submissiveness. 'What is he doing here, my hroden?'
'I thought it would be good to know the face of our enemy, Arteth,' Hrathen said, rising and walking over to the frightened Elantrian. The two priests were, of course, conversing in Fjordell. There was confusion in the Elantrian's eyes, along with a feral sort of fear.
Hrathen squatted down beside the man, studying his demon. 'Are they all bald, Dilaf?' he asked with interest.
'Not at first.' the arteth answered sullenly. 'They usually have a full head when the Korathi dogs prepare them for the city. Their skin is paler as well.'
Hrathen reached our, feeling the man's cheek. The skin was tough and leathery. The Elantrian watched him with frightened eyes. 'These black spots-these are what distinguish an Elantrian?'
'It is the first sign, my hroden,' Dilaf said, subdued. Either he was getting used to the Elantrian, or he had simply gotten over his initial burst of hatred and had moved on to a more patient, smoldering form of disgust. 'It usually happens overnight. When the accursed one wakes up, he or she will have dark blotches all over their body. The rest of their skin turns grayish brown, like this one. over time.'
'Like the skin of an embalmed corpse,' Hrathen noted. He had visited the university in Svorden on occasion, and knew of the bodies they kept there for study.
'Very similar,' Dilaf agreed quietly. 'The skin isn't the only sign, my hroden. Their insides are rotten as well.'
'How can you tell?'
'Their hearts do not beat,' Dilaf said. 'And their minds do not work. There are stories from the early days ten years ago, before they were all locked away in that city. Within a few months they turn comatose, barely able to move, except to bemoan their pain.'
'Pain?'
'The pain of their soul being burned by Lord Jaddeth's fire,' Dilaf explained. 'It builds within them until it consumes their consciousness. It is their punishment.'
Hrathen nodded, turning away from the Elantrian.
'You shouldn't have touched him, my hroden,' Dilaf said.
'I thought you said that Lord Jaddeth would protect his faithful,' Hrathen said. 'What need have I to fear?'
'You invited evil into the chapel, my hroden.'
Hrathen snorted. 'There is nothing sacred about this building, Dilaf, as you know. No holy ground can be dedicated in a country that hasn't allied itself with Shu-Dereth.'
'Of course.' Dilaf said. His eyes were growing eager for some reason.
The look in Dilaf 's eyes made Hrathen uncomfortable. Perhaps it would be best to minimize the time the arteth spent in the same room as the Elantrian.
'I summoned you because I'm going to need you to make the preparations for the evening sermon,' Hrathen said. 'I can't do them myself-I want to spend a bit of time interrogating this Elantrian..
'As you command. my hroden,' Dilaf said, still eyeing the Elantrian. 'You are dismissed. Arteth,' Hrathen said firmly.
Dilaf growled quietly, then scuttled from the room, off to do Hrathen's bidding.
Hrathen turned back to the Elantrian. The creature didn't seem 'mindless.' as Dilaf had put it. The Guard captain who'd brought the Elantrian had even mentioned the creature's name; that implied that it could speak.
'Can you understand me, Elantrian?' Hrathen asked in Aonic.
Diren paused, then nodded his head.
'Interesting.' Hrathen said musingly.
'What do you want with me?' the Elantrian asked.
'Just to ask you some questions,' Hrathen said, stepping back to his desk and sitting down. He continued to study the creature with curiosity. Never in all of his varied travels had he seen a disease such as this.
'Do you… have any food?' the Elantrian asked. There was a slight edge of wildness to his eyes as he mentioned the word 'food.'
'If you answer my questions, I promise to send you back to Elantris with a full basket of bread and cheese.'
This got the creature's attention. He nodded vigorously.
So hungry, Hrathen thought with curiosity. And, what was it that Dilaf said? No heartbeat? Perhaps the disease does something to the metabolism-makes the heart beat so quickly that it's hard to detect, increases the appetite somehow?
'What were you before you were thrown into the city, Diren?' Hrathen asked. 'A peasant, my lord. I worked the fields of Aor Plantation.'
'And, how long have you been an Elantrian?'
'I was thrown in during the fall,' Diren said. 'Seven months? Eight? I lose track…'
So Dilaf 's other assertion, that Elantrians fell 'comatose' within a few months. was incorrect. Hrathen sat thoughtfully, trying to decide what kind of information this creature might have that could be of use to him.
'What is it like in Elantris?' Hrathen asked.
'It's. terrible, my lord,' Diren said, looking down. 'There's the gangs. If you go the wrong place, they'll chase you, or hurt you. No one tells the newcomers about things. so if you aren't careful, you'll walk into the market… That's not good. And, there's a new gang now-so say a few of the Elantrians I know on the streets. A fourth gang. more powerful than the others.'
Gangs. That implied a basic level of society, at least. Hrathen frowned to himself. If the gangs were as harsh as Diren implied, then perhaps he could use them as an example of Svrakiss for his followers. However, speaking with the complacent Diren, Hrathen was beginning to think that perhaps he should continue making his condemnations from a distance. If any percentage of the Elantrians were as harmless as this man, then the people of Kae would probably be disappointed in the Elantrians as 'demons.'
As the interrogation proceeded, Hrathen realized that Diren didn't know much more that was of use. The Elantrian couldn't explain what the Shaod was like-it had happened to him while he was sleeping. He claimed that he was 'dead,' whatever that meant, and that his wounds no longer healed. He even showed Hrathen a cut in his skin. The wound wasn't bleeding, however. so Hrathen just suspected that the pieces of skin hadn't sealed properly as they healed.
Diren knew nothing of the Elantrian 'magic.' He claimed that he'd seen others doing magical drawings in the air, but Diren himself didn't know how to do likewise. He did know that he was hungry-very hungry. He reiterated this idea several times, as well as mentioning twice more that he was frightened of the gangs.
Satisfied that he knew what he'd wanted to find out-that Elantris was a brutal place, but disappointingly human in its methods of brutality-Hrathen sent for the Guard captain who had brought Diren.
The captain of the Elantris City Guard entered obsequiously. He wore thick gloves, and he prodded the Elantrian out of its chair with a long stick. The captain eagerly accepted a bag of coins from Hrathen, then nodded as Hrathen made him promise to purchase Diren a basket of food. As the captain forced his prisoner out of the room, Dilaf appeared at Hrathen's door. The arteth watched his prey leave with a look of disappointment.
'Everything ready?' Hrathen asked.
'Yes, my hroden,' Dilaf said. 'People are already beginning to arrive for the services.'
'Good.' Hrathen said, leaning back in his chair, Iacing his fingers thoughtfully.
'Does something concern you. my hroden?'
Hrathen shook his head. 'I was just planning for the evening speech. I believe it is time for us to move on to the next step in our plans.'
'The next step. my hroden?'
Hrathen nodded. 'I think we have successfully established our stance against Elantris. The masses are always quick to find devils around them. as long as you give them proper motivation.'
'Yes. my hroden.'
'Do not forget. Arteth.' Hrathen said, 'that there is a point to our hatred.' 'It unifies our followers-it gives them a common enemy.'
'Correct,' Hrathen said, resting his arms on his desk. 'There is another purpose, however. One just as
