"Uriya!"
The voice cut through Uriya's thoughts as if someone had shot an arrow through him. He sat up with a jolt, looking reflexively around his room even though he knew the source of the call was coming from far away. Up until that point, he'd been relaxing in his home in the Heavenly City. It was a nice house, really. He wasn't important enough to merit one of the enchanted chambers in the Palace itself, but the houses that surrounded the Palace were nice, too. This one was furnished in a jumble of furniture from different styles and eras, reflecting the occupant's indecisive nature, but the whole of it created a comfortably unpretentious ambiance. Up until the moment he'd heard that cry, Uriya had been lounging on one of the mismatched sofas, gazing out at the garden and reveling in the sense of a job well done. Enkaku had seemed happy, anyway, and so far there had been no sign that Aurite had noticed what Uriya had been doing - or at least, if he had, he wasn't bothered by it. Uriya was willing to count that as a win in his book. He had just been starting to relax and think his plans were actually going to work for a change, but...
"Uriya, please!" the voice begged. "I don't have anything to bargain with, but I really need your help. Please..."
In a flash, Uriya had vaulted off his sofa and flung himself across the room. He vanished before he had reached the other side. He had the sense of the world tilting, his forward lunge becoming an upward rise without having to reorient himself. He shot out of his well like a bolt from a crossbow and dropped lightly onto the ground in front of it.
"What do you..." he began.
He was cut off by having someone throw themself at him. He staggered backwards, and just barely avoided falling down the well. Not that it would have harmed him, since he would have just fallen back to the safety of his home, but it would have been disconcerting for the person clinging to him.
"Hey," he said. "Calm down. What's wrong?"
Enkaku - for it was Enkaku, he realized - sniffled and pulled back a little. Uriya's eyes widened as he saw the bruise forming on Enkaku's face. He was willing to bet the boy hadn't just fallen down the stairs.
"What happened?" Uriya asked again, and this time he couldn't keep the anger from his voice.
Enkaku flinched. "It wasn't my fault!"
"I know." Uriya forced himself to calm down. "I know it wasn't your fault. I'm here to help. What happened?"
"It was my father," said Enkaku. "He saw me using the ring and guessed what it did. He took it from me." He didn't elaborate exactly how it had been taken, but his fingers strayed to his bruised cheek.
"Demon's blood!" Uriya swore. That was the last thing he wanted to happen. He began pacing back and forth, arms folded behind his back as he tried to concentrate. "Okay, okay. Do you have any idea what he's planning to do with it? Is he planning to do anything with it, or is he sitting in his room gloating? Please tell me he's sitting in his room thinking about all the fun things he can do with a magic ring."
Enkaku shook his head. "I think he's probably going to the inn. Someone came over to tell him to stop trying to shut it down, and he got really angry about it. He blamed me for doing everything wrong, but I was only trying to do what he wanted..."
"You didn't do anything wrong," Uriya assured him, though whether or not that was true, he really had no idea anymore. "If anyone is in the wrong here, it's me. I never should have given you that ring. I should have thought of some other way to get you out of here safely. I should have known it would only lead to trouble. I shouldn't have asked you for the Cloverleaf. There are plenty of other things around here that would have done just as well..."
He trailed off, realizing Enkaku was staring at him.
"Sorry," said Uriya. "I'm not making a very valiant protector, am I?"
"You're the best I've got," said Enkaku.
Not much of a friend, Uriya thought. He was the one who had gotten Enkaku into this fix, and he'd done it all knowing it would land him in trouble. He'd told himself it was an acceptable risk. He should have known better than to listen to himself. Now he was realizing that there was no way he could let anything happen to this boy who was the only person to pay him any attention in years, who had called him his best friend.
I won't let him get in trouble over this - not if I have to stand up to Aurite himself.
Which, he had to admit, was probably what was going to happen. He was no looking forward to it.
"Okay," he said, resigned. "We've got to get this sorted out. Come on."
He grabbed Enkaku's hand and began hauling him into town.
"Where are we going?" Enkaku asked, stumbling after him.
Uriya cast a look back over his shoulder.
"Where do you think we're going?"
The inn was very quiet. That technically should not have been a surprise, since the inn was supposed to be deserted, but there were still plenty of signs that people had been there recently. The common room was littered with empty mugs, dirty dishes, strewn crumbs, and all the rest of the detritus that appeared when large numbers of people had been eating and drinking together. Now the only sign of life, at least as far as, say, a curious mayor peering through the front windows might see, was a lone busboy, slowly running a wet rag over the tabletops as if he had all the time in the world. In a sense, he did.
The door opened, and Mayor Sousa walked in. Kinshiro tried not to show his amusement. The man had obviously come to make a dramatic entrance, and was finding the lack of people to dramatize before mysterious and a little unsettling. Kinshiro could see him trying to make up his mind whether or not it was worth trying to strut and swagger for a single busboy. He was slightly hindered in his attempts at any sort of dignity by the fact that someone had dropped a chunk of bread in their haste to leave the building, and Mayor Sousa had just stepped on it. He was forced to lean on a table while he tried to pick clumps of dough off his boot. Kinshiro leaned on the back of a chair and watched him.
"Help you with something?" he asked laconically.
The mayor fixed him with a glare. "Where is everyone?"
Kinshiro shrugged. "How should I know?"
The answer, of course, was that he could find out exactly where everyone was as easy as thinking, but he'd long ago learned that while he couldn't actually lie, answering questions with questions was a good way to get around that problem.
"You know something," said Sousa, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"I know a lot of things," said Kinshiro. "I know the best way to get stains out of bed sheets. I know the secret ingredient in Atsushi's venison pies. I know all the lyrics to the Song of the Drunken Cobbler. Is any of that of interest to you?"
"Don't get smart with me, boy," said Sousa. "I'll ask you again. Where is everyone? Where is that meddling priest?"
"We've had several priests staying here these last few days," said Kinshiro calmly. "Which one do you want?"
"The one who calls himself Arima," Sousa snarled. "Get him out here. I want to have a word with him. And then I'm going to want to speak to Priest Itsumo and that old drunk Endou, but I'll start with Arima. Do you understand?"
"I understand," said Kinshiro. He stayed where he was, still running his rag over the tabletop with a total lack of speed and efficiency that would make En proud.
Sousa tapped his foot. "Well?"
"I understand," said Kinshiro. "I'm just not going to do what you say, that's all."
"Now, you listen to me, you little whelp," Sousa snapped. "I am the mayor here, and you are just the boy who washes the dirty tables. You will do as I tell you, or I'll make you sorry."
"No," said Kinshiro calmly. "I think you won't."
"Well, in that case..."
Sousa raised one hand, and Kinshiro finally saw the odd green ring that glittered on one finger. A small frown creased Kinshiro's brow. He really should have noticed that before. He could actually smell, very faintly, the ripe melon scent of the god who had created it. No, wait, it wasn't just the ring...
Sousa took a breath, presumably to say the words that would activate the ring's powers, but even as he did so, he was distracted by the sound of racing feet outside. Sousa turned just in time to see the door open and two young men rushed in. One of them was Enkaku. The other was someone Kinshiro hadn't seen around here before but who he immediately recognized as a god. They both flung themselves at Sousa, shouting and wrenching at his arms, trying to pry the ring away from him. Kinshiro watched, more amused than alarmed.
I knew crossroads gods couldn't do much magic on their own without a bargain to sustain them. This is the first time I've seen it occur to any of them to just hit people.
All things considered, he was willing to let the two of them get in their licks. Kinshiro was a believer in letting humans deal with the immediate consequences of their own actions, and it looked like Atsushi had been right about Sousa hitting his son. A little recompense was in order.
It didn't last long. Sousa was bigger than either of the other two men. He managed to shrug off his son and shove him across the room. Enkaku stumbled backwards, tripped over a bench, and went sprawling. Uriya was harder to shake off, and there was quite a struggle before Sousa finally managed to pry him away. Even then, Uriya managed to tear off a chunk of the lining on Sousa's fancy collar when he was finally forced away, and even when the mayor was holding him at arm's length, he squirmed and kicked like a wild thing until Sousa threw him aside.
"That's enough from all of you," said Sousa. Dramatically, he held up the hand with the ring and declared, "I am my own master, and you all will stop trying to force me out of this inn."
Enkaku cringed and began muttering apologies. Uriya only looked confused and somewhat frightened as he glanced from Sousa to Kinshiro and back again.
"Um," he ventured, "that might not work the way you think it's going to. I really wouldn't..."
"Stow it," Sousa snapped. "You have to do what I tell you, do you understand?"
"No," said Kinshiro, "he doesn't, and neither do I."
He straightened up, dropping his dishrag and pulling himself to his fullest height. That still wasn't very tall, but all the same, Sousa took a step backwards, looking suddenly intimidated. Even in disguise, a god standing on his dignity was intimidating.
"Why aren't you listening to me?" asked Sousa, looking around in confusion. The ring was obviously working, at least on Enkaku, who was still cringing on the floor, but Kinshiro and Uriya still stood there more or less calmly. Well, Uriya didn't seem to be the sort who ever looked really calm, but Kinshiro was resolute enough for both of them.
"The ring doesn't actually work on us," said Uriya, almost apologetically. "It only works on mortals. Not on gods."
Sousa's eyes stood out. "On... gods?"
"Few things do," said Kinshiro calmly. He began walking forwards, raking the assembled company with his eyes.
"But... you can't be," said Sousa. "I know you. You worked here for months, scrubbing pots and making beds. You can't be a god."
"You'd be surprised who can be a god," said Kinshiro mildly. He held out his hand. "That ring, if you please, Mr. Sousa."
Sousa wavered. He looked at the ring, at Kinshiro, at Uriya and Enkaku, back at Kinshiro. He slowly curled his fingers, as if hoping he could still reclaim the situation. Kinshiro's frown deepened.
"All right," he said. "Enough of this silliness." Raising his voice, he called out, "You can come out now."
There was a flurry of motion. Arima emerged from the kitchen. Endou and Itsumo came down the stairs. Kinshiro waited. This had been Atsushi's idea, but if he wasn't up for it after all...
But then a green shimmer began in the air, growing and solidifying, until it was clearly visible as a human figure in glittering green robes. Kinshiro relaxed.
"Glad you could join us," he said, and let his own human disguise drop.
There were, not surprisingly, a few startled exclamations. It occurred to Kinshiro that he'd never actually let on to Priest Itsumo who the inn's busboy really was. Well, he'd apologize later. The truly interesting reactions were from Enkaku and his father. Enkaku had roused from his daze and was staring at Atsushi as if he couldn't decide whether this was salvation or something from which he should run screaming. Mayor Sousa was going several interesting shades of red.
"What - what is this?" he stammered. "You can't be here! You're dead!"
Atsushi sighed a little. "Am I going to get that reaction every time I show my face around here?"
"It will wear off eventually, I'm sure," said Kinshiro.'
Enkaku managed to pry himself off the floor. He took a few steps towards Atsushi, eyes wide.
"You're okay," he said. "I don't believe it... I thought you were gone for good..."
Atsushi smiled. "I'm fine, don't worry. I've just been kind of busy with some things, that's all."
Uriya edged forward, wringing his hands and chewing at his lower lip.
"Ah... Lord Aurite?" he began. "I know this looks bad, but if you'll just give me a chance to explain..."
"You'll have your chance," said Kinshiro calmly. "Just be patient. We have other things we need to sort out." His gaze shifted to Mayor Sousa, who tried to look as though he weren't intimidated.
"I want to know what all of this is about," he blustered. "Who are you?"
"I should think that would be obvious," said Kinshiro. "This is my new consort Epinard, god of mercy, previously known as Atsushi Kinugawa. I am Aurite, leader of the gods and judge of humanity, and I'm ready to come back from my vacation and get to work."
There was a long silence. It was broken by Itsusmo recovering himself enough to step over to Mayor Sousa, flash one of his rare smiles at him, and say, "I told you so."
It was rare for living mortals to enter the Hall of Judgment. Usually, when a mortal was judged by the gods, it was either done at the end of their lives, or it was done quietly from afar, without their knowledge. It was also unusual for a god to stand judgment - unusual, yes, but not unheard of. There had been that messy business with the short-lived god of politics, for example. As it had turned out, creating a god whose primary motivation was to accrue power at any cost and then lie glibly about it wasn't such a good idea. Uriya had never thought he'd do anything enormous enough to merit standing in this room. He didn't think he was very proud to have exceeded those expectations.
There were mortals in the room, too. Uriya tried to focus his attention on them, and comfort himself with the knowledge that at least one of them was probably in more trouble than he was.
Among the other humans attending was Aruite's pet priest Arima. That was a little surprising. Aurite did not usually get attached to his priests the way he'd gotten attached to this one. Even so, when the man had politely inquired as to whether he might be permitted to observe the proceedings, Aurite had readily given his permission. Now Arima sat in the stands with the air of someone who was taking mental notes. Also in the stands were several of the gods Uriya gathered were friends of Aurite and Epinard - Cerulean, Sulfur, Vesta, and Pearlite. They all seemed to be having a good time, as if this were all just another one of those diversions the gods created for themselves to help while away eternity. Uriya wished it was him up there and not down here.
Even so, he had almost managed to convince himself this all wouldn't be so bad - no one could prove he'd known any god had claimed that building before Uriya had made his bargain, he hadn't actually done anything directly - when he noticed Epinard looking at something over Uriya's shoulder.
"Oh, there you are," he said. "I was hoping you'd show up."
Uriya turned around to see two figures coming through the door to the audience chamber. They were fairly ordinary looking, or probably would be to mortal eyes: one a tall man in simple homespun clothing, his only really remarkable features being his red hair and the axe he carried in one hand, and the other a lively blond boy who scampered along beside him as if he thought they were going to a festival instead of a judgment. Uriya made a noise like a dying bird, and Enkaku turned to stare at him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Uriya pointed. "They're here."
"Hm?" said Enkaku, staring at the two new arrivals. "But those are just the Hakone brothers. They work at the bathhouse." He paused. "They aren't gods too, are they?"
Uriya pondered if there was any way to answer this honestly without giving away one of the deepest secrets in the universe.
"Not... exactly," he said.
As they passed by, Yumoto paused to pat Enkaku and Uriya on their shoulders.
"Don't worry," he said cheerfully. "Brother and I know exactly what's going on."
"Not what I was worried about," Uriya muttered, but all the same, he felt a little better. No one had bothered to offer any reassurance to Mayor Sousa.
Eventually, all the witnesses settled in the stands. Uriya sat on his hands to keep from chewing his nails. Enkaku's face was the color of old cheese.
"It'll be okay," Uriya said, with as much conviction as he could muster. "This wasn't your fault. I'll tell them.
"It wasn't your fault either," said Enkaku with a wobbly smile. "I won't let them do anything to you either."
Uriya ducked his head.
Well, aren't we a wonderful pair? I don't think either of us can do anything about this.
A man in dark clothes who was probably one of Aurite's attendants stepped into the center of the room.
"This court will now come to order," he announced in a ringing voice. "Standing accused are Mayor Suguru Sousa; Enkaku Sousa, son of the aforementioned; and Uriya, guardian god of Binan. Mayor Sousa, please step forward."
With visible reluctance, Mayor Sousa took a few steps closer to the judges' bench, where Aurite and Epinard were watching him with grave expressions.
"Mayor Sousa," said Aurite, "you stand accused of willfully and knowingly defying the commands of the gods, of misusing your office as mayor, and of mistreating your son, who you forced into assisting with your plans to unlawfully seize the property known as the Cloverleaf Inn. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
The mayor's expression was indignant.
"Mistreating my son?" he repeated. "I never did any such thing! Everything I did was in his interests! I only wanted to ensure that he would have a secure future - a steady job with good prospects."
"I see," said Aurite dryly. "And that would be how he got that bruise on his face?"
Sousa reddened. "That was mere discipline. He's a willful child - he disobeys, he makes foolish mistakes. Its' a father's responsibility to bring him into line."
"I see," said Aurite again. "You may sit down. Enkaku Sousa, will you please step forward?"
Enkaku stepped forward, shaking, as his father retreated to one of the empty benches. Uriya almost lost his resolve not to bite his nails at that point, but Aurite only leaned back in his chair, clearly leaving this interrogation to his husband. Epinard leaned forward and folded his arms across the railing in front of him, looking very much as though he were still only Atsushi, relaxing on the bar as he listened to one of his patrons pour out their troubles to him over a pint of beer.
"Enkaku," he said gently, "why did you try to force us out of the Cloverleaf?"
"I didn't want to," said Enkaku. "It wasn't my idea."
"I know that," said Epinard gently. "We just want you to explain why."
"I wanted to get away from - from this town," Enkaku stammered. Uriya could hear the hastily edited out words "my father" hidden in that sentence. "I went to the crossroads god. He promised me that he'd help me, and that in return, I had to give him the inn. I still wouldn't have done it if I'd known you were still there."
"But you did know that it had been claimed by the gods," Epinard pointed out.
"I knew," said Enkaku, "but I guess I wasn't thinking about it very much. All I could think about was paying my debt so I could go. I'm sorry."
"That's good enough," said Epinard. "You can sit down now."
Enkaku heaved a sigh of relief and went to sit as far as possible from his father, who was shooting him irritated and faintly betrayed glances. Uriya swallowed hard. It was his turn now.
Aurite sat forward again. "Uriya, step forward."
Uriya took the few paces that brought him up to the judges' bench. Nothing had ever felt like such a long walk. Frantically, he scoured his mind for the words that would somehow explain away what he had done and make these people leave him alone.
"Uriya," said Aurite. "Enkaku says that you asked for the Cloverleaf Inn as payment for a service. Is that true?"
"Yes," said Uriya.
"Did you know at the time that my consort and I had already claimed the inn as holy ground?"
"Yes," said Uriya again. He wrung the hem of his robe in his hands.
"Was there a reason why you nevertheless chose to ask for the inn, rather than some other more appropriate payment?" Aurite continued.
"Yes."
Aurite leaned forward a little more, fixing his brilliant green eyes on Uriya. "Please tell us what that reason was."
Uriya took a deep breath. There was no point in lying, not to Aurite. He'd sniff out any attempt to dissimulate faster than a hungry wolf sniffed out a meal.
"Because I was jealous," he blurted. "Atsushi was a good human but he was still just a human. I didn't understand why you'd make such a big fuss over him, making him a god and then marrying him and giving him power to judge the rest of humanity. He was just an innkeeper who ran a good inn and served good beer and never really did much of anything anyone would notice. I was a god! I worked hard for generations to take care of my town and no one ever paid any attention to me. I was jealous of him and I wanted to have something he wanted just so someone would finally treat me like I was important for a change."
"So you're telling me..." Aurite began, but Uriya cut him off.
"Blame it on me!" he shouted. "It wasn't Enkaku's fault! He didn't know what it was all about! I didn't tell him! I used him and it was wrong and I feel awful so don't blame him! If you have to punish anyone, then punish me!" Lowering his voice, he added softly, hopelessly, "He's my friend - the only one I've got. Please don't punish him."
There was silence in the court. Aurite and Epinard glanced at each other, and some understanding seemed to pass between them.
"Your statement has been noted," said Aurite. "You may sit down."
Uriya shuffled over to an empty seat, drained and oddly exhausted, as if saying those words had taken everything he had out of him.
Maybe I shouldn't have mouthed off like that. Am I really going to be better off if he listens to me? What if I just annoyed him and he decides to punish both of us more because of what I said? Maybe I should have just stayed quiet. Aurite is supposed to be the perfect judge. Maybe he's going to think I'm acting like I know better than him by telling him how to hand out punishment. I'm probably just going to get into even more trouble. But I couldn't just stand there and say nothing, not when Enkaku might get punished for something that wasn't really his fault...
With an effort of will, he clamped down on that line of thought. He'd done enough dithering in his lifetime. Tying himself into knots now wasn't going to help anybody.
The attendant stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"The judges," he proclaimed, "will withdraw to discuss their verdict."
Aurite and Epinard slipped out of sight through a back door. So, Uriya was unsettled to see, did Fate and Chance.
What do they need them for? This can't possibly be a big enough deal that they need to consult with Fate and Chance over it. It's a squabble over an inn, for crying out loud. What's going on here?
"You okay?" asked Enkaku, moving to sit beside him.
"No," said Uriya. "I'm doomed. They're going to strip me of my title and throw me in the Abyss or something. I'm probably going to get eaten by a demon."
"It can't be that bad," said Enkaku.
"You have no idea," said Uriya. "Aurite isn't all that big on people who disobey him."
"It was nice of you to try to help me," said Enkaku. "Do you think I'm in big trouble too?"
"It's hard to tell," said Uriya. "Atsushi did most of the talking to you. I don't know what Aurite thought of any of it. But I couldn't just not try to stand up for you.. I haven't been much of a friend to you, but..."
"Is it true what you said?" Enkaku asked. "That you were just using me to get even with Atsushi - with Epinard?"
Uriya stared down at his hands, tangled in his poor wrinkled robes. "At first, yes. But I don't feel that way anymore. I don't want you to get in trouble over something stupid I did."
"It's okay," said Enkaku. "I can forgive you. I know what it's like to feel like nobody ever listens to you."
Uriya smiled a little. He was still at least half sure he was about to be cast out of the pantheon for good, but all the same, he felt a bit better.
The judges returned. Their expressions, from what Uriya could see of them, were almost humorous, as if whatever decision they had come to amused them. He wondered if that was a good sign or not. Aurite and Epinard settled into their chairs again, while the two brothers just leaned casually against the wall, watching with silent but evident approval.
"We have reached a verdict," said Aurite. "Mayor Sousa, please step forward."
The mayor approached, looking less sure of himself now that he was actually about to have his punishment handed down to him.
"Mayor Sousa," said Epinard, "we have found you guilty of conspiring against the will of the gods. Taking into account your defense, we have decided to be merciful. You're hereby forbidden to make any further attempts to seize control of the Temple of Epinard, formerly known as the Cloverleaf Inn. If you attempt to do this, or attempt to interfere with its functioning in any way, you will be punished. Do you understand?"
The mayor's face was dark. "I was only trying to do my duty as mayor. You should understand that. I was faced with an empty building, attracting squatters and looters and who knows what else, and I just wanted to secure it for the good of the town. Surely you can understand..."
He trailed off. Pearlite had slid off of his seat and was now sidling down the aisle to stand beside him. He smiled sweetly up at Sousa, who backed away a little in alarm. There were very few people, mortal or immortal, who could stand up to Pearlite when he smiled at them. Pearlite patted him on the arm.
"You," he said kindly, "are a very stupid man, and probably a poor mayor as well."
Mayor Sousa continued to gape at him. It was doubtful that he'd even understood what Pearlite said.
Sulfur came to the rescue.
"What my charming consort is trying to say," he cut in smoothly, "is that you are obviously overlooking the wider ramifications of what's going on here."
Sousa turned to look at him thoughtfully. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," said Sulfur, "that there are some wonderful opportunities ahead of you, if you're prepared to take advantage of them. Have you ever been to the City of Seven Pillars, for example? It's a thriving metropolis, one of the cultural centers of the world. The same with my city - even the poorest there have money to spare. As for Pearlite, his city was just a town like any other before he was born. Now it's the acknowledged leader in fashion - if you want clothing, jewelry, perfume, furniture, anything like that, it's the place to go. And now... now there is a new god, just getting started, and he's chosen to put his main temple in your town. Do you understand what that means? It means that in the next few years, Binan is going to become a destination. People wanting to serve at the temple will move in. The families of people who want to work in the temple will move in. People who want to worship at the temple will move in. People who want to sell things to people who visit the temple will move in. You are about to see a wave of prosperity unlike anything you ever hoped for in your town. If you play your cards right, you are likely to become a very rich man."
"Though it wouldn't hurt to make a few offerings now and again," Vesta piped up from the stands.
"Yes... I see," said Sousa slowly. "I think I understand. Thank you."
He sauntered back to his seat with more of his usual confidence, and Uriya had to grit his teeth. This was wrong... this was completely wrong. He didn't care if Epinard was supposed to be the god of mercy. He couldn't just let Sousa off the hook after all the trouble he'd caused. It was simply unacceptable. For the man to cause so much trouble and still enjoy such a reward...
"Enkaku Sousa," said Aurite. "Please step forward."
Enkaku swallowed hard. Uriya gave his shoulder a quick, awkward pat before watching him walk hesitantly up to the judge's bench.
"Enkaku Sousa," said Aurite. "We find you guilty of participating in a conspiracy against the gods. Furthermore, we find you guilty of using magic to control mortals."
Epinard nodded. "In light of this and other aspects of the case, we've decided that you are to be banished from the town of Binan."
"Banished?" Enkaku squeaked.
"Yes," Aurite agreed. "When you return home, you will have until the next sunset to pack your things and leave. This will be a permanent, lifelong ban. You may write letters and messages, but you may never return."
Banished, Uriya thought, feeling gloom settle over him. So that was that. Enkaku was leaving Binan, and Uriya would be stuck in that little town alone. It really didn't seem fair. Of everyone here, Enkaku seemed the least guilty, so why...?
"This is preposterous!" Sousa roared, surging from his seat. "You can't take my son away from me!"
"Yes, we can," said Aurite coolly.
"But it isn't fair!" Sousa protested. He looked to Atsushi. "You're supposed to be the god of mercy. How can you let him do this to me?"
"This is mercy," said Epinard softly. "Cruelty would be making him stay."
Aurite fixed Sousa with his gaze. "There is no room to argue here. Had it been up to me alone, I would have undone everything you've ever worked for and left you begging in the streets. Instead, you are set to become rich beyond anything you ever hoped for. You may be remembered as Binan's greatest mayor - the man who guided it from being a sleepy little village to a mighty city. They may put up statues of you someday. But your line will end with you. You will never see your son again, and you will have no other children after him. After he leaves, he will change his name, and when you die, there will be no more Sousas in Binan - none of your bloodline, at least. Do I make myself clear?"
"But... you can't," Sousa pleaded. "He's my son. Everything I did. I did for him." He turned to Enkaku. "Tell them, boy - tell them they can't do this."
Enkaku wasn't even listening. He seemed to be looking at something miles and miles away.
"I... can leave?" he said softly. "I don't have to come back? Not ever?"
"Not ever," Atsushi assured him. "You're free."
"This is not fair!" Sousa bellowed.
Aurite almost smiled. He cast an affectionate glance at his husband
"That depends on your definition of fair," he said. "I'm tired of you now. Take him back to Earth."
He gestured at one of his attendants, and the man obligingly caught hold of Sousa's arm. The mayor was still bellowing as a cloud of golden light flared up around him, and they both disappeared.
"That takes care of that," said Aurite. He turned his attention to Enkaku. "What will happen next is a matter for the gods, not for mortals. We need to discuss what will become of your friend here. If you don't mind, I'll have one of my people escort you to somewhere you can wait in comfort."
Enkaku nodded. The gesture seemed to rouse him from whatever daze he'd been in, and he looked imploringly at Atsushi.
"Don't be too hard on him," he said. "You won't, will you?"
Atsushi smiled. "We haven't done too badly so far, have we?"
That seemed to reassure him. Enkaku cast one last look back at Uriya before allowing a black-robed woman to escort him away.
"Where did you take him?" Uriya blurted, and cringed. What a stupid thing to ask at a time like this.
"I sent him to one of the courtyards in the Palace," said Aurite. "He'll be safe enough there for a while."
Uriya was forced to agree that this was probably true. He might not live in the Palace of the Gods, but he had free access to its public areas, and he had spent his share of time exploring the many and varied courtyards, with their innumerable varieties of plants, pools, fountains, statues, lanterns, wind chimes, pavilions, and other ornamentation. Enkaku would probably enjoy his stay, and might not even realize he wasn't simply in a very fine Earthly garden.
"Anyway," Aurite continued, "we're done worrying about him for the moment. Now is the time to worry about you."
That seemed reasonable enough to Uriya. He worried about himself all the time, even when there was really nothing to worry about. He'd never had this much to worry about.
"Come on over here where we can talk to you properly."
The command was issued casually, the way a friend might invite another to their table at the pub. All the same, the fact that it was coming from Fate himself made Uriya twitch. All the same, he gathered his courage and stood up to move closer.
"That's better," said Fate. "You can relax. The trial is over. This is an explanation."
"You aren't going to throw me in the Abyss, then?" Uriya asked. "Or... or turn me into something?"
The question seemed to strike Chance as funny. He began to giggle. His brother shushed him gently, but Fate, too, was smiling faintly.
"Let's not worry about that," said Atsushi, smiling. "We've got some other things to talk about first. Hello, Uriya. It's nice to finally meet you. Sorry I never realized you were there before."
"That's all right," Uriya heard himself saying. It was hard to say anything else to someone who was so plainly sincere.
"So," said Aurite. "You say you were angry about Atsushi here becoming a god?"
"Well, yes," Uriya mumbled. "It didn't seem fair. He's a human. Not even a very important human. I mean, at least Pearlite was somebody interesting. Um, no offense," he added, glancing at Atsushi.
"None taken," Atsushi assured him.
"You're kind of right," said Chance. "He is pretty ordinary. That was kind of the point."
Fate stirred himself from where he'd been lounging against the wall. Now he came over to stand directly in front of Uriya. It dawned on Uriya that he'd never been this close to the god of all gods before. His knees shook a little with the desire to step back.
"Do you understand why Epinard exists as he does?" Fate asked, with surprising gentleness.
"Um... kind of?" Uriya offered. "He's suppose to keep Aurite from being too harsh, right?"
"Something like that," said Fate. "He's here to provide balance. He is, in a sense, the human ambassador to the gods, here to represent their point of view and plead on their behalf. No god could do that. Even some famous human - a king or a priest or a great warrior - wouldn't do the job so well as an ordinary, humble human being who is familiar with their day-to-day struggles. It had to be somebody like Atsushi. Do you see?"
"I think so," Uriya admitted, and he thought he did.
"All the same," said Fate, "I think you raise a good point about the nature of crossroads gods. It sounds like you've been working under unfair conditions. We might have to rethink some things." He smiled wryly and ran a hand through his hair in what Uriya would have called embarrassment in anyone else. "See, the thing is, this is the first universe I've ever made. Sometimes I don't always get stuff right, so thanks for helping me figure this out."
"Oh," said Uriya, blushing. "Um."
"Be that as it may," said Aurite, "there is still the matter of your punishment. Jealousy, even justified jealously, is no excuse for working directly against a fellow god."
Uriya cringed. "I know. Do what you have to do."
"At least you seem properly repentant," said Aurite, nodding approval. "That always helps. In this case, I don't think you'll find your punishment too onerous. You may even find it educational."
"What do you mean?" Uriya asked suspiciously.
"He means," said Atsushi, "that the four of us talked it over, and we agreed that since you and Enkaku were mostly working together, the two of you can share your punishment. You're going to be banished from Binan."
"What?" Uriya squeaked. "Leave Binan? But I can't..."
"We'll arrange it so you can," Fate assured him. "And you won't be banished forever. Just for the span of a single human lifetime. We're going to let you live as a mortal for a while, so you can see what it's like. Perhaps you'll be less envious of Atsushi here when you've seen life from his perspective."
Chance nodded. "And you'll be company for Enkaku. He doesn't know what's out there, either. You two can look after each other."
"You don't have to travel together," said Atsushi, "but you can if you want to."
"Thank you," said Uriya. It seemed so inadequate, but what was there to say? This was the strangest and most wonderful punishment he'd ever heard of. He was going to get out of Binan and see something of the world. He wasn't going to have to say goodbye to Enkaku. Next to that, having to become mortal didn't seem like any sort of punishment at all.
"I'm glad we've got that sorted," said Aurite briskly. "Is there anything else we need to take care of?"
"Well," said Atsushi thoughtfully, "has everyone had dinner yet?"
