Naked Empire

"These people were not affected by magic," Richard reminded them. "And the barrier holding back the Old World was a barrier created of magic."

"They sent them through the barrier!" a man guessed aloud.

Richard nodded. "Many wizards had died and given their power into that barrier so that their people would be protected from those in the Old World who wanted to rule them and to end magic. That was a large part of what the war had been fought over-those in the Old World had wanted to eradicate magic from mankind.

"So, those people in the New World sent these pristinely ungifted people, these people without any magic, through the barrier to the Old World.

"They never knew what became of them, those friends and family and loved ones they had banished, because they had been sent beyond a barrier that none of them could cross. It was thought that they would establish new lives, would make a new beginning. But, because the barrier was there, and it was enemy territory beyond, the people of the New World never knew what became of those banished people.

"Finally, a few years ago, that barrier came down. If these banished people had made a life for themselves in the Old World, they would have had children and spread their pristinely ungifted attribute"- Richard lifted his arms in a shrug-"but there is no trace of them. The people down here are just the same as the people up in the New World-some born gifted but all born with at least that tiny spark of the gift that enables them to interact with magic.

"Those people from ancient times seemed just to have vanished."

"So now we know," Owen reasoned as he stared off in thought, "that all those people sent to the Old World so long ago tragically died out… or maybe were killed."

"I had thought as much myself," Richard said. He turned and faced the men, waiting until all eyes were on him before going on.

"But then I found them. I found those long-lost people."

Excited whispering broke out again. The men appeared inspired by the prospect of such people surviving against all odds.

"Where are they, then, Lord Rahl," a man asked, "these people with whom you share ancestry? These people who had to endure such cruel banishment and hardship?"

Richard leveled a cutting gaze at the men. "Come with me, and I will tell you what became of these people."

Richard led them around the statue, to the front, where, for the first time, they could see the full view of the sentinel in stone. The men were awestruck at finally seeing the statue from the front. They talked excitedly among themselves about how real it looked, about how they could clearly see the stalwart features of the man's face.

By the utter shock in their voices and by what the men were saying, Richard got the distinct impression that they'd never seen a statue before, at least no statue as monumental as this one. It appeared that for these men the statue must be something akin to a manifestation of magic, rather than, as Richard knew it to be, a manifestation of man's ability.

Richard placed a hand on the cold stone of the base. "This is an ancient statue of an Old World wizard named Kaja-Rang. It was carved, in part, as a tribute to the man because he was a great and powerful wizard."

Owen lifted a hand to interrupt. "But I thought the people in the Old World wanted to be without magic? Why would they have a great wizard-and why, especially, would they pay a tribute to such a man of magic?"

Richard smiled at Owen catching the contradiction. "People don't always act in a consistent manner. What's more, the more irrational are your beliefs, the more glaring the inconsistencies. You men, for example, try to gloss over incongruities in your behavior by applying your convictions selectively. You claim that nothing is real, or that we cannot know the true nature of reality, and yet you fear what the Order does to you-you believe firmly enough in the reality of what they're doing that you want it to stop.

"If nothing were real, then you would have no reason to want to stop the Imperial Order. In fact, it's counter to your professed beliefs to try to stop them, or to even feel that their presence is real, much less detrimental, since you assert that man is inadequate at the task of knowing reality.

"Yet you grasp the reality of what's happening at the hands of the men of the Order, and know very well that it's abhorrent, so you selectively suspend the precepts of your beliefs in order to send Owen to poison me in an attempt to get me to rid you of your very real problem."

Some of the men looked confused by what Richard said while others looked to be embarrassed. A few looked astonished. None looked willing to challenge him, so they let him go on without interrupting.