041

Orphic could feel himself becoming more agitates. He couldn't understand why no one would let him go. All he wanted to do was find the woman, they just needed to listen to what he was saying, he could see more guards coming.

"All right. All please please everyone. I just want to find the woman I was talking to."

"Gentlemen please let him go. I think he's coming to his senses."

The guards let go of Orphic, two at his back and two to his sides, with Salus directly in front of him. He could feel the tenseness in the guards and the crowd that had gathered. He took a deep breath in order to try to calm himself. He heart was still beating rapidly and he could feel his his extremities shaking.

"Salus, please. There was a woman, she came up behind me while I was looking at the statue. This one, you know it was my favourite." Salus nodded. "Right, she came up to me and told me that she new my mother, that she was repaying a promise."

Salus looked at Orphic, their eyes met. Orphic watched as something passed over Salus' face only for a moment. The he was back, grandfatherly and concerned. Wrinkled face watching Orphic with a look that Orphic new from years ago. But something was there, Orphic had seen it.

"Go one." Salus urged.

Orphic watched something begin to spread on Salus' face: recognition.

"Well, she came up behind me..."

"yes.."

Orphic sprung forward, launching his full weight towards Salus and sending the old Apostle backwards onto stone floor. The guards re-awoken to the situation reached for him, but Orphic was already off in a dead sprint.

They did not know who Orphic was, and they had no idea how long he had spent in this very temple. He made for the front entrance and they followed, but instead of exiting through the open passage way he turned to his left and made his way towards the back of the temple. He gained a step on the guards, who hadn't anticipated his change of direction. The crowd was still gathered where he had left it, but he had no time for anything more then a cursory glance.

He pushed through the small oak door that led into the inner temple and slammed the door behind it. He was faced with a long hallway extending to his left and his right. Doors were interspersed down the hallway at seemingly random positions. He ran to his right, one...two....three...four. He pulled the door open, passed through it's opening, and shut it quietly behind him. Then he was off again at a sprint, into the catacombs of the inner temple.