At that James and Illan glance to each other. They can see reflected in the eyes of the other the memory of the shadows they have encountered.

“There are many passages linking the Gardener to the end of the world. Some foretell of his coming, others speak of events that will transpire before he walks upon this earth.” Glancing first to James then to Illan he adds, “At least five that I know of have come to pass in the last few years.”

“Okay,” says James. “What makes you believe that I am the Gardener of which he spoke?”

“I will tell you of two,” he says. “Here is the first,”

When evil arises, its neighbors to swallow,

A man shall come to lands gone fallow.

With might and right its tide to slow,

The Gardener walks the lands to sow.

“We believe the arising evil is the Empire,” he states. “‘Swallowing its neighbors’, that’s exactly what it is doing. And since it mentions the Gardener, that would conclude he would appear at this time.”

“But that’s pretty vague,” James says. Turning to Illan he asks, “Hasn’t the Empire been ‘swallowing its neighbors’ for hundreds of years?”

Nodding, he replies, “Yes they have.”

James turns back to Brother Willim.

“As I said there have been other prophecies the man spoke that foretells the time of the Gardener’s coming,” he says. “I and my brothers have no doubt that that time is now.” He can see the doubt in James’ eyes. “This next prophecy we have never been able to satisfactorily discern its meaning. However, it should have meaning for the Gardener.”

Ships through air, a walk on the moon,

Invisible death his kind has strewn.

Box of pictures, music from stone,

By these things the Gardener is known.

Traveling far from a land apart,

Lost and alone on the path he will start.