“This is enough to buy land for us...” old man Busho said. “Enough to start a community... But... But... We can't ever repay you...” The old man no longer attempted to hide his tears, they flowed freely on his cheeks now.
“You already have,” Judas answered, trying to control himself, as he too was moved to tears.
The old man looked confused. “How?”
“You gave me half of everything you had,” Judas said. Not understanding, Judas explained further.“The piece of bread.”
At the words of Judas, the old man was smiling as he sobbed.
Judas turned and called out to the Roman Soldiers. He shouted a curse to them, purposefully identifying himself.
When he confirmed that the soldiers had oriented on him, Judas ran.
Chapter 8 – Shaul The Persecutor
Judas approached the prison. Fortunately, there was no one nearby who recognized him. He walked calmly, so as not to attract attention.
The good thing was, aside from being a teacher, Judas had spent his time as a lawyer too. He understood both Jewish and Roman laws. He talked his way inside in the guise of representing the defendants.
The local guardsmen were hesitant at first, but Judas demonstrated his knowledge of the law, explained to them the rights of Roman citizens, and after looking confused, they finally let him in so he could talk to someone in charge.
“I'm here to represent the two prisoners you took in earlier,” Judas said to the man who appeared to be the Prison Captain.
To his surprise, however, the Prison Captain did not offer much resistance.
“How did you get in?” Arcana wondered, exchanging glances with Varak, who was in an adjacent cell.
“I have my ways,” Judas answered. “But more importantly, are you sure things are all right? This doesn’t look fine to me.”
Arcana just smiled. “Yes, we've already made arrangements, we should be released soon,” Arcana said. Judas wondered what those arrangements were, and who it was that Arcana knew from the inside. “Someone from the higher guardsmen owes us a debt.”
“By the way,” Arcana said, “you're hand is bleeding. What happened to it?”
“Long story,” Judas said.
“We have time,” Arcana said, smiling.
“Indeed,” Judas chuckled.
She asked Judas to come closer and stretch out his hand.
“Hmmm, the wound was not as bad as I thought,” Arcana said, thoughtful. “But there, it should be good as new, except for that scar in both hands. How did you get them again?”
“I was impaled...” Judas said. At her question, Judas remembered how Arcana had poisoned him with a potion of truth the first time they met, forcing him to answer only the truth, whether he wanted to or not.
“With your master,” Arcana said, “right. You suffered the same punishment as him.”
“Not the same,” Judas said, “just on the day he died. He suffered more than I did, because the Romans tortured him for two days.”
He began explaining his encounter with Shemyaza, and the golden snake that bit him in the hand.
Arcana and Varak looked at one another.
“I do not know a lot about this Shemyaza,” Arcana said. “I may have read something about her... Was it in the Book of Wars Of Angels? In the Book Of Enoch? I am not certain... But whoever she is... ”
“So it turns out the one we saved,” Varak started, “didn’t need saving after all?”
Now that Judas was here, there was nothing he could do but wait for Arcana and Varak to be released, by whoever it was who pulled the strings.
But as the day passed, there was no order issued concerning their release, and Arcana’s expression changed from calm to trying-to-be-calm. She was good at it, but she couldn’t fool Judas that she too was worried by now.
Then someone came down the stairway.
“You seem to have gotten yourselves in a bit of trouble,” the man with long, brown hair said. He had an air of nobility and grace around him.
“This was your back up plan?” Judas said as he looked towards Arcana, but the expression she wore on her face was as clueless as he was.
“Have no fear,” Gnaeus said, “I’ll get you out of here, My Lady, and fast.”
Gnaeus said, grinning at Arcana.
Varak growled.
“I won’t let someone as beautiful,” Gnaeus said, “and as lovely as you stay long in such a place. It’s just not suitable for such a beauty.”
Varak unsheathed his sword, but it was not there. The guards had taken their weapons.
“Who is this man?” Varak demanded.
“An acquaintance of Judas,” Arcana said.
Varak had not yet met Gnaeus because Varak was unconscious from the jinn's taint.
“Gnaeus Lucius Articola at your service,” Gnaeus said with a flourish.
“I thought the Praetorians had gone away,” Judas said. “Shouldn’t you be with them, and don’t you have an important mission?”
“I stayed behind for something more important than my mission,” Gnaeus said, a serious expression on his face. “I am here to find my destiny.” Then he turned and winked at Arcana.
If the bars weren’t made of steel, Varak would have broken them by now.
“When I get out of here…” Varak grumbled.
Gnaeus mockingly took a step back, “Woah! Sit! Stay!”
“Don’t worry,” Gnaeus said as he walked towards the stairway, “I’ll talk to the guards above and tell them you’re with me.”
Then Gnaeus paused, as if in afterthought, “Do we have to take the other man with us too?”
Gnaeus gestured to indicate that he was talking about Varak.
Varak looked at Gnaeus coldly. If Gnaeus had not angered Varak before, surely, he had done so now.
“Who is this friend of yours?” Arcana said.
“He’s the son of a Roman Praetor,” Judas explained.
“And you trust him?” Arcana said.
“I wouldn’t say ‘trust’ is the right the word,” Judas said. “I trust him enough that he won’t betray us. But I wouldn’t trust him with my life.”
“Though I’d say you can probably trust him with your life Arcana,” Judas teased, chuckling.
Now Varak was looking coldly at Judas, as if considering whether or not he should do something about Judas after he skinned Gnaeus.
Gnaeus returned shortly. “I’ve taken care of everything, you will be released in a few moments, my lady,” Gnaeus said. “Your companion, on the other hand... I’m sorry but I had a bit of trouble getting him out—”
“Cut it out Gnaeus,” Judas said. “Did you, or did you not take care of both of their release?”
“Of course I did,” Gnaeus said, feigning that he was offended at such a question. “I’m not such a heartless man, You should know me better Judas.”
They waited for a while. Then, Gnaeus decided to check back again, wondering what was going on and why they were still not being released after his talk with them. “They say that we have to wait just a bit,” Gnaeus said. “They said they just made a mistake, and they just had so much work to do today.”
“Maybe you don’t have as much influence as you think,” Varak suggested. Gnaeus ignored him, which seemed to cause Varak to brood even more.
“Let me check with them again,” Gnaeus said. When he returned, he looked distraught, which surprised Judas. The Gnaeus he knew didn’t usually wear that expression.
“What is it?” Judas said.
“I suspect someone else is blocking your release,” Gnaeus said. “It must be someone very high in the ranks to have been able to supersede my authority.”
“Very little authority,” Varak corrected. Arcana glanced at Varak, who in turn fell silent.
“That makes sense,” Arcana said, “we should have been out of here by now as I am friends with Captain Rovaro and know he can be trusted,” Arcana said.
But just then, several guardsmen came to release
them.
“Finally,” Gnaeus said.
But Judas sensed that something was off. Why were there too many guardsmen needed to release two prisoners?
The guardsmen had the cells opened, but they put Varak and Arcana in chains. Judas tried to protest, but the guardsmen threatened to chain him with the other two.
“What is the meaning of this?” Arcana demanded. “By the laws of Roman citizenship, we are to be freed. You can confirm with the Captain Rovaro.”
“I am the Captain,” the man in full plate mail armor said, “and you will be transferred to another garrison. That is all you need to know.”
Judas did not like this one bit.
“But what about Captain Rovaro? He agreed for our release.” Arcana protested.
“My rank supersedes Rovaro's,” The captain said. “I am in charge of this mission.”
“Have no worry my Lady,” Gnaeus reassured Arcana. Then Gnaeus took out an insignia from underneath his coat and showed it to the captain. “Captain, I am Captain Gnaeus of the Black Guard Unit, under direct orders from the Emperor, and these men are to be freed. By the name of the Emperor, and by the name of my father, the Praetor Agricola I request that you and your men stand down.”
One of the guardsmen looked closer. “It is the Emperor’s insignia.” The guardsman looked at his Captain, unsure what to do. However the Captain did not look impressed.
“You work for the Emperor?” the Captain said.
Gnaeus nodded.
But without warning, the guardsman Captain slashed his sword towards Gnaeus. Gnaeus in turn blocked the sword deftly with his own. Judas did not see Gnaeus unsheathe his sword at all. Just as well, Gnaeus would have been dead had he not blocked the blow.
“Vice-Captain, take the prisoners,” the Captain commanded, “I’ll deal with this fool.” The soldiers started moving.
“Where are you going to take them?” Judas demanded.
“And who are you?” the Captain said.
“I represent them as a public lawyer.” Judas answered. “It is their right to...”
Judas was already tall, but the captain seemed to tower over him. “Their sins are not answerable in the courts of man,” the guardsman Captain interrupted. “They are answerable to us, the Inquisition. Anyone who helps them are tainted with their sin. Not even the Emperor can stop us, for even if it is the Emperor who is corrupt, even he will answer to us.”
Gnaeus took a step forward, letting out a curse.
“You dare attack a Captain of the Black Guard,” Gnaeus said, “but more than that, you put chains to a beautiful woman.”
Had the situation been different, Varak would have growled.
“Give me your name,” Gnaeus said, “so I may etch it in your grave.”
“I am Captain Shaul of the Inquisition,” the Captain replied.
Judas wailed inside his head. These were the worst people to stand against in situations like these. As if the Inquisition wasn’t bad enough... Shaul... He had heard of that name before...
Could it be?
“Shaul The Persecutor,” Judas said, dread in his voice.
“You know him?” Gnaeus said.
“He was responsible for killing many of my Master’s followers,” Judas said, “and he was one of those who personally impaled my Master, even tortured him.”
“He,” Judas said, “is a mass murderer.”
Judas heard the sound of a sword as it unsheathed, and immediately after, one of the soldiers fell. Varak took another one down before the Vice-Captain of the Inquisition hit Varak on the back of his head, sending Varak unconscious. Two of the Inquisitors dragged him away. Arcana struggled, but without her sacred blade, her attacks were ineffective against armor.
Gnaeus tried to move towards Arcana, but Captain Shaul blocked his way.
Judas circled around the Captain, who seemed to ignore him as Judas didn’t look much like a threat. Judas planned to follow the soldiers and at least find out where they were headed. He was no fighter. If Arcana couldn't do anything, he could do less. But he had to do something.
On the way out, he saw the body of dead local guardsmen everywhere. The Prison Captain who had allowed him to come in was dead too. Anger brooded in him.
“Shaul...” Judas growled.
These Inquisitors had no mercy, even to one of their own. Anyone who stood in their way, they considered as an enemy.
Arcana seemed to realize the same thing as she charged sideward against one of the enemies, sending him tumbling backwards. In mere moments, she put the enemy's head between her legs and then twisted it with a sickening sound. The enemy stopped moving. She took the dead man's sword and turned to face the other enemies.
The enemy Vice-Captain cursed, unsheathing his blade. Judas took Arcana's side and picked up one of the dead Inquisitor's weapons. With Varak unconscious, it was two against three. But with Judas not being that good at the sword, the odds were probably worse. Arcana charged forward towards the enemy Vice-Captain. The Vice-Captain swung his blade, but Arcana had dropped down to evade it, then she swung her sword at the Vice-Captain's legs. The Vice-Captain jumped back in time, but Arcana followed with a straight thrust. The Vice-Captain caught it to the side of his armor, then held it there with his metal gauntlets. Arcana struggled to pull it out, but the Vice-Captain would not give way. The Vice-Captain struck Arcana’s sword on the flat side, causing Arcana to let go of her sword as she jumped back.
The Vice-Captain sneered, “Is that all you've got?”
“Judas, give me the sacred blade,” Arcana commanded.
The sacred blade! Judas had forgotten all about it. He should have given it to her in the first place, when they were back in the prison. She could have escaped right then and there!
But they had been complacent, believing nothing wrong could happen, and as a result, they had found themselves in a difficult situation.
“I will take all three of them down in one strike,” Arcana said. “But I doubt if I will have much strength left once I’m done. You need to escape with the opening that I create, then take the blade with you and run. No matter what happens, it cannot fall in their hands.”
Judas handed the small sacred blade.
The enemy Vice-Captain looked at her as if she was crazy. She couldn't even take one of them down with a sword, let alone three, and, with a much smaller weapon, her chances had now become close to nothing. Or so the enemy thought.
“By the power of the Zohar,” Arcana chanted, “A, NUN, GI, A!” The small blade seemed to glow, but it could have been Judas's imagination, either that or it was just the reflection from one of the torches.
Arcana charged forward, swinging her small blade in a wide arc. The captain blocked the attack with his sword, but Arcana's blade cut through it with almost no resistance. She struck again, this time her blade cut through the armor of the three enemy soldiers in one fell swoop. What surprised Judas even more was the sheer force with which the enemy soldiers were sent backwards, where they crashed against the wall and fell in a heap. After which, they stopped moving.
“You did it,” Judas said in astonishment. “You defeated all three of them in one blow!”
But Arcana dropped to her knees.
“Help me get to Varak's side,” Arcana said, “I need to heal him fast.” Judas supported her.
Arcana brought Varak back to consciousness.
Varak tried to stand, but Arcana put a hand on his chest. “You need to rest for a bit,” Arcana said. “Being healed twice in two days will take a lot from you.”
Varak grunted.
“It's you I'm concerned about,” Varak responded, “this is nothing.”
There were footsteps from the dungeons. Arcana turned in that direction, her blade ready, though it didn’t look like she could do something like that one more time, not after the toll on her when she healed Varak. Judas moved forward, standing by her side. But the man who came up wasn’t the enemy Captain, it was Gnaeus.
“It
’s great that you’re all right,” Gnaeus said. Then he saw the three guardsmen unconscious, their armor broken. “How did you—?” Then he shook his head.
“All that matters is that you’re safe my Lady,” Gnaeus said.
“What about the enemy Captain?” Arcana demanded.
“I'd like to say I took care of him,” Gnaeus said. “But he's a tough bastard. We need to go or we'll be trapped on both sides. If this Inquisitor Captain's any good, he'll have made sure to put his men outside too.”
Arcana already had a hard time fighting the Vice-Captain. The Captain must have been stronger that even Gnaeus was no match.
“You’re hurt,” Arcana said.
“It’s nothing,” Gnaeus said. “just a little scratch.”
Arcana moved towards Gnaeus.
“Don’t waste your energy on a stranger,” Varak warned. But Arcana ignored him and went on to heal Gnaeus. As Gnaeus’s wound disappeared, his face lit up in wonder, then looked at Arcana and Judas in askance.
“Is this—” Gnaeus began.
Then Arcana turned to Judas, not letting Gnaeus finish.
“Take this sacred blade and run,” Arcana commanded. “Hide it where no one can find it, until the time I come for you. There may be more of the Inquisition outside, but if we draw their attention, you may escape their attention since you're a civilian. It is important to separate the pieces, so even if they catch me, I will be useless to them.”
“What about you?” Judas said.
“We will rest here and take care of ourselves,” Arcana said. “You worry about yourself.”
“I’ll protect them,” Gnaeus offered. “And besides, I have a few men outside too.”
"But how will I find you?" Judas said.
Arcana handed him an amulet. It bore symbols similar to the one on the sacred blade. “Wear this amulet, and I will find you. If you need me, think of me, and it will show you the way.”
Judas sighed. More magic.
There were footsteps from the dungeons below.
“Now hurry!”Arcana called.
Judas ran outside. There were people there bearing torches and makeshift weapons, ordinary villagers come to see what the commotion was about. The villagers must have heard the ruckus, and maybe even seen the corpses of the local guardsmen and reported to the others.
The Lost Book of Chaos: How to Divide the World (The Secret Wars of Angels 1) Page 10
