Inquisitor's Memoirs 2
The betrayal began with a whisper. Rumours are like viruses, passing their infection on to more and more people as they go. We did not know where the rumour began, but we knew what it was saying, it whispered 'Zaros has left us, Zaros has gone'. It is true that our deity had not been seen in some time, but to think we had been abandoned was such blasphemy, we could not permit that rumour to be spread further.
Kolton and I were tasked with investigating the rumour, to seek out where it had originated and resolve the problem, preferably permanently. Rumours require people and so we first sought out where the largest crowds gather, the Colosseum. You would be surprised at how easily people relinquish their secrets when the rush of a gladiatorial battle rages before them. The gambler's mind forgets that there are always people listening. As was our system, Kolton donned his finery and waded into the crowd to carouse and converse, whereas I used the statues.
The statues are our eyes across the city, they belong to the Inquisition, even the Praetorians do not know how to use them properly. In solace and silence I fed the statues the offerings of sacred shadows and I slipped into the sacred realm of Zaros. It is hard to describe this transcendent realm, it is like peering at the world through a film of shadows. We are unseen in this realm, but those of us who have undergone the training can peer into the material realm as easily as someone can peer through a keyhole. We hear in hushed tones and whispers, but we can hear each word that is said. There are few tools so useful in the pursuit of our sacred work.
As Kolton placed bets and made friends, I listened to the crowd. I heard the human Marellius utter Zaros's name in vain. I heard the widow Rothbry complain about the vampyres, questioning why such creatures are allowed in a civilised city. I heard tiny blasphemies throughout, enough to put their names in my book, but no greater heresy. There were no whispers of an absent god, nor concerns of abandonment. The crowds seemed content with the world and our investigation turned out to be fruitless.
But rumours are like viruses and Kolton and I had both been exposed to this one.
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