Warriors of God by Andrzej Sapkowski

Author:Andrzej Sapkowski [Sapkowski, Andrzej]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2021-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

“Where did the news come from?”

“From Oybin, Your Excellency. From the Celestines. From Prior Burchard.”

“How old is the news?”

“It reached Oybin last night, post sexta die mensis Novembris, at the third night vigil. And now it is the night of the seventh of November and the first vigil has just passed. The messenger, may I remark, rode day and night, not sparing his horse. The tidings he brought can be considered absolutely fresh.”

Gregorz Hejncze, Inquisitor a Sede Apostolica specialiter deputatus to the Wrocław Diocese, lounged comfortably, stretching out the soles of his boots towards the heat coming from the hearth.

“It ought to be expected,” he murmured. “It ought to be expected that Reinmar of Bielawa won’t sit still, particularly when he finds out about… certain matters. It was to be predicted that the Bibersteins would catch him. Are they indeed taking him to Stolz?”

“Of course,” confirmed Łukasz Bożyczko, a Pole, a deacon at Saint Lazarus’s Church who worked diligently and very committedly for the Holy Office. “They are taking the Sudety road, naturally, and at this moment must be in the vicinity of Bolków. They certainly don’t journey at night and the day is short at present. Your Excellency? We could seize them in Świdnica. We have people there—”

“I’m aware of that.”

“If he…” The deacon coughed into his fist. “If Reinmar of Bielawa ends up in Stolz, he won’t leave alive. If he falls into the clutches of Jan Biberstein, he’ll be tortured to death. He ravaged Sir Jan’s daughter and Sir Jan will visit cruel revenge on him—”

“If he’s guilty,” interrupted Hejncze, “he deserves to be punished. Are you sorry for him? He’s a heretic, a Hussite, after all, his death is a joy, a pleasure and a delight to us good Catholics. The crueller the death, the greater the delight. You took an oath, after all, like the whole of Silesia. Must I remind you of it? Die Ketzer und in dem christlichen Glauben irresame Leute zu tilgen und zu verderben… That was it, wasn’t it?”

“I merely…” the deacon mumbled, quite put off his stroke by the Inquisitor’s sarcasm. “I merely wanted to mention that this Reinmar might know a great deal… If Biberstein tortures him to death, then we—”

“Lose the chance to torture him to death ourselves,” Hejncze finished. “Well, there is that risk.”

“I’d say it was a certainty.”

“The only certainties are taxes, and that the Church of Rome is everlasting.”

The deacon had no further arguments.

“Send the messenger on to Świdnica,” the Inquisitor said a moment later. “To the Dominicans. Have them send their best agents to tail him and observe him discreetly. For I think…”

Hejncze realised he was talking to himself. He tore his gaze away from the stain on the ceiling and looked at the somewhat pale deacon.

“I think that Reinmar of Bielawa will get himself out of trouble,” he finished. “I think there’s a chance he’ll lead us to—”

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