Chapter 23

“His name is Hasmon, and he’s spouting nonsense about racial divisions, particularly amongst species,” Erren explained.

“Gosvik is a thriving Human town,” a puzzled Doriel replied. “I doubt many there have any hostility towards another species.”

“Hasmon and his supporters are driving away the Elven and Dwarven traders; he’s persuaded the gateway guardians to block their passage and the town sheriff to seize cargos,” Erren explained. “Part of the problem is that Hasmon is very persuasive and appeals to the baser instincts of some, not all townsfolk.”

“A demagogue?” Darras asked.

“Yes, one that ignores my words on treating others as you’d expect to be treated.”

“Dead or just get you close?” Darras asked.

“Just get me close. I’ll deal with him and those who benefit from his bigotry,” Erren firmly replied.

“Of course, my Erren,” Darras smiled.

After a restful couple of days with Erren, Darras entered through the gateway at Gosvik. He was immediately faced with the customs agent trying to seize his goods as contraband.

“How are fine jewellery, carved scented woods, sharp cooking blades contraband? Darras asked.

“The town bans such items as outsiders make them,” the agent sniffed. “Such may not be sold here.”

“That’s a shame,” Darras replied. “I assume I’ll get them back when I leave?”

“They will be destroyed as impure.”

“I don’t think so,” Darras replied icily.

“Those are the laws of Erren!”

“No, they aren’t; there’s nothing like that in her book,” Darras responded.

“Hasmon, our priest, says there is!”

“Then he’s lying,” Darras stated flatly.

“You would call a priest of Erren a liar? Guards!”

Two guards entered, both burly men showing caution when seeing Darras repacking his goods, clearly aware of them but also unbothered.

“Arrest this man for defaming our priest!” the agent screeched.

“How did I defame him?” Darras asked, straightening up. “I called him a liar because he is if he says that the goods of other races are impure because it’s in the book of Erren.”

“You are not a priest!”

“No, I’m not,” Darras chuckled. “I’m the agent of Erren upon the lands.”

“Liar!”

“You would call my agent a liar?” Erren’s voice raged from Darras’s throat, causing the guards to pause and the agent to pale.

“A trick, it’s a trick,” the agent spluttered, though the guards made no move to stop Darras as he picked up his pack and left.

“He seems upset,” Darras murmured.

‘He’ll get over it, ’ Erren giggled.

“Surprised the guards stopped.”

‘Despite their looks, they are both devout followers of me and knew what was going on wasn’t right; they also have families to feed.’

“Understandable,” Darras nodded. “Let’s see what Hasmon tries now.”

‘Likely violence, coupled with an attempt to seize your goods.’

“Probably, it won’t do them a lot of good, though,” Darras chuckled as he made his way to the market to sell his goods.

Once there, Darras could hire a stall, which was unusual but welcome. He soon attracted customers keen to get their hands on goods recently in short supply, such as Dwarven knives.

“It’s been ages since we have had such on sale here,” a woman told Darras as she bought a paring knife.

“Blame Hasmon,” Darras replied. “He’s the one who had them banned.”

“Ugh, him and his thugs,” the woman sighed. “You must be careful then; he’ll not permit this.”

“I will,” Darras nodded.

Darras did good business for a while before he spotted a group of men shouldering others out of their way to get to his stall. Darras grasped his stave, moved in front of the booth, and waited to see what they’d try.

“Such inferior goods are banned in Gosvik,” the leader stated.

“Nothing inferior about them,” Darras chuckled. “Hence my sales.”

“Our priest says any goods made by other races are inferior!”

“Erren says otherwise, so he’s not speaking for her,” Darras replied, making some in the crowd gasp.

“He speaks for Erren, you Heretic!” the man snarled and tried to punch Darras, only to miss and then fall to a blow to the stomach from Darras.

“The words of Erren say, all races are mine, all are equal, and all must be respected!” Darras stated, causing many watching to nod. “That this Hasmon calls them inferior tells me he speaks not for the goddess.”

“He is a priest; you are but a man,” one of the group with the one Darras had felled yelled back.

“Then he defies the words of his goddess,” Darras hit back. “Erren’s words are clear; her great commandment is to treat others as you’d wish to be treated yourself!”

“Pah! Dwarves, Elves and Lizardfolk are inferior in all ways to Humans! Hasmon speaks for the goddess! Hasmon is right!”

“He does not speak for me!” the spiritual form of Erren stepped out from Darras, clearly incandescently angry. “I am Erren; I say this: Hasmon speaks only for himself!”

Most of the crowd had dropped to one knee, heads bowed and hands clasped. The crowd took up a simple refrain from one of the women as they praised the lady of light. The group of men, whilst looking cowed, were not willing to give up and charged the stall, only for Darras to deal brutally with them, using his stave to knock them back and to the ground, injured and unconscious.

“Good people of Gosvik,” Erren spoke to the crowd. “Thank you for your prayers. Be blessed in my name, remembering all are equal in my sight.”

“All praise our goddess, blessed be her name,” the crowd replied as one.

“Hasmon speaks not for me; his words twist mine into something they are not; he will be recalled soon to answer for this,” Erren stated before withdrawing back into Darras.

Darras spotted several guards entering the market, though they didn’t look hostile and so stood at rest as they approached.

“The town sheriff desires a word,” the guards’ leader said when approaching Darras.

“Then he can come see me,” Darras replied. “Or you can arrest me if I’ve done something wrong.”

“Then I arrest you for bringing in forbidden items into Gosvik,” the leader stated, trying and failing to look menacing.

“Forbidden by who?” Darras asked.

“Hasmon the priest.”

“And this Hasmon sets town policy on trade?” Darras asked. “Only the last I heard, that isn’t a priest’s job.”

“I have been ordered to bring you before the sheriff,” the leader reiterated.

“And I said no,” Darras replied. “Now, either try and arrest me or take my reply back to the sheriff.”

Glancing around at the hostility now showing in the crowd, the leader did the sensible thing and ordered a withdrawal.

“We’re so glad the goddess heard our pleas,” a woman, one of the onlookers, thanked Darras.

“She did and sent me to end this petty tyranny,” Darras replied.

Darras carried on trading, attracting customers from all walks of life until around midday, when the guards returned, escorting a small rotund man, richly dressed and affecting an air of superiority.

“You will cease trading in contraband,” the man ordered.

“Says who?” Darras chuckled.

“I am Gosvik’s sheriff; you will cease to trade!”

“Only the local Lord can embargo anything,” Darras shrugged. “Not you and not this priest.”

“He so ordered!”

“Pull the other one! No, he didn’t,” Darras laughed. “There is no current Lord of Gosvik; one has yet to be appointed by his peers. That means you can only uphold existing laws, not make up new ones based upon a priest’s bigotry.”

“I make the laws!”

“No, no, you don’t, as I explained.”

“I will not allow lesser races or their goods to sell in my town!”

“Then it’s time Gosvik got a new sheriff,” Darras chuckled, watching the man’s ire rise at being mocked.

“Aye!” came several cries from the crowd.

“I have the blessing of Hasmon to do as I do; you will obey!”

“Erren has withdrawn her grace from Hasmon,” Darras replied in deadly tones. “Nor will she bless you if you twist her edicts as Hasmon has done.”

Darras looked up in surprise as several Dwarves entered the market, then smiled as he recognised his friend Linota, clearly in disguise from her role as the leader of the Dwarven temple paladins of Sorrak.

“Linota, my friend, good to see you,” Darras greeted her. “No trouble at the customs?”

“There was a pushy clerk there, but nothing serious,” Linota replied. “You’re looking well, Darras.”

“Guards! I want these undesirables run out of town!” the sheriff almost screamed.

“Who is he calling undesirable?” Linota asked.

“He’s just some stupid bigot in a position of power,” Darras chuckled.

“Oh, one of those?”

“Yes, but he’s discovering just how powerless he is at the moment, also how unpopular too.”

None of the guards had moved to obey the sheriff, as they, unlike him, had realised just how outmatched they were.

“Obey me,” the sheriff demanded, only to be hit by a piece of rotten fruit as members of the crowd began showing their contempt for the man.

“Arrest them!” Only for none of his guards to move and more rotten fruit to fly.

“This you, Erren?” Darras asked.

‘No, but it appears the townspeople have finally had enough of Hasmon’s clique, ’ Erren replied.

“Surprised the guards didn’t act,” Darras murmured. “Not that they’ll have been able to do much.”

‘They’re locals, and they’ve been affected by this silliness, too.’

“True, time to see Hasmon now,” Darras nodded as the sheriff, now bereft of dignity, ran cowering from the market to the jeers of the townsfolk.

‘Ask Linota to come with you; she has a temple rank as a paladin and hence can give authority to my demands.’

“That’s the letter of transfer to Torgillas and the central temple?”

‘Yes, they are expecting him, and he’ll be put to work as an administrator, well away from contact with people of all kinds.’

“Linota, could you help me deal with the priest Hasmon?” Darras requested politely.

“A pleasure, Darras,” Linota replied.

“I take it, Gemoldus sent you here?”

“Yes, he had a vision from Gilmea, and it seems our timing was perfect,” Linota nodded.

“It was most welcome,” Darras chuckled. “I wanted to protect the townsfolk from this clique who run the place.”

“Aye, that was a necessity.”

After Darras asked one of the Dwarves to mind his stall, the pair set off towards the prominent temple near the town centre.

“The temple seems somewhat over decorated for a small town,” Linota observed.