The Sword

by Bryan M. Litfin

  The carriage passed through the Citadel’s main gate and crossed the causeway over the moat. However, instead of following the central thoroughfare into Entrelac, the driver turned onto a side road that skirted the town and avoided the crowds. Teo noticed several catapults had been rolled into place along the way, though the route wasn’t along the kingdom’s defensive lines. He shrugged and dismissed the thought.

  At last the coliseum’s imposing bulk came into view through the carriage window. The crowds were starting to converge on it now that the appointed time for the duel was less than an hour away. Teo’s heartbeat quickened, and he couldn’t stop tapping his fingers on his thighs. He knew his jittery sensation was partly caused by the heightened tension accompanying the big event, but he also realized he was excited to see Ana again. It had been five weeks since she had been torn from his side in the prison cell. He wondered how she had fared since that day. Certainly she would know the High Priestess’s spies were watching her, so she wouldn’t have risked a visit to Obirhorn Lake. Teo hoped Rosetta and Lina had been able to comfort Ana during the long weeks of waiting.

  Teo’s mind went back to that day in the cell when Ana had been led away. He had been relieved to see her go. The last thing he wanted was for her to remain imprisoned in the harsh dungeon. Teo pictured Ana’s face as the Vulkainian guards dragged her out the door. Those blue-green eyes of hers had been wide with anguish and sorrow. And anything else? She had met his eyes at the last moment, crying, “I love you!” as the door slammed shut. Teo considered those words. Ana had never expressed any romantic interest in him, so he doubted she meant that kind of love. At the same time, he understood that she possessed a tender affection for him. Their many adventures had bonded them in ways he couldn’t fully comprehend. Teo had no words to express what Ana meant to him, or he to her. A close friend? A sister? Yes—an innocent and familial kind of love. He decided that must be right.

  The carriage came to a halt. One of the guards opened the door. Teo stepped into the brilliant sunshine and was led down a staircase into the belly of the coliseum.

  As Ana waited beneath the coliseum, a squad of Vulkainians barged into the room, leading another man. She craned her neck to see who it was. Teo! He looked strong and self-assured in his guardsman’s uniform. Her confidence surged.

  “Wait here until you receive further instructions,” the sergeant ordered gruffly. The Vulkainians left the room, closing the door behind them.

  Ana ran to Teo and embraced him. “Teo! How are you? Have you recovered? I prayed for you every day!” She looked him up and down. He seemed to have fared well in the dungeon. His uniform was clean, and he carried himself with his usual poise.

  “I’m okay,” he said, holding her by the waist. “They didn’t torture me any more. What about you? Are you alright?”

  “Aunt Rosetta took good care of me. But it was so hard to wait! I couldn’t stand the thought of you in prison all this time. And I miss my parents so much! And also . . . Maurice.” Her lower lip trembled, and she squeezed her eyes shut, covering her mouth with her palm. Ana felt Teo’s comforting hand on the back of her head.

  “I know, Ana. This is all so hard. But listen to me.” She looked up into Teo’s gray eyes. “We can’t despair. It isn’t time for mourning right now. It’s time to make good on Maurice’s testimony. Today Deu comes to Chiveis!”

  At those words, Ana’s heart leaped in her chest. Though she couldn’t pinpoint the feeling, she experienced a deep sense of reassurance and joy. Teo—the same tall, handsome man she had come to admire so much over the past year—smiled down at her. Yet behind his smile, she sensed something different in him.

  “You’ve changed,” she said.

  “I’ve been changed.”

  Ana didn’t have a ready reply, so she just stood there, beaming at Teo. He caught the moment, laughing as he returned her gaze.

  Abruptly the door to the room opened, and the archpriest of Vulkain marched in with his retinue. His sour demeanor sucked all the joy from the room. “I’ve come to inform you of the rules,” he said. “The duel will begin shortly.”

  “We’re ready for it.” Teo’s tone was defiant.

  The archpriest haughtily smoothed the folds of his bleached robe. A large piece of brimstone dangled from his neck in a golden medallion. “You’re ready, are you?” A sneer contorted his face. “There are tournaments you can win, Captain Teofil, and those you cannot.”

  Teo remained silent.

  “Here, then, are the rules. Two large altars made of dry wood have been erected on the floor above us. Each party will be allowed to use its chosen talismans—whatever you deem useful for winning your god’s favor. You may also address the crowd as you see fit. Your words will be proclaimed to the people by heralds in their midst. One bull will be sacrificed on each altar. Each party will touch its bull with a piece of burning wood. The sacrifice that blazes into mighty flame is the victor. Her Eminence will go first. She will say her incantations and call upon the power of Astrebril. Then you may take your turn, in the futile hope that your god can kindle a fire.” The Vulkainian guards guffawed.

  Teo approached the archpriest and stared him in the eye. “Our God kindled the fire of the sun! Deu is the All-Creator. Everything in the world belongs to him. You’ll soon see his power!”

  Ana went to the corner of the room and retrieved the Sacred Writing of Deu from her rucksack. She held up the ancient book. “We choose this for our so-called talisman. These are the words of our God.”

  “So be it. And you are also to have this.” The archpriest beckoned toward one of his retainers. A Vulkainian stepped forward and unfolded a cloth-wrapped bundle. The sword of Armand gleamed in the torchlight. Teo grasped it by the scabbard and took it to himself.

  “Her Eminence will destroy you at your strongest,” the archpriest said scornfully. “Your trinkets won’t be enough.”

  “The living God is more than enough.”

  “We shall see.” The archpriest spun toward the door, followed by his men. “You will be summoned in a moment,” he said over his shoulder as he exited.

  Ana came to Teo’s side, tilting her head and looking up at him. “You were bold,” she said.

  “‘If an army encamps against me, my heart will not fear. If war is raised against me, I will be confident in spite of it.’”

  “That’s Deu’s hymn!”

  Teo grinned. “Yeah. It kind of sticks with you when it’s all you have to read for five weeks.”

  Ana took Teo’s hands in hers. “Pray for us,” she said.

  “I’m just learning, you know. I’m not eloquent.”

  “Deu won’t mind. I don’t mind.”

  Teo nodded. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and offered a heartfelt petition for Deu’s power to descend in their moment of need. As he prayed through the words of Hymn 27, Ana felt Deu’s presence come to her. “Yes, come to Chiveis,” she whispered. Come today!

  Teo and Ana had just finished praying when a messenger arrived for them. They followed him down a hallway to a trapdoor hanging from the low ceiling. The trapdoor formed a ramp to the level above. Sunlight streamed through the opening, and the roar of the crowd reverberated in the tight passageway. Teo and Ana ascended the ramp and emerged onto the arena floor. The trapdoor slammed shut behind them. Ana squinted against the glare. Two altars had been erected in the middle of the sandy oval, and between them sat the royal throne. The crowd’s mood was more raucous than Ana would have predicted. The people were hungry to be entertained by spectacles.

  Trumpets sounded from a gateway, announcing the arrival of King Piair. He rode up on his stallion and gazed down from the saddle with a benign expression. The king’s gray beard was well manicured, and he wore a richly embroidered robe. Teo and Ana bowed to him.

  “Lift your head, warrior! And you, daughter of the realm, raise your eyes! You have the chance to prove yourselves today! If your god is worthy, he will let us know.”

  “He is worthy, Yo
ur Majesty,” Ana said.

  King Piair turned his horse and looked up at the crowd. Heralds with megaphones were stationed a short distance away, while others stood along the aisles of the coliseum’s seats. The king raised his scepter, and the crowd held its breath in expectation.

  “People of Chiveis, I greet you! Today two gods will clash—Astrebril and Deu!” The heralds relayed the words, and the crowd cheered. The mention of Astrebril’s name brought more cheering than Deu’s. Not for long, Ana thought.

  “My son, Piair the Second, is wise,” the king continued. “He has given his father good counsel. Chiveis should serve the strongest god! Today I make this solemn vow: I pledge to serve the god who wins. My people, do you agree?” He raised his arms, and the people shouted their assent.

  A large trapdoor in the arena floor fell open with a thud, creating a ramp to the rooms below. The eunuch priests of Astrebril led up a pair of bulls by rings in their noses. King Piair reared on his horse and raised his fist in the air. “To Chiveis!” he cried. The crowd went wild. He dismounted and assumed his place on the royal throne.

  Another gate opened at the far end of the coliseum. The High Priestess entered, driving a chariot drawn by a shaggy bison. Her golden robe glinted in the sunlight, and she stood straight and tall, holding the reins like an immovable statue. Ana sensed the awe that fell upon the crowd at the impressive sight.

  The High Priestess stopped at one of the wooden altars. She beckoned a priest with a haughty wave of her hand. He led one of the bulls up a ramp on the side of the altar. Two other eunuchs followed him, one carrying a sledgehammer, the other a knife. Standing on top of the altar, the muscular priest with the hammer brought it around in a wide arc.

  Crack!

  The glossy black bull fell to its knees, stunned by the blow to its skull. Swiftly the priest with the knife grabbed the bull’s nostrils and yanked its head back to expose its throat. The knife sliced deep. A crimson cascade gushed onto the wood of the altar. Ana winced at the sight.

  The High Priestess mounted the altar as her priests scurried away like cockroaches in the presence of the sun. She stood over the slain bull, victorious and triumphant. Bending down, she cupped red blood in her palms and lifted it high. Her head was thrown back, and her long black hair dangled over her shoulders. Reverent murmurs swept through the watching audience. Ana shook her head. Deu, open their eyes! Let them see!

  Suddenly, on the rim of the coliseum, a bright light flashed. Something had caught the sun’s glare and was reflecting it into the crowd. Ana stared at it, trying to make out what it was. A man was there, directing the beam. It flitted across the seats, and wherever it touched, the people recoiled.

  “Teo, what is it?”

  He stood beside her with his arm around her shoulders. “It’s the Mirror of Astrebril.”

  “The one the Ancients left in the temple on the summit? I never believed it actually existed.”

  “I didn’t either. But then, I never believed the temple existed until I went there.”

  “Everybody’s afraid of it. See how they avoid the light?”

  Teo swatted his hand in the air. “It’s all just a charade! The High Priestess is putting on a big show. She’s playing the people for fools!”

  “We know that, but they don’t. They need to hear the truth.”

  “They will.”

  The light beam slid across the arena floor and came to rest on the altar. The High Priestess stood still, holding her bloody hands to the sky. The mirror illuminated her in its brilliant ray like a golden goddess from another world.

  Quietly all the heralds began to chant, “Astrebril! Astrebril! Astrebril!”

  The crowd caught the emotion and joined in. “Astrebril! Astrebril! Astrebril!”

  A flaming wand was brought to the High Priestess. She descended halfway down the altar and took it from the eunuch. Turning toward the great bull, she tossed the fire onto the wood and hurried to the arena floor. The bull’s carcass gleamed in the reflected sunbeam.

  The wand burned low. It sputtered. Something flared up, and then—whoosh! A mighty blaze burst from the altar in a cloud of white smoke. The crowd gasped in collective amazement. Flames licked the altar, and the bull was engulfed in fire.

  “It’s the powder!” Ana cried. “It’s trickery!” Teo pounded his fist in his palm.

  Throughout the coliseum, people began pointing to the sky, trying to catch something falling from above. Others were reaching under their seats. A few small objects dropped into the sand near Ana. She picked one up—a steel coin. “Teo, look! Money!”

  He frowned. “Astrebril has no power! This is bribery! There are catapults outside throwing coins!”

  “But the people love it—look at them!” They were scrambling everywhere, fighting for the god’s riches.

  The High Priestess strode to the center of the arena and raised her scepter heavenward. The light from the Mirror of Astrebril followed her every move. “Servants of the Beautiful One!” she boomed. The heralds echoed her words across the stands, and the people grew still.

  “Today you have seen power! Today you have seen glory! Today you have received bounty! Do you need any god but Astrebril?” The crowd didn’t reply. Again the High Priestess asked her question. “What do you say?” she demanded. “Do you want Deu or Astrebril?”

  The chanting burst from the crowd again, but this time it wasn’t prompted by the heralds. It welled up from the people spontaneously: “Astrebril! Astrebril! Astrebril!”

  The High Priestess stood in her sunbeam and raised her hands for silence. “The followers of Deu will come forward now. They claim to have mighty weapons. They claim their god has power. Let them do their best! If their god can make flame, serve him. But I warn you, Astrebril is not pleased. He curses the name of Deu. His wrath is great. People of Chiveis, serve only Astrebril or be judged!” The mood of the crowd reached a fever pitch when they heard these terrible words.

  “Ana, we have to pray against this.” Teo huddled with her on the arena floor and said a quick prayer to Deu. Ana gripped his sleeve and murmured her assent to Teo’s urgent words.

  Now the remaining bull was led to the second altar. The man with the sledgehammer followed it, but the priest with the knife did not. A figure emerged from the rooms below the coliseum, wearing the gown and collar of a priestess of Astrebril. In her hand she held a sacrificial knife. Her hair was flame-red. The crowd roared its approval.

  Habiloho ascended the altar. Adoration rained down on her from the stands, and she stood still, receiving its overwhelming force. Ana could feel the crowd’s fickle love striving to possess the beautiful woman. It wasn’t tender affection they felt for her—it was selfish and ravenous desire.

  “She’s frightened,” Teo said.

  Ana looked more closely. He was right. The princess wasn’t enjoying the moment as Ana would have expected. Habiloho’s face was laden with apprehension.

  The hammer fell with a heavy thud, and the bull bellowed its dying breath as its knees buckled. Habiloho straddled the beast and grabbed the ring in its nose. Her hand trembled. The knife fell from her grasp. The eunuch with the sledgehammer snatched it and slit the bull’s throat. A satisfied groan gushed from the crowd.

  Teo and Ana exchanged glances. It was time.

  Teo took the Sacred Writing from Ana and walked to the middle of the arena floor. King Piair watched him from his elevated throne, though the High Priestess was nowhere to be seen. Deliberately, Teo turned the pages of the ancient book, then raised his eyes to the crowd and spoke. “Citizens of Chiveis, I greet you in the name of Deu!”

  A few jeers came from the stands, but most of the audience remained quiet, waiting to hear what Teo had to say. He adopted the staccato way of speaking that allowed the heralds to repeat his words. “I come with the Book of the one true God!” he cried. “Hear the word of Deu: ‘The Eternal One is great, and very worthy of praise! He is fearsome beyond all the gods. For the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Eternal One made the heavens!’” Holding the Sacred Writing in his hand, Teo lifted his other palm toward the crowd. “Today, my people, I come with truth! Listen to me! You need to know—the magic of Astrebril is deception and tricks!” More jeers accompanied this assertion, but Teo went on undaunted. “His fire isn’t from heaven. I’ve seen it myself! It’s a human device, an earthly powder! Not divine!”

  The people showed their disapproval with boos and hisses. “Blasphemy!” someone shouted, and others joined the accusation. Though Teo tried to explain more about the powder, the shouting crowd drowned him out. Ana bowed her head; she had seen this before.

  Teo returned to Ana’s side, handing her the Sacred Writing. He shook his head in disgust. “Reasoning with them won’t work. They don’t want to hear the truth. They’re only swayed by dramatic displays of power.”

  “Deu is powerful! Let’s give him the chance to reveal himself.” Ana removed a burning stick from a brazier. “We’ve been waiting for this day, Teo. Go now! Go in Deu’s strength.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Teo took the stick from her and turned toward the altar.

  Habiloho and the priests stood at the altar’s base. As Teo began to ascend the ramp, he paused to speak with the princess. His action didn’t anger Ana or make her jealous. She could see he was speaking about Deu. Teo’s demeanor toward Habiloho was warm and caring. His words obviously made an impact. The princess closed her eyes and nodded silently.

  Climbing to the top of the altar, Teo stood over the bull, holding the piece of kindling. With his other hand, he drew his sword from its scabbard and lifted it high, brandishing it over his head in the sunshine. “Behold the sword of Armand! This sword has fought many battles! It is a strong and noble weapon! A symbol of strength!”

  Teo, what are you doing? Ana cringed at his words, but the crowd seemed to like it.