“You need not words; you convey through your actions, you declare through your devotion”
Sister Lucia held out her hand to Brother Sunil as he clambered down the stone bluff behind her. He was limping heavily from a wound that raked the length of his left shin, preventing him from putting his full weight down on that side. Although he had not complained of the pain or even mentioned it at all, the brothers and sisters known as Those who Speak were acutely aware of each others’ needs. As Sister Lucia provided support on one side, Brother Yusef walked alongside on the right carrying both his own pair of Censers and Brother Sunil’s pair.
The three of them walked in silence for the hour it took to return to their barracks, each ruminating on the victory they had achieved in the name of the Prophet over the faithless blasphemers of the Humanist Rebellion. As they filed through the tall, intricately-decorated doorway with the rest of the returning soldiers, they were directed by the Faithful orderly towards the smaller of the two buildings of worship. A successful battle required a service of celebration but when there were injured to tend to and dead to bury, time was of the essence. The gathered warriors recited their prayers of veneration and gave thanks for their return and the gift of being able to fight another day to defend the honor of the Prophet.
As Brother Sunil departed for the infirmary, Lucia and Yusef made their way to the armoury with their and Sunil’s Censers and began the ritual of repair and cleansing. First they washed the blood of their enemies from their weapons and, in Lucia’s case, from her brass face plate. Then they each took their own set of blessed tools and worked slowly and carefully to flatten any dents and re-sharpen the edges so that the next time they swung the holy weapon into the face of an enemy, it would look as perfect as the day it was forged.
Throughout the many hours of quietly diligent work that the process required they were lit by torchlight and could hear the sounds of the hymns to the Prophet drifting in from the nearby hall of worship. This gave the the armoury an air of sacred ritual and enabled the Faithful to complete their work in a state of near-meditation. After three hours, they were joined by Brother Sunil who continued the work on his own weapon from where his Brothers and Sisters had left off. As the night drew in and they withdrew to their dormitory, they each nodded quietly to each other, in recognition of a good day.