Chapter 6 – The Passing

Hey everyone it's Vortus the Undying. I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my first story and reviewed it. By popular demand this chapter will be viewed through Brother Williams' POV so enjoy.

Not one person in my life will ever have touched my heart and feelings toward this woman Loreena. She had told me to take her mother's pendent which she managed to hide from her captors. I stood up, my legs and knees were still shaky from the horrid story of her suffering from the hands of my brethren. I reached under her pillow and my hand enclosed something cool and metal. I pulled out a simple pendent of a star enclosed in a circle. "That's a 'pentacle' it is a symbol of protection, take it with you, it will keep you safe."

Tears started to well up in my eyes as I remembered the story of her mother as a child wandering the countryside holding this in her hands. Now she was dead, and as I was raised to believe, was in Hell now. No, I can't believe she and her husband and all of those villagers are in Hell, they hadn't done anything to deserve such punishment. Maybe they aren't in Hell, perhaps there is more to this universe than what is taught in the Bible, then again how do we know if what is taught in the Bible is true, especially if it is taught by those who break those rules everyday. I've questioned the faith when I was four years old and was sent by my parents to the monestary to avoid getting excommunicated like Loreena's husband. I studied to become a priest and I never again questioned the faith until I arrived here.

I turned to Loreena, "I'm truly sorry for what my brethren have done to you. These hunts are immoral, Jesus Himself would never let these hunts continue, please let me help you somehow." Loreena smiled "I am honored that you care for me so much, but like I said I cannot live past this day even if you managed to get me out of here. I don't want you to get killed for helping someone like me. People hate me and they always will, I don't want you to get hunted down and killed like my family. Someday these hunts will end, they cannot destroy us all, some of us will survive, and my people and yours will coexist, and the peace your people seek as well as mine will come to pass." I crouched and gave her a hug and whispered "Thank you" to her ears.

Suddenly I heard the cell door unlocking, I got back up on my feet, pocketing the pendent. The Executioner as well as the two guards came into the cell. "Well priest, did ye save her worthless soul a little?" I bowed my head and lied, "This one will not be saved." Was all I said, hearing those words I nearly vomited. The fat guard sneered at Loreena and grabbed her up forcibly, the lanky one grabbed her other arm. "Well then, 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live' am I right?" as they dragged her out.

I kept my head down as I followed them down the halls hearing screaming from the other prisoners at Loreena. I tried to comprehend what Loreena had said, that these hunts will end someday, that her people will not be completely destroyed by these hunts. Maybe I could make a difference, maybe I could tell the world that these hunts are meaningless. But I risk getting excommunicated for these beliefs, and that would mean certain death. But does that really matter to me anymore, I don't know.

We were led out to the gallows, as well as a huge crowd. These executions always drew crowds, men and women were cursing her name and throwing rocks at her, I kept hearing verses in my head, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone", "Love thy enemy" , "Thou shalt not kill" But these people were doing exactly the opposite, I couldn't look at these people, they were sinning left and right. They took Loreena up the gallows and fitted her with the noose, and made her stand on her broken leg. I managed to get up to where she stood and I read from the Bible, like I was taught to do back at the monestary. I looked up to Loreena, she gave me the sweetest smile I had ever seen possibly in my lifetime, despite all of the anger towards her.

The executioner tightened the noose around Loreena's neck and kicked her off the gallows, and on the way down the rope snapped back and her neck snapped violently and Loreena the last survivor of her village, died at the age of twenty. As I watched her go I felt the tears running down my face and I ran to the side and started vomiting as well as weeping out loud.

The crowd left after ten minutes and the guards from inside the dungeon were getting her body down from the gallows and the lanky one had a shovel and the fat one was arguing with the lanky one. "I want to burn her body to ashes after I look at her with her clothes off for a good long while" "No, the executioner wants her buried before she stinks up the place. They began a long argument which turned into a fistfight. The lanky guard dropped his shovel and they disappeared behind the dungeon. I picked up the shovel and began to lift Loreena's body up. I saw the forest next to the dungeon and quickly ran to it. After thirty minutes I found a clearing and started digging her grave. After I had dug it I took off my cloak and her mother's pendent fell out. I picked it up and looked at it, although this was supposed to be an evil symbol in my faith I felt surprisingly comfortable holding it. I put the pendent around my neck and wrapped Loreena's body in it and placed her in her grave and covered it up. I traced the pentacle on the dirt and walked out of the forest, as I left I got on my knees for prayer, and prayed for the soul of Loreena and whispered "May you always follow the path that opens to you, Blessed Be".

Fin