There was a movement in the crowd, and the sound of Didactylos's voice.
“Let go! You heard him! Anyway . . . I always wanted a chance to do this . . .”
A couple of servants were pushed aside and the philosopher stumped out of the crowd, his barren lan?tern held defiantly over his head.
Brutha watched the philosopher pause for a mo?ment in the empty space, and then turn very slowly until he was directly facing Vorbis. He took a few steps forward then, and held the lantern out as he appeared to regard the deacon critically.
“Hmm,” he said.
“You are the . . . perpetrator?” said Vorbis.
“Indeed. Didactylos is my name.”
“You are blind?”
“Only as far as vision is concerned, my lord.”
“Yet you carry a lantern,” said Vorbis. “Doubtless for some catchword reason. Probably you'll tell me you're looking for an honest man?”
“I don't know, my lord. Perhaps you could tell me what he looks like?”
“I should strike you down now,” said Vorbis.
“Oh, certainly.”
Vorbis indicated the book.
“These lies. This scandal. This . . . this lure to drag the minds of men from the path of true knowl?edge. You dare to stand before me and declare”-he pushed the book with a toe-“that the world is flat and travels through the void on the back of a giant turtle?”
Brutha held his breath.
So did history.
Affirm your belief, Brutha thought. Just once, someone please stand up to Vorbis. I can't. But some?one . . .
He found his eyes swiveling toward Simony, who stood on the other side of Vorbis's chair. The sergeant looked transfixed, fascinated.
Didactylos drew himself up to his full height. He half-turned and for a moment his blank gaze passed across Brutha. The lantern was extended at arm's length.
“No,” he said.
“When every honest man knows that the world is a sphere, a perfect shape, bound to spin around the sphere of the Sun as Man orbits the central truth of Om,” said Vorbis, "and the stars-
Brutha leaned forward, heart pounding.
“My lord?” he whispered.
“What?” snapped Vorbis.
“He said `no,' ” said Brutha.
“That's right,” said Didactylos.
Vorbis sat absolutely motionless for a moment.
Then his jaw moved a fraction, as if he was rehearsing some words under his breath.
“You deny it?” he said.