45.

;his two brothers, glancing at the knot of wives equally Epuzzled by what they understood of the sermon. "He does not teach but that he demands."

The younger brother snorted. "He thinks he is better 1-than us because he speaks and dresses like a Roman."

t" "And we know them," Vaco commented sourly. "It is (in my mind to send him away."

I; "He is not of importance. There is not one mark of Ithonor on his body. Kill him," the second brother urged.

^"Quietly. Say his god took him in sleep."

I That sat poorly with the elder, who did not earn his ^position for impulsiveness. "This god of his, this Jesu ^*Christ, is powerful not only in Britain but across all the "4/world EO the city of the Romans themselves."

^ "Is not Lugh then as strong?" the younger argued. "Is

*ii ft that we have ever had a better harvest or so many wives

Jwith child? We do well keeping the way we know."

"Aye, kill him," the second brother urged again, wip- ^ ing greasy hands on his brilliantly tattooed chest.

1;;, "That is a thought. We might do that." Elder Vaco t^.gave his attention to the mead pot to allow himself a

S moment's reflection. The priest's teachings were subver- sive and downright arrogant. Nevertheless, they were close ^enough to trade with Roman camp towns on the Wall or J; raid when it suited them, and the idea of profit was to lose

J''-3s little as possible when you didn't have to. Nothing would be gained by killing the priest or flouting their own

{gods.

- "There is that way which is in the middle," he told his ^rot-hers. "We'll cripple him and leave him on the hill. If ^.Faerie or wolves kill him, his god was not strong enough.

jf he lives and returns, we will know chat even Lugh is not tronger. Then ... we will see. Meanwhile, we lose no ^Eavor with Lugh."

, The brothers mulled this and nodded soberly. Their Brother chief was a wise man who ever held first the good ir his people.

"Crack his bones and take him to the hill of the s."

It hardly need be said that Picts were a shrewd peo- older than Britons in the land and serpentine in

46 bargaining even with the gods. By virtue of this prudence, Patricius was allowed his life and two broken legs-but, for the time, no converts.

He thought he was going to die when they dragged him to the stone and threw him on it, sure of it when the elder approached with the hammer. They were going to dash his brains out. He closed his eyes against the weak mortal fear and tried to whisper as much of a contrition as

he could before the blow fell.

He shrieked when the hammer first struck his ankle, fainted at the second. When he could think again, he was jolting on a rough litter through the darkness flanked by torches. His head was lower than his feel; they were toil- ing him uphill. The pain in his ankles throbbed steadily.

Now the men stopped in the darkness. Patricius saw the new fear in their faces limned by the torchlight. He was too far gone in pain and shock to be frightened himself. He tried to pray again, but his numbed mind couldn't frame the words. Looming dim beyond die torches, he saw the ring of great stones and caught the sibilant

drift of the men's timorous hesitation.

"Well, come on! We have to put him in the circle."

"Nae, I will not go in there, not tonight."

"Is it coward that you are?"

"That I am not, but Faerie's abroad this night."

"Fool! It is a special need that this is, and a moment's

work. Come on."

"The stones moved. I saw them move."

"Come on!"

For all his determination to follow orders, the leader did not tarry within the ring of haunted stones. His men huddled close together, glancing fearfully over their shoul- ders every few moments white two of them hauled Patricius off the litter and dumped him on the ground. He cried out when his ankles hit the earth. Then the light dimmed and the torches receded with the hurrying bearers, jitter- ing with their haste.

The great circle of stones towered around him as the moon sanK in the west. His fear drained away into exhaus- tion and shuddering. The throbbing in his legs settled to a .

47.

ep, dull pain. Patricius felt gingerly at the swelling an- 8. Broken for sure-fractured, more likely. The bones 1 not seem wrenched out of place, but he couldn't be

*e. It he iived long enough, if he could find someone W'd care enough to set them, he might survive. Small Since; they'd have to find him, he could barely crawl. He ished his contrition, crossed himself, and tried to keep ^m by curling his misery into a ball. The moon went wn, and gradually the light brightened in the east- ricius woke from shallow sleep to cold morning and rible thirst, nauseous and light-headed when he tried to

*ip.

Cold sweat prickled his forehead. After a few mo- its the nausea passed. His lower legs were swollen

*e their size, with huge blue-black bruises edged with ow. Part of the pain came from his sandal straps cut- into the swollen flesh. With considerable pain, Patricius ened the thongs and eased them off. It took all the length and will he had left. He lay back on one elbow, ^^ting with the exertion, and only then noticed the small ndle close to one of the stones. Something wrapped in abswool with several smaller objects by it, including a w.

Food.

Yes, of course, the same way he wrapped his own ions when out all night with Miliucc's flocks, "Sweet Lord, I thank you."

His voice sounded ragged and weak as he dragged iself toward the bundle. Whatever shepherd had left food would come again and find him. Not Venicones;

t was obviously a place they feared, but no place on th was hidden from God or His arm. Patricius felt ae of his courage returning. They thought they could l^sh him with broken legs and a night in the cold? He'd Hent more cold nights on Irish mountains than there pe stones, and each night in the Hand of God. He luld pay for the food and pray for the shepherd when Icame.

Queer objects: the bowl contained only a handful of I. Beside it lay a sheaf of grass carefully tied with a Bid of flax. Chewing the oats, Patricius unwrapped the

Sidle. The food turned to ash in his mouth.

F.

48.

The swarthy infant lay amid the fleecy folds, the clay discs great staring white eyes in the small face. Each of its limbs had been broken like his. Already the small toothless mouth tightened in the rictus of death, as if the child itself