"I did not know about it until today. I saw the anomaly on the horizon and decided to see what it was. If I had known sooner, you would have been informed," he replied.
"The village must have known. Why was it not reported?"
King Maxxus sighed. This was a question he did not want to answer. The village elder would be the object on which the crowd focused its anger, but he could not lie to his people. He had made a promise upon becoming king. "Yes, they knew. It had been slowly dying for months. The elder had also been told of the waterfall. He believed the report could wait until our yearly meeting. He was foolish and did not seem to understand the meaning of the destruction. He said there were other volcanoes and waterfalls. One would not make a difference. He is no longer the village elder. Please, leave his discipline to me. We do not want our people turning against each other."
"What if others had the same lackadaisical attitude and did not report devastation?"
"We will know when the scouts return, and I will deal with the problem. Any elder who was too lazy to make a report will be removed from their station. It is easy to become complacent when you live in paradise. However, it is not advisable. Lessons are being learned the hard way. That is why I am beginning the rationing now, while we have plenty. I cannot share the same complacency as the village elder. Plans must be made for the future."
"Will we make it through this? Will Talonia survive?"
"I have every reason to believe it will if all our people cooperate. Put the worries away for tonight and rest. Nothing untoward will happen while you sleep. Keep the peace and go about your normal duties tomorrow. Amidst the bad news, we have a ray of light. New life has come to Talonia, and it is a rare treasure. Shara has given birth to a daughter. She is blessed to be another rare white weredragon. Our city has now been twice given the privilege of sheltering such a treasure. Rejoice in her birth instead of wallowing in fear. I go there now to meet the precious child. New life brings hope for the future."
