The Crow King's Wife(8)

“Miscommunication I’m sure. Seth acted exactly as I wished him to and I have no regrets for his actions. Three prayers were sent from that battle and he answered all three with his attack.” Finn replied in a tone that brooked no argument on the matter.

“You have put all of our temples in danger with this!” A voice screamed from the crowd.

“There is no way we can stand against the Elder Blood if they turn on us.” Someone else offered from the opposite side of the room.

“Kill him and appease the Elder Blood.” A woman yelled from the back and Finn gave up trying to see who was speaking. There were simply too many people in the crowd.

“I support his actions.” A blond haired man bellowed over the noise and rose to his feet. The crowd silenced at once and all eyes turned to look at the newest speaker. He was dressed in a fine blue suit and he looked too slender to offer much help in a fight, but his voice was clear and filled with power. He bowed his head slightly to Finn and offered a faint smile. It was the first hint of good will that Finn received since he had arrived, and he took it as a very good sign.

“Fortune?” War asked in confusion as he turned to look up at the Aspect. “You support breaking the treaty?” War paused and shook his head at the Aspect in obvious confusion. “Fortune you have more temples than any other Aspect. You have more to lose from this than anyone else.” He pointed out calmly as if Fortune must have somehow misunderstood what he was doing.

“If not for Seth’s intervention Delvay would have been lost. If you care to remember Delvay is one of our strongest sources of power. With things as chaotic as they are now we can’t afford to lose their faith.” Fortune paused and looked around at his assembled peers. “Do you think the Rivasans would have honored us as Delvay did? I may have the most temples, but I know where the most faith lies. I would trade twenty of my temples for one shrine in Delay without hesitation.”

“Was the survival of Delvay worth the fall of the gods?” Lutheron asked in a quiet voice that seemed to carry throughout the room. “They will burn our temples and kill our priests for this. We have seen their anger before the treaty and we know how cruel the Elder Blood can be.”

“Do you have a personal grievance with me Lutheron? You have been a thorn in my ass since I met you in Firym. I believe at that time you were trying to convince Jala that I wasn’t worthy and now you are trying to convince the Aspects that I’m not worthy.” Finn called loudly and stepped another few feet closer to the edge of the sand pit. “Did I bed your sister or something? I know before I met Jala I frequented quite a few houses of ill repute so I suppose anything is possible. Or is it just jealousy that fuels your words?”

“Jealousy?” Lutheron demanded in an incredulous tone. By the expression on his face Finn knew his words had struck home.

“They say in Sanctuary that we were nearly equals. I would imagine that would get under your skin a bit.” Finn pressed with an arrogant smile on his face. He was skilled enough at taunting that he knew Lutheron would fall into the trap he had set. If life in Sanctuary and his time in the arena had taught him anything, it was how to talk shit. An angry opponent never fought well, unless they were Firym or Delvay of course, and Lutheron was neither.

“There is no comparison between the two of us boy.” Lutheron snarled. His posture had stiffened and one hand had dropped to his sword.

“Exactly what I said when I heard the gossip, but the people of Sanctuary still insist that had you been just a bit faster you could have been my equal. I thought it was rubbish personally and I’m glad to hear you agree.” Finn finished with a wider smile. People with arrogance were so easy to bait, and Lutheron was his equal in that regard at least. With luck he could finish this fiasco with a quick duel against Lutheron and the matter would be resolved. That was of course under the theory that the Divine had trial by combat as the Elder Blood did. Finn’s smile faded a bit and he glanced back at Fiona. I really should have asked her about that point before I started down this path he realized belatedly.

“Do you think this is just a game boy?” Lutheron snarled as he started down the stairs toward Finn. “Do you think this is like your days in the Arena and those assembled as simply your crowd to amuse?” he continued speaking his voice dropping in low tones as he took each stair with a methodical pace. “Do you not realize the very real danger you have created for your fellow Divine and Aspects with your careless actions?” Lutheron shook his head in disgust and his gaze trailed over the crowd. “My brothers and sisters did not gather to listen to your flippancy. They gathered to determine your fate boy, and with every word you bring yourself closer to death.”