Chapter 7: Setting The Path

The news of the boys playing football wasn't met with a lot of enthusiasm on the ride home. The girls weren't any happier about them playing than Seth and Martha.

"Are you nuts?" Megan asked in disbelief.

"They're male," Bell pointed out sarcastically.

"Yeah, I think the definitions are the same," Lilly agreed in disgust. "What were you thinking?" she asked, turning to Sean and throwing up her hands. "You spend almost eighteen years, doing everything you can to be inconspicuous, and then you do this? That's beyond nuts."

Sean exchanged surprised looks with Scott and AJ before turning back to the girls and, with a grin, said, "Okay, tell me how you really feel about them playing football."

"You've got to admit that they've got a point, Son," Seth said from the front seat.

Martha shook her head but said, "On the surface, I would have to agree too. Sean usually has a reason for what he does, though. I think we need to wait until we get home and sit down to talk about that."

"Do you mean, before we burn him at the stake?" Seth asked, joking with Martha.

"Oh no," Martha joked back. "We can still burn him at the stake. Lian's always complaining that he needs to work with fire more. Burning at the stake will simply give him more opportunity to work with it."

Sean rolled his eyes and said, "Momma!"

"It did seem like a good idea at the time," AJ said defensively.

"The coach kind of had us in a corner," Scott said, defending their position.

"You two don't need to play if you don't want to," Sean said thoughtfully. "But, I'm going to keep my commitment to the water boy job. I still think it's a good idea."

"What will Lian say?" Seth asked.

"I don't know," Sean replied, still deep in thought. "I'm kind of curious about that too."

Lian was not happy, at all.

"You're going to do what?" Lian exploded when the day's events were explained to her. She shook her head emphatically and said, "I don't think that's going to happen."

"Why not?" Sean asked curiously.

AJ and Scott watched with growing trepidation as Lian's anger grew. They had decided to stay out of this conversation. Both knew that they would go in whatever direction Sean decided, but this argument was too dangerous to be in. It seemed the girls and the other family members present agreed with AJ.

"Why not!" Lain exclaimed angrily to herself. "Why not try to swim to China? Why not order all Brujos in the world to tea? Why not!" She was pacing as she ranted, but now she whirled on Sean and yelled, "Because you are meant for greater things. You are meant for the greatest task in the history of man. You don't have time to play with the little boys at school. You ... you ... you..." She sputtered to a stop.

Sean sat back and looked at her curiously, and a little angry himself. This was new to him. Lian had never told him things like this. She had never chewed him out like this, either.

"What are you talking about?" Sean finally asked levelly, trying to maintain his calm.

"You don't know what you're doing," Lain yelled, continuing her angry outburst. "You have no right to waste this chance. You have..."

"LIAN," Sean's voice cracked like a whip in the air.

Seth had taught Sean about the voice of command. It wasn't a Wizards trick. It was something that every drill instructor learned. Sean had learned to add a little to Seth's instructions, by spicing up the drill instructor skill with a little air talent. Sean was a good student, in all things. Lian's tirade stopped in mid sentence. Silence settled over the little group. Sean had never spoke to Lian like that, either.

After a moment, and in a normal and reasonable voice, Sean asked, "What do you mean when you say I'm meant for greater things? What this greatest task are you talking about? More importantly, how do you know?"

Lian looked at Sean for a long moment. Then her shoulders slumped and she bowed her head in acknowledgement. She stood and walked towards the door.

"Lian," Sean said.

Lian stopped in the doorway and waited for him to continue, her back to Sean and the rest of the family.

"I really do need to know. I made the decision today, based on the information that I had, just like you taught me," Sean said, almost gently, but most certainly with reverence and respect. "You also taught me that decisions can be changed if new information is available. If you have information that I don't have, then I may need to change my decision, after you've shared it with me. I can also explain why I made the decision to get involved with the team based on the information that I had."

The silence in the room could be cut with a knife. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for a response."

After a moment, Lian slowly nodded and turned back to face Sean.

"I also Dream, on occasion," Lian stated solemnly. "I accepted this task and came to this country because of a Dream. That Dream has repeated since I have lived here. It is not clear to me, what your task will be. Like many visions of the future, it is shrouded and difficult to understand. The urgency is present, though. The urgency was very clear the first time I had the Dream. Since then, each time I Dream, the urgency is stronger and nearly overpowering. It is difficult to describe the Dream, even to myself when I wake. The only thing that I can add to the description I can give, since I have arrived here is the earth shaking, and continents shattering. I don't know why, or when, or how, but I know you, you and Megan, are the key to everything that comes after that event."

Lian took a deep breath, and visibly centered herself before asking, "So, why did you decide to do this thing?"

{Okay. That's a little over the top, } Megan silently said to Sean.

{She obviously believes it, though, } Sean replied in the same silent mode. {I don't see how we can use the information now, but we certainly need to keep it in mind.}

{Agreed, } Megan thought back.

Sean studied Lian for a long moment before he answered. He considered many responses but decided to fore go questions about her Dream for the time being.

"The primary reason I decided to be the water boy on the football team is that I need to practice," Sean said, answering Lian's question. "You have taught me a lot of things, Lian. I've learned things from everyone in the family, even Pappy," he said with a little smile that brought a laugh from the family and lightened the mood in the room.

"Everything I've learned, I've been able to practice in one way or another," he continued. "Except the kind of leadership that I need to use for the work I see ahead of me. I can't be in charge like a president or the captain of a ship. Whatever I do, I'm going to need to do it from the sidelines, from behind a curtain so my hand isn't visible. Cory said the Councils have a lot of influence over the governments in their jurisdictions. I need to learn that before I get on the Council. Everyone makes mistakes when they're learning. I don't want to make mistakes when I get to that level, or at least as few as possible. Working with the football team from the sidelines, gives me an opportunity to practice the leadership skills that I'm going to need with minimal repercussions. If I screw up here, we'll lose a game. People will feel sad about it, but they'll get over it quick too."