The King extended his other arms; and he told the hushed people that I was to be their leader. They cheered; but there was an ominous undercurrent of murmuring that went with it.
I was thinking swiftly—planning what I would say—what I should tell them to do. And I must admit that in that first moment, I was confused myself. But no one should see it. I knew that most of all I must appear confident; and talk to them inspiringly—perhaps bombastically.
“My beloved people; the great God of the Marinoids sent me to you,” I began. “To lead you against this traitor Og. Glorious times are ahead of us, my people. Victory—”
But the murmur of dissent was growing! A voice shouted a raucous jibe.
“Wait! Listen to me, all of you. This Og, whom once I fought before you all—” It was an unfortunate allusion; I had lost that combat with Og. “Silence!” I shouted over the noise. “Into the Water of Wild Things I have just been—and from this self-same Og recovered my woman Nona.”
But the mingled cheers and jibes halted me. I could feel that the King’s arm around me was trembling.
He whispered to me quaveringly: “Go on, Nemo. Tell them—”
But my Nona suddenly sprang forward, up to the parapet.
“Women of the Marinoids—” Her voice to the women of the crowd rang out clear and silenced the confusion.
“Women of the Marinoids! This is war! We women—our children—our homes, are threatened! Do we fight, or do we sit by while our men defend us? Women of the Marinoids—answer me!”