"You thought you would never hear our voices again?" she asked.
"It has been a long time since you answered me."
"Although you understand some of why, don't you?" she said, more as a statement than a question.
"Yes," he replied humbly.
"You were never forsaken, you know that. And you never will be. But for a time our presence here will be less obvious. The people will need help understanding that, Marus. They will need to be reminded that in every beautiful sunrise, in every crop brought in, in every joyous new birth--that we are there. People will need to hear us through less miraculous means than sometimes in the past."
"Prayers will still be heard and answered, but sometimes it will be in more subtle ways. You have still been granted our power, even if it is diminished for a time. It will be up to you to rebuild that for us, so that we can make our presence more plainly known."
"You have always heard us and seen us, even if indirectly. Now we need you to show others to see and hear us the same way. We have been preparing you.
