Nicholas Walker
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Lorrinda banged her staff of office on the ground to bring everyone to order and everybody fell silent, even the Probationers stopped whispering among themselves impressed at the seriousness of the occasion.
‘Kimba,’ said Lorrinda in her serious voice, ‘you have made the complaint, step into the ring.’ Kimba drew her sword, laid it on the ground and stepped forward into the sandy circle facing the five council members who were sitting on a half-circle of rocks which had been covered with sheepskins.
‘Who is it you wish to make a complaint against?’ said Lorrinda.
‘Tom,’ she said clearly.
‘Step into the ring please Tom,’ said Lorrinda putting the please in because it was Tom. Tom laid his sword of office on the ground and stepped in alongside Kimba. He gave her a smile but she wouldn’t look at him.
‘Name your complaint,’ said Lorrinda.
‘Well, as you all know we’ve been tasked to find any mines or quarries still working,’ said Kimba. ‘It hasn’t been easy, all the Kraal have retreated into the Citadel and we have been out for weeks!’ She took a look around at the huge circle of staring eyes and took a deep breath her anger driving her on: ‘My party finally found a mine right up in the North, twenty miles away or more…it was perfect, just what we had all been looking for.’
‘Yes, we all know this,’ said Lorrinda. ‘What’s your complaint?’
‘Well, Tom and Jessica are leading a party against them tomorrow and they have refused to let me even come along…not to lead it but to even come along!’ she thrilled. ‘They are not even taking my group!’
‘We can’t take your group if you’re not there to lead them,’ sighed Tom, ‘they won’t respond to me as they do to you…we are taking our own groups because it is safer.’
‘Well, let me lead them in then!’ snapped Kimba. ‘You can come along. My group knows exactly where the mine is and we’ve thoroughly reconnoitred the whole area. It should be us!’
‘Are we really going to do this?’ demanded Tom. ‘There isn’t a person here who doesn’t know why we won’t let you go.’
The fifth in this popular series and now the Vadors have really grown to nearly a thousand and are beating the Kraal on all fronts. But now comes the real challenge, can they take the Citadel? And then what for the Vadors? For Tom and Jessica? For Kimba and Mac? For all the children who have been fighting for so long? Do they settle for a mundane, safe life?
