The Test of Ostra

by Rory D Nelson

  “At the next seminal of John the Baptist, the brethren will be accepting recruits. It is what Leopold speaks of.” Tears stream down her face. “When he is not speaking of you, that is.”

  Talgath puts his hand through the bars and places two fingers on her mouth, in a shushing gesture. “Hush now, my love. We cannot stop what is to be. You ken? I think it is well that Leopold wants to be a recruit. I wish I had been one myself.” He smiles in nostalgia. “But I could not bear to be separated so long from such creature comforts. My boyhood lover, Tilly, was always indulging me, so she was.”

  “I so loved Tilly, so I did,” says Lonnie.

  “As I did also. God rest her soul.” Talgath looks up into the ceiling, as if the answer were there along, eluding him. Tears stream down his cheeks. He does not move to wipe them away. “I keep thinking back to my childhood. I had everything given me. Every indulgence afforded to me. I resisted structure and boundaries. I imagine such would not have boded well as a fellow recruit.”

  Lonnie smiles. “Ai. Imagine it would not.” She observes Talgath and succumbs to the resolve in his eyes. Lonnie sobs once more. “Can you not reconsider? For a family. To have your life come to such a violent and unnecessary end.”

  “We’ve been through this muck before, my love. I cannot risk the wrath of Herod. If he goes down, he will not hesitate to take you out. In the most violent way possible. You ken?”

  He pulls her closer to him through the bars. As he runs his hands through her hair, he kisses her with tenderness. Talgath wipes the tears from her eyes. “It will be the last thing I can do for you my love and for my beloved son.”

  The familiar clang of someone approaching ushers into the cell. They turn around. Deputy Falkrutz enters. “I cry pardon, but it’s time to go. Visitation is past. Gave you extra time, so I did,” says Falkrutz.

  “And we say thankee, Falkrutz,” says Lonnie. She grabs onto Leopold and looks at Talgath. “We’ll be back tomorrow, so we will, love.”

  He forces a smile. “Looking forward, my love.”

  When Lonnie and Leopold exit out of the detention center, Lonnie notices Herod’s stagecoach. It is the most expensive, ostentatious stage coach, rivaling her own or her late father-in-law’s. Tennilus looks at it disdainfully.

  The wide door of the stagecoach opens. As Chastity exits, she reveals her red form-fitting velvet dress, as if she is attending to a ball. She looks seductively beautiful as ever. She waves over to Lonnie.

  She walks over to her, with Leopold and Tennilus accompanying her. Chastity approaches her and gives her a warming embrace. They haven’t spoken since Talgath’s arrest. “Lonnie, how fareth?”

  “As well as can be expected, Lady-Mais.”

  “I cry pardon for Talgath’s arrest.”

  “There is nothing left to be done.” She says despairingly.

  “Perhaps there is,” says Chastity.

  Lonnie raises an eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh?”

  “Would you speak with Herod-Sai on your husband’s behalf?”

  “Hold no ill-will against you Mais, but I revile that man.”

  “As you should, Mais. But perhaps postponing judgment would be more prudent until hearing the facts for yourself. Would you grant an audience with Herod-Sai?”

  “If such behooves my condemned husband, I’d grant an audience with the devil himself. When?” asks Lonnie.

  “He is here now, Mais.”

  Lonnie looks to Tennilus. He shrugs as if to say, ‘what would it hurt’.

  “I will accompany you Lady-Mais if that is your decision.”

  “So be it then,” says Lonnie.

  Tennyson gets out and opens the carriage door and motions for Lonnie to enter. She looks at Tennilus. And back at Tennyson, as if to ask, ‘is it safe?’. “I will be with you, Lady-Mais. And, we are in the middle of the public square. He would not be so brazen.” He looks at Tennyson with righteous indignation. “Besides, a man like Herod removes himself from vile deed while commanding it.”

  Lonnie enters Herod’s massive carriage. It is larger than some people’s homes, especially those who come from such modest means like Lonnie. Inside she recognizes Fiddlemore Bellcrutz, Herod’s lawyer. He holds a leather-bound brief with numerous parchment papers, emblazoned with Gilleon insignia. She has no doubt they are authentic and official.

  Herod extends a hand to her and Tennilus. Both deign to accept it. Herod feigns an insult. “Good day, Lady-Mais. How fareth under the circumstances?”

  “My husband is condemned to die on your behalf. He will not lift a voice to save himself from a death on the cross. How should I be?”

  “I cry pardon for the circumstances. You must understand that I never meant for this.”

  Tears well up in her eyes. “But such is my life now. To have my husband returned to me only to have him ripped from my life. To be an unwitting pawn in your depraved rise to power.”

  “Everything I have done; I have done in the name of Gilleon. The country I have loved and devoted my life to.”

  “Spare me your disingenuous, pulpit benediction you recite for an unwitting public. I don’t believe you.”

  “Well, it is the truth, Lady-Mais. That you would revile me is-”

  She cuts him off. “Please. Speak to me frankly and say what it is you came here to ask me.”

  “Very well then. I cannot convince you of my good intentions, so let us move onto more pertinent matters. Regardless of what you think of me, the truth is I do take care of my own. And I am prepared to take care of Talgath. And you and Leopold.”

  “And how pray tell, do you think you can accomplish such? Talgath is a condemned man, his fate sealed. He will meet his end on a cross. All while protecting you.”

  “I am a powerful man, Mais. I have the power to see Talgath freed.”

  Lonnie wipes her eyes and for the first time since Talgath’s arrest, looks hopeful. “How would you accomplish this?” She asks curiously.

  “I will press council for a change of venue with the argument Talgath cannot receive a fair trial in Lycenea. I have many allies in the council.”

  “As I can imagine that you must. I’m sure many tiny councilmen fit snugly into the deep pockets of the great Herod-Sai.” She says contemptuously. “Tell me, Herod, what would such a deed cost me?”

  “The cost would be negligible. You sell me your shares of Selenius Publications.”

  Tennilus touches her hand gently in protest. “Lady-Mais, please I implore you not to consider a deal with the devil. You cannot trust him.” He whispers.

  “You forget your place, manservant,” says Herod sharply.

  “No, Sai. I secure it. I served my master well for many years and now I serve Lonnie in his absence. Set watch and warrant it, what I do is in her best interest.”

  Morgana touches her soothingly and calms her mind, breaching it the tiniest bit, unbeknownst to her. “Lonnie, it’s the only way. Consider your son, Leopold and how his life will fare absent doting father.”

  Lonnie nods her head. “Ai. Do believe it’s the only way.” She looks at Herod. “You have a deal, Herod-Sai. Free my husband from confines and I promise I will sell you my shares. All of them.”

  “And what assurances do I have you will not renege on that promise?” asks Herod.

  “And what assurances do I have you will not?”

  “Lonnie, please. We must be expedient. If I am to orchestrate the reunion with condemned husband and see you out of Gilleon, I must act now. If I do nothing, your husband will hang on a cross in three days. Tomorrow I will call an emergency meeting of council and arrange for refuge from Gilleon. But I must have your signature.”

  Morgana breaches her mind again, portraying an idyllic scene of a reunited family. Tears well up in her eyes and stream down her face at the thought. Morgana touches her hand with reassurance to further reinforce the thought. “It’s the only way, dear. You must trust us.”

  Lonnie nods. Tennilus whispers to her, an obvious admonishment
. She shakes her head at him. “Ai, Herod. You’ll have your way with me, so you will. I’ll do it.”

  “You won’t regret this, my Lady.”

  “I won’t if I never have to deal with you again. See you keep your word.”

  “Have always been a man of my word,” says Herod. Herod looks at Fiddlemore and nods. Fiddlemore opens his brief and pulls out the stack of parchment papers and presents them to Lonnie. He nods at her and gives her a pen. Fiddlemore goes through the many pages with her and asks for her signature. With no hesitation, she signs.

  “And that is the last one, Lady-Mais. In five days, you will be the richest woman in all of Gilleon-and perhaps the West Indies. Congratulations.” He extends a hand to her, which she accepts.

  “Which will mean nothing if Herod does not keep his end of the bargain.”

  “You have no reason to worry, Lady-Mais.”

  Herod nods to her and extends a hand. She accepts it this time. “Where I hail from, a handshake means everything. I will hold you to your word.”

  “And I will keep it.”

  Morgana touches her for comfort. Tennilus nods to everyone but reserves a contemptuous sneer for Herod. They exit the carriage.

  From the warehouse across the street, the same feminine-looking deputy peers through hyper-oculars with intense scrutiny. He writes at the same time. As if he is what? Lip reading their conversation perhaps? He reads at what he had written and goes back to writing.

  Herod looks at Fiddlemore. “How soon can you have those papers drafted and filed with the courts?”

  “I can do it in two days. But, the court needs to send it to the fifth circuit court judge for filing before everything is official. The entire process will take five days.”

  “There’s an extra thousand gold pence in it for you if you can take a day off.”

  “That’s very generous,” says Fiddlemore. He nods at Tennyson and extends his hand to Morgana and kisses it. “A pleasure Lady-Mais.”

  “All mine Sai-Bellcrutz.”

  He shakes Herod’s hand. “I’ll do the best I can.”

  “See you do.”

  Herod looks at Morgana and smiles. She shakes her head. “It was only a matter of time, my love. The brethren were onto us. You know this.”

  “Ai, know it well, so I do. Still for you, it was quite a gamble. To leak that. You could have killed Talgath and then where would you be?”

  “Not as much of a gamble as you believe. I knew Talgath’s position in the robbery. I gave Felinius orders. They carried it out.”

  “Felinius knew?”

  Herod shakes his head. “No. Of course not.”

  “That you would sacrifice your own men is one such, a necessary lamb for the slaughter- but Felinius. You play roulette with his life and so far the roulette wheel has favored you.”

  “He could take care of himself and he lives. Still.”

  “For now,” says Morgana.

  Herod shakes his head. “I would not dispose of my most cherished asset.”

  “I would hope not.”

  Herod looks at Tennyson. “I want them eliminated at tempest halt. The moment they file the papers with the courts, I take possession of Selenius Publications and that bitch and her son are dead.”

  Tennyson nods. “We have many men with which to choose from for the deed. Shall I call on Felinius?”

  Herod shakes his head. “No.” He gives Morgana a reproachful smirk. “I suspect his heart would not align with the deed. I want outsiders for this task. Who can you summon within five days? I want the domicile of Selenius burned down to the ground and all within to perish. And, I want the body of that wench and boy returned so I may confirm for myself. You ken?”

  Tennyson nods. “Ai.”

  “Who can you summon? Think hard on it.”

  Tennyson smiles. “Byron and the shadow fighters. They are a fierce breed more than capable of seeing deed done. Well equipped for such a surreptitious mission, set watch and warrant it, they can disappear. Rumors sure to be exaggerated, but one that is true. Byron has survived over a thousand death matches in his time. He has never lost a mission or a fight. It will require hard coin.”

  “So? Am I a man of little means?”

  “No, Herod. Just wanted to prepare you for the bounty it will take. Byron will want ten thousand gold pence.”

  “Will be well worth it if he can accomplish it.”

  “That’s just for himself. He will require an additional one thousand for each of his men.”

  Herod coughs, an outrageous expression on his face. “Good God. Perhaps I should have taken Menelaeus recent bounty after all.” He sighs heavily and nods. “Ai. Set it up and see it done.”

  Tennyson nods. “Ai, Herod-Sai. I’ll see to it.”

  Morgana stiffens and an ice-cold shiver runs down her spine. She knows of everyone else’s presence and feels as if she is being watched. Morgana turns to Herod, a heavy look of consternation on her face.

  “What is it?” asks Herod.

  “We’re being watched.”

  “By whom?” asks Herod.

  “I don’t know. But whoever he is, he has been scouting us for several minutes.” She points to the warehouse roof across the street. “There.” She says. They look towards the roof and see nothing. A clang of the hatch followed by the sound of a door swings open.

  Herod grabs Tennyson by the collar. “Find whoever that fuck is and eliminate them. At tempest halt!” orders Herod.

  “Ai,” says Tennyson. Tennyson takes off.

  Herod looks at Morgana. “You. Why the hell weren’t you aware of this intruder’s presence?”

  Morgana shrugs. “I never felt it, Herod. Someone schooled this person.”

  Herod gives her a condescending smirk. “What could they know Herod? They were across the street.”

  Chelsea sprints out the back door of the roof and down the metal stairs that descend straight down. Before she is only about ten feet from the bottom, she jumps and sprints into the alley. She knocks down a wooden garbage bin, expelling a large amount of fish entrails. Although she slips on it, she regains her footing. The sound of boot prints echoes, gaining on her. Then a loud crash. She hears another set of boot heels resounding through the alley. As Chelsea turns another sharp corner, she sprints for the end of the alley.

  When she is only halfway through, her chest collides with something as hard as a rock. Strange. She never saw it coming. As she falls to the ground in a heap, the wind rushes out like a gust of air. She struggles to breathe. Before she can catch it, a set of strong hands wrap around her throat. They threaten to squeeze the life out of her.

  She pleads for mercy, but she cannot croak out any words. The man relents the slightest bit allowing her to speak. “Please!” She begs.

  The man drops her the second she utters the words. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing here?” asks Merlin.

  Chelsea looks at Merlin with disbelief. She pushes against him, relieved, and infuriated. “You attacked me.” She says.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “How long have you been tailing me?” She asks, wounded.

  “The last few hours,” says Merlin. “I knew you were at the detention center, spying on Talgath and Morgana.”

  “I was doing some investigating. That’s all.” She says with innocence.

  “They could have killed you!” He scolds. “What if Tennyson caught you? He wouldn’t have hesitated to eliminate you.”

  She looks around with apprehension. “Where is he?”

  “Unconscious. In the alley. I’ve implanted some very subtle but powerful suggestions in his head. He saw nothing more than a couple ruffians on the roof but no one of any worth. Besides, he was blind-sided and mugged.” Merlin produces his billfold. “I’ll return it after I’ve allowed him to make a healthy donation to the rectory. You ken?”

  Chelsea laughs but then cringes as pain cries out from her side. She smacks Merlin on the side. “You hurt me and
scared the hell out of me, you brute.”

  “For your own good. Never again unless I’ve ordered you to. You ken?”

  Chelsea salutes him. “Ai, Merlin.”

  Merlin shakes his head. “We don’t salute.” He sighs and looks at her with admonishment, but the corners of his mouth turn to a smile. “Well?”

  “Well, what?” She asks.

  “Find out anything interesting?”

  A big grin emerges on Chelsea’s face. She nods her head. “Ai, that I did.”

  Merlin smiles.

  Chapter 46: Day of Judgment

  Merlin moves his head around the pulpit, feeling the emotion of the boys who will witness their first crucifixion-one which could have been avoided. The boys’ giddy excitement at the news they were to witness the event first-hand had waned.

  Reality sets in. Though Merlin can’t see their faces, he can feel their listless stares. Their auras throw a shade of brownish gray, signaling ambivalence, trepidation, sorrow and discomfort. He centers himself for a few minutes and begins.

  The somber mood affects Dante. The impending event will be witnessed by most, if not all of Lycenea. Dante grasps onto the seat in front of him as he prays with intensity. Cammilia, who lets out a low-level whimper, feels his misgivings and then nudges her head in his lap.

  Dante knows the event will be traumatic for him as he recalls the horrific events that preceded his blindness. For he has seen his mother and sister murdered in front of him. He reaches out to Sylvia, who grasps onto his hand with a vise-grip. Cammilia turns her head to her and nudges her muzzle in her lap. She smiles and gives Dante her best attempt at a comforting smile.

  “Today, we will witness a crucifixion, the culmination of justice in our country. Talgath has taken life, indiscriminately. He has robbed and maimed, in the name of furthering himself and his own interests.” Merlin pauses. “And those whom he serves. And, he has betrayed and transgressed against those he has sworn to uphold. There is a debt he owes to Gilleon for his transgressions. And that debt comes with a price. And that price demands blood and suffering. Learn from his pain. Take it in. Pray for his soul. Those who sin against Gilleon: Set watch and warrant it, you will be found out.” Herod winces as if slapped. He feels Merlin’s eyes making accusations against him, which is ridiculous. He’s blind. Still, he feels it. Morgana touches his hand to comfort him.