"Remove that unsightly object and return it to the clan of Orilg. Inform their patriarch that the emperor and I will want to see him in a few days to explain his involvement in these activities. He will receive a summoning when I desire his presence."
"Yes, Holiness."
To Kaz's horror, his father's body was unceremoniously dragged away. Slowly it dawned on Kaz that none of the other minotaurs had evidently heard anything that had gone on in the chamber, including the high priest's revelations.
"You fools!" he dared shout. "You don't even know what happened here! You don't even know the truth about your high priest!"
They were all looking at him. He was about to say more when his eyes met those of Infernus. There was a knowing look in them, a gleam that invited Kaz to say whatever he wanted. The robed figure would not stop him from speaking the truth.
Kaz shut his mouth. The high priest had good reason for not caring whether Kaz informed the others about his true identity. If he had not seen the dragon for himself, he would not have believed his story either. Everyone knew the dragons were gone, and what minotaur would believe that every high priest for centuries past had been the selfsame dragon in disguise? That was the beauty of the red dragon's plot. The truth was too outrageous.
The edges of the robed figure's mouth crept upward. "Take all of them away except the human."
The guards had just begun leading them away from the chamber when several more arrived, their leader none other than a severely shocked Scurn. He looked at Kaz and the other captives, then at the high priest.
"Holiness-" he started.
"Captain Scurn. I find these intruders in the temple and I find you also here. Is there a connection?"
Before the scarred minotaur could defend himself, one of the guards said, "Holiness, we saw him lead this group into the temple, claiming this warrior was a prisoner you would desire to question and the others a unit of the State Guard."
"Holiness, I can explain! I led them here, then alerted the guards to their trick!"
Infernus smiled, rubbing his jaw. "Then you are deserving of a special reward, something of your heart's desire, I think."
Scurn gave Kaz a triumphant smile, then dipped his head in gratitude to the robed figure.
"I'm going to grant you a personal combat against four of the present grand champions from the surrounding arenas. It will be one of the highlights of the circus in the coming days. I'm sorry that it cannot be Kaziganthi de-Oril'g himself, but this should more than satisfy you, wouldn't you say? If you kill them, you will be returned to the guard with full honors and a ranking high enough to earn you a post of commanding officer. If you die, then…" Infernus shrugged. The scarred minotaur was a veteran of the circus, but he was no match for four grand champions.
Scum's strained voice expressed his realization that he had just been more or less sentenced to death. "But… but, Holiness…"
"Guards, escort Captain Scurn along with the others. See to it that he has the proper accommodations. It will give him time to consider his choice of actions when confronted by enemies of the state."
"Holiness, I am a captain of the State Guard-"
"Which follows the dictates of the emperor, the circle, and, of course, the temple." Infernus waved a languid hand. "You are all dismissed. Prepare yourselves for the circus. There will be no interruption of the combats this time."
With a protesting Scurn in tow, the guards prodded Kaz and his companions out of the audience chamber. Kaz caught one last glimpse of Infernus descending the dais and walking toward a hapless Ty. Then the doors closed.
Kaz tried once more to summon Honor's Face, thinking that they might as well make a last stand here as in the circus, but his thoughts were too confused. He had failed them, Ganth most of all.
And Ty, a dragon? It did not sound so surprising, not after all Kaz had been through during the war. Huma's silver dragon had also been a beautiful human maiden. Kaz had also seen one or two other dragons take human forms.
Hecar walked up next to him. "Kaz, I grieve with you. I swear that each blow I strike in the arena will be in your father's honor. They'll see a battle like they've never seen."
"Be quiet!" snapped a guard.
They completed the journey in silence, even Scurn, who was still obviously befuddled by his downfall. Kaz almost felt sorry for him.
The guards separated the prisoners, putting each into a different cell. They were careful to search the kender beforehand, removing several items, including a tinder box belonging to one of the guards.
Kaz and Scurn were the last two to be incarcerated.
"Inside," one of the guards commanded Kaz. When he obeyed too slowly, both guards prodded him. Once inside the cell, which was lit only by a torch that one of the temple warriors held, Kaz was quickly chained to the far wall.
The lead guard looked over the chains to be sure they would hold, then said to the prisoner, with a grin, "You won't be going anywhere this time. I'll promise you that."
He received no response from Kaz, which made him. scowl. A moment later, the guards exited, taking Scurn with them.
Darkness enveloped Kaz, the only illumination coming from a small, barred window in the door. His eyes adjusted slowly. What's the point? he asked himself discouragingly. Infernus had everything under control. The minotaur race was his tool, to direct as he pleased. No one would believe that the high priest was anything but one of their own. Few would Likely cross the high priest, even if they knew his origins.
What a jest it was, the history of the noble minotaur race. All they had achieved, all the adversity they had suffered, was for the sake of a dark goddess and her servants. Warriors had lived and died for generation after generation in the mistaken belief that they fought for the future of their own kind.
Warriors like Ganth.
Kaz closed his eyes and tried not to think. He forced himself to ignore the streaks of moisture gliding down his face and waited for the oblivion of exhaustion to overcome him.
What he got instead, after some hours of fairly fruitless waiting, was a visit from the gray man.
Polik did not like being dragged from his bed before sunrise. Polik, in fact, did not like being dragged from his bed several hours after sunrise, but Jopfer had requested his presence and the emperor feared the high priest sufficiently to obey.
The acolytes spirited him to the temple with their usual efficiency. It did not do for others to see the emperor rushing to an audience; that was bad for the image Polik had worked hard to perfect. That was why he had lasted in the role for as long as he had. Both the warlords and the high priest had found him well-suited. Polik believed he would go down in the annals of minotaur history as the emperor who had led his people to their destiny, and all he had to do in return was follow the words of those like Jopfer.
"This way," indicated one of his guides as they entered a hidden doorway of the temple. "His Holiness is impatient."
One thing that did annoy him was that few of the high priest's people bothered to address him as emperor. He would bring it up with Jopfer, delicately reminding the high priest that appearances were important at all times.
What did that emaciated fiend want at this time of night? Had they finally located the damnable Kaz? The shame of that travesty in the circus still angered the emperor. How had Kaz been allowed to wear that medallion? Where had it come from? As far as he knew, his rival of old had thrown the thing to the ground after the death of his brother… Raum or something like that. It unnerved him to think that Kaz had kept it all these years. Had he always planned to come back to challenge Polik?