Monument by Ian Graham

Author:Ian Graham [Graham, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2002-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

… As they journeyed, the Pilgrims began

To mistrust the pale stranger,

Whose name was Asvirius, espying within him

A dark fire …

… Of the sick, he healed none.

Nor granted voice to the mute,

Strength to the frail …

Something drew Ballas out of the black well of unconsciousness. Grunting, he opened his eyes. He found himself lying on blankets, in a cold, black-bricked room. The walls were bare. A few niches held candles, flickering fitfully. One contained a skull. A jagged patch of darkness marked its pate; the bone had been smashed through. Empty eye sockets gazed blackly at Ballas.

The martyred Cadaris Brante,’ came a voice.

From a doorway stepped the man Ballas had seen on the cart. In the poor light, the bald, hunched figure seemed more gaunt than he had before. Age creases seamed his face. His eyes glittered as he touched the skull with a fingertip.

‘Cadaris the Sufferer, Cadaris the Forest Walker. Soon he will be beatified. Sainthood awaits him. As soon as the Masters give the word, this relic—and, trust me, it is truly Cadaris’s skull: it is not some false, soon-to-be-disproven antiquity, such as a sandal strap belonging to the Four, or a shard of Scarrendestin diamond—this relic will be taken to the Esklarion Sacros and blessed, then granted a permanent place in Soriterath’s cathedral. I do not covet Cadaris’s skull. But, I confess, I shall be sad to be without it. I sense that it contains a little of Cadaris’s spirit. It provides good company. Do you know the tale of Cadaris? He was a brave and holy man. He dwelled, as a hermit, in Wildthorn Forest. He lived upon the fruits of the earth. He ate berries, roots, nuts. And he dwelled placidly among animals that are more often enemies to man: wolves, boars, serpents.

‘One day, a group of bandits came into the forest. During the evening, they decided to amuse themselves by digging out a badger and presenting it to their dog—a small, fierce creature, well acquainted with badger-baiting. Naturally, it fell upon the animal.

‘From a different part of the forest, Cadaris heard the badgers yelps of pain. And the bandits’ laughter.

‘Following the sounds, he found the bandits. Without hesitation, he swept up the badger, releasing it into the undergrowth. The bandits were furious. They avenged themselves upon Cadaris. They beat him, and mutilated him. They burned out his eyes, they broke his arms and legs.

Then they sliced open his stomach. They tipped an ants’ nest into the wound, then closed it up again. The ants ate away at him from the inside. His agonies were indescribable.

‘Of course, Cadaris perished. And did so to save an animal. An unusual exchange, do you not think: a human’s life for a beast’s? But the Four preached that all lives are equal. If an animal’s life is to be taken, it must be done with respect and solemnity. A hunter must pray for his quarry at the moment of slaughter. No animal must be slain just for pleasure.

‘These are considered the most trivial of the Four’s principles.

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