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Chapter 42

Soldiers!" The cry was passed up the road and people scrambled for the bush on the sides of the road. Patrick followed Stone and Justine. He made them hide behind trees. An old tree had fallen and its roots had pulled a huge wall of dirt and stone out of the forest floor. Patrick lay on the trunk and peered through a small gap. He wanted to see what was going on.

A squad of six men in white rode horses. They didn't look threatening; they looked tired and bored. Patrick was sure they were still dangerous. The swords hanging from their belts would be deadly against unarmed villagers.

"People," one of the soldiers called out in a voice so bored Patrick was sure he'd been saying the same thing all day. "You will not be harmed. Go to the City. If you try to return to your homes they will be burned and you will be punished." They walked along a little way and a different soldier called out exactly the same message. Eventually it faded away into the distance.