[following the pact between Yara and the Rapraptapper regarding the curse of the Master falling on the liar, Yara commands Gadar to go inside and get her a small table. And he does.]

On it was an inkwell and quill as well as parchment.

'He of us who is a liar, upon him falls the curse. Your accusations against me are three: That I am a Deceiver. That I am a Heretic. That I am a Witch. You also claim that you are a "Holy Man". Gadar, bring forth the Book of Primus,' she looked to Gadar who bowed and walked back into the temple to get the closest thing to a holy scripture that the Vetruvians had. Each Priest-King was a living scripture and so none had deemed it necessary to write things down, but the words and deeds of Primus had been written and were regarded as stemming directly from the Master with his his chosen Prophet acting as a medium. Once Gadar brought the great tome and laid it before Yara, she looked up at the gathered crowd and proclaimed:
'This is the holy book, the highest authority along with the Priest-King, may the Master protect him. None reject it other than those who reject the Prophet and the Master and the faith. I would like to begin by setting out, first and foremost, whether this man who stands before us, and who claims to be a Holy Man, is indeed a Holy Man or not. The Prophet has described Holy Men to us, and it is written here,' and she opened the tome until she came to the page in question, 'it is written: "And those who are given knowledge of what I have come to you with, they are the holy ones and they are my inheritors. They obey the commands of the Kings of my line, and they are the blessed ones. They know what I have come with and know what I spoke, and their's is the authority." Thus we find here that, one: Holy Persons - not only men! - are the inheritors of the Prophet. Two: They have knowledge - knowledge of what the Prophet spoke, and from there does their authority stem. Thus there is no authority in anything unless it stems directly from the Prophet. Three: They obey the commands of the Kings of the line of the Prophet, for they are our living link with the Master and the supreme authority. What they do is absolutely, without question, correct. And they must be obeyed. Their commands are divine orders, and their silence on a matter means approval unless and until they say otherwise. Any priest in Vetros fits the description of a Holy Person as given here: Priests are acknowledged as inheritors of the Prophet by the Priest-King and the people, they have true and deep understanding and knowledge regarding the faith as evidenced by their long years of study and ability to judge between people, and they obey the Priest-King without question. My question to you, oh strange Rapraptapper: are you indeed a Holy Man as described by the Prophet?' she looked at him expectantly.

"Let there be no doubt that I am one such Holy Man; for though I be no anointed priest, all bore witness to my scars and to my feet. They are evidence enough that I have served both the King and the Master, and my heart and spear are theirs."

Once again she had brushed aside all accusation against herself and put him on the defensive, but he would not allow himself to stay down and be beaten like some dog. It was she who was heretic! without missing a breath, he turned the tide back towards her, "So now I question you who would call yourself High Priestess: it be known that the Master's flock contains all people of Vetros and that his shepherds, the Priests, be responsible for guiding the flock and their wellbeing. Chief among those responsibilities lies that of the healer: aye, you are meant to be cleric and maintain a temple where the sickly may yet find renewed vigor. Yet it is known that a man entered your temple with the robustness of youth, and left a decrepit man, dying only a day after he escaped your clutches to tell the tale. What cleric wields such deathly power and brings it upon the Master's flock? Are you indeed a Priestess that follows the Prophet and the Master's tenets?"

Yara gave him a cold look before looking back into the book.
'Your scars do not evidence that you are a Holy Person. They merely prove that you have scars. Or are you attempting to say that the Prophet was wrong or forgot to mention that those who bear scars are the Holy Ones? Go gather the priests and priestesses, and let us see who amongst them bears scars if you are truthful. Your scars do not prove that you have knowledge. Your scars may prove that you are an obediant soldier - but by no means a Holy Man. Can we then say that when you proclaimed yourself a Holy Man you were in fact lying? Or perhaps you did not quite understand the meaning of the term? There is no shame in admitting that you were mistaken, we are only human after all...' with that she closed the book and placed her hands upon it.
'All know what I am called. I am not a High Priestess - for you can find a High Priest or Priestesses in every temple. I am the Witch-Priestess. You accuse me of witchcraft as though it were a sin. But being a Holy Man, you must realise that the Priest-King himself practices divinely gifted magic. Magic is of many forms, but generally speaking there are two categories as recognised by the Prophet,' she opened the book to the relevant page, 'and he says: "I have been gifted by the Master with a good power, with it I can command the winds and communicate with his children, and with it I can heal the sick and I can do much else. It is a divine thing, and the Master bestows it on whom he wills." What the Prophet is speaking of here is a magic he was granted. And you will find that the Priest-King himself practices magic - and the people saw him as he marched throughout Vetros in the aftermath of the horrendous murder of the fishermen, and they marched with him as he blessed and protected Vetros with his divinely given magic. Would you then, oh Rapraptapper, accuse our very own Priest-King of witchcraft? For the divine magic of the Priest-King is the divine magic I practice. And yes, there did enter upon me a young man not long ago who left me ancient, and there have entered upon me ancients who have left me youthful,' she gestured for Chjekaya to come forth and speak, and the girl proclaimed the miracle that the Witch-Priestess had cast upon her old and dying grandmother, and how she had become youthful and healthy - more youthful even than Chjekaya's father!

'This is a divine magic, and the Priest-King is well aware of it, and he has not condemned me for it, and he has in fact benefited from it. Would you accuse the infallible commander, the descendant of the Prophet, of erring? And as for the one who entered young and left ancient, he came to me to judge between him and his betrothed, whome he had betrayed. And I sentenced him as you have seen, and I was in all ways just. So what is that you accuse me of if all that I do is according to the Law? Why is it that an unlearned man accuses me of such things while all the learned Holy Ones and the Priest-King are silent? Does it not prove that all I do is permitted? By the Master, were it not approved of every priest and priestess would have marched forth at once and demanded I correct my erring ways, or they would have at least warned the people from coming to me and seeking my aid. But none have done so, for they have knowledge of the Prophet's teachings and they know the truth. You have no knowledge, sharp-tongued one, and you know not the truth. Come now, wisdom has prevailed, admit that you were wrong and perhaps the Master will overlook your wrongdoings and forgive you, and so you will not for your lies be cursed. But if you persist, may the curse fall upon the liar this very instant,' and all was quiet, and all were silent, and all stared at the Rapraptapper in anticipation. It was the moment of truth.

A distant rumble pierced the silence like an arrow through flesh. The man with a staff gazed over Yara's head and yonder, observing a dark horizon. "There, I witness rain and storm and curse come to these lands, and with what words you have just spoken, you summoned it upon yourself. You confess to your witchcraft, and though you seek to wash away your heinous sin with claims that our King also partakes, the black blood of evil is not so easily dilluted to water.

So! You call me unlearned, and yet I have seen the ways of Holy Men as have all in this city who visit the temples and shrines. You claim Divine power behind your witchraft, but it is known that no other temple bears such powers; if they are of the Master and are fashioned of purity and good, incorruptible and infallible, then why do the Master's countless savants not carry such powers? It is known that the horror Y'Vahn and perhaps others have stolen Divine Powers from the Master; be it perhaps from these fallen beings that your power is granted?

Once again, I name thee liar. And witch! And heretic!"

The storm advanced ever closer, and distant flashes of liking attested to its violence. Yara stood as the storm descended, a grim look on her face.

'Do you reject the book and the word of the Master through his Prophet? You ask why none others have been given such powers - do you question the wisdom of the Maser who grants what he will to whom he wills? He is not to be held to account by us, but you will be held to account. I have been accused of many things, and I have been accused of being a servant of Y'Vahn many times. I have rejected such accusations in the past, and I reject them now. And it is well-known that Y'Vahn is not considered a god, but a demon. And a demon cannot grant or steal divine powers from the Master - what foolishness do you speak? Once more, I beseech you see reason and truth before it is forced upon you from on high.

You have brought forth no evidence, and you have spoken purely from your own mind. Unless you claim that your mind is the mind of the the Master, then back away and be not of those who stray. But if you persist,' and Yara looked up to the heavens as they growled. But it did not rain. It appeared that a swarm of djinnis was simply passing by, and after a while the skies cleared up and they were the usual blue of the desert skies. It was not often that djinnis passed by in such huge and thundering swarms. It was clear that a mighty thing was afoot elsewhere. She looked back at the Rapraptapper coolly. He had persisted, and she had rejected all he spoke. Now would the effects of the pact be felt. But who of them had spoken truth, and who was deluded?

"It takes neither wisdom nor holiness to claim to know the Master's will and have his favor; so I reject all authority from you. We must ask Him to be the arbiter himself, and therein find the ultimate truth!"
'May the curse fall on the liar,' she said, and Yara sat once more. [one of them involuntarily begins walking]