resort to violence if she thinks it’s needed.”
“So what do we do?” Hank asked.
“I’m thinking,” Charley said.
“ Don’t do that.” Orson rolled his eyes. “We don’t need any of your harebrained ideas—let me guess, your plan will be something that involves you charging straight ahead, in a rage, trying to overpower six people, without a thought given to what will happen next?”
“I haven’t exactly worked it out yet.”
“ Riiight .” Orson shook his head.
“Let’s move out!” Marta called out from ahead. Rising slowly, they resumed the slow, painful slog forward, somewhat refreshed by the water and a tough strip of jerky that tasted like tree bark dipped in charcoal. But Charley was still no closer to seeing a way out.
But he knew Orson was right: rage was not a plan.
But it was a start.
***
“Keep a lid on it!” Marta hissed. She ducked her head down lower to make eye contact with Charley, his neck still bowed from the tug of the neck manacle. “Let me remind you, one peep from any of you, and it’s lights out for your little girlfriend.” She clasped the chain and jerked Charley’s head up, pointing ahead, far down the dirt road, to where Sandy was walking in chains, surrounded by three of Marta’s men.
“I understand.”
“Good.” She released the chain, letting Charley’s head flop forward. “Because we’re almost to Meritorium. We just need to make it past these religious nut-jobs up ahead.”
“Religious nut-jobs?” Orson asked, looking over, now interested in their conversation.
Marta lowered her voice, as if one might jump out of the grass along their path at any moment. “Circumcellions. A Christian suicide cult that’s opposed to slavery. Their goal is to die by martyrdom, so they attack travelers with clubs in hopes that they’ll be killed. They camp outside the city.”
“I’m familiar with them,” Orson said. “In Meritropolis, we had—” He glanced at Grigor. “We had an incident with some of them years ago.”
“A Christian suicide cult?” Hank said. “Doesn’t sound very Christian to me.”
“A lot of what so-called Christians do isn’t very Christian,” Orson snorted. “But these wackos are the worst. They’re usually drunk; they rape and pillage. They’ll do anything to goad someone into killing them.”
“It’s true,” Marta said. “And we’re happy to oblige them. But even better would be to get through to Meritorium undetected.” She looked directly at Charley and hissed. “Now, if you want Sandy to live, just keep your heads down and be quiet.” Marta walked ahead of them to rejoin the men guarding Sandy at the front of their caravan.
“They want to be killed?” Hank said, scrunching up his face.
Orson nodded. “Sometimes the freaks will even throw themselves off a cliff if they can’t get someone to kill them. At least, that’s what they did in ancient Roman times. Around here, there aren’t many cliffs.” He curled up his lip. “Likely it’s the animal combos that get them instead.” He grinned wickedly.
“It’s true, they are nut-jobs, as you say, but, historically, the Circumcellions actually made an important contribution,” Grigor said, his broad shoulders ahead of Charley rising and falling in time with his steps. “Well, let me rephrase that. It was a reaction to the Circumcellions by Augustine that made an important contribution: the Doctrine of Just War. Basically, it’s the philosophical theory for when Christians are justified in using violence.”
“You’ve thought about this before,” Charley said.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Orson said, turning his head away and facing forward down their dusty path.
“Yes,” Grigor said shortly. “Orson and I have discussed this—”
“At great length,” Orson interjected.
“We don’t see eye to eye,” Grigor said, choosing to leave it at that and remain silent.
“It’s always right to fight for what’s right,” Charley said,
“So what do we do?” Hank asked.
“I’m thinking,” Charley said.
“ Don’t do that.” Orson rolled his eyes. “We don’t need any of your harebrained ideas—let me guess, your plan will be something that involves you charging straight ahead, in a rage, trying to overpower six people, without a thought given to what will happen next?”
“I haven’t exactly worked it out yet.”
“ Riiight .” Orson shook his head.
“Let’s move out!” Marta called out from ahead. Rising slowly, they resumed the slow, painful slog forward, somewhat refreshed by the water and a tough strip of jerky that tasted like tree bark dipped in charcoal. But Charley was still no closer to seeing a way out.
But he knew Orson was right: rage was not a plan.
But it was a start.
***
“Keep a lid on it!” Marta hissed. She ducked her head down lower to make eye contact with Charley, his neck still bowed from the tug of the neck manacle. “Let me remind you, one peep from any of you, and it’s lights out for your little girlfriend.” She clasped the chain and jerked Charley’s head up, pointing ahead, far down the dirt road, to where Sandy was walking in chains, surrounded by three of Marta’s men.
“I understand.”
“Good.” She released the chain, letting Charley’s head flop forward. “Because we’re almost to Meritorium. We just need to make it past these religious nut-jobs up ahead.”
“Religious nut-jobs?” Orson asked, looking over, now interested in their conversation.
Marta lowered her voice, as if one might jump out of the grass along their path at any moment. “Circumcellions. A Christian suicide cult that’s opposed to slavery. Their goal is to die by martyrdom, so they attack travelers with clubs in hopes that they’ll be killed. They camp outside the city.”
“I’m familiar with them,” Orson said. “In Meritropolis, we had—” He glanced at Grigor. “We had an incident with some of them years ago.”
“A Christian suicide cult?” Hank said. “Doesn’t sound very Christian to me.”
“A lot of what so-called Christians do isn’t very Christian,” Orson snorted. “But these wackos are the worst. They’re usually drunk; they rape and pillage. They’ll do anything to goad someone into killing them.”
“It’s true,” Marta said. “And we’re happy to oblige them. But even better would be to get through to Meritorium undetected.” She looked directly at Charley and hissed. “Now, if you want Sandy to live, just keep your heads down and be quiet.” Marta walked ahead of them to rejoin the men guarding Sandy at the front of their caravan.
“They want to be killed?” Hank said, scrunching up his face.
Orson nodded. “Sometimes the freaks will even throw themselves off a cliff if they can’t get someone to kill them. At least, that’s what they did in ancient Roman times. Around here, there aren’t many cliffs.” He curled up his lip. “Likely it’s the animal combos that get them instead.” He grinned wickedly.
“It’s true, they are nut-jobs, as you say, but, historically, the Circumcellions actually made an important contribution,” Grigor said, his broad shoulders ahead of Charley rising and falling in time with his steps. “Well, let me rephrase that. It was a reaction to the Circumcellions by Augustine that made an important contribution: the Doctrine of Just War. Basically, it’s the philosophical theory for when Christians are justified in using violence.”
“You’ve thought about this before,” Charley said.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Orson said, turning his head away and facing forward down their dusty path.
“Yes,” Grigor said shortly. “Orson and I have discussed this—”
“At great length,” Orson interjected.
“We don’t see eye to eye,” Grigor said, choosing to leave it at that and remain silent.
“It’s always right to fight for what’s right,” Charley said,
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