The Kingdom

by Bryan M. Litfin

  Teo peeked over his shoulder and gave Jané a nod. “How did you know?”

  “Two identical wounds. Obviously the torture of evildoers. What did you do to offend them?”

  “It’s a long story, but the heart of the matter is, we’re worshipers of the one true God.”

  “As am I,” Jané said.

  Ana sat up on her pallet. “Really? You know him?”

  “Not his name, but I believe in a bountiful God who created our world.”

  “His name is Deus,” Ana said, using the local term. Though she had been speaking Chiveisian with Teo, they had switched to Talyano upon entering the cottage.

  “Deus,” Jané said thoughtfully. “It’s a good name. You shall have to tell me more of him.”

  Ana started to speak but Jané held up her hand, palm out. “Not tonight, Anastasia. Soon you’ll be sleepy from that tea, and you need your rest. We can talk of divine things later.”

  Ana nodded and sank back to her pallet. When Jané finished bandaging Teo’s wound, she made him lie down on an adjacent mat. The woolen blankets were thick and soft. Jané banked the fire, then bid Teo and Ana good night and retired to the back room.

  Teo could feel the somniferous effects of the tea setting in. The fire’s orange glow had dimmed, through a few flickering shadows still danced on the ceiling. Ana breathed steadily beside him. Teo glanced over and was surprised to see she wasn’t asleep. She pursed her pink lips, smiling tenderly at him. Moving a little closer, she reached for his hand beneath the quilts.

  “You came,” she whispered.

  “I did, though you didn’t make it very easy.”

  “And you didn’t come very quickly!” Ana shot back with a laugh.

  “I tried, but you were always out of reach.”

  Ana closed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. “Well, you have me now, Teo.” Her fingers interlaced with his. “I always knew you’d come.”

  “Listen to this. You’re never going to believe where I came from.”

  Opening one eye, Ana gave Teo a curious glance. “Marsay?”

  “Farther.”

  “That other kingdom upstream?”

  “Yes, Jineve. But I went even farther than that.”

  “I don’t know what’s beyond Jineve.”

  Teo sat up on one elbow and leaned over Ana. She gazed back at him with a surprised expression.

  “You do know,” he said.

  Ana shook her head, amused.

  “Chiveis.”

  The cottage held absolutely still. Ana’s mouth was a tiny circle. Her eyebrows arched, and her eyes grew wide. She seemed unable to speak. A log popped in the fireplace, sending up sparks.

  Teo grinned. “It’s true. I found a new way to Chiveis. I even saw your parents.”

  The statement snapped Ana out of her stunned silence. “You went to Chiveis?”

  “Shh, you’ll wake Jané.”

  Ana ignored the warning. “Teo, I can’t believe it! Chiveis! How are Father and Mother?” Moisture glistened in the corners of her eyes, and a tremor was in her voice.

  “They’re still living in Edgeton. They’ve been grief-stricken these past . . . what? Almost two years now.”

  “What did you tell them about me?”

  “That you’re alive and that one day—”

  Teo paused. Ana stared at him as she reclined, waiting for him to speak.

  “—we’ll return,” he finished.

  At those words Ana burst into tears.

  Teo lay back on his pallet, though he didn’t let go of Ana’s hand. He briefly considered saying something but decided to hold his tongue. Although crying wasn’t the response he had anticipated when he imagined this moment, he understood Ana’s tears represented powerful emotions welling up from her soul.

  At last Ana collected herself. She looked over at Teo with a radiant smile that told him the crying was joyful.

  “Thank you for all you’ve given me, Teofil,” she said.

  He shrugged. “I haven’t given you that much.”

  Ana pulled Teo’s hand close and kissed it with tear-moistened lips. “That’s not true. You came to me in the Beyond, and on Hahnerat, and now on Fire Mountain. You’ve given me life itself.”

  Teo marveled at the intensity of Ana’s love. He could feel its warmth erupting from her, offering healing instead of harm. A lump gathered in his throat as he lay beside the beautiful Chiveisian farm girl who had so completely captured his heart. I want to take her home with me, he thought. That’s the only thing I still need to do to make her truly happy.

  Teo smiled as another idea occurred to him.

  Okay, maybe there’s one more thing.

  The crevice was hot and narrow and deep. It wound through Fire Mountain for more than a league, but eventually the Iron Shield emerged from it like a night creature crawling from its den. His hands were abraded by the sharp volcanic rock, though his body had taken no serious harm thanks to the chain-mail hauberk he always wore. He arched his back and swore. Teofil of Chiveis had escaped him again.

  The dark warrior made the long trek back to the hillock where the sacrifice had been planned. No one was there now. Several dead bodies lay on the ground, most of them Clansmen, though a few were Christiani. If any shamans had died, their brethren would have retrieved their corpses to ensure proper cremation according to the rites of the Exterminati.

  Stalking to the lip of the ravine, the Iron Shield peered into the raging lava. He didn’t expect to see anything, and indeed he did not, for the molten rock consumed anything it touched. He glanced at the crane. The jib hung over the ravine, its rope dangling. The Iron Shield doubted it had been used for sacrifice. Mulciber hungered on.

  A dark mass on the other side of the crane caught the Iron Shield’s eye. He walked over and saw it was the Clan Boss’s decapitated corpse. The Iron Shield recognized the clean sword stroke as the work of a powerful warrior. Teofil! He put the toe of his boot under the boss’s body and tumbled it into the lava. A bright flame blazed up, then the infernal fires of Sessalay swallowed the crime lord’s mortal remains.

  Since nothing more could be accomplished at the hillock, the Iron Shield tightened the laces of his boots and prepared to leave. He might have a long walk before he could steal a horse and head for the mines. Thirsty, he licked his cracked lips. Though the water barrel was missing, one of the dead Clansmen carried a flask. The Iron Shield took a long swig of the liquor, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tucked the flask in his belt.

  As the warrior began to march across the barren slopes under a ghostly gibbous moon, his mind turned to the frustrating dilemma that faced him. He had devised an ingenious plan that would bring together his mistress’s two goals. The High Priestess wanted Teofil and Anastasia dead, and she also wanted brimstone. The Iron Shield’s deal with the Clan Boss should have accomplished both purposes, but now one of them was thwarted. Teofil and his woman had disappeared with no way to pick up their trail. To find them again would be time-consuming, if not impossible.

  Impossible? The legion of voices in the Iron Shield’s head rebuked his unworthy thought. Nothing is impossible for us! Though a mere man could not find Teofil, the god of this world can do all things!

  “I do not have time to chase my enemy across land and sea,” the Iron Shield argued. “You know what my mistress desires most. She is Astrebril’s queen and must not be denied.”

  Yessss, hissed the spirits, but the Morning Star might grant both your prayers.

  The Iron Shield knelt. “What do you want from me? You already have my soul.”

  Worrrrship us . . .

  “I exalt you, gods of the bottomless pit.”

  Give us a pledge . . .

  “Tell me what to give and I shall.”

  Lavish upon us what you dearly love . . .

  The Iron Shield rose and walked to a steaming vent. Sulfurous fumes belched from it, irritating his lungs. He gazed down into the crack, a portal to the subterranean world.<
br />
  “Behold!” he cried. “I offer to Astrebril a token of my bondage and obedience. Hear now my request. Bring me safely to my mistress with the brimstone of Sessalay, and give me the chance to slay the man of Chiveis!”

  Hot smoke wafted from the hole in the ground. The dark warrior curled his finger behind his glass eye and plucked it out. Sweat stung the empty socket, now formless and void. He held out his hand. “With this votive I bind thee to my desire, Astrebril of the Dawn!”

  The Iron Shield dropped the lump of glass into the foul mouth of the abyss.

  A golden droplet of honey dangled from Ana’s slice of bread. She tipped back her head and caught it on her tongue before it could fall. Anything that tasted as good as Jané’s honey shouldn’t be wasted.

  “Isn’t that your fourth piece?” Teo asked as he reclined on the riverbank. The day was cool but pleasantly warm in the sunshine.

  “My fifth,” Ana replied as she licked the stickiness from her fingers. Teo’s only response was a chuckle and a shake of his head.

  The pair had devoured a fine picnic lunch of smoked fish, dried fruit, and coarse brown bread. A wineskin of sweet marsala had added a welcome finish to the convivial meal. Jané’s hospitality seemed to know no limits. Her cottage had become a haven for Teo and Ana over the past two weeks.

  Ana eased back into the grass next to Teo and sighed. “Now I’m officially stuffed.”

  “Good. Keep it up. Your ordeal took a lot out of you.”

  The sun felt good on Ana’s face as she relaxed by the stream. Blades of new grass tickled her bare feet. She smoothed her homespun tunic, then glanced over at Teo, whose shirt and trousers were made of a similar fabric. “We look like a couple of Sessalayan peasants,” she said.

  “Yeah. Laundry service is yet another comfort provided by our generous hostess. As if food and shelter weren’t enough already.”

  “We have to find a way to thank her.”

  Teo shrugged. “You heard what she said. Her needs are more than met by her other patients. The best way to thank her is to tell her more about Deu and Iesus.”

  “That I am happy to do.”

  “Me too. I just wish we could get her a copy of the Sacred Writing.”

  Ana nodded but said no more. The heavy meal and fortified wine had brought on a comfortable drowsiness. Though the burn on her back still hurt from time to time, it was healing well. Pleasant moments like this almost made her forget it ever happened.

  At last Ana dozed with her ankles crossed and her hands clasped across her stomach. Periodically she awoke, but each time, she noticed Teo’s reassuring presence next to her and slipped back into her catnap.

  The sun had lowered to a midafternoon angle when Ana finally roused from her sleep. Teo was awake too, chewing on a stem of grass as he watched the clouds drift by.

  “I think this is what they refer to around here as the sweet life,” Ana said.

  “‘A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.’”

  Ana glanced at Teo. “The Maxims?”

  “Uh-huh. Chapter 13, I think.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “The sweetest thing in life is to attain your heart’s desire.”

  Ana rolled over next to Teo, resting on her elbows. His dark hair was thick and messy from lack of a barber, though he had a razor at the cottage, so his chin was shaven. Ana looked into Teo’s gray eyes. “What’s your heart’s desire, Captain?” Though her tone was playful, the question was actually quite serious.

  “The same as yours, I guess.”

  “That’s not much of an answer.”

  “I know, but men don’t talk about their feelings.”

  Ana tsked at Teo’s excuse and pressed on. “You know how much I want to return to Chiveis. Are you saying you want that too?”

  “Yes,” Teo admitted. “I want to take you back there and see everything restored. And I wouldn’t mind seeing some major changes at Marsay and Jineve along the way. My mission was a complete failure.”

  Ana offered a sympathetic nod. Teo had explained that although he had made contact with the people the Papa sent him to see, few had responded favorably to the message of Deu. “I’m sorry,” she said, stroking his arm with her fingernails.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “I suppose not. But when we parted on bad terms, I felt like maybe I burdened you. I didn’t want that. I wanted to be a support. I hope you know how much I prayed for you.”

  “I do know. And I definitely felt your support. I often remembered how you ran to me on the dock and threw me the pendant of Iesus.”

  “That’s why I threw it to you—to be a reminder.” Ana glanced at the collar of Teo’s shirt. “Where is that pendant anyway?”

  A strange expression crossed Teo’s face, almost as if he was embarrassed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Teo ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, to put it in the most shocking terms possible, I gave that necklace to a pretty, blue-eyed, fifteen-year-old prostitute.”

  What?

  Ana pushed herself up to a sitting position while Teo continued to relax on the riverbank. Apparently there was a reasonable explanation for his action. Even so, Ana couldn’t suppress the jealousy that rose within her.

  “It wasn’t like that, of course,” Teo said. “She was a girl in desperate need, dragged into a horror you and I can’t comprehend. I told her about Deu’s love, and she believed. The pendant was a practical way to get her out of that life.”

  “But you gave that necklace to me! It symbolized our quest to find the New Testament together!”

  “And Deu fulfilled that quest, didn’t he? What can I say? I felt an unmistakable prompting to help that girl.”

  “Girls are always trying to get their claws into you.”

  Now Teo sat up as well. “What are you talking about? What girls?”

  Ana wanted to raise the name Sucula, but she knew that would cross a line, so she went in a different direction. “Girls like Bianca,” she said with a hint of accusation.

  “Who?”

  “That flirty scullery maid at Vanita’s estate in Ulmbartia.”

  “Bianca? I can barely remember who she is.”

  “Vanita once told me—”

  Teo’s hand shot up. “Stop right there, Ana. All these hints and suspicions are wrong. You’re not in the spirit of Deu.”

  Ana frowned but said nothing.

  “I’ve never given you any reason to be jealous, have I? I was just trying to help a human being in need.”

  “You’re right,” Ana said, shaking her head with a heavy sigh. “You released that girl from slavery when you gave her the pendant. I guess that’s the perfect use for it.”

  “I hoped you’d see it that way.” Teo gently touched Ana’s shoulder. “I only have eyes for one woman, you know.”

  “I do know that, Teo.” Ana fiddled with a blade of grass. “So how do I overcome a jealous feeling like that when it arises?”

  “It’s just like any temptation. We have to ask Deu for strength every day, then make some hard choices when it counts.”

  “So is victory based on Deu’s strength or our choice?”

  “Both, I think.”

  Ana fell silent, lost in her thoughts, until finally Teo scrambled to his feet. “Come on. We’ve rested here long enough. Are you ready to go find the springs?”

  Lighthearted once more, Ana stood up with a smile. “Yes! Show me the way and I’ll be right behind you.”

  The pair went to the river’s edge. Its flow was turbulent, for as warmer weather approached, the snow on Fire Mountain was melting. On the riverbank lay two coracles—tiny boats made of wicker, each small enough to be carried by a single person. Teo and Ana got into the boats and pushed off with their paddles. The swift current carried them along at a pace Ana found exhilarating.

  “Watch out now,” Teo called. “We’re about to enter the gorge.”

  “Hey, don’t forget I’m a farm girl from
Edgeton. I grew up on a river!” Ana laughed as she dug in with her paddle to stay close to Teo.

  The river valley in which Jané lived now closed down to form a narrow canyon. Teo entered first, but Ana followed close after. The river rushed through the gorge, twisting and turning as it careened off the white stone walls. In some places the cliffs cast deep shadows, but elsewhere golden sunbeams shone on the stream like waterfalls of light. Side eddies formed crystal-clear pools whose rocky beds looked impossibly close to the surface. The swirling river bore an aquamarine tint that took Ana’s breath away.

  Teo looked over his shoulder, pointing ahead. “There’s the fallen tree! The springs are just beyond! Be ready to turn!”

  “Here we go!” Ana cried.

  As she swept under the tree behind Teo, a grotto opened on her right. Ana thrust her paddle into the stream and twisted it hard. Her coracle made an abrupt turn a moment before Teo shouted, “Now!”

  Ana shot forward, gliding into the grotto a split second ahead of Teo. Her boat ground to a halt on a pebbly beach. She turned and gave Teo a cocky grin as he slid up next to her.

  “Nice move, farm girl,” he said.

  Ana threw back her head and laughed.

  The pair stepped out of their little boats and pulled them from the water. Glancing around, Ana surveyed the secret grotto. A waterfall cascaded over a rock lip, trickling down the cliff before hitting a plunge pool. A shaft of sunlight scattered glittering diamonds across the ruffled water. But most intriguing of all, wisps of steam rose from the pool’s surface.

  Kicking off her sandals, Ana walked to the water’s edge and dipped her toes. The pool was the temperature of a very hot bath.

  “Just like Jané described,” she said. “Therapy straight from the Creator.”

  Ana waded in slowly, trying to acclimate to the warmth. Teo followed her, shirtless, then plunged deeper.

  “Ooh! How can you stand it?”

  “You have to go all at once,” Teo said.

  Suddenly he lunged at Ana and dragged her squealing into the pool. The heat was intense, creating an instant sting in the middle of her back. She winced, but Teo was right. The sting disappeared as the healing waters enveloped her.