/tip waz sO ANkSas t riJqn hiz mAn /JAk n H /sY-/hYrs Ht hI wYkd a fUl hAf H distans t H /emarald /sitI wiTQt stopN t rest. Hn hI diskavard Ht hI waz haNgrI n H krAkarz n cIz hI hAd pravFdd f H JarnI hAd Yl bin Itan.
wFl wandarN wat hI SUd d in Hs ImarJansI hI kEm apon a garl sitN bF H rOdsFd. SI wYr a kostMm Ht scrak H bq Az rimyrkablI briljant: har silkan wEst bIiN v emarald grIn n har skart v fYr distiNkt kalarz -- blM in frant, jelO At H left sFd, red At H bAk n parpal At H rFt sFd. fAsanN H wEst in frant war fYr batans -- H top wan blM, H nekst jelO, a Tard red n H lAst parpal.
H splendar v Hs Jres waz YlmOst byrbErik; sO /tip waz fUlI JastifFd in stErN At H gQn f sam mOmants bifYr hiz Fz war acrAktd bF H pritI fEs abav i. jes, H fEs waz pritI Inaf, hI disFdd; bat i wYr an ekspreSn v diskantant kapald t a SEd v difFans Yr YdAsitI.
wFl H bq stErd H garl lUkd apon him kYmlI. a lanc bAskit stUd bisFd har, n SI held a dEntI sAndwic in wan hAnd n a hyrd-bqld eg in H aHar, ItN wiT an evidant ApitFt Ht arQzd /tip's simpaTI.
hI waz Jast abQt t Ask a SEr v H lancin wen H garl stUd ap n braSd H krams fram har lAp.
"HEr!" sed SI: "i z tFm f mI t gO. kErI Ht bAskit f mI n help jYrself t its kontents if jM r haNgrI."
/tip sIzd H bAskit IgarlI n bigAn t It, folOiN f a tFm H scrEnJ garl wiTQt boHarN t Ask kwescnz. SI wYkd aloN bifYr him wiT swift scrFdz, n HEr waz abQt har an Er v disiZn n impYrtans Ht led him t saspekt SI waz sam grEt parsaniJ.
fFnalI, wen hI hAd sAtisfFd hiz haNgar, hI rAn ap bisFd har n crFd t kIp pEs wiT har swift fUtsteps -- a vErI difikalt fIt, f SI waz mac tYlar Hn hI, n evidentlI in a harI.
"TANk jM vErI mac f H sAndwicz," sed /tip, Az hI crotd aloN. "mE F Ask jYr nEm?"
"F Am /Jenaral /JinJar," waz H brIf riplF.
"O!" sed H bq sarprFzd. "wat sYrt v a /Jenaral?"
"F kmAnd H /yrmI v /rivOlt in Hs wYr," Ansard H /Jenaral, wiT annesesErI Syrpnis.
"O!" hI agen esklEmd. "F didn't nO HEr waz a wYr."
"jM war not sapOzd t nO i," SI ritarnd, "f wI hAv kept i a sIkrit; n knsidarN Ht Qr yrmI z kmpOzd entFrlI v garlz," SI Add, wiT sam prFd, "i z SarlI a rimyrkabl TiN Ht Qr /rivOlt z not jet diskavard."
"i z, indId," AknoliJd /tip. "bat wEr z jYr yrmI?"
"abQt a mFl fram hIr," sed /Jenaral /JinJar. "H fYrsz hAv asembald fram Yl pyrts v H /lAnd v /oz, At mF ekspres kmAnd. f Hs z H dE wI r t koNkar /hiz /mAJestI H /skErkrO, n rest fram him H TrOn. H /yrmI v /rivOlt OnlI awEts mF kamN t myrc apon H /emarald /sitI."
"wel!" diklErd /tip, JrYiN a loN breT, "Hs z sartanlI a sarprFzN TiN! mE F Ask wF jM wiS t koNkar /hiz /mAJestI H /skErkrO?"
"bikYz H /emarald /sitI hAz bin rMld bF men loN Inaf, f wan rIzan," sed H garl.
"mYrOvar, H /sitI glitarz wiT bjMtifal Jemz, wic mFt fyr betar b jMzd f riNz, brEslits n neklasz; n HEr z Inaf manI in H /kiN'z creZarI t bF evrI garl in Qr /yrmI a dazan nM gQnz. sO wI intend t koNkar H /sitI n ran H gavarmnt t sMt Qrselvz."
/JinJar spOk HIz wardz wiT an Igarnis n disiZn Ht prMvd SI waz in arnist.
"bat wYr z a tErabl TiN," sed /tip, TYtfalI.
"Hs wYr wil b plezant," riplFd H garl, cIrfalI.
"menI v jM wil b slEn!" kntinjMd H bq, in an Yd vqs.
"O, nO," sed /JinJar. "wat mAn wUd opOz a garl, Yr dEr t hyrm har? n HEr z not an aglI fEs in mF entFr /yrmI."
/tip lAfd.
"parhAps jM r rFt," sed hI. "bat H /gyrdIan v H /gEt z knsidard a fETfal /gyrdIan, n H /kiN'z /yrmI wil not let H /sitI b koNkard wiTQt a scragal."
"H /yrmI z Old n fIbal," riplFd /Jenaral /JinJar, skYrnfalI. "hiz screNkT hAz Yl bin jMzd t grO wiskarz, n hiz wFf hAz sac a tempar Ht SI YlredI pUld mYr Hn hAf v Hem Qt bF H rMts. wen H /wandarfal /wizard rEnd H /sOlJar wiT H /grIn /wiskarz waz a vErI gUd /rqal /yrmI, f pIpal fIrd H /wizard. bat nO wan z afrEd v H /skErkrO, sO hiz /rqal /yrmI dOn't kQnt f mac in tFm v wYr."
Aftar Hs konvarsESn HE prOsIdd sam distans in sFlans, n bifYr loN rIcd a lyrJ klIrN in H fYrist wEr fUlI fYr hanJred jaN wimin war asembald. HIz war lAfN n tYkN tageHar Az gElI Az if HE hAd gAHard f a piknik insted v a wYr v koNkwest.
HE war divFdd intM fYr kampanIz, n /tip nOtisd Ht Yl war Jresd in kostMmz similar t Ht wYrn bF /Jenaral /JinJar. H OnlI rIl difarans waz Ht wFl HOz garlz fram H /manckin kancrI hAd H blM scrip in frant v H skarts, HOz fram H kamcrI v H /kwodlNz hAd H red scrip in frant; n HOz fram H kancrI v H /wiNkIz hAd H jelO scrip in frant, n H /gilikin garlz wYr H parpal scrip in frant. Yl hAd grIn wEsts, reprizentN H /emarald /sitI HE intendd t koNkar, n H top batan on Ic wEst indikEtd bF its kalar wic kancrI H wErar kEm fram. H jMnifYrmz war /JYntI n bikamN, n kwFt Ifektiv wen mAsd tageHar.
/tip TYt Hs scrEnJ /yrmI bYr nO watevar; bat in Hs hI waz roN. fYr Ic garl hAd stak TrM H not v har bAk hEr tM loN, glitarN nitN-nIdalz.
/Jenaral /JinJar imIdiatlI mQntd H stamp v a crI n aJresd har yrmI.
"frendz, felO-sitizanz, n garlz!" SI sed; "wI r abQt t bIgin Qr grEt /rIvOlt agenst H men v /oz! wI myrc t koNkar H /emarald /sitI -- t dITrOn H /skErkrO /kiN -- t akwFr TQzandz v gYrJas Jemz -- t rFfal H rqal creZarI -- n t abtEn pQr Ovar Qr fYrmar apresarz!"
"harY!" sed HOz hM hAd lisand; bat /tip TYt mOst v H /yrmI waz tM mac engEJd in cAtarN t pE atenSn t H wardz v H /Jenaral.
H kmAnd t myrc waz nQ givan, n H garlz fYrmd Hemselvz intM fYr bAndz, Yr kampanIz, n set of wiT Igar scrFdz tYrd H /emarald /sitI.
H bq folOd Aftar Hem, kErIiN sevaral bAskits n rAps n pAkiJz wic vErIas membarz v H /yrmI v /rivOlt hAd plAsd in hiz kEr. i waz not loN bIfYr HE kEm t H grIn grAnit wYlz v H /sitI n hYltd bifYr H gEtwE.
H /gYrdIan v H /gEt At wans kEm Qt n lUkd At Hem kjarIaslI, Az if a sarkas hAd kam t tQn. hI kErId a banc v kIz swaN rQnd hiz nek bF a gOldan cEn; hiz hAndz war Trast kErlislI intM hiz pokits, n hI dImd t hAv nO FdIa At Yl Ht H /sitI waz Tretand bF rebalz. spIkN plezantlI t H garlz, hI sed:
"gUd mYrnN, mF dIrz! wat kn F d f jM?"
"sarendar instantlI!" Ansard /Jenaral /JinJar, stAndN bifYr him n frQnN Az tErablI Az har pritI fEs wUd alQ har t.
"sarendar!" ekOd H mAn, astQndd. "wF, it's imposabl. it's agenst H lY! F nevar hard v sac a TiN in mF lFf."
"stil, jM mast sarendar!" eksklEmd H /Jenaral, fIrslI. "wI r rivOltN!"
"jM dOn't lUk i," sed H /gyrdIan, gEzN fram wan t anaHar, AdmFriNlI.
"bat wI r!" krFd /JinJar, stAmpN har fUt, impESantlI; "n wI mIn t koNkar H /emarald /sitI!"
"gUd grESas!" ritarn H sarprFzd /gyrdIan v H /gEts; "wat a nonsensikl FdIa! gO hOm t jYr maHarz, mF gUd garlz, n milk H kQz n bEk H bred. dOn't jM nO it's a dEnJaras TiN t koNkar a sitI?"
"wI r not afrEd!" rispondd H /Jenaral; n SI lUkd sO dItarmind Ht i mEd H /gyrdIan anIzI.
sO hI rAN H bel f H sOlJar wiT H /grIn /wiskarz, n H nekst minit waz syrI hI hAd dan sO. f imIdIatlI hI waz sarQndd bF a krQd v garlz hM JrM H nitN-nIdalz fram HEr hEr n bIgAn JAbN Hem At H /gyrdIan wiT H Syrp pqnts dEnJaraslI nIr hiz fAt cIks n bliNkN Fz.
H pYr mAn hQld lQdlI f marsI n mEd nO rizistans wen /JinJar JrM H banc v kIz fram arQnd hiz nek.
folOd bF har /yrmI H /Jenaral nQ raSd t H gEtwE, wEr SI waz knfrantd bF H /rqal /yrmI v /oz -- wic waz H aHar nEm f H /sOlJar wiT H /grIn /wiskarz.
"hYlt!" hI krFd, n pqntd hiz loN gan fUl in H fEs v H lIdar.
sam v H garlz skrImd n rAn bAk, bat /Jenaral /JinJar brEvlI stUd har grQnd n sed, riprOcfalI:
"wF, hQ nQ? wUd jM SMt a pYr, dIfenslis garl?"
"nO," riplFd H sOlJar. "f mF gan izn't lOdd."
"not lOdd?"
"nO; f fIr v Aksidants. n F'v fYrgotan wEr F hid H pQdar n Sot t lOd i wiT. bat if jM'l wEt a SYrt tFm F'l crF t hant Hem ap."
"dOn't crabal jYrself," sed /JinJar, cIrfalI. Hen SI tarnd t har /yrmI n krFd:
"garlz, H gan izn't lOdd!"
"harE," SrIkd H rebalz, dilFtd At Hs gUd nMz, n HE prasIdd t raS apon H sOlJar wiT H /grIn /wiskarz in sac a krQd Ht i waz a wandar HE didn't stik H mitN-nIdalz intM wan anaHar.
bat H /rqal /yrmI v /oz waz tM mac afrEd v wimin t mIt H onslYt. hI simplI tarnd abQt n rAn wiT Yl hiz mFt TrM H gEt n tYrd H rqal pAlis, wFl /Jenaral /JinJar n har mob flokd intM H anprOttektd /sitI.
in Hs wE waz H /emarald /sitI kApcard wiTQt a Jrop v blad bIiN spild. H /yrmI v /rivOlt hAd bIkam an /yrmI v /koNkararz!