CHAPTER 34
I do not hate T'Chen, nor those who believeth in Her. I abhor those puritans who compel Her ways
on others. If Her ways are so true, then
live them well and be Her example. But
if you impose them on us by edict and sword, you but drive us further from the
faith. The Goddess Herself does not
force Her will upon us. What right,
fellow mortals, have you?
-Sarwin Kliat Aria,
Letter to the Conservative Party, 5451
Etyiam eyed the ornate doors nervously. For anyone other than an ordained senator to
pass through them meant death. Yet
Ampharix had summoned Etyiam here, just two days before her departure back in
time with Sarwin, and commanded that she enter. Etyiam knew the old matron was waiting for her beyond those
doors, secluded in the senate's private chapel, its innermost sanctum.
A sentry stood at the door, dressed
in the ornate purple and black of the temple guard. Etyiam was uneasy about approaching her. But as the girl timidly approached and was
about to explain to the guard why she was there, the rigid sentinel sprang into
motion, startling the young caller. She
opened one of the doors, then gestured inside with a military snap. Etyiam was expected.
The girl entered and the soldier
closed the door behind her; sharply, but soundlessly. The senate chapel was a large chamber, as befitted its purpose,
but it was much less ornate than most T'Chen temples, which surprised Etyiam. In fact, it was utterly austere. In the center, wearing only a simple purple
robe, stood Ampharix. Etyiam bowed.
"You expected more," said
the elderly matron, seeing the girl's reaction to the place.
"I... I did not know what to expect, your matronship," answered
the girl, "I did not believe I would ever stand in this place, so I gave
little thought to its appearance."
"Most new senators who see this
place for the first time expect to see gold and gild beyond equal,"
continued Ampharix, "but this is one of the most hallowed places of the
goddess's divine presence and that is gild enough. Anything our crude hands could place in here would be
unworthy."
"I see..." answered
Etyiam, unsure how to react.
"You are wondering why I have
summoned you here," the old matron continued, "no doubt you have
drawn some conclusions as to my purpose already."
"I have, my matron,"
replied Etyiam, in a respectful voice, "but I am curious as to the
location. I have always been taught
that only a senator may trespass here."
"Senators, yes..."
answered Ampharix, "and on occasion, those being considered for the
senate."
"I cannot presume to believe
that I could possibly fall within that definition, my matron," said the
girl, confused.
"We have been watching you, young
Etyiam," continued the matron, "Your theological studies have been
faultless and you have never spoken ill of your church."
"There are many that would meet
that standard, my matron," answered the girl, unsure of where the elder
matron was going.
"True," agreed Ampharix,
"but they lack your... special... qualifications."
"But your grace,"
protested the girl, holding out her hands, "My skin is gray. There are no gray senators. And I have no birthright. Furthermore, I am well known to associate
with heretics. There is no one more
removed from the model of a senator than I."
"The very qualifications of
which I speak," replied Ampharix, "Trust me, girl, a year ago I would
have agreed wholeheartedly with your assessment of your qualifications. But times are changing and the senate must
change with them. And if there must be
change, then it is better to be seen as a proponent of that change, least one
be left behind by it."
"I am not sure what her
matronship is asking of me," said the girl.
"Etyiam," said the matron,
"The people are clamoring for change.
Our males are becoming discontent.
The Ordinary caste is becoming unmanageable. The minor churches and the soulless secularists are demanding
greater voice in governance. We must
give them something that will placate them, or our world will change and it
will not change peaceably."
"What can such as I do to
prevent that?" asked the girl.
"We need to show the people
that we are willing to change with the times," answered Ampharix, "I
believe a new senator; one who is young and gray-skinned; one who has no known
connections to the establishment and one who occasionally fraternizes with
heretics, might gain enough credibility with the disenfranchised to prevent a
revolution. Or at least forestall one."
"But I am far too young to be
a senator, my matron," protested Etyiam.
This proposal was preposterous.
The old matron was trying to trick her; play her for a fool. She wouldn't fall for it.
"Too young right now,
yes," answered Ampharix, "but it will only be a few years until you
reach your 27th birthday, the minimum age to be a senator. In the meantime, you can wear this."
The old senator reached into her
sleeve and pulled out a bronze medallion, about the size of Etyiam's palm. The girl recognized it right away as the
emblem of a senator apprentice and it bore Ampharix's stamp dead in the middle.
Etyiam was amazed, but wary. "Her matronship would have me as her
apprentice?" she stammered.
"I am considering it,"
replied the senator.
Etyiam buttressed her courage. "There is a price for this, is there
not?"
The old matron smiled with wicked
approval. "Ah, the first
glimmerings of wisdom. There is a price
for everything, my child. That is the
first thing a senator must know."
"I will not harm Sarwin, my
matron," stated Etyiam, "If that is the price, then I must
refuse."
An expression of anger flashed over
Ampharix's previously calm expression.
"No one refuses the chance to be a senator, child!" The old matron then seemed to realize she had
lost her controlled demeanor and a curtain of calm befell her once again. "Besides, that is not the price. Not necessarily."
"Not necessarily?" said
the girl, incredulously, "Under what conditions would you considerate it
necessary?"
"Look, Etyiam," said
Ampharix, seeming to soften a little, "I know you realize I hold nothing
but hate in my heart for Sarwin and I will confess there have been times when I
would not weep at his demise, but his death would not necessarily be the most
ideal solution to my problem."
"With all due respect, your
matronship, I got a good look at the person who tried to kill Sarwin last
month, just before she blew herself up.
I saw her in your office just weeks before, wearing a priest's vestments."
Ampharix seemed unfazed. "The bomber was a priest? I recall reading that nothing identifiable
remained of her. Perhaps it was a
priest. There are many who so despise
the heretic that they might desert their vows of passivity for the chance to
kill him."
"Why was she in your chambers?"
"I see many priests,
child. Regularly. It is what I do. If you have some accusation to make, I recommend you choose your
words carefully."
Etyiam shook her head. She decided not to press the matter. Though her suspicions were as acute as ever,
nothing positive would come from hurling accusations of conspiracy at a
senator, especially with no proof to back them up. She decided to change the subject.
"What is this problem you speak
of?"
If Ampharix was relieved by Etyiam's
decision not to pursue her suspicions, she gave no sign. "As you are keenly aware, in two days
hence, you will be joining Sarwin and his fellows on a journey back in
time. You will be going back to the age
of Shradia and the
prophets; to the very time when the Scrolls
were first inscribed on parchment. This
is an awesome undertaking, one not to be taken lightly."
"I
do not, my matron," replied the girl, earnestly, "This is a great
honor for me."
"What
honors you does not concern me, child," replied the old senator, "Do
you know why you are going on this journey?"
"Yes,
my matron, to act as the official observer on behalf of the church for this
expedition."
"I
could have chosen anyone to do that," scoffed the old matron,
"Try again. Why are you
going?"
Etyiam was confused. It had bothered her why
Ampharix had singled her out to go.
Surely, there were many other candidates in which the old senator would
hold far more trust. Candidates who had
no ear for Sarwin's teachings. But
because of her delight in having this opportunity, she did not dwell on the
question as much as she probably should have.
"I cannot say for sure, my
matron," the girl answered, "I cannot presume to believe you hold the
greatest of trust in me."
"You presume correctly,
child," replied Ampharix, "but Sarwin holds greater trust in you than
anyone else at my disposal. He will
confide in you, at least to a degree.
He is less likely to try and deceive you than any other person I could
send on this journey."
"If you say so, your
matronship," replied the girl, unsure of how to take this, "I have
always been honest with Sarwin, so I see no reason to believe he would be
otherwise with me."
"I should hope not, but I
expect you to be on your guard just in case."
"What reason has he to be
dishonest, my matron?" asked the girl, "We are going back to the age
of the prophets. What else can be found
there other than T'Chen's glorious truth?"
"Nothing, I'm sure,"
replied the senator, "but he may choose to deliberately not bring back
evidence of god's truth, no matter how obvious it is. He may even try to bring back false evidence supporting his
heretical theories. You are our guard
against that, child. You must be sure
that what knowledge is brought back only reaffirms the truth of the Scrolls,
nothing else. Are we in
agreement?"
"Oh yes, my matron!"
answered Etyiam, in earnest delight.
This was easy. It was exactly
what she intended to do anyway! "Don't
worry, I will make sure that we bring back only the truth!"
The senator did not share in the
young girl's delight. She regarded the
younger matron with an expression of stone.
"You misunderstand,
child," she finally said, "You are not to bring back merely the
truth, you are to bring back the truth of the Scrolls. Any other truth is not the truth and you
will not bring it back here. Is that
understood?"
"But the truth is the truth
of the Scrolls, my matron," the girl protested, confused.
"Of course it is,"
answered the senator, with a slight sneer, "but even if Sarwin is honest,
Yeetas and his wicked brood are always looking to deceive the righteous. He may make it seem as though the Scrolls
are false. You understand the Scrolls
cannot be shown to be false."
"I will not be deceived,"
said the girl firmly, shaking her head.
"That is easy to say,
child," chided the senator, "but you must be prepared. You recall the story of Caxette from the
Scrolls, do you not?"
"Of course, my matron,"
replied the girl, happy to know the answer, "Yeetas killed the husband of
the pious Caxette and took her husband's form.
So disguised, Yeetas used artifice and disingenuous talk to sway Caxette
that the love of T'Chen was false and he lured her away from her goddess. Then T'Chen came to Caxette in a dream and
told Caxette to ask her husband if he loved his wife. When she asked him, he was unable to answer. The illusion was shattered and Caxette saw
he was the repugnant Yeetas, and she drove him from her holy house forever."
The old matron smiled slightly at
her young charge.
"It is you who may find yourself
in the role of Caxette, child," said the old woman, "Learn from her
wisdom and the insight of the Scrolls.
Do not be deceived. T'Chen is
the all and the only, never forget that."
"I will not be deceived, my
matron."
"Whom do you serve,
child?" asked Ampharix.
"I serve T'Chen in all her
glory, my matron."
"Never forget that, girl,"
said the senator, "So I have your word, as a disciple of T'Chen, that you
will not permit anything but the truth of the Scrolls to follow you home from
this journey?"
Etyiam swallowed hard. It was obvious the old woman would not
settle for anything other than the answer she wanted.
"You have my word, my
matron," she said, looking down at the floor.
"Even if it means death for
Sarwin?"
The girl remained silent. She felt ill. She could not harm Sarwin.
She loved him. If only the old
woman could see that.
"I am not blind, girl,"
continued the old lady, as if she could read the girls very thoughts, "I
know you have feelings for the heretic.
That is why you must remember the story of Caxette. Ask him if he loves you and you will know
what he truly is."
"I cannot kill, my
matron," said the girl, almost weeping, "it is against my nature and
my goddess."
"You will do it if you have
to," insisted Ampharix, "if you want to be a senator, you have to do
what is necessary to protect the Scrolls."
"I don't care about being a
senator," said the girl. She did,
of course, but not enough to kill Sarwin over.
"Girl, I lose patience with
you," growled Ampharix, "You will do as I ask. If you do, you will be a powerful senator
someday. If you do not, you will be nothing. Are we in agreement?"
Etyiam just wanted to turn and run,
but stood obediently frozen in place.
The old matron was giving her a choice; ultimate wealth and power, or
death. The girl was not certain the old
woman would keep her promise on the first option, but she was sure she would
keep the second.
"I will see to it that we bring
back only the truth of the Scrolls," Etyiam finally said, feebly, "No
matter what the cost."
"Good, very good," said
Ampharix. Etyiam just kept looking at
the floor. After a moment of silence,
the senator spoke up again.
"I know you think I am evil,
child" she continued, "and that I am demanding you to do evil acts on
my behalf. But all is not as they
seem. There is real evil in this World,
Etyiam. Yeetas is real. Scoggast is real. The Vartyiar
are real. Remember the story of Caxette and keep the wisdom of the Scrolls
close to your heart. Come, I have
something to show you."
The old matron turned and walked
away toward the large, but simple, altar at the far end of the chamber. Etyiam followed, but with no enthusiasm.
When Ampharix got to the altar she
reached up and put her hand on one of the several golden globes that adorned
the shrine.
"Very few people have seen what you are about to see, child," said the senator, her voice heavy with portent, "This will prove to you what I say. Prepare yourself, girl."
Ampharix tilted the globe slightly
and Etyiam heard a click. A large panel
on one side of the altar fell back to reveal a dark passage. Ampharix gestured inside.
"After you, child," she
said.