Chapter 7: Venite, Et Sumam Eam

I sat in the gentle shade of an aspen tree, at the front of the dormitories. Nadia, and the younger novices sitting, or kneeling in front of me, as the sunlight danced in the speckled shade of the tree. It was time for the other lessons that made a Justice Bringer. I was not there to teach them how to fight, or to survive. I was there instead to show them what we, as Justice Bringers, hoped to bring back to The World After. I looked up from the book in my hands, at the rapt attention in the faces of my pupils, as they waited expectantly for me to begin reading.

“Can any of you,” I began, smiling gently at my earnest students, “Tell me why it is better to be respected, rather than feared?” The question hung in the air for some time, as the novices looked from one to another, waiting for someone to try and answer.

Finally, after long moments of silence, one of the boys, Eli, raised his hand and spoke. “I remember when Sister Veritas found mom and me in our root cellar,” he began hesitantly. As far as I could recall Eli was one of the more reserved of the novices. “We was hiding there cus of the raiders. And suddenly it was just ... Quiet.”

We all knew most of Eli’s story, raiders had come to the small farming community he had lived in. They had been looking for food and goods, plus any of the young they could get their hands on. Most slavers traded well for children, and the raiders knew it. “Then we heard her.” Eli continued “She was telling us we didn’t need to be afraid anymore.” His eyes were far away, looking through the last two years, as he once again lived that moment in his mind. “She was just standing there. That sword of hers was in her belt. There was five raiders dead in the mud. And she smiled at us...”

Over my years of training, and teaching, I’ve often found that silence can be just as effective as words. I left the imagery Eli had painted, to hang in the air for a moment, letting that thought sink into the young minds of the others, before I began to speak again.

“And were you afraid of her Eli?” I asked gently, waiting until he shook his head in the negative. “And that is the difference between respect that is earned, and respect that is demanded.” I explained slowly. “To be feared means you gain respect when people think you can harm them. The first rule of being a Justice Bringer is always that respect is more important than fear.” I said it with such conviction that my students almost seemed rocked back by my declaration. “Fear can be overcome. But respect will endure, through your actions, and the actions of those around you.”

I looked into their faces, as the idea I was trying to impart to them slowly began to settle in. It is a feeling beyond my ability to describe, to know that through my teachings I am building a legacy that may well outlive me. “That is what is so important in what we do beyond these walls.” I continued slowly, “We don’t look to lead or conquer. We let men live a life worth taking pride in. We abide by their rules and customs, and only offer our skills to those that would accept them. We show them the respect a decent life deserves. And fear, well, we reserve fear for those who try to use it against them.” I finished as I slowly leafed through the delicate pages of the text in my lap, letting the idea percolate in their minds.

“Ah, here it is.” I said as I finally found the simple, yet very profound poem I had been looking for. “This verse is possibly the easiest way to explain what we were just talking about. So Listen closely” I said with a smile, as I began to read.

“I shall pass through this life

I closed the text softly, so as not to damage the fragile and irreplaceable pages, while I looked at my charges. I could see the comprehension dawning on a few of their faces, while others were still trying to puzzle it out. That was the way Veritas and I taught our novices. We didn’t hammer home lessons, we made them think. The World After was deadly to everyone, but if you weren’t smart enough to face its challenges, it would kill you quickly. And so we stressed that our novices be able to think before they could act. I only hoped the lessons would be enough.

“I want each of you to discuss this lesson.” I said as I began to rise. “The next time we speak, I want you to be able to tell me what that verse meant to each of you.” I smiled gently at the five of them, as I watched them begin to mull it over in their own minds. “I’ll leave you to it. Remember though, when the midday bell rings, it’s our turns in the north field.” I reminded them gently, that everyone had a duty to keep The Abbey running. Even the Justice Bringers themselves. And working the farm land was just one way in which we did so.

The life of a Justice Bringer may not ever be sedate enough to be able to develop the skills and instincts to be proficient farmers, but it does teach us to follow instructions. And that was what we did that afternoon. There is a simple joy that can be found through working with your hands, and I reveled in it that afternoon. Tilling a field, and spreading fertilizer, while not a life’s calling for me, still brought with it a continued sense of peace, and pride, in knowing the work we were doing was going to make life inside our walls just that much better.

Standing up to stretch the muscles in my back and legs, I took in the surroundings and knew immediately something was not right. The air around the fields, usually alive at this time of year with the sounds of birds, and wildlife, had gone suddenly quiet. The trees to the east of the fields held an expectant hush, and a quiet malevolence that was wholly unnatural for what I had come to expect from the lands of The Abbey.

I looked to Eli who crouched next to me, pulling weeds from the row of corn stalks, and hissed softly to him. “Go to the stock pens, and get Sister Veritas. Tell her I need her here as fast as she can.” The urgency in my voice must have carried through, because no sooner had I spoken than he was off like an arrow fired from a bow.

I knelt inside the cover of the corn field, waiting in the dappled shade of the stalks, and scanning the fringe of the trees to the east. My eyes scanning the shadows beneath the trees, looking for the slightest movement to betray the uncanny stillness. I knew The Abbey was being observed, but I couldn’t determine who or what it was, doing the watching.

A slight rustle to my left, told me Veritas had finally arrived, and the soft creak of her leathers signaled her kneeling just behind my field of vision. “How many?” She asked softly, as her jand came to rest on my shoulder.

“I’ve seen two so far. But from the way they’re moving, I’m almost sure there are more.” I replied evenly. I knew, that between the two of us, we could handle a small band of raiders. What I wasn’t sure of, was how many would constitute a “small” band. “They’re just inside of the tree line,” I said calmly, my mind trying to formulate plans for several different situations, at the same time. “But they’re keeping mostly out of sight.”

“Well,” her voice had a slight smile in it, and I didn’t even need to look to know she had a crooked little smirk tugging at her lips. “You’re probably going to need this. I didn’t have time to fetch you full kit. But this should help.” She said softly as she passed ‘Bushmaster’ forward to me. “We may as well go see what they want.” I could hear the grim determination in her voice as she stepped past me, and began the grim march to the tree line.

I could see a detachment of bodies break away from deeper shadows under the branches, as four men in well tailored, black leathers strode out confidently. I could see from my place behind Veritas that the man in the lead was a grossly fat man, who’s smile, more of a vicious sneer, was that of a man who was used to getting his own way. I could also tell that his teeth were either broken and blackened, or missing entirely. His smile reminded me, I thought with no small amount of distaste, of Alistair from Yellow Mike’s camp.

“Yer tresspassin’ on land that ain’t yers nomore.” Toothless said, his smile growing wider, as he placed his hands on his hips and laughed. I noticed his vast disgusting belly jiggled when he laughed.

“And whose land is it?” I asked with a sneer of profound contempt in my voice. These men were not, I could easily tell, capable of taking The Abbey. “There isn’t enough of you to take it. Not if you intend to survive long enough to enjoy it.” I finished, as I casually adjusted BushMaster’s sheath on my belt. I let a cold grin break across my face as I saw that my not so subtle threat had given his underlings immediate thoughts of their own mortality. As two of them took a few prudent steps back.

“This all belongs to Lord Pope now.” Toothless said grinning, as he waived a hand vaguely in the direction of The Abbey. “The Baron takes what he wants and...” He never got to finish what he was saying. Without really knowing it had happened, BushMaster was suddenly in my hand. Its razor edge pressed snugly against this disgusting man’s neck, drawing a small trickle of blood in the process. His smile was suddenly replaced by a look bordering on panic. These men were typical of The World After. The moment someone stood firm in the face of their threats, and turned their own tool, violence, against them they suddenly found themselves powerless.

“You have neither the men, nor the will, to take this Abbey. Now leave. Crawl back to your master DOG, and tell him if he wants this Abbey, he can come and try himself!” I growled, flexing my wrist slightly, drawing yet more blood from Toothless’ neck. “Or should I instead pronounce your Final Judgment?”

Toothless’ eyes bulged as his face went deathly pale. His mouth worked in a soundless plea as a voice from behind him brought a wave of regret and sadness rolling over me. “I don’t think we need to go quite that far. Do we Bishop?” I flicked my eyes over Toothless’ shoulder, and knew that this had just become a fight not only to protect our home. As I looked into the cold eyes of my brother Steffan, I knew this had suddenly become a fight of pure survival.

Ignoring Toothless, I stepped around him, and stopped a few paces from Steffan, and examined the brother I hadn’t seen in nearly five years. He still dressed the part of a Justice Bringer, though even a casual glance would tell you his clothes, and mid calf length leather coat were of far finer quality than our Order would usually wear. The stitching was smaller, and the weave of the cloth was finer. The amount of effort and resources that had gone into the nearly regal garb was nearly obscene for The World After. Steffan had always been the smaller between the two of us, never gaining my height, nor raw bulk, so judging by the weight he carried I could tell he was probably far better fed than most of the people who labored under his heel.

But it was his eyes that were truly heart breaking to me. He had always had our mother’s eyes. A rich sky blue, that sparkled when he smiled. Now the only thing reflected in that gaze was a strange combination of bitterness, and pain. “I see you’re still clinging to the deluded beliefs of a group of brain sick fools.” he said, snapping me out of my musings. Trying to goad me into a foolish reaction.

I refused to rise to that transparent tactic. In The World After, the one who reacted without thought, seldom survived to make the mistake twice. “I see you’ve decided to found an ... Order ... Of your own Steffan.” The contempt in my voice as I flicked my eyes to the men he had brought with him, was palpable, and I could tell my refusal to use his stricken name stung him more than he thought it would. “Your... men ... Remind me of people we’ve both met before. Congratulations Steffan; you’ve become just like Yellow Mike. Tell me, do you keep dogs as well?”

I knew Steffan harbored a morbid fear of dogs since that day in Yellow Mike’s slave camp. “That was beneath you Bishop.” His voice low as my words stung him yet again. “But you’re right. I did found an order of sorts. And as soon as you decide to save their lives by bending the knee to me, I’ll be adding your people to it.” His smile was cold, and there was a vicious gleam in his eye. He knew what he was asking me to do was an impossibility. He knew I would be happy to die before willingly forsaking my oath as a Justice Bringer.