Inca 2 : Scourge of the Sun 22
Oct. 19th, 2007 09:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismenin
Good Froday! Yes, very soon I am off to de Moot! But, before I go, LSR has kindly beta'ed Inca for me despite not being at all well, so big huggles to her. And I shall see you all on the flip-side! Bye for now!
Part 22 - Exitus Acta Probat - The End Justifies the Means
Dom strode into the Inquisitors tent, pale with fury, and was brought up short by the sight of Amaru, sitting in a chair, and Lizhe, his hands tied behind his back, kneeling by his side.
Dom grabbed Will's arm, as his legs seemed to weaken under him. He glared at the Inquisitor, anger turning his face into one seeming carved of marble.
The Inquisitor rose, but did not bow. Neither did Father Idelfonso, the Dominican, standing beside him.
"Why...?" Dom began, his throat dry with fear. "...why have you brought my servant here, bound and naked? I demand an explanation."
Father Benigo glanced at Lizhe, kneeling quietly, offering no protest. "I believe nakedness is the most suitable condition for animals, your Eminence. I do not approve of clothing the savage, however noble he may appear to the untrained eye. I make an exception for the King. He has proved himself...a sensible creature."
He sat down and motioned Dom to a seat. Dom took it, afraid he would disgrace himself if he stood much longer for his head was light and he was sweating freely.
"You have not answered my question. Why have you brought him here?"
Will, standing behind Dom, put a warning hand on his shoulder. The gesture did not go unnoticed. The Inquisitor rubbed his chin, thoughtfully.
"Is there some way in which you think he may help you?" Dom asked, calmly, trying hard to make his voice less antagonistic.
Father Benigo smiled. "Ah, Eminence - there you have us! We were hoping to discover from him what it was that you and he did last night in Don Cristobal's tent that made the papal guard quake with fear, and the common soldiers cross themselves every time they saw either of you. Perhaps you can enlighten us?"
Dom took a deep breath, and looked at Lizhe and Amaru, whose faces exhibited only calm. But Dom saw Lizhe give the slightest nod, and took that to mean that he could tell what they had done. Amaru, after all, did not understand Spanish, and Lizhe was supposed not to do so, either.
"My servant is a noted shaman - a healer - amongst his people. He saved Don Cristobal's life by making his muscles relax after he had ingested...something that did not agree with him. Unlike Captain Felipe - now being buried, I expect, with haste and a minimum of ceremony - my father lies sleeping peacefully in his tent, watched over carefully by his physician and a servant."
Father Idelfonso glared at Lizhe who calmly averted his gaze from the angry man. "But this is witchcraft, Inquisitor General. We cannot permit it! It must be stamped out! This man must be put to the torture..."
Dom rose abruptly. "You will do no such thing. This company is not under your command, Father, or the Inquisitor General's, but under Don Cristobal's, and failing him, then the authority devolves upon me..."
The Inquisitor General broke in on Dom's comments. "...But you see, Eminence, the Holy Father's orders do not mention you. In default of Don Cristobal being able to command this company, it is given to me to do so. Have you forgotten that you are dead? No-one in Spain or the Vatican knows that you still live. Don Cristobal is still unconscious, and unable to command, therefore it is my word that is law here, not yours..."
He broke off as a wailing of a new born baby was heard from outside the tent. "What is that noise, Captain?" the Inquisitor demanded of Sancho, standing stiffly near the tent wall.
The Captain paled. "I believe one of the native women gave birth during the night, Inquisitor General. She is, I believe, attending to foodstuffs in the next tent."
"Go and drown the brat. I do not wish to be disturbed."
Lizhe's eyes fixed on Dom's face as he rose, now white hot with rage. "You will do no such thing, Captain! If this innocent is harmed, I will excommunicate you all, where you stand, whether I hold bell, book and candle or not. Do you hear me? Now untie my servant, I command you!"
Captain Sancho knelt. "I hear you, Eminence." After the Captain had loosed Lizhe, the Inquisitor waved him back to his position by the wall. Sancho's face, well-schooled as it was in the art of dissimulation, still revealed to Dom the depth of the man's disgust and anger at being commanded to such an evil deed.
The Inquisitor addressed Dom. "Command your servant behind you to go and pacify the babe. We have weightier matters to resolve than arguing over a puling infant."
Will bowed and left, and soon the baby's cries were silenced. Dom smiled inwardly. Will had two children of his own. "Twa blithe and bonny lads" as he called them. He would watch over the babe whilst the mother worked.
The Inquisitor pinched his lips together and spoke to Amaru. When the Dominican had translated his words, Amaru answered carefully.
"My God has forbidden me to speak as I would wish, or to utter any complaint to you concerning the matters before us. His word is our law, I cannot gainsay it.
As to your question - I am not a shaman. I do not know how this healing is accomplished, so I can tell you nothing."
Dom realised, as Amaru spoke, that Lizhe must have commanded Amaru to silence and it was true, Amaru was not a shaman. Dom wondered, not for the first time, how it was that he had become one, if as Lizhe had said, the shaman was born, not made.
Again Dom glanced at Lizhe, and saw the imperceptible shake of his head. He was not to cast his pearls of knowledge before these swine.
Will surprised Dom by returning unexpectedly, carrying the baby. He looked concerned, and asked the Inquisitor's permission to address Lizhe. The Inquisitor, surprised, nodded his assent and Will knelt and put the babe in Lizhe's arms.
"The mother has asked for a shaman to look at the child, and you are the only one of whom I know," Will said, retreating to the back of the tent.
The baby was clearly ailing. Lizhe looked up, a stricken expression on his face. "The child will not live," he said in Quechua. "I ask permission to speak to the mother before the child goes on its journey to God."
Idelfonso shook his head, but the Inquisitor forestalled him. "Bring her in. Let us see what it is these shaman can do that is not available to the priests of the True God."
Dom felt very uneasy, but did not dare countermand an order given by Lizhe, his liege Lord and his God.
Soon the tear-stained face of the mother appeared, and Lizhe spoke gently, calling her in. She ignored the others and sat before him on the ground, tears shining in her eyes.
"I think my babe will go to God, One Who Knows. I hear from the hairy-faced Auqui that you are a shaman. Can you not save him?"
Lizhe shook his head. "Daughter, there are some things that are better not done. Your son will be a shining ornament to the heavens. You have named him Yahuar, have you not?"
The woman nodded, and the hairs rose on the back of Dom's neck. How did Lizhe know these things?
"His name henceforth shall be Chipara - the Rainbow - and when you see one in the blue sky after rain, it will be your son, and he will be looking down upon you, and pouring the blessing of God out upon you, and upon the Land."
He kissed the child and handed him back to her. "He has gone, little mother. Weep for him for a short season, then be glad he has joined with the elect of God. Farewell, little Chipara - God gives you leave."
Dom had to firmly suppress his feelings as Lizhe spoke these last words, for the woman leaned forward and kissed his foot, and left, clutching her babe and silently weeping. The others seem not to have noted the significance of Lizhe's farewell, and for this Dom was exceedingly glad.
The Inquisitor was puzzled. "How did you know the child's name?" he asked Lizhe, who shook his head.
"I do not know."
Idelfonso paced about the room, clearly much agitated. "We cannot countenance this behaviour, Inquisitor General. It is witchcraft! They must both be put to the test, both this savage, and his king, who permits it. It is blasphemy to let them live."
Dom's heart nearly stopped beating as Lizhe stood, and spoke in Spanish. "If anyone is to be punished here, it will be me. This man is innocent, and acting under my orders. Release him, I command you. Let him go!"
If the Inquisitor was surprised to hear Lizhe's perfect Spanish, he did not show it. He leaned forward in his chair and smiled.
"A day of revelations, indeed. From whom did you learn such perfect Spanish? This will be investigated." The Inquisitor sat for a moment, pondering, then raised his sharp gaze to Lizhe once more.
"Now why would it be that the King would act under your orders? Our king would not take orders from a mere priest - why should I believe that yours would?"
Lizhe took a deep breath, then fixed his eyes on the Inquisitor's face. "I am Aralizhe Pachacuti Inca, Lord of the Tiwatinsuya, God of this people and King of this Land." He lifted his chin as he spoke and glared at the two priests behind the desk.
Dom's stomach felt as if it were filled with lead, but to his astonishment, the men laughed. "Are you indeed their God-King, little man? Do you tell us that the fine specimen standing behind you is merely your servant? This I find hard to believe."
Lizhe turned from the Inquisitor to face Amaru. "But it is true. He will do as I command him, even at the hazard of his own life. Auqui, I command that you strike Dom Huascar across the face."
Immediately Amaru stepped forward, and struck Dom, his eyes filled with regret.
"Now, strike the interpreter." Amaru moved forward and, as the Inquisitor stopped any intervention with an upraised hand, swiftly executed his God's order.
"And now, Inquisitor, you may order him to strike me - but I do not give him permission so to do."
The Inquisitor nodded. "Very well; you - strike him!"
Amaru stood as if turned to stone. He raised his hand, but it fell to his side. He raised it again, but he clenched the fist, struck himself hard several times on the thigh, and bowed his head. "Forgive me, but I cannot."
He fell to his knees before Lizhe and laid his head on his God's foot. "I have betrayed you, Lord, but I cannot do it. I am sworn to protect you with my life. Forgive me!"
Lizhe stood there, his eyes dark with passion and anger, proud and magnificent in his nakedness. "I forgive you, do not fear it, my friend. I did what I did to show these men that I am God, and that none may gainsay me," he said, his voice firm and filled with command, glaring at the Inquisitor. "He would give his life for me, but he cannot harm me, or even touch my person. It is death for anyone, except my spouses, and my children, to do so without my express permission."
Lizhe turned to Dom. "I am sorry, Dom Huascar - Will - that all your dear cares of me has come to nothing. I beg that you will forgive me for what I have done here - but I cannot allow Amaru to suffer the torment because of me."
Dom could not speak. His love had just consigned himself to torture and death, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He realised that he had no power here. His exalted position within the church, which the men would respect and fear under other circumstances, would count as nothing. He believed the men feared the Inquisitor more than the church or his father.
The church was in Rome, the King was in Spain, and the Inquisitor General was here, with his father's papers giving him authority to do as he pleased with the people he called savages and animals. The soldiers would obey the Inquisitor, Dom had no doubt of it.
In the Inquisitor's eyes there gleamed a feral light as he gazed at Lizhe. "We will question you at length, little king. Your servant may go free. He is not to blame if death was to be the result of his disobedience. He may go with Dom...Domingo...to his tent."
"It is you we need to tame; if the people obey your slightest whim, as we have heard, then it is to you we must look for their salvation. You must renounce your false god, then they will also. "
He turned his dark eyes on Dom for a moment. "I see that the Cardinal has yet another name to conjure with. Dom Huascar. I will sift it all, in the end. You may go, Dom Domingo, but I tell you now, the men in this camp are under my authority, and are loyal to me. Do not try to free your false God-King. He will be very well guarded. Captain Sancho - take them away!"
As Dom stumbled out of the tent, numb with shock, Amaru took one arm and Will the other, and led him safely across the field to his father.
*****
Don Cristobal was still in a deep sleep when the four men arrived at his tent. Michel, glanced up from his examination of his patient, then hurried to Dom's side.
"What has come to him?" Michel demanded, taking in Dom's trembling frame and white face as they sat him in the chair.
"No!" Michel ordered. "Put his feet up on the other chair otherwise he will be seriously ill."
Dom allowed them to do as they would with him.
Will looked with compassion on his dearest friend. "We shall have tae get him out o' yon robe and put him tae bed."
Pedro, rising from his place at his master's side, found a nightshirt in the Don's clothes chest, and helped Will put it on Dom who sat like stone, unable to move or speak.
Will sent the man to rest. Now that they were here, he told Pedro, Don Cristobal would be well looked after, and Pedro, rather intimidated by Amaru's powerful and angry presence, left gladly.
Michel repeated his question, and listened carefully, whilst Will told their story.
Dom sat silent during the recital, but when Will reached the part where Lizhe revealed his kingship to the Inquisitor, he cried out, as an animal caught in a trap, and Michel, who had been concocting a potion whilst Will spoke, made Dom drink it, which he did as obediently as a new-born babe.
Soon the trembling stopped, and Dom brushed the loosened hair out of his eyes, looking around him as if he had not known where he was.
He took a deep breath when he saw his father sleeping peacefully, and Will, his heart aching, put an arm around Dom's shoulders, and rested his cheek on the fair head.
Never once had Dom, when condemned to death - and knowing that Lizhe would be the cause of executing his own orders - never once did Will see him weep, or tremble or seem faint. Now, when it was Lizhe's life at stake, Dom was reduced to a fragile shell, filled with terror at the prospect of his love being tortured by fire and by...other things... whilst he sat safe in his tent.
It made Will wonder how Lizhe had come through that ordeal, because now he knew - as he had not fully understood at the time - that Lizhe had indeed killed Dom in the Holy Shrine. The God-King was not tall, or as well built as some, but he had a strength of body and will beyond that of many men. However, Will could not see Lizhe surviving the torture - and if he did, he would survive it only to be burnt at the stake as a heretic.
Will could see no way out of it. It was impossible.
Dom tried to rise from the chair to go to his father, but Michel stopped him. "Stay where you are, friend. Your legs will not hold you after what I have given you. I have sent for a bed to be brought from your tent. There is plenty of room here for you to lie beside your father. Then you may see his face."
In a few minutes, Sancho's voice was heard outside and two men came through the flap, and put the bed down where Michel ordered. A third man threw the bedding roughly down on the carpeted floor, and when Will remonstrated with him, all were astonished when the man sneered, pointing at Dom.
"We needn't bow and scrape to him," he spat, glaring at Dom. "The Inquisitor General told us we was to take no more orders from him."
Will put a hand out and grasped the man's arm as he passed. "What is your name?" he asked. The man looked puzzled. "Lope del Castro," he muttered, his head down, not looking at anyone present.
Dom saw immediately that it was the soldier who had tried to rape Lizhe, and knew the man had no love for him for preventing that, or for taking his slave, Khuno from him.
Will's voice broke into Dom's fractured musings. He had taken a piece of paper from his pocket and was writing on it with a piece of charcoal.
"Lope del Castro, I see. Thank you." He said no more, but the man suddenly became more respectful and bowed himself out of the tent.
Will and Amaru escorted Dom to the bed and laid him down on it. He was exhausted and felt, after drinking Michel's potion, slightly divorced from the world.
Will was just pouring out some coca for himself and Amaru and wine for Sancho after first checking that it was freshly opened, when Khuno appeared at the tent flap.
"Excuse me, Auqui, " he said in a low voice to Amaru. "Where is God? for I have something to tell him concerning the errand upon which he sent me."
Michel motioned the man inside and said, in fair, but heavily accented Quechua, "We will tell you where he is, but you must swear to be calm."
The old man sat on the floor, and raised his eyes to Amaru. "Lord?"
Amaru pressed his lips together and ran a helpless, unsteady hand across his eyes, so it was left to Will once more to reveal the facts.
The old priest glanced at Dom once the tale was told. "The Auqui Dom Huascar ...he is sick because of God's plight? He need not fear. God cannot be killed out of his time, and it is not his time - of this I am certain. Will they try to kill God?"
Sancho shook his head. "They will put him to the torture, that is certain. My mother was innocent too, yet they killed her - tormented her and burnt her as a witch. All she had done was make a posset for a sick child. It died, and she was accused. She told them that sometimes God needed man's help so that his will may be done. That was enough for them. There is no justice from the Inquisition. They do as their hearts decree, and their hearts are filled with evil."
A scuffling sound was heard outside the tent, which meant a guard of the Inquisitor's choosing had been sent to watch over them, and the Papal guard removed. Will put up his hand, cautioning everyone to silence. "We canna talk here," he breathed, "we will be heard."
Khuno nodded. "Many listen. I have seen them. They will report what we say."
Michel rubbed his chin. "Where can we meet?" he whispered, "where we will not be seen or heard?" He stared at Sancho, who would know the camp best.
Sancho thought a moment, then all drew their heads into a tight circle the better to hear him. "There is a small clearing behind the horses' enclosure that is surrounded by thick trees and bushes on three sides. There is a hut the ostlers have built to house the saddles. We would be safe behind that. Anyone approaching from the front would disturb the horses, and we would be warned."
He rubbed his eyes, suddenly tired. "I will take Señor Boyd there, now, so that you can see how this may be done. Maitre Michel, explain this to the Inca lord, if you will, whilst we are gone."
The three remaining men watched through the tent flap as Sancho and Will slowly made their way past the horses to the hut. The horses, approached from the front, whinnied and nickered, but there was no guard set over them. The only people in the vicinity were the Inca, and they were afraid of the horses, never before having seen such creatures. The horses were not likely to be stolen.
Soon Sancho was seen returning, and the horses did not sense him. Some distance behind him, Will came back the way they had gone, carrying a piece of leather strapping, which was his apparent reason for venturing there. The horses made the same noises as before. No one took any notice.
When the two men entered the tent, Michel whispered, "we will leave it until dusk, when there will be few about, for the men will be eating or resting. Pedro will be here, then, to take care of Dom and Don Cristobal. There are many servants here but I know Pedro is devoted to his master's interests, and who knows that some of the others may not be bought?"
Sancho nodded. "I agree. I can tell you that the soldiers are mostly lawless men - the raff and scaff of Spain. They will do anything for money, and the Inquisitor has amassed a large amount of gold stolen from Cuzco. But I must admit to knowing nothing of the loyalty of the Don's men."
"I must go, now. It will be expected that I be present for some part of the...questioning. I will meet you at dusk, when they will all be at meat. The Inquisitor is no different in this than other men. He never works after dusk has fallen, and he enjoys his meat. However, I do not expect to be able to bring to you comfortable news of your God-King."
As Sancho left for the Inquisitor's tent, Will shuddered, as he thought of Lizhe in the hands of those fanatical zealots. How long did it take for the coals in a brazier to heat up? And the... instruments?
Amaru and Khuno sat talking quietly, their heads together, and Will went to check that his friend still slept.
Dom would have to remain out of this group of conspirators. He would be immediately noticed if he left the tent; all eyes would be upon him, and what they had to do - if anything could be done - needed to be done in secret.
Will sat in Don Cristobal's chair and closed his eyes. He thought he heard a scream in the distance, and then another, but it might have been a horse. Will prayed that it was a horse. Or a bird.
It would be a long time until dusk.
Glossary
**The term shaman, meaning One Who Knows, was not in use in the sixteenth century, but I know you'll forgive me for using it!
shaman - n. (especially amongst certain tribal peoples) a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural world, using magic to cure disease, foretell the future, and control spiritual forces, etc,.
Origin: 1690-1700; < Ger. Schamane, Russ. shamán, prob. Evenki šamān, samān. >
(Yes, I had to look Evenki up. I hate not to know stuff!)
Evenki: a member of a Siberian people living mainly in the Yakut Autonomous Republic, Khabarovsk territory, and Evenki National District, in the Russian Federation.
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 11:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 11:06 am (UTC)Someone get Don Cristobal awake!!! Stab the inquisitor...anything. Make it stop. sniff.
hugs you hard...make it better please. xoxox v
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-26 12:04 am (UTC)love you! xoxoxo v
no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 12:57 pm (UTC)*hugs tight*
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 02:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 03:35 pm (UTC)Thanks for posting this early - I just knew this was coming. Lizhe just couldn't let others suffer for him - I always knew his immense humanity and compassion for others would betray him. But oh that scream - my heart is just breaking. The cruelty of these supposed "men of God" just has me shaking with fury. It's going to be a LOOOOOOOONG week.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 04:15 pm (UTC)I can't see a way out of this either. Something has to happen to the Inquisitor. A stake through the heart, perhaps? ;) A bolt of lightning from above? I truly want that evil man and his Dominican minions to die horribly. I guess that's mean of me but the man is too evil and cruel and deserves to be dispatched in the same fashion he wants to use on the "savages".
I don't know how much torturing of Lizhe I can take. Certainly, less than he can.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 09:15 pm (UTC)I was speed-reading this only to be left on tenterhooks.
Yes, you know you do it ;D roll on next week, someone save Lizhe, quick.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-20 04:29 pm (UTC)How are you?
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-19 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-20 04:27 pm (UTC)He is stronger than any of the Spaniards realise, but I hate to think of him being tortured... Clinging to the thought that it is not his time to die and your promise of a happy ending!
Hope you are having a great time at the moot :) Huge thanks to you and Ladysunrope for beta when she's not well.
*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-30 08:21 am (UTC)Couldn't let you know online last night that we were back safely because we had no Internet connection. Probs with BT somewhere, apparently, but all is working this morning.
We got back just after 6.30 after not-too-bad a journey. Had to detour west around Birmingham because of an accident on the M42, but it didn't hold us up too much and the M1 was flowing well, much better than on Friday afternoon!
PS
Date: 2007-10-30 08:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-21 09:42 am (UTC)Enjoy your Moot Issi! (Then come back and post the next chapter! LOL!)
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 10:29 pm (UTC)And now to the fic. Oh my, this has to be the most uncomfortable and terrifying chapter yet, as Lizhe reveals his true station and is ordered by the sadistic Inquisitor General to be put to the test. Poor Dom - I feel his pain and despair. While I feel relieved that Khuno has asserted that this is not God's time to die, I can't help but feel very anxious about Lizhe's present situation and condition - those Dominicans are such zealous dogs when it comes to torture, after all.
I trust that with Sancho's help, Lizhe will be delivered from the evil inquisition. I loved his touch with the mother and baby, btw, and his bravery.
*keeping fingers crossed that justice will prevail*
Such a great read, Issi!
:D
no subject
Date: 2007-10-25 07:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-28 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-29 02:05 am (UTC)Now onto the next chapter.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-08 09:25 am (UTC)AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
You cannot leave Lizhe with the Inquisition! No! No!!! *sobs like crazy*
no subject
Date: 2007-11-08 11:09 am (UTC)