“There must be balance.” Janus’s voice was calm. “All must pay for their sins.”
Balance, Emily thought. Something was nagging at her mind, but…she couldn’t put her finger on it. The Hands of Justice fought for balance, complete balance. Murderers must be killed, arsonists were to be burnt, criminals were to be stripped of their goods…she knew, all too well, that they couldn’t hope to achieve true balance. All they could do was make criminals suffer for their crimes. They want balance…
“You cannot make those judgements.” Sienna moved forward, slowly. Her sheer force of will was astonishing. “How can anyone make those judgements?”
“He can make those judgements.” Janus nodded to Justice, still standing in front of the altar. “I am merely his Speaker.”
He’s stalling, Emily thought, dully. It felt odd, but it made sense. Janus was playing for time, hoping that Justice would eventually convert them to his cause. And it might work, she conceded. The pressure against her defenses was growing stronger. He wants us to join him.
“And yet, he kills the people you ask him to judge,” Sienna said. She took another step towards him. “He shows no mercy.”
“He shows no mercy when none is deserved.” Janus still sounded very certain. “He sees all, hears all, knows all. And so he can pass judgement.”
He believes every word he’s saying, Emily thought, grimly. She glanced at Caleb. He stared at Marian, fighting to walk to her. Beside him, Croce eyed Janus with open hatred. There’s no way we’ll get through to him.
She swallowed, hard. How long would it be, she asked herself, before Justice decided that life itself was a crime? All crime was committed by the living, after all. She recalled a quartet of comic book characters who’d argued just that. And in his current state, Janus might decide such a piece of insane troll logic actually made sense. Justice would unleash a slaughter that would drown the whole world in blood. Janus…might even turn himself into a lich, just to honor his god.
Sienna’s eyes hardened. “What did you do to my daughter?”
“We merely introduced her to the truth,” Janus said. “She was one of many who saw the manifestations of Justice. And she pledged herself to us.”
“You didn’t give her a free choice,” Sienna charged. “Your…pet monster warped her mind.”
Janus showed a flash of anger. “You dare to question her faith?”
Sienna looked back at him. “She would hardly be the first youngster to join a cult!”
“She saw a god,” Janus snapped. “Do you question it?”
His face darkened with rage. The presence grew stronger, billowing around the staff in his hand. Emily followed the surge of magic as best she could. It was a complex series of spells, but the more it moved, the more she saw of it. Perhaps, if she could muster the energy to move, she could ram her staff through the haze and into the god. And then cast the spell, knowing it would be projected through the staff…
“I do,” Sienna said.
“She saw a god,” Janus repeated. “How is worship not a valid choice?”
Emily winced. If a choice was the right choice by default, then…well, it was the right choice. It couldn’t be disputed. Anyone who argued against it was either ignorant or wilfully evil. She recalled a whole string of religious arguments from Earth that had revolved around the same premise – the truth was the truth, therefore anyone who disputed it was a liar by definition. And once you accepted that a religion was true, you could use it to justify anything.
No religion is ever as good as its god, she reminded herself. Something still nagged at the back of her mind. It’s only ever as good as its followers.
“I could cast a spell on someone that would make them believe every word I said,” Sienna said. “I could make them say or do or believe anything. That wouldn’t make it a valid choice.”
“You’re human,” Janus said. “Justice is a god.”
And that makes it okay, Emily thought. She shivered. You’d do anything if god told you to do it.
Sienna managed another step forward. “Release my daughter,” she said. “Take me instead.”
Emily stared at her. A trick? Or was Sienna giving up? Her mental defenses were strong, but she hadn’t faced Justice before, not at such close quarters. Justice might be wearing Sienna down, exploiting flaws in her defenses to break through and warp her perception of reality. Or maybe she was trying to get Marian off the altar before anything else happened to her. Emily could sense the cobweb of magic growing stronger…
They’re draining her power, she realized. But slowly, very slowly…
“Your daughter submitted herself to us,” Janus said. “She came of her own free will.”
“You want to believe that,” Sienna said. “Justice warped her mind.”
“Justice is a god,” Janus said. “He has no reason to lie…”
Sienna threw herself forward, snapping out a pair of spells. Janus caught the first on his staff, deflecting it into the ceiling; the other struck the staff and blasted it into sawdust. Emily sensed the sudden shift in magic and reached out for the cobwebs, hoping to tear them apart while Justice was distracted. Instead, the magic surged and slammed into Sienna, picking her up and hurling her through the air. Croce lunged toward Justice, waving his staff wildly; Justice backhanded him, casually. The force of the blow smacked him against the far wall.
Marian screamed, her entire body shuddering. Her wrists and ankles were tied to the altar, keeping her trapped. Caleb shouted something, but Justice caught his eye and he froze, helplessly. Emily saw him trembling with rage as she tried to undo the spell…but there was no spell. Justice wielded raw magic like a hammer.
We need a Manavore, Emily thought. Or something else to soak up the excess magic.
“Justice protects me,” Janus said. “They have been judged.”
Emily glanced at Frieda, then back at Janus. “Please, will you let me check on them?”