Chapter 62Seven Rules for an Unnamed Child

They wrote the rules on separate scraps, because a captured messenger could betray only one sentence. The child’s name appeared on none of them.

The first rule said: Never place the child’s name in a letter, ledger, prophecy, or prayer that a ruler may seize. A name protected by secrecy must not become a password for rank.

The second said: Protect the family without purchasing its gratitude. Gold may open a road; it may not buy the life that travels upon it.

The third said: Teach questions before conclusions. A child told too early that heaven has chosen him may spend the rest of his life confusing expectation with conscience.

The fourth said: Test mercy before titles. No star, lineage, miracle, scripture, or priestly vote may identify the Saoshyant if the person standing beneath it does not restore the wounded.

The fifth said: Prayer belongs to the Father of Wisdom. The true helper points beyond himself; the false helper makes the pointing hand the destination.

The sixth said: When the child reaches the age of responsibility, offer him a covenant, not a crown. Let him accept, alter, or refuse what the eastern teachers believe they have preserved.

The seventh said: If he demands worship more than goodness, withdraw the title. The final helper cannot heal the world by teaching the world another form of submission.

Each rule traveled by a different route—south toward Egypt, west through Nabataea, north through Syria, and east again toward the schools that would outlive the first travelers.

A road built for a savior would prove itself only if it remained safe for any stranger.