The Poisoned Pilgrim

by Oliver Pötzsch

  Another very young monk hesitated, then shook his head. “We… we don’t dare. It’s something heavy, perhaps one of those iron bars Brother Johannes carried around. Surely Laurentius was curious, opened the sack, and a burst of fire…”

  “Just give it to me, you superstitious jackass.” Simon grabbed the sack impatiently, then opened it cautiously. When he saw what was inside, he stepped back. “My God,” he whispered. “How is it possible?”

  Curious, the monks approached. When they finally realized what was in the sack, they fell to their knees again and crossed themselves several times.

  Inside the dirty sack glistened an elegantly wrought silver monstrance shaped like a church steeple. Two angels hovered to the right and left of a small dome that contained three round sealed vessels.

  Three vessels for the three sacred hosts.

  “Blessed are thou, Jesus Christ. The holy monstrance, the holy monstrance. It is here among us.” The monks prostrated themselves on the ground, murmuring prayers, and the patients—at least those who were conscious—joined in the jubilation. Only now did Simon realize that the simple Brothers and pilgrims didn’t know that the monastery’s most valuable relic had been stolen a few days ago. For them finding the monstrance in a linen sack alongside a critically injured man was simply a sign from God, though they couldn’t say whether it augured good or evil.

  “Get the abbot and the prior,” one of them shouted. “They must see the miracle with their own eyes.”

  The youngest monk opened the door and ran out toward the crowd, which was still waiting. “The monstrance. It’s inside, a miracle. It flew all by itself from the holy chapel into the forest. A miracle!” he kept shouting.

  Simon sighed and closed the entrance with the heavy beam again. Before the hour was up, all the faithful from here to the Hoher Peißenberg would hear about the strange finding. Well, at least the precious piece had appeared again, though it wasn’t completely clear what role the novitiate master played in this.

  Simon hastened again to the bedside of the critically injured patient, who was now in a state of semiconsciousness. When Simon bent over him, Laurentius suddenly opened his eyes and began to mumble. Simon leaned far down over the monk’s lips, trying to understand what he was saying.

  “The… the automaton…” he gasped. “It’s down below. Fire… Fire…”

  Simon could feel his heart pounding as he thought back on the white monogrammed handkerchief at the cemetery. Was it possible a living golem was haunting Andechs? Trembling, he placed his hand on Laurentius’s forehead. It was burning. Perhaps the monk was just delirious.

  “Are you speaking of Virgilius’s automaton? What do you mean by ‘down below’?” Simon asked impatiently. “Did you find the monstrance down there? Say something.”

  “The… the automaton… He had it… It belches white-hot fire… flames shoot out toward me, hellish flames, the fires of purgatory rage through the darkness…”

  The voice of the novitiate master became weaker and weaker. Finally he fell completely silent and his head rolled to one side. Simon felt for a pulse, but it was barely perceptible. The medicus doubted Laurentius would survive the hour. The burns were simply too severe.

  “In the name of the church, open this door!”

  Simon spun around at the sound of impatient pounding at the door. One of the monks had already pushed the beam aside. The door swung open, and in stepped the prior and the old librarian. To Simon’s great surprise, there was no sign of the abbot.

  The two church officials hurried toward the monstrance, which two concerned monks had already placed atop a chest. Brother Jeremias fell to his knees in front of the simple wooden chest as if it were an altar and raised his hands toward heaven.

  “Holy Mary, Mother of God, let us give thanks for this miracle,” the prior began in a droning chant. “Nefarious thieves have tried to steal the holy monstrance, but they have been punished by the fires of purgatory.” He pointed at the unconscious Brother Laurentius, then made the sign of the cross.

  “Finally their evil plans have come to light,” he continued, his voice cracking. “Brother Johannes and this wretched novitiate master have brought calamity down upon the monastery, but God himself has judged them, and all has turned out for the best. Let us give thanks for that. Amen.”

  “Amen.” A chorus of monks and patients joined in the prayer of thanks as Simon, confused, looked back and forth between the monstrance and the severely injured Brother Laurentius. Was the novitiate master really the thief they’d been looking for? Had he stolen the hosts and abducted the abbot’s brother? And where was Maurus Rambeck, for that matter?

  When the voices of the faithful had finally fallen silent, Simon turned to the prior and said in a soft voice, “Actually, I expected to see the abbot here. It must be of interest to him, after all, that the monstrance was found in the forest with the novitiate master, whom you consider the principal suspect.”

  “The abbot is resting,” the prior replied coolly. “He hasn’t been well recently, as you surely know. I considered it best not to awaken him.”

  And make yourself look like the great savior of the three holy hosts, Simon thought to himself. You scheming bastard, you’ll really do anything to become the next abbot as soon as possible.

  “Why are you so sure that Brother Laurentius was trying to steal the hosts?” Simon replied.

  The old librarian, who had stood silently alongside the prior till that point, cleared his throat. “Well, that’s obvious,” he said so loudly that everyone standing around could hear. “The sack with the monstrance was found beside him, and he has wounds that could be inflicted only by some unearthly force.”

  “Incidentally, the same wounds suffered by the young novitiate Vitalis,” Simon interrupted. “Did the Good Lord also strike him down in his anger?”

  Brother Benedikt glared at him. “Don’t jest,” he threatened. “But think of the Revelation of Saint John. What does it say?” He paused dramatically to let his booming voice reverberate through the room. “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”

  The librarian fell silent for a while to let his words take effect on the monks and patients. Not until a reverent silence had come over the room did he continue in a stern voice. “I actually wanted to keep this a secret, but circumstances no doubt compel me to bring it to light now. The monastery council has suspected for a long time that the ill-fated Vitalis had… an unnatural relationship with his novitiate master.”

  Shocked voices resounded, but Brother Benedikt raised his hand to demand silence. “Yes,” he continued, “the two were accursed sodomites, so it’s quite possible the Lord or one of his angels punished the two heretics with holy fire.”

  “Ah, and the Lord no doubt drowned the novitiate Coelestin, just for good measure?” Simon interrupted, furious.

  “Oh God, no. What are you thinking?” Brother Benedikt remained calm, letting a hint of a smile pass over his lips. He evidently enjoyed humiliating the impious bathhouse surgeon in public. “Poor Coelestin was no doubt simply killed by his master, Brother Johannes, after discovering Johannes’s plan to murder the watchmaker. The two, as we all know, argued often. Johannes simply couldn’t bear the fact that Virgilius was the better scientist, so he killed Virgilius and drowned Coelestin, who had gotten wind of his scheme.” Benedikt raised his hand like a lecturer at his podium, while the other monks hung spellbound to his every word. “And thus the case is solved,” he concluded in a loud voice. “It turns out there were two crimes. Vitalis and Laurentius were engaged in sodomy and were punished by God himself. The novitiate Coelestin, as well as Virgilius, didn’t die by magic but at the hand of a nefarious murderer.”

  “A murder you can’t prove,” Simon interrupted. “The body of the watchmaker was never found, after all. Is he perhaps still alive?”

  Now it was the prior w
ho smiled. Brother Jeremias passed his tongue over his lips, obviously enjoying the moment before dealing his final blow. “I’m afraid I must disappoint you, my dear bathhouse surgeon,” he replied smugly. “Virgilius’s pathetic remains have reappeared. Brother Johannes had thrown them into the well at the cemetery, where they were just discovered this morning. You may go and have a look for yourself, Master Fronwieser,” he said, gesturing toward the door. “Brother Benedikt will be glad to accompany you. We can thank God that this case has finally been solved and this miserable snooping around can stop.”

  The prior walked reverently over to the monstrance, bowed deeply, and finally, holding it high, strode out the door where the relics were greeted with great jubilation.

  The three holy hosts had returned to the bosom of the church.

  The well was located in the cemetery next to the monastery.

  Simon thought back on his visit there the day before. The cemetery, with its weathered stone crosses and ivy-covered burial mounds, exuded an air of tranquility in stark contrast with the noisy bustle outside its walls. The sun shone warm and bright on the many faded inscriptions on the gravestones, and the grass grew thicker and lusher along the paths than anywhere else in the area.

  They say bones are a good fertilizer, Simon thought. How many monks have been buried here in the last few centuries?

  They’d laid out the corpse in the grass next to the well and spread a shroud over it. Flies buzzed around the bundle, which was so small Simon expected to see a child beneath it rather than a grown man. When the librarian carefully pulled the cloth to one side, the medicus realized why.

  The entire body of the man before him was so badly burned it had curled in on itself and shriveled up like a prune. What was left of the mouth was open as if in a final scream, and the teeth gleamed a sickly yellow. Brother Benedikt stooped to pick up a burned piece of wood. Only on second look did Simon realize it was Virgilius’s walking stick with the ivory decorations. Its silver handle was still recognizable, though it was twisted out of shape now and covered with a layer of soot.

  “That should be proof enough,” he exclaimed with disgust, casting the stick into the flowery meadow. The two Benedictines who accompanied him stepped aside in shock. “I’m glad we’ve finally solved this gruesome murder,” the librarian continued. “People no longer need to fear a golem living in a dungeon, an automaton in a crypt, or anything else. In his hatred of his colleagues, Brother Johannes simply incinerated the automaton along with its creator and threw them both into the well. Let us return now and allow the dead to rest in peace.”

  “Who found the body?” Simon asked.

  The librarian smiled. “You may be astonished to hear this, but it was the abbot himself, who, along with one of his assistants, came upon the corpse this morning. You certainly don’t doubt his word, do you? Then let’s finally leave—”

  “Just one more moment.” Simon bent over to examine the charred corpse briefly. Unfortunately the individual body parts were so disfigured it was impossible to tell whether there’d been any injury prior to death. The face looked like that of a crudely carved wooden figure that had been cast into the fire and no longer resembled the living Virgilius at all. While examining the twisted right arm, however, Simon noticed something about the hand.

  A finger was missing.

  The finger with the ring that the abbot showed us the night before last, Simon thought. Then this really is Virgilius’s body. Did Nepomuk really kill him?

  He looked up into the smiling face of Brother Benedikt.

  “You knew the monstrance was stolen a few days ago, didn’t you?” the librarian asked Simon. “Evidently Abbot Maurus told you, the old fool. Is that so?” When Simon remained silent, the monk shook his head. “Why in the world would he do that? All hell would have broken loose if the word had gotten out. Well, everything worked out well in the end: the monstrance is back, and the festival can begin tomorrow.”

  “Do you seriously believe that Brother Laurentius stole the relics?” Simon asked.

  Brother Benedikt shrugged. “Who knows? Does that really matter now that the monstrance has appeared again? Who cares who really stole it? The main thing is that the people have a culprit. Aside from that”—he said, shaking his finger—“it was an open secret among the monks that Laurentius was a sodomite, so he has received his just punishment.”

  Simon eyed the old monk suspiciously. Evidently Brother Benedikt really didn’t know that it was the abbot himself who’d stolen the monstrance with the hosts, or that the abbot’s brother, Virgilius, had been abducted. Was all this just a game of make-believe? Could the librarian be the sorcerer who abducted and killed the watchmaker to get ahold of the hosts?

  Suddenly Simon had an idea. He cursed himself for not having thought of it earlier. Perhaps there was a way for him to find out whether Brother Benedikt knew more than he let on.

  “Did you examine the containers in the monstrance to make sure the hosts were really there?” he asked curiously.

  Brother Benedikt didn’t bat an eye. “We’ll do that, of course, at the appropriate time,” he said in a flat voice. “But you can rest assured they’re there—the containers are sealed.”

  “Wax seals can be forged,” Simon replied.

  The librarian snorted. “You have a lively imagination, bathhouse surgeon. Now excuse me; I have to prepare for the next mass. It will be a great service of thanksgiving in honor of the return of our three holy hosts. You are warmly invited to attend.”

  He turned and left with his head high—a little old man who nevertheless had an authoritative air, fostered by years of book learning. The other monks who had been standing around silently picked up the cloth containing Virgilius’s corpse. It seemed as light as a child’s. Praying softly, the Benedictines carried Virgilius’s remains to the funeral chapel at the edge of the cemetery.

  They wouldn’t need a very large coffin.

  Incense swirled up like a cloud toward the church ceiling as the chorus of the faithful joined in with the organ’s mournful melody and the entire space seemed to tremble.

  From his vantage point, the sorcerer watched the many pilgrims opening and closing their mouths like bleating sheep. Open and close, open and close… It was astonishing that so many stupid farmers, so many narrow-minded, simple people, could engender such energy. The sorcerer could feel their faith flashing through the church like lightning through a thundercloud. So much power concentrated in a simple baked good: three ancient, crumbling oblates of water and flour.

  The three sacred hosts.

  Finally he had them in his possession. His plan had worked, though not quite as smoothly as expected. Still, all the dead strewn along his path had been necessary. All that mattered was the result of his efforts.

  As the deep bass notes of the organ rumbled through the church, the sorcerer could once again see the fire before him and hear the cries and pleading of the dying. He realized now that he felt sorry for those who had to die, especially those who had died in severe pain. Their constant pleading almost awakened pity in him.

  But only almost… What were a few deaths really in view of what he planned? Man could be God; all he needed was faith—and that was something stronger here than anywhere, except perhaps in Altötting, St. Peter’s in Rome, or in Santiago de Compostela. And central to this faith here on the Holy Mountain were the hosts.

  As the sorcerer recited the kyrie eleison with the many faithful around him, he himself felt overwhelmed by faith.

  Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa… Kyrie eleison…

  Yes, he, too, had sinned. Tears welled up in his eyes when he thought of her. She had vanished from his life so long ago, yet he believed in her, and this faith would bring her back to life again.

  If only those damned Schongau busybodies weren’t around.

  The sorcerer clenched the prayer book so hard his knuckles turned white. They were close on his heels—he could feel that—and his assistant brought him more
shocking news every day. They were evidently close to solving the mystery. He’d given his assistant clear orders, but all he got were new excuses. Was he too cowardly or just too softhearted? For now the sorcerer needed him, but he would have to find a more reliable servant soon.

  It wouldn’t be much longer—he was just waiting for the right conditions. He’d once almost reached that point, but what he was hoping for didn’t happen. He felt it couldn’t be much longer now, though, and until then he’d have to be patient.

  Once more the organ rose to a mighty, shrill, earsplitting swell so loud that, for a moment, he imagined he could hear the screams of his dying victims as they pointed at him, castigating and accusing him.

  But then the organ stopped, the incense drifted away, and the faithful rose from their pews and headed for the taverns in the surrounding villages—to eat, drink, and fornicate. Faith vanished, leaving nothing but stone and wood, an empty building with no trace of anything divine.

  The sorcerer arose, crossed himself and exited through the narrow church portal among the other pilgrims and monks.

  The image of the charred corpse still on his mind, Simon headed back to the clinic. The pilgrims leaving the church were laughing and talking loudly, but he hardly noticed them as he continued mulling over the events of the last few hours. He wished he could speak with his father-in-law about them, but Kuisl had disappeared the previous day around noon. Simon wasn’t particularly worried. The old man often disappeared overnight in the forest when he went to collect herbs—though not in a forest possibly haunted by a madman.

  Simon had no doubt the madman was still on the loose. Brother Benedikt’s dramatic words about God’s holy anger were nonsense. But where and how in the world had Brother Laurentius come into the possession of the stolen monstrance? And what part did the automaton play in all this? The medicus quickened his pace. Perhaps the novitiate master would be well enough now to at least say a few words.

  Entering the clinic behind the monastery, Simon looked for Jakob Schreevogl. Now that Simon himself was mainly responsible for the count’s sick son, the patrician’s help was indispensable. Then he remembered that Schreevogl was with the count.