1 the claws of chaos

by ich du

  'Your constant refusal to condemn that girl as the witch she is has added fuel to the fires of our recent worries.' said Fenster, walking past towards the long table where the three judges were to sit. 'This whole matter would have been avoided if you had respected my position and judgement.'

  'How long before we start?' asked Ursula.

  'Not long now.' Ruprecht told her, glancing through the window at the crowd gathering outside.

  IT ACTUALLY TOOK a further two days for the trial to begin properly, and all the formalities to be completed. There was the swearing-in of the judges, the re-sanctifying of the church, the specific charges to be levelled, the reading of ancient texts. The whole matter of Ursula's lack of a next-of-kin took nearly half a day to resolve thanks to the pedantic attention to detail shown by Winckler, the head usher. All the while, Marius was exceedingly vexed, because in the back of his mind he knew this was all a smokescreen to keep him from performing his proper investigations. Ruprecht was coping as best he could, but the whole event had turned into a circus of sorts. Every day, despite the bitter cold, hundreds of townsfolk gathered outside the shrine, listening to the reports of the proceedings from people stationed at the doors.

  There was a strange atmosphere surrounding the crowd; a macabre festivity that lent the proceedings an unreal air. There were storytellers, beer merchants, fire-breathers, jugglers and beggars, all using the presence of so many people to earn an odd penny. Some had even erected tents in the church grounds to save themselves the trip back through the streets each day. It had been over two hundred years since the town had last held a witch trial, and the people of Badenhof were making the most of the occasion. On the positive side, the violence had all but died out and an uneasy calm had settled on the town. For Ruprecht though, the presence of so many people gave him cause for concern, as he explained to Marius during one of the many recesses, having shouldered his way through the crowd amidst damning cries of being a witch sympathiser and heretic.

  'It's almost dead out there.' Ruprecht said. 'There's hardly a soul on the streets. Your men can't be everywhere, and I reckon that's just what the cultists wanted. With so few eyes and ears around, they could be doing all manner of harm with no one to see them. I think they'll take this opportunity to further their operation, whatever it is.'

  'I fear you are right.' replied Marius. 'The longer the trial goes on, the better it is for our enemy. But that also gives us a weapon. I'll be endeavouring to make this as speedy as possible, and whoever seems to be doing the most to procrastinate and exaggerate this sorry affair is most likely one of our prime suspects. Already, I have my suspicions about Magistrate Fenster, and going by recent history the guildmaster must surely have some stake in this.'

  'Well,' said Ruprecht, 'there's not much I can do outside that the other men aren't doing. I'll keep an eye on our local dignitaries. If they're hoping to keep your hands full so that you don't notice what they're up to, I'll be here to see the things you can't. If it is Fenster, Koln or Kirche, they have a lot of support in Badenhof, and elsewhere. I don't think we can just tie them to a stake and have done with it, we'll need some hard evidence.'

  'Very good, Ruprecht.' said Marius, with an almost fatherly smile, though he was barely five years older than his companion. 'I know I can trust you to get what we need. You're a good man.'

  'Only because you taught me how to be.' Ruprecht admitted with a grin.

  'I wish this wasn't going to take too long.' Marius said with a grimace. 'But I have a feeling that our foes have other plans for me.'

  Marius's prediction was proven correct over the following four days. A progression of townsfolk appeared before the three judges, each proclaiming some real or perceived grievance against Ursula. Amongst the veritable throng of people who offered their testimony to damn Ursula, there was the butcher who said that she had caused a rash to appear all over his body after he had turned her down for employment.

  Then there was the carpenter who had cut off his thumb with a chisel just days after she had accused him of improper advances towards her. On top of this was the vague testimony of three market stallholders claiming she had cursed them and caused their food to rot after arguments over prices, forcing them to sell bad food and driving them out of business. At each turn, Marius countered these accusations. He pointed out that the reason the butcher had become infected was by illegally buying meat from plagued stock. He told the court of how his investigations had revealed that the carpenter had been in frequent arguments with his wife over his adulterous behaviour, and it was she who had cut off his thumb out of revenge. He revealed that the market traders had been selling poor fruit and vegetables for many years, constantly overcharging their customers for inferior produce, and Ursula had caused a scene in the market one day, highlighting the fact to all within earshot.

  Then there were other oddities. There was the farmer from several miles out of town, who brought in a pig that had a front trotter shaped like a human hand. He claimed it was down to the malevolent spirits that Ursula called upon. For all his vehement questioning, Marius could find no way to disprove the theory other than to state that Ursula had no connection with the farmer whatsoever. There were also those who came forward whose cows had refused to give milk for several weeks, or whose goats passed blood from their udders. One woman even went as far to say that Ursula had placed a hex on her baby, and that because of her it had been born with different coloured eyes. One by one over the four days the witnesses gave their testimonies. They were subjected to the questioning of the judges, and the evidence was laboriously written down in the trial records by Winckler, and Marius fretted more and more.

  On the morning of the seventh day of the trial, the mid-morning prayer recess ended and the first of the day's witnesses was called to present her evidence. All eyes turned to the doors of the church as Winckler led in Frau Emerelde Linde. Hobbling up the aisle, her heavy skirts dragging wet mud across the floor, a lacy shawl wrapped tight around her, she took her place before the three judges and swore an oath to Ulric.

  'Frau Emerelde.' began Marius before either of the other two could start, 'is it not true that you are related to Magistrate Fenster by marriage?'

  'Yes, yes it is true, there's no secret about that.' she answered with a confused expression. 'He's my brother-in-law.'

  'What has this got to do with the Schek woman?' asked Fenster testily, but Marius ignored him and continued.

  'And is it not also the case.' Marius said, 'that you are using that relationship to settle your own personal vendetta against Ursula Schek, the woman accused today?'

  'That's a slur on my character!' interjected the magistrate. 'What are you saying?'

  'I have to concur with Magistrate Fenster.' added Theobald. 'I fail to see the relevance of this line of questioning.'

  'For two years now, Frau Emerelde has waged a petty, spiteful campaign against Fraulein Schek.' explained Marius. 'This culminated in her arrest and supposed trial some months ago, after which she was imprisoned. It is only her false imprisonment that has led to any accusation being levelled. I believe that the witness is prejudiced and her testimony should not be submitted to this court.'

  'She is an evil-hearted harlot!' snapped Emerelde, pointing a finger at Ursula. 'She bewitched that fine knight in this very shrine, and has done the same to live off immoral money from the cursed pact she has made with the dark powers.'

  'What is this immoral money you refer to?' asked Brother Theobald.

  'Why, the keep she earned from Kurt Leitzig, and now from this impostor who calls himself Marius van Diesl.' Her accusing finger swung around to point at the witch hunter. The church and the crowd outside erupted with jeers, and handfuls of rotten fruit were tossed from near the door to splatter on the heads of the people who had crammed into the church as far as they could.

  'Silence, all of you!' rasped Fenster, banging the table with his silver hammer. 'No trial over which I preside will have accusations being levelled at the jud
ges sitting it, myself included. The accused is one Ursula Schek, the redheaded woman standing over there in case you are not acquainted. No one else, including the witnesses, Herr van Diesl, is on trial here, and the questions put to the witnesses should be only for the purpose of divining the guilt or innocence of the accused.'

  'You are right, magistrate.' Marius said with a gracious nod before turning his attention back to Frau Linde. 'Ignoring this business of immoral earnings for now, what are these dark pacts of which you speak?'

  'Every morning, she comes in here and defiles the statue of Sigmar.' said Linde, and a rippling murmur spread through the shrine and the crowd outside.

  'Defiles it?' asked Theobald. 'Be aware that this is my shrine, and mindful of what you say next.'

  'You have seen her, hanging flowers and whatnot on the statue.' said Emerelde. 'Now, I'm not a Sigmarite by nature, but I never seen nothing like that going on. I never seen anyone doing that afore she came here, not in this shrine.'

  'Is this true?' Fenster asked, turning to Brother Theobald.

  'I can find no passages or laws that proscribe the practice.' Theobald answered heavily.

  'Indeed, it is a ceremony I have seen in other places of worship.' said Marius. 'Though not from these parts.'

  'But picking flowers from graves and putting them on Sigmar, that says something, doesn't it?' Emerelde insisted.

  'You will answer questions, not offer opinions.' barked Marius, causing the housewife to flinch, and dart a glance at Fenster, who merely returned her entreating look with a scowl. 'The charge of heresy is a very serious one, bringing with it the threat of death by hanging. I ask you now, to reconsider this accusation. Ask yourself if it is merely brought about by your ongoing rivalry with the accused, and to consider your own motives in this affair. Is such a thing worth the death of Fraulein Schek?'

  'I've seen her consorting with spirits!' hissed Frau Linde, eliciting another shocked reaction from the audience and a disbelieving gasp from Ursula, who up until now had held her temper in check and remained silent.

  'Frau Linde!' snapped Brother Theobald. 'I will remind you of Herr van Diesl's words from a moment ago and add that false accusation of such a crime as you describe also brings the penalty of death by hanging.'

  'I have seen it, I swear by Ulric!' insisted Emerelde, wringing her hands around the knot that tied her black shawl around her shoulders. 'Why, not two days before the snows came, she was in here and I was at that very door listening to her. It was like she was talking with someone.'

  'Could she not have been praying, Frau Linde? It is a very common occurrence in a shrine, I hear,' Marius said and in the silence that followed he heard Ruprecht's deep chuckle.

  'No, she was having a conversation, clear as day,' Emerelde replied. 'She was talking with someone, not to someone.'

  'And what was the subject of this unnatural conversation?' asked Brother Theobald, leaning forward on his elbows.

  'I didn't rightly hear all of it,' admitted Emerelde. 'But what I did hear concerned fires. She was talking about fires against the cold, and burning something. I think she was putting a spell on the town, what started all this violence and fire-starting.'

  'You believe she bewitched the entire town?' Marius said. 'She must indeed be a potent sorceress to do such a thing, and only nineteen years of age as well.'

  'She might be older than that if this is true,' countered Brother Theobald, looking curiously at Ursula.

  'Surely you do not believe this, brother?' Marius said.

  'And why not? The annals of this town include many strange things which were proven to be true,' Theobald said. 'Beef cattle who rotted as soon as slaughtered when cursed by a rival farmer. The wilting of the crops on the north fields by a scorching hot wind in the middle of winter. Emilie Langstrom was burned here three hundred years ago for bringing down a fever that killed half the young children of Badenhof.'

  'In your labours as a protector of our lives and souls, have you ever encountered such a thing, Herr van Diesl?' asked Fenster.

  'Well, similar occurrences, certainly,' admitted Marius. 'The foul arts of necromancy can be used to commune with the spirits of the dead, and some say to entreat them to act upon the living. The Book of Neselrus claims that the soul of a person can be attacked by an unquiet spirit and much harm can be caused. But these I have witnessed with my own eyes.'

  'As Frau Linde may have done.' Brother Theobald pointed out. 'So far I have heard nothing to invalidate her testimony.'

  'As priest of this shrine, you must have been long aware of the antagonism between Ursula and Emerelde.' Marius said, glancing at the two women in turn.

  'Certainly, Frau Linde has entreated me on numerous occasions to cast out the accused from the rough dwelling the laws of my church say I must provide for the pure yet needy.' Theobald said. 'You argue that her accusations are fuelled by her dislike of the accused, but I ask is it not possible that her dislike of the accused is fuelled by the fact that she is indeed a witch?'

  'Fellow judges.' spoke Fenster. 'This is getting us nowhere, and we still have many witnesses to interview. Unless definite evidence comes to light that persuades us Frau Linde is either of unsound mind or driven by illicit motive and her testimony is invalid, let the records remain as they are and her evidence be retained.'

  'But there is no evidence.' said Marius, exasperated. 'Merely hearsay and speculation. And I fear we shall see nothing more tangible in the way of proof over the entire course of this trial.'

  'You will not prejudice this trial with unwarranted statements like this!' snapped Fenster. 'It shall remain to be seen what evidence comes before us. And remember that though weight of opinion does not sway the law, weight of recurring testimony does, following the adage that there is no blood without a wound.'

  MARIUS'S PATIENCE FINALLY ran out that afternoon when the next witness to be called was Aliss Kieller, the delirious inmate at the town gaol. She was brought in to the shrine manacled hand and foot, her thin, starved frame barely covered with tattered rags. Her staring eyes roved everywhere from under a tangle of matted black hair, and lesions and scabs marked her skin all over.

  'And what in the name of Sigmar is this creature doing here?' he demanded from Fenster as the woman was brought before them. 'Are we now to be subjected to the testimony of a mad woman?'

  'It has come to my attention that during her stay at the prison, the accused performed certain acts witnessed by Frau Kieller,' explained Fenster.

  'And just what are these acts?' Marius asked her. She looked around the shrine once more before focussing her attention on him. In a hoarse whisper, she began her testimony.

  'Aliss sees the witch girl every day,' the inmate said. 'She sees what she does. Yes she does, day and night. In the dark places. Rats. She eats them, she eats the rats, Aliss saw it! Bites off their heads, piles of bloody furry bodies everywhere. Aliss is scared, the rats are her friends, but Aliss doesn't listen to them any more, no she doesn't.'

  'What is this raving?' asked Marius, turning to Fenster. 'I cannot understand a word she is saying.'

  'Drinks the blood of the rats, Aliss sees her every night,' the mad woman continued, oblivious to Marius's anger. 'Snip-snap, their necks broken, and the feast begins. Aliss also heard her talking to someone when she kills the rats. She hears the voices that Aliss can't hear, telling her to eat the rats, lick up their blood on her lovely tongue. Snap! Necks all broken for the pile. Aliss has seen it, with these eyes, like the bad times when the sacrifices were burnt.'

  'This is very grave indeed,' Brother Theobald said, listening intently to Aliss's words.

  'You believe this lunatic?' Marius asked.

  'When she was a child, Aliss lived on a farmstead several miles outside the town walls,' replied Brother Theobald. 'The farm was sacked by half-beast creatures of the dark gods, that came from out of the woods. She was left for dead, and saw the beastmen pile up the corpses of her family and their workers in a sacrifice to their foul go
ds. It sent her mad, as you can see, but I think she is saying that Ursula was repeating this unholy ceremony on a smaller scale. That was why she was so afraid.'

  'Afraid yes.' interrupted Aliss, who had been listening intently to the priest. 'Aliss's neck, snip-snap and on the pyre for the bloody one. And the chattering, the voices Aliss can't hear tell the evil girl to do the bad things.'

  'Get this pitiful creature out of here, for Sigmar's sake!' ordered Marius, but as the guards closed in on Aliss, the woman began a deafening shriek.

  'Aliss saw them, the rats were unhappy, they told Aliss, yes they did.' she wailed. 'In the shadows, the red eyes looking at Aliss, and scared of the red girl, the bad girl who eats rats. Aliss heard them whispering and squeaking to each other, saying evil things. They was walking on their back legs and dancing, Aliss saw it!'

  'Surely the ravings of a woman who we all accept to be touched cannot be entered as evidence?' asked Marius when Aliss had been unceremoniously bundled out of the church.

  'I certainly advise that we consider her state of mind when weighing up the evidence.' Fenster said smoothly, stroking his bristled chin with a long fingernail.

  'And who is to be the next witness.' Marius said. 'Perhaps we should talk to the rats? Or perhaps we should cut through to the heart of the matter and speak to the accused, Fraulein Ursula Schek?'

  'Very well, the accused stands as witness after a short break for food.' conceded Fenster.

  URSULA DID NOT know whether to cry or laugh. The trial was a travesty of common sense and justice, and yet she knew that the parade of petty-minded, selfish witnesses would have their way unless she defended herself properly. Marius had called for her to be the next witness, and as she sat there in the shrine, she looked up at the statue of Sigmar that seemed to loom behind the judges' table. As the bustling ushers busied themselves around her shuffling papers, scraping back chairs, talking loudly to each other, she found herself in a small zone of silence. For a moment, she felt utterly calm as she looked upon the caring features of Sigmar. Give me strength, she whispered to herself. The moment passed and once more she was caught in the dizzying activity around her.