The Kingdom

by Bryan M. Litfin

  Stratetix did the math. “That would have been thirty years ago. Your father was still alive then, right?”

  “Yes. He was the Warlord at the time, after coming up through the Fifth Regiment. He fought many battles at King Piair’s side. The first King Piair, I mean.”

  “I don’t think the current King Piair is much of a fighter.”

  “No, but his father certainly was, and my father was his most trusted commander. The king gave him the fine sword that Teofil now carries.”

  “What about this mysterious man you knew?” Stratetix wanted to get back to that subject, though he dreaded what he might hear.

  “I thought I was in love with him.”

  “Okay,” Stratetix said through gritted teeth.

  “He pursued me,” Helena went on. “Truth be told, he tried to seduce me, but I was too young and inexperienced to realize it. At that time my family was living in the Citadel near the royal palace. One day this man caught me alone. He pressured me in the way that men do. Though I resisted him, I won’t lie and say I wasn’t tempted.”

  Stratetix clenched his jaw. Jealousy stirred in his gut, but he suppressed that unbecoming response and motioned for Helena to continue.

  “My father walked in unexpectedly and caught us in a compromising position. I was humiliated even though I had done nothing wrong. But it was much worse for that young captain. He had tried to violate the Warlord’s daughter in his own home. My father’s morals were very traditional. He was outraged. Things nearly came to blows. In the end he had the captain severely flogged, then demoted him to the rank of private with no hope of advancement. Of course that angered everyone in the Second Regiment. There were riots. Men died. For a while there was talk of civil war.”

  “That explains why the men of the Fifth revere Armand but the men of the Second don’t.”

  “Perhaps, although no one remembers the details of those days anymore. It was three decades ago. If rumors still circulate about my involvement, I don’t know what they are.”

  “So what happened next?”

  “The Battle of Toon.”

  “Oh, of course. Your father was killed there.” Every Chiveisian schoolboy knew about that epic battle. It was the last time outsiders had invaded Chiveis. Many soldiers had been lost, but the invasion was repelled in the end.

  “His death shocked me,” Helena said. “He was always so strong, like a rock. Soon after that my mother caught a fever and died. Rosetta had already started her own family by then. I was nineteen years old and all alone.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Queen Katerina provided me a small endowment to live on.”

  “Queen Katerina! You knew her personally? I can’t believe you never told me!”

  “I just wanted to close off that part of my life. But yes, I knew her, though she’s probably forgotten me now. When we lived at the Citadel I used to visit the palace from time to time. I was a precocious teenager, and I struck up a conversation with the queen that led to some regular discussions. We used to speak about religion, though we could never find any good answers.”

  “Just you and the queen, talking back and forth about your beliefs?”

  Helena paused for a moment, then said, “Actually there was one other person.”

  “That army captain?”

  “No!” Helena waved her hands. “Not him. He wasn’t interested in that sort of thing. It was someone else—someone you once knew.”

  Stratetix shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “Master Maurice.”

  “Maurice!” The announcement shocked Stratetix. Master Maurice was the wise university professor who led the house community when Teo and Ana brought the Sacred Writing to Chiveis. The High Priestess killed the elderly Maurice as part of her persecution against the followers of Deu.

  “It’s true,” Helena said. “When you introduced him to me in Vingin, it wasn’t the first time we’d met.”

  “I remember that day. Maurice’s words to you were strange. He said, ‘You of all people will be happy to hear my news.’ It was like he already knew you.”

  Helena laughed lightly. “Yes, he did. He was well aware I was an independent thinker who longed to discover the meaning of life.”

  “And yet you never told me any of this?”

  “I’m truly sorry, love. I wasn’t trying to keep secrets. I felt I had to forget my past so I could build a new life with you. I didn’t want to be the daughter of a war hero. I didn’t want to be the woman who almost caused a civil war between two regiments. I just wanted peace and quiet. I returned to the village where I was born, the farthest settlement on the edge of the frontier. And it was in Edgeton that I met the love of my life. Since I met you, Stratetix, I’ve never wanted anyone else.”

  At those words Stratetix rose from the bed and held out his arms. Helena gratefully allowed herself to be folded into his embrace. He stroked her hair. “I know that was a hard story to tell,” he said.

  Helena rested her head on her husband’s chest. “Do you see now why I’m reluctant to use my name to gain a hearing with the army?”

  “I do understand.” Stratetix separated from his wife and held her by the shoulders, gazing at her face. “Helena, I won’t ask you to do it.”

  “I know. You’re so protective of me.” She sighed deeply and lowered her head, her expression downcast.

  “What’s the matter? I said you don’t have to talk to any soldiers. We’ll just drop it.”

  “No. Even though you might not make that demand of me, there’s someone who would—without hesitation.”

  “Who?”

  Helena didn’t answer. Stratetix stared into her blue-green eyes as he tried to discern her meaning. At last it dawned on him.

  “You’re right,” he said. “She would.”

  The sea churned, the ship rolled, and the frightened sisters cried out in their dismay. Ana was among them, fighting to remain calm. In the dark hold of the Exterminati slave ship, peace was hard to come by.

  The women had been loaded onto a single ship. After their manacles were removed, they were forced below deck. Though the weather was bad and the seas rough, the shamans left the convent immediately. They had struck with lightning speed like a snake. Now the serpent was slithering away. Ana had no idea where the captives were being taken.

  And if I don’t know, how can . . . ?

  Ana knew the exact words that would complete her thought. It was one of the first things that had crossed her mind when she was taken prisoner. Yet it seemed impossible. Teo was far across the ocean. How could he follow her? How could he come to her in her moment of need like he always did?

  Is he even alive? Or was he tormented by the Iron Shield until . . .

  Wincing and shaking her head, Ana rejected what the evil warrior had said. The man was a liar. He would say anything to induce hopelessness. Teo was strong and capable. He would not easily be captured by the likes of the Iron Shield.

  But maybe this time . . .

  No!

  Ana struggled against despair. Help me, Deu! Help me trust in you!

  The hatch to the ship’s hold banged open. Several of the sisters whimpered as a shaft of light flooded the dim space. A shaman descended the steps, club in hand. Several burly thugs followed him, seamen who didn’t have the same occult aura as the shamans, yet were brutes nonetheless.

  “Greetings, ladies,” the leader said in an oily voice. “I trust you are having a pleasant voyage so far.”

  No one responded, so the shaman motioned to some men above deck. A large barrel was lowered into the hold. “Here’s how it’s going to work. Water in the morning, one ladle for each of you. Then water in the evening with some barley porridge. The stuff’s infested with weevils, but you’ll get used to the taste.” The shaman snickered at this last remark.

  Vanita stood up. “Where are we headed? What do you want with us?”

  The shaman approached Vanita, tapping his club in the palm of his hand. “You’re a b
old one,” he said.

  Vanita didn’t back down. “We have a right to know.”

  “Do you?” The shaman spit in Vanita’s face, making her grimace and turn away. “You have no rights! You belong to my master now. The Iron Shield has plans for you—plans for a marriage that is truly horrific.”

  The way the shaman used the word plans jogged Ana’s memory. Holy words rushed to her mind. When she was leaving Chiveis nearly two years ago, Teo had read a passage from the Sacred Writing that Ana claimed as her own: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Eternal One, ‘plans for peace and not misfortune, plans to give you a future and a hope. You will go away. You will pray to me. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Then I will gather you out of the place I have sent you, and bring you back to the place from which I made you go.’” At the time of Ana’s greatest trial, when she was leaving her homeland to venture into the vast Beyond, Deu had comforted her with those words from the prophet Jérémie. Now Ana embraced that promise anew.

  The Exterminati leader ordered his thugs to get on with their task. They opened the barrel and began to spoon water into the sisters’ parched mouths as they crowded around. A cauldron was brought, and the women were given thin gruel in clay bowls. Bits of debris floated among the lumps, but Ana decided she was better off not trying to discern what it was. The women slurped the gruel and scooped out the last bits of moist barley with their fingers. Finally the shaman and his henchmen left. The hatch slammed shut behind them.

  Though no one felt at ease, the food had taken the edge off the women’s fears. A little light came through the gaps in the ship’s planks, giving the hold a desolate and gloomy appearance. Each of the sisters brooded in silence. After a while Vanita stood up again.

  “My friends, we can’t let those evildoers get us down,” she said.

  “What hope do we have?” called a tenuous voice. “We’re helpless here.”

  “You heard that man,” said another sister. “They’re going to force us to marry the shamans!”

  Vanita held up both hands. “Hey! Don’t you remember the lection from last night? You girls sang the reading in your service. Apparently you need to sing it again—and this time sing it like you mean it.” No one responded, so Vanita said, “I’m serious. I want you all to sing it right now.”

  “The housemother used to start us,” said one of the younger nuns.

  Vanita nodded confidently. “I’ll start you this time.”

  A hush descended on the ship’s hold. The only sound was the crash of the waves against the hull. Ana leaned forward. Since she had not attended the evening service, she was curious to hear what scripture passage would be sung.

  Vanita widened her stance as the vessel rolled through the turbulent sea. Ana knew her friend had a beautiful voice, for the art of singing was taught to every Ulmbartian aristocrat. Vanita took a deep breath, then began to chant in high, clear tones.

  “I will awaken over you my good word . . . ”

  Ana’s mouth fell open. Deu!

  “ . . . to bring you back to this place . . . ”

  Tears flooded Ana’s eyes. She shivered as a powerful emotion washed over her, making her weak and strong at the same time. Oh, my Deu . . . thank you! Thank you for speaking to me!

  Emboldened, the sisters began to join Vanita’s sacred hymn. One by one their voices united to form a delicate harmony that echoed around the hold. “For I know the plans I have for you,” they sang, “plans for peace and not misfortune, plans to give you a future and a hope . . . ”

  Ana bowed her head, overcome with awe. She knew the singing of this particular passage was no coincidence. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Though she could not sing aloud, her heart resounded with worship.

  Do not fear, daughter, whispered a serene and mighty voice.

  “I will not fear,” Ana vowed to her God.

  “Halt!”

  Brother Thomas’s knights shouted the order and emerged from the brush outside the convent at Lido di Ostia. Arrows were nocked in their bows. Two startled riders reined up abruptly, their horses snorting and stamping.

  Teo stepped forward and spoke to the knights. “It’s okay, everyone. Put down your weapons. These men are friends.”

  “Teofil!” said one of the riders. “What’s going on here?”

  “A tragedy,” Teo replied in answer to Sol’s question.

  Sol and the Overseer dismounted. “What tragedy?” the Overseer asked.

  “Come and see.”

  Teo led his friends to what was left of the convent. It was dark out now, but the clouds had cleared, and the rising moon illumined the smoldering remains. When the two men saw the devastation they were speechless.

  “It was the Exterminati,” Teo said grimly. “They carried away all the sisters.”

  “What about the housemother?”

  “We found her body. She was mistreated and put to death.”

  “Bring vengeance upon this heinous evil, O Deus,” the Overseer said under his breath.

  “Perhaps through human hands,” Teo agreed.

  “Will you follow them?”

  “In the morning I’ll scout for clues. But there may be nothing to find.”

  “And if not?”

  Frustration blazed in Teo’s heart. He wrinkled his nose and ground his teeth, clenching his fists at his side. It infuriated him to stand still while Ana was endangered. Yet he had to remain here until morning to make a thorough search for clues that might reveal the ship’s destination. And if that’s a dead end, then what?

  “I’ll make inquiries around the harbor,” he told the Overseer. “Perhaps someone along the docks will know where the Exterminati were headed.”

  Sol hung his head. “This is not the joyous occasion we hoped for.”

  Teo turned toward his scholarly friend with the long white hair. “Why are you here, anyway?”

  “Let’s go sit by the fire and I’ll show you.”

  Marco’s crewmen had returned to their ship, but the Knights of the Cross had kindled a campfire on the beach. A cookpot was over the flames. When Teo introduced Brother Thomas to Sol and the Overseer, the two men were fascinated to meet a Knight of the Cross from such a faraway land.

  “We at Roma hoped the brotherhood still existed at Marsay, but we weren’t sure of it,” the Overseer said.

  Brother Thomas turned up the corner of his mouth. “It exists alright, though at times I wonder if it’s in name only.”

  Everyone sat down by the fire and received a bowl of stew. As they ate Teo described his adventures in Marsay and also his journeys to Jineve and Chiveis. The Overseer smiled as he heard the story. “The Papa certainly picked the right man for this daring mission,” he said.

  Mentally Teo disagreed. I should never have gone, he fumed. Then I would have been here to protect Ana!

  Sol laid a leather satchel on the sand. “You asked about our reason for coming here. This is it.” He opened the satchel and brought out a plain wooden box, which he handed to Teo.

  “What is it?”

  “Open it and find out.”

  When Teo raised the lid, his eyes fell upon a marvel: the most beautiful book he had ever seen. The cover was adorned with delicate silver filigree. The words Versio Secunda Chiveisorum surrounded a central panel with an embroidered inset. The scene depicted jagged snow-capped peaks, wooden chalets, and cattle grazing in meadows strewn with the star-shaped flower called ehdelveis. At the top of the embroidery, a graceful turtledove soared in the blue sky.

  “This is Chiveis!” Teo exclaimed. “How did you know how to—” He paused, then glanced at Sol. “Did Anastasia make this?”

  Sol nodded.

  Teo touched the embroidery with his finger. “Has she ever . . . seen it like this?”

  “We planned to deliver the finished book to her today.”

  Swallowing his grief, Teo said, “She will see this book. She will admire its great beauty. We will take it t
o Chiveis. I swear it.”

  Sol put his hand on Teo’s shoulder. “I know.”

  The mood around the campfire grew melancholy as the mist-shrouded moon rose higher in the sky. Eventually the men began to pull blankets over themselves for the night. Teo fell asleep wrapped in his bearskin cloak. It kept out the chill, but not the nightmares that assailed his mind.

  At first light he was awake and casting for signs along the beach. Unfortunately the rain and the tides had erased most of the tracks. Teo walked down the shore a ways until he noticed a deep groove in the sand. A boat’s keel had been dragged onto land. Teo left the beach to inspect the coastal forest.

  Under the trees, the rain that had been his enemy turned to his favor. The ground was wet enough to hold an impression but not so wet that all tracks would be washed away. Teo spotted several partial boot prints and began to follow them through the woods.

  He came to the remains of a camp. Matted grass and broken stems indicated where eight men had slept. Teo surmised it was an advance scouting party. No doubt the Exterminati would have sent men ahead to learn the convent’s daily routine and its vulnerable points of entry. In all likelihood they had sent stealthy shamans inside the building at night to ascertain the floor plan. Good assault tactics would demand such reconnaissance.

  As Teo surveyed the enemy camp, a glint in the underbrush caught his attention. He crossed the clearing and knelt down. A clear bottle lay in the dirt, its glass clean enough to prove it hadn’t been there long. Some of the bottle’s contents remained at the bottom—a liquid so bright and yellow it was almost chartreuse. Teo’s heart began to beat faster.

  If that’s what I think it is . . .

  Tipping the bottle, he let a droplet fall on his finger then raised it to his tongue. The taste was sweet and lemony, and the liqueur was highly alcoholic.