Reborn: Demons Return

by D. W. Jackson

  Ash felt slightly rushed to reach the church but he couldn’t bring himself to pull her away from the children. As he watched young woman near nineteen years of age walked over to where he was standing watching Tina run around. “IS that your wife?” The woman asked with a handsome smile as she looked at one of the small children who was currently clutching at the hem of Tina’s dress.

  “Yes,” Ash nodded without taking his eyes off Tina.

  “You should be careful,” the woman said softly. “The count himself is a good man but his son…” she said her voice trailing off. “She is really beautiful is all I am saying.”

  The woman didn’t have to explain anymore to him. Nobles were all kinds but there was a lot of them that abused their powers and if they did not their kids did. Honor and nobility was a thing that nobles were supposed to exude but that was rarely the case. Fearing that the same thing would happen again as it did with the duke Ash walked over to wear Tina was playing around and pulled her away. “We need to go to the church,” Ash said a little more forcefully than he intended.

  “That hurt,” Tina said pulling away but her pouting look stopped when she noticed his worried look. “What’s wrong?”

  “Another foolish noble and I would prefer not to go through another fight,” Ash said honestly hoping that Tina wouldn’t demand that he kill the man like she had the duke.

  “Then we better head to the church,” Tina said with a downhearted sigh. The children tried to keep them for a bit but a few of their parents started calling for them to stop and soon the couple was left alone to go to the church which was located at the other end of the village.

  Just as Tina had said the church was a small one. It looked more like a large stone house through it had the tell-tell hoe and scathe carved on the door leading inside.

  Pushing open the worn door Ash found a woman in her late forties to early fifties sitting in a chair in front of a group of six young men and women in their early teens. Ash and Tina didn’t interrupt the woman who was currently teaching and waited patiently for her to finish her work. After a about a half hour of waiting the woman closed the book and dismissed her students before looking toward Ash and Tina. “How can the light of Altina help you today?”

  Tina stepped forward just as Ash was about to speak and bowed her head. “Priestess my husband works for the goddess in her most hated but needed tasks. During such a task one of the kings dukes took notice of him, which has led to us being hunted down. We have come to the goddess house in search of help and succour in our time of need.”

  The priestess looked first to Tina then to Ash before nodding her head. “The work of the reapers is one that is often unpleasant but without weeding the land it would be overgrown with weeds that would choke out which is needed for the land to survive. How may we be of assistance child of Altina?”

  “We need to get to Relar in order to board a ship,” Ash said firmly.

  “Relar is not far but to a place such as this neither is it close, but there is a large church there that we send for supplies one to two times a year. It is a little early for our routine trip but if you can wait five days I can arrange a small wagon and group to take you there in safety. None of the kings men would dare to search what is owned by the church and while not comfortable a week would see you to your destination in safety. While you wait your wife can take the garb of a priestess and you may take that of a worker and her husband, as I doubt anyone would mark you as a priest.”

  “That will be fine priestess,” Tina said with a bow. Five days was a little longer than he wanted to delay but as long as it went as the woman had said they would still arrive in Relar with nearly eight days to spare before the ship was supposed to depart.

  “We would be forever appreciative of your and the goddesses help,” Ash said bowing beside Tina.

  The old priestess just waved her hand and had Tina follow her into the back of the church. They returned a short time later with Tina wearing the light green robes of a priestess. It wasn’t like the gossamer dress she had worn when she had first appeared in front of Ash but it seemed to suit her far more than the tan dress that she had been wearing the past two days. Seeing Ash staring at her Tina twirled around and giggled. “How do I look?”

  “Like my goddess,” Ash said as he enjoyed the look.

  “We don’t have much work for you to do,” the priestess said with a warm hearted smile. “Most the villagers are followers so their donations keep us in most the things that we need. If it wasn’t for holy oil, and wine for ceremonies we would never have to visit the larger towns. As for work…Let’s see Tina you can work with the younger children and visit the villagers. You said you can use a bit of healing so they would appreciate your visits and those old bones of mine don’t move around as easily as they used too. As for you young man…I guess you would be best put to work helping some of the farmers. Old Bill’s boy died last year and he has been having a hard go at it lately. I will show you where later.”

  Ash and Tina both nodded their heads in agreement but Tina was far more than pleased with her work. She was a natural with children and Ash knew that she would make a great mother in the future. After everything was settled the priestess whose name turned out to be Linda led them to a small room in the bad of the church where they could stay for the next few days.

  After that Tina went back outside and started playing with the children again while introducing herself to the villagers. Ash also wasn’t standing still Linda took him to a farm not far from the church that was situated to the south-east of town. There Ash was introduced to Bill the forty year old farmer who worked the land. The man only had one son who had died the previous year due to an unexpected illness and since then had to work the land alone. His plot wasn’t that big but doing it alone was not easy so he welcomed the help. As he started weeding the west section of the field Ash didn’t have to worry about Tina since she was now posing as a priestess. Priestesses were allowed to get married at least the ones belonging to Altina. The church here was not as strong as it was back home but Ash doubted that even the nobles here would try to force a priestess to do anything untoward.

  After a hard day of work Ash and Tina were seated at a rough warn table at the back of the church. Unlike the bigger churches that had central gardens the one in the village had not been built with one so they ate in the back garden on good days and inside on bad ones. The church had two resident priestesses one was the old woman while the other was a twelve year old apprentice priestess who was an orphan of the village. She was a nice girl and spent most the day running errands for the farmers and watching the smallest children while the parents were busy. The young girl, Karen was a sweet thing but didn’t seem to like Ash much and when it came time to eat squeezed in-between Ash and Tina. She would give Tina an angelic smile while giving Ash one that looked like she had swallowed a mouth full of salt-water.

  Ash didn’t mind much, and Tina seemed to adore the young girl. The meal was simple fare but compared to what Tina had been feeding him it was a feast fit for a king. Little was said during the meal beside Karen nattering on at Tina about everything that happened…Ever.

  After the meal even though Karen protested Tina followed Ash back to their room. Ash told Tina about Bill and his farm and the work he had done while she told him about the different families in the village and the small ones they had. Every time she talked about a child her face would light up and it seemed as if she had known each of them since their birth. Giving who she was she might just have.

  “You will make a fine mother,” Ash said after she had finished talking about a red-haired girl who had the cutest freckles according to her.

  Tina looked at him with a warm smile. “I hope,” Tina said her voice echoing softly in the small room. “It is hard for us to have children, but it happens time to time.”

  “All we can do is try,” Ash said pulling Tina into his arms. “And even if you don’t have one I am sure there will be plenty of others running
around for you to dote on. Wrapping her arms tightly around Ash Tina kissed him but didn’t reply.

  The next day passed quickly and quietly and Ash was starting to think that their time in the small farming village would pass without incident but trouble found them on their third day in the village. It was a rainy day so Ash didn’t need to work and had stayed inside but Tina had went out like usual to check on the different families, not to mention she loved the rain, since I brought life to world as she put it. The trouble started slightly past noon when a well-dressed young man in his early twenties and an older man in his middle thirties arrived at the church. Ash stayed in the back watching as the old priestesses answered the door and invited the pair inside.

  “To what do we owe the pleasure of the young lord’s visit,” the priestess asked as soon as the pair were seated.

  “We have come in order to seek an engagement with one of the priestesses of your church so that the house of count Hollward and the church of Altina may be joined in a closer union,” the older of the two said pompously.

  “Karen is a bit young for marriage, and we don’t have any others around fit for marriage,” the old priestess said with pursed lips. “We might be able to call one such from another church but that will take time and there is no telling if the young lord would take a liking to her. A marriage not joined in harmony would be against the tenets of my goddess.”

  “Not young Karen,” the man said his face going slightly red. “The young women we are talking about it near her twenties if not already in them. The young lord saw her late the day before and took a liking to her. I am sure that if she is presented,” the man started saying when priestess cut him off.

  “I am sorry the young lady in question has already found another to tend to her soul. She has been wed for more than two years.”

  “He is at most a commoner,” the counts son said with disdain. “I can offer her a life of luxury. She will divorce the lout once she learns of my offer,” he added with assuredness seeped into his voice as if any other choice was beyond belief.

  “She should be returning shortly and you can ask your question to her then and under the roof of the goddess,” Linda said in a tone that would broker no argument.

  The three sat in silence as Ash watched them from his hidden spot in the next room. Just as Linda had said just under an hour later Tina returned for her trip. Taking off her cloak she hung it up to dry before greeting Linda and the guests. As Tina started to leave after her initial greeting Linda called out to her.

  “Tina dear these young men had a question for you,” Linda said in a flat voice.

  On cue the two men stood up and the older man bowed. “My dear lady the young lord first son of Count Hollward and future count of these lands have come to see your hand in marriage,” the man said with regal tone and heavy words.

  “Sorry I am already married,” Tina said shaking her head before turning to leave again.

  “Wait,” the counts son nearly shouted. “I will be the future count, can you husband say the same. I can give you everything you want and more.”

  “Can you?” Tina asked her voice dripping with venom. “I wish to love the man who holds me at night, and you I do not and could never love.”

  “How dare you,” the older man said stepping forward to slap Tina. Before his hand reached half the distance Ash was already standing in front of him with the point of his sword resting just under the man’s throat.

  “It is a crime to threaten a noble, his family, or the men who work directly for him,” the counts son said his face turning red in anger.

  “And what is it to strike a married woman who belongs to the cloth in a church when she refuses to warm your bed?” Ash asked his voice laced with the anger bubbling up from his chest.

  “I think it would be best should all of us take a step back,” Linda offered as the voice of reason.

  Ash removed the sword tip from the man’s throat and stepped back so that he was standing beside Tina. Ash could tell that the counts son wanted to say more but he held his tongue and with a flourish he turned and left the church followed closely behind by the older man.

  “That could have gone better,” Linda said with a shake of her head. “Though honestly it could have gone worse as well.”

  “Do you think that it will cause trouble?” Ash asked not wanting to go on the run again so soon.

  “A little but nothing serious,” Linda said after a few seconds. “The counts son was in the wrong and for the most part the count is an honorable man, though his wife and child could grow up a bit. Honestly it is hard to say but I don’t think much will happen.”

  14-3

  Early the next morning after the meeting with the counts son a group of ten knights arrived in front of the church. Ash, Tina, and Linda stood in front of the church to see what the men wanted. Ash was ready to fight which was evident in his stance and the look in his eyes while Linda was ready to talk. Tina seemed to be happy with whatever happened.

  “You have been charged with assaulting the nobility and the count hereby declares that you are to be brought in front of him to be judged,” the knight at the front said loudly. “Lay down your arms and surrender.”

  The knight was obviously speaking about Ash and didn’t seem to care about the others. After thinking for a bit Ash nodded his head. “I will come with you willingly.” Ash handed his sword to Linda and started to walk toward the knights when they brought out a set of iron shackles making him take a step back. “I will go with you but if you think to tie me in iron I would much rather fight.”

  “Put them away,” the knight captain said. “He has agreed to come and laid down his sword.”

  “I will come as well,” Linda said as she returned from placing the sword in the church.

  “As will I,” Tina said standing right beside Ash.

  “The count does not require the presence of priestess for him to carry out his duty of judging the accused,” the knight captain said coldly.

  “The offence if that is what you call it happened in the presence of both of us. Would you take a man to the gallows and forget the oath you have taken before king and country. If that is your stand and that of your count the king will hear of it from the church and if that doesn’t work the churches knights who take their oats far more seriously,” Linda said her words firm and rebuking.

  “Fine have it your way,” the knight captain said obviously irritated but knowing that it was not worth fighting the church for such a small thing.

  The three walked to the counts manor while surrounded by knights. The people of the village watched them as they walked and more than a few cries of outrage rang from what was happening making the knights visibly scowl as they looked toward Ash in distaste.

  The inside of the manor was much like the outside and the room where the count met with the people to listen to complaints and request was not opulent to say the least but it held its own form of majesty in its simplicity. On a raised chair sat the count a brown haired man with a thin moustache and a displeased look. Next to the count was his son and a woman who Ash guessed was the counts wife who had dark black hair and a look of superiority on her face. When the three entered the room the count looked down at them. “Priestess Linda why have you come before us today?” the count asked the scowl on his face lighting a bit.

  “The husband of one of my priestesses stands charged with a crime that allegedly happened in my presence. Should I have waited to see the man hanged before I spoke out?” Linda asked a bit of venom in her voice.

  “I was unaware that the offence happened in your presence,” the count said as he looked toward his son. “A piece of information I would have liked to know, as well as his affiliation with the church. That said if this man has committed a crime then he must pay for it by the king’s law.”

  The count turned his eyes onto Ash who stood proudly. “Young man you have been accused of assaulting my son and his attendant. What do you have to say for yourself?” />
  “I never raised a hand toward your son,” Ash said calmly.

  “And his attendant?” the count asked his eyes narrowing.

  “If you are talking about the man who was going to strike my wife for refusing to bed your son then I did put a sword to his neck and had he not retracted his hand I would have removed his head.”

  “How dare you slander my son,” the woman screeched.

  “Would you like to hear the accounts of the head priestess and my wife a minor priestess,” Ash offered with a thin growl.

  “Enough,” the count yelled. “Priestess Linda can you give me an account of what transpired?”

  “Yes your grace,” Linda said with a bow. “Yesterday the count and his attendant Lacorn stopped by the church. The reason for the visit was to ask for a marriage between priestess Tina and the young lord. I advised them that she was already married but they demanded to ask her themselves, which I allowed. When she turned them down the young lord denounced her husband and Tina refuted the young lord’s claims. It was then that Lacorn started to accost the young woman and Mr. Ash placed his sword at his throat. As soon as Lacorn lowered his hand the sword lowered as well.”

  “I see,” the count said as he narrowed his eyes at his son. “It seems that I was not told the full truth of the events. “The man protected the honor of his wife which is admirable but any assault on a noble, his family, or direct retainers is a crime. The man’s own words and yours speak of his guilt. He should have come to the court on an open day and spoke against my son for his actions and I would have dealt with it without the need for foolishness. As it stands I must find the man guilty and sentence him to three years hard labour.”