“You two know each other?” Talarius asked. Rupert said nothing.
Verigas gasped air for a moment then shouted. “It’s him! It’s a Minion of Evil! A Scion of the Concordenax!”
Talarius blinked in surprise, looking at Rupert. “What? He’s just a little boy. What are you babbling about?” Talarius looked at the priest.
“It’s one of the Archaedemon’s party! One of the puppet wizardlings that came in its entourage.” Now it was Rupert’s turn to blink. Archdemon’s party? What was the man talking about? Couldn’t the priest tell the difference between an archdemon and a greater demon? Well, actually, Rupert couldn’t either, he’d never seen an archdemon, and he only knew Tom was a greater demon because Lenamare and Jenn said so. “Slay it! Slay it before it wreaks more havoc upon the world.”
Rupert cowered back on the cot. Not that he was in the least bit terrified of the priest, but he felt it was probably the proper thing to do under the circumstances. Talarius had his hand on the priest’s shoulders, trying to calm the screaming priest down. “Relax, relax, it can’t be that bad. He’s just a boy.”
“No! No! He is a creature of the Abyss! A very pawn of the potentates of hell!”
“Stop it man!” Talarius urged. “He’s not hurting anyone here.” By this point another priest had entered the room. This one was older than Verigas and wearing armor as well as a robe.
“What’s going on here?” the man asked.
“Verigas here insists that this lad we found last night is one of the Archaedemon’s wizardlings, Arch-Vicar General.” Talarius looked briefly over his shoulder at the newcomer.
“Really?” The man called Arch-Vicar General examined Rupert as if he were some sort of curious art object. “Verigas did report that there was a little boy with the archdemon. Rupert, I believe was the name Verigas reported.” Rupert cursed to himself. Verigas glared at the knight in vindication, calming down slightly at the same time.
Talarius turned and stared pointedly at Rupert. Rupert decided it was time to sit up and be in a little better position to take action if need be. “So, Rupert, what have you to say for yourself? You’ve admitted to being with a demon last night. Verigas identifies you; in fact gave us your name in advance of your arrival. I suggest you explain.” While not exactly menacing, the knight no longer looked particularly friendly.
“Please sir... I have no idea what the priest is talking about.” Rupert tried to be completely sincere this time.
“He’s lying.” The Arch-Vicar General stated without batting an eye. “Very convincing sincerity, but a lie nonetheless, I can see it in his aura.” Talarius glanced at the Arch-Vicar General, then at Rupert.
“Look son, I don’t know how you got involved in all of this. But if you tell us the truth, you won’t be hurt.” Talarius looked seriously down at Rupert.
“Hurt!” Verigas cried. “He’s a total puppet! He’s probably not even a little kid! He’s got to be killed. Even if he is what he appears, he’s probably so steeped in evil as to be irretrievably damned!”
Talarius glared at the priest. “No living mortal is irretrievably damned, priest. I will ask you not to forget that.”
Verigas ignored the reproof in the knight’s voice. “You can’t trust him. He’s probably a possessed spy of the archaedemon’s!”
Talarius closed his eyes for a moment. “There is one way to determine that. If I prove that this is not the case, will you be quiet and let me question the boy?” Verigas nodded. Talarius walked over to a small chest in the tent. Rupert and the Arch-Vicar General watched his every move. Rupert was getting just a shade nervous, he was probably going to have to change and make a run for it. The knight pulled a key from his belt and without taking his eyes from Rupert, unlocked the chest. Apparently it was the knight’s quarters in which he’d stayed.
From the chest, Talarius pulled out what appeared to be a jeweled hand mirror. Without looking at it, he walked back over to Verigas. “Now, gazing at the boy through this mirror will reveal any demonic influences.” He held the mirror up so Verigas and the Arch-Vicar General could also see as he moved the mirror between himself and Rupert.
As the mirror came between Rupert and the knight, Rupert noticed a greenish light seeming to come from the other side of the mirror, illuminating the knight’s face and those of the priests. Rupert watched in fascination as the knight’s face went from calm to shock, to pure incredulity. He raised his eyes from the mirror to stare directly at Rupert.
