1. The King and his Court (The Searcher)

I was housed for the night
In a place of royals fair
I was warmed of
My flight
By a hot cup of air
The men sat in council
Ignoring their gods
Tearing their hair and
Trying to
Decide...

THE KING

What fool am I, not to discern
My purpose here; is it so much
To ask        that I discern
      (of me)
What is wanted of me? Should I
Not divine for myself what is
Set before me? Have I no ability
to tame the flame, or shall it
Douse itself
            (with water)
And shall I not quench my own thirst?

THE FOOL

Why quench what you never had?
Why preserve what is already bad?

THE TAX MAN

Quiet, Fool, and let us think
We stand here before the brink
The secret lies around the corner
A hash trip will not take us to her
Impatience makes us all the loser

ECCHO (the castle walls)

Lose her

THE TAX MAN

Agh! We must but think!
There is naught left but to think!

ECCHO (the walls)

To think...
Brink...

THE LEADER OF ARMIES

Must we find this out? 'Tis not
Enough to be guided and do as our
Lot hand out?

THE KING

Quiet, sir, or you join the Fool

THE FOOL

So foolish he,
Who prays and pleades
Relying on others
For mercy

ECCHO (their hearts)

Mercy

Mercy

THE TAX MAN

Has none other a word of wisdom
To impart?
Does no on else on the council realize
The secret
Lying asleep, hiding in our hearts?

THE PROPAGANDIST

Why ask us?
We care not
What to believe

You told us we were damned;
We believed you
You told us to act our age;
We obeyed you
You warned us we were blessed;
We heeded you
You told us to abandon fruitless belief;
We listened to you.

THE FOOL

Yes, cries the fool, in becoming
Everything you have become nothing
In taking on all forms
You have ceased to be
      (And so we mock thee)
You are formless, without substance or norm
You are spiritless; you become nothing
And your current preoccupation, is not becoming

THE KING

Quiet! Let us think!

ECCHO (the castle)

Think!

Brink!

Sink!

THE GENERAL

Let us the Horde un-flounder
Foreign climes to conquer
Surely lies an answer
Where the sky meets the water

THE COWARDS

Yea!

THE KING

Nay!
Nay, for the Spirit to discover
Lies here among us
It is our duty to merit
The merit besowed on us

ECCHO (their hearts)

To us
Through us
Doom us

THE FOOL

Merit the merit,
Earn what is free
Save yourselves, you who are preserved!

THE KING

So that we may know truth,
A quiet to fools!

ECCHO (the walls, the kingdom, their hearts)

Fools!
Fools!
Fools!

ECCHO (those ruled over)

Come out, fools! Perhaps we will
                                  (disown)
Dethrone you!
Come out, fools! Come out if you dare!

...

I left that place
I did not come back
I heard, a few weeks later, that
They had found their
Secret
Then that their castle
Imploded.