The ceremony ended. Kinis peCharnok drew back from the altar. The time had come, he knew, for the Earthmen to appear, and his sense of timing was as acute as it had always been. He looked upward.
The assemblage followed him. He raised his eyes to the sky, narrowing them to shield them from the awful glare of the Great Light as He shone through the ever-present clouds of Nidor.
At first, nothing could be seen but the glare and the pearly-gray background of cloud. Then a gasp went up from the crowd, spreading rapidly as person after person saw the swiftly-expanding dot.
They had been told to expect a ship. But this was a ship such as none on Nidor had ever seen before.
They knew ships, ships made of wood, with masts and sails. But this was of metal, and it was surrounded by an ethereal blue nimbus. The ship was not large, as ships went. It was a tapering, rounded cylinder some forty feet in length, perhaps twelve feet thick. Slowly, like a soaring sea-lizard, it settled gently to the ground in the center of the roped-off area.
A door in its side opened.
An Earthman appeared.
Almost automatically, the entire crowd, man by man, bent in a reverent bow. There could be no doubt now that this was the magic of the Great Light.
After a long moment, during which the Earthman's searching eyes roved over the crowd, he spoke. He held something small and metallic near his lips, and his voice thundered over the crowd.
"My name is Jones," he said. "I am an Earthman. May the Great Light illumine your mind, that you may see the truth of His Word.''
He paused, while the answering murmur rustled through the crowd. ''And may you walk in the Way of your Ancestors."
After a moment he continued. "You come here today to see ground dedicated for a school. Some of you, probably, are wondering why we are here, and why we are building this school. And it is not to be thought odd that you wonder. I will explain, and I would have you think long on my words.
"There comes a time in the history of any people,''
Jones said, "when they find themselves becoming too self-satisfied. They believe that they are doing their best, but the Great Light demands more of them. They may know the Law and the Scriptures fairly well, but the Great Light demands that they study them even more closely.
"That time has arrived for Nidorians. In order to follow the Law as the Great Light meant it to be followed, the Law must be studied more closely. What does it really mean? What is the real meaning of the precepts which the Great Light would have us follow?
"The Scriptures, too, must be studied; they tell a story, a history. What is the Great Light trying to tell us in that story? What message is He trying to give us? Are we doing enough in our efforts to understand ourselves and Him?
"To really understand one's religion, it is necessary to correlate it with the facts of the world around one. And that will be the purpose of this school. The students that attend here will be taught the Law and the Scripture, and their uses in everyday life. They will be taught the facts of nature, things that men need to know and understand in order to reach a greater understanding of the True Nature of the Great Light.
"Thus, we will come to know Him better.
"And, in honor of the Lawgiver who knew Him so well, this school will be named for the Great Lawyer who brought the people of Nidor safely out of harm at the time of the Cataclysm. Henceforth, this land will be known as the Bel-rogas School of Divine Law, in eternal honor of the Lawyer, Bel-rogas Yorgen."
Jones paused for a moment, then he said, "When the task of building the school is finished, we will return and begin our teaching. We will select the wisest of the Priesthood to assist us, and those students who pass our rigid entrance examinations will inaugurate then-studies with us."
Turning, Jones re-entered the strange ship. Silently the door swung shut.
The ship lifted again—toward the Realm of the Great Light.
The Bel-rogas School of Divine Law was built rapidly, but with care.
Each building was constructed exactly according to the detailed specifications of the Earthmen. They were lovely buildings, high, vaulting, surrounded by the spacious parks Jones had spoken of.
And when the job of construction was done, Jones and his fellow Earthmen returned as they had promised. This time they came, not in their ship, but floating down by themselves, each surrounded by a pale blue aura which winked out as soon as their feet touched the ground. It made an impressive spectacle.
Those were Light-touched days on Nidor. With representatives of the Great Light actually on the planet, working with the Council, travelling through the land from Thyvash to Lebron, it was as if the Light shone a little brighter on Nidor.
From the very beginning, the School was successful. From the day the first class, five hundred strong, men and women, the pride of Nidor, entered the gate that led to the School grounds, the School was hailed by all.
Great, colorful ceremonies were held on feast days. The students soon became widely known for their piety and learning. When they returned to their homes during the annual recess, they were regarded with awe and respect by their families; youngsters, seeing the returned scholars, were fired with the ambition of studying at Bel-rogas themselves.
It was not easy to be accepted by the Bel-rogas School of Divine Law. Only those young men and women who were physically in excellent condition and mentally active and wholesome were permitted to enroll—and even then, if the candidate came from a line known for sickness or inheritance of some disease, he would be sorrowfully turned away. Standards were high—but those who graduated were the finest of the young people of Nidor.
Marriages among the students were common. And, more often than not, the children born of such marriages expressed a desire to study at Bel-rogas almost as soon as they were old enough to talk.
Time rolled by. As had been expected, the Elder Leader, Grandfather Kinis peCharnok Yorgen, outlived the Elder Vyless by three years, and was succeeded by a priest of his own clan, the Elder Grandfather Yorgen peDom Yorgen. The Yorgens had always been known for their longevity, which was not surprising, since they could trace their ancestry back to the incredibly long-lived Bel-rogas Yorgen.
As the years passed, the stature of the School grew even greater. Many of its graduates trained especially for the priesthood, and became learned judges of the court; it was expected that in the course of time they would succeed to the Council. Others became successful merchants whose fairness in business dealings was renowned.
And the School grew, and prospered, and Nidor was happy that the Great Light had sent the Earthmen.
Kiv peGanz Brajjyd had no way of knowing that he was marked for a special destiny, when he made his decision to enter the School.
His father was a fanner, moderately wealthy, a devout man and a good farmer. He held large acreage near Kandor, in the Province of Thyvash. Old Ganz was anxious for his oldest son to follow in his footsteps, and manage the farm which had made the family comfortable for so many generations.
But Kiv would have none of it. He insisted that the management of the farm should eventually be turned over to his younger brother, Kresh peGanz; Kiv, himself, had an eye on the priesthood.
"Very well," old Ganz said, sighing unhappily. He was a shrewd man, and saw that he would gain nothing by thwarting Kiv. "Enter the priesthood, if you can. But I insist that you study at the Bel-rogas School."
"I had planned to," Kiv said.
"Well enough. Should they refuse you—should you be unable to pass the entrance requirements, or if you fail to complete your training—then you're to return to Kandor and settle on the farm, as you should."