The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter Forty-One: The Bishop

The bishop pushed past us. He held his bloody staff forward like a lamp in the darkness. 

“You men who have violated the laws of sanctuary. You risk damnation in this life and the next. Ask yourself, is your eternity worth obeying one rogue noble?”

The swords wavered. A soldier next to Magnus looked at the noble.

“My Lord, should we not obey the Bishop?”

Magnus snarled and then drew his dagger and rammed the blade into the soldier’s throat. The soldier gurgled and dropped to his knees. 

Magnus raised his bloody dagger. “Is anyone else still concerned with eternity?”

“Are you really stupid enough to murder on holy ground?” I asked. 

“Are you stupid enough to think holy ground will protect you?” Magnus countered.

“I offer absolution and amnesty to all who lay down their weapons and exit the church now.” The Bishop said, his voice rising above the murmurs. 

“We accept nothing! We take what we want!” Magnus grabbed at my wrist and yanked me forward. I stumbled towards him off balance. I’m not a fighter, but I swung my cane at Magnus. He blocked the blow with his off hand. I tried to regain my footing. But I couldn’t and I crashed to the ground. 

“Enough! This is holy ground!” The Bishop swung his staff and connected with Magnus’ skull. Magnus crumpled to the ground next to me. 

Everyone froze. Nobody spoke. Nobody breathed. And then a soldier in front roared and charged. And the moment broke. The other soldiers rallied and charged forward as well. They rushed past me towards the others. The remaining priests stepped to block the soldiers. But the soldiers didn’t stop this time. Desperation had galvanized them. They were committed now. 

The soldiers and the priests collided and violence erupted above me. I lay on the ground, arm wrapped around my head trying to avoid being trampled. 

I couldn’t see the battle between the priests and the soldiers. I knew the priests were outnumbered five to one. I was impressed that they were defending us. That gave me hope. But I didn’t think they would survive. The last of the soldiers pushed past me and I pulled myself to my feet with the aid of my cane. 

The priests were going to die. I was certain. But Leon was still dying. Fiona and Vincent were in unknown condition. Fiona and Vincent were both injured. The clock was ticking. Multiple clocks were ticking. We had a room full of clocks, and they were all counting down to disaster. 

I strained to get a look at the conflict. I could see the soldiers grappling with the priests and trying to restrain them. A burst of hope surged through me. The Soldiers were afraid to hurt or kill the priests. 

I cast about for an exit. I was on the other side of the melee and could get away, but everyone else was boxed in. I couldn’t leave them. 

I heard a clatter of metal on dirt. Then I heard cries of alarm. I craned my neck to see what was happening. I saw fire. Flames licked up the wood of the church. Somebody had knocked over a brazier full of oil. And now the church was on fire. 

The voice of the bishop rose above the din. “Look what you’ve done. None of you will know peace in the next life!”

The soldiers stopped struggling. 

Mutters spread through the crowd of soldiers. The muttering spread like disease through the crowd. The voices rose from a murmur to a yell. The soldiers began to jostle each other. And then they began to flee. The soldiers pushed past me. One of the soldiers elbowed me in the ribs, and another slammed a shoulder into my chest. I slammed into the ground a second time. And for a second time I found myself shielding my head with my arms, curled into a ball. Soldiers rushed past me. They stepped on me. I gritted my teeth and didn’t cry out. 

The rush of soldiers abated. And I picked myself back up. I limped over to the group. 

The bishop looked at me. “We can’t stay here. The fire has spread too far. The church will burn to the ground. We can walk out. But you cannot.”

“You don’t have to protect us outside the church.” I said. “Sanctuary only applies in here.”

The bishop nodded. “And I am not letting you burn to death in here trying to avoid arrest. I cannot aid you in attempting to escape the law. But I can point out that a safe route away from the fire would be that doorway into the catacombs beneath the city.” 

I looked to the open hatch before us. 

“Once more into the dark,” I muttered.