Ruthless and Deadly

by ML BINELLI

  "Yes, yes. Go in peace, do not worry. I do not plan to stay long."

  Arlindo left, Joshua filled a mug with wine and offered it to Torres.

  "So, what type of merchandise do you seek? Females, males, children?"

  Torres accepted the mug and took a sip, while the merchant filled another.

  "I need three or four males, but they must have one characteristic in common."

  Joshua offered a chair to the archbishop who sat down in front of his table. Joshua served him more wine and sat down in front of him.

  "And what characteristic would that be?"

  "They must be well endowed."

  Joshua who was drinking from the mug at that moment spluttered and choked on the wine, ending with a coughing fit.

  "Forgive me sir but you caught me off guard. I do not judge others but you do not strike me as a sodomite, if you pardon my frankness!"

  The archbishop went red with rage. How can this filth dare to accuse him of such? He ran his hands through his hair and breathed in deeply trying to keep his voice steady so as not to show the man his anger.

  "They are not for me, do not mistake me for scum. They will provide a service to me. As a matter of fact, I don't even want to buy them but simply to rent them for a few days. Is this possible?" He placed his hands in his robes and removed a purse full of gold coins, which he placed on the table.

  "Is this enough?"

  Joshua opened the bag and gasped.

  "Sir, this is enough money to buy all my inventory. If it is what you wish, I can serve you!"

  "Can I see your merchandise now?"

  Joshua rose from his chair. He was not expecting to make such a profit on such a dismal morning. He grabbed the purse and placed it in one of his drawers.

  "This way, please. We are going to the slave house. I have a lot that will interest you, for sure! I also have a surprise that is exactly what I think you want."

  When they reached the house, the smell was unbearable. Torres covered his nose with a handkerchief to filter out the pestilence of the place. The men were crammed in and chained. Some were sick and others were frightened. Others gazed straight ahead as if they were someplace else.

  There was excrement everywhere. The smell of shit and urine along with the smell of the men's sweat created a mixture of odors that was simply unbearable to Torres, who was used to perfume.

  "Come here, sir. You haven't told me your name. What is it?"

  "It is Elijah," lied Torres. It was the name that came to his mind at the spur of the moment.

  "Look at this one here. This is the surprise I wanted to show you."

  A man was brought forward. He was the size of a ten-year-old boy but his face confirmed his true age. Torres had never seen anybody quite like him.

  "He is very strange. But why would he interest me? I am looking for strong men, with the characteristics I spoke of."

  "Yes, but look at this. Stand up!" ordered Joshua. The man did not understand and then Joshua pulled his arm and made a gesture for him to lower his trousers.

  "My, my, what is that?" The archbishop was surprised by the size of the slave's member. It was the length of his forearm and thick as his fist.

  "If it is like this relaxed, what is it like hard?"

  "I have no idea, sir Elijah and frankly, I don't want to know! What do you say?"

  "Yes, yes, perfect for what I have in mind. I think I may even keep him."

  "Your wish is an order. Now, let's look at the stronger ones."

  Three large, black men of uncommon size were chosen... with members of uncommon size also.

  "Let's go Mr. Joshua, I can't stand being here any longer! This is enough."

  When they left the area, Torres took a deep breath of the sea air which seemed like perfume to him now.

  "My Lord, we only notice the value of things when they are taken from us. What wonderful air!"

  "To me, it doesn't make a difference. I have worked with this for years. The bad smell doesn't bother me anymore."

  "So, are we all set? Do you want to take them now?"

  "No, no. Can you deliver them tomorrow? At the home of archbishop Arlindo? I am staying there."

  "As you wish. If you really don't want to keep them, send them back when they have finished the task."

  Arlindo walked through a narrow, almost empty street and peered into a store. Through the window he saw the person he was looking for serving an old woman and her companion. He continued walking and turned the first street to the right. He tethered his horse and walked towards the store. Keeping a safe distance, he waited for the customers to finish shopping, pay and leave.

  He opened the door. The bell tinkled. The clerk had his back to him and was returning a few pots to their proper places in the cupboard. When he finally turned, the pot he was holding fell from his hands and smashed on the ground. He walked towards the front of the store, closed the curtain and locked the door. He turned to the archbishop.

  "What can I help you with, your Excellency?" he said with a heavy heart. He was not expecting nor wanted this visit.

  "How are you, Cabaco?”

  "I was better before you arrived. What are you looking for this time?"

  "Can we talk in your office?"

  The man shuddered and, reluctantly, opened the door to the back end of the store. The archbishop went through and Cabaco followed him, head hanging low. He had an idea of the service that the archbishop wanted him to do.

  Cabaco was now a New Christian, that is, an old Jew. He didn't know how Arlindo had found out he had changed his name to keep him from being persecuted as a Jew. He was tired, he had left his family in Italy and moved to Portugal using a false name. Arlindo since the first time he had entered the small store, had been ordering poisons to rid himself of his enemies and his competitors. This was how he had reached the position of archbishop. A man with no morals or character. "A scoundrel" thought Cabaco. But he couldn't keep from giving him what he wanted because the archbishop had the power to destroy him. A wife that had no idea of his past and a son who was about to get married were more than good enough reasons for Cabaco to put aside his convictions and bury himself even deeper in his deception.

  "I need your services. I need something that will make someone sick slowly until death takes them but, as usual, it cannot raise suspicions.”

  Cabaco sighed. This was the third killing he had been asked to do. His debt with Jehovah was becoming greater.

  "How do you plan to give it? Do you want the person to die a painful death?"

  "No, no. Something that will make the person ill with no recovery. But it must also have an antidote."

  "Why? Are you afraid you'll regret it?"

  "No. But in order to avoid suspicion, I plan to poison myself also. If I have the same symptoms, nobody will suspect me. I don't plan to die early. Do you have anything that can be used this way? I will be in danger, inside a wolf’s lair. I can't risk them suspecting me or else I'll be finished."

  "Well, archbishop. If you are close to the victim, the ideal is arsenic. It causes vomiting and diarrhea. It may be mistaken for cholera."

  "And how should it be taken?"

  "For the person to sicken slowly, it must also be taken slowly. Here, take this. It can be put in any food or even in wine."

  "But how much do I give?"

  Cabaco opened a drawer and removed a tiny spoon.

  "Use this. Half at a time. It does not have to be daily, once a week is enough."

  "And what about me? How much do I take?"

  "The same amount, but take it only twice. It is enough. You should become ill at the same time but one week after the fourth dose, when your victim is close to death and you too, give him another dose, but not for you."

  Cabaco opened the drawer and removed an ampule.

  "Take this in one go. It will clean your insides of the arsenic."

  "Really? How long will it take?"

  "In one or two days you will be fine."


  "So, blue ampule, arsenic, white ampule, antidote."

  "That's right! Don't mix them up or else you'll be seeing your maker sooner than you think."

  Arlindo stood up.

  "Thank you Cabaco."

  Cabaco opened the door and accompanied him to the front of the store. Checking to see if there were no witnesses on the street, he said good bye to Arlindo. He closed the door and returned to his office.

  "Rotten lowlife. When he takes the Belladona concoction, he will convulse and become mentally confused. He won't be able to do anything against me in that state, especially with the arsenic in his body. After the convulsions, it is good bye for him. I should have thought of this before. At least by sending this fiend to hell, I have done the world a favor and diminished my debt with God.”

  25. Prison

  On the appointed day, everything went as planned. Arlindo came to the meeting as if he knew nothing. His face and body, however, dripped with sweat. He looked like a walking ink-blotter because of all the stains on his clothing.

  After the meeting began, the door of the lodge was broken down and Torres' guards arrested everyone, taking them all by cart to the prisons of the inquisition.

  The lodge’s pillars were knocked down and everything inside was destroyed. Lastly, they set fire to the structure, not without first collecting a few pieces of evidence. When the house went up in flames, people began to crowd around to watch the spectacle: fire, destruction and arrests.

  In the prison, located in the Estaus Palace on the northern side of the Terreiro do Rossio, they spent the night in mourning. There was no way out. What could they expect from their current situation other than torture and death? There was nothing to do, except pray and wait for the worst.

  The news of what had happened reached the families, who in desperation sought out the archbishop of Lisbon. When they arrived at his house, they were informed that he too was among those detained. They then had no one to run to and, in desperation, went back to their homes.

  On the following day, the prisoners were introduced to the rack and the extender. They were shown the instruments of torture to break their spirits. Most confessed right then and there for their 'crimes' and signed the confessions. Since they had all been caught red handed, there was no possible defense for them. But they were not spared from the torture - this was the penitence for their heretic acts.

  On the second day, they were taken to the rack - an iron brace was placed around their necks, iron rings around their foot and eight ropes were fitted through holes in the scaffold. At a signal by the inquisitors, the torturers pulled and tightened the ropes. The ropes dug into the flesh until they reached bone and blood poured out. The torture was repeated until the victim lost consciousness.

  Three weeks later, they were taken to the extender - ropes pulled like a tourniquet forced the wrists to come together at the back. It was not uncommon for the shoulders to dislocate causing intense pain.

  Both archbishops were present at these sessions. It had already been announced that Arlindo was a spy of the church placed amongst them and he had been set free. Upon Torres' request, he accompanied him everywhere. The eyes of his former companions burned into his skin.

  The night before the Auto de Fé (Act of Faith - ritual of public penance by condemned heretics and apostates during the inquisition), Leonardo was taken again to the torture chamber. But this time it was different. Instead of the usual torture devices, there stood a bed in the middle of the room and instead of the master inquisitor, his two assistants and the torturers, there stood four huge black slaves and a much smaller one. They were all naked. Archbishop Torres was sitting on a chair placed on a wooden base in front of the bed.

  "What do you want with me, wretch? I have already given my confession!" screamed Leonardo while he was being undressed by the men and tied to the bed.

  "Me, a wretch? No, I am the instrument of God, placed here by him and with the right to get revenge for the person you have abused since she was a small child."

  "Who are you talking about, you Devil?"

  "Of that one which you should have respected as your daughter. From the one who had to suffer humiliation and abuse by you, you monster. Tie this animal's mouth! I want him to feel the suffering he caused her!"

  The men gagged Leonardo, who fought back but it was useless. Torres then took from his chest pocket, under his robes, the reliquary. He removed from it Barbara's letter and read it aloud.

  Leonardo could not believe what he was hearing. Could Torres have gone mad? How could he think that he would do anything like that to the woman he loved, despite having raised her as his daughter in everyone else's eyes. He tried to scream, but couldn't. The only sound that came from his mouth were grunts.

  At the end of the reading, Torres raised the letter to Leonardo's eyes while he screamed, but his attention was drawn to the writing which became clearer to him. It looked like her writing, her signature too. He then realized what he had been trying so hard to deny - her hatred for him. A tear rolled down his cheek for having loved and lost her, for thinking she felt the same for him, but how could she? Now everything was very clear to him. It was also clear that her soul was tarnished and dissimulated. She was capable of unthinkable evil. She took advantage of his plan to save her, seduced the stupid archbishop with false promises of love and managed to run from both taking his fortune with her. He felt like a fly caught in a spider's web. Now all he had was to wait for the archbishop to pick at his bones. If he knew that Barbara was hiding on one of the ships at the port, what would he do? Would he tell Torres so he could get his own back?

  "So you do not remember the crimes you committed against this child. Your attempts to separate us were successful but the revenge for the torment you inflicted on Barbara will be felt now! Start and take your time!"

  One of the men whipped his back while the others took turns sodomizing him. They had placed a mattress against the door to keep the other prisoners from hearing his screams.

  The dwarf took him so forcefully that he had blood dripping from his back side. When Leonardo finally came to, he was alone covered in blood. He heard the door closing behind him and Torres' laughter. He spent the night trembling with cold and enduring the pain of the penetrations. He was only to be taken back to his miserable companions in the morning.

  Morning finally came. Every step he took was torture. He groaned as he walked. His fellow prisoners came to his aid. They gave him water for his parched throat. He fell in a heap in a corner, moving as little as possible. No one asked him what had happened or even wanted to know. They simply prayed so they would be spared from such fate.

  After a time, Teodoro and Alicio approached Leonardo.

  "That wretched archbishop. How could we have known that he was only with us to hand us over to the inquisitors? How many favors I did for him, how much merchandise I gave him in good faith for being one of us. Damn traitor!"

  "No, Teodoro. I know what happened. Everything we have been through is Barbara's fault!"

  "What? Why sir? What do you mean?" said Alicio.

  "He showed me a letter signed by her. She is to blame for our predicament! We must swear, all three of us, that if one of us survives, it will be to seek revenge for us all. Damn bitch! If I had known she would be the bringer of such dishonor, I would have killed her in her crib! Damn ingrate..."

  "But why? Why would she do such a thing?" asked Teodoro.

  "So she is responsible for the death of my father, the destruction of my home, of my life! May God allow me to get revenge on her," said Alicio trying to close his hands into fists but finding that his wounds wouldn't allow it and he had no strength in his arms. Barbara now had another enemy.

  Leonardo thought for a moment. Why? Because he had taken her while she was still a child? He remembered seeing her look of hate but he had underestimated the degree of it. After all, he was even thinking of marrying her and treating her like a queen. What a fool. And what about Jonas? Could he have helped
her? She would not have been able to pull this off without someone's help.

  "When she was younger, she tried to run away with a young boy, a neighboring peasant who had fallen for her. I didn't allow it. Since then she has hated me," lied Leonardo. He could not reveal the sins of the flesh that he had committed against her. No one would understand.

  "I believe you are all paying for the actions of a good father, who tried to keep her away from bad influences that could offer nothing to her. Forgive me, brothers! You should not be here! It is my fault!"

  "Could Vidal have helped her?" Alicio's thought was asked out loud.

  "It is possible!" said Teodoro. "Maybe he was seduced by her or by her money. She is carrying your fortune, isn't she, Leonardo?"

  "Yes, a large part of it. The other part was taken from me at your house, Teodoro. It is probably being spent on prostitutes by the archbishop. If I could get a hold of his throat, I'd rip it out with my teeth."

  "I can't believe Vidal is in on it!" said Alicio. "We are like brothers!"

  "Yes, but neither him nor her, even if they are working together, could have known that this hellish archbishop would capture me along with all of you. He most certainly is looking to favor himself in the eyes of the Pope," said Leonardo.

  "Well, one thing is certain, they are out of our reach," added Teodoro.

  "Alicio, Vidal may be dead. I forced her into the marriage. If she can get rid of him, she will certainly do it. How I was blind with this woman. She has a pact with the devil."

  "What about Jonas? Do you really not trust him?" asked Teodoro.

  "It was he who brought the letter that made me arrive well before the ship. Think Teodoro, you handed him the letter. I know now that it must have been altered to make me walk right into the trap. Wretched man. I always treated him like a brother!"

  "Maybe they are lovers! They may be," said Alicio.

  Leonardo smiled.

  "No, no. Jonas is a sodomite. He has always been one. And I have always kept his secret but not anymore!"