There seemed to be no answer that he could make. Feeling helpless, Stulwig
waited. It was a year since he had last seen the youthful governor, who would
now decide his fate. Standing there, Stulwig couldn’t help but notice that there
were changes in the young ruler’s appearance – for the better, it seemed to him.
The prince, as all knew, was at this time twenty years old. He had been
representative in Sanctuary for his older half-brother, the emperor, for only
one of those years, but that year had brought a certain maturity where once
there had been softness. It was still a boyish face, but a year of power had
marked it with an appearance of confidence.
The young governor seemed undecided, as he said, ‘Well – it does not look like a
serious crime. I should think we would encourage converts rather than punishing
them.’ He hesitated, then followed the amenities. ‘What penalty do you
recommend?’ He addressed the high priest of Rankan deities courteously.
There was a surprisingly long pause. Almost, it was as if the older man was
having second thoughts. Torchbearer said finally, ‘Perhaps, we should inquire
what he was praying for. And then decide.’
‘An excellent idea,’ the prince agreed heartily.
Once more, then, Stulwig told his story, ending in a humble tone, ‘Therefore,
sir, as soon as I discovered that, apparently, the great gods themselves were
involved in some disagreement, I decided to pray to Vashanka to ask what he
wanted me to do; asked him what amends I could make for whatever my sin might