Temple of the Traveler: Empress of Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page A

everyone, but they knelt as one when the emperor strode out in simple, tan, priestly garments.
    “Sit; be at ease. I do not expect men to worship me; I’m not one of the Dawn Race,” he explained. Anna took her seat just offstage. “We’ll open with an easy question. Does anyone think Osos was vain, greedy, and ultimately self-destructive? Raise your hand.”
    Several hands went up. Most people were afraid to commit.
    “Come now,” he stage whispered. “He blew himself up and wiped out all the life in the Inner Sea. Seems a little shortsighted.” He pointed to the red memorial symbol on the water, marking the position directly under the Compass Star.
    More hands went up.
    “Since I’m not better than a god, it follows that I make mistakes, too. Anyone who claims differently is probably deluded, lying, or sampling my herald’s ale.” The crowd chuckled. “Osos himself doesn’t care for us in his current state. I don’t know that he deserves worship either.” Several nobles muttered at this near-blasphemy. “However, before his decline, Osos led the Dawn people to immortality, shepherding them through a war that leveled cities and mountains. He etched rules on the foundations of the world that prevent the gods from interfering with us. Most importantly, he ruled the Council of the Gods. Even the Fallen must obey his will. He protected our race, and he gave us the means to survive in the boiling, liquid hell of the Inner Sea. He deserves honor for what he once was, before he drank too deep of the power. He still merits our respect . We owe him our position in the world, much of our culture, skills, magic, and science.” People nodded agreement.
    “So we agree that Osos made mistakes, but I still owe him respect, honor, and obedience. So when I’m confirmed as emperor, what will my job be?”
    One urchin in the front row volunteered, “You’ll get the blame when things go wrong!”
    Several people shushed him, but the emperor waved them away. “He’s right, and please feel free to answer in a civilized manner when I ask questions. I prefer our discussions be a dialogue, not just me lecturing. That way you get a small share of that blame when none of us thought of a smarter way of doing something.” The children smiled. “What else?”
    Hands went up all over, and he pointed to a few.
    “You’re the voice of Osos.”
    “You protect us like Dad used to.”
    “You get to tell wives what to do and generals, too.”
    “You get to eat whatever you want and go to bed as late as you want.”
    He snorted. “Sounds like a lot of people would want that job. Do I have to do anything hard?”
    “Catch renegade sorcerers and necromancers.”
    “Decide last appeals from people who think the courts cheated them.”
    “Punish kingdoms that don’t pay their taxes.”
    Lord Pangborn, without raising his hand, said, “Represent the authority of the empire, the embodiment of our race, with dignity and grace.”
    Pagaose put out his lower lip a little and nodded. “All fair points. To summarize: I serve Osos by caring for our entire race like a father. The rest of you do most of the work, but I’m there to settle disagreements where the courts don’t have a clear rule.”
    The children nodded. The adults were more cautious.
    “Is my power limited?” he asked.
    “No,” muttered many people.
    “Could I change one of the laws of Osos?”
    “No.”
    “Could I compel every kingdom to stop worshiping their own gods and force them to worship Osos?”
    “No.”
    “Indeed, unless someone commits a crime against an Imperial or a king rebels, my power is pretty much limited to these islands.”
    The crowd grudgingly agreed.
    “You also rule outside the established kingdoms, where there are no gods,” noted Anna.
    “Interesting. There are Imperial laws preventing access to the plague-lands, for the protection of everyone. The Imperial College has a collection of maps of the known world, so I guess I have some