jeanne asked, "Did they wish to burn you alive, as well?"

"Oh, nothing so serious, burning alive was more or less eliminated by
my part of History." Benjamin replied. "But neither did anyone
canonize me." He grinned widely. Jeanne looks slightly uncomfortable.

"I've been in English jails often," Ehrich added, smiling, "and
they've tried to drown me several times.  But they were very nice and
polite about it the whole time."

Josephine grinned and winked at Ehrich, speaking with a slight drawl.
"I don't think I've ever aroused the enmity of the English,
personally."

Shaw laughed out loud.  "Well, its a good thing that we don't hold
grudges for more than a century or so, I for one have no problem with
either of you."

"Whomever they are, they are still people of God." Jeanne said. "And
lying is still a sin most foul. I will not offer more than a name to
them, but if they ask I will not deny my self or my God."

Charles looked confused.  "Who are these Englush?  Where did they come
from, Where did they live and how did they get to be feeling so
superior?

"We were known as Britons in your time," Shaw answered him. "Had quite
a large empire some seven or eight centuries after your death,
although by my time it had begun to decline."  He smiled and added,
"As to our feelings of superiority, well, I suppose that comes to all
great empire builders."

"You must also remember those back on Earth who used the name of the
Lord for evil," Josephine added wryly. "A cross in and of itself is
only as holy as the ones erecting it." She moved to stand near Shaw.

The boat put in to shore near the church, and the group disembarked.
From the outside, the building was a simple cabin-like structure made
from wood and bamboo, which stood near the grailstone by the River.
Its steeple was almost completely bamboo, but the cross affixed to the
steeple was carved wood.

Seeing no one about, the group came to the door of the building and
knocked anxiously. It opened to reveal a man of medium height, with
unkempt hair and towels arranged to suggest a monk's robes. His eyes
flashed brilliantly as he looked over the group. 

"I knew you would arrive today!" he exclaimed in a voice with a trace
of a Slavic or Russian accent. "I am Father Gregory. Welcome! Welcome
to the New Orthodox Church of the River!"

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Louis stood shocked, staring at the Asian men by the grailstone. 

If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have surely
discounted it as the ramblings of a mad man. The spear was poorly
thrown, and yet, even Sly should be capable of damaging a still
target.

"More insanity!  Do the laws of Reason and Sense not function here?!
Our comrades vanish with nary a trace, food materializes from large
stones . . . I feel I am lost in a world of delusion."

Louis slumped against a nearby tree and watches the Asian men.
"Someone or something does not wish these men to be molested.  Is it
of their doing or did they beseech their God for his protection?"

He sighed, spent more mentally then physically.  "I am a man of
reason.  I do not believe in miracles, divine power . . . and yet,
there it is."

"I am babbling as but a boy might!" he shouted in disgust, angry with
himself, and walked to the shore of the River to stare into the clear
flowing water.

Sly looked up from his crouch at the reaction to his spear. He
immediately stood and turned to his companions.  "'at's roit mateys,
what'd oi tell you eh? Lissen ta' me, don't be tellin' Sid Vicious
whatta do again, if ya know what's good fer ya!"

He gave a long, smug, ugly smile to his companions, and watched their
reactions closely.

Shaka looked at Sly with anger in his eyes.  "Silence!  Or I will
silence you permanently.  Show some discipline, you... strange
person."

He looked at the meditating people, puzzled.  Then he turned to the
rest of the group.  "I see no glowing, I see no lights.  Yet clearly
they act strangely.  I believe you are correct, Louis, we should not
dally here.  Come!  Let us take the stone, refill our grails and
be gone, we have more important things than this to worry about."
Repeating the order for his Zulus, Shaka set about surrounding the
grailstone.

Sly began to feel very strange. Looking at the holy people he watched
their glow shimmer and then fade. When it was all but gone, he was
struck with the worst headache of a life characterized by worst
headaches.

Once the grails were refilled, Shaka signaled for the others to
continue their march northward. Mandragola shot a glance at Sly,
uncertain if the man would follow Shaka's order, but Sly, rubbing his
head and almost staggering, joined them at the back of the army.

As night began to fall, they came upon one of the scouts who had gone
ahead, waiting for them in their path. He looked up at Shaka, and
bowed, barely concealing a smile. "My King, we have found what may be
the source of the metal, one grailstone forward. It is guarded,
however, by fierce-looking men with blue faces. Pala and the others
wait for you to join."