Published at 21st of May 2026 6:51 am

Chapter 152: The way forward

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All right, I say, my enhanced control keeping my voice from cracking, though only barely. We have work to do. We need to convince your pursuers that there was only one follower of Anar, and that they died.

Why would they think that? Similce says, confused and still slumped against the altar. Wasnt it obvious that a cult formed?

I raise an eyebrow, realizing that their information is as incomplete as mine. No, in fact, they assumed from the beginning that there was only one killer.

Butwhy? she presses, Anar sacrifice is usually done by groups. Lone killers are unusual, since they dont have anyplace to fall back to when they mess up.

I sigh. Should I tell them about this? It might be useful, and better to reveal everything now while Im so enhanced and can more easily tell what their reactions are. They think that because the person whos leading the investigation is personally invested in killing me, they assumed all of your killings were mine.

The surviving half dozen or so cultists erupt into questions. Tallow said they knew who we were! Can we go home?

Tallow was wrong about many things, including doctrine that Im going to have to correct. But no, you may not go home yet, I say with a commanding voice. The guards might not know that you sacrificed anyone, but they do know some of you are missing and are connected to this. If you return, then theyll immediately take you up for questioning, and you lack the legal protection against mind ripping that nobles enjoy.

Theres a murmur of they wouldnt, and other such sentiments that make me want to laugh, but I suppress it into only a scoff. I assure you, they would. Trust me, Ive seen the empire take people at random to turn them into mind-ripped agents. How much more willing do you think theyll be if theres an actual connection to something they want?

They protest more, which disgusts me. These people live in the worst section of the capital, kept deliberately poor for some hidden purpose. Yet their first instinct is to trust that the empire would never harm them without reason. I mean, why did they even join this cult if they lacked some sort of underlying dissatisfaction with their lot? If they dont resent their government, then why would they join an organization that is legally classified as a rebellion?

Enough! I say, raising my voice just shy of a shout. Anar told me to lead this cult, but what does he expect me to do? The only leadership position Ive had is with the Mud Hares, and that still leaves me baffled regularly. I suppose I am taking over by an act of violence, so theyre prone to distrust me. I cant exactly remedy that right now, so my only hope is to continue the tradition and hope it keeps them in line.

I continue speaking. Ive given you my reasons for the decision, but ultimately, you wont go back home because I say so. If that doesnt satisfy you, then you can try to supplant me as Anars favoured. But until then, dont think about running. Because I will always be watching.

There are nervous glances all around, and the silence gives me a chance to examine them. Four women, two men of ages ranging from a few years younger than me to one grey haired. Fortunately, only about half of them want to go home. The two men, and the second youngest woman It might be safer to just sacrifice all the dissenters now. I mean, would that be in line with expectations? The only examples for leadership are my old patriarch and Gebal and Tallow, I suppose. Though I dont think Ill be emulating him.

Likewise, while I always thought of Gebal as a good leader, he never had to come up with a reason for his entire cell to stay under him. Everyone who fought with us understood the need to expel the invaders. They only ever deserted because they despaired about the prospects of our eventual victory. But there is no inherent goal of this group, just the ambitions of the individuals.

Of course, thats why Tallow and my old patriarch used the family approach. But, besides just feeling icky about that given my experience with that lie, I dont even know if it would work. I mean, I just killed their daddy. Why would they accept me as their new one? Besides, Im the youngest one here, except for one. Said one being rather quiet during all of this, but thats an issue for later.

Alright, I continue after a moment of stroking my chin to indicate thought, I have a plan. First, I need to know who did the sacrifices that the guards know about. I turn to Similce.

She hesitates, but shrugs in resignation. Tallow did the old cobbler.

It was sloppy, I say, with an eyebrow raised in a combination of surprise and annoyance. I cant exactly pin everything on Tallow when he has Anar runes marked indelibly on his face.

On purpose, she says in immediate defence. We had lost track of you, and the brief divinations he managed to get were erratic. I mean, all of a sudden, you were hundreds of miles away again. So, we decided to get discovered to lure you out.

Then it was stupid too, I say, glancing at Tallows corpse.

She shrugs, not willing to contest the point. The old couple was done by the mage you killed by the door, and the woman was killed by him. She points to a middle-aged man who was the loudest complainer.

I gesture for him to come forward, which he hesitantly does.

What went wrong? Why did you leave the body? I ask, trying to be calm, but letting my tension show.

He shrugs. Towering over me with a bulky frame, he doesnt seem concerned. Cause I wanted everyone to know that the bitch got what was coming to her.

Wait, I say, pinching the bridge of my nose. Youre saying that you knew the victim?

Well, yeah, of course. Its why I joined. To get back at all those that pushed me aside. Belittled me. Soon, theyll find out just how wrong they were. Theyll know, oh yes He grins wistfully with a far off look, no doubt imagining his bloody vengeance, such as it were.

I cast mental whisper and turn to Similce. Why didnt Tallow kill this buffoon? Hes obviously a threat to the flock that needs to be culled.

She opens her mouth to speak, but then shrugs and casts mental whisper back. I didnt want to question him, but I suppose they got along.

Got along? Since when has that been a criterion for keeping people around? She just shrugs impassively. Sigh Unfortunately, his being from here makes him wholly unsuitable. What about the mage I killed? Where were they from?

He I think we picked him up somewhere in the western empire, on our way here from Caethlon.

Great, hell do nicely as for the idiot... Should I offer him myself or no. Fear would be useful, but I need more. Who among them is the closest to becoming a mage? I say through the spell.

That one, Similce gestures back through her own link at the youngest girl, who has been silently leaning against a darkened corner, coolly assessing while the rest are expressing a general displeasure or fear at the turn of events. Good, I can work with that. Shes also the only one younger than me. Adults can be so disappointing. Better to empower the youth.

I jolt forward like a snake, hands clamping down on the buffoons arm and throwing him against the table, where I pin him. You, come here, I say to the girl.

She looks hesitantly, clearly alarmed at being asked to become a participant when she was content to be merely a witness. Yes patriarch? She asks demurely, but her eyes dart to each of my visible weapons in turn, still assessing. Watching for how I might move.

Have you performed the sacrifice yet?

She shakes no. Tallow said I wasnt ready.

But you know the runes and how to do it? She nods. Then sacrifice him.

There are murmurs from all around the room, save for the young girl and Similce. Wh Patriarch? Hes one of us.

Because he endangered the cult with his stupidity. NEVER sacrifice someone you know. That is how they will find you. In fact, the rule for now is not to sacrifice anyone without my explicit order. Is that understood? Cowed assents come from all around. Now, he needs to disappear, and he might as well be useful. So, sacrifice him. I command the girl again.

She pulls out a knife and hesitantly cuts her palm to clumsily apply the runes. I have to correct her strokes two times, but she eventually manages to make passable marks on his squirming, cursing face.

I Im sorry, brother, but I give your soul to Anar. She slips the knife into the throat, then collapses in a familiar spasm of pleasure. The buffoon counts as willing, and she is wholly unprepared for the intensity of the sensation.

I loom over her as she regains awareness and nods approvingly. Go to the roof and study whatever spell youre on. She silently complies, so I turn back to Similce, ignoring the tension in the room. All right, now onto the plan. Did Tallow have a bolthole for when things turned bad?

Yes, she answers after only a little hesitation.

Concealment rune?

She shakes her head. We were having a little trouble sourcing an appropriate sacrifice.

All the better. Heres the plan. Ill liquify all the bodies here except for the mage, who well take to the bolthole. There, well fabricate a fight, abducting local gang members to sell it. Well make it look like a patrol saw one of their own being dragged into the building and followed them in, where they interrupted a ritual. They fought, and everyone died.

She raises a sceptical eyebrow. Thats your plan, daddy? Her drained emotions flicker into derision.

I switch to speaking in mental whispers. It satisfies all the criteria. We need a reason for them dying that wont be linked to anyone still alive. Besides, the gang will surely want to take credit for it if asked, so the inquiry will end there, and well of course perform counter-divinations on site. Whats the problem?

She shrugs through her own link. Nothing specific, it just seems a bit slapdash to be relying on, what, theatre? I mean, wont the pursuers find it a bit convenient that everyone died? Especially if they feel personally invested in finding you, they wont feel satisfied that youre dead without stronger evidence.

Do you have a better suggestion?

She shrugs. Just run. Leave the empire, and they wont be able to give chase. I mean, thats what we did, didnt we or no, I guess that was before you joined.

I tense at the reminder that she was there when I first joined, and so might know something about my past. I thought I didnt care, but maybe that was just because it was so unattainable. But with a new hint dangling in front of me Time for that later.

I give an impression of shaking my head. I have reasons for staying.

Right, you want to keep whatever life got you those fancy clothes, sarcasm oozes through the link.

Enough, I snap. Ive told you the criteria. Do you have a better plan that matches them?

She hesitates and shakes her head.

Then its decided, I say out loud. Lets get working.

It goes unreasonably well. First, we transfer various Anar paraphernalia and the mages corpse to the bolthole and arrange things to make it seem like it was the primary lair. Unfortunately, I dont have an extra copy of my old patriarchs Biblio to leave, so we have to make do with the books we do have. Fortunately, Tallow made Similce a consolidated copy of the Biblios they had (her incomplete copy she brought from our cult, plus the unique information of his copy), so we just leave that. Its a risk, since Vithal might expect things only found in my copy, but its the best we can do.

After thats set up, Similce and I snatch four members of the local gang off the street and pose them in the building as convincingly as we can. Its difficult, since we have to subdue them first before taking them to the building to kill, and none of us has Tallows paralysis spell. But we manage by just hitting them over the head and then healing them when its time to stage them.

I also use the one playing the initial victim for some anthropomancy to obscure everything. The guards diviners will be able to tell what I was divining, but that actually helps sell it, since the mage would be trying to counter divine anyways. Also, it would explain why they were so distracted that the group of three could surprise them.

Once were done, I tell her to go back to the lair and make sure everyone is still there, and to hunt and kill anyone who has left.

Theres hesitation in her eyes, but she eventually agrees. I know shes still thinking of revolting against me, but she knows Im under far too great of boon to have a chance fighting me directly, even if shes under a high boon herself. So, shell have to wait for her chance, and hopefully Ill have convinced her to stay loyal by when she gets it.

I could just kill her now, but she was one of the few in that old cult that I was still fond of, before she showed up again. It would be a pity to destroy that memory. Besides, Ill need her to manage the cult.

I wait until she leaves the alley, then lean against the wall, feeling exhausted despite the power flowing through me. A moment later, Allan drops down from the roof where hes been hiding.

Having expected his arrival, but not looking forward to it, all I can muster is a weary Hey.

Hey, he says back, with his own different weariness. We should talk.

Yeah, I guess we should.

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