At the break of dawn the village came alive. All who were able joined in the work to restore the village to a livable state. Even young children were given chores.
Only two people were buried that morning. One was a young unmarried man named Aaron. He was burned to death when he took cover in a stand of bushes just as Netiro targeted the shrubbery with fire. The other was Lilith, mother of two young children. She was scurrying her babes to safety as the whipping tail of the dragon caught her. The force snatched her away from her children and slammed her into a tree, killing her instantly. This woman was Yamin’s wife. When Nehemiah heard of the tragedy, he regretted not going to Yamin when he saw him last night.
As Nehemiah and several other men worked to rebuild their village, Elijah took Nehemiah’s arm and ushered him away from the others.
“Shouldn’t we get our meeting started soon?” Elijah whispered, even though no one was close enough to hear.
“Perhaps,” Nehemiah answered. “But more importantly, I think we need rest. If we can get the village in order by nightfall, you may announce that the meeting is to take place this time tomorrow. That will give everyone a chance to think things through. Do you agree?”
“Yes, very good idea,” he said. “I will spread the word immediately.” And with that he ran off.
Nehemiah stood wondering if Elijah had misunderstood his directions, or if he was just ignoring them. Either way, he was far too anxious about this plan. Any foolish action on his part could ruin whatever chance they may have. In the best of circumstances Elijah was unreliable and incompetent. Nehemiah would have to think of a way to limit his participation in this venture.