Chapter 362
When he heard that were another two hundred Body Refiners waiting to be made citizens, the white-haired priest was sent into a near-panic .
Despite the Knight's barely veiled threats, he insisted that he could not do as Rannoc had requested — not without permission from an Archon . And sending word to an Archon, he claimed, would take at least two weeks .
Yet where the Knight's threats failed, Kaleesh's reassurances proved more effective . Using a careful mix of flattery and persuasion, he spent several minutes convincing the priest that his other troops weren't nearly as unusual as Arran .
Finally, the priest agreed to accompany them to the mines . While he was obviously displeased with the prospect, with his biggest fear addressed — having to waste more of his most precious liquid on outsiders — he reluctantly gave in .
The priest didn't come alone, however . He brought along half a dozen acolytes and twice as many outsider servants, as well as forty guards in white uniforms .
"Church guards," Kaleesh explained . "They answer to the Archons, rather than the Lords . " He gave the group of guards an unfriendly glance, and in a lower voice, he added, "They're humorless zealots, but take care not to antagonize them . In the Imperium, you don't want to make an enemy of the church . "
Gathering the group took the better part of an hour, but still, that wasn't the end of it . While Arran was anxious to leave the city behind, Muna spent another half-hour gathering an entourage of her own — Rangers and soldiers, to match the church guards' numbers .
Arran watched the Knight's actions with some interest . Although he couldn't be certain, he suspected she'd only decided to bring a party of her own because the priest had done the same .
Either way, it was plain to see that there was little love lost between the church guards and the soldiers . The two groups eyed each other with open suspicion, all but ignoring the outsiders among them .
"They don't seem to get along very well," Arran said, careful to keep his voice low .
"The church and the Lords can never quite agree who leads whom," Kaleesh replied . "Though with a Knight here, I'd say the Lords take it this time . Unless that priest scrounges up a Paladin somewhere . "
Arran frowned . "A Paladin?"
"That's what the church calls its Knights," Kaleesh explained . "If you want my advice, avoid them at all costs . Those fanatics could look at a tree and see a blasphemer to be purged . As for outsiders…" He shook his head . "If you ever find yourself in the company of one, try not to say anything . "
At this, Arran could not help but sigh . The more he learned of the Imperium, the less he liked it .
It was well after dawn when they finally departed the city, their small group somehow having swelled to the size of a small army, complete several ox-drawn supply carts .
Much to Arran's annoyance, the group's size meant that it traveled with the sluggish speed of a small army, as well . Eager though Arran and the captain might be to return to the Wolfsblood Company, the oxen drawing the carts clearly didn't share their concerns .
Still, although Arran had not slept a wink the previous night, he found himself not the least bit tired — something he suspected was related to the strange liquid he'd been given by the priest .
Although its power had faded from his body just moments after he'd taken it, he could tell that some part of it remained — a feeling of vigor and vitality that seemed to pervade his body .
Kaleesh and Sassun didn't share his experience, however . While they felt some small effect, both said it was so small as to be negligible .
That wasn't much of a surprise, of course . Arran had received a far larger dose of the liquid — the diluted god's blood, as the priest claimed — than either of them, so it stood to reason that he would be affected far more strongly .
Yet his curiosity remained . If he had a new power, he needed to know what it was — and, just as importantly, how it might help him .
Which meant he needed to get information from the Darians .
Between the priest and the Knight, deciding which of them to ask for information was an easy choice . The white-haired priest's eyes held resentment and suspicion whenever he glanced at Arran, and Arran very much doubted that he'd freely share his thoughts .
Muna, on the other hand, merely looked at him with curiosity . That still made Arran uneasy — he had plenty of secrets, after all — but it was better than the priest's barely veiled hostility .
He approached the Knight after their midday meal, as the long caravan was pulling into motion again amid the Imperium's green, sunswept hills .
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