mortals with respect.”
Shadow touched his face. It wasn’t one of the shadows that infested the place, it was a shadow from within, a shadow of anger. “Would you prefer to be treated the way you expect?”
I am, I thought. “Actually, I’d rather not be treated at all. I ignore you, you ignore me, we’re no problem to one another.”
“But you are a problem. Of the worst sort. You threaten our existence. You cannot possibly expect us to overlook that.”
I swallowed about three times. The guy in the chair projected a furious temper, restrained only with great effort. I must have some power in the situation, though I couldn’t catch a whiff. “How am I a threat?”
“You have been enlisted by the Godoroth to find the Temple Key. That simple name doesn’t tell you that the group who fails to take possession of it will perish.”
“I think you got the wrong guy. I don’t know anything about any Temple Key.”
A whispering filled the air. Ice formed on my tailbone and crawled northward.
“Curious, Mr. Garrett. Torbit says you are only partially lying. But.” He rambled through an eyewitness review of my visit with the Godoroth. Maybe he was Imar in a good mood.
I searched the crowd, trying to get a good picture of faces. The Dead Man would want every detail — if ever we met again.
I said, “You got all the details, then you know I didn’t agree to do anything. I just slid on out of there.”
“There was an implication. You did not refuse.”
“Won’t stand up in court. Duress and coercion.” Which got me a blank look. Duress and coercion? Wasn’t that what being a god was all about? You could make people do what you wanted? Weren’t mortals toys?
He took it his own way. “Granted, you did not swear allegiance to the Godoroth. That is good. But why, then, were you on the Street of the Gods asking questions? Why were you visiting temples?”
“I was pretty sure it was a con of some kind. Those Godoroth characters didn’t convince me that they were real gods. They just told me that they were. They hadn’t shown me anything a clever conjurer couldn’t manage.” If you overlooked my magic rope. “I figured somebody wanted to set me up.”
My audience stirred. Most probably didn’t understand me. The guy in the chair had to mull it over before he got it. Give him that. He could step out of his own viewpoint. Not that he credited the mortal viewpoint with much value.
That chill whisper filled the air momentarily.
“It appears that, once again, you are telling most of the truth. Very well. I believe you understand the situation. Foreign gods have come to TunFaire. They have been awarded a place on the Street of the Gods. This means great inconvenience and dislocation for many gods, but for us and the Godoroth it means one group or the other has to go. For my part, I do not care to fall into oblivion.”
“Me neither.”
“You still believe you are being hoodwinked?”
“It’s starting to look like the real thing.”
“I want that key, Mr. Garrett.”
“I’ll say a prayer for you.”
Teensy thunderbolts crackled at his temples. Maybe it was something I said. He regained control. “You fled from my friends. If you are not in the service of the Godoroth, why run?”
“Give them an eye, chief. Most of them look like nightmares come true.”
More teensy thunderbolts flickered. I wasn’t doing too good here. I looked around. Things moving in and out of the light might have lurked under my bed when I was a kid. This was a much bigger crowd than the Godoroth. And not real friendly. Bad cess to the infidel, I guess.
“Where will you look for the key?”
“I’m not interested in any key. I just don’t want to be between gangs of divine sociopaths who have no interest whatsoever in my welfare.”
Crackly whisper in the air. Stir in the crowd, which seemed larger every time I checked. They were not all nightmares, either. This pantheon was well supplied with attractive
Shadow touched his face. It wasn’t one of the shadows that infested the place, it was a shadow from within, a shadow of anger. “Would you prefer to be treated the way you expect?”
I am, I thought. “Actually, I’d rather not be treated at all. I ignore you, you ignore me, we’re no problem to one another.”
“But you are a problem. Of the worst sort. You threaten our existence. You cannot possibly expect us to overlook that.”
I swallowed about three times. The guy in the chair projected a furious temper, restrained only with great effort. I must have some power in the situation, though I couldn’t catch a whiff. “How am I a threat?”
“You have been enlisted by the Godoroth to find the Temple Key. That simple name doesn’t tell you that the group who fails to take possession of it will perish.”
“I think you got the wrong guy. I don’t know anything about any Temple Key.”
A whispering filled the air. Ice formed on my tailbone and crawled northward.
“Curious, Mr. Garrett. Torbit says you are only partially lying. But.” He rambled through an eyewitness review of my visit with the Godoroth. Maybe he was Imar in a good mood.
I searched the crowd, trying to get a good picture of faces. The Dead Man would want every detail — if ever we met again.
I said, “You got all the details, then you know I didn’t agree to do anything. I just slid on out of there.”
“There was an implication. You did not refuse.”
“Won’t stand up in court. Duress and coercion.” Which got me a blank look. Duress and coercion? Wasn’t that what being a god was all about? You could make people do what you wanted? Weren’t mortals toys?
He took it his own way. “Granted, you did not swear allegiance to the Godoroth. That is good. But why, then, were you on the Street of the Gods asking questions? Why were you visiting temples?”
“I was pretty sure it was a con of some kind. Those Godoroth characters didn’t convince me that they were real gods. They just told me that they were. They hadn’t shown me anything a clever conjurer couldn’t manage.” If you overlooked my magic rope. “I figured somebody wanted to set me up.”
My audience stirred. Most probably didn’t understand me. The guy in the chair had to mull it over before he got it. Give him that. He could step out of his own viewpoint. Not that he credited the mortal viewpoint with much value.
That chill whisper filled the air momentarily.
“It appears that, once again, you are telling most of the truth. Very well. I believe you understand the situation. Foreign gods have come to TunFaire. They have been awarded a place on the Street of the Gods. This means great inconvenience and dislocation for many gods, but for us and the Godoroth it means one group or the other has to go. For my part, I do not care to fall into oblivion.”
“Me neither.”
“You still believe you are being hoodwinked?”
“It’s starting to look like the real thing.”
“I want that key, Mr. Garrett.”
“I’ll say a prayer for you.”
Teensy thunderbolts crackled at his temples. Maybe it was something I said. He regained control. “You fled from my friends. If you are not in the service of the Godoroth, why run?”
“Give them an eye, chief. Most of them look like nightmares come true.”
More teensy thunderbolts flickered. I wasn’t doing too good here. I looked around. Things moving in and out of the light might have lurked under my bed when I was a kid. This was a much bigger crowd than the Godoroth. And not real friendly. Bad cess to the infidel, I guess.
“Where will you look for the key?”
“I’m not interested in any key. I just don’t want to be between gangs of divine sociopaths who have no interest whatsoever in my welfare.”
Crackly whisper in the air. Stir in the crowd, which seemed larger every time I checked. They were not all nightmares, either. This pantheon was well supplied with attractive
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