Oathtaker

by Patricia Reding

  “What? Why? I don’t understand.”

  “Look,” Erin said, “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, but you’re not safe here.” She looked at the infant in her arms.

  The woman pulled her child closer. “Why am I not safe here?”

  “Well actually, you might be, but your child is in grave danger.”

  She shuddered. “Why?”

  “Lilith told the soldiers that if the imposter child is not delivered to her, she will . . .”

  “What? She will what?”

  “She will kill all the infant girls.”

  Swaying, the woman’s mouth dropped open. “Are you sure?”

  “I heard her myself!”

  The woman looked around the edge of the building. The city was awakening. A man walked down the street. A carriage rode by.

  “You have to find a place of safety!” Erin cried.

  “When is she coming?”

  “She’s starting her ceremony at midday.”

  “Here,” the woman sheathed her knife, “come.” She grasped Erin’s arm.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To see an Oathtaker I know. He may know what to do. If what you say is true, we have to warn others.”

  Erin quickened her step.

  “Lilith wants people to bring their children to her in the town square. She’ll look for the child there. If she doesn’t find her, the soldiers will slaughter the others. Then they’ll search the city, house-by-house.”

  “Hurry. We need to find Ted.”

  “Ted?”

  “The Oathtaker I mentioned.”

  “Will I be safe there?”

  “As safe as anywhere in this city.”

  Erin sighed in relief. “Oh thank you! Thank you, ahhh . . . What’s your name?”

  “I’m Hattie. And you are?”

  “Erin.”

  “Let’s go, Erin.”

  “Bless you!” she cried.

  “Bless you. Now hurry, Erin. Hurry!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Hattie and Erin’s rambling through the streets became both more conspicuous and somehow less so as the city came to life. As they rushed past, people caught glimpses of their shawls carried in the breeze behind them, of Erin’s mangled feet, and of Hattie’s distressed countenance.

  Nearly an hour later, they arrived at the Oathtakers’ mission home, just as the sun made its way fully over the eastern horizon.

  Hattie knocked, not loudly, but insistently: rap rap rap, pause, rap rap rap, pause, rap rap—

  The door opened. Faith stood inside, her eyes glowering at her unexpected guests. “What’s the meaning of this ruckus? You beat upon the door as though death itself was chasing you!”

  “It is!” Hattie exclaimed. “Faith, don’t you recognize me?” She was panting. Portions of her long gray-streaked hair had escaped their confines. Although the morning was cool, her brow was moist from her exertions. She had her arm around Erin, who grimaced in pain.

  Faith squinted. By her fussy hair, it appeared their knocking had awakened her. “Hattie, is that you?”

  “Yes! Faith, quickly, where’s Ted?”

  “Come. Come in! What’s this all about? And who’s this with you?” Faith turned her attention to Erin, her eyes narrowed. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”

  Erin shook her head. “No.”

  “Come in. Come in.”

  “Faith, where’s Ted? This is an emergency!” Hattie cried.

  Faith gestured for her guests to enter. They stepped over sandals and toys on their way. “Sit down,” she urged. “Ted likes to get an early start. I expect him shortly. What’s this all about?”

  “Oh, Faith, have you heard? Lilith is coming to Polesk today.”

  “Yes, Ted and I talked about this last night. He was concerned because of our last run-in with her. He left last night to look into some things. He says the Select are bound by certain rules and—”

  “Your last run in?” Hattie interrupted.

  “Yes, just recently. Lilith arrived at sanctuary and insisted a dear friend of Ted’s return with her to the palace. The next thing we heard, she planned to take him to the City of Light for a hearing. But the fliers and criers had it all wrong.”

  “You mean Dixon Townsend?”

  “Yes. Do you know Dixon?”

  “No.” The stray strands of Hattie’s hair fluttered about her head. “I read in the fliers about him, and the claims about what he’d done.”

  “Yes, well, don’t believe everything you read.”

  “Trust me, I don’t.”

  Hattie glanced at Claire, then back up. “Faith, I have to see Ted right away.”

  As though on cue, the front door opened and Ted entered.

  Hattie rose to meet him.

  “Hattie,” he asked, smiling, “is that you?” He approached, then turned down the blanket covering Claire’s face. “She’s a beauty. But what are you doing here? And so early? Why it’s barely daybreak.”

  “Ted, it’s good to see you. I just wish it were under better circumstances. Oh Ted, we have a problem!”

  He looked carefully at her, then at Erin. He cocked his head. “Do I know you, young woman?”

  “No.”

  “Ted, this is Erin. Erin, Ted.” Hattie covered Claire back up, then sat back down.

  Erin hadn’t moved. Dried blood surrounded the cracks and cuts on her feet. Scratches from brambles she’d forced her way through along the roadside covered her legs. The tabby cat jumped into her lap and rubbed itself against her hands and face, begging for attention.

  “Look at your feet!” Faith exclaimed. “Why, they’re all bloody and torn! What happened?”

  Erin looked down. “I’m fine, thank you. There are more pressing matters.”

  Ted sat near Hattie. “What’s going on?”

  “Erin, tell them what you told me.”

  “About Lilith?”

  “What about Lilith?” Ted asked.

  Hattie sat forward in her chair. “Erin was a slave to Zarek’s men. Some of them are coming here with Lilith.” She turned to Erin. “Tell him. Tell him what you told me,” she repeated.

  “I escaped their camp last night and ran to the city. I found Hattie this morning. She said we should come to you for help.”

  “I don’t understand,” Ted said.

  “You will in a minute.” Hattie breathed in short gasps. “Tell him, Erin. Tell him why Lilith is coming to Polesk.”

  Erin told of how Zarek’s men met up with Lilith at the palace and about how Lilith had spoken to the troops. “I couldn’t believe my ears!” She closed her eyes and put her hands over them.

  “What?” Ted asked. “The fliers say she’s coming to offer some sort of blessing to the children of Polesk. Mind you, I’ve never heard of such a thing, but—”

  “No,” Erin cried, “she’s not coming to bless them! She’s coming to kill them!”

  Ted sprang to his feet. “What?”

  “So you see, Ted,” Hattie interrupted, “I’ve got to get out of the city. I have to get Claire to safety. But I had to be sure you knew so that you could warn the people of Polesk.”

  “What did she tell her men?” Ted asked, his question pointed at Erin.

  The young woman relayed everything she knew.

  “Imposter child?” Faith interrupted. “I don’t understand.”

  “She said someone is trying to pass a child off as a seventh seventh and that she’ll do what she must to find the infant. She told the men how to identify her, and offered a great reward for her. She swore she’d kill all the infants in Oosa to get to her if necessary.”

  Faith’s eyes met Ted’s. They nodded at one another.

  “What?” Hattie asked, looking from one of them to the other. “What do you know about this? My Claire is in danger. You have to tell me!”

  “We’ll do what we can, Hattie,” Ted said. “Believe me, I’ve been looking into the problem of Lilith already. Something’s not
right with her. I believe she turned from the Good One. If what Erin says is true, then it’s clear she no longer follows His ways.”

  “But an imposter! How could someone put all the children in danger for an imposter? Ted, if you know something, you have to speak up!”

  “No, Hattie, I couldn’t do anything that would put any child in danger. You know that. You wouldn’t either. But I can tell you this much: The child Lilith seeks is no imposter.”

  “You mean there is such a child? A seventh seventh?”

  Ted sat. “Rowena Vala’s seventh born.”

  “Rowena’s child? How do you know? Who told you? When—”

  “Calm down,” he interrupted. “I’ve seen her. She’s real. She is what they claim.”

  “Oh!” Hattie sprang to her feet. “I have to get out of Polesk right away!”

  “But Hattie, I’ve been thinking. I’m not sure there’s anywhere for you to go,” Erin said.

  “What are you talking about? I can’t stay here where Claire is in danger.”

  “Lilith said that Polesk is just her first stop because it was the place she thinks the child was last seen. She plans to cover all of Oosa if need be.”

  “Oh, great Ehyeh!” Faith exclaimed.

  “Ted, what do I do?” Hattie asked.

  Faith exited the room.

  “Hattie,” Ted said after a moment of silent contemplation, “I’ve been concerned about Lilith for some time now—since she was here last. If she’s doing as Erin says, she’s working against Ehyeh’s interests. A Select who does so is one to whom we owe no duty.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “The archives tell of past instances when members of the Select acted in ways that put Oosa’s people in danger. You might say they were negligent. In other circumstances, worse circumstances, they knowingly acted against the interests of the people, or of others of the Select. Such acts are criminal. According to ancient writings, when a Select acts criminally, she removes herself from Ehyeh’s protection.”

  “But what does that mean for us? For Claire?”

  Faith returned with a basin of water, then got down on her knees and put Erin’s feet in it. The young woman leaned back and closed her eyes.

  “This sanctuary at Polesk is unique,” Ted continued. “Ancient writings tell us that it was constructed with the magic of Oathtakers. It was intended to be a place of safety at all times and for all people. I believe Lilith didn’t plan for her ceremony to be held at this sanctuary because she knows she can’t do what she plans there.”

  “You mean the children will be safe at sanctuary?”

  “If there’s a safe place in all of Oosa, I believe that sanctuary here is it.”

  “Are you sure? What if she does go there?” Hattie brushed hair away from her face.

  Ted got up for his shoulder bag. He rummaged inside of it, finally removing a small weathered book.

  “What’s that?” Faith asked, looking up from her ministrations.

  Ted sat next to Hattie. “The libraries at sanctuary are some of the oldest and most complete in all of Oosa. I’ve spent a great deal of time studying what’s there. One of the resources I’ve gone back to repeatedly over the years, is a study of the written accounts of divinations, vaticinations and prognostications.”

  “You mean—prophecies?” Hattie asked.

  “Well,” he tipped his head right, then left, “yes, in part. Sometimes they are prophecies—tellings of things to come. A true prophecy must come to pass, at least eventually. Sometimes they’re merely forecasts or predictions of what might occur, or of the effect some event might have if it does occur. Sometimes they’re explanations or insights into things past or present and how those events may touch upon things for the future.”

  “What’s this got to do with Lilith, Ted? We need to act quickly.”

  “I’m getting there.” He leaned in. “This little book,” he said as he patted it, “is one I’ve referred to again and again over the years. I never dreamed my years of study would be so important one day.” The small red leather book fit in his palm. Its cover was cracked and dry, making a design that looked like veins on the back of a hand. Its corners were curled.

  “What is it?”

  “Perhaps the most important book in the entire library.”

  Faith turned from her task. “What is it Ted? Something’s troubling you.”

  “You might say that.”

  “So what’s the book, Ted?” Hattie asked.

  “This,” he said, waving the book with each turn of his wrist, “is The Book of The Blood.”

  Ted turned the aged pages absentmindedly. He ran his hands across them as though reading them by touch. “The Book of the Blood reiterates the most important history of Oosa, the Select, and of the Oathtakers. It also includes the most critical prophecies about Oosa’s future. I believe it speaks directly of events currently unfolding.”

  “What does it say?” Hattie asked.

  “What do you know of our history?”

  “Not much, I’m afraid.”

  He nodded. “That seems to be the way of things these days, and this book shows some of the dangers that can come of that.”

  He proceeded to tell the others that the history of the earth was one full of slavery, viciousness and cruelty of man to man, and of how, when the people turned from Ehyeh and His decrees, chaos reigned. He told of the origins of the Select and of the Oathtakers and how they left their former lands of oppression and moved to Oosa.

  “Upon arriving in Oosa, Ehyeh chose a leader for the people: Patience. She was a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Ehyeh granted her magic to help her to lead. He also set forth the means by which that power would pass to the person who would rule after her.

  “The Good One provided decrees telling how the people should live. These He inscribed into a crown, a sword, and a scepter. He gave them to Patience to use and to hand down. The three great artifacts serve as evidence of His hand on Oosa and its people.

  “Upon the sword Ehyeh inscribed the truths of life and the living. A man was not to take the life of another, except to protect himself or others, or to punish one who’d wrongfully taken someone’s life. In other words, murder is wrong, but not every taking of life is murder. One may take the life of another when acting in self-defense or to protect others, sometimes even on a large scale, such as in the form of warfare.

  “Upon the crown He inscribed decrees regarding the fair governance of the people. They are to be free to pursue their own ways and dreams, the fruits of their labor belong to them and no one else, they may speak as they choose, and they may follow Ehyeh or not, as they choose.

  “Finally, upon the scepter, Ehyeh provided the principles of fairness for those in authority. They are never to use power simply because they are able, but only when necessary. The leader is always to consider what the people want, but recognize that granting something to the many, could harm the few.”

  Ted paused, collecting his thoughts. “Anyway, back to Patience. At the Good One’s direction, Patience established protocol regarding the responsibilities of the first through the seventh born of the Select. These were to be the means by which the Select would participate in overseeing the interests of the community.

  “Patience’s line lives to this day. It is the line of the first family. Before the ranking member dies, he may release his power to his offspring. If he does, that line will lead Oosa. If he does not, the position of leader will be determined by going back to that ranking member’s next older sibling and his or her line.” He paused to take a breath.

  “So Rowena was the ranking member of the first family. If she released her power before she died, the rank would fall to her children,” Hattie said.

  “That’s right.”

  “And did she release her power?”

  “She did.”

  “Thank goodness.” Hattie rubbed her head in thought. “But wait. If she released her power and something happened to her last bo
rn, wouldn’t it still remain with her other children? Wouldn’t the power go to Rowena’s next older child?”

  “Yes,” Ted said, “unless . . .”

  “Unless?” Faith asked.

  “Unless the entire line is cut off.”

  “How could that be?”

  “Listen to this.” Ted shuffled through and then read from The Book of the Blood. “‘Should the life of a Select be cut off by the blade of a living Oathtaker, neither that Select, nor anyone in his direct line, shall ever rule.’” He shook his head. “It seems Ehyeh intended to insure that an unworthy Select would not be the ranking member, or that if that ever occurred, his or her progeny could not carry that taint forward.”

  “I don’t understand,” Faith said.

  “Well, an Oathtaker may only use his blade against a member of the Select in the course of protecting his charge. Such an event could only happen if the line of that Select was tainted somehow and so, that line would be cut off from any possible future rule.”

  “So if someone killed Rowena’s last born with an Oathtaker’s blade, that line would be cut off,” Faith ventured.

  “That’s right,” Ted affirmed.

  “Otherwise, the rank would remain with Rowena’s children’s line.”

  “Yes,” Ted said, “unless the ranking member was the last of Rowena’s children and had no progeny, or she did not release her power to her children.”

  “So if Lilith takes the life of Rowena’s youngest, she’d still have to take the lives of Rowena’s other children before the power would revert to her,” Hattie said.

  “Yes. Again, unless the life of the current ranking member—in this case Rowena’s child,” Ted said as he glanced meaningfully at Faith, “is taken with the blade of an Oathtaker.

  “You see, Rowena’s child is the rightful heir, but at this time, has no progeny of her own. For now, her ‘line’ consists of her, and her siblings. Once she has progeny, her siblings will no longer be in the direct line of rule. They would only be in the direct line again if that child and all her progeny died without children of their own, or if that child died without releasing her power to her children.