There was no sign of Hederick. Tarscenian stood bound to the trunk of the vallenwood. Alone in the cen shy;ter of the courtyard, he seemed curiously at peace.
"What now?" the people muttered. "Did you hear what happened yesterday with the black-robed mage?" "Indeed." "My cousin was there. She said the wizard blasted Hederick's heart right out of his chest!" "And yet his gods saved him." "The Seeker gods work mysteriously." "I missed yesterday, so I dared not miss today. Who is today's sinner?" "The old man who was with the lady mage who challenged Hederick two days ago."
Then the voices hushed as novitiates moved among the crowd, cautioning people that the ceremony was about to begin.
Two rows of blue-garbed guards entered the court shy;yard through the main doors to the temple. Behind them came Hederick, dressed in ceremonial blue velvet, his pudgy chin up, his face resolute. He could not resist a sneer of triumph as he surveyed his longtime enemy helpless upon the vallenwood stump.
He hadn't had Tarscenian gagged. The ex-priest wasn't a formidable enough mage, in Hederick's esti shy;mation, to bother with that. Besides, the High Theocrat had long dreamed of savoring the dying screams of the false Seeker priest. Now he was moments away from that experience. Hederick allowed a smile of anticipa shy;tion to cross his face. Then he resumed his usual emo shy;tionless demeanor.
Hederick pivoted on one sandaled heel and stepped smartly to the reviewing stand, erected safely behind a marble wall. He mounted the steps, strode to a velvet-draped lectern, and, with head bowed, delivered the invocation of the Seeker gods that began all Seeker ser shy;vices. Then he looked up and addressed the people.
"This morning heralds a special day," Hederick intoned. "It is a holy time, a time of reblessing, of renewing Erolydon's sacred charge. Of making clean that which has been sullied."
"What?" some people in the crowd whispered. "What happened?" "Some centaurs snuck into the temple." "Ah, no!" " 'Tis true; Hederick's own high priest let them in." "Was he daft?" " 'Tis said he hoped to honor Hederick by sacrificing them within Erolydon itself." "Fool."
"Blessed Seekers of Solace," Hederick shouted, "I present one of the greatest sinners I have yet encountered. Greater than any witch, than any mage, than any spell-caster, indeed. For his sin involves…" Hederick waited for the crowd's murmurings to die away. "For this man threw away opportunity that prayerful people would gladly die for. Tarscenian, whom you see before you, had the entire kingdom of the Seeker pantheons before him. He was blessed by the Seeker gods and goddesses. He was himself a Seeker priest."
"Ah," several people whispered. "That's the man. I'd heard Hederick was searching for someone." "The gob shy;lins have been busy these last few days. I did not allow my children outside at all, for fear of them."
"This man, this Tarscenian, threw off the Seeker faith," Hederick said. "He gave up-tossed aside! — the holy brown robes of the Seeker priest. And, not content with that sin, he went on to find a new altar to worship at-the profane altar of the Old Gods."
The people cried out. Hederick held up his hands, palms outward, until they quieted. "And still not satis shy;fied, this evil soul entered into a filthy liaison … with a witch. Together they devoted their lives to halting the Seekers. They have sought to impede me for years- unsuccessfully, of course. The woman died as a result of my holy inquisition"-Tarscenian started in surprise at Hederick's explanation of Ancilla's demise-"but the man, Tarscenian, escaped."
Hederick swept his arm toward the figure strapped to the tree trunk. "This man, people of Solace, would have denied you your only hope of salvation! He would wipe the Seekers, and the comforts of their holy order, from the world!"
Again the noise from the crowd rose and ebbed. "But I…" Hederick smiled grimly, waiting for the chatter to abate. "I, guided by the hand of my god Sauvay and the rest of the blessed pantheons, I was too clever for one who follows the betrayer gods. Sauvay himself warned me of Tarscenian's plot, and I laid a crafty trap-a trap that, only last night, the unrepentant sinner Tarscenian fell into!"
Hederick held out a hand to Dahos, who had waited silently at the base of the reviewing stand. The high priest climbed the steps and joined the High Theocrat. The Plainsman's face was colorless and set.
"This priest," Hederick said, "has also sinned. He admitted to the holy temple Erolydon those creatures who sullied it by their very presence. He sinned in a great way, but he has sought forgiveness for that sin. Thus, in my generosity, I have acquitted him." The High Theocrat nodded formally at the high priest, who returned the ges shy;ture but did not meet his superior's eyes.
"Nonetheless, forgiven or not, it is necessary to recon shy;secrate the temple," Hederick continued. "We are here today to ask the Seeker gods to cleanse it with their holy blessings. To that purpose you are witness this morning. And to that purpose the blood of a sinner will stain the cobblestones of Erolydon's courtyard."
Hederick turned to Dahos. "Release the materbill," he commanded.
The tall priest hurried to the pulley that controlled the door to the monster's prison. Dahos worked the ropes, and soon the fiery-maned creature appeared, howling, in the doorway between the dungeon and the courtyard.
All of a sudden another sound vied with the mater-bill's roars. The spectators turned from side to side as the sound of a hundred hooves, thundering toward the northern wall of the courtyard, inundated them.
"What is it?" a woman cried out. "More hobgoblins?"
Then the people screamed in terror, ducking as the first dozen centaurs, led by Phytos, hurtled to the top of
the outer wall, then leaped from there to the inner wall. They plunged into the arena with Tarscenian. Another dozen centaurs mounted by freed slaves followed, and a dozen more.
"Halt!" called Phytos.
The mounted slaves jumped off the centaurs then, and swarmed over the inner wall and into the specta shy;tors. As the slaves threw themselves at temple guards and goblins alike, the centaurs formed a mass and approached Tarscenian.
There was another roar as the last of the freed slaves, who had traveled more slowly because they'd had no centaurs to ride, came dashing out of the trees and helped each other clamber up the wall. Two of the slaves raced along the wall and tackled a stubborn hob shy;goblin guard. Two more slaves used the creature's own sword to overcome it. Other slaves sprinted along the inner and outer walls.
Many of the freed slaves, both men and women, fell lifeless to the cobblestones, pierced through by swords and spears. Again as many were able to arm themselves from the bodies of the slain victims and race back into battle against the goblins and guards. "For Solace!" some of them bellowed.
Mynx stood as straight and proud as she could in her armor, riding on the back of her centaur. "Tarscenian!" she cried. "I have the Diamond Dragon!" She broke the thong around her neck and held the glittering artifact up to the morning sun. People gasped at the sheer radi shy;ance of the object.
The centaurs formed a living shield around her as Mynx edged her centaur toward the captive.
"Hold it against the vallenwood!" Tarscenian cried. "Ancilla is inside!"
Although she wasn't sure what he meant, Mynx leaned over and placed the warm artifact against the vallenwood's roughness.
"Ancilla, here it is, the thing we sought for so many decades," Tarscenian shouted. "We have the Diamond Dragon now!"
The trunk of the vallenwood began to glow, and Mynx heard the same humming sound that had torn at her when she was trapped inside the Diamond Dragon. Surprised, she fell back. As soon as the artifact broke contact with the tree, the glow died away.