Chapter XVIII

“You don't make a lot of friends, do you, Emylas?”

Emylas looked up from the silk merchant's wares to Dario, who stood behind him with his arms folded. “I'm not sure what you mean,” Emylas said, stroking the curls of his mustache.

“Don't play coy,” said Dario, curling his nose in disgust. “For...I lost track of how long...you stood there, in the dark, basically telling everyone in the room that their religions were wrong. Worse yet, you cast some sort of spell which prevented them from leaving!” Emylas looked confused at this claim, but Dario was certain he was feigning ignorance. “I don't think there was a single person in the room unoffended.”

Emylas chuckled. “Well, if they think I'm wrong they are not only welcome to skip the next session, but they can dismiss my opinion as well.”

“Except that you'll still have their money, the tuition for the class.”

“Aye.” said Emylas, somewhat proudly. Was everything this man did an intentional attempt to infuriate Dario? “I'll still have their money. Curiosity can lead you to great discoveries, but it also has a price. Read a book some time. All the classics talk about it. It was a heavy theme in 'The Madness of Dr. Nyx.'”

“I never read it.”

Emylas looked offended at the sound of this. “You never read 'The Madness of Dr. Nyx?' What are you, a Shadian? The beautiful tale of an alchemist who goes mad as he discovers the secrets of the cosmos?”

“I don't really read for fun.”

“From what I understand you religious types rarely do anything for fun.” Emylas tipped his hat to the silk merchant and started on his way. Dario followed suit.

“See?” Dario said, staying only a step behind Emylas. “That's exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about. Always telling everyone they're wrong! You seriously don't know how to be polite, do you?”

“And yet you're the only one confronting me about this.”

“Everyone else is too cowardly to speak their mind.”

“No, Dario.” Emylas pointed at the justicar's chest. “No, there are others far braver than you who have far more reason to be offended. Yet you're the one here, confronting me. Why were my teachings more offensive to you than, say, the Agalmites present? You think what I was teaching was any less detestable to those who follow the Agalmite Law?”

Dario brushed Emylas' hand away. “The Agalmites were cowards.”

“Or were you offended because I made you doubt?”

Dario and Emylas stared at each other in silence. Emylas wore a wry smirk. Dario's brow was contorted with fury.

“So,” Emylas continued, “Are you coming to my next class or not?”

Something inside of Dario snapped. He'd been fighting to keep his composure, but this was just too much. He seized Emylas by the collar of his tunic and threw him up against the wall. “You smug ass! Tell me what you know about Duat!” Dario was more growling the words than shouting them. Spittle flew from his mouth with each syllable. “Tell me about the gray-skinned people! Tell me everything now and stop playing your damn games with me!” Passersby scattered as Dario verbally assaulted Emylas. Dario knew it wouldn't be long until the city guard came to see what was going on, he had to get answers from this apostate as quickly as possible. “Tell me! So help me...”

Dario heard a voice speak over his shoulder, the breath tickling his ear, “What? Are you going to kill me?”

Dario turned his eyes from Emylas, still pinned to the wall, and saw Emylas standing behind him. His heart leaped in his throat, and when he turned back to face the wall where just a moment ago he had Emylas pinned he found that him no longer there. Dario had both his fists clenched, as they had been when he seized Emylas' collar, but both were empty.

“What are you?” Dario asked.

“So many things,” said Emylas, that smug smirk never leaving his lips. “A man, a professor, a genius, a magician, a mystic, a sorcerer. Whatever you want to call me, whatever label you want to give me, it's not important. The point is I am me, the law I follow is my own, the only one who can judge me is me, and the only spirit I worship is my own. You ask me what I am? I'm free.”

“Oh, what? And the rest of us are just prisoners?” Dario asked, rolling his eyes.

“I would use the term 'slaves.' I know you justicars are working to end the slave trade, but there will always be slaves so long as mortals bow to spirits.”

Dario rolled his eyes. “I'm not a slave!”

“Oh really?” Emylas tilted his head to one side. “Because last I heard the justicars and redeemers are forbidden to marry.” Emylas' face betrayed that he relished the sound of silence following his own biting statement. “From what I hear the justicars and redeemers are intimate with anyone faithful to the cult who comes by and pays enough gold. Face it, for all the religious ceremony and such the cult has turned you into a whore.” Emylas stroked his beard. Dario glanced around to see if the guards were close yet. Would he be able to beat Emylas senseless before they arrived?

“Worse than a whore, actually,” said Emylas. “You don't get any of the money your body earns, the cult does, and the Father puts it to his own use. You pierce the hog's head with no one unless he says so, how is that any different from the forced harlotry going on in this very city?”

“What did you say?” Dario dropped both his hands down to his sides.

“I said, 'how is that any different from forced harlotry?'”

“No, the part about it happening in this city!” Dario shouted. “What are you talking about?” He was certain all eyes were on him now. He'd stumbled onto something truly awful that the people here would surely want to keep hidden.

Emylas chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “If you don't already know it's because you don't want to know. Willingly blind. Fitting, really.”

Dario opened his mouth to speak again, but two of the city guards arrived, both with hands on the hilts of their swords. “We heard some people were fighting. Is everything alright here?”

Emylas nodded to them. “I think we're fine, sirs. Just a theological discussion, isn't that right, Dario.”

Dario glanced back and forth between the two city guards. Really, if this turned into a fight he was sure he could handle both of them, easily, but there was no need for violence. As furious as he'd been at Emylas for keeping secrets from him, he was far more interested in what Emylas had just told him. But he needed to know more.

“Everything is fine,” Dario said.

“Alright, “ said one of the guards.

“We'll leave you to it, just try not to get too crazy,” said the other guard. The two of them walked off, but stopped and stood by an archway in the city walls. Both of them kept an eye on Dario and Emylas.

Dario turned back to Emylas. “Do all of the brothels here practice forced harlotry?”

“Say...that would be an easy way to make a good profit, wouldn't it?” said Emylas. “Good thing you haven't paid for any of the harlots' services here, right? Otherwise you'd be contributing to something awful!”

Dario thought he was going to be sick. His stomach turned, his skin went cold, and he couldn't find his breath.

“Oh...did you?” Emylas asked. “Oh dear, what a terrible mistake!” Emylas patted Dario on the back in feigned sympathy. “The Father's justice will be harsh and swift, won't it? What is the Father's punishment for ravishment? I've always wondered.”

“Excuse me,” Dario said just before he ran off to the inn where he'd been spending his nights.