by ich du
She was called to stand in front of the judges, and rose from her chair, head held proud as she stared down her accusers. She would show them the type of woman she was. She was not some fishwife to be battered and bullied into submission. She wasn't some loose-tongued gossiper or immoral harlot. She felt confidence flow through her as she strode in front of the statue. Bending to one knee, she made her oath.
'I swear by the blood in my veins and the love of the Lord Sigmar that my testimony shall be the truth.' she said before standing up.
This time Brother Theobald spoke first, though every previous examination had been pretty much carried out by Marius.
'Tell the court of the particulars of our first encounter.' the priest said.
'Just over two years ago, I was travelling north, thinking perhaps to seek a living in Bechafen.' she said, shifting her gaze equally between the attentive eyes of the three judges. 'It was a stormy night, the skies themselves wept and lightning ripped the clouds.'
'Spare us the theatrical prose, Fraulein Schek.' snapped the magistrate. 'Just tell us the facts.'
'The first night I was here, there was a great storm.' continued Ursula. 'I knocked on the doors of several houses, wet to my skin, and asked for shelter, but none was offered. I worked my way up the Sigmarstrasse until I reached this very church. The doors were open and I let myself in and slept the night at the foot of Sigmar himself. In the morning, Brother Theobald arrived as is his duty and found me there.'
'And tell us what happened next.' Fenster said.
'The revered brother asked who I was and how I came to be here.' Ursula answered. 'I told him that I had spent many years wandering and I hoped that I might make a home for myself here. He said that there were enough poor folk in the town and I should move on.'
'And what was your reply to that?' Brother Theobald asked. 'Why did you ignore my good advice?'
'I know that priests are sworn to uphold the rights of the needy and offer succour to those who ask for it.' Ursula answered, and she saw a faint glimmer of a smile quiver on Marius's lips for a moment.
'And since then?' pressed Fenster.
'Since then I have tried all that I can to find employment in this town and yet the people snub me and until imprisoned I still relied upon the charity of Holy Sigmar.' Ursula turned an accusing look towards the crowds pressing in through the shrine's doors, receiving a chorus of whistles and hisses in return.
'So people have been suspicious of you ever since you arrived,' asked Marius, hoping to steer the conversation to more profitable ground.
'Yes,' Ursula said. 'The prejudice of this town is greater than any other I have encountered, and I have met many prejudiced people in my life.'
Snarls and catcalls echoed from the gathered townsfolk at this statement, until the chief usher was shouting for quiet.
'And what is the basis for this suspicion?' asked Marius when some semblance of order had been restored.
'There is no basis for it,' said Ursula. 'I have tried to find employment, I have prayed every day, and I have tried my best to live alongside my neighbours in peace.'
'And what of your relationship with the knight Kurt Leitzig?' asked Brother Theobald. 'Do you not concede that it is odd that a fine man who has lived in this town for several years, during which he has shown no sign of seeking a relationship with a woman, decides within a month of your arrival to seek your hand in marriage?'
'The ways of the heart can be odd.' admitted Ursula. 'You would have to ask Kurt about his feelings.'
'Enough of this.' said Fenster. 'What do you say of the accusations levelled against you?'
'I cannot answer that until the accusations are made clearer.' Ursula replied.
'Clearer?' the magistrate retorted. 'You have been accused of communing with evil spirits. We have testimony that you perform unholy rituals, both in this shrine and during your period of incarceration. Did you or did you not bewitch this young man?' 'I admit that I killed rats whilst in prison.' said Ursula. 'I did it to earn the money to pay for soap and a brush to clean the prison shrine, and to buy candles to light there. I broke their necks, that is true, but I never drank their blood nor made any sacrifice of them. The idea is abhorrent. I would never foul a sacred place with such blasphemous behaviour. I did not use sorcery on Kurt, that is equally disgusting.'
'Abhorrent indeed.' agreed Brother Theobald with a glance at Fenster. 'But what of the voices it is said that you hear.'
Ursula did not reply straight away, choosing her words carefully.
'I do not commune with evil spirits.' she said.
'Remember that you have sworn an oath to Sigmar to tell the truth.' Theobald continued. 'In light of that, do you also swear that the tales we have heard of voices that speak to you are untrue?'
'I swear by Sigmar that I do not participate in any evil or unholy practice.' Ursula replied evenly.
'Answer the question, woman.' snapped Fenster. 'Do you, or do you not hear voices that others cannot?'
Ursula hesitated and her heart palpitated wildly. She looked at the statue of Sigmar again, at his serene face, and remembered her oath.
'Sigmar protects and guides me.' she said. Marius glanced in alarm at Ruprecht.
'What does that mean?' he asked with a frown.
'I hear the voice of Sigmar.' replied Ursula, and the shrine erupted into pandemonium.
CHAPTER NINE
Conspiracy
Badenhof, Winter early 1709
MARIUS STARED IN disbelief at Ursula as the two of them sat in a secluded antechamber of the shrine, while outside his men combined forces with the watch to drive out the mob who had piled in through the doors following Ursula's simple statement.
Mastering his anger, he stood up and started to pace back and forth across the small room, looking at the faded mosaics of the triumphs of Sigmar that adorned the floor.
'I'm sorry.' Ursula said. 'He asked me a direct question and I had sworn not to lie. What else was I to do?'
'You did not mention this in our conversation at the gaol, or at any other time.' Marius replied heavily. 'You've played straight into their hands, you realise that? You have played me for a fool as well, it seems.'
'I have faith that Sigmar will see me prevail over my enemies.' Ursula said. 'I did not mention it because there is nothing wrong with it. Believe me, I knew this would happen, that I would end up on trial if this came out, but I am not evil. It is Sigmar who talks to me, nothing else!'
'Well, you'll need a bloody miracle now,' said Ruprecht, pushing through the doorway. 'The church has been emptied. You're to remain under guard here, Marius has to go to the town hall to speak to the burgomeister and the guildmaster. One of our men is here as well, for your protection.'
'Say nothing to anyone,' warned Marius. 'Pray if you like, but say nothing to anyone else.'
'I will pray,' Ursula said with a nod.
With a last glance, Marius closed the door behind him before stalking out of the shrine. Outside the mob was still in full voice, shouting derisive comments at him and Ruprecht as Marius's men literally beat a path through the crowd. A wagon was waiting for them by the shrine's main gates and they jumped aboard as a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
'Does it seem odd to you that the town councillors, particularly the burgomeister, have failed to attend such an important trial,' Marius said to Ruprecht as the drivers whipped the horses into a canter that had the cart bouncing and swaying over the uneven stones of the road.
'Aye, I smell something for sure,' agreed Ruprecht, pulling his hood up to ward off the growing rain. Marius did not notice the worsening weather, so lost was he in his dark thoughts. Neither of them said any more as the wagon clattered along the Sigmarstrasse to the central square.
Leaping off in front of the town hall, the pair found a small detachment of the watch awaiting them. The five men guided them through the huge oak doors into a reception hall beyond, lit by a massive chandelier that hung from a ceiling covered in p
eeling gold leaf. Down a corridor they were led, into the bowels of the council chambers, until they were brought before the burgomeister himself. He was seated behind a low desk ornamented with all manner of strange artefacts. There was a bird skull on one corner with a sheaf of papers in its mouth; at the other end was a three-pronged candelabra, which spat cheap wax onto the wooden surface. A dried toad used as a paperweight squatted next to a bone-handled letter knife, and behind the clutter sat the flabby figure of Burgomeister Koln. His black velvet jacket was haphazardly buttoned across the huge expanse of his stomach, failing to conceal a food-stained red shirt. Crumbs littered his lap, and as the two entered, he was chewing on a rind of pork, his jaws working monotonously like a cow chewing cud. Behind and to one side stood Kirche, the skeletal guildmaster. The two were an incongruous pair, and to Marius it looked as if Koln had somehow sucked all the fat from the guildmaster and added it to his own bulk.
'This is the witch hunter,' announced Kirche, glowering at Marius.
'Ah, of course it is,' Koln said as he leaned forward with a huffing breath and offered a podgy hand in welcome. 'It is a shame that we could not have met earlier under more pleasant circumstances.'
'And what are the unpleasant circumstances?' asked Marius, ignoring the burgomeister's offer of greeting.
'Shall we cut to the chase, as the hunters say?' the burgomeister said, leaning back with a wheeze, his smile replaced by a shrewd look. 'We all know that you are here to spy for agents of the elector count of Ostland.'
'What?' sputtered Ruprecht. 'Spies? Us?'
Marius waved him to be quiet before turning his full stare on Koln. He was distracted when a scratching at the open doorway heralded the arrival of a fat black rat. It hobbled quickly into the room, bounded lopsidedly onto the desk and then into the burgomeister's lap. In its right front paw, it clasped a small scroll.
'What in Sigmar's name?' exclaimed Marius, stepping back in horror.
'Oh, this is just Ranuld,' Koln said, stroking the rat's balding head. 'They're very clever, you know, smarter than dogs by my reckoning. He runs little errands for me, that's all.'
'Tread carefully, Herr Koln,' Marius whispered, trying to regain his composure. 'I think that there are two men in this room who would not appreciate careful scrutiny of their business and affairs.'
'Are you threatening us, van Diesl?' snorted Kirche, stepping out from behind the chair to stand directly in front of the witch hunter. His neck craned down like a stork to look into Marius's face. In turn, the witch hunter had to look up at an awkward angle.
'It is not a threat.' the witch hunter said. 'You can try all you like to smother what you are doing behind this trial, but if you are behind the woes of this town, you will be punished for it.'
'You should leave before I call for a guard.' snapped Kirche.
'Now, now.' interjected the burgomeister. 'Herr van Diesl is merely carrying out his vocation, so leave him be. On your part, my good witch hunter, your efforts to protect the interests of my town and its people are remarkable, but this antagonism has got to stop.'
'Antagonism?' Marius asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
'The people want to see the girl strung up or burnt.' Koln continued lazily. 'Just give them what they want and things will quieten down. If it wasn't for the meddling of that idiot Fenster, this would have been sorted out without any bother at all.'
'You want me to sacrifice an innocent girl to that mob out there?' spat Marius, pushing past Kirche and leaning over the desk. 'What makes you so sure their bloodthirst won't turn on someone else if we feed it?'
'Oh, rest assured that once the girl is dealt with the town's problems will all be solved.' Kirche replied. 'You won't be needed here any longer and you would do well not to stretch the hospitality with which Badenhof has welcomed you.'
'The trial will be conducted fairly and a true verdict reached.' declared Marius. 'I'll not kill an innocent.'
'Are you so sure that you haven't done so already?' asked Kirche. 'I mean, I have heard a lot about you these recent days. You are a busy man. Over three hundred executions you have presided over, not to mention the amount of blood spilt by your own hand in so-called battle.'
Without a word, Marius stormed out, Ruprecht trailing in his wake. The pair of them waited until they were escorted to the wagon and on their way back to their lodgings before saying anything.
'Treacherous... Lying...' Marius was so angry he could not speak for several more minutes, and Ruprecht stayed silent as the witch hunter fumed. With visible effort, Marius calmed himself, took a deep breath and then looked at his companion with a shake of his head.
'By Ulric's fangs, what was that about?' asked Ruprecht, confident that the clatter of horses' hooves and the grinding of the poorly oiled axle masked their words from the driver.
'I'm not sure, but I think it was a threat,' said Marius, scratching at his cheek. 'An empty one at that.'
'People with power like they have don't tend to make empty threats,' Ruprecht pointed out. 'They can cause serious trouble for us.'
'They won't,' Marius assured his friend. 'I even think perhaps they're panicking. Whatever scheme it is they're up to, they're scared I'll find out. Ever since we got here, it has been one wild chase after another. We've been facing misdirection, interference, incitement by the watch, no support for our investigations, rabble-rousing, and stalling. The very fact that it's come down to a personal confrontation means that they're losing confidence. All this time I've been worried about the time I've wasted, but actually, they've played it all wrong. They're used to manipulating the guilds and townsfolk, and getting their way with the local council, but I've turned up as an unknown element and it's thrown them. All this time, they've been getting more and more worried and desperate. Keep a close eye on them, they may do something stupid.'
With a nod, Ruprecht jumped from the back of the wagon and began to walk back up the road towards the town hall.
THE NEXT MORNING, the crowd outside the shrine was larger than before and the mood was tense and angry. Marius barged his way into the church amidst shouted accusations. Threats were called out, and he was only kept from harm by the presence of ten of his men armed with cudgels and the sword hanging from his belt. Ruprecht was waiting for him on the steps.
'So, what of Koln and Kirche?' Marius asked, striding up the steps two at a time. 'What have they been up to?'
'Nothing outside the town hall, as far as I know,' Ruprecht told him. 'I stayed the whole night and had three men out the back as well, and they didn't come out during the night.'
'So where are they now?' asked Marius.
'Well, that's the thing, isn't it?' said Ruprecht, leading Marius to the door and pointing inside. The two town leaders were sat to one side of the temporary court, talking to Theobald and Fenster.
'We got here just before you,' Ruprecht added as the two walked inside. As they entered, Fenster looked up and grimaced in their direction before he and Brother Theobald took their places behind the main table.
'Watch them like a hawk,' Marius told Ruprecht.
'Be careful,' warned Ruprecht. 'There's scores of guildsmen outside. They haven't been here before.'
'Kirche might be planning something. Make sure the men are ready if need be,' said Marius before leaving his second-in-command and sitting down beside his fellow judges.
It took a while to get the proceedings started, but eventually Ursula was brought out of the antechamber to stand before the judges and at her appearance, the crowd broke into raucous shouting and chanting for her to burn. Ursula steadfastly ignored the mob and stood quietly, waiting for the questions to start again. Marius stood and leaned forward on the table, about to begin, when Guildmaster Kirche interrupted.
'If I may make a small interjection before matters progress,' he said, walking forward.
'What can we do for you, guildmaster?' asked Fenster.
'I was reviewing the records of the trial last night, and a small but import
ant detail seems to have been overlooked,' Kirche continued.
'A detail?' said Marius.
'Well, it seems we have denied a certain right to the accused.' Kirche turned and looked at Ursula as he spoke. 'Under the laws of the church of Sigmar, the defendant may, if she wishes, forego a judgement of the court in favour of a higher power.'
'I don't follow you,' said Marius, searching Kirche's face for some sign of what the guildmaster intended. 'What is this higher power you speak of? Perhaps the court of the count in Bechafen?'
'Oh, much higher than that.' replied Kirche, pointing towards the statue dominating the shrine. 'I refer to great Sigmar himself.'
'And how might an individual do such a thing?' asked Marius. In reply, Kirche simply looked at Brother Theobald, who gave an almost imperceptible nod before standing up and addressing the gathered people.
'It is written in the book of Sigmar's life that he once proved his strength by holding back two horses.' said the priest. 'Any man, or in this case woman, who can truly call upon the strength of Sigmar should be able to repeat the feat.'
'You expect Ursula to be able to hold back a pair of horses by herself!' Marius retorted.
'Indeed, there are several precedents of such a trial by strength being undertaken by members of the faithful community.' Theobald said. 'The defendant is tied to the two horses and if they can hold them in place for the turning of a minute-glass they are deemed innocent.'
'And at what point may the defendant opt for this trial by strength?' asked Marius, looking towards Ursula, who was listening attentively to the exchange.
'Well.' replied Kirche. 'Strictly speaking, she should have taken the trial before proceedings began. After all, we would not wish this to be used as some kind of trick to avoid the judgement of the court once the details of the presented evidence had become known. However, I think we can perhaps be flexible in this case, considering that it was bad form not to inform Fraulein Schek and the court at the outset.'
