by Ken Hansen
At this statement, the Jewish and Muslim religious leaders leaned in toward the First Consul and whispered something. The First Consul nodded, but remained quiet.
Yohanan continued, “Decima, whom you have already killed, would have said to me, ‘See, you followed this man Isa foolishly, and it has killed us both.’ But she would never have been further from the truth. For I know if I follow the rising of the sun, I will surely sail east and find my way to God.
“So I fought my rudder and came east to Palestine to prevent Decima from killing Hugleikr. You must admit, in that I succeeded, for is the beast not still alive? But I also succeeded in helping you kill the woman I loved. Although she carried great goodness in her heart, she could not overcome the darkness that had enveloped her soul when she saw her father murdered by Hugleikr before thousands in Great Jutland Square. I shall soon join her in a common grave on this Earth as our due punishment for our many offenses against God and man. I know Hugleikr will never suffer the same fate for even one of his many murders of my fellow Tetepians. I know when the powerful kill while praising justice, we men too often call their acts something else, something noble. It is a shame we often cannot see the truth of their barbarity through the bloody walls of our hatred. But it does not matter, for God will be the final judge, and though I die today, I go with faith that Hugleikr will truly die before me.”
“Liar,” someone yelled from the crowd and others repeated it. Then a few started chanting, “Execute him, execute him,” but the Governor raised his hands above his head and the crowd went silent.
Yohanan said, “Despite this, I forgive him. I do. I forgive the Vice Regent of New Jutland. Not just him but his king as well and the troubled souls that follow them. I forgive them for their many despicable acts against me and my people. I forgive them all for their violent domination of the Tetepian people these last fifty years. And I forgive all of you here today, and, yes, even you, Governor, for your role in my death.”
Tomadus looked down and shook his head. Yohanan was writing his own order of execution.
“I ask you all to repent for your sins, but first forgive others for theirs. The road to repentance travels through your own mercy and forgiveness. I do not seek your forgiveness, and I do not seek your mercy. But I do beg forgiveness from the only one who matters: my Lord and my God.”
Yohanan dropped to his knees, his hands raised high together, his head back with eyes gazing to the sky. “In Isa’s name, I beg you, dear God, to forgive me my sins as I forgive others their transgressions against me.”
A few in the crowd, including Jochi, dropped to their own knees and prayed aloud for Yohanan. Another lightning bolt shuddered the square with the crash of its thunder. Tomadus could not pray; nevertheless, he lowered himself to his knees and held Jochi as she wailed in prayer.
The Governor paused a few moments, gathering his thoughts. The two religious leaders now circled the First Consul, whispering again, this time with their heads bobbing and jerking quickly as their faces reddened. When the entire entourage approached the Governor, he covered the microphone as they spoke. After they parted, Tomadus caught the eye of the First Consul, but he did not flash him the smile of Yohanan’s deliverance. How could he after that speech? Instead, the First Consul looked right at Tomadus with a frown and shook his head slowly.
The Governor leaned into the microphone. “Yohanan, we have heard rumors of your eloquence, and now we see they do not exaggerate. But your persuasive power does not undo your crimes against Allah and the State. You claim you tried to stop the assassination attempt, but you rushed the stage with Decima all the same and yelled, “Decima, don’t stop!” just when she appeared to hesitate. And what many here have not heard is that we saw you meet with the assassin to plan the attempt the day before the good Vice Regent’s speech. Yes, there are witnesses. And today you have given us clear motives for your crime.
“You slander the Vice Regent’s good name and publicly call for his death. You profess a simple man from Galilee as your new prophet to hide your shame. Your words come from Shiataan, Tomadus, not from Allah, not from your God. You confess to the countless deaths of innocents. Therefore, in the name of Allah and the Sunni Muslim Empire, I hereby condemn you to death by triangulum penetrans.”
Jochi screamed an elongated, “No!” Tomadus grabbed her in both arms and held her tightly.
The guards tied Yohanan and two others by the wrists behind the third wagon. The procession began moving out of Muhammad Square and heading up Via Mortis. The path led out of the old section of the city to an open area on a hill, where four giant triangular mechanisms awaited the prisoners. Tomadus and Jochi were able to work their way close to a gate at the edge of the old city. Jochi never stopped crying.
As Yohanan passed, he saw the two of them together and smiled. “Jochi,” he said, “remember: follow Isa.”
Jochi wailed uncontrollably.
As he was dragged ahead, Yohanan looked behind him. “Tomadus, remember to sail east. Protect him.”
Tomadus cocked his head and nodded slowly as Yohanan was dragged away by the wagon heading up the hill.
The muddy road to the hill proved no obstacle to the guards as they led the procession up to the ancient place of execution. When the horses slipped, a guard merely whipped them, forcing them to pull the wagon harder up the hill, all the while yanking the prisoners behind and dragging them whenever they fell in the mud.
At the end of the procession, the three men were cut loose from their ropes and placed on three inverted triangular slabs. This took little time, since the contraptions simply applied electromagnetic force to the metal in the iron shackles around their necks, wrists and ankles. The triangular surfaces were made of the traditional painted wood, a design that might have dated back a millennium. But the updated design also sacrificed a little tradition for convenience: four well-placed magnets held each prisoner firmly in place, with feet at the bottom point of the triangle, hands at the side points of the triangle, and head to the top center. Each triangular slab was filled with hundreds of tiny holes spaced about an uncia apart and containing recessed metal cylinders about a quarter uncia in diameter. Tomadus had never witnessed execution by triangulum penetrans, but he had heard enough about its horrors to know the cylinders would soon fill with instruments of hell.
As the three condemned men hung on the inverted triangles for a few minutes, several impatient foreign observers in the crowd wondered if something had gone wrong. The men were just hanging there without any apparent pain. But then the holes on the triangles appeared to move and began to fill. Standing at a slight angle, Tomadus could see that small metal points were slowly emerging from the metal cylinders. It seemed almost imperceptible at first, except to the prisoners, who all began crying out in pain as thin needles punctured their skin. Blood began to trickle down the triangles from beneath their arms and legs.
This ugliness would have been over quickly if holes and needles had been located behind the prisoners’ heads or heart, but that would have been far too merciful. Instead, the needles kept emerging slowly and steadily, progressing farther and farther into the prisoners’ other body parts, including a few vital organs. The punctures failed to bring death swiftly. Each prisoner screamed out intermittently as the points breached a new organ. After awhile, the blood flowing down each triangle became intermingled with yellowish-brown fluids draining from various parts of the body.
Occasionally, a prisoner would pass out from the pain and a guard would check his pulse on a monitor connected to his wrist magnet. If the prisoner was not yet dead, a jet of water splashed from above into the prisoner’s face, awakening him again to endure more pain.
After nearly thirty minutes of this utter agony, Yohanan opened his eyes, stared at the overcast sky with a look of amazement, and said, “There it is, the rising of the sun! I am your first sacrifice, but not your last, for I have prepared Your way!” With that, Yohanan passed out again. This time, after the guard checked the m
onitor, no spray of water flowed into Yohanan’s disfigured face. He was dead.
Jochi had buried her face in Tomadus’s arms, so she did not see the end. Tomadus looked at her soft hair and back up to the triangulum and Yohanan’s limp body. For the first time he could remember, Tomadus wept.
Third Part: Revelation
(Tertia Pars: Apocalypsis)
“Thus I have searched among them for someone who would build a wall or stand in the breach before me to keep me from destroying the land; but I found no one.”
– Liber Prophetarum—Ez 22:30
“By the fading day, man is in loss, except for those who believe, do good deeds, urge one another to the truth, and urge one another to steadfastness.”
– Liber Prophetarum—M 103
“See that no one deceives you.”
– Liber Vitae—At 24:4
“Isa replied, ‘You know not what you ask. Can you drink the cup that I drink?’”
– Liber Vitae—An 10:38
Chapter 64
Tomadus was back at his office in Roma but found it difficult to focus. It had been nearly a month since Yohanan’s execution. He should have emerged from his deep mourning by now, but the heavy chains of lethargy kept dragging him down. Worse yet, the creature had returned in force, each day stomping around his gut like a tiger in a cage, restless and unsatisfied. But Stephanus’s sheer exuberance had managed to pull Tomadus out of the haze as he updated him on the company’s recent fortunes.
“Sir, you cannot believe the international reaction!” Stephanus said. “We have received orders from around the globe, even in the East Asian Empire. Our dealers in the Aztec Empire have been leading the way there and in their own empire. If only we could keep up with demand—we’ll need to double or triple our manufacturing footprint and bring in more technologists as soon as we can hire them.”
“Do we need more capital to fund that growth?” Tomadus asked.
“I think we’ll be able to swing it with the profits being generated from the growth of our existing products. If not, we can always license others to manufacture.”
“No, keep it in house—we’ll be better off in the long run.”
“You are probably right. I think we will all grow wealthy before long.”
Tomadus snorted. “The eye of a needle.”
“Whose eye?” Stephanus asked.
“Nothing. Just something he said to me.”
“Who?”
Tomadus just shook his head. Three melodic notes rang through the conference room, and a gentle male voice said, “Sir, I am sorry about the interruption, but First Consul Khansensius would like to speak with you. Shall I put him through?”
“Of course,” answered Tomadus into the device. “We’ll continue the report later, Stephanus.” Stephanus nodded and left the room.
“First Consul, so good to hear from you. To what do I owe this honor?”
“Greetings, Tomadus. Are you well?”
“I am improving. Gratias.”
“Good. Good,” said the First Consul. “Life must move on. We cannot always control events, Tomadus. The dead are already buried. Do not bury yourself in the past with them. There is so much to do.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Now, you may remember that some time ago I promised you a medal for your great generosity in helping Roma and the Three Empires with your invention.”
“I seem to recall I was not given much choice in that decision.”
“Like it or not, you are a technologist hero, Tomadus. We would like to recognize you for your accomplishments. You will receive the Amicus Imperatorum Medal at a dinner to be held at the Pantheon next week. I am calling to ask you to attend.”
Tomadus pulled in his bottom lip and sat back. Too much, too quickly. He had never really sought wealth and fame for their own sake, but now that they were on his doorstep, what would he do with them? The creature had clawed away at his gut and he knew the only answer that would quiet the thing, but he had refused him. Maybe it was time to listen again. Accepting the award might make him a hypocrite, but it could prove helpful in such a mission. And the First Consul had proven repeatedly that he was his friend.
“Tomadus, are you there? Can I count on you?” the First Consul asked.
“Of course, Your Excellency,” replied Tomadus.
“Wonderful. Now, there is one other thing I wish to discuss with you.”
Tomadus cocked his head. “Yes?”
“As you know, we have been closely following the activities of your friend Isa. We have great interest in him, particularly after Yohanan’s speech.”
“Are you now opposed to Isa?” Tomadus asked.
“No, no, of course not. That is the way of the Imperium. Tell me, are you aware of his current mission in Tetepe?”
Tomadus sighed. “I know he has been travelling there, but little more. I have been somewhat…preoccupied by my business of late, so I have not really kept up with his efforts.”
“I see.”
“Is there a concern?” Tomadus asked.
“Perhaps. Though his intentions may be good, there are a few who worry about the consequences of his movement in Tetepe and beyond.”
“Consequences?”
“Yes,” the First Consul said. “As you know, Tetepe presents a very delicate situation, not only to the region but also to Roma and the Three Empires. There is fear that Isa may tip this balance in a way that we cannot…control. The consequences could prove disastrous to Isa and his movement and to Tetepe in general.”
“Isa is a man of peace. He has no political ambitions.”
“Of course, but Isa has developed a large following among the non-Juteslam Tetepians. It seems most of Yohanan’s former followers have joined his movement. Even a few of the Demosep leadership have lost their loyalty to Raanan and have instead found faith in Isa. And in the last week, a group of liberal Juteslams have invited him to speak in Great Jutland Square.”
“A legitimate inroad to peace there?”
“If it were so simple. Remember that Skjöldr and Hugleikr still run New Jutland. They see his movement as a threat to their power and influence there and will use force, if necessary, to bring him down.”
“Then we should intervene to protect him. I still think Isa is the best chance we have to bring peace to the region.”
“Perhaps, but it is impossible in the current environment.”
“Has New Jutland become too powerful?”
“Too powerful? No, but there are other considerations. Interventions have had a way of ending in major conflicts over the past half millennium. Thank goodness Roma has calmed the discontent caused by constant meddling among the Three Empires. Nevertheless, we cannot always prevent interventions by the empires outside of our union—just as the last Great World War demonstrated. One small slip and the world could turn its restlessness again to war. We must be careful.”
“That was so long ago,” Tomadus said. “The world has been at peace for over fifty years now.”
“You think so simply, like those at the end of the cold war.”
“The what?” Tomadus blanched. Cold war? That term only had meaning in the other world. Is it possible? “I’m sorry, did you say ‘cold war?’”
“Did I?” The First Consul cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I was simply referring to the ten years after the last Great World War when we came close to beginning another conflagration.
“I had never heard it called that.”
“Well, perhaps I have coined a new phrase, then. Anyway, there are other, more specific concerns.”
“Specific? You mean Isa?”
“Yes, I refer to Isa. You and I see him as a man of peace, of course. But this view is not shared by all within the Three Empires.”
“The religious leaders?” Tomadus asked.
“They are skeptical of his purposes. One of them told me they do not even think he believes in God. They think he preaches merely to agitate the masses f
or some personal gain. The Grand Imams also have influence on the emperors. Until we can convince them of Isa’s sincerity, I could never garner support for his movement in Tetepe—or anywhere else.”
“He believes he performs God’s will.”
“You need not convince me, but we need a strategy to change the minds of the Grand Imams and even the Abh Beyth Diyn, who has significant influence in the Palestinian Province.”
“I see. That reminds me, during the Governor’s examination of Yohanan, I saw you whispering with the Grand Imam of Palestine and the Abh Beyth Diyn. What were they saying?”
The First Consul bristled. “That was a private conversation, Tomadus, so I am not at liberty to say. I will tell you this, though: Yohanan’s speech was like a clarion call to these men. They had not quite appreciated Isa’s significance before then.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Yes, that troubles me as well. Tomadus, you have a personal bond with Isa. I thought you might help him understand the need to get these men on his side.”
“I have not spoken with him for nearly a month. We are not as…close…as we once were.”
“Perhaps it is time you rekindle your bonds. No offense, but Stephanus has proven quite adept at running your business in your absence. You could do more good with Isa.”
“Gratias, First Consul. I will consider it.”
“That is all I ask. I will see you at the ceremony. Vale, Tomadus.”
The walls quickly closed in on Tomadus. He closed his eyes and still saw the image of Yohanan screaming on the triangulum penetrans. Isa might have prevented his death. He could have convinced Yohanan to keep going instead of sacrificing himself with that speech. Then the First Consul would have succeeded, but Isa had turned away. Could Tomadus now overcome his broken heart and listen to the creature?
