"But such a woman." Drust shifted slightly to ease his shoulder. "Most beautiful. A song."

"All of that. A picture."

"Malgon?"

"Aye, little brother?"

"Have thought much on't. Do think bairn be thine."

"Och." Malgon just shrugged. "Who thinks of such things?"

I do. Now," Drust said in a voice so still, more than one meaning could be heard in it, "dost favor thee."

"More like my brother."

"Speak so? Does Bruidda have my beauty? Nae. And while thy hand has the power to mark the earth with beauty, thy face has none, nor bairn's. Be thine."

269.

Who takes gifts from any god without something in return? Before Jesu brought the iron-magic, was Drust not the one most jealous of Guenloie, most urgent to lie with her, while Malgon took only his reasonable share of her heart, happy enough with his pictures in earth and stone? Then Padrec came and called Drust's heart away from small desire to a greater one.

"Thee did bed Guenloie more than me last year. Be all from one well." Drusl winced at the ache throbbing in his shoulder. "Knothead, wealth be thine."

"Fool."

"Nae. I must father a different life. As in the baiting pit."

They watched impassively as the bodies were hauled from the wagons already buzzing with flies. Their Coritani guard, naked except for tattoos and ragged breeches, leaned on his spear and leered at them. "Don't worry, small ones.

They'll be coming for you. You are the sweetmeats to follow the feast."

The guard deflated somewhat when his taunting evoked no response in the three of them, but then one had wandering wits, and the others were not really human.

"Thee has more Briton-speech, Malgon. What says the great blue Corilani?"

"Do nae know. Padrec . . . Padrec?"

The shaggy head turned to Malgon, looked for him with difficulty through a welter of images. Brown eyes:

Malgon always found that strange in a man with such coloring; then later one saw the warmth it gave Padrec.

The eyes were sunken now, the color of trodden dirt.

Malgon gave it up. "Be sick inside. Would nae think one smalt death would take him so."

"Gallius tallfolk?" Drust snorted feebly. "Smallest of all."

"Did much want to do it myself," Malgon admitted seriously. "This very hand lifting the spear, and Padrec took't from me."

"Like Jesu the sins of the world."

"Poor Padrec."

"God left him: all a said to me, Malgon. God left him.

Could such be?"

"Oh, Drust. I don't know. Be not much God in me this day."

270 Then truly, Drust knew, / hold the magic of Jesu and Father-God among Prydn until it return to Padrec. f do not know why I was the first to feel the magic in me, to know Padrec's faith for truth, but I must give it back to him before f die. Jesu, I will ndi deny you now at the end, but you must forgive Padrec when he's fevered a-mind. Come into me now and into Padrec as you were with Dorelei when she tamed the iron. As you were with Daniel and me in the baiting pit. I will miss Guenloic and the baim, but it is not a foolish sacrifice, Jesu, nor do I act from heart more than head. We have become frugal of death in this place of so many. Only give me the power of heart that Padrec will see and believe again. Come back to him.

Cold in the sunlight as on the chill nights in Ireland before the Spirit of God titled him. No, not God. Never.

Saian took him to a high hill and showed him the prizes of the earth, among them a fatuous belief that he knew of and lived in Grace. Only a man and a poor one, no priest at all, but no longer blind. Following in Germanus' foot- steps, deluded as he, adored by Dorelei and other inno- cents, puffed with a little success, he flattered himself that he was touched by God.

The ultimate vanity: that Jericho would tumble be- fore God's voice speaking in his own. He was much clearer- sighted now, thank you. Not God's war but a private comedy of conceit with himself the leading player. He even saw it sometimes in himself and Dorelei. Blind faith and success gave them the illusion of infallibility. Blind faith fed that illusion while it cried for more and more.

Look you, he was more than man; he was Raven in the flesh, sent by Lugh as Jesu was sent. Subtlest of all sins, doing Satan's will in Christ's name.

The play was ended, the bodies carried off to funeral strains. An entire generation of young Prydn men. From somewhere in the high seats, there spattered gratified applause. Make an end, actor.

Killing him would be redundant, but make an end.

Christ Savior-

Never heard of him.

Yeshua. His father did carpentry, and I believe his uncle dealt in tin.

Oh. Him.

What's this? Doubt from the immaculate soul of Succatus Patricius?

271.

Shut up. Where was I? Dragged Bredei over to one side ... we were all hurt. Ambrosius lei me write a letter.

No, that was later. I carried Bredei, and he told me, before the brains leaked out of his skull, that Gallius had to die.

1 agree.

Would have forgotten, you know how those things are. but Gallius came himself to remind me. So there it was. I did it.

And very efficiently, too. Went through the armor like hot grease, through the Parisi hide of him, whatever courage he found, all that small man's prejudice, the food he stole from your men-then out again, layer after layer of whatever life he called his own. Thee's a good arm.

Padrec.

Poor Gallius.

So why are you laughing?

It's tunny. Comic. He was so surprised. Did you see the look on his face when he went down? Like he'd lost something, or it was all a ghastly mistake.

Which would be righted, of course, as soon as VI Legio's notifia caught up with facts. Yes. Just so.

Isn't it strange how poets and priests try to make meaning, even drama, out of such banal muck? Must've been this dreary at Troy and Carthage.

His last act in life was to foul himself. Not so unusual.