arms on the parapet. Hrathen considered Dilaf short, but this man made the arteth look like a giant. 'Your supporters say you come here and plan how to defeat the vile Elantrians,' Omin continued. 'and your opponents say you come because you feel guilty for condemning a people who have already been cursed.'
Hrathen turned, looking down into the little man's eyes. 'And what do you say?'
'I say nothing,' Omin said. 'It doesn't matter to me why you climb these
stairs. Hrathen. I do, however, wonder why you preach hatred of the Elantrians when you yourself simpIy pity them.'
Hrathen didn't respond immediately, tapping his gauntleted finger against the stone parapet with a repetitious click. 'It's not so hard, once you accustom yourself to it,' he finally said. ''A man can force himself to hare if he wishes, especially if he convinces himself that it is for a higher good.'
'The oppression of the few brings salvation to the many?' Omin asked, a slight smile on his face, as if he found the concept ridiculous.
'You'd best not mock, Arelene,' Hrathen warned. 'You have few options. and we both know the least painful one will require you to do as I do.'
'To profess hatred where I have none? I will never do that. Hrathen.' 'Then you will become irrelevant,' Hrathen said simply.
'Is that the way it must be, then?'
'Shu-Korath is docile and unassuming. priest.' Hrathen said. 'Shu-Dereth is vibrant and dynamic. It will sweep you away like a roaring flood rushing through a stagnant pool.'
Omin smiled again. 'You act as if truth were something to be influenced by persistence. Hrathen.'
'I'm not speaking of truth or falsehood; I am simply referring to physical inevitability. You cannot stand against Fjorden-and where Fjorden rules, ShuDereth teaches.'
'One cannot separate truth from actions, Hrathen.' Omin said with a shake of his bald head. 'Physically inevitable or not, truth stands above all things. It is independent of who has the best army, who can deliver the longest sermons, or even who has the most priests. It can be pushed down. but it will always surface. Truth is the one thing you can never intimidate.'
'And if Shu-Dereth is the truth?' Hrathen demanded.
'Then it will prevail,' Omin said. 'But I didn't come to argue with you.' 'Oh?' Hrathen said with raised eyebrows.
'No.' Omin said. 'I came to ask you a question.'
'Then ask, priest, and leave me to my thoughts.'
'I want to know what happened,' Omin began speculatively. 'What happened, Hrathen? What happened to your faith?'
'My faith?' Hrathen asked with shock.
'Yes,' Omin said. his words soft, almost meandering. 'You must have believed at one point, otherwise you wouldn't have pursued the priesthood long enough to become a gyorn. You lost it somewhere, though. I have listened to your sermons. I hear logic and complete understanding-not to mention determination. I just don't hear any faith, and I wonder what happened to it.'
Hrathen hissed inward slowly, drawing a deep breath between his teeth. 'Go.' he finally ordered. not bothering to look down at the priest.
Omin didn't answer, and Hrathen turned. The Arelish man was already gone, strolling down the wall with a casual step, as if he had forgotten Hrathen were there.
Hrathen stood on the wall for a long time that night.
CHAPTER 22
Raoden inched forward, slowly peeking around the corner. He should have been sweating-in fact, he kept reaching up to wipe his brow. though the motion did nothing but spread black Elantris grime across his forehead. His knees trembled slightly as he huddled against the decaying wooden fence, anxiously searching the cross street for danger.
'Sule, behind you!'
Raoden turned with surprise at Galladon's warning, sliding on the slimy cobblestones and slipping to the ground. The fall saved him. As he grappled for purchase. Raoden felt something whoosh through the air above him. The leaping madman howled in frustration as he missed and smashed through the fence, rotten wood chips spraying through the air.
Raoden stumbled to his feet. The madman moved far more quickly. Bald and nearly naked, the man howled as he ripped his way through the rest of the fence, growling and tearing at the wood like a mad hound.
Galladon's board smacked the man directly in the face. Then. while the man was stunned, Galladon grabbed a cobblestone and smashed it against the side of the man's head. The madman collapsed and did not rise.
Galladon straightened. 'They're getting stronger somehow, sule,' he said. dropping his cobblestone. 'They seem almost oblivious to pain. Kole'
Raoden nodded, calming his nerves. 'They haven't been able to capture a newcomer in weeks. They're getting desperate, falling more and more into their bestial state. I've heard of warriors who grow so enraged during combat that they ignore even mortal wounds.' Raoden paused as Galladon poked at the attacker's body with a stick to make sure he wasn't feigning.
etly.
'Maybe they've found the final secret to stopping the pain,' Raoden said qui-
'All they have to do is surrender their humanity,' Galladon said, shaking his head as they continued to sneak through what had been the Elantris market. They passed piles of rusted metal and crushed ceramics etched with Aons. Once these scraps had produced wondrous effects, their powerful magics demanding unparalleled prices. Now they were little more than obstacles for Raoden to avoid, lest they crunch noisily beneath his feet.
`We should have brought Saolin,' Galladon said quietly.
Raoden shook his head. 'Saolin is a wonderful soldier and a good man, but he's completely lacking in stealth. Even I can hear him approaching. Besides, he would have insisted on bringing a group of his guards. He refuses to believe I can protect myself.'
Galladon glanced at the fallen madman, then back at Raoden with sardonic eyes. ''Whatever you say, sule.'
Raoden smiled slightly. 'All right,' he admitted, 'he might have been useful. However, his men would have insisted on pampering me. Honestly, I thought I'd left that sort of thing behind in my father's palace.'
'Men protect things they find important.' Galladon said with a shrug. 'If you object, you shouldn't have made yourself so irreplaceable. Kolo?'
'Point taken,' Raoden said with a sigh. 'Come on.'
They fell quiet as they continued their infiltration. Galladon had protested for hours when Raoden had explained his plan to sneak in and confront Shaor. The Dula had called it foolhardy, pointless, dangerous, and just plain stupid. He hadn't, however, been willing to let Raoden go alone.
Raoden knew the plan probably was foolhardy, pointless, and all the other things Galladon said. Shaor's men would rip them apart without a second thought-probably without even a first thought, considering their mental state. However, during the last week. Shaor's men had tried to capture the garden three more times. Saolin's guards were collecting more and more wounds while Shaor's men seemed to be getting even more feral and wild.
Raoden shook his head. While his troop was growing. most of his followers were physically weak. Shaor's men, however, were frighteningly strong-and every one of them was a warrior. Their rage gave them strength, and Raoden's followers couldn't stand against them for much longer.
Raoden had to find Shaor. If only he could speak with the man, he was sure they could find a compromise. It was said that Shaor himself never went on the raids. Everyone referred to the band as 'Shaor's men,' but no one could ever remember seeing Shaor himself. It was entirely possible that he was just another maniac, indistinguishable from the rest. It was also possible that the man Shaor had joined the Hoed long ago, and the
