Castimir spoke as they made their way toward the wizard’s lodging.
“This man has been in Taverley for several weeks, after returning from Catherby. He is eccentric-and possibly mad, I haven’t decided yet-but he is certainly worth meeting. I call him the alchemist because he has all sorts of strange theories about the world.”
“Nothing too blasphemous, I hope?” Theodore said smiling, seeing if Castimir would rise to the bait-for he had always been more open-minded than the squire.
“Well, he’s not a worshipper of Saradomin, Theo. I do not think he worships any of the gods as we know them. He believes them all to be one being, that each element of the traditional gods- such as order and wisdom from Saradomin, and chaos and death for Zamorak-are parts of a single entity. He believes that such differences are akin to different fingers on the same hand.”
“But surely he favours one aspect over the others? The wisdom of Saradomin, the balance of Guthix, or the chaos of Zamorak? How can you believe in all three when they run so contrary to one another?”
“That is what I said,” Castimir agreed. “And he remarked that the differences I had mentioned, just as you have done, are created by mortals to serve their own political ends.”
Theodore’s expression hardened.
“If he speaks too loudly, then, he will be declared a heretic,” he muttered.
“Maybe,” the wizard agreed. “But what kind of world would it be if it were true? Would your ideals change? Would you still pursue the followers of Zamorak with your sword in hand on your white charger?”
“You sound as if you almost believe him, Castimir.”
“I do not, Theo. The old gods aren’t so weak as to be knocked off their pedestals by the words of old men. But we wizards must be open to new ideas.”
They stopped outside a white-walled house with a thatched roof. Castimir entered without knocking.
The bitter smell was the first thing Theodore noted as he ducked his head under the low lintel. A large table stood in the centre of the room, behind which stood an old white-haired man. His thick-rimmed glasses glistened in the afternoon sunlight, which struggled to make its way through the fug in the room. Theodore’s hand instinctively covered his mouth as the smell began to choke him, and the man looked up.
“Ah! Leave the door open, Castimir,” he said. “Your friend is unfamiliar with chemistry!” The alchemist beamed with pride at the word, and said it with an exaggerated flair. “Chemistry!” he hollered. “Surely there can be no more noble an art.” He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the strange implements that lay scattered throughout the laboratory. Theodore noted test tubes suspended over the open fire or arranged upon the table, contentedly boiling away the suspicious liquids they contained, in some cases until there was nothing left.
“I had understood you to be interested in science, Ebenezer,” Castimir reminded him gently, and the old man’s eyes gleamed at the mention of the word. “What is this newfound enthusiasm you have embraced?”
“Science, yes, that’s right my young friend,” the man replied. “It’s one and the same. My chemistry is a study of science, Castimir-one of the many facets of knowledge that may reveal the workings of the universe.” A suspicious furrow wrinkled his brow, and he peered at Theodore. “But Castimir is a wizard, and wizards already think they know all there is to know.” He scowled darkly at the young man.
“Sir, Castimir told me that you don’t believe in the gods,” Theodore said cautiously. “Is this true?” He had met men like this before, men who preyed upon the discontent of the masses, preaching impossible solutions to the hardships of life. Liars, heretics, and con men, he thought.
But the alchemist didn’t respond as he expected. He shook his head.
“That’s not entirely true, squire.” The man gazed darkly once more at Castimir, pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. “The evidence supports their existence, despite the fact that the prayers of the faithful still seem to go mostly unanswered. Yet in my travels I have seen miraculous demonstrations of faith, attributable to any member of the pantheon of gods who are currently worshipped.”
“Currently worshipped?” Theodore countered. “It is not for mortal-kind to pick and choose the gods.”
The notion was absurd to the aspiring knight, whose ideology was built around serving justice in Saradomin’s name.
“Isn’t it?” the alchemist parried. “I have seen terrible things done in the name of religion, by people who were good in all other respects. Isn’t the pantheon like a noble house, wherein each member is fighting for dominance?”
Theodore felt the blood rush to his face.
“It is not for men to pass on their own folly to the gods-they are above that!”
“A god above jealousy?” The old man seemed amused by the idea. “And yet legends tell of the God Wars, when the continents were devastated by their quest for dominance over one another.” But then he turned away, adding, “Perhaps you are right though. Who can know the will of higher beings?”
Theodore cursed himself inwardly. Was his faith in Saradomin so weak that it could be upset by a remark from an eccentric traveller? The Knights of Falador believed that Saradomin was the most powerful god, and their education was not accepting of all other religions. Some faiths could be tolerated, certainly, but those such as the followers of chaos, of Zamorak, were to be opposed wherever they were found.
He breathed deeply to calm himself before speaking again.
“I am sorry, alchemist, if my words seemed harsh. You have seen much more of the world than I, but surely you must acknowledge that Saradomin’s way is best? If all followed it, there would be no war, no dishonesty. Would we not have a perfect world?”
The alchemist raised his head.
“People boast too many differences for us to have a perfect world. What is perfect for you might not be perfection for anyone else.” He saw Theodore open his mouth to respond, and held up his hand to prevent him. “As for only worshipping Saradomin, that would make the world a boring place, wouldn’t it?
“But if the pantheon were incorporated as one god, that god would possess aspects of your Saradomin to reflect justice and order, and Zamorak to reflect the need for chaos. After all, even chaos exists in the natural order of things. The fox takes a rabbit where it can, following its nature-its attack chaotic, unplanned, the strong against the weak. That is how the natural world goes,” he said firmly.
“And what aspect of order does the natural world possess?” Theodore asked, his tone sarcastic. “Any at all?”
“Order is in nature every bit as much as chaos,” the old man replied, seemingly unperturbed. “If the fox eats too many rabbits there will be no more and it will starve. Thus there will then be fewer foxes the next year to hunt the fewer rabbits. In time, however, the rabbits will breed and once their numbers are back up then they will be able to sustain a greater population of foxes. There is order there, and chaos as well, but at a level that is hard for us to see. The natural world is something that is still largely hidden from us.”
Before the argument could continue, a door slammed, and a youth with dark hair and astonishingly black eyes appeared behind Ebenezer. He stood uneasily, looking at Theodore with what the squire could only think of as fear, hiding himself partly behind the alchemist as a shy child might hide behind its mother.
He looked about a year younger than Theodore, an adolescent slightly taller than the squire. His teeth were very white, and his dark hair was thickly matted and unkempt, growing long to his shoulders. When he moved he did so with the natural grace of an animal, his thin body sinewy and tough. He noted Theodore’s gaze on him and stepped back farther still behind the old man, his white teeth showing in a feral snarl of distrust that startled the squire.