Finally, Emperor Euphrates signaled straw-thin Ampho, the Royal Crier,
who stuck his beaked nose into the air and closed his eyes as he
sounded out, considerably less loudly than in open court, "All keep
silence before the great Emperor Euphrates!"
"Mark my words," said Emperor Euphrates, for the benefit of Si'Wren.
Si'Wren shifted to a fourth clay tablet and waited, her marking sticks
poised to fly.
"One called Noah, a noble patriarch who has pronounced both prophecies
and judgements before God," said Emperor Euphrates, "shall be visited
by Emperor Euphrates, and petitioned with all royal gifts and honors
befitting his noble reputation, to determine if he is a true prophet of
the God who hates idols, or a liar and mocker. I, Emperor Euphrates,
have spoken."
The nobles present all betrayed their unexpected surprise at this
pronouncement, yet obediently gave the customary nod, but this they
seemed to do a bit reluctantly, it appeared to Si'Wren.
Did they resent the idea of their Emperor risking his life thus, or did
they, too, fear as their Emperor obviously did, the stunning revelation
of this strange prophet and his industrious work upon an ark of such
immense proportions?
An ark made so far from any body of water, intended for the day when a
great flood such as no man had ever witnessed should cover the whole
earth! Such a tale was frightful beyond all imagining.
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