He looked thoughtful at that.
‘It is possible someone near you knew of our gods and used them in thought form to frighten you.’
She thought about it and told him about Wardyke and Maal.
The young priest walked with her back through the Temple, passing sights of great strangeness. There was hardly a section of wall that was not covered with their weird signs and paintings. He listened quietly to all that she had to say, and when they reached a quiet shady garden with a lily pond, he motioned her to sit on a warm slab of stone.
‘I think this Wardyke has had dealings with some of our people,’ he said at last.
His face was grave and sad.
‘There is much that is wrong with our priesthood,’ he said. ‘Many have lost the insight and use the image-gods to extract blind obedience and riches fro
