Much as Sadims Empire began with a conference where he met and formed an allegiance with Goldbird he decreed his Unit would thenceforth hold regular conferences. Strangely these most often fell whilst Goldbird was taking a vacation. Hard to say whether this was accident or design but the outcome was the same, Goldbird was never present when the high thinking and lofty talking was done.

It was Sadims custom to grant to one of his subjects that may have proved themselves worthy the honour of taking the lead on one of the famous Sky and Earth conferences. As this entailed a great deal of work and the added risk of being the one to take the blame should things go wrong it was possibly a poison chalice. If things should go well as they oft times did then Sadims reputation would be enhanced. He would write of it in his lofty manuscripts and speak of it in far Kingdoms overseas and all without having to do a hands turn of work in the organising of the famous event.

This time it fell upon the Guru to lead the Unit of Sky and Earth into the battle of conference. Honour or poisoned chalice? Who could tell?

This was to be a big affair with people called from far lands to confer with Sky and Earth. The leading speaker was to be the Great Guru of the Smart Mobs and Notpodes invited his friend the Bard of New York. The Bard of New York was to make a prior preparatory visit but when the time came Notpodes was unable to extend the hand of greeting. An illness had befallen Notpodes. A fever of indecision befell him such that some days he was unable to leave his home being unable to decide whether to leave by the back or front door. Some wondered if Notpodes love of herbs was responsible for the illness. Others felt it was the pressure and stress that was growing for all those involved in the Unit of Sky and Earth.

With Notpodes indisposed much pressure fell upon the Guru. Of the four Brother of the Earth named earlier only three were left and it seemed now another was likely to be lost. Goldbird played little or no part in preparing the coming conference because the date clashed with his summer pilgrimage. Such was the naivety and lack of politik of Goldbird that he failed to notice the coincidence of years of conferences always falling coincidentally on days he was away from Sky and Earth.

Then Notpodes started to fade away from the ground up and soon he would become completely invisible and perchance simply drift, blown away by the merest breeze. The others of the group tried to gather around Notpodes to save him from this fate but not so Sadim. Sadim treated Notpodes sorely with a viciousness of the tongue and dismissiveness of mind that made all doubt the existence of any humanity or compassion at all in Sadim. As expected, Notpodes became invisible and after the onslaught from Sadims tongue simply drifted off. Due to affliction of the indecisiveness Notpodes drifted back and forth many times but after the onslaught from Sadim, never again as a member of Sky and Earth and eventually he returned to the place beneath the world.

The Guru continued with the great conference much unassisted but the air was filled with anticipation and the visitors from across the sea were expected with much excitement. Then something terrible happened. Twin towers on the other side of the ocean were destroyed by evil people and the whole world held its breath. Because of this the Bard of New York and the Great Guru of the Smart Mobs were not able to come to the conference of Sky and Earth.

The Guru climbed to the top of the Ivory Tower and spoke to the Magi and she trustingly gave him the keys to her treasury. With this wealth the Guru was able to arrange with the help of a Farmer for an orbiting globe to transmit the words and likness of the Guru of The Smart Mobs from his distant home to all the people who had gathered at the Sky and Earth conference.

This was a wonderous event and all agreed that it was filled with emotion. The Guru's reputation was once more enhanced and he took healthy drafts of the wine of respect, the wine that was Sadim's alone to savour. The absent Goldbird drank none and nor did he dine from the plate of success but the Guru did and his girth increased all the more. Who Sadim would now turn his evil attentions upon was clear to see. Or was it?

Read The Castle in the Square

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