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dancing with shadows.
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Posted on May 1, 2013 at 09:45:12 PM by sir walter smythe

Sir Walter had not expected that the king would simply hand him what he wanted without a fight. Even amongst administrative figureheads, the concerns of children did strike sentiment – partially, the high priest thought shrewdly, because of their tendency to strike sentiment within the general population. Rulers had been using apparent care for the innocent and the vulnerable as a form of legitimising their rule since the beginning of time, and certainly more so since the fall of the laissez-faire attitude in modern western democracies. And that was just in relation to ordinary children. No intelligent ruler, which the king clearly was, would conceive of freely giving up so powerful a bartering chip.

The strongest reaction to his statement easily came from the prince, whose expression and silenced protests were not the only indications of his dissatisfaction. Sir Walter had long since learned that the true opinions of a person were often more easily seen in the reactions of their familiars; the intimidating growl of the large green dog was decisively protective. Interesting. The reactions of the young prince (who, Sir Walter noted, looked to be about the same age as Thoth) were indicative of a sense of closeness stronger than political advantage. Of course, the son of the goddess would be considered an appropriate friend for a prince. Certainly, Sir Walter had no objections; early interactions with the elite of society would place the boy in a good position for the future role the church had designated him. The only problem lay in prising him away from the royals.

The question of the inheritance was an additional trouble. The legal difficulties were numerous, since Aura’s property expanded across most of the Earth, and certainly the British government would lay claim to a portion of it under the laws concerning inheritance tax – but the real issue lay in the right of the church to lay claim. A few short years ago this would not have been considered problematic, especially since there was precedence in cultic leaders assume control of deities’ properties, but the existence of Thoth largely nullified that claim. The church could only now lay claim to the property, even in the form of a trust, if they also had custody of the child. The economic, political, religious, social and legal implications of Thoth’s existence were complex and abundant enough to strike, if not fear, then certainly unease into the hearts of many of the leading Aurans. To gain unquestioned control of the property and adopt the child while he was still young enough to be manipulated was the church’s real highest priority at this time.

“I meant no criticism, and must apologise if I inadvertently offended you,” Sir Walter responded smoothly. “But there are facts with which the church is uneasy, and it is doubtful that you are privy to the same information as us. It is the opinion of the church that this child could be in serious danger.” He rested his hands lightly on the table and looked the king directly in the eye. “Over the past months we have done our best to keep away other interested parties, but it is impossible to do so entirely. It is a sad fact that the main body of the church does not have influence over extreme religious zealots who refer to themselves as Auran, and for whom Thoth is the equivalent of your Jesus Christ. The cult of Manekht have expressed a keen interest and have already demanded of the council that he be returned to Earth. Then there are those, with or without religious connotations, who would see or seize an opportunity… none of these groups would be above kidnap, or even murder.” He paused for a moment to allow this to sink in, before continuing gravely, “The Auran church is the most resourceful organisation on any of the planets we have contact with, and we can offer the best protection. We have access to security which is beyond this comparatively small world, and we have the knowledge and experience of these foes necessary to foil them. I must implore you to put aside personal sentiment and consider what is the best – and safest – course of action for this child. It is very noble to want him to stay with his friends,” again, Sir Walter’s eyes flicked to Tristan. “But in my experience children make new friends quite easily, and existing ones will do him no good if he is dead.”


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