“Who said I was doing that?” Tahlis asked. “Maybe I arranged this lesson for my own entertainment.”
“We’re sorry, Master. I did not mean to presume. We should never have abandoned you, and it would be an act of justice if you were to reject us now.”
“And…” Tahlis’ tone was mischievous.
Choshi looked up at him. “Really, Master? We’re doing this again, now?”
“Always!”
“Fine.”
She took a deep breath. When she spoke again, the others joined in, their voices raised in song.
“Master Tahlis is the smartest lizard in Gonki,
“Handsome brave and charming and the whole wide world can see,
“No one can be skilled as Master Tahlis is today.
“Every morning, we’re so glad for him, we shout hooray!”
On the word “hooray,” they half-heartedly punched the air.
I couldn’t help but cringe. The guildmaster had turned his initiates into schoolchildren. The youngest couldn’t have been a day younger than 18. Tahlis was either completely full of himself, or insane. In fact, he was probably both.
Tahlis grinned. “I’ve missed this. Remember, every morning. Now, come into the temple. We’ll eat and talk.”
As we followed the initiates through the doors, I leaned in and whispered to Tahlis.
“Do you really make your initiates do that every morning?”
“Only until they grow a spine and learn to say no,” he replied. “Fun, isn’t it?”
I looked at him sidelong. Sometimes, Tahlis’ humor was as baffling to me as his teaching techniques. This was a very different sort of guildmaster from the serious and contemplative Xilarion, Guildmaster of Radiant Dragon.
We gathered in a room above the main chapel, along with my traveling companions and Ganyir. We all sat with our legs crossed on the time-worn wooden floor around a low table in the middle of the room. Kumi and Vesma had fetched food, mostly dumplings and spring rolls, and we ate together while the initiates updated us on events in Hyng’ohr.
“It’s gotten really bad,” said Choshi. “There are priests of the Cult of Unswerving Shadows everywhere, telling people that they must submit to them or die. They teach that Emperor Talekon is a false ruler, and they place idols to evil gods in the shrines. Some of the things the cultists want us to believe are cruel; some sound completely insane, but if we ask questions, we’re punished.”
She lifted the edge of her tunic and showed us a series of whip scars across her back.
“It’s not always the priests who dish out the beatings,” she continued. “Sometimes, it’s the clan guards, and sometimes, it’s people from our own guild who have joined the new regime.”
“The only one who doesn’t seem crazy is Mahrai,” said Drek the dwarf, his tone grim. “But she does nothing about it.”
“Mahrai?” I asked. “She seemed pretty damn crazy to me.”
“You’ve met her?” Choshi asked.
“Briefly. Can’t say I was all that impressed.”
“She came to Hyng’or with Saruqin. She sits at his right hand, but some say she isn’t as cruel as she seems.”
“Does anyone still stand loyal to me?” Ganyir interrupted, looking down at an untouched plate of spring rolls.
“Many people, my lord,” Choshi said. “But they don’t dare rise up without a leader. A few small groups have tried to stir resistance, but they’ve always been made examples of by the priesthood. Some of their bodies are still hanging in the square, buzzing with flies and picked over by the crows.”
Ganyir rose to his feet. For a moment, I thought that he was going to speak to us, that this was his moment to take charge. Instead, he turned and walked silently out of the room. The initiates watched him, their eyes wide and brows furrowed.
Tahlis slapped the table, drawing all eyes to him. “Things are going to change,” he said briskly. “We have the Immortal Swordslinger on our side now, and you’ve seen what he can do. Just as important, you six have come to us—the beginnings of an army of resistance. You might not feel like much yet—snake’s tits, you don’t even look like much to me—but you have the potential to become so much more. Together, we might have a chance to take Hyng’ohr and set this right.”
The initiates smiled. For all the shit he gave them, Tahlis clearly believed in them, and they responded to his encouragement. If he thought recovery was possible, then they could start to think the same.
Fig, the tubby human initiate, turned to look at me. “What do you think, Swordslinger? When do you plan to retake the city?”
“We need to prepare before we go into battle. There are some powerful Augmenters inside the city, and we need to be ready to face them. Fortunately, we have an advantage over followers of the Straight Path. The cheap and easy way will always appeal to them because it’s direct, but it has results that won’t hold up when trouble comes. You, on the other hand, have the dedication to put in the time and practice, and that’s what you need to do now. Spend some time studying and practicing and meditating, preparing yourselves, body and mind, for what lies ahead.”
The initiates continued staring at me, as though they expected me to say more.
“I’ve seen your courage today, and that’s not something everyone has,” I continued. “Now, it’s time to build on it.”
“Practice and meditation,” Tahlis said as he clapped his hands together. “An excellent idea, Swordslinger. And where better to do it than in the Vigorous Zone down in the valley? And you can collect more cores. To expand your impressive array of talents.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I could go along for the ride.”
“It will also give these young initiates a chance to brush shoulders with the Immortal Swordslinger. Maybe some of that skill and power will rub off on them, eh?”
The initiates looked at me with expectant eyes, and I could hardly refuse after I’d just kicked their asses and made a speech about preparing them for war.
“When do we leave, Tahlis?” I asked.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare to presume to teach these young rascals anything,” the lizardman said. “You’ll be
