She felt deeply overawed, that she should be
given such unprecedented favor in her Emperor's eyes as to blaspheme
his gods so freely and treat them all as false. Perhaps he was only
playing with her to mock her beliefs, before finally putting her out of
her misery. Any conversation with the Emperor was a matter deserving of
the most serious consideration, regardless of whether it be mere jest,
or otherwise.
Si'Wren sipped a little water, and considered what to write next,
whether to pursue the argument this way or that way. She did not want
to seem to belittle her Emperor, even by his own example. She was no
fulcrum of understanding. However, in her heart, she could only believe
that mere idols were most difficult to obtain a verbal reply from,
notwithstanding the obvious fact that the Invisible God had been
equally silent to her throughout her entire short life.
It was hazard enough to agree with the willing self-criticism of the
common man; how much more so that of one's own Emperor? But his
questions were unusually persistent this time.
"Is it not truly so, little one?" Emperor Euphrates inquired, trying to
give her encouragement. "See now; you have thrown down such a gauntlet
as no master swordsman has ever dared to hurl, in valiant challenge to
my gods and hence my own majesty and empire.
Pages:
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336