The Kingdom Page 34

  “You told me the story of how Iesus was washed. I wanted to be like him.” Liber took a long draught from his mug, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I didn’t see the little bird though.”

  “What little bird?”

  “When Iesus was washed, a little bird sat on his head. I wanted it to land on me too.”

  “Oh,” Ana said. “The dove.”

  “I guess so. Why didn’t it come?”

  “Well, Liber . . . the dove is a symbol.” Ana quickly realized her friend’s mind didn’t comprehend abstractions, so she added, “It’s the spirit of Deu.”

  “What’s a spirit?”

  Ana bit her lip and thought for a moment, then said, “The spirit of Deu is his presence in our midst that we can feel but not see.”

  “Oh. Like the wind.”

  Glancing at Liber, Ana nodded with a grin. “Exactly!”

  “Why is he left out then?”

  Ana tried to follow Liber’s line of thinking. “What do you mean, left out? Who’s left out?”

  “The little dove—the spirit who blows like the wind. The Papa gave us the Washing in the name of the Deu and Iesus and the spirit. But the spirit is left out.”

  “Where is he left out?”

  “In the Twelve Words.”

  Startled, Ana mentally rehearsed the eleven words that had been chosen at the Council of Roma. Creation, sin, sacrifice, Iesus Christus, faith, washing, holiness, remembrance, love, proclamation, hope. These terms were supposed to encapsulate the message of Christianism. They told a story of creation’s destruction and Deu’s restoration of it. Yet somehow the role of his spirit had been omitted.

  Ana bolted from her chair. “Come with me, Liber. There’s someone we need to see right away.”

  Liber obligingly followed Ana to the chambers that had belonged to Odo. Although it was dark outside, the hour wasn’t so late that Ana was afraid to knock. A papal assistant opened the door.

  “We were wondering if we could speak with the Papa,” Ana said. “We have an urgent matter that only he can address.”

  “The Holy Father is meditating. I will see if he can be disturbed. Wait here.”

  The assistant walked away, then returned momentarily. He beckoned with his hand. “This way please.”

  Ana entered the outer chamber, now refitted as sleeping quarters for the Papa’s aides. She and Liber were led to a back room that was divided by a curtain. Ana assumed the area behind the curtain included a bed, while the front area had been converted into a study and reception room. The Papa sat at his desk, his beautiful book open before him. A lantern on a hook provided a bright yellow glow.

  “Good evening to you both,” the Papa said, rising to his feet. His tunic was simple, and he wore plain leather sandals. A wooden cross hung from a thong around his neck. He gestured to two chairs. “Will you have a seat?”

  Ana sat down next to Liber as the Papa resumed his place at his desk. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Holy Father,” she began.

  The Papa looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. “The last time you came to my chambers like this, you had a secret code to reveal. What will it be this time?”

  “Something so obvious we should have seen it long ago.”

  “Is that so? Well then, Anastasia of Chiveis, you must tell us what we are missing.”

  “I think I may have found the twelfth word. I don’t mean to be presumptuous. I’m not trying to circumvent the council. It’s just that . . . well, Liber brought to my attention something we left out.”

  “The little bird,” Liber said. “The spirit who blows like the wind.”

  The Papa leaned on his desk, regarding his two visitors in grave silence. Unexpectedly he lowered his gaze to his book and began to read: “In novissimis diebus, dicit Dominus, effundam de spiritu meo super omnem carnem . . . ”

  Closing his eyes, Liber picked up the chant in a sonorous tone: “Et prophetabunt filii vestri et filiae vestrae, et iuvenes vestri visiones videbunt, et seniores vestri somnia somniabunt, et quidem super servos meos et super ancillas meas in diebus illis effundam de spiritu meo.”

  The Papa caught Ana’s eye. “These scriptures say that in the last days, the Lord will pour out his spirit on all flesh,” he explained. “Young and old, men and women—they will all see visions and dream dreams. The Lord will pour out his spirit on male and female servants alike. This is the passage that came to my eyes tonight. Do you know it?”

  Ana nodded. “The book of Deeds, chapter two. The sermon of Petrus.”

  “You are correct in your suggestion, daughter.”

  “I remember the chapter because I read it not long ago.”

  The Papa waved his hand. “I did not mean you are correct about the chapter, though you are. But what I meant was, you have indeed found the twelfth word.”

  Ana inhaled sharply. “You think so?”

  “I know so, for it was on my mind as well. Deus led me to this passage tonight after I sensed a profound gap in our faith. He disturbed my soul so much that I prayed for resolution. Then he placed an idea in Liber’s mind, and you listened to the divine whisper that came through our brother. Now you have arrived at my door to discuss the precise matter that was already stirring my soul, the matter I asked Deus to resolve for me! Such things are not a coincidence. Do not believe those who assign them to random chance. This is the nature of Deus’s work. He binds his people and his book together in the revelation of his truth.”

  “I do not doubt that. I have seen him do it before.”

  “Your faith is worthy of praise, daughter.” The Papa rose from his chair and came around his desk to stand in front of his visitors. “Two great tasks now lie before us. Mine is to go to Jineve with the message of salvation. The Knights of the Cross will accompany me, and the armies of Marsay will defend that land as best we are able.”

  Ana accepted the statement but did not respond, for it seemed better to wait and hear what the godly man would say next.

  Placing his hand on Ana’s head, the Papa spoke in a gentle voice. “You, Anastasia, must go even farther. You must return to your land with the truths you have discovered. Just as I sent Teofil on a mission, so I now send you. This day I name you Anastasia Apostola Domini Chiveisorum—the apostle of the Lord to the people of Chiveis. Do you accept this call?”

  “I will go,” Ana whispered. “It is my heart’s greatest desire.”

  Liber’s loud voice broke the reverent stillness in the room. “No! I don’t want her to leave!”

  “Hush, Liber,” the Papa said. “Such yelling is unbecoming at a moment like this. Listen to what I have to say.”

  “But—”

  Ana squeezed Liber’s arm. “Be still. Listen to the Holy Father.”

  The Papa placed his hand on the bald top of Liber’s head. “Your mind is innocent like a child, my son, but your body is strong like a bear. I have a mission for you as well. You must go with Anastasia, facing whatever dangers she faces, and serving as her strong defender.”

  Liber’s face brightened. “You mean I get to go to Chiveis too?”

  Ana smiled at him and nodded.

  “I knew it!” he exclaimed. “The Father in the Sky does see me!”

  On the first day of the fifth month, only three days after their arrival at Castle d’If, Teo’s expedition embarked from Marsay’s harbor and crossed the bay to the mouth of the Rone. Though the weather could often be sunny this time of year, the skies on the day of departure had decided not to cooperate. A heavy overcast dropped intermittent rain on the four longboats that entered the marshy delta known as the Camarg. Strange pink birds with elongated necks populated the swamps, along with the elusive white ponies called camargs after their habitat. Unfortunately, the wildlife Teo encountered most often wasn’t quite as endearing. Fierce mosquitoes swarmed him, and only an ointment of eucalyptus oil kept them at bay.

  The four boats navigated their way up the Rone channel through a landscape of briny lagoons and low, reedy wet
lands. Although Teo was in command of the expedition to overtake the Iron Shield and his load of brimstone, he let Brother Thomas lead the way while the arrow wound in his calf finished healing. Sixty good knights rowed the boats north, aided by Liber, who made pulling the oar look effortless. Ana and Vanita were assigned cooking duties each evening because the men would be tired from rowing, and Marco joined the expedition as a night watchman. Now that the Midnight Glider lay in pieces on the bottom of the ocean, the former pirate had decided to cast his lot with his friends.

  On the second day out of Marsay, the boats left the Camarg and entered a more attractive region. Teo recalled seeing numerous lavender fields here on his previous journey to Jineve, but now the purple flowers weren’t in bloom. Instead Teo occupied himself by studying the Ancients’ crumbling architecture. He tapped Ana’s shoulder and pointed to a stone bridge whose four remaining arches thrust out from one bank but no longer spanned the river. “Those are the kinds of structures that were old even for the Ancients,” he said. “They were built hundreds of years before the Great War of Destruction.”

  “It must have been lovely in its day,” Ana mused. “I can imagine people dancing and singing on it. Now they’re all gone. How did so much beauty come to be lost?”

  “Man’s lust for power.”

  Ana nodded wordlessly, a frown on her lips.

  Around noon on the third day Teo spotted one of the Iron Shield’s camps. He ordered a halt so he could inspect the site for clues about his enemy. The cargo of brimstone had been transferred from the black caravel to riverboats, some of which had been pulled close to the shore, where their keels left gouges in the mud. Based on the size of the camp and the number of cooking fires, Teo estimated the force to number about five hundred men—far more than he had expected.

  Marco gave a low whistle and shook his head. “Who are they? Mercenaries?”

  Teo held up a black thread he had pulled from a thornbush. “Worse. Shamans.”

  “This is really bad,” Brother Thomas said. “Where did the Iron Shield get so many men? There aren’t that many Exterminati around Marsay.”

  “He must have summoned them to the area. They could easily hide in the Camarg and no one would know.”

  “Is this an invasion army? Is he going to attack Jineve right away?”

  Teo rubbed his chin as he tried to think through the Iron Shield’s strategy. “It could have been an invasion army if he had the Clan fighters too. But Marco’s sacrifice at the harbor took care of that.” Teo clasped his friend’s shoulder in gratitude, and Brother Thomas also offered an affirming nod. “So now,” Teo continued, “I think his first goal will be to deliver the brimstone to the High Priestess. She’s creating some kind of fearsome weapon. They’ll want it before they invade Jineve. We may still have some time.”

  “How far behind him do you think we are?” Marco asked.

  “I estimate three days. But we can make it up. We have the advantage of traveling as a much smaller party.”

  “That will cease to be an advantage once we catch him,” Marco said drily.

  “We’ll worry about that later. Until then we press hard. Let’s get moving again.”

  Several more enemy camps were discovered as the expedition’s four boats rowed north up the Rone. After almost a week on the river, the travelers watched the landscape change dramatically. Lofty alpine peaks loomed in the east, including one Brother Thomas called White Mountain. “It’s the highest summit anywhere around,” the friar knight said. “It’s massive and always covered in snow.”

  Teo called for another halt at a juncture where a tributary river ran down from the high mountains. Marks on the shore indicated that the Iron Shield’s army had started to sail up the branch instead of remaining on the Rone. Yet the move was confusing. Was the Iron Shield going to lurk in the wilds and pounce on Jineve later? What about the brimstone? Although men could travel overland on horses, it wouldn’t be possible to transport a large cargo to Chiveis by any means except riverboats, and that would require staying in the main channel.

  Teo had just decided to establish a camp and send scouts up the tributary when the arrival of a Jinevan patrol boat changed things. The boat was small, yet it bristled with crossbowmen whose weapons were cocked and aimed.

  “Who are you?” shouted the boat’s captain, using the local dialect that was similar to Teo’s own native tongue. “These borderlands belong to the Kingdom of Jineve!”

  “I’m a friend,” Teo yelled back from the riverbank. “I’ve been through here before, and I dined with Mayor Calixte!”

  The knowledge of the Jinevan leader’s name seemed to mollify the patrol boat captain. “What’s your business now?” he inquired.

  “I’m seeking an acquaintance of mine. A big man with one eye. He goes by the name of Antonio.”

  “We’ve seen him,” the captain replied. “Three days prior. We gave clearance to four ships and three-score men. They were headed to the capital on unknown business.”

  His business is to destroy you, Teo thought, but instead of voicing that dire prediction he asked, “What about the others with him? There would have been several hundred men in dark clothing.”

  “We saw no others.”

  Of course you didn’t. They’re masters of stealth.

  Brother Thomas came to Teo’s side and leaned close. “Looks like they’ve split up,” he said. “That evil cargo was allowed to pass through Jineve like a viper slithering across the bedroom floor. The Iron Shield is taking it straight to Chiveis like we thought. Meanwhile the shaman army has melted into the mountains to await their call.”

  Teo tsked. “He probably played the role of charming businessman to Mayor Calixte again. By now he’s left the city and crossed Leman Sea. We have to hurry.”

  He turned to the patrol boat captain. “We’re headed the same direction as Antonio. We seek permission to pass through your kingdom as friends.”

  “Gather your rowers,” the captain said. “I’ll escort you to the city.”

  Jineve, the Jewel of Leman Sea, hadn’t changed much since Teo had been there six months earlier. The waterfront still sparkled with elegant stores and the mayor’s luxurious palace. The fountain on the jetty still spewed its waters into a graceful arc that landed on the lake as a mist. Even the people of Jineve seemed especially beautiful and exotic. Teo thought he could have enjoyed spending a few days here with Ana if he wasn’t on such an urgent mission.

  The palace steward met Teo’s expedition at the dock. “I see you have returned to us, Teofil of Chiveis,” he said in a tone that was barely civil. “At least you have brought more attractive companions this time.” He nodded at Ana and Vanita, then turned back to Teo. “Are you still spreading rumors of imminent invasion, or have you finally given up that fairy tale?”

  “The threat has only grown since I saw you last.”

  The steward threw his hands into the air with an exasperated scoff. “What is it with you? Why do you come here to plague us with groundless worries about foreign enemies?”

  Teo was about to answer when Ana interrupted. “Don’t talk to him like that!” she burst out, jabbing her finger at the steward. “Teofil has risked his life to protect your kingdom! You have no idea what kind of storm is brewing over the horizon right now! All hell is about to be unleashed while you sit around doing nothing! You ought to—”

  “It’s okay, Ana,” Teo said, putting his hand on her arm. “I’ve already tried that. We just need to pass through here and catch up with . . . Antonio.”

  Ana fell silent, though her look of suppressed anger remained. Her brow was knit, her jaw was clenched, and her lips were puckered in fierce defiance. Teo couldn’t help but smile at the feisty Chiveisian farm girl he had come to love so much.

  “You may pass through our lands,” said the haughty steward, “but I advise you to leave as quickly as possible. The commissary at the far end of the harbor will supply whatever items you may need, if you have the means to pay.”
>
  “We do,” Teo said. “We will be on our way very soon.”

  Despite Teo’s confident assertion, the expedition wasn’t able to leave until late the next day. A strategic decision had been made that the Marsayan longboats would be exchanged for horses during the final leg of the journey. Because Teo knew where the Iron Shield was headed and had already scouted the way to Chiveis, he felt he could make up more ground by taking an overland route that would avoid time-consuming river portages. Several of the more experienced knights concurred that in this situation, horses could travel a direct course that would quickly gain on the riverboats’ convoluted path.

  Brother Thomas, however, raised a concern. The Knights of the Cross were mustering the militia at Marsay to bring an army up the Rone River at the Papa’s command. They were expected to arrive at Jineve’s borders within a week. No one knew what Mayor Calixte would have to say about that surprising development, yet everything hinged on his response. Brother Thomas pointed out that the knights would need the most up-to-date intelligence about the status of the High Priestess’s invasion plans, which meant a trustworthy figure would have to remain at Jineve to receive messages from Chiveis and relay the news to the arriving army. Reluctantly the friar knight volunteered to be that person.

  “Can’t someone else stay instead?” Teo asked. “I want you with me when I face those shamans in battle.”

  Brother Thomas shook his head. “This is a job only I can do. I know this city already. I can keep a low profile here and meet the knights when they arrive. They trust me, so they’ll believe whatever I have to say. I need to be the link between you and them.”

  Teo wanted to argue further, but he could see the force of Brother Thomas’s logic. “Alright,” he agreed, “then here’s what I’ll do. Over by the commissary there’s a pigeon post. I’ll take some birds with me. Once I know the situation in Chiveis I’ll dispatch them back to you. In about a week, start checking for my messages.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  Brother Thomas reached out for a handshake, but Teo grasped his hand and pulled his friend into an embrace. “Deus be with you,” he said, clapping the stocky friar on the back.