Xanathel overtook Derzina only moments after she set out, but she pressed on regardless. Though he would surely be able to do much more to affect the fate of his followers, she could at least try to ensure he made the right choice. Ignoring the many knots of people she passed, each engaged in heated discussion, she burst out onto the high street.
Crowded as it normally was, it was now all but deserted, which offered her a clear view of the massacre. Nearly a dozen men and woman lay dead, their blood dirtying the pristine stone beneath them. Their killers were gone, leaving only Xanathel to watch over his fallen followers.
Seeing these civilians butchered, and by their own people no less, turned Derzina’s stomach. It was several moments before she could work past the knot of sorrow and rage in her throat to speak.
“You never should have tasked them with this. How can this possibly be worth it?”
“I had thought it a small price to pay for a chance at breaking the back of Inea’s tyrannical rule, I was certain of it. I told myself that if I wasn’t willing to sacrifice this much, then I lacked the resolve to challenge her on what she was doing.” Turning away from the bodies, he looked to Derzina with tears in his eyes. “But I was wrong. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wrong about anything in my life.”
“At least you realise it now. Small a thing as it is, it is far better than learning nothing from this tragedy. At this stage, we must take whatever we can from it.”
Looking truly pitiful as the physical manifestation of his sorrow flowed freely, Xanathel spoke in a faltering voice. “Will you still aid me? I know I don’t deserve it after what I’ve done to my followers, but it is precisely for the sake of the fallen that I must see this through. Will you do this? If not for me, then for them?”
“I will,” Derzina answered, without hesitation. It was not in her to refuse such a heartfelt plea and she wished to make good on their sacrifice just as much as he did. “I doubt we can ever make up for what was lost on this day, but I shall do my utmost to try.”
“Thank you,” Xanathel said, clasping her hand in both of his. “I swear we shall redeem this city on their behalf and Inea will answer for all that she has done. I know I said I would postpone my plans, but in the face of this awful butchery I find that I cannot wait any longer.”
“I completely understand and I’m not so foolish as to insist that you wait. I was unsure before; now I know for certain that she must be stopped.”
“Then we have not a moment to lose.”
He was walking away when Derzina called out to him. “Wait, surely you don’t mean to leave your followers lying dead in the street. Urgent a matter as this is, we cannot simply leave them here.”
“Of course, forgive me; my mind was clouded by the thoughts of all that we must yet do. I shall send some of my followers along at the first possible opportunity to collect them and administer their burial rites.”
Derzina nodded, satisfied. “Good, then let us continue. What did you have in mind for the next step?”
“The people’s confidence in Inea and her confidence in herself have been shaken, but they are far from broken. She still has many Paladins who are sure to be loyal to her.”
“After the executions of your followers and her public attempt on your life, what more can we do to show them the true nature of their goddess?”
If that was not enough to move them, then were they supposed to engineer a tragedy of even greater magnitude? Because Derzina would not even entertain such an appalling notion, there had been more than enough death as it was.
“I have other plans in motion which take a less overt approach, but they shall proceed without our direct intervention. In the meantime, I believe we will be best served appealing to the people ourselves. The seeds of changes have been sown, we have only to nurture them and we shall see Inea brought low.”
“What about Gorthar?” Derzina asked. Standoffish as he’d seemed, he clearly cared about the fate of the people. “Should we not ask for his support as well? I’m sure having all the other gods in opposition to Inea would send a stronger message.”
“I have asked for his aid many times. If he were willing to help, then he would have done so a long time ago. Then we could have been spared many of the injustices that have happened since.”
“Perhaps I should talk to him; a new perspective might make all the difference.” The plight of the people was plain for all to see, she only had to convince him that Xanathel’s path was for the better.
“I rather doubt it,” Xanathel said, sounding dispassionate and exhausted, “he’s the most stubborn man I’ve ever met. Better that we focus our efforts on more gainful endeavours. The more time we waste, the more time Inea has to destroy what we have begun before it even gets off the ground.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but I have to at least try. Ignoring such a valuable potential ally does not sit well with me. Besides, he’s a god; does he not have a duty to protect the people of his city?”
“He doesn’t see it that way, otherwise he’d already be helping us.”
“Then I shall simply have to change his mind, where can I find him?”
Xanathel sighed, looking utterly depleted. “You’re as stubborn as he is; perhaps that will offer you the slightest chance of convincing him. If you insist on this foolishness, then you can find him in his temple near the western wall. Anyone you ask within the vicinity should point you in the right direction.”
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“Thank you, good luck with your own work.”
“To you as well,” Xanathel said, without sincerity. “though you’ll need it a lot more than I will.”
Putting Xanathel’s objections down to grief more than anything, Derzina didn’t think too much of them as she left the god behind and headed westward. Just as Xanathel had said, as she drew close to the wall, she had only to ask someone and they took her right to Gorthar’s temple.
Comprised of several long buildings with curved rooms joined by sheltered walkways, the only ornamentation was a square plaque near the entrance displaying red and white stripes. Though a humbler affair than Inea’s palace, its sheer size still easy to spot amongst the surroundings buildings.
Knocking at the door, Derzina was greeted by a grim looking woman in white.
“Hello,” Derzina said. “I wish to speak with Lord Gorthar, is he in?”
“It’s just Gorthar, and I’ll go get him.”
Though a little thrown by the woman’s blunt speech, it was a favourable enough reception. Hopefully Gorthar himself would be as amicable. He emerged a few moments later, wearing breeches and a long tunic, that had both once been white, and grumbling under his breath.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said, sounding not the least bit pleased to see her. “What do you want?”
“I’ve come to speak with you about our cause.” He seemed an honest sort and Derzina thought it best to treat with him in a forthright manner.
“And what cause is that? Starting fights in the town square?”
“I had no part in that, it was Inea that attacked Xanathel.”
“Uh-huh. And you mean to tell me you had nothing to do with provoking her?”
“Well, I was in league with Xanathel but I didn’t think it would come to violence. Either way, it does nothing to justify her actions.”
“Spare me, I’ve heard it all before. I have work of actual importance to do.”
“Please,” Derzina said, as he moved to close the door, “I know the rift between Xanathel and Inea must seem silly, but hear me out. If you aren’t convinced, then I shall leave you in peace.”
Gorthar made a sound of discontentment and gestured for her to come in. “If you insist on being here, then you must assist me. I can always use more helpers, especially when the chaos of your little conflict has both distracted a number of my flock from their duties and created yet more patients.”
As they passed through the entrance to the wide room beyond, he asked, “Have you any experience caring for the sickly or wounded?”
“A little. I know enough to clean and dress wounds.”
Rows of beds filled most of the interior, all but a few containing men and women in different stages of injury or illness. On the whole they did not seem too badly off, though Derzina was still surprised to see they numbered so many.
“Is this what all the buildings that make up your temple are used for?” Derzina asked.
“Mostly.”
He continued past the rows of patients, many of whom looked upon him with joy, and a few of his white-clad followers, to a smaller section at the back.
“This is where I tend to those in need of more drastic measures.”
A young man, either asleep or unconscious, with bloody bandages wrapped around his arm lay on a wooden table with a long board extending from either side. There were straps holding his injured arm on one of the boards as well as several around his torso. A variety of blades and other tools lay within easy reach of the table.
“Have you a strong stomach?” Gorthar asked.
“I do.”
“Good.”
Gorthar unwrapped the bandage, showing a broken mess of bone and exposed flesh. Though Derzina had answered with confidence, she felt a small measure of disquiet in her belly at the sight.
“What happened to him?”
“Some accident while he was working on one of Inea’s latest monuments, the details are unimportant. I need to remove the arm and I need you to do as I say, can you manage that much?”
“I can.”
“We shall see.”
He selected one of the small blades and began cutting away the skin as he gave Derzina her first commands which she hurried to obey, wiping away blood and handing him tools upon request. By the end of she was bloodied and exhausted, but satisfied. Gory as it had been, they’d removed the damaged arm and done what they could with the remainder. Though the man they’d worked on was terribly pale, he was alive.
“How did I do?” Derzina asked, as Gorthar washed his hand in a basin of water.
“Poorly,” he said, shaking his hands dry, “but better than I’d expect of someone with no experience.”
“Then you’ll listen to me?”
“For a short while, make it quick.”
Once his hands were cleansed of the worst of it, he started cleaning his tools.
Stressful as the operation had been, it had given Derzina plenty of time to marshal her arguments and she wasted no time in beginning. “You clearly care a lot about people and- “
“No, I don’t.”
“What?” Derzina asked, dumbfounded.
“You’ve no idea what you’re talking about, I don’t care the slightest bit about you or the others.”
“But then why would you do all this? Isn’t your temple set up purely for the sake of helping people?”
“It is, doesn’t mean I give a damn about them.”
“Why else would you do it? There seems little profit in it for you from what I’ve seen.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
“And is putting an end to Inea’s tyranny not the right thing to do?” She was perplexed that it could even be in question, was Inea’s rule not obviously to the detriment of the city?
“Maybe. But helping Xanathel’s sure not the way to do it, I’d trust that man we just cut to draw a bow more than I trust that scoundrel’s plans. Even if we unseated Inea, we’d probably end up right where we started; only with a lord instead of a lady.”
“Though I can’t claim to know him like you do,” Derzina said, “in my time with him he has been honest, compassionate and righteous.”
Gorthar made a low sound of amusement from the back of his throat. “Then it sounds like we know two different people.”
He set aside the last of his implements and was moving to return to the main room when Derzina blocked his path. “Fine, maybe putting Xanathel in charge would be no better; I can’t say for certain. But I’m certain that the people deserve better than living under Inea’s rule. Besides, the events we’ve already put in motion will have grave consequences regardless of what you choose to do.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Gorthar said, grinding his teeth, “you’ve set a disaster in action.”
“And that’s all the more reason why we need your help. I know very little of this city and, if like you say, Xanathel can’t be trusted; then we are in desperate need of a man of influence with no ulterior motives such as yourself.”
Gorthar scowled at her but Derzina stared back at his frightening countenance, unwavering. The silent match went on for some time until finally Gorthar said, “You’re not going to leave me alone, are you? Even if I refuse.”
“That’s right. I’ll argue with you until I’m blue in the face if I think there’s the slightest chance it’ll get you on our side, we really do need you. Especially if we’re to prevent further bloodshed.”
“You’re not giving me a lot of options here.”
“That was precisely my intention,” Derzina said, with a confident smile.
“I’ll help bring down Inea, but only so long as you two will accept my counsel and I’m free to act as I wish.”
“Wonderful. I agree to your terms, and while I can’t speak for Xanathel, I’m sure he will too.”
“Wonderful, is it?” Gorthar asked, moving past Derzina now that she was no longer obstructing him and stomping towards the front door. “You have much to learn about this city.”