Ralph and the Pixie

‘But even killers . . . back home, we have people who are called “serial killers”, who are people who go on killing sprees, who like to torture, dismember, and cannibalize their victims. But lots of these guys (almost all of them are men, for some reason) live dual lives, and live a normal existence, with wives and children. The point I’m trying to make is, they don’t destroy everything. They never go so far as to wipe out their own, and their everyday means of survival.’

Without looking at his companions, Pran suddenly looked very tired. ‘It could be,’ he said quietly, ‘that we Elves, as a people, have brought this upon ourselves, and that Prince Cir is the means of our destruction. The meddling of our Loremasters has made the Prince what he is . . . and their meddling was a serious transgression . . . where the Earth Mother is concerned.’

Doc looked non-plussed. ‘You’re not seriously telling us that this Earth Mother of yours is meting out Her vengeance, because of a few unscrupulous people, even on the innocent? That sounds too much like the Biblical crap I used to hear as a child, where it was said that the innocent would be punished along with the guilty, or words to that effect.’