Chapter 20: Due Diligence — Part 6

Susan stood perfectly still, waiting for them to attack. Two of the Priests drew daggers, and two were thrown staffs. Without armor, Susan’s thoughts turned serious. They were taller than she was, and they were almost as fast as her. Every one of them were fresh and ready for a fight, and she could sense that these priests, through their training, had learned to dampen some of her telekinetic abilities. With the sun setting in the distance, she might be at an advantage, but only if they chose not to light the square. She wondered if it would be fair to use her more passive abilities on the Priests. They circled her, attacking as a mass. Only one would actually strike her, but which one? Rather than wait for them to pounce, she jumped straight up, landing outside the circle, facing the group from a better vantage point.

With some concentration, she managed to call on her memories of Antans, and fill the square with mist and darkness. The illusion was powerful, if insubstantial, and unnerving to the Council members, but not her opponents. One of the Priests raised a hand and washed away her illusion, restoring a conscious reality. Susan backed away, trying to find an advantage. One of the priests had managed to draw a small line of blood across her arm with his dagger, and as the smell of it hit her nose, Susan felt her survival instincts kicking in.

The Priests cornered her against the far side of the square, her back to the marbled steps. With a warning hiss, she exposed her teeth, and instinct overrode self-control. She rushed forward, fist and feet flying, sending the Priests rolling in all directions. When she had worked her way from one corner to the next, and was facing the Priests again, Susan worked over them one more time. She tossed their weapons out of the square with a snarl, her instincts barely controlled. Had she chosen, she could have killed every one of them. As quickly as her anger rose, it diminished. Victory was her only countenance. Hovering over the Priests, she slowly calmed herself, and her hair, once wild with energy, flattened back down to its normal position.

Susan popped her neck, spoke to them as if they were children. “I yield. To corner me and give me no escape forces me to desperation. Forcing me to desperation gives me no choice but to cripple and kill. I will not yield again.”

“Master Toen.” The first priest said, rubbing a sore shoulder. “She is far better than us, if we continue to test her courage, it will probably cost us our lives.”

In response to this some of the Council Members chuckled, until Susan gave them a savage, glowing stare. She thought she could smell urine on the wind, several moments later.

A second Priest spoke up. “She’s shown wisdom in her words all through the day, even in describing how we have failed her. She could have killed us, and would have been in her rights, since she was unarmed.” The Priest bowed respectfully to Susan.

“She’s lasted until sunset, a significant test of endurance. Unlike our Priests, she hasn’t broken her walk for meals, water, or rest.” The third priest said.

Susan’s empathy told her much of the people around her were in agreement; they thought that to test her had been a wasted and disrespectful action. Such were the minds of the Priests. The minds of the Council were in direct opposition.

“Her devotion to the universal path of truth can be seen by the fact that we are still standing and breathing, that Vodia is not crushed under her will, bound by her rule.” As each priest spoke in turn, they bowed to Susan, and allowed her to kiss them, as was her courtesy.

“We aren’t celibate.” The last priest whispered, then added loudly, to cover his advance. “Only a person who fully understands the rational philosophy of minimal resistance could have been so merciful, and only a creature who loves life could respect the rights of others to live when every instinct within her screams for blood.”

Master Toen rose, bowing to Susan, and then to her crew. “Susan, you and your tribe are now accepted by the Priesthood of Vodia as human beings, and you are accepted as a Master of your faith. I, Master Toen, strongly urge the Council to do the same.”

Master Toen stepped down the stairs, continuing his discourse. “You’re entitled the position of Master Priest, and have all the rights and benefits of the Priesthood. The square is open to all, and if you wish a temple on this planet, there are many that remain unfilled, from which you can establish a training hall.”

Susan looked a little shocked, her thoughts flitting out to her crew. That’s it?

Susan dear, Seva telepathed, we’re only human after all. I must say that not all of us would have fared as well as you. Jonathan would have killed most of the Priests; I would have run from the square, knowing that to flee was a safe escape. Charles can be quite cutthroat: I knew him before he was Antansi, and some things simply don’t change. He probably would have treated the child for poisoning, and then killed every person in the square for not actively working to protect her.