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Joseph
He turns at the tall man’s words and, for the space of a moment, a profound exhaustion lies visibly written in the lines of his face. “You are observant,” he smiles and as the compliment is spoken the visible signs of fatigue drain out his features, “and the genuinely observant are rarely found.”
The boy, of course, neither waits nor thinks but rushes headlong through the opening. Recklessness – sloppy and impulsive. It matters not that his intentions are not evil, reckless stupidity is always a danger. He is too tired to completely mask his disgust and frustration and once more the untroubled lines of his face give way, if only briefly, to a much less composed expressiveness.
“For some reason which I do not pretend to understand you seem to have cast your lot with this Larry,” once more his features, and his voice, indicate no hint of strong emotion. His words to the warrior, however, are focused and pointed. “That is all well and good for one whose heart knows well the mysteries of noble motivations, but have a care you are not destroyed by being caught up into his grasping foolishness. The evil of what he names shadow, that I doubt is within him, but the recklessness of that more formidable power you name an enemy is very much alive within him........”
He stops as Larry’s voice screams from within the tower.
“I appreciate your offer of help,” he says. His voice is calm for he is neither surprised nor troubled by the boy’s distress, “but it would seem another stands in greater need. I will follow in a moment.” But there is only so far I will follow in the footsteps of a fool.
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