“...and Madurai’s functions as god of law, not just of war, can make Madurai an enforcer of peace and protector of alliances. Like all gods, Madurai has the capacity for being either protective or destructive, depending upon surr—”
Vaestro interrupted his dragon, protesting, “Surely, you would not suggest that the goddess of love could have hateful devices! I think you are reading too much into the text, my sky angel!”
Anija immediately ducked her head in shame, flushing hotly. “It must be as you say,” she said obediently.
Elisa stepped up in Anija’s defense, though. “Do you not remember the story of how, upon Inanna’s return from the Underworld, she punished her own consort for his infidelity? And remember, the rejection of love has led many a misty-eyed fool to his self-destruction. The most senseless wars have been fought over love. Furthermore, hate itself is nothing but an evil expression of love.”
Vaestro caressed the cowering Anija, and he confessed, “I should not have scolded you, my sky angel. You are free to discuss your ideas as you choose, for now. Go on.”
After composing herself, the azure eastern dragoness, though still flushing a bit, carried on with her explanation, this time scrupulously explaining her reasoning. “According to legend, Madurai once heard a prayer from the Horse People, who were being hunted to extinction by the Ice Nomads. He took the form of a great, red stallion, and he allied the Horse People with the most lawful of the Ice Nomads to form the first cavalry. They created a code of law to make better use of the land, and they trampled beneath their hooves any that refused to obey it. To this day, the Horse People continue this alliance.”
“So they survived by submitting to slavery, just as we have?” Hadad asked. The celestine leviathan sounded bitter over this, in spite of his love for his Rider, Queen Elisa.
“The Horse People were imbued with part of the spirit of Madurai. Madurai is not the wielder of power. He is just power itself. Madurai does not determine whether we wage war to bring about our own doom or maintain a lawful peace. Either way, he feeds."
"So what if we want an end to the war?" Karyu asked tensely. "How do we make the killing stop, Anija? Humans and dragons alike are going extinct in this insanity!"
"Yet you have killed, haven't you?" asked Anija. "Thousands of cultists, exterminated just for who they were. It felt good, didn't it?"
"It did," Karyu admitted, knowing the savage delight he had taken in exterminating the entire island. Every cultist living on it had died covered in flames and screaming in vain. Having Luke directing him by his rein had only taken guilt out of the equation. Believing himself to be powerless over which enemies he was sent against had taken responsibility for his choices away, leaving him free to exert the full extent of his brute power in whatever direction it was cast. Having peasants groveling and kissing his feet had felt good because Karyu believed that the act was directed at his Rider, but Karyu had relished seeing the humans groveling like worms, looking more naked than they ever could have if they had cast off their clothing as their faces flushed emotionally and their eyes had shed tears just from being overwhelmed. It had fed a deep and primordial lust. Therefore, was gentle, kind-spirited Karyu really like this terrible god of war? Was he like this abomination? He cringed inwardly at the thought. No, it couldn't be. He shamefully pushed the thought away. He would not accept being a monster.
"Perhaps Madurai is more of a force than something like an actual person," Vaestro suggested helpfully. "Or perhaps he is a sort of universal social principle. Are not the armies of kings, not kings themselves, capable of killing? Do soldiers not kill the adversaries of their monarch with deadly enthusiasm? It is because the ruler takes responsibility that they are at liberty to kill without inhibition. If you take responsibility away from them, then they are more free in exerting the fullest extent of their might, not less. You take away their inhibitions. You erase doubt."
Anija nodded thoughtfully as Vaestro spoke, the azure dragoness scribbling these thoughts down as notes. She was turning out to be a thorough and thoughtful scholar, making an account of new ideas first and evaluating them last. Everyone knew that she was really devout, and this was a difference between her and her Rider, who was more of a skeptic.
Hadad slammed his tail against the floor, though. "Blasphemy!" he hissed. "Elisa, my Rider, I ask your permission to take issue with this one!"
Elisa raised her hand to stall her dragon. "You will do no such thing," she said sternly. "Vaestro, I ask that you keep such outlandish ideas between you and your dragon, or if you must express them to me, express them to me privately. Upsetting the devout gets us nowhere."
Vaestro nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said, only a little sullenly.
"If there is a war," Anija said quietly but forcefully, "there can only be peace once a victor has been determined. Without Madurai, the God of War, there can be no victor, and the feuding is waged for eternity, with infinite lives destroyed in an endless war."
A chill settled over the room.