One moment the two traitors stood together, arms entwined, surrounded by flame. The next moment they were gone. Hederick found himself sprawled on the smol shy;dering rug before the mantel. He escaped from the evil dwelling just as the roof began to collapse.
* * * * *
It seemed as if no time at all had passed when Hederick returned to the sleeping village of Garlund. The glow from the flames that were eagerly devouring Ancilla's cot shy;tage and the copse around it lit up the sky. The moons had set. Hederick lit a lantern and set it on the back of a wagon in the courtyard.
"People of Garlund, arise!" he shouted. Sauvay was watching over him; his voice had never been so deep and confident. The boy crawled up onto the back of the wagon so that he was gazing down upon the sleepy Garlunders when they spilled out of their houses and into the village courtyard.
"A great moment has arrived!" Hederick called. "The New Gods are about to present us with a precious gift!"
In every face, from the youngest to the eldest, Hederick detected godlessness. How could he have been so blind, creeping into houses one by one to find evidence of indi shy;vidual crimes? It would have been better to search for those who hadn't sinned.
"A gift!" Hederick shouted again.
Voices churned around him. "What's the boy doing, waking us at such an hour?" "What's wrong?" "Is some shy;one hurt?" "It's Venessi's boy, causing trouble again." "Where's the priest? The lad answers to him now." "Tarscenian is gone. The prayer house is empty. His things are missing."
Hederick raised his hands. "The false priest has aban shy;doned us. He's betrayed us and joined the witch, Ancilla."
"What's the idiot talking about?" "Tarscenian was as devout as I." "Send the boy back to bed." "Where's his mother?" "Let Venessi deal with him." "But where is the priest?" "Has Hederick hurt him?" "That weasel, hurt anyone?" The voices surrounded Hederick, firming his resolve.
At last the boy's mother pushed through the crowd, angrily shoving the villagers out of her way. "What are you doing, Hederick?" Venessi snapped, scowling. "Haven't you sinned enough? Must I banish you permanently? See where your willfulness has gotten us! Tiolanthe will pun shy;ish you!" She reached into the wagon, but Hederick easily slipped away from her grasp.
"Venessi"-Hederick would call her "mother" no more, for the Seeker gods were his parents now-"Tiolanthe is a myth." He sneered down at her, glad that at last the tables were turned. She was beneath him, and powerless to hurt him now. "You imagined him-to lead these people into sin and satisfy your greed. But Tiolanthe does not exist, and never did."
"Hederick, get down!" Venessi ordered. "You are a mere boy. That heathen priest has filled you with gran shy;diose ideas. Get down, I say!"
"No."
"Tarscenian has fled like a cheat and a thief," she con shy;tinued, satisfaction ripe in her tones. "I knew he would. Tiolanthe will forgive you, Hederick, if you stop this now. Even I will forgive you. Recant at once."
Again he refused.
"Then you will die," she announced with smug satis shy;faction. "I'll not permit such viciousness, not when I can so easily prevent it." Venessi pointed to three of the largest men in the crowd of villagers. "Peren Volen. Willad Oberl. Jerad Oberl. Fetch my worthless son!"
The men hurried to do Venessi's bidding. "Sauvay, god of vengeance, stand for me," Hederick prayed. He ex shy;pected Sauvay to strike the three dead, but they advanced up onto the wagon, towering over him with balled fists. All looked delighted with their mission. "Sauvay, your servant awaits," he whispered. "Come to me now."
There was no rushing wind, no circle of brilliance. Sauvay had said he'd be with Hederick as long as the boy was faithful, but now there was no sign of the god. Had Hederick weakened? Was Sauvay angry with him for
some reason? Perhaps this was a test of his resolve. "I will show myself worthy, Sauvay," he murmured.
Hederick searched his pockets for some weapon. There was nothing but the glittering dragon he'd taken from the witch. Garlunders were simple people, he thought, per shy;haps the gaudy thing would distract them like crows, just long enough for him to escape.
He cradled the dragon in his bare hand. It felt warm to the touch. "Stop!" he cried. He raised one arm to throw the dragon-then halted, stunned.
All the villagers, Venessi included, looked at him as though entranced. The bauble was bathed in an eerie glow. A miracle!
"The sign!" Hederick breathed. "Sauvay is with me! Blessed be the Seeker gods," he intoned, raising his voice. "People of Garlund!"
They gaped. Some actually beamed inanely. "Look," said a woman who'd berated him earlier, "it's young Hed shy;erick. Hasn't he grown! Venessi must be proud."
Venessi emitted a beatific smile. "Certainly, Marta. Hed shy;erick is the joy of my life. All my trials become nothing when I see his triumph. Everything I have done, I have done for him. I am blessed."
Now all were speaking, smiling, pointing. "What a pious young man!" "Aren't we lucky to have a saint among us." "He is destined for great acts." "I always saw promise in the lad." "He has been set apart for a higher calling." "Blessed be the Seeker gods!"
They cheered, and the boy who stood above them felt the power of their acclamation. Sauvay had been bounti shy;ful beyond Hederick's imagining. He stroked the dragon and sighed a prayer of thanks.
"People of Garlund," he repeated, purposely pitching his voice low. The villagers had to fall silent to hear his every word. "We are at a holy crossroads tonight. Venessi has led us down a false path. For a long time we followed
her fraudulent gods, but the real gods, the gods of the Seekers, cry out for justice. Venessi deserves punishment. She cares nothing for us."
Frowns fell across their dull faces like flickering lamp shy;light, and they began to mutter. "Lad's right." "Venessi would see us damned before she'd admit to being only a common woman." "She's too proud." "She murdered her own husband!" "See her fine house-so much nicer than ours." "We fed her, served her, and for what?" "She must think we are fools." "Cast her out! Banish her!"
"People!" Hederick interjected forcefully when their emotions had been raised to fever pitch. All heads turned his way. Venessi backed away from the wagon, but two women caught her arms and prevented further retreat.
"This woman tricked you into duplicity and sin!" Hed shy;erick cried, pointing at the woman who had been his tor shy;mentor for thirteen years.
"That's true," one man shouted. "Listen to Hederick."
'This woman used your piety against you!"
"That's so," another man responded.
"This woman stole from you!"
"Yes."
"She starved you and your families!"
"Vile witch."
"This woman endangered your souls by leading you to a deity she knew to be false-and by spurning the very gods who could redeem you!"
Peren Volen spoke from behind him. "She is evil," he said.
"This woman led her own daughter to witchcraft, sent her away to study the black arts!"
"She is evil." Jerad Oberl added his voice.
"This woman slew her own husband!"
"She is evil," Willad Oberl agreed.
"And you would do no more than banish her?" Heder shy;ick's eyes blazed, and he raised his hands before the crowd.