FALSE GODS

18 Element of Surprise

“If I heard you clearly, you broke into the City Vigil Prison last night and rescued this girl who will accompany us on our journey?” Tarsus asked for the third time.

“Yes, and do you have a problem with that, beanstalk?” Damon fired back.

“No, runt. I am happy you have a nursemaid to take care of you.”

“What? She’s not my maid! She’s my acolyte.”

“Call her what you wish. I am glad, regardless.”

“One of these days,” Damon warned, “you’re going to need my help, and then we will see who is glad.”

“When I get accidentally enclosed in the paper walls of the City Vigil Prison, I will certainly call out to you.”

“How dare you belittle my heroic feat of last night?”

“It is laughable to call it an achievement. The Vigils are always drunk and are as smart as my pinky toe. A blind cripple could break out of that prison.”

“When we go to the magistrate’s office today, that can be arranged. Then you will have an opportunity to be jailed with blind cripples and their brethren.”

“Maybe I will.”

The little girl giggled at the banter of the two men. She sat on a stone bench while Felicity cleaned her arms with a wet rag.

Now that the runaway child had been fed and scrubbed, one could observe her feminine features, which had been covered earlier by dirt and grime. It had certainly fooled Damon and the Vigils who thought she was a boy.

Even Tarsus became a victim of the illusion when he came across her for the first time. Only Felicity could tell she was a girl.

That could be her Muse's ability, Damon had argued. Felicity had laughed and told him that men were insensitive, and their ability to see the truth was impaired. Both men in her vicinity had found the declaration unfair.

Felicity fawned at the girl, pulling her cheeks. “She’s so adorable.”

The men had procured a dress for Galen from Cuppa. It had all the frills and tassels fitting for a citizen of Fugi.

“We shall maintain, moving forward, that she is my sister and. She shall accompany us on our way to Mt. Radomir.”

“But, don’t you have to be a peculiar or exhibit mild divinity to register yourself as an adventurer?” Tarsus posed.

“I feel,” Felicity said, holding the child’s face between her hands, “I feel she has a certain divinity. But it is suppressed. And she is from a Modo familia after all.”

“Besides,” she added, “she’s so cute,” hugging the poor girl. “I miss my little sisters, and she will fill that void.”

The two men watched Felicity yearling over the girl and smiled to themselves. They had cared very little about ladies in the past, and there they were, accommodating two of them without protest.

“What is your name?” Tarsus asked, squatting down to the child’s height.

“Galen.”

“Now that name is with the Vigils,” he asserted. “We need a new one.”

“Zoe,” Damon blurted. “I had a friend in the orphanage named Zoe.”

“Do you like the name?” Felicity asked the girl. She nodded.

“Ah,” Tarsus teased Damon. “You had friends?”

The return to the Agora was an unpleasant experience for Damon. It was past noon, and the sun was overhead. The people who got a glimpse of his face last night were unlikely to recognize him during the day. His clothes, coiffure, and gait were all different. Still, the danger remained. It was a hotter day than usual, and the crowds were thin. Those who refused to leave the seething marbles of the Agora hung closer to fountains or to the shade of buildings.

Tarsus had sought the help of an affiliate of Empousa, who they had to bribe with silver. The latter helped them jump the queue and secure an audience with the magistrate’s auditor.

An auditor was a city official who dealt with everything peculiar or divinity-related. He was to authorize branded seals to adventurers. Seals were stone tablets of various shapes, which served as credentials while traveling through and between cities.

“The eligibility conditions for the Labors are the following,” the magistrate’s auditor explained slowly. “You must be a peculiar or possess mildly divine blood.”

The ragtag party of four nodded.

They were seated on stools in a small, dingy room of the magistrate’s office building. There were stone shelves and cupboards filled with scrolls, ledgers, and strange trinkets manning the walls. The auditor, in pale clothes, sat behind an uncharacteristically large desk. He was at least seventy years old.

Tarsus was dressed in a fresh white tunic, while Damon was in a black one. Felicity’s garb was olive green. She covered most of her face with a cowl.

“You are to register as an adventurer,” he droned on. “And under the magistrate’s seal, you must travel through twenty towns of Pago, taking on tasks and requests from those who need it. You are required to collect written evidence of your successful exploits from the local government.”

Towns were smaller settlements than the suburras. While each suburra was headed by a magistrate, the towns were governed by natives. The suburras and the towns together came under the rule of a Governor appointed by the Ascendancy court.

“At the inspection outpost under Mt. Radomir, your exploits shall be weighed. And it shall be determined whether you are fit to take on the Labors,” the auditor briefed them.

The party nodded again.

“Is the girl part of your team?” the old man asked, pointing at Zoe.

“She is my sister,” Felicity quipped from under her cowl. “She will accompany us throughout the journey.”

“Very well. But I cannot register her as an adventurer,” he said summarily. “She is too young. The child will have to serve as an acolyte under one of you.”

“She will be under my care,” Damon declared.

“So be it,” the old man said with temerity. “Now, let us fulfill the first condition. Peculiarity.”

The auditor retreated to the back of the room and picked up a cloth-bound object from a trunk. He returned, unfurling the cover. The thing turned out to be a cluster of oblong crystals set in stone.

“This is a Baetylus,” the old man expounded. “It was mined at the foot of Mt. Radomir. You can see that four crystals are distending from the rock. Each represents an element. Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. When a peculiar or a divine mortal touches the Baetylus, one of the crystals will glow, highlighting the elemental affinity of that individual. Peculiars with non-elemental abilities will also trigger a reaction, albeit a weak one. But for all intents and purposes, we regard those with elemental abilities as superior. If there is no response, however, then the aspirant is disqualified.”

The trio exchanged glances. What were the crystals going to reveal about them? The only one they were sure about was Felicity, who could bend the water element.

“There you go,” he said, handing the rock to Felicity. “The lady has the first claim.”

Almost instantly, the four crystals glowed a brilliant blue.

The old man let out a whoop of admiration.

“You, dear girl, are a powerful water element user.”

“Thank you, auditor,” Felicity acknowledged from under her cowl.

The stone suddenly changed color to a viridescent green, and the hues started swirling from one crystal to another. The old man snatched the stone from her.

“I do not wish to know more than the test demands,” the auditor muttered under his breath. The party looked at each other. Felicity bit her lip, knowing she would have to offer an explanation to her partners once they were alone.

“Now let us see what you have, youngling,” he said, offering the rock to Zoe. It glowed a dull brown and petered down.

“Expected results,” the old man explained. “But the little girl has enough divinity to join you.” Zoe cheered and hugged Felicity.

Damon was next. The Baetylus rested in his hands, and nothing happened.

“It seems you are not worthy,” the auditor muttered and approached him to fetch the rock. He stopped, examining the crystals.

“Interesting,” he offered.

“What is?” Damon asked.

“The crystals seem to have grown.”

“What does that signify?”

“That you pass, my boy.”

Damon breathed a sigh of relief. Zoe tugged at Damon’s sleeve and offered a full-toothed grin.

“The last one,” the auditor said, placing the object on Tarsus’ lap.

There was a spark between the crystals. The crag seemed to smolder briefly. And bang! It exploded.

The old man staggered back and sought support from his table.

Tarsus stood up, brushing shattered minerals off his tunic.

The auditor sent away the Vigil who had come running inside on hearing the noise.

“Perhaps, uh, perhaps the crystals were nearing the end of their lives,” he explained.

“All of you pass. Collect your seals from the magistrate’s clerk in the afternoon,” he said hurriedly and herded them away.

Outside, the trio discussed the incidents but could not reach a conclusion.

“Felicity, have you seen our abilities in your dreams?” Damon inquired.

“I have seen those colors, but I do not know their meaning.”

“Perhaps,” Tarsus offered. “The crystals were damaged already, as the old man put it across.”

“Perhaps,” Damon agreed, “But we have to be back in the afternoon, so let us purchase some journey essentials from Cuppa. First, we need to get an adder stone for Felicity.”

“What is an adder stone?” Felicity asked, dragging back Zoe, who had strayed too far.

“It will mask your effect on men, and you can move around without covering your face. But we will have to find a powerful one.”

Inside his office, the auditor rifled through his library. From a top shelf, he retrieved a thick mottled book.

It was titled- CHILDREN OF THE SERAPHIM.