Selene of Alexandria

by Justice, Faith L.

  Selene hid a smile behind another bow. "I am at your service, Patriarch. What would you know of me?"

  "Ah, yes, Lady Selene." Cyril regained his composure. "Serious charges have come to our attention. We have many questions for you."

  "What charges, Holy Father, and from whom?"

  "You have been accused of sorcerous acts. Your accusers need not be revealed. It is enough that the evidence presented to the Church substantiates the charges. This interview is to see if you are irredeemably damned, or if we can save your immortal soul."

  Selene rocked back on her heels. She had been accused, judged and condemned behind these walls without any defense. Her blood raged at the injustice, but she felt an outburst would hurt her cause.

  Selene lowered her gaze and said, in a low clear voice, "I ask that you allow my father to examine the evidence against me and speak to you on my behalf. I swear before God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary that I am a good Christian."

  Hierex looked at her with ill-concealed malice. "Do you deny worshipping other gods, participating in pagan rituals and holding souls in thrall by means of a pact with a demon?"

  "I do." Selene's eyes grew wide. "I have never engaged in witchcraft. Who says differently? What is the evidence?"

  Hierex' thin lips turned up slightly, as he consulted his notes. "Lady Selene, it has come to our attention that you frequently attend the sick in the poorer neighborhoods. Is that correct?"

  "Yes. The Patriarch urges us to do good deeds in the way of Christ."

  "Why do you choose to minister to the pagan Egyptians and Jews?"

  "What better way to show the charitable nature of our Lord Jesus?"

  "Do you proselytize to the pagans?"

  "No. I minister only to their bodies, not their souls."

  Hierex pursed his lips. "A pretty and benevolent picture, my dear, but a fiction to cover your real activities. It is well known that you consort with a notorious pagan woman, commonly called Nut after the Egyptian sky goddess. Even her name is an abomination. Witnesses say the two of you cast spells, using prayers to demons and profane objects to affect your poor victims."

  "That's not true! Mother Nut is a healer and I'm her apprentice. We've never consorted with demons. Ask any of our patients."

  Hierex' smile grew broader. "Ah, but we have. Many have described the rituals the two of you perform and have provided these." He tossed a handful of fired clay objects on the table.

  Mother Nut's charms of teeth, blank-faced heads, and small votive statues rattled to stillness.

  Selene's breath hissed as she drew it in.

  "Do you deny you pray to a pagan statue?"

  Selene lifted her chin. "Of course I do. I was raised a Christian. I do not pray to foreign idols."

  "Then explain the presence of this in your room."

  Hierex pulled out the small statue of Isis and baby Horus that Mother Nut had given her for her father.

  A chill gripped Selene's bowels as she recognized the trap and realized her inability to avoid it. She had no one to shield her. Nothing on her side but her pride and the truth. It wouldn't be enough.

  "Mother Nut gave it to me as a gift. I do not worship it."

  Her denial seemed to inflame the monk. "How do you account for your survival of the plague? All who attended the unfortunate heathens died. Why did you survive unless you sold your soul to the devil?"

  "Another lived. A woman dressed in gray who tended the children."

  "Yes, the Blessed Mother of God." Hierex settled back on his seat, a smug smile blooming on his face. "All know She came to take all the deserving souls to heaven. Obviously she found yours unworthy."

  "You twist the truth. Mother Nut attended me. With her skills, and the grace of God, I survived the plague."

  "Your own father called the woman a witch and claimed she held his servants under a spell while she tended you during your illness."

  "You can not condemn me on the hearsay of servants." Selene straightened her back. "I am a councilor's daughter."

  "Quite right." Hierex smiled. "Do you deny casting a malignant spell over Lady Honoria, causing her death and clearing the way for your marriage to her husband Antonius?"

  "That was settled at the inquest. You were there and heard the testimony," Selene said, aghast at the renewed accusation. "I cast no spell. Honoria was my friend!"

  "Do you deny using a demonic ritual to compel the soul of the infant Honorius Posthumous back into its dead body?" he thundered.

  "Yes, I deny it." Tears came to Selene's eyes, but her voice was steady. "I used a medical technique to save the baby's life."

  Cyril held up his hand for attention and leaned forward. "Lady Selene, given your youth and the impressionability of the female nature, we realize that you might have been led astray, overly influenced by evil personalities. This Egyptian woman has already confessed her demonic connections and died unrepentant."

  His words stunned Selene. A knot of raw grief closed her throat. She croaked, "Mother Nut is dead?"

  Cyril waved his hand as if removing an annoying insect. "The witch was but a small piece of the puzzle. We want to get at the heart of this conspiracy against the Church. It is my understanding you take classes at the Museum with the pagan woman Hypatia. Is it true you two are intimates, and she sponsored your admittance as a student?"

  She looked Cyril directly in the eyes, puzzled by this sudden turn in questioning.

  "Hypatia did, indeed, sponsor my studies. I attended classes on natural history taught by her as part of my medical studies. I also attend private lectures at her home on philosophy and astronomy."

  Hierex stroked his chin. "Yes, it is well known that her father tried to fathom the influence of the stars. Hypatia follows in his footsteps in such sorcerous behavior. She is known to be devoted to astrolabes and other magical equipment. Did she ever include you in demonic rituals?"

  Selene shook her head at her own stupidity. It should have been obvious to her by now that everything she said would be twisted to evil purposes.

  "I have nothing to say about Lady Hypatia other than to praise her intelligence, compassion and ethical behavior."

  Cyril looked at her, as would a loving and disappointed father. "I'm sorry, my dear, but the evidence against you is overwhelming. Unless you repent of your sins and provide us with some mitigating circumstances, we must consider you a danger to this Christian community. You will stay in our custody for the next several days and be examined again. Perhaps, if you reflect on your situation, you will discover your own salvation."

  Despair curdled Selene's soul. Cyril had as much as promised her release in exchange for testimony against Hypatia. Something she could never do.

  Cyril nudged the dozing monk awake. "Father Paul, our duties are concluded here. Hierex, please escort Lady Selene to her new quarters."

  The old monk exited through a curtained alcove. Hierex came from behind the desk to take Selene's arm. She refused his grasp. A loud rapping came from the door then abruptly broke off. Selene heard raised voices and a deep grunt.

  Hierex pushed her through a side door before she could see who breached the Patriarch's sanctuary.

  Orestes stepped over one of the parabolans lying in the doorway and entered the room. He straightened his slightly mussed soldier's cape, ran a hand through his hair and strode to the front of the desk.

  "Patriarch, please pardon my lateness. The streets seemed unaccountably clogged with monks this afternoon. I had to abandon my chariot and come on foot." Orestes looked around, a carefully schooled look of surprise on his face. "Have you already released, Lady Selene?"

  Cyril coolly surveyed Orestes. Even at the Patriarch's elevation, they looked eye to eye. "I thought you had no more interest in this case."

  "I am here as a friend to the family. Given her father's frail health and her brothers' absence, I felt it appropriate Lady Selene have a man to advise her during this inquiry."

  "Your services are not needed. Selene has been
condemned as a witch. I cannot allow that young woman to corrupt the body of our church."

  "Even the Patriarch cannot condemn someone without justification." Orestes crossed his arms. "Where is your evidence? Who are your sources?"

  Cyril pointed to Mother Nut's trinkets.

  "You are going to convict her on that?" Orestes laughed. "Nearly everyone in the city has bought a charm against evil, or a love philter, at some time in their life. What's the difference between that and keeping some dead martyr's bones in a fancy box to be worshipped?"

  "We do not worship the holy ones' bones!" Cyril shouted then continued more moderately, "We merely ask that they intercede for us in heaven."

  "I fail to the see the difference."

  "That is why I have on many occasions offered to instruct you, my son," Cyril said with obvious relish. "Besides many have seen Selene engage in unholy practices." Cyril recounted the previous testimony.

  "Ridiculous!" Orestes icy tones echoed in the chamber. "You present the gossip of servants and the lower classes as truth and ignore the testimony of Selene's peers."

  "We have the sworn testimony of an imminent physician."

  "Urbib? The testimony of a man who would give up the religion of his fathers to further his career is impeached." Orestes stepped forward and leaned close to Cyril. "I have heard no overwhelming evidence in this case, Cyril. I'm asking you not to punish this innocent woman in pursuit of your own aims. What is it you want?"

  "I want you to stop meddling in internal church affairs. The girl is mine to dispose of as I chose."

  "We'll see," Orestes ground between clenched teeth, turned on his heel and left.

  Chapter 35

  Selene walked quietly with Hierex through the labyrinth of church offices. Her skin twitched at sudden noises, her eyes roamed the walls noting details of color and design, mentally storing clues as to her route. She breathed slowly, not wanting to appear weak or nervous in Hierex' company. She wondered if he felt ill at ease in hers. After all, if Selene were a powerful witch, couldn't she harm him?

  He seemed confident of his safety.

  Hierex spoke only to guide her steps: left, down, through this arch. After several minutes, he stopped at a heavy wooden door, bound in brass, and took a large ring of over a dozen keys from a hook on the wall. He chose one and unlocked the door. They descended two flights of stairs. From the cool damp air, Selene surmised they were underground.

  She shivered.

  The bottom of the stairs opened on a long corridor lit intermittently by flickering torches.

  An old woman sat on a low stool. She rose and bowed to Hierex. He nodded. "Lady Selene will be our guest, Didyme. Show her to her quarters."

  The woman looked at Selene with pity. "Come, child, to the third room." She hobbled forward on a clubfoot. The Church had probably cared for Didyme from birth, since parents frequently abandoned deformed children. Selene hoped the church fathers would show her a similar measure of mercy.

  Didyme stood at the third entrance, fumbling with her own ring of keys, finally finding the correct one and opening the door. Selene crossed the threshold and eyed her new home with trepidation. She wouldn't dignify the space with the appellation "room." She could stand straight, but the rough stone ceiling loomed just inches above her head and a thin layer of moldering rushes covered the floor.

  She hadn't expected the comforts of home, but given her father's station Selene had anticipated accommodations more appropriate to her class. She turned to protest, and stifled it when she saw the satisfied look on Hierex' face.

  "We leave you alone to reflect upon your actions. I advise using this time to pray; ask the Good Lord to bring your dark soul into the light. The law deals harshly with witches." Hierex' face took on an earnest look. "But you are young and can still be saved if you confess your sins and give up associations with the evil people who led you astray."

  "I will think on what you have said." Selene bowed her head as the door eased shut on well-oiled hinges. Light trickled through a hole, barely a hand's breadth high or wide, set in the portal.

  Didyme's creaky voice came from the other side. "There'll be food and water in a bit, dearie. If you need any supplies of a female nature, let me know. I'll be down the hall, on my stool."

  "Thank you, Mistress Didyme. Is it possible to get a lamp and something to read?"

  "I'm afraid not, dearie." The old woman clucked softly. "Nothin' more'n what I said. Food and water once a day."

  Selene heard Didyme shuffle down the corridor, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She sat on the floor and bowed her head onto her knees. The room seemed even smaller, crushing the breath from her. She started up and took a swift stride, bumping her forehead on the wall. The pain focused her. She paced off the cell, three strides from front to back, two from side to side.

  Mother Nut had probably breathed her last in a cell just like this. Selene sniffed for any lingering traces of garlic, but the waste pot in a corner overwhelmed any other smell.

  No fresh air. No light. No one to talk to.

  Selene felt as helpless as when Honoria had died in her arms. But then she had taken action. Now her fate rested in other's hands.

  Unless…Selene slumped against the wall…she did as the Patriarch asked.

  "I never thought Cyril would go so far!"

  Orestes had never seen Hypatia so agitated. Two spots of color danced on her cheeks as she paced her office, flinging her arms in dramatic arcs. Anger blazed from her eyes, crackled in her voice.

  Orestes, with the distance of hours since his confrontation with Cyril, more calmly assessed the situation. "He has been very clever turning this unfortunate incident to his advantage. I can do nothing officially except protest. The Imperial laws give him every right to suppress heretical Christian sects, and deal with sorcerers and witches as he chooses."

  A strand of smooth dark hair escaped from Hypatia's chignon. She impatiently tucked it behind her ear, eyes lighting on her desk. She strode to it, seating herself. "The Patriarch is young and not a favorite among his peers. I'll write to every one of my former students and clients installed in Bishoprics throughout the Empire, urging them to rein in Cyril's excesses." She muttered, "And they are legion," as she started a letter.

  "Write to Aurelian, as well. I don't know the new Praetorian Prefect, but he was your student. I'll also send an official protest to court." Orestes rubbed his clean-shaven jaw. "Unfortunately, I don't think our efforts will bear fruit in time to save Selene. Cyril moves more rapidly than the post."

  "Surely Cyril would not harm her?" Hypatia put down her pen. "The church has forbidden torture. Memories of their own martyrs are too fresh."

  "She is but a means to an end for the Patriarch." Orestes shook his head. "He has already condemned her for witchcraft. If Selene, through some pressure or trickery, implicates you, he eliminates your public influence. Cyril effectively severs us. You might even be in physical danger."

  "Clever man." Hypatia rose and paced, hands clasped behind her back. "If Selene doesn't confess, she stays imprisoned. At the worst, Cyril gains Ision's considerable financial support and throws the fear of God into any of the curial class who oppose him."

  Her face settled into lines of pain. Orestes sorrowed to see Hypatia look every one of her almost sixty years.

  "Write your letters, Hypatia. Officially, we continue our efforts to persuade Cyril to reverse his judgment." Orestes rose to his full commanding height. "Unofficially, I have a considerable network of agents at my disposal."

  "You can get Selene out of the Patriarch's basilica?"

  "I must." Orestes said grimly. "For our sakes, as well as hers."

  Hierex came to fetch her on the forth day, some hours after the single daily meal of one hard biscuit and a crumb of sharp cheese. Selene had tried to keep herself presentable by combing out her hair with her fingers and braiding it down her back after each meal. She had lost the ability to smell herself but still spared a few precious dr
ops of water to scrub her face. At the sound of the key, Selene brushed at her filthy, rush-covered garments, adjusting her few pieces of jewelry.

  As she emerged, Hierex wrinkled his nose. "I hope you have employed yourself usefully. The Patriarch wishes to meet with you."

  "I would not offend the Patriarch with my presence. Could you provide me with a bath, clothes and servant to help make me more presentable?"

  "That is just a woman's vanity." Hierex' mouth quirked at one corner. "The Patriarch understands the body is just the temporary repository of the soul – an envelope of clay to be sloughed off when we move to the next world."

  They passed the stick-like, young woman who alternated with Didyme in caring for the "guests" of the Patriarch. She was either mute or had taken a vow of silence. Selene suspected few other women shared her imprisonment. No one had answered her determined whispers when the torches went out, except Didyme, who threatened to decrease her already meager water ration.

  When Selene stepped into the outer hall, light from a dozen oil lamps struck her eyes stinging them to tears. She put out a hand to steady herself against the wall and wiped the moisture from her face with her other sleeve. She was surprised she had any tears. Her body felt as desiccated as leather, as in the throes of the plague.

  The thought of becoming sick in this place sent a chill down her spine. Only Mother Nut's medical skills and her own youthful constitution had saved her before. Now, weak from hunger and thirst, she had no reserves to fight off illness, no tender care from family or friends. She straightened, but refused Hierex' proffered arm. Through blurry eyes she made out his scowl.

  He grabbed her wrist. "This way."

  She stumbled then regained her feet. It felt good to move. She gained confidence as her muscles limbered, and matched Hierex' quick strides. By the time they reached the Patriarch's quarters she quite enjoyed this respite from her dark cell.