by E P Lenz
Prophecy
Chiara’s supernatural senses were tuned in and on high alert. She had made sure to ask the nearby rats, cats, nightingales and, of course, Owl, to keep guard outside, but she was still overly nervous, checking on them every other minute. Come on, have they ever let you down before? she asked herself, trying to calm her frayed nerves. No, but you have never asked this of them either. She shook her head, trying to banish her traitorous thoughts. If she kept her focus, then the animals were sure to do their part by standing guard, on alert to warn of disturbances.
Livy would certainly have been more at peace with this secretive mission had he known of her abilities. For so long, she had wanted to tell her best friend, but The Order had expressly forbidden her, and they were really all she had left. Even besides The Order though, she was not quite sure how he would have reacted to the fact that she had these seemingly unnatural powers. She had never had the courage to disclose to him the true legacy that her mother had left her. The feeling of alienation that she had harbored since her childhood, being an illegitimate child and having weird capabilities, did not make it easy for her to talk about these things, even with such a close friend as Livy.
So it was that Livy was completely unaware of the veritable army of creatures that Chiara had employed to ensure they were warned of danger well in advance. Understandably, he was wound up tight.
“Hold your candle here so that I can read!” Livy ordered as he moved her hand to position the candle exactly as he wanted it. He had dropped the tablets and moved on to leather-bound papyrus pages. He unwrapped the binding twine and started turning the thick pages, scanning the contents rapidly.
“Livy, are you reading properly?” Chiara inquired. She thought he was going through the pages too fast to be able to actually read anything. She did not want him to miss important information, so she continued, “We don’t want to end up missing important information after taking all this risk of coming here!”
“It’s all right, Chiara. I won’t miss. Just keep the candle steady and your ears open,” hissed Livy.
He suddenly stopped talking when he came across an ancient manuscript folded and tucked within the bound papyrus pages.
“Here’s something peculiar. Hold steady; I’ll read it out loud. See if it makes sense to you,” he told Chiara and started reading,
“And the earth shall be wholly rent asunder, and all that is upon the earth shall perish. There will be harsh judgment upon all men, but with his Chosen He will make peace. He will protect them with His holy zeal, and mercy shall be upon them. They will belong to God, they will be prospered, they will be blessed, and He will help them, and His power will be granted unto them for the ages to come, and they shall control the living according to His will. Behold! He comes with ten thousand of His holy Chosen to execute judgment upon all the ungodly. They will protect the innocent until their penance is complete and the ages come to fulfillment.”
Livy scratched his head and seemed to be thinking out loud. “What does that mean, and why is this important? Some kind of old prophecy, beautifully written script at that, but what is the meaning?” The academic in him had clearly taken notice of this curious message.
“That just seems like some old story. Not what we are looking for. Do you see anything else there at all? Like orders from the queen, maybe?” Chiara urged him on. “What about any correspondence, any lists?!”
She was getting frustrated and scared the longer they remained in the chamber. They had already been here for a while now and the longer stayed, the greater the chance that they would get caught. She didn’t even want to imagine what would happen to them if they did get caught. She was sure that even being Lord Gregory’s ward would not be enough to help her out of that pickle. And there was no telling what they would do to Livy.
Livy picked up on her desperation and continued flipping through the pages. This time, he stopped at another papyrus which seemed to have a long list of names.
“Wait, look at this; could be something. It has dates, times, names, addresses, and family lineages,” he muttered. Skimming through the text, Livy turned a sick pallor as he grasped the gravity of what he was reading.
“Chiara, oh no! It’s a record of all the families that were killed off. It’s signed by your uncle!”
He continued reading, and whispered, “God above! There are some names here that are not yet dead. Surely, this means that your Uncle Gregory plans on killing them sometime in the future!”
Chiara felt her heart drop to the floor. The immensity of what Livy had just shared had her gasping for air. She wanted to jump for joy at finding the evidence she had been after for so long. A ray of sunshine in the darkness of her uncle’s rule. The next instant, she was ashamed for feeling joy at the macabre document that Livy was currently holding in his trembling hands.
“Chiara, your parents’ names are here and so is yours,” he said, puzzled. “But beside your name there is a large sum of money. If I were to venture a guess, I’d say you’ve been spared for a price. Possibly at the expense of your parents’ lives. It looks as if your uncle has positioned himself as your guardian in order to financially benefit himself through you. I’m sorry, Chiara, but it can mean nothing else. We have to remove you from his guardianship. He has evil intentions for you. But enough of this now; we’ve got to go, or risk being caught and executed!”
Livy was almost hyperventilating at the enormity of the evidence in his hands. Fear and dread crept up Chiara’s spine as the realization set in that some of those murdered might even have been potential Chosen. Whatever it might be, she had to agree with him that, now that they had found the evidence, it was time they left.
She snatched the papyrus out of the book and said, “Let’s go!”
Within inches of the door, she stopped dead in her tracks. Something was wrong. Her creatures were communicating to her all at the same time, clamoring in her head with just one thought: “Flee!”
She suddenly knew with certainty they were very close to being caught. She couldn’t let Livy get caught. It would mean certain death for him, and not a merciful one. She herself might be able to bluff her way to freedom. Especially in light of the new information that Lord Gregory seemed to want her alive for some reason. Whether or not he had already received the money might decide whether or not she lived to see another day.
She turned to Livy. “Oh no, Livy! Hide, please! Hide! If they find you, you’re as good as dead. As you just read, Uncle has some greater purpose, so it may be okay with me, but you must hide now!”
Livy turned to her, unable to understand what she was going on about. He didn’t know what she had heard or how. She didn’t give him time to ponder on that, but the next moment, shoved Livy through a small dark space where slaves kept their cleaning supplies.
“What do you mean, Chiara? How do you know someone is coming?”
“Trust me, Livy. I just know, and it’s too late! No matter what happens, remain silent! Remember that you are my best friend forever! Please, don’t let them find you.” With that, Chiara closed the door of the closet, leaving Livy in utter darkness. She then stuffed the precious paper into her gown and turned around.
Revealed
Head held high, Chiara approached the large door. She could hear angry voices and the thuds of soldiers’ boots fast approaching the Strategy Chamber. The heavy door swung wide with a jolt as it was thrust open with great force. Chiara jumped back and let out a startled screech. She did not have to pretend in this instance. She was truly shocked.
The first person to storm into the room was none other than Lord Gregory. She had no time to wonder about his presence, as more soldiers poured in after him. The light from the torches cast an eerie, moving shadow over her uncle’s face. The shadow seemed to have a life of its own, licking at his face like a serpent, making Lord Gregory look like the very devil himself. But it was the wrath that she saw in her uncle’s eyes that had her turn to stone.
“What are you d
oing here? You know this room is forbidden!” he boomed, making her flinch.
It took great effort for her to maintain her spot and not step back from the fury flowing in waves from Gregory. He looked at her, his eyes narrowing. “Answer me, Chiara!” he thundered, and this time Chiara did take two steps back. It was an instinctive move, but she needed to give herself some room to collect her thoughts and come up with an explanation for her presence in this forbidden room.
She need not have bothered. Lord Gregory closed the distance between them in two large strides, and to her horror, shoved his hand into her gown, pulling out the paper she had hastily stuffed in. Stunned, she looked up at Lord Gregory, wondering if he actually knew why she had been in the room. But that can’t be! No one knew that I was going to try this tonight, she thought.
“Ah, I see my secret orders are not secret anymore. You’ve seen too much, I’m sorry to say,” Gregory said, his voice cold and harsh. But there was a curious, almost happy gleam in his eyes. Chiara couldn’t be certain of why he had the almost giddy look on his face, but she was sure that whatever made her uncle happy could not be good for her. At all.
He turned to his soldiers and ordered, “Take Lady Chiara to the east dungeons.”
She couldn’t just walk with the soldier like a lamb to slaughter. She had to at least try something.
“Please, Uncle Gregory. I was only trying to learn to read, and picked up the first thing I saw. You know how I want to be able to read …”
“Silence.” His voice cracked like a whip across her skin. “Do you take me for a fool?”
He turned back to the soldier and roared, “Take her. NOW!”
The soldier walked up to Chiara and grabbed her arm, ready to march her out of the room. She snatched her arm away, tipped her chin up, and said imperiously, “You do not need to drag me, soldier.” She headed to the doors the Strategy Chamber like a queen. She was shaking inside but held her composure on the outside. She prayed to the gods that Livy did not come out of his hiding with some misguided sense of chivalry.
Walking to her fate, Chiara summoned her emotions and mentally reached to the birds of the air, the rats from the corridors, and any other creature able to respond in time. She sent her thoughts flying through the air, for any creature who would hear, “Come to me. There is evil. Help me flee!” She hoped her plea for help would bear some fruit. She hoped for a miracle, but was not prepared for the response!
She had not even reached the massive doors of the tablinum when a mass of black bats erratically swarmed into the chamber, chirping and flapping their way, making a targeted attack upon the soldiers leading Chiara away.
In the tiny closet, Livy had his eyes glued to the keyhole, trying to hear and see everything that was going on while battling with himself. On the one hand, he wanted to go and rescue Chiara, while on the other hand he was well aware of the fact that he would be no use to her at this moment. He would be able to help much more if he escaped from here and then tried to rescue her. However, all his thoughts died an abrupt death as, in fascinated horror, he watched the terrifying display of supernatural power that Chiara clearly seemed to be controlling.
Never had he imagined that she carried such god-power! Chiara seemed to sense Livy’s eyes on her even through the closed door of the closet and a tiny smile meant for only him appeared on her lips. The smile was immediately followed by a hard look that, he knew, was her warning to him that he must remain silent and concealed.
Her uncle shouted, “Chiara, end this now!”
She looked at him, feigning ignorance, but was shocked when he dropped all pretense and threatened, “I have killed your parents and countless others. I will not hesitate to kill that brat Livy as well, unless you cease!”
Chiara’s shoulders slumped at this threat and she released her control. She would not be the cause of Livy’s death, and if she knew her uncle, that of his family’s as well. It was now entirely in the hands of God. A tear rolled down her face as she stared into her uncle’s glaring, hate-filled eyes. She would soon be deep under the castle grounds and she knew that her little creatures might not be able to reach her in time to save her. Fate would have her way with Chiara from here on.
Suddenly, a soldier forced a rag over her mouth. She collapsed as darkness overtook her and the last words she heard were, “Take her away. And inform Lord Clavus.”
Fateful Night
In his dark hiding space, Livy had yet to come to grips with the spectacle he had seen moments ago. Chiara’s demonstration of her incredible power had stunned him. How did I never even suspect this? he mused. He had known Chiara for almost all of her life and never, in all those years, had he thought that she possessed such a great power. She could talk to birds and animals! That had to be the only explanation for what he had seen. He shuddered again, thinking of how the army of mice had come to Chiara’s rescue.
Livy kept his eyes trained on the crack in the door, not wanting to miss a thing. He had to be ready to seize any opportunity that presented itself. He wasn’t yet sure what he would do, what the opportunity would look like, but he would be ready.
He almost bolted from his hiding spot when he saw a big soldier clamp a dirty cloth over Chiara’s face. Horrified, Livy saw her delicate form crumple. The soldier’s arm around her waist was the only thing that kept her from crashing to the floor. “You’d better not hurt her!” Livy wanted to shout at the soldier.
The man then lifted her up on to his shoulder and walked out. Once again, Livy’s heart was telling him to go and at least try and fight his way out with Chiara. Fortunately, his mind won that argument in the end. He was well aware of the fact that he was no warrior and all the men in the room were seasoned warriors. He would not stand a chance against them and would only end up getting himself caught. Then there’d be no one to help Chiara, or him. So, he kept quiet and still, waiting to see what happened next.
“Go to the House of Savoy and bring me the boy, Livyus, first thing after the sun comes up,” Lord Gregory’s voice boomed through the small cleaning closet that Livy was holed up in. His heart climbed up into his throat. He realized that he had to get out of there before they discovered that he wasn’t home. But he simply couldn’t risk moving until he was sure that absolutely everyone had left the chamber. He silently prayed for their departure to be hastened and continued to sit for long hours in the dark enclosure, not moving a muscle for fear of discovery.
Livy was an academic first and foremost. He knew he would relive this night forever. Not only in his memories, but also in his nightmares. The cold hard truth of the extent of Gregory’s cruelty and treachery was imprinted in his mind.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the light in the chamber shifted to pitch black, signaling the departure of Gregory, his men, and their torches. The dark then slowly faded into the faint light of dawn. All had been quiet for the longest time. Only when Livy felt confident that none was returning to the tablinum did he make his escape. He had to time his departure just right, or the slaves starting their morning chores would spot him. Besides, he needed to be gone long before the sun came up.
Livy moved to get out of the closet and a sharp pain shot through his legs. He sucked in a breath, massaging his legs to get the blood flowing again. His muscles groaned at the movement, having been forced into a crouch in the tiny space for long hours. He forced his tired and locked muscles into action, carefully opened the door a crack, and looked around to ensure that he was, indeed, alone.
Quickly, he moved to the large doors and tested the door handle. It opened easily and soundlessly. Livy poked his head out into the hallway. To his great relief, the hallways seemed deserted too, at this time of the day. The slaves are clearly not up yet, Livy thought to himself as he eased the doors closed gently behind him.
He strode confidently down the hallway toward the staircase leading to the house slaves’ quarters where he knew Aelia and Marcellus had their chambers. He had heard so much about the two from Chiara tha
t he was certain he could trust the older couple to get him out safely.
“Aelia, Lady Chiara has been arrested and put in the dungeon on the east side. Gregory is looking for me,” he told Aelia as soon as she let him into her chambers.
A soft gasp left her trembling lips and her eyes filled up as she whispered, “Oh God! What are we to do now?”
Livy placed a comforting hand on Aelia’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, Aelia. I will help Chiara. But, right now, I need you and Marcellus to help me get out of this villa.”
Aelia quickly wiped her eyes and murmured, “I will help you get out of the villa, Lord Livyus. I cannot help you outside. But we will help you in any way we can to rescue Lady Chiara. We can’t leave her with those monsters, my Lord,” Aelia pleaded.
Livy nodded. “I know you love Chiara, Aelia. We will get her out. But we need to be careful. I will call on you if I need assistance.”
Aelia led him through narrow, dark passageways and just when Livy started to wonder if the old lady had lost her way, they emerge into the gentle rays of the morning sun.
“I will be back later, Aelia,” Livy told her and walked out into the new day, despairing in his heart for Chiara’s future.
***
“Father! It is a disgrace. We must bring Gregory to justice,” Livy cried. He had woken Lord Savoy up as soon as he got home, and they were currently in his tablinum.
“Tell me what happened, son,” Lord Savoy implored. Livy quickly recounted the events of the night before. The cold hard proof of Lord Gregory’s cruelty and treachery was imprinted in his mind.
“I wish I had the parchment with me!” Livy’s hands closed into tight fists as he remembered how Lord Gregory had ripped the parchment from Chiara’s gown.
“I can’t believe I let her live with that monster for so long. We should have insisted that she live with her betrothed, Father,” Livy glared at Lord Savoy.
