“That can’t be.” But perhaps he said the words as much to convince himself. A number of Captain Anji’s men had seen, and shot at, a man riding a winged horse. They had no reason to lie, and on the whole Joss had found the Qin soldiers to be temperamentally disinclined to exaggerate. Zubaidit had claimed to have seen winged horses, and so for that matter had the Hieros. The gods had created the Guardians to bring justice to the land, to stand in judgment at the assizes. The Guardians could not die.

And yet they had all seemingly vanished.

“Who else could raise an army?” the man asked. “Who but a Guardian would have the authority?”

“Why would the Guardians vanish, leaving the assizes without their oversight, and then reappear at the head of an army that has committed nothing but murder and mayhem, the worst kind of injustice? Everything that goes against why the Guardians were created by the gods in the first place? Why?”

The man bent his head, as though listening to another, softer voice. He scratched his beard. “Why does anyone lie or cheat or steal? Or do worse things, which we’ve all heard of and you, reeve, have surely seen plenty of in your time. When the Four Mothers shaped the world, they set all in balance. Afterward, the gods ordered the world, but it is our prayers that keep all in balance. But what if balance and order are lost? In one man, in one woman, that loss may give rise to a lie or even a murder. Yet that is only a single act. In many men, or in one with the power to sway men, the loss of order means chaos will rise. Then greed and fear will rule. That’s what I fear. That the shadows have risen, that order is lost.”

“What’s your name, ver?” said Joss, for he was struck by the man’s sober wisdom. “I’m called Joss, as you may have heard.”

“Heh!” He had a modest way of chuckling, and a friendly grin. “I’m called Pash, Fire-born like you. I grow rice and nai in a village on the plain, not far from here. We were fortunate. We gave shelter to a few refugees, and thereby knew to take flight ourselves with our most precious goods. We hid in the woodland. Some men then come ten days past, those running from the battle by Olossi, but they hadn’t time to burn anything for they were in such haste to flee north. They only stole a few of our stores, nothing we can’t replace.”

“Wise heads prevailed. I’m glad to hear it.”

“Let me ask you another thing, for I know you had a hand in the battle by Olossi.” Pash favored him with a close gaze, as if trying to sort out if his heart was in balance, or in chaos. “I have five daughters, ver, and not enough land to parcel out between them if each one hopes to make a living from it. There aren’t enough lads with decent portions nearby to make husbands for all of them. I saw the Qin soldiers. Is it true they’re looking for wives?”