He knows, Aidan, he knows!
Gunnar, untutored barbarian that he was, had discerned this central truth, while I, for all my monkish learning, had forever failed to grasp it. In Gunnar, this understanding had kindled hope and faith, even as my lack of understanding had brought me to hopelessness.
Oh, but with the coming of the dawn on Resurrection Day, Holy Easter, my vision had been revived. And in the restoring of the dream, I was myself restored. I saw Byzantium once more, and knew that I would die there. This time, however, there was no fear. I believed—for now I knew what Lord Sadiq had said was true—that perfect certainty cast out fear, and that a man forearmed with such faith was truly free.
As the sun rose on our Resurrection Day celebrations, I knew the liberation of a soul set free. During the Service of the Sacraments, I translated Abbot Fraoch’s words for the Danemen, and as they spoke the prayer of repentance for the first time, I also repented of my blindness, doubt, and fear. God had not forsaken me, but had upheld me even in my despair. This thought humbled me, and as the abbot raised the chalice from the altar I stood with contrite heart, thinking, Kyrie eleison! Lord have mercy…Christ have mercy!
Then, as our good abb offered the chalice for the renewal of God’s eternal blessing, I renewed my priestly vows.
Epilogue
Aidan mac Cainnech returned to Skania, the land of his former captivity, and adopted it as his home. For nearly fifty years, he preached the Good News to the Danish tribes, establishing four churches during an active and eventful ministry. Of these, his favourite remained the church Jarl Harald and Gunnar built for him at Bjorvika, within sight of the sea.
In the third year of his sojourn among the Danes, Aidan was joined by his great friend and brother, Dugal, who served faithfully by his side for twenty-three years. The two monks spent many long northern nights together remembering their adventures as young men, and it was Dugal who persuaded Aidan to record his experiences for the amusement and edification of their kinsmen and friends in Éire and Britain.
Gunnar Silverbags and Ylva produced many fine children, contributing liberally to both the treasury and enrolment of Aidan’s school at Bjorvika. Harald Bull-Roar, having returned from Byzantium with more wealth than he ever managed to spend, died at a theng from injuries sustained during a particularly exciting wrestling match.
In the year of Our Lord, 943, Bishop Aidan mac Cainnech made his third and final pilgrimage to Byzantium, accompanied by Abbot Ulf and his three sons, together with Harald Bull-Roar’s grandson, Olaf Open-Hand, who had assumed command of his grandfather’s sturdy fleet. Upon their arrival, all were warmly received by the Holy Roman Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, a pious and godly man, who, in recognition of the venerable priest’s long obedience, accorded him many honours.
Though far advanced in years, Bishop Aidan established the Caithair Culdich—Chair of the Culdees, or Célé Dé—at the Patriarchal School of Constantinople. There he spent his last days as teacher and advisor to the emperor’s court, and there the esteemed monk died in the winter of 949, full of grace and wisdom.
Saint Aidan’s tomb can be found in the Chapel of the Holy Fathers, in the shadow of the Hagia Sophia. Additional grave markers have been erected in the grounds of each of the four churches begun by him in what is now Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. A small memorial stone can also be found at Kells, and another on the island of Iona, ancient Hy, where some of his bones were taken for burial so that the Celtic Church might ever rejoice in the memory of Aidan mac Cainnech.
About the Author
STEPHEN R. LAWHEAD (www.stephenlawhead.com) is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife.
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Praise For Stephen R. Lawhead
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BYZANTIUM
“The narrative has the excitement of a good fantasy novel, a vivid historical setting and a lengthy, credible and satisfying plot—just the elements, in fact, that have made Lawhead a commercial success time and again.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Engrossing with plenty of plot twists…Worthwhile for Lawhead regulars and historical-fantasy fans alike.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Here, in the story of a great gift and an even greater journey, is summoned all the magic and splendor, the brutality and the innocence of a lost era—the not-so-Dark Age when faith ruled men’s hearts.”
—Smash
“Not merely a gripping yarn—and it certainly is that—this is also a novel about faith and the tests life plants in its way. Lawhead, author of the popular Pendragon cycle of fantasies, here makes a sure move into mainstream historical fiction.”
—Booklist
Books by
Stephen R. Lawhead
PATRICK
AVALON
BYZANTIUM
THE PENDRAGON CYCLE
GRAIL
PENDRAGON
ARTHUR
MERLIN
TALIESIN
THE CELTIC CRUSADES
THE MYSTIC ROSE
THE BLACK ROOD
THE IRON LANCE
Credits
Cover illustration by Robert Hunt
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
BYZANTIUM. Copyright © 1996 by Stephen R. Lawhead. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © JANUARY 2006 ISBN: 9780061841880
Version 04032015
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