A hush of silence held the room for a moment, and was broken finally by the man who had come with the three girls. "Will The Leader be there?"
Sten stared hard at the man. "You will be your own leader. Can't you see that? Your Leader is only an illusion! There is no leader but yourself, and perhaps the God in my father's books."
The man sat a moment, then shook his head. "Not without The Leader—I couldn't face it."
"You have your choice," Franz said coldly.
The man rose and grasped the arm of the tall woman that had come in with him. "Then we have no business with you," he said as he led the woman to the door. The woman looked back hopelessly as she followed the man out.
"And you?" Sten asked the remaining women.
The blonde girl smiled and took hold of Johnathon's arm. "I will go."
They all turned to the shy-looking girl who sat next to Karl. She looked hard at the man next to her before speaking. "Yes, me too," she almost whispered.
"Good. That's two. Kathryn, what about you?"
She looked Sten squarely in the eye. "I've decided to stay. Why should I leave this good life to be devoured by beasts or Root-Diggers on the outside?"