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Yama was not so lucky. She did not make it to the Garden before the damage was done. " Raising her hand, he kissed it gently, then released it. " But her suffering is nothing compared to what will happen tomorrow. "
    " A revision conference is set for tomorrow ." Giza stroked the fur of the kava perched on his shoulder. " Every Lexicon in the world will gather in one place , in the capital city above us , for reed ucation. They are supposed to learn of the changes being made to the Vox languages by our government.
    " Instead , they will be massacred by the Free Speakers ," said Giza. " This so the Speakers will be able to replace current languages with a forbidden tongue. "
    " Their own version of it , anyway ," said Folcrum. " One that will pave the way for their ultimate goal. "
    " Revolution ," said Giza. " Ending with power in their hands. "
    Oric bowed to Yama, and she left the gazebo. " Who is in power makes no difference to us ," he said, turning to Jalila. " We do not concern ourselves with such matters . But we will not stand by while Lexicons are slaughtered. Even if it means we must sacrifice our own lives in the process. "
    Giza chuckled. " Not that we expect the same sacrifice from you , Jalila . Don ' t worry. "
    Jalila worried anyway. She wondered if they were suggesting their plans included a suicide component.
    " Your being here with us has already hurt the Free Speakers ," said Oric. " You were to be the figurehead around which everyone would rally. Nevertheless , one thing is certain. They will go on without you. "
    " And we will stop them ," Giza said firmly.
    Jalila wanted to ask how they planned to accomplish that and what role she would be expected to play...but she couldn't speak through the gag. She couldn't even write in the dirt, because the Vox wouldn't understand.
    After thinking for a moment, she reached into the right hip pocket of her gray jumpsuit and drew out the handgun she had taken from the Free Speakers' camp. Lifting the weapon, she aimed it away from everyone and pretended to fire it several times, jerking the barrel up as if there was a recoil after each shot. Then, she pointed at the gun and shrugged, raising her free hand with palm up in a questioning gesture.
    " Guns? " said Oric. " No guns. "
    " We won ' t use them ," said Giza. " We won ' t need them. "
    Jalila waved the gun and pointed over her shoulder, indicating the direction from which she had come...and by extension, the Speakers.
    This time, Folcrum spoke, perhaps because he had seen her acquire the weapon in the first place. " We know the Free Speakers are armed . Don ' t worry. We have a plan to stop them without firing a shot. "
    Lowering the gun, Jalila replaced it in her pocket. The Vox could go unarmed if they liked, but she had no intention of relinquishing her weapons until she was safely back onboard the Ibn Battuta ...if she ever got there.
    Raising her hands, she again shrugged questioningly, hoping the three Vox would divulge more details of their plan. They either didn't understand what she wanted or chose to ignore her curiosity.
    " You must excuse me ," said Oric. " I have much to do to prepare for tomorrow. "
    " As do I ." Giza rose from his bench. As he stood, the kava drifted from his shoulder, fluttering past Jalila and out of the gazebo. " We leave soon. "
    " In the meantime ," said Folcrum, " perhaps you ' ll try the nutrient mists that sustain Yama. This has been a long day for you , and you ' ll need your strength tomorrow. "
    Though Jalila was reluctant to ingest anything on Vox that she hadn't had the opportunity to analyze, she nodded. Because of the planet's light gravity, she had felt lightheaded since stepping out of the scout barque...but she was convinced that the more extreme lightheadedness she now felt was due to a combination of exhaustion and hunger. She hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast onboard Ibn Battuta , which seemed like an eternity ago.
    As Oric and Giza headed off into the