1 00:00:00,260 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: Allegiance. 2 00:00:16,740 --> 00:00:20,460 Speaker 1: Chapter Three. Storm at the Edge of Civilization. 3 00:00:22,340 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: Maria Felter, mayor of Far Reach, stood on her balcony watching the two storms race 4 00:00:27,860 --> 00:00:33,820 Speaker 1: toward each other. The first storm, a deep, dark blue, had come creeping up the 5 00:00:33,860 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: foothills over the past day. Its thunder was the slow, plodding steps of an ancient 6 00:00:39,540 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: monster. 7 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:46,580 Speaker 1: The second storm formed in the northwest in just the last few hours. This one seemed 8 00:00:46,620 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: to race toward them. Already she could feel the winter winds whipping about before 9 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: the approaching storms. The clouds of the second storm were red, a writhing 10 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:03,020 Speaker 1: red-gray mass, like a tumor in the sky. Neither storm was supposed to exist 11 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:08,820 Speaker 1: anymore. The storm riders themselves were a thing of legend. Only the meek, broken 12 00:01:08,860 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 1: descendants of the highland giants remained, scraping out a living on a miserable 13 00:01:13,380 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: little plateau far to the south. Of course, that didn't help explain what she was 14 00:01:18,420 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: seeing today. 15 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: Maria herself had spent most of the last day denying that the approaching storm was 16 00:01:26,740 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: actually tinted blue, and it wasn't just some trick of the eye. That lie had died on 17 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,740 Speaker 1: her lips when the second storm had formed, sliding over the neighboring mountains 18 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 1: like a blood clot in the sky. They had sent word to the capital city, New Terrace, 19 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: then. They sent word to everyone. Someone was supposed to be fetching an ambassador 20 00:01:47,860 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: of the Highlanders. Someone was supposed to be explaining why storybook monsters 21 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: were at her doorstep. There's a telegram, sir. And the chief of security, Rilfrid, 22 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,260 Speaker 1: sat in the nearby chair. The electric telegram operator waved her into the office. 23 00:02:02,460 --> 00:02:07,740 Speaker 1: Maria tore herself away from the spectacle in the sky and stepped back inside. If 24 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: her guess was right, the two storms would actually collide just before reaching her 25 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: city nestled in the mountains. She'd passed that bit of information along and was 26 00:02:17,580 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: hoping that this was their reply. The telegram operator sat at a little desk 27 00:02:22,740 --> 00:02:27,060 Speaker 1: listening to the chirping beeps of the telegram codes, writing down the words on an 28 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: unrolling sheet of paper as she deciphered them. I'll read them as they come. 29 00:02:32,220 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: Ambassador here. Rebel factions. 30 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: Not Highlander. Well, of course they would say that. Their ambassador wasn't going 31 00:02:43,660 --> 00:02:48,380 Speaker 1: to admit to treachery. Storms colliding. 32 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:55,260 Speaker 1: Infighting probable. Maria lost her patience. There was a 33 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: treaty against this kind of thing. It was dangerously close to looking like an 34 00:02:59,660 --> 00:03:05,020 Speaker 1: attack on a human city. Just ask them why they're fighting outside my damn city. 35 00:03:06,380 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: The telegram operator jumped in alarm. I, I have to wait until the wire's clear, 36 00:03:10,820 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: sir. 37 00:03:13,820 --> 00:03:19,820 Speaker 1: There's more. Arm yourselves. Okay, that's the 38 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:25,540 Speaker 1: end of the message. How should I respond? The mayor just stood there, stupefied. 39 00:03:26,420 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: Arm themselves? Against giants? Surely that couldn't be right. 40 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: She'd made a mistake. She was about to tell the operator so when the chief of 41 00:03:36,420 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: finance spoke first. It's a bluff. Attacking a human city would be the last thing 42 00:03:42,340 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: the Highlanders would ever do. They know it. We know it. Maria 43 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: pointed out the open balcony doors. It was cold, growing colder by the second, but 44 00:03:54,380 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: she didn't want to turn her back on this threat. Better to leave the doors wide open 45 00:03:59,780 --> 00:04:05,580 Speaker 1: for everyone to see. Then how do you explain that, Eric? They're coming right at us. 46 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:12,060 Speaker 1: You said it yourself. The storms will stop well before the city. They'll rumble 47 00:04:12,140 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: around a little, and the snakes in New Terrace will concede some minor resource to 48 00:04:17,860 --> 00:04:23,780 Speaker 1: the Highlanders. It's politics, dear. I know you're new at this. And you? 49 00:04:24,820 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: She spun on the chief of security. Where's the militia? What's your plan for 50 00:04:30,300 --> 00:04:36,220 Speaker 1: defense? The man squirmed under the sudden attention. He had been content to remain 51 00:04:36,260 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: in the background until now. He probably wouldn't have even come into her office if 52 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:46,060 Speaker 1: she hadn't caught him sneaking out of the building. The council had appointed these 53 00:04:46,100 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: people. She hadn't chosen them. It was a check on her power, even though she was an 54 00:04:51,460 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: elected official. This was a republic working correctly, supposedly. 55 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: Lords above help them if that was true. I, I have my lieutenants going door to door, 56 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: asking for volunteers. We'll have a good count of fighting men by sundown. Uh, 57 00:05:09,940 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: you're asking for volunteers to fight giants? How many takers so far, 58 00:05:15,780 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: Rilfrid? With some luck, you might have enough soldiers to lower the front gates so 59 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:24,600 Speaker 1: they can walk right in. I'll make sure you're there to greet them, by the way. I 60 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:26,020 Speaker 1: think I have that much power. 61 00:05:27,660 --> 00:05:33,620 Speaker 1: Rilfrid paled at the threat. The, the giants, Maria. If they want to fight, 62 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 1: I don't think we can stop them. Perhaps we should simply surrender. 63 00:05:42,980 --> 00:05:48,020 Speaker 1: She had to admit he was right about that much. What was she supposed to do? 64 00:05:49,580 --> 00:05:54,480 Speaker 1: The mayor looked outside at the approaching storms. So unnatural in the way they 65 00:05:54,540 --> 00:06:00,080 Speaker 1: moved. What was happening here? It didn't feel like a political play, and it 66 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:05,380 Speaker 1: certainly wasn't a coincidence. It seemed like the entire republic was under siege 67 00:06:05,420 --> 00:06:10,948 Speaker 1: these days. Droughts in the east squeezed the grain supply. The wild shapers that 68 00:06:11,008 --> 00:06:16,348 Speaker 1: lived there swore they had no hand in the weather. They abided by the same treaties 69 00:06:16,408 --> 00:06:20,908 Speaker 1: that were supposed to bind the Highlanders. The old magic that made their ancestors 70 00:06:21,008 --> 00:06:26,268 Speaker 1: so fearsome was just a part of history now. Lords, they were part of the 71 00:06:26,348 --> 00:06:30,108 Speaker 1: Republic, if in name, not always in spirit. 72 00:06:31,828 --> 00:06:36,668 Speaker 1: Worse, there was a plague in New Terrace itself. The disease ravaged the densely 73 00:06:36,708 --> 00:06:41,488 Speaker 1: populated city, putting great cracks through the country's industrial might. Now 74 00:06:41,528 --> 00:06:47,028 Speaker 1: magical storms from her childhood stories were rolling towards her city. It was one 75 00:06:47,148 --> 00:06:48,508 Speaker 1: coincidence too many. 76 00:06:51,828 --> 00:06:56,768 Speaker 1: Something bigger was at play here, but she couldn't see what it was. She could only 77 00:06:56,808 --> 00:07:01,248 Speaker 1: glimpse the shape of a design larger and more frightening than she would have 78 00:07:01,288 --> 00:07:06,448 Speaker 1: believed until today. Thunder shook the building and her eyes snapped up to the 79 00:07:06,488 --> 00:07:10,188 Speaker 1: clouds. The storms were approaching each other in the sky. 80 00:07:11,728 --> 00:07:16,408 Speaker 1: A tendril of red clouds spun out from the mass and swirled into the blue clouds. 81 00:07:17,048 --> 00:07:22,148 Speaker 1: Instead of slamming into each other, the two storms slowed, swirling around each 82 00:07:22,248 --> 00:07:27,788 Speaker 1: other like dancers at a ball. They didn't look like they were fighting at all. 83 00:07:28,488 --> 00:07:34,248 Speaker 1: They looked like they were... Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 84 00:07:34,968 --> 00:07:40,368 Speaker 1: A bolt of purple lightning shot across the sky. The storm swelled and grew, 85 00:07:40,908 --> 00:07:46,828 Speaker 1: mixing until only a single mass of deep purple clouds remained where 86 00:07:46,928 --> 00:07:52,928 Speaker 1: two storms once churned. Tell New Terrace. Tell them. I, I 87 00:07:53,008 --> 00:07:56,908 Speaker 1: can't. There's, there's static on the line. Why? 88 00:07:58,568 --> 00:08:04,088 Speaker 1: I don't know. Interference, maybe. I don't know. It was hard to hear her over the 89 00:08:04,168 --> 00:08:09,328 Speaker 1: sound of the approaching storm. The room grew dark as the shadow fell over Far 90 00:08:09,428 --> 00:08:14,788 Speaker 1: Reach, the most western city, the pinnacle of human ambition. 91 00:08:15,807 --> 00:08:20,668 Speaker 1: They had cut a tunnel through the very stones of this mountain range to get here. It 92 00:08:20,708 --> 00:08:26,568 Speaker 1: was meant to be the beginning of a new era of prosperity. As Maria stared into the 93 00:08:26,648 --> 00:08:32,568 Speaker 1: sea of darkness swirling above her, she knew they'd been wrong. It was actually the 94 00:08:32,688 --> 00:08:38,328 Speaker 1: end. Another bolt of purple lightning leapt from the clouds, striking the streets of 95 00:08:38,368 --> 00:08:43,068 Speaker 1: the city below. She blinked away the spots of light from her eyes and saw a man 96 00:08:43,248 --> 00:08:48,868 Speaker 1: standing where the bolt had struck. A man more than three times taller than any man 97 00:08:48,928 --> 00:08:54,688 Speaker 1: should stand. He wore dark purple gleaming armor. Little lines of electric power 98 00:08:54,908 --> 00:09:00,668 Speaker 1: still arced off his skin. More lightning struck, and everywhere it struck, another 99 00:09:00,748 --> 00:09:05,808 Speaker 1: giant burst into existence, as if they had ridden the very bolt itself to the 100 00:09:05,868 --> 00:09:11,288 Speaker 1: ground. Snow fell in a great white sheet until Maria could see nothing but white, 101 00:09:11,848 --> 00:09:16,668 Speaker 1: occasionally punctuated by a flash of purple. The raging storm swallowed her 102 00:09:16,708 --> 00:09:22,168 Speaker 1: building entirely. The snow drifts were already piling up inside. The other three 103 00:09:22,288 --> 00:09:27,428 Speaker 1: people helped her push the heavy doors closed. Unfortunately, they had been too 104 00:09:27,668 --> 00:09:33,448 Speaker 1: slow. She had already heard the first screams rise from the city. Her 105 00:09:33,588 --> 00:09:39,228 Speaker 1: city. She sank to the floor. Belatedly, she hoped that the 106 00:09:39,268 --> 00:09:43,148 Speaker 1: logging towns on the other side of the mountains would hear her telegram messages. 107 00:09:43,828 --> 00:09:49,648 Speaker 1: Not all of them had wires, but maybe they were listening. It was the last hope 108 00:09:49,708 --> 00:09:55,388 Speaker 1: she clung to as she heard the doors downstairs explode inward. If they were 109 00:09:55,428 --> 00:09:58,888 Speaker 1: listening, maybe they still had time to run. 110 00:10:00,408 --> 00:10:05,968 Speaker 1: Chapter four. Useful. Elm leapt out of bed, then 111 00:10:06,028 --> 00:10:11,088 Speaker 1: immediately regretted it. His body felt like it was made of wood. Muscles he didn't 112 00:10:11,148 --> 00:10:17,048 Speaker 1: even know he had were sore, and yet it only made him happier. He 113 00:10:17,108 --> 00:10:21,268 Speaker 1: hobbled downstairs and found the house empty. A note was on the kitchen table, 114 00:10:21,488 --> 00:10:27,127 Speaker 1: written in his father's hand. Had to work late. So proud of you. He read it 115 00:10:27,187 --> 00:10:32,048 Speaker 1: again, just to make sure it was real. His father was 116 00:10:32,648 --> 00:10:38,628 Speaker 1: proud? So he'd done it. He'd actually done something right? Well, that was a 117 00:10:38,708 --> 00:10:43,928 Speaker 1: strange feeling. He still felt a pang of anxiety when he stepped out the front door 118 00:10:43,988 --> 00:10:47,608 Speaker 1: into the winter chill, though. What if he couldn't keep it up? 119 00:10:49,128 --> 00:10:53,928 Speaker 1: Anyone could do three days. The man who'd taken bets on Elm had told him so. 120 00:10:55,008 --> 00:11:00,768 Speaker 1: Well, if that were true, he'd just have to do four, then five. Take it one day at a 121 00:11:00,848 --> 00:11:06,748 Speaker 1: time. If he could get his saw to do whatever it did again, and if he got a 122 00:11:06,808 --> 00:11:12,748 Speaker 1: little bit stronger, well, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be useless. 123 00:11:14,308 --> 00:11:18,648 Speaker 1: Elm had walked right up to the old trader's wagon without even realizing it. He 124 00:11:18,668 --> 00:11:23,288 Speaker 1: would have taken another route if he'd been paying attention. The sliding window to 125 00:11:23,328 --> 00:11:29,028 Speaker 1: the wagon was slightly ajar. The smell of pipe smoke drifted out. He ducked his head 126 00:11:29,088 --> 00:11:34,868 Speaker 1: under the height of the window and walked as softly as he could. Excuse me. Elm 127 00:11:34,928 --> 00:11:39,148 Speaker 1: leapt forward, stumbled, and looked backward over his shoulder. The junk trader 128 00:11:39,248 --> 00:11:44,068 Speaker 1: stepped out from behind her wagon, smiling warmly. He looked down at her clothes. 129 00:11:44,608 --> 00:11:49,908 Speaker 1: The corpses of things hung off her. He didn't wait for her to speak. He started 130 00:11:50,008 --> 00:11:54,608 Speaker 1: running. But then something strange happened to his feet. His shoes tugged at odd 131 00:11:54,708 --> 00:11:59,028 Speaker 1: angles like the ground had become uneven. He tried to keep running, but his right 132 00:11:59,208 --> 00:12:03,888 Speaker 1: foot stuck to the ground as if glued there. Elm was slammed to the earth by his own 133 00:12:03,928 --> 00:12:09,148 Speaker 1: momentum, his ankle twisting painfully in the frozen shoe. He cried out in pain, and 134 00:12:09,188 --> 00:12:14,292 Speaker 1: when he tried to lift his foot, it resisted the move- He pulled harder and then it 135 00:12:14,352 --> 00:12:19,932 Speaker 1: unstuck from the ground with a jerk. His shoes were not particularly alive, but he 136 00:12:20,012 --> 00:12:24,972 Speaker 1: sensed their confusion. This was not how they wanted to be treated, whatever he'd 137 00:12:25,032 --> 00:12:30,152 Speaker 1: just done. Elm became aware of the old trader walking toward him. She was 138 00:12:30,212 --> 00:12:35,932 Speaker 1: responsible for this somehow. Did she trip him? Did she have some kind of shoe 139 00:12:35,992 --> 00:12:41,972 Speaker 1: magic? No, that was dumb. When he stood, the pain was incredible. His ankle 140 00:12:42,012 --> 00:12:47,192 Speaker 1: was already swelling. Sensing his unease, the right sock stiffened to brace the 141 00:12:47,252 --> 00:12:52,772 Speaker 1: wavering joint. It still hurt, but the makeshift brace let him hobble away. The junk 142 00:12:52,832 --> 00:12:58,552 Speaker 1: trader didn't follow him as he half stumbled, half ran down the street. Tears flowed 143 00:12:58,612 --> 00:13:03,552 Speaker 1: freely from his eyes. Every other step sent electric jolts of pain that went all the 144 00:13:03,612 --> 00:13:09,312 Speaker 1: way up through his thigh. Could he work? Could he still work? When he rounded the 145 00:13:09,372 --> 00:13:14,852 Speaker 1: corner to the sawmill entrance, he forced himself to walk normally, gritted his 146 00:13:14,932 --> 00:13:20,212 Speaker 1: teeth against the pain. He nodded at the foreman, willing the man to ignore his 147 00:13:20,292 --> 00:13:25,052 Speaker 1: injury. Maybe he could just take it slow. It would feel better later. 148 00:13:26,072 --> 00:13:31,872 Speaker 1: Except a voice in the back of his mind told him that wasn't true. He ignored it. 149 00:13:31,872 --> 00:13:37,392 Speaker 1: "Mornin', Elm. Listen, we, uh, 150 00:13:38,172 --> 00:13:43,472 Speaker 1: we need to talk." "I'm ready to get to work. I'll do even better today." 151 00:13:44,112 --> 00:13:49,012 Speaker 1: Elm tried to walk right past the older man. "Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down 152 00:13:49,052 --> 00:13:54,152 Speaker 1: there. How about that? Lords above, boy, your pants are on backwards." 153 00:13:54,152 --> 00:13:59,832 Speaker 1: "What?" "Look down." Elm looked 154 00:13:59,872 --> 00:14:05,832 Speaker 1: down. His work jeans were indeed on backward. Maybe that was why he'd fallen. 155 00:14:06,072 --> 00:14:12,072 Speaker 1: "Oh." The foreman signed in two other men who walked past him, exchanging 156 00:14:12,152 --> 00:14:17,192 Speaker 1: pleasantries with them. "Hey, listen. I appreciate your hard work yesterday, and 157 00:14:17,272 --> 00:14:21,632 Speaker 1: I'll see that you get paid for it." "I really should get to work, sir." He knew what 158 00:14:21,692 --> 00:14:27,352 Speaker 1: Wilton would say, and he didn't want to hear it. He couldn't hear it, so he started 159 00:14:27,412 --> 00:14:33,112 Speaker 1: walking away instead. Wilton put a hand on his shoulder, gentle but firm. "You're 160 00:14:33,172 --> 00:14:38,472 Speaker 1: just not cut out for this. I probably shouldn't have humored you yesterday, and I'm 161 00:14:38,552 --> 00:14:41,112 Speaker 1: sorry for that. You're a great kid, but..." 162 00:14:43,172 --> 00:14:49,072 Speaker 1: Wilton's voice faded away, and Elm couldn't hear the words anymore. It didn't matter 163 00:14:49,592 --> 00:14:55,232 Speaker 1: because he already knew what they meant. They confirmed what he'd known all along. 164 00:14:56,392 --> 00:15:00,632 Speaker 1: Part of him knew he was being unfair. He really wasn't cut out for this kind of 165 00:15:00,652 --> 00:15:05,532 Speaker 1: work. It w- it wasn't clear why his father thought he would be. Maybe he hadn't 166 00:15:05,592 --> 00:15:11,052 Speaker 1: known it was heavy labor. But still, he'd wanted so bad to prove 167 00:15:11,112 --> 00:15:16,592 Speaker 1: himself. Maybe he still could. Maybe he could move as many pieces as Gus, 168 00:15:17,192 --> 00:15:21,792 Speaker 1: work twice as long as everyone else. Perhaps if he promised that, Wilton would let 169 00:15:21,812 --> 00:15:26,192 Speaker 1: him stay. Someone came up to Wilton with an urgent question, and he stepped away to 170 00:15:26,232 --> 00:15:31,172 Speaker 1: help. Seeing the foreman's back turned, Elm hobbled off into the outer yard as fast 171 00:15:31,232 --> 00:15:36,212 Speaker 1: as he could. He, he hid behind the newly delivered mountain of logs and watched the 172 00:15:36,272 --> 00:15:41,212 Speaker 1: foreman turn around, looking for him. Elm waited until the foreman gave up and 173 00:15:41,272 --> 00:15:46,812 Speaker 1: closed the front gate to leave. Wilton had barely visited the outer yard the day 174 00:15:46,832 --> 00:15:51,592 Speaker 1: before, only stopping by every now and then to check on the tallies. Perhaps if Elm 175 00:15:51,692 --> 00:15:57,192 Speaker 1: could get a great deal of work done before he came back... He took one step and 176 00:15:57,312 --> 00:16:03,172 Speaker 1: collapsed to the ground. His sock had finally gone limp. It seemed sorry but 177 00:16:03,212 --> 00:16:09,012 Speaker 1: exhausted. His ankle screamed in pain. It f- it felt as large as a melon. 178 00:16:10,112 --> 00:16:15,572 Speaker 1: Elm rolled over and looked up at the pre-dawn sky. He knew it was over. 179 00:16:16,712 --> 00:16:21,832 Speaker 1: He should just stumble out before anyone noticed him. But he was just 180 00:16:22,432 --> 00:16:28,392 Speaker 1: so tired of being useless. So he gritted his teeth and 181 00:16:28,492 --> 00:16:33,311 Speaker 1: pulled himself onto his hands and knees. He looked around. The other workers weren't 182 00:16:33,371 --> 00:16:38,432 Speaker 1: out here yet, but they would be here soon. Elm looked at the front gate. If he was 183 00:16:38,472 --> 00:16:43,672 Speaker 1: going to leave unnoticed, now was his last chance. Then he turned and looked at the 184 00:16:43,712 --> 00:16:49,452 Speaker 1: equipment shed. Gus' saw was in there, probably humming with that same excitement, 185 00:16:49,992 --> 00:16:55,892 Speaker 1: the thrill of being useful, vibrating with a thirst for purpose. He... 186 00:16:56,352 --> 00:17:00,852 Speaker 1: So he turned his back on the front gate and started crawling towards the equipment 187 00:17:00,912 --> 00:17:06,872 Speaker 1: shed. He managed to pull open the locker and get out the saw. It seemed brighter, 188 00:17:07,352 --> 00:17:12,912 Speaker 1: cleaner, stronger than it did yesterday. It didn't speak to him with words. It 189 00:17:13,152 --> 00:17:18,432 Speaker 1: sang to him with feelings. It sang of a hard sweat on a cold morning. 190 00:17:19,152 --> 00:17:24,892 Speaker 1: It sang of the smell of sawdust. It sang of the firm grip of a calloused 191 00:17:24,932 --> 00:17:30,832 Speaker 1: hand. "I'm sorry, Gus' saw. I can't use you anymore. 192 00:17:31,312 --> 00:17:33,192 Speaker 1: I think, I think this is it." 193 00:17:34,752 --> 00:17:39,592 Speaker 1: But the saw didn't understand his words. It only understood work. 194 00:17:40,612 --> 00:17:46,452 Speaker 1: So Elm spoke to it in a way that it would understand. He dragged himself back out to 195 00:17:46,472 --> 00:17:50,552 Speaker 1: the log pile. The rest of the crew was walking out of the main warehouse now, 196 00:17:50,632 --> 00:17:55,632 Speaker 1: laughing with each other. Elm didn't wait for them to notice him. Instead, he used 197 00:17:55,652 --> 00:18:00,712 Speaker 1: his entire body weight to roll a big log away from the stack and started cutting. He 198 00:18:00,772 --> 00:18:06,452 Speaker 1: cut into the log, and, and the saw sang. Once that was done, he rolled 199 00:18:06,512 --> 00:18:11,352 Speaker 1: another one out, ignoring the concerned questions of the others. He cut this one 200 00:18:11,412 --> 00:18:17,132 Speaker 1: even faster. Sawdust showered him with each stroke. He barely noticed. When he 201 00:18:17,212 --> 00:18:21,852 Speaker 1: tried to roll out another log, someone stopped him. "Let me try." 202 00:18:23,642 --> 00:18:29,602 Speaker 1: It was Renfro. He took his hand off Elm, but still looked deeply concerned. Then 203 00:18:29,902 --> 00:18:35,862 Speaker 1: something amazing happened. Instead of picking him up like a sulking child, Renfro 204 00:18:35,982 --> 00:18:41,262 Speaker 1: rolled over another log. Elm got to work. He cut this log even 205 00:18:41,482 --> 00:18:46,282 Speaker 1: faster, the splinters of wood flying out with such force that some of them stuck 206 00:18:46,322 --> 00:18:51,662 Speaker 1: into his skin. Another log rolled out. Elm sang a song of 207 00:18:51,862 --> 00:18:57,742 Speaker 1: sawdust. He sang a song of hard sweat on a cold morning. He sang a 208 00:18:57,842 --> 00:19:03,662 Speaker 1: song of calloused hands. He sang a song of purpose. When he was 209 00:19:03,722 --> 00:19:08,522 Speaker 1: done, he couldn't even sit upright anymore. He was vaguely aware that people were 210 00:19:08,562 --> 00:19:14,162 Speaker 1: watching him. His entire body was caked with sawdust. He coughed heavily as someone 211 00:19:14,222 --> 00:19:20,202 Speaker 1: poured water in his mouth. Something was wrong with the saw in his hands. It had 212 00:19:20,242 --> 00:19:26,062 Speaker 1: been glowing, actually glowing for hours while he worked. It had 213 00:19:26,102 --> 00:19:31,722 Speaker 1: been hours? Yes, it had been. Now it was dull, 214 00:19:32,442 --> 00:19:38,322 Speaker 1: brittle, and somehow lighter in his hand, and he could tell it was lifeless. 215 00:19:39,482 --> 00:19:43,362 Speaker 1: Elm wiped away the dust from his face and looked around, slowly coming back to 216 00:19:43,382 --> 00:19:49,262 Speaker 1: himself. Nearly forty people stood around the outer yard. They took turns staring at 217 00:19:49,322 --> 00:19:55,142 Speaker 1: him and staring at something else. No one talked to him. Even the person who'd 218 00:19:55,202 --> 00:19:59,542 Speaker 1: given him water backed away once he was sitting on his own. Elm looked through the 219 00:19:59,582 --> 00:20:04,242 Speaker 1: gaps in the standing people, trying to see what they were looking at. Where are all 220 00:20:04,302 --> 00:20:05,122 Speaker 1: the logs? 221 00:20:06,782 --> 00:20:11,902 Speaker 1: Giant's beard, Elm. You cut them all. You cut them 222 00:20:12,382 --> 00:20:12,842 Speaker 1: all. 223 00:20:14,382 --> 00:20:19,642 Speaker 1: Elm tried to stand, but couldn't move. He was so tired. 224 00:20:20,482 --> 00:20:24,782 Speaker 1: He didn't realize someone could be this tired. I did? 225 00:20:27,042 --> 00:20:32,362 Speaker 1: People mumbled in assent, but nobody seemed eager to talk to him. For some reason, 226 00:20:32,561 --> 00:20:37,502 Speaker 1: they didn't seem all that pleased. Hadn't he done most of the week's work for them, 227 00:20:37,882 --> 00:20:43,562 Speaker 1: and in a single day? He looked down at Gus's old saw. Thank you. 228 00:20:45,402 --> 00:20:51,202 Speaker 1: He had spoken to it in the only language it understood. All right, all right. Get 229 00:20:51,262 --> 00:20:57,022 Speaker 1: back to work. Get back to work. The foreman dispersed the assembled crowd. The 230 00:20:57,082 --> 00:21:01,662 Speaker 1: man walked up to Elm, but like the others, didn't come any closer than he needed to 231 00:21:01,722 --> 00:21:07,602 Speaker 1: be heard. Lords above. I almost stopped you a dozen times, you know that? 232 00:21:08,522 --> 00:21:14,182 Speaker 1: It looks like you're about to faint. I, uh, I've never seen a saw 233 00:21:14,262 --> 00:21:15,802 Speaker 1: glow like that before. 234 00:21:17,362 --> 00:21:22,962 Speaker 1: Then he simply stared at Elm. Elm looked away, then forced himself to 235 00:21:23,022 --> 00:21:29,002 Speaker 1: stand. Most people had returned to work, or at least pretended to return to work. He 236 00:21:29,022 --> 00:21:34,022 Speaker 1: didn't like the fearful looks they gave him, though. He didn't like the hushed 237 00:21:34,082 --> 00:21:39,042 Speaker 1: whispers they gave him when he passed. The foreman followed him all the way to the 238 00:21:39,102 --> 00:21:45,042 Speaker 1: front gate. What? What happened? Elm sagged against 239 00:21:45,082 --> 00:21:50,382 Speaker 1: the gate, worried he wouldn't be able to get moving again. And he thought about it. 240 00:21:51,682 --> 00:21:57,042 Speaker 1: He couldn't have just put the saw back. When Gus left, he'd left it behind, a living 241 00:21:57,142 --> 00:21:58,442 Speaker 1: thing without a purpose. 242 00:22:00,102 --> 00:22:05,862 Speaker 1: Elm might be through, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the saw there to rust, 243 00:22:06,402 --> 00:22:12,342 Speaker 1: alone, always wondering when it would sing again. I had to say 244 00:22:13,082 --> 00:22:18,742 Speaker 1: goodbye. Then he dropped the saw to the ground. It was just 245 00:22:19,002 --> 00:22:20,422 Speaker 1: metal and wood now. 246 00:22:22,402 --> 00:22:27,742 Speaker 1: Elm's walk back was slow and painful. As much as his body ached, his soul ached 247 00:22:27,802 --> 00:22:33,562 Speaker 1: more. This is what it was to be useless. Even the impressive things he'd 248 00:22:33,622 --> 00:22:39,502 Speaker 1: done were only borrowed, and for a short time at that. The old woman stood 249 00:22:39,582 --> 00:22:42,062 Speaker 1: outside her wagon, smoking her pipe. 250 00:22:43,582 --> 00:22:48,982 Speaker 1: Elm groaned, but made no effort to avoid her. That was impossible now. 251 00:22:49,482 --> 00:22:52,382 Speaker 1: Hello, Elm. Hi. 252 00:22:54,042 --> 00:22:55,182 Speaker 1: Are you ready now? 253 00:22:57,762 --> 00:23:03,742 Speaker 1: He was tired of these games. Just tell me what you want, then leave me alone. She 254 00:23:03,822 --> 00:23:08,442 Speaker 1: tapped more ash out of her pipe, then replaced it in her mouth. If she was bothered 255 00:23:08,482 --> 00:23:14,342 Speaker 1: by his tone, it didn't show. I want a legacy. He stopped walking, 256 00:23:14,522 --> 00:23:19,662 Speaker 1: and for a moment, was afraid he might fall over. He was so tired. 257 00:23:20,282 --> 00:23:22,402 Speaker 1: Too tired. What? 258 00:23:24,162 --> 00:23:29,542 Speaker 1: You asked me what I want, and I told you. Now, what do you want? 259 00:23:31,002 --> 00:23:35,922 Speaker 1: He stared at her through half-lidded eyes. He was about to fall asleep right here. 260 00:23:37,402 --> 00:23:43,122 Speaker 1: I want He wanted what everything wanted, of 261 00:23:43,162 --> 00:23:49,102 Speaker 1: course. I want to be useful. The old woman smiled at that. 262 00:23:49,842 --> 00:23:55,162 Speaker 1: Her teeth were stained yellow. Her drab, lifeless clothes hung off her tiny frame, 263 00:23:55,662 --> 00:24:00,862 Speaker 1: making her look even more disheveled. Clothes shouldn't do that. They should at 264 00:24:00,922 --> 00:24:05,942 Speaker 1: least try to fit you. Who would even want clothes that didn't help out, at least a 265 00:24:05,982 --> 00:24:11,442 Speaker 1: little? He couldn't imagine how long it must take to find clothes that fit you like 266 00:24:11,522 --> 00:24:17,242 Speaker 1: that. Good. Our time is short, so let's get out of the cold. 267 00:24:18,182 --> 00:24:23,862 Speaker 1: I'll make you some lunch, brew some tea. Then let me tell you 268 00:24:23,962 --> 00:24:29,842 Speaker 1: about allegiance. Let me tell you about your mother.