“Well, promise me you won’t be one of those magicians that they prey on, Michael,” said Sarah as she moved into his arms, oblivious to her unintentional pun.
“I’ll do my best,” he said with a smile. “But, for now, you had better get back to your own room. I don’t think they would be pleased to find you in mine. In fact, they would probably find that as sinful as being a magician.”
“All right, I’ll go. But, I’m not going to get any sleep in this place.”
All of the travelers would have a difficult time finding sleep tonight. One of them would be visited by Acantha. It was time to call upon her ensorcelled accomplice.
CHAPTER 13
As the time neared midnight, one of Michael’s friends left their cell. Acantha had made her visit. The hall outside of the small rooms housing the travelers was much darker now. Some of the candles had gone out, others were flickering weakly, having nearly burned out. The shadowy figure did not flow smoothly through the hallway; rather stumbled in spastic movements, as if not aware of what the body was doing. The stairs were reached and climbed by stiff unyielding legs, the eyes were glazed and staring.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the figure silently opened the door to the main hallway and waited, listening for sounds of movement. Hearing none, the person crossed the hallway, still in darkness, heading toward the large room where services were held earlier.
In the front of the room, near the altar, one of the hooded brothers was kneeling in prayer. The traveler backed into the shadows near the entrance, waiting for the holy man to begin to leave.
The brother was in prayer for nearly twenty minutes before rising. The intruder in the shadows had not moved a muscle the entire time. Now, as the figure in the coarse brown robes began to leave, the person hiding in the shadows spoke.
“Stop, brother,” whispered the intruder. “Do not look behind you, my knife is very sharp, and I am quite willing to test it.”
The church brother halted, as ordered. When he spoke there was no evidence of fear in his voice. “You threaten me with death. Do you not know that if you kill me, I will then be with my Father?”
“I have no wish to send you to your Father,” replied the whispering voice. “I have a message that you must carry to your church leaders. There are magicians defiling your church. You gave them rest for the night, and sustenance, even now they are asleep beneath your feet. Tell your elders. There are magicians in The Church of the Second Millennium.”
The brother started with the news, nearly turning to see the shadow hiding in the corner. He stopped when the figure hissed a warning.
“How do you know this? Are you one of them?”
“Never mind who I am, just do as you are told.”
“How am I to know you are telling the truth?” asked the brother.
He was answered by silence. When he finally looked around, the corner was empty. Whoever he had spoken with had left. Wasting no time, the brother raced to the room of his elder.
Brother Jeremias’ room was as austere as any of the brothers’. The one privilege that he allowed himself, due to his rank, was the location of his room. It was situated on the main floor, with a door leading out to a flower garden. When his breathless fellow churchman came rushing to his front door, he was standing in the flower garden, marveling at the brilliance of the midnight stars.
He quit the garden and reentered his room when he heard the fervent pounding on the door. Upon opening the door, the breathless brother paused to give a respectful bow before delivering his strange message.
“Please, Brother David, slow yourself. Come into my cell and make yourself clear.”
“It’s true I tell you!” continued the upset brother. “Whoever spoke, did so quietly enough that I had to strain to make out the words. I could not even make out whether it was a man or woman. But I am certain they said there is a magician in the church.
“Brother Jeremias, we must destroy the visitors!”
“Not so fast, brother. We must first be sure our course is the proper one. It is God’s duty to decide who is righteous and who is not. I will give you a list of names. I want you to bring these brothers to my garden.”
When David had left, Jeremias returned to his garden. The night was quiet and peaceful. He strolled through the garden with head bowed, hands clasped behind his back. He contemplated the news he had been brought, and worried over what his actions would be.
The travelers would need to be tested. There was no question about that. But how does one go about capturing -- how many, all five? – magicians to put them to the test. If they were indeed the Devil’s agents, they could destroy the entire monastery, killing all of God’s children.
Their teachings were clear. Faith, and trust in their God, would be sufficient to bind the powers of the magicians. He certainly hoped so. He had never been confronted with the possibility of magicians in the church before.
Soon the brothers that Jeremias had requested began to arrive at his cell. They were shown to the garden, as the cell was too small to hold five grown men.
Jeremias was joined by Brother Ezekiel, Brother David and three other elders. The other three were just beneath Jeremias’ station.
Brother Ahira was a large man of stern countenance, vigilant in his duties. He had been with the church since childhood. He was taken into the fold after being found wandering alone along the beach near the monastery. He had been orphaned, but no explanations were found for his circumstances. He became a dedicated follower of the faith, and had remained with the church. He was over fifty years old now, but his exuberance was unabated.
Brother Benjamin was the nervous one of the group. Older than Ahira, he was cautious about his future well-being. He was not anxious to put himself at risk and was displeased with the prospect of having to face a nest of magicians in his own home.
Brother Pagiel was the last member of the council of elders, and the youngest. Barely forty years old, this was the first crisis he was faced with.
After Brother David repeated his story to the council, he was dismissed from further discussion.
“I don’t like this,” said Brother Benjamin. “I think we should just tell them to go, and be glad to be rid of them.”
“That’s not acceptable, and you know it,” responded Ahira. “Our mission is to eradicate magicians from the earth, and nothing less is acceptable.”
“What would you have us do?” demanded Benjamin. “Kill them while they sleep? Or perhaps we should wake them, and demand they confess to being magicians.”
The scorn in Benjamin’s voice was undisguised as he strove to find a safe solution to the problem.
“They must be tested,” said Jeremias, attempting to quell an argument before it began.
“I’m very sure they would be happy to submit themselves to our testing,” said Benjamin with a sneer playing at his lips.
“Your sarcasm is not lost on us, brother,” interjected Ezekiel. “But, it does not help us to solve the problem. Tested they must be, agreeable or not.”
“I think we can all agree on that,” said Pagiel. “Whether Brother Benjamin admits to it or not. The problem is how. How do we get them to submit to our testing?”
When that question they all were asking themselves was finally posed, they fell silent. There were no answers at hand. Even though the brother’s beliefs were rigidly held, this set of circumstances had never arisen before.
The magicians of this age were aware of the hatred and superstition that plagued them. They very seldom traveled into an area where there would be danger. They were confident that their magical abilities were strong enough to protect them from any dangers that may arise, but it was against their nature to force confrontation.
Due to the magician’s secretive lifestyle, the brothers from the Church of the Second Millennium had never been in the position of needing to conduct their test, at least not in their lifetimes.
“I have been giving the problem some thought,” decla
red Jeremias. “Our holy book is clear on the subject. Our faith will see us through. Our faith will bind the magicians to our will.”
“Yes, God will protect us, and make his will be done,” agreed Ahira.
“Then it will be done,” said Jeremias. “We five will go to the cells of the travelers. They will be forced to take the test.
“And may God have mercy on their souls!”
It was an hour later when the five elders finally reached the basement cells where Michael and his friends were sleeping.
On the outside of the doors were wooden braces, fashioned to hold a cross-bar that would effectively lock the travelers in their rooms. Each of the council members carried just such a cross-bar.
When the rooms were all secured, Jeremias sent the other members to awaken the rest of the church. He would stay to guard the cells.
From inside his cell, Everett could hear the preparations being made for their capture. He was not concerned because he was sure their magic could handle the situation.
It would not be he who saved them however; he would leave that to Michael. It was Michael who would need to be able to handle the danger at Acantha’s keep, and this would be good learning ground for him.
Everett knew Michael needed to be able to think of solutions quickly, and implement them without hesitation. If he could not do that here, where the danger was minimal, they would not have a chance against Acantha. The brothers of the church abhorred magic, so naturally they would have none at their disposal. But Everett could help Michael out if he got in trouble.
Outside the door he could hear the other members arriving. The leader of the church obviously felt there was safety in numbers. Everett rose from the hard cot and waited for the door to be opened.
Jeremias felt better when the members of the church began to show. He did not believe they would have any real hold over the travelers, if they were magicians, until they reached the father of the church. But, he felt a certain anonymity being surrounded by his brothers.
He signaled for the braces to be removed from the doors, and the doors opened. He saw four of the travelers being roused from an uneasy sleep. The fifth traveler, the old man, was standing in the middle of the cell with a solicitous smile on his face.
“I heard all of the commotion out here in the hall. I had no idea that I would have so many visitors at one time.”
The easy manner of the old man unsettled Jeremias. He was obviously baiting them. Why would the old man be so secure when faced with so many churchmen in the middle of the night?
The other four travelers had now groped their way out into the hallway. “What’s going on here?” demanded Thomas.
“You have been accused of harboring magicians among you,” stated Jeremias. “How say you?”
“Ludicrous,” replied Everett.
“Accused by who?” asked Michael.
“That is irrelevant,” answered Ezekiel. “I was suspicious when I brought you here. Now we must know. Are any of you of the accursed?”
“How very dramatic of you, Brother Ezekiel,” said Everett. “But, to answer your question, no, none of us are accursed.”
“I feel you are playing with words,” said Ahira.
“I also believe that may be true,” added Jeremias. “You will go with us to speak to the father of the church. He will decide the course of our actions.”
He turned on his heels and began walking the hallway back to the stairs without looking to see if he was obeyed.
The brothers of the church parted to allow passage for the travelers. After just a moment’s hesitation, Everett followed the church elder, the rest of the travelers coming behind. Michael and Sarah walked hand in hand, Michael’s smile was an attempt to calm the fears he knew Sarah would be feeling.
Upon reaching the room used for devotionals, Michael and his friends were shown to one of the benches in front. The holy men filled the room behind them, effectively blocking any avenue of retreat.
Five minutes later the church became hushed, and the brothers in the back began to part to allow passage to a newcomer. From Michael’s viewpoint he could not see who was arriving, but there was no doubt in his mind that this was the church father, the old man he had seen at the evening devotionals.
As the part in the crowd reached him, he saw that he was right. The ancient man was being carried in on the ornate chair he had sat upon earlier. There were four men carrying the chair, one grasping each leg. They were not laboring under their task, the old man was frail, almost skeletal; Michael did not believe he could weigh more than a hundred pounds.
The four men carried their revered leader to the platform in the front of the room. Turning him to face the church body, they set the chair down and left the platform.
Jeremias and the four elders joined the old man. After a brief conference, Jeremias lifted his head.
“It has been said that among you five, there are magicians. Once again I ask...How say you?”
Sarah looked nervously over at Michael and Everett. There did not seem to be concern evidenced in their faces, but she was sure that she, Thomas, and Oliver had more than enough feelings of concern to make up for their lack.
“I will say only that you and your church have no right to judge us,” answered Everett.
“It is God that will judge you,” replied Jeremias.
“Okay, Michael,” whispered Everett. “It’s up to you now. Here is your test. Get us out of this.”
Michael looked at his teacher with wide, startled eyes. He wasn’t equipped to handle a situation like this. He needed more training, he couldn’t just make them all disappear and then reappear somewhere else. He didn’t have that kind of control over the emerald.
“What do you expect me to do?” beseeched Michael.
“Handle it!”
“How?”
“That’s up to you.”
Michael looked over to his other three companions, and saw how they were relying on him. He looked at Sarah and saw the fear on her face. Fear and what else? Trust! It was the trust on her face that made it even more difficult for him.
He wanted to tell her not to trust him. There was nothing he could do short of destroying everyone in the building that opposed them.
He looked back at the elders on the platform, and in an even voice asked, “You invited us here. You offered us sanctuary. What do you want from us?”
“We want an answer.”
“I’ll be damned if you’ll get one!” Michael had raised his voice nearly to a shout. He had been pushed too much the last few months, and was determined that it would stop.
The elders on the platform seemed to draw up to taller heights under their robes at Michael’s damnation. All but Benjamin. He seemed to shrink from the implied threat.
“Very nice, Michael,” said Everett, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “You sure got us out of trouble with that bit of diplomacy.”
“Their evasion should be answer enough,” said Ahira.
“Don’t make them mad!” whispered Benjamin, furtively. “You don’t know what they could do.”
Jeremias looked with scorn at his fellow brother. “You will be tested,” he said when he turned back to the travelers.
“You will be taken from here to the highest tower of the church. From there you will be cast over the side. It is nearly sixty feet from the ground. Those of you that are magicians will, of course, save yourselves from the fall; but not from us. Those of you that are not magicians will be taken to your rewards with God.”
Sarah gasped as she heard the brother’s plans for her. “What kind of test is that? Either way we will die! Is that how you solve the problem? You just kill anyone you believe may be a magician?”
“If you are innocent,” Jeremias replied, “you will be rewarded in Heaven. Your death will be a blessing bestowed upon you.”
“Don’t do me any favors!” She looked to Michael with pleading eyes. “Michael, I want to leave this place, and I want to leave now!”
“This has gone far enough!” he shouted. “We’re leaving, and if you care for your precious church, you’ll just get out of the way, and not try to stop us.”
He turned to Thomas and Oliver. “Get the packs and meet us in the main hall.”
As the pair came to their feet, the rest of the church kneeled. Michael could not believe they would be so fortunate that they would be allowed to leave just because of his demands.
He turned to the platform and saw that the four elders had knelt as well. The ancient man, however, was beginning to move. He glared at Michael as his hands ruffled inside his cloak.
From his cloak he pulled on ornate cross, encrusted with diamonds. As the ancient one continued to scowl at Michael, his bloodless lips moved silently.
The room filled with a rainbow of colors. Michael found that he was unable to move as the light surrounded him. His entire group had been frozen where they stood.
They were unable to move as the elders came to them from their platform. They remained frozen as the ancient man continued to glare at them, now with a cruel smile playing across his features.
The members of the church body surrounded them, lifting them to take them to the highest parts of the church. Everett was helpless in spite of his magical powers. Michael was helpless in spite of the emerald that he did not yet fully understand. His friends were helpless because of their normalcy.
They were bundled up like dirty laundry being taken outside to wash in the rain. On every side of them there was a crush of church brothers. Hands grabbed to help carry them through the narrow hallways. Hands lifted them over the stairs, always leading up. They were completely aware of their surroundings, and could feel the cool fresh ocean air on their faces when the brothers expelled them onto the roofs. They could see the stars shining overhead, waiting to claim them for eternity.
Once they were on the roof, out of the darkness, came the old man in the chair. He was still being carried by four of the brothers. They moved him over to where the captive travelers were being held.
The Enchanted Emerald (The Enchanted Stones Book 1) Page 11