Stone 43

**Chapter 43**

Richard drags Du Chaillu back through Majendietropolis to the Town Square of 1,000 Swordsmen where he left Verna and Queen Elizabeth. The phrase *“bringer of death”* is used more than once, despite the fact that Richard has not, in fact, killed anyone in Majendieville. Nor (**SPOILER!**) will he.

Richard grabs his bow and arrows and jumps into his horse's saddle. He declares that he has spoken with the spirits, and Queen Elizabeth's hand starts sliding towards the bell-rope (we were told earlier that, if Queen Elizabeth rings the bell, the Thousand Swordsmen will kill Richard and Verna). No, actually, what happens is that *“The back of [Queen Elizabeth]'s hand started sliding up the pole, toward the bell's rope.”* Why the **back** of her hand, I have no idea. What about the rest of her hand?

Richard decides that *“She had been offered a chance,”* and shoots Queen Elizabeth in *“the space between the two bones in her wrist,”* pinning her arm to the pole.

This is a diagram of the human wrist.

Where, exactly, did Richard's arrow go? \~/ The radius and the ulna are technically part of the *arm,* not the wrist.

Richard declares that if anyone moves, the next arrow goes through her eye. He's burning with *“nonspecific wrath,”* which is somehow worse that regular wrath. Richard speechifies \~/ to the Majendie, saying that the spirits want no more sacrifices; instead, the Majendie must live in peace with the Baka Ban Mana. He gives Du Chaillu the Sacred Porn Knife as proof of this, and claims that if the Majendie fail to live up to this new bargain, there will be starvation and death.

Queen Elizabeth wants to consult the spirits her own self, but Richard will have none of it. He literally gives her a count of three to consider the matter, and she unsurprisingly says that they can go free. However, this is a violation of their deal with the Nuns, so no more Nuns will be allowed through Majendieland.

Yes, Richard just overturned a three-thousand-year-old system just like that.

Verna is appalled and angry with Richard, but Richard says Du Chaillu will guide them instead. Du Chaillu smiles a *“self-satisfied smile.”*

This woman was expecting to be raped and murdered *ten minutes ago.* \~/

Du Chaillu doesn't want to get on a horse, but Richard bullies her into it, and for a change I can't really fault him for it. Du Chaillu, *“eyes wide in fright at his glare,”* comments that *“Now I know what a Seeker is.”* Yes, Du Chaillu. A Seeker is a bully, a liar, and a sociopath.

After several hours of riding, Our Heroes reach Baka Ban Mana land and stop to exposit for a bit. We learn that Du Chaillu is pregnant by the Four Bald Jailors, and wants to *“shed the child.”* Verna and Richard both beg her not to, and she says she will consider it.

Verna points out that Richard has no way to enforce his threat to starve the Majendie, so Richard gives Du Chaillu the Bird Man of Alcatraz's silent bird whistle. He instructs her to hide in the bushes near the Majendie fields and blow it to summon birds, which will eat all the Majendie's seeds. The Majendie must not have very large fields, or very many of them. And isn't this plan awfully dangerous to Du Chaillu, or whoever she delegates to bird-calling duty? And doesn't it rely rather heavily on the Majendie not having any alternate food source, or any way to repel the birds?

All in all, it sounds like a stupid plan to me. \~/

Du Chaillu is thrilled with the thought that the Majendie will all starve to death. I might object to this, but frankly I think an eagerness for revenge is a *realistic* thing for a rape victim to show, even if it is directed at the whole culture. Richard *“put[s] his face close to hers”* and insists that it's not a Genocide Whistle; she is to stop calling birds once the Majendie have agreed to live in peace. He also says that, as part of the deal, the Majendie have to let the Nuns travel through their lands again, and so do the Baka Banana Mana.

Three thousand years. Poof. In an instant. \~/

Richard and Verna bitch at each other for a while longer, and then Richard and Du Chaillu wants to take baths. Again, her casual attitude towards nudity clashes with his conservative background, and wacky hijinks ensue. By which I mean, the *rape victim* sees no issue with prancing around naked in front of a strange man, and even insists that he put his hands on her to wash her back. \~/\~/ She also argues that, since he saw her naked, she should get to see him naked.\~/ We learn that the Barack Obana Mana used to live in the Valley of the Lost and Found, and they are “those without masters” because the spirits have not sent them their master yet. And even though they have no idea who their “master” could be, I have a pretty good guess.

There's more thinly-disguised infodumping on Baka Ban Manana culture, which is even more pointless than usual since they will shortly disappear forever from the series. Du Chaillu has five husbands, because she wears the *“prayer dress.”* I presume this makes her a shaman or wisewoman or some such thing, but we aren't told. The **rape victim** grins as she thinks about how eager her husbands will be to have sex with her. \~/

Verna finally notices the handprint Darken Rahl burned onto Richard's chest, and says that he must not show it to anyone at the Big Stone Witch House except the Prelate. Apparently it's the mark of Satan, and the good, kind, God-fearing Nuns will murder him if they see it. She also says *“Sins of the father,”* which doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything.

Wait; the sign of Satan is a handprint? Isn't that kind of...stupid?

Anyway, evening draws on, and it's dark and misty and there are wolves howling for dramatic effect. Du Chaillu comments that when wolves howl in the mist, it means someone will die by violence that night.

Drinks: 8

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