The Speech Of Thousands

The thousands had gathered in a clearing on the sands and watched as Sister Locust took her place on the makeshift stage. Her advisors near her. The stage had been put together today, tested and retested. Sturdy enough for the few up there. It was also the only way a majority would see her.

Kaithak sat on her shoulder, the Skelep was on the ground in front of the stage in between two guards. It was an impressive sight.

On the ground the people, the Horde were all kneeling as if choreographed by the Twins themselves, maybe it was as most things in the Sister's life tended to be.

The redheaded leader beckoned the Horde to rise, they did so silently.

“My fellow Ozainae, those that come to use from other parts of Arcadia, and my trusted advisors. I assemble you all to speak of the future and the past.

We leave here tomorrow to head towards the winter pastures. Towards a land full of animals and vegetation. A land that will nourish and sustain us through the trials to come.

And trials will come, we are to fight an enemy with greater technology than our own. However, we have what they do not. We embrace magic, they run from it.”

Something shifted inside Islana, those who knew her well could see and hear the change. Determination was the same but an almost hatred of the Helians, unheard before spurred from her mouth. Sister Locust had now begun to speak

“The cowards who come to our shores and try to destroy our lands, our way of life. They fear one of our greatest tools. We have the numbers. The bringing together of those with the courage to fight to death if need be. Thousands of us, ready to do what is necessary to send the foreigners back to where they belong.”

Even the people throughout Desdem could hear the loud cheer which rose from the crowd

“We have the Twins, the Gods of Arcadia with us. They have their false Gods. Gods which should not see any more light on our lands.

We fight to preserve our past, the legacies which have come before. We fight for the future of all of Arcadia. For the children too young to fight, for the ones which age had withered away.

We do not know what awaits us, but the Horde will be victorious. There can be no other outcome. No other way to preserve what is ours.

For Arcadia.”

The Horde replied, “For Arcadia.” in unison. They let out with more cheers.

Sister Locust then stopped talking or moving. She was ushered towards the back of the stage. Izdärasen took to the podium to talk about what would happen the next day, after the crowd settled back down. Then the Horde was dismissed.

Aguzul took the Sister by her hand and led her off the podium. Islana blinked, unsure of how she got off the stage. She must have done her speech but recalled nothing of it.