For I, myself, have destroyed many false idols, but you ought
to obey your Emperor, and only indicate to myself, your Lord; are you
an idol-breaker?"
Si'Wren took a moment to find an answer in a mindful of terrors, and
shook her head once emphatically.
Negative!
Emperor Euphrates' eyes widened almost imperceptibly at this. Then,
thinking further of it, he added, "Have you in fact sworn a vow of
silence to the Forbidden One?"
With a pent-up sigh of weariness, defeat, and resignation to her doom,
Si'Wren nodded in the affirmative this time. Then, she remembered that
it was not a vow of absolute silence, but merely that she should not
speak, so she added, lips pressed tightly shut, "Um-hmm."
At this, Emperor Euphrates leaned back ever so slowly, and creased his
eyebrows in a bushy frown as he thought this over until he had
adequately perceived the precise nature of the vow as demonstrated and
interpreted by the girl herself. For while she had not actually spoken,
she had in fact made a noise.
A quandary! Pondering this mightily, he worried, for there was
something about this whole case that was most distinct and unusual.
What was it? He pondered this at length while the whole court waited
and watched, scratching at his beard, and finally arrived at an
understanding.
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