“Your god is no issue to us; we respect a man who keeps to his own gods, and it makes no difference to the Heralds who another Herald gives his soul to. But are you vowed to Karse?” Dethor asked shrewdly. “Or to your people? That’s two very different things, my lad. A country—well—that can be a lot of things to different people; some would say it’s the land itself. But land can change hands. Some say it’s the leaders, but leaders die. Or the religion—but I’ll tell you something you’ll never have heard in Karse—and that’s this: religions change. I’ve seen it happen, and I’ll bet my boots that if you ask your priestly friends down in the city, they’ll tell you that yours has changed from what it was.”

That was such an astonishing statement that Alberich could only stare at him. Change? How could a religion change? Didn’t truth come directly from God?

Dethor poked at a log sticking out on the hearth with his toe. “Don’t look at me that way. Ask your priests, and see if I’m not right,” he said, calmly. “Ah, this is daft. I’m only giving you too much to think about. Look, Alberich, I know this isn’t easy for you, and there isn’t much I can do about that. You’ll have to reckon out what’s important to you, and stick to that. Do that, and you’ll have one thing you can hang onto, no matter how unsettled you feel. That’ll give you a bit of firm ground to hold to, as it were, and once you’ve got that, you can take the time to figure out more.” He raised an eyebrow. “Have you one thing, right this minute, that’s worth everything to you?”

“Honor,” Alberich said promptly, without thinking. Without having to think. Which meant, he realized, even as the word left his lips, that the choice was right.

“Then you stick to that, and you’ll be all right, and eventually you’ll find your feet under you again,” Dethor told him, and yawned. “Me, I’m off for bed. I may not have chased lads around the salle today, but it’s been a long one for me anyway.” He laughed again. “Good thing I don’t get fighting Karsites turn up to become my Seconds every day!”

Alberich immediately got up, but Dethor waved at him to seat himself again. “Now, that doesn’t mean you need to! Maybe you wear Grays, but you’re no Trainee; you set your own hours.”