They bow by the wayside and listen to all the words preached in the town square. Crowds of them gathered under the tiny sun. For they themselves are bigger than the sun, and more important than all things ancient. They believe only what they want to. To them truth is indeed lies and lies are indeed truth. They are as mindless as those who wonder the lowly plains; and as eager for pleasure as those who feed upon them. That is certain, otherwise they would know quite well that the sun is indeed large.

The sun was bright, it shone down and amplified the colour of the cream stone bricks that made up the streets and the buildings of the city. Most of them were two or three stories tall, and were tightly packed with narrow streets and alleyways. But in the middle of the town, where Fae now found himself, the streets were set apart and formed a clearing to make way for the large town square which was bustling with noise. The voices intermingled tighter than a cord of cotton that had been formed into a jumper, until they were nothing more than a wave that swept seamlessly through the air becoming something incomprehensible to Fae. But Fae wasn’t around for eavesdropping. It was prime time for trading in the city, and Fae had gone out to do just that. There were markets with grain and fruit and nuts and raisins. Stalls with weapons and tools tended to by hardy blacksmiths. Other merchants sold shoes and garments. Fae however had not come to buy, but to sell. And to sell something that only existed in writing, for Fae was a Traveller by trade and sold information about the most secluded and dangerous places that many brave knights dare not venture to. This was why what he had to sell was so valuable.

Indeed not more than an hour later, Fae’s yield had been a pocket full of gold which he hoped would last him until he arrived at the next town. Shoulders bumped carelessly against him as he pushed through the crowds towards the inn where he had hired a room, with only a few apologetic looks cast his way. The inn he was staying at was built into a narrow lane with walls towering high on either side. Few people seemed to wander these parts, although it felt like he’d had to swim through a sea of them to get there. The inn was quiet, he strode past the bar then down the hallway and unlocked the door to his room. He unstrapped his sword and fell asleep almost before his head hit the soft feather filled mattress.

Fae woke, a little startled, from the sound of a loud gong. Its chime seemed to reverberate throughout the town. Again he heard it. And again. Three times in total. Although his head was hazy, it was obvious that something important was going on in the town. Travellers and townsfolk alike oft referred to this place as The City of Religion and he hoped that what was happening now may give him some inkling as to why. He quickly tightened his garments, strapped on his sword, threw his pack over his shoulders and was on his way.

The streets were almost empty, and the few people who were about whisked past in a hurry. Fae followed them eagerly. They led him to a large crowd standing in front of a podium. Upon the podium was a speaker. The speaker looked wise in years, and was dressed in long flowing robes. He moved gracefully about gesturing to and fro with his hands. And he spoke elegantly with a soft voice. Fae took his journal from his pack along with a traveller’s quill and a vile of ink, and began to scribe what he heard.

The bell rings and the crowds gather he wrote, they stand before a podium before a man who speaks.

He speaks of wealth.

He speaks of gain.

He speaks of health.

No toil, no pain.

There are no worries, he says. One may do as one may please. Eat, drink, be merry.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Good will come, for no danger awaits. None at all.

They cheer. They cry amen. They want to follow him.

And I see why he is popular; for even I am compelled to join them.

Yet I will not for I know better.

I will not follow one who tells me simply what I want to hear.

Fae stayed for a while longer before he thought to explore the rest of the town in search of any other kind of religious gathering. The more information he had about the place, the more information he would be able to sell when he journeyed to different towns. He found another gathering. But only one. And very small. A handful of people, twenty, maybe thirty, standing before a smaller podium, with a man speaking in almost exactly the same way as the other had. Though this man was less elegant. He wore rags instead of robes, and his words were different.

Fae was eager to record the words of this man too.

He speaks of wisdom and warning.

Stay sharp and alert he says.

There is danger coming.

Stay sharp and alert he repeats.

Lest you die.

There is a way out; he says, but the road is narrow and its ways are harsh.

You will be hated and spat on.

Chased and persecuted.

It will cost your life; but in doing so you will also gain life.

I beseech you, I do not lie.

I do not promise you an easy life, but rather the truth.

The gatherings lasted an hour in total. Fae stayed at the smaller one, and when everything had finished, the preacher began packing up his things. Fae approached him curiously before he was able to leave.

“What is it Traveller?” the preacher asked him as he approached.

Fae scratched his chin.

“I must ask,” Fae started, “why you speak the way you do? Why do you preach in such a way that makes you unpopular with the crowds?”

“Because I must speak the truth. Speaking a lie will remain a lie, even if we all believe it to be the truth.”

“I see,” Fae replied saying no more.

“Farewell then.” The preacher threw a rugged cloak over his shoulders and disappeared into the city.

Fae returned his key to the keeper of the inn, and left the town shortly before sunset. The sombre dirt road he travelled upon wound its way along the side of a tall craggy cliff which capitulated to a magnificent view of the valley below. On its other side a wide field stretched out as far as the eye could see, with the blades of grass swaying under the red sky, almost as if rehearsing a well-practised dance. The road seemed empty at first and Fae speculated that he wouldn’t meet anyone until he arrived at the next city. But soon after a shadow appeared tottering through the open field, disturbing the grass from its dance. The figure was short, and prodded a long stick at the ground in front of him. Odd, Fae thought at first, though as the figure came further into the fading sunlight, Fae could see that the man was blind. The blind man continued until he’d crossed the fields and reached the dirt road, but he didn’t stop. He walked right on forward toward the edge of the cliff.

Fae scuffled and ran to catch up to the man who was some way ahead of him – when he was within arm’s reach, he took the man by the arm and pulled him back. The man, clearly frightened and taken off guard, jumped and swung his stick sideways in an attack on who he thought to be a thief. Fae ducked cleanly under the swing and stepped back.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Fae said.

The man stopped and seemed to compose himself, at least to some extent.

“Then why did you take my arm so harshly?” he asked.

“Because there is a cliff before you and you are about to walk straight off its edge, then surely you’ll die.”

“What do you mean! There is no cliff!” the blind man said.

“I assure you there is.”

“I’ve been walking along this route for days, if there was a cliff, somebody would have warned me by now.”

“I can tell that you truly believe that there is no cliff in front of you,” Fae said, “yet your beliefs do not change reality. Whether you believe it or not, if you keep walking the consequences will be the same. You will die.”

The man shook his head in a ridiculing way, and then stepped forward over the cliff’s edge and fell to his death.

Fae stopped and pondered in silence for a moment, a little taken aback. Then he began to continue along his way towards the next city. That man had been blind and had fallen to his death because he believed a lie to be truly true; yet Fae knew that many who had perfect sight would suffer the same fate.