Whether it made sense or not, her outburst had got the reaction that Ash had wanted, so he dismissed his misgivings about the validity of her story. As was evident from the looks on their faces and the hushed whisperings that arose, the people gathered around the fire were now girding their loins for a chance to get even with the forces of darkness. Word would now spread quickly, and the day of reckoning would soon be at hand.
“So it is decided,” said Ash, with even more gesticulating than before. “We will destroy them utterly, and free ourselves from their bloody tyranny. So go forth I say, and speak to all those able-bodied persons that you can find and rally them to our cause. Make provision and gather all the weapons you can, for within a very short time, we'll be striving to take bac
