Masquerades - Kate Novak [47]
Alias might have taken offense at the priest's vote of no confidence, but there was the slightest trace of exhaustion in Durgar's tone, which prompted her to refrain from a heated reply. Westgate's judge, she realized, was a man who continued to struggle at a seemingly hopeless task because he believed in it. Consequently, the swordswoman framed her reply as diplomatically as she could. "Perhaps, Your Reverence, I'll get lucky. If I can throw the Night Masks off balance, the Night Masters and the Faceless might grow careless and give your watch an opportunity to capture them."
Beneath his mustache a trace of a smile flickered across Durgar the Just's face. "That's very gracious of you, but the watch is not about to waste its time on fictional characters of puppet shows."
"His Reverence," Victor explained, "does not believe in the existence of the Night Masters or the Faceless."
"Why not?" Alias asked.
"You aren't the first adventurer hired to uncover them, you know?" Durgar replied. "Yet in fourteen years, no divination by mage or priest or magical item has been able to detect any persons called the Night Masters or the Faceless. No warrior or hired thief has been able to discover their lair. No offer of wealth and power has enticed anyone to betray them. The Faceless and his Night Masters are all myths. The Night Masks foster these myths because they lend to them the illusion of power and authority. The common people believe these myths because they cannot accept the fact that chaotic forces have such control over their lives. They choose to believe people like Jamal-" Durgar waved in the direction of the performers, who were now leading the crowd in a high-spirited song- "who spread this romanticized notion that lawlessness is embodied in one being, a Prince of Night, a Lord of Thieves. Then all they need is a hero to vanquish it once and for all." Durgar's voice took on a passionate tone as he declared, "But lawlessness is not vanquished once and for all. It must be fought every day, without cessation, till the end of time."
Realizing that any argument she might make would be construed as a challenge to the priest's convictions, Alias replied simply, "I see."
Durgar, recognizing that the swordswoman was not really acquiescing, huffed. He nodded at the performers. "Jamal may spew whatever nonsense she chooses, but if the watch catches her without a permit again, Lord Victor, not even your patronage will keep my men from bringing her in for disturbing the peace. As for you, woman-" Bur-gar's steely gray eyes rested on Alias once again- "at Lord Luer's request, I have ordered the watch to render you any assistance you need, but you do not have leave to interfere with their official business. Good day to you."
Durgar turned his back on the trio before Alias could return his farewell. He plowed through the crowd, which parted for him more widely than it had for the five members of the watch.
"I wouldn't take Durgar's rejection personally," Victor said. "He's just blowing off steam after having had to lis-ten to Father tell him how to do his job. You just got in the way."
Alias nodded. "You didn't mention Westgate had a church of Tyr," she said.
"It doesn't," Victor replied. "Durgar was a wandering adventurer. He ran with a group called the Invisible Hand. They had some run-ins with the Night Masks, and only Durgar survived. He stayed and convinced the nobles to charter the watch."
"He seems pretty orthodox as priests of Tyr go," Alias noted, "yet he doesn't wear the gauze strip across his eyes to symbolize his deity's Minding."
"He did, immediately after the Time of Troubles, but Father and the other merchants forbade him to continue. It's bad enough to be ridiculed in