“O God,” Atretes said under his breath. “O Jesus, what have I done?” He jerked free of Herigast and ran. As he did, he tried to remember what he had said, how much he had told Anomia that could be used against Rizpah.
Enough to get her killed.
When he reached the gathering, he pushed his way through the warriors to get to the inner circle. Rizpah stood in the center, hands bound. “Don’t say anything!” he told her. “Don’t answer any of their questions!”
Anomia stepped forward quickly, pointing at him. “Keep him away from her! She’s cast a spell on him and can make him say anything!”
Hands fell upon him.
“Let go of me!” He struggled as they dragged him back. “You don’t have to answer their accusations, Rizpah! Say nothing!” Pain lanced his heart at the look of sorrow in her eyes. He had betrayed her. With his own lips, he had poured out the words that would be used against her.
“Atretes told me himself she bewitched him!” Anomia called out to the gathering, her eyes glittering as she looked at him.
“You’re the witch!”
She relished the anguish and rage she saw in Atretes’ face, gloating openly. Let him suffer for his indifference toward her. “He said the child isn’t even hers.”
“Rizpah is his mother!”
“You told me yourself the mother’s name was Julia! You told me this woman took your child—”
“Don’t listen to her!” Atretes fought against those holding him. Others helped, forcing him to his knees.
“And you said she cast a spell upon the child so he wouldn’t take milk from anyone but her.”
Rizpah looked at him, and he wanted to die.
“It’s Atretes’ word against yours,” Rolf said, stunning every warrior present as he entered the circle.
“Betrayer!” Anomia cried out at him, eyes blazing. “You dare question me, a high priestess of Tiwaz?”
“I dare,” he said. “I dare even more!” He pointed at her while addressing the others in a loud voice. “Anomia is the one who sent me to kill the Roman! She has a heart for murder. Don’t listen to her!”
Atretes uttered a loud cry and tried to fight free of the men holding him.
“I didn’t send you! Tiwaz sent you.” She felt Gundrid’s look and turned on him. “The lot was cast upon the white cloth, and the honor fell to Rolf. The Roman was a deceiver!” His fear of her made him acquiesce, obliterating that small threat.
“The Roman spared my life!” Rolf cried out to all.
“In order to fool us into believing he came in peace!” Anomia said disdainfully. “He came to weaken us, to make us believe in his god who said to forget trespasses done against us! Should we forget what Rome has done to us? Should we forget those who have died, those who have been taken as slaves, those who have been left crippled?” She looked from face to face, knowing those who were most vulnerable, driving her words into their hearts.
“The Roman came to make us turn away from Tiwaz!” she cried out. “Turn from Tiwaz, and be destroyed! Is it any wonder Tiwaz called for the Roman’s execution? Tiwaz saw the truth about him.”
She thrust out her hand. “As Tiwaz knows the truth about this woman! She is unclean! She is a black-eyed witch! Atretes told me himself. He said she was with another man before him, perhaps more than one. He said she had another child by another man and that child died. He said Roman women cast their children upon the rocks.”
Some of the men shouted, “Harlot! Kill her!”
“She’s lying,” Atretes cried out, fighting with all his strength and gaining nothing.
Freyja pressed her way forward, striving for inward calm as she raised her hands and beseeched all for quiet. “You must have proof, Anomia.”
“There is no proof!” Atretes ground out as loudly as he could. “It’s her word against mine.”
“See how the Ionian has bewitched him!”
The men shouted.
Gundrid raised his arms high in the air. “Mother Freyja wants proof. I will give you proof of other crimes the woman has committed while here among us,” he said in his orator’s voice. “She practices cannibalism, a crime worthy of death. She eats the rejuvenating flesh and drinks the blood of this Jesus Christ whom she serves. And through witchcraft, she has drawn Atretes into this abominable practice.”
“Kill her!”
“No!”
“I heard the Roman say they were eating the flesh and drinking the blood of a man named Jesus!” Gundrid cried out, having crept close and spied upon them when they were unaware.
“The evil must be cut out from among us!” Anomia cried out. She saw her time had come. “You already have all the evidence you need. Do you remember the first day the Roman and this woman came to us? They spoke our language by the power of the demons. That is enough to seal her fate. We don’t need proof that she stole a newborn baby in order to capture the father. We don’t need proof that she slept with other men. We know these things to be true. Have you not seen the pull she already has upon all our children. Ask Usipi about Luisa, who goes to her each time she appears! Ask others how our little ones went into the forest to hear the Roman sing to them. Will you let her live so she can steal your children, too?”
“No!”
“She’s an enemy of Tiwaz!”
Freyja could not believe the things she heard, would not believe. “Let her speak in her own defense,” she pleaded. “By our law, she has the right.”
“She will cast a spell upon us as well,” Anomia said in consternation. “She must be destroyed before she destroys us.”
“Let her speak!” Rolf shouted. “Or are you afraid she has more power than you?”
Herigast joined him. “Let her answer the charges!”
Filled with wrath, Anomia looked upon the ones who had turned from her. She saw others doubting. She would make them sorry. She would make them pay.
“Let her speak!”
Atretes tried to lunge free. “No!”
Hearing what was in his voice, Anomia turned to him in veiled surprise. His fear was like a drug in her system, rousing her senses, making her mind buzz. Atretes didn’t want the woman to speak. Why? Turning, she studied Rizpah. At first, all she saw was a beautiful young woman, her enemy, standing before her. Then she saw more. She saw her quiet humility, her dignity, her integrity, and she knew why Atretes wanted her to say nothing.
Anomia raised her hand for silence. “Perhaps we should ask her.”
“Say nothing to them,” Atretes said, struggling with every ounce of his strength. He gained nothing. “Rizpah!” She looked back at him, face pale but serene, and he knew she would keep her word to him. No matter the cost, she’d said.
And the cost would be her life.
Rizpah saw his grief and shame. “I love you, Atretes,” she said and saw tears fill his eyes before he shut them.
Anomia struck her across the face. “Do not speak to him or look at him, witch!”
“This is your hour, Anomia, the hour of darkness,” Rizpah said quietly and looked straight into her opaque blue eyes without fear.
“You think to frighten me? You or your imagined god?”
“A day will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Even you will bow down to him.”
“Do you hear what she says?” Anomia shouted with a mocking laugh, her gaze still fixed upon Rizpah. “She would have us on our knees. She would have the Chatti, the greatest race on the earth, groveling before a crucified savior.” She turned to the others then, spreading her arms. “How long would it take then before Rome killed every last one of you?”
Rizpah bowed her head, praying silently and fervently. O God, you know my foolish heart and my every weakness. None of my wrongs are hidden from you, Father. Please may Atretes and Rolf and all those who have heard your Word and believed not be ashamed because of me. O Lord God, may those among these people who seek you not be discouraged or dishonored through me tonight.
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“What’s your decision?” Anomia cried out.
Men shouted for her death, but some for pardon.
Herigast entered the circle. “Because the woman believes in another god doesn’t make her a harlot!”
Warriors shouted more angrily, hearing one of their own speak on her behalf.
“You never forgave Atretes for commanding your son to be drowned in the bog for cowardice!” Holt said.
“I have heard you speak often against him and his wife. Why do you now defend her?” another cried out.
“Because I heard the Word of her God from the Roman,” Herigast shouted back, “and it took the hatred and the pain from my heart!”
“And took your strength as well!” Anomia said contemptuously.
“The Ionian has bewitched Herigast as she bewitched Atretes!” Gundrid said, and more men shouted. “How many others has she bewitched!”
Anomia turned again to Rizpah. “Speak the truth, or may your own god strike you dead!”
“Be strong and courageous, beloved,” Rizpah could almost hear Theophilus speaking again. And on the heels of that remembrance came the words of God: “Do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes before you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
“I will speak the truth,” Rizpah said loud enough for all to hear. “Hear the Word of the Lord! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! It is the Lord who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion, and who will satisfy your soul!”
Anomia screamed in rage, the words like hot coals upon her mind.
“It is the Lord God who has made us. He is the Good Shepherd, and we are the sheep of his pastures!”
“Speak no more!” Gundrid cried out in fear, looking to the skies. Darkening clouds swirled overhead, thickening. “See how her words have angered Tiwaz!”
“It is the Lord God you have angered!” Rizpah cried out. She saw the night sky blackening and was desperate for them to hear. “Tiwaz holds no power over you but what you give him. Turn away. Turn away from him before it’s too late. Turn to the Lord.”
“Don’t listen to her! Stop your ears!” Gundrid commanded. “Cry out to Tiwaz! Cry out!”
The warriors began the baritus.
“The Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them!” Rizpah cried out. “There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no God besides him, nor is there any Rock like our God!”
Anomia hit her hard enough to drive her to her knees.
Atretes lunged forward but was dragged back. Other hands fell upon him and he was forced down, face to the ground. Holt’s knee was in his back, others held his arms and legs.
The baritus rose louder, a battle cry against the Lord.
“Put your armor on, beloved,” Atretes remembered Theophilus saying. “One man of God puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is he who fights for you.”
“God,” he groaned. “God, fight for her.” Bound and helpless, he prayed, crying out with his heart to the Lord. Jesus, I have sinned. I deserve death, not her. I turned away. Lord God, forgive me, I turned away. There is no one besides you. O Lord, my God, come between my wife and this multitude. O Lord God, my God, forgive me.
He wept. “Jesus! Jesus!”
God, don’t let her be destroyed because of my weak faith and foolishness. O Lord, let them not prevail against you.
The clouds swirled, boiling over and blocking out the stars and the moon so that only the torches cast light upon the sacred grove. An ominous rumble rolled.
“Hear Tiwaz’s voice!” Anomia screamed, heart racing wildly.
“Repent!” Rizpah cried out, sobbing in fear for them. “In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust. Turn your hearts to the Lord!”
“Cry out to Tiwaz!” Anomia screamed above the din. “Let him hear your voices! Yes! Yes! Let him hear you!”
“Tiwaz! Tiwaz!” Warriors banged frameas against their shields.
Lightning flashed, the jagged spear of hot light striking the sacred tree. The mighty oak cracked down the middle and fell, shaking the earth on which they stood. Flames shot up from its root.
Men screamed, some fleeing the circle in terror, Gundrid among them.
Anomia remained, ranting at them. “Call upon Tiwaz before he destroys you!”
“Tiwaz! Tiwaz!”
Lightning flashed again, striking the altar this time and melting the golden horns.
Rizpah prostrated herself in holy terror. “God, forgive them. O God, forgive them.” She wept.
Herigast fell to his face and clung to the earth.
Only Rolf stood arms spread wide, filled with elation. “Justice belongs to the Lord!”
“Silence them before they bring further wrath upon us!” Anomia screamed, and those of her chosen council moved against them. “She is the enemy! Our salvation depends upon her death!”
“No!” Freyja cried out, staring up at the swirling heavens. “Her god comes upon us. Don’t touch her!”
“She must die!”
“No!” Others screamed.
Anomia saw the terror in those who remained and knew she had to use it. “Better that one should die to save the many!”
Freyja was terrified. “What if what she says about her god is true?”
“You have betrayed Tiwaz with your lips! You have always betrayed him in your heart. I have seen. I know!”
Freyja drew back.
Anomia dragged Rizpah up from the ground by her hair. “What if she’s lied about everything else? Speak, witch! Is the child of your body?”
Atretes dug his fingers into the earth and moaned.
“No,” Rizpah said.
“And his mother’s name was Julia?”
“Yes.”
“Did Atretes take his son back from you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you have a child by another man?”
“Yes.”
“And that child is dead?”
Rizpah closed her eyes. “Yes.”
“O God,” Atretes groaned softly.
“By her own lips, she has passed sentence upon herself,” Anomia said, her fist tightening in Rizpah’s hair as she looked around at the circle of stunned faces. “Tiwaz struck the tree and the holy emblems because we are forsaking his law by letting her live! See how the heavens clear now and the stars shine again!”
“Lord, you are my Rock and my Redeemer,” Rizpah murmured in complete surrender.
Anomia pulled Rizpah’s head back further, exposing her pale throat. “Atretes knows the law! He brought her here, for he knew in his heart that only we could set him free of the spell by which she’s bound him and his son. Once she is dead, he’ll be the man we used to know. He’ll lead us to victory.”
Atretes raised his head, his eyes awash with tears. “Kill my wife and I swear before God, I’ll lead you all to hell!”
“No, Atretes!” Rizpah said in grief. “No, beloved. Remember the Lord. Remember what we’ve been taught.”
Feed the sheep.
He wept. “They’re going to kill you because of me!”
“God is with us. Whom shall we fear?”
“I love you! I love you. Forgive me.” He saw in her eyes she already had.
“See the power she has over him!” Anomia cried out. “There is no deliverance for us if we let her live.”
“Take her to the bog!” Rud shouted, and as chief, his words were heeded.
“The bog!” Others agreed, until Rolf and Herigast’s voices were drowned out in the din and confusion.
Anomia’s eyes gleamed with malicious delight as she looked down into Rizpah’s face. “See the power I have over you,” she hissed.
“You have no power but what God has given you.”
“So even he heeds my voice,” she mocked. She leaned closer. “I thirst to rip out your throat with my own teeth, but
they must do it.” She released her and stepped back. She called forth Rud to fulfill the law and the custom. “Shave off her hair.”
Rud took out his knife and proceeded to shave the left side of Rizpah’s head close to the scalp. On the right side, he cut the hair two inches in length, letting the luxuriant dark locks fell to the ground around her.
Rizpah saw Freyja weeping, clutching her amber amulet. “Turn to the Lord, Mother.”
Anomia struck her again, dazing her. “Strip her and put the collar on!”
Rud slit the back of Rizpah’s tunic and tore it from her. He took the heavy leather collar from Anomia’s hand and put it around Rizpah’s neck, then dragged her roughly to her feet.
“The Lord will bring to light the truth, if you but ask,” Rizpah said, using what time she had left. “Christ died for your sins. He was buried and raised on the third day. Through one man, Adam, death came into the world; and through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we have life everlasting.”
“Silence her!” Anomia said, her eyes flashing with fury.
Rud struck Rizpah a vicious blow and then shoved her in the direction of the bog. The others followed.
“Bring Atretes!” Anomia called back to them. “He must watch her die if the spell is to be broken.” She looked into his eyes, wanting him to know it was his suffering and not his redemption she sought.
Hauled to his feet, Atretes was taken along. Others, concerned for Rolf and Herigast, brought them as well.
Anomia led the gathering of Chatti warriors by torchlight through the dense forest to the edge of the marshland. She felt an eerie change around her, as though the air itself was charged with power. The hour of darkness was passing away. Dawn would be upon them soon. The deed must be done.
She hurried her steps, urging the others on.
Gray moss hung from the branches of ancient trees. The air smelled of decay. She came to the edge of bog and turned, facing those who had followed her. Atretes wept openly, his eyes never straying from his wife’s face.
The priestess looked upon Rizpah with contempt. Atretes’ woman, too, was broken, for her eyes were closed, her lips moving as though she had gone completely mad.
“By the power I’ve been given by Tiwaz, I proclaim this woman unchaste, a foul witch and deceiver, and I pass the sentence of death upon her. Let her be cast into the bog.”