The Making of the Lamb (46 page)

“It was nothing less than you deserved.” Jesus turned and began gathering twigs. Many heroes died on account of your treachery, and my best friend lost his life.”

“What choice did I have?” Pirro sat on the ground, making no move to help. “You didn’t want me in the tin business, even though I was the one who led your family to Ictis. Didn’t your uncle tell you it was my idea back in Gaul to open up the ancient tin route? But no, once we got to Britain the tin business became all about you. I became Pirro the dealer in trinkets, the junk dealer. Even the Celts laughed at me.”

“You misled Uncle Joseph. You told him the natives would have plenty of tin to sell. Your lies would have bankrupted my uncle if I had not found the ore. Even so, my uncle was more than fair to you. We all had to figure out our role in the venture, and you decided to become a merchant of the native wares, because you knew nothing about tin. Nobody forced you. And then you betrayed us to the pirates.”

“He deserved death.” Arvigarus started chopping a branch into firewood.

“Yes, he did.”

“He’s no use as a slave. Just kill him now.”

“I can’t.”

Arvigarus stopped chopping the firewood and gave Jesus a stern look. “You’ve told me about how the Romans dominate your homeland of Israel, and how it’s time for your people to rise up and throw the Romans out. If you Jews are going to manage that, then you and your people are going to have to be willing to use some violence. The way you led the warriors at the battle at Rumps, shows that you may be the sort of leader your people need. But you don’t seem to have the stomach for it.”

“Maybe I am not cut out to be that type of leader,” Jesus said. “The Dumnonii make do without slaves. The law given to Israel by God allows for slavery, but maybe it is time to end it.”

“The Romans own slaves, so why shouldn’t your people do so if the law of your god allows it?” Arvigarus asked.

“I have seen Roman cruelty more terrible that that of the wildest Britons, and I do not know why we call one civilized and the other savage.” Jesus realized Pirro was being discussed as if he weren’t there.
That must be how it is with slaves.
Jesus turned back to Arvigarus and continued. “I see the hopelessness in Pirro’s eyes, and I know it will be there as long as he is a slave, even if I treat him kindly. I feel bound to him now, even more than he does to me. I never wanted a slave. I never expected to see him again. Now I cannot get rid of him without causing his death. He deserves to pay for his crimes, but I cannot bring myself to take his life.”

The next morning they broke camp and continued through the vale toward the last ridge, with Pirro carrying only his own share of the food. By midmorning, Jesus noticed he was falling behind and waited beside the trail for him to catch up.

Pirro stumbled and struggled with his load. His injuries might be feigned, but Jesus could see that his body was drawn and weak from the cruelty he had suffered at the hands of masters before him. Even before Pirro reached him, Jesus began to unload his own pack and discard most of his food.

When Pirro came up, Jesus expected another complaint, but Pirro just looked at him quizzically. “Give me your supplies,” Jesus said. “I will carry them for you. If you fall behind again, I will leave them on the side of the trail for you. Don’t let Arvigarus see this. Just carry your pack empty.”

Pirro complied without saying a word.

We are now within a day or two of our destination, and I can make it without eating or drinking. Pirro is too weak to fast. This time I can be the one to do without.

Horshak waited at the edge of the clearing for Esmeralda to finish her incantations before the small crowd of worshippers. His workers had been digging around Priddy in search of a lode of silver ore, without success. He could tell she had noted his presence.

“Have you found it yet?” Esmeralda asked him.

“I had my men digging all over the Mendips first. That was just a ruse to make it look like we were searching without a clue. Then I had them start at the spot you indicated, digging trenches and pits for a hundred feet in every direction. We found no trace of silver ore.”

“I saw their map, and it was clear,” Esmeralda said. “It showed the River Cheddar coming out of the hillside at the foot of the gorge. It indicated a spot three hundred feet up the valley and then fifty feet up the western slope. There was a big X labeled ‘the lode.’ How could you have missed it?”

“I tell you, there is nothing there to miss. There are no grains of silver in the nearby creek, and my men have dug in every direction. They have gone down twenty feet, even though the map said the lode is fifteen feet below the surface. Perhaps the map was an intentional fake?”

“I saw that map with my own eyes. It was not laid out the first time I went into the mother’s house. I left the house as soon as I heard Jesus and his cousin coming, but I could tell they were busy searching. I found the map when I went back in after they left. They must have searched to see if it had been taken.”

“I cannot keep paying my men to dig, if we do not find the lode soon.”

“These outlanders are tricky,” said the druidess. “They come to take our minerals and pollute the minds of the people. Keep your eyes open. They probably have a new supply of coin to pay for workers. Don’t let them get to the silver before you do.”

Elsigar studied Jesus, who looked a wreck. “You’re late.”

Jesus explained how he and Arvigarus had crossed the mountains. No wonder he looked such a mess.

Like all druids, Elsigar was a creature of enigmas, but of all the people he had encountered in his long years as a druid, none was as enigmatic as this young outlander. Even as a boy, Jesus had been childlike in his innocence and yet mature in his wisdom. Jesus often showed extraordinary kindness, and yet now he was the owner of a slave—the very man he had condemned more than a year before. No doubt that punishment was just; it was also terrible.

Once Jesus and Arvigarus had told the story of their journey, Elsigar said, “You’ve missed two weeks of classes. Nevertheless, Arvigarus, you will join the third year
fuchloc
.” It was too bad the prince had to be lumped with younger students, but it couldn’t be helped. “Jesus, you will be in the
anruth
class.”

“Why is he ahead of me?” Arvigarus said. “We’re about the same age.”

“You missed many years of instruction after you and your brother…” Elsigar paused, then said, “While you were away from your father’s house. But Jesus has studied elsewhere.”

Elsigar nodded to the slave. “He’ll work with the servants of the school. No student may be attended by a personal servant or slave. This is a place of disciplined study, not a place for coddling the rich.”

“That suits me well, sir,” Jesus said.

Early the next morning, Elsigar walked into the hall, sniffed the air, and snorted.

“Problem, sir?”

He looked back to find Jesus behind him. “This place is confining.”

“It’s a fine hall.”

Their feet padded quietly across the flagstone floor. “A druid belongs in the outdoors, where he may be at one with the gods of forests, glens, and streams. We druids have no love for temples or monuments.”

“But what of the henges and stone circles? I’ve seen them all over the British landscape.”

“They were constructed in an age long past, before the discovery of the secret of iron and before the coming of the
Tuatha Dé Danaan
from the isles of the north. We respect those structures as the holy places of the people of the older age, we preserve them, and occasionally we conduct rites among those ruins. But we do not emulate them with structures of our own.” His eyes roved over the beams above. “This hall and the others in the school are exceptions, constructed of necessity to protect us from the weather.” Elsigar reached his place. “Now take your seat. I hear the others coming.”

A dozen novices, mostly men in their late twenties but also a few women, sat attentively before Elsigar on their mats. Elsigar called his class to order. “For the benefit of our new arrival, I will repeat what I said two weeks ago. You all have much to learn. Anyone may try to become a druid. Kings and warriors entrust their children to us for their education, but few stay the course.

“Over the next several months, the other senior druids and I will assess your progress. For those we select, we will start the final and most challenging phase of training.” These students were all members of the noble stream, a ranking among the novices that took nine years of study or more to achieve. “By now you have mastered the telling of many legends, but rote memorization will not be enough to advance to the degree of
ollamh
, and then move on to your specialized training. Now you must show you can think like a druid.”

He paced in front of them. “Today, we are joined by an outlander, and he arrives just at the right time. We will be talking about the very elements of druidic faith and belief, the transits through which gods and druids transform and regenerate the energy of the cosmos. We will see how these transformations link all people to the same elements, and thus in turn link them to the cosmic realm of the gods.”

Jesus raised his hand. “That is very interesting, but what does that have to do with me? As you know, my people believe in one God.”

“I am not yet sure if this involves you or not,” Elsigar replied. “We will see. I will first ask the class to identify these elements and explain how they figure in our teachings. After the class discusses each element, I will call on you to tell us if that element has any comparable significance in your Scriptures. Perhaps we will see that we have more in common than you think. Perhaps not.”

“What are Scriptures?” asked one of the class members.

“My people are blessed to have Scripture, which is the written word we live by,” Jesus answered. “It has the law of God and the story of the relationship between God and his people. It also has psalms, which lift our hearts and console us in times of triumph and calamity. Our great prophets wrote down Scripture, with inspiration from God.”

One young man turned to Elsigar, wide-eyed. “Committing matters of faith to writing. Isn’t that…strange?”

Another student chimed in, “Some of the Cantiaci and the surrounding tribes in the southeast of Britain learned writing from the Romans.”

“That’s for business,” said one of the star pupils. “For matters of faith, it’s an abhorrence. Writing something like that gives it an unholy permanency.”

“Isn’t there danger of empowering an error or a curse,” one of them asked, “to allow the writing of any druidic doctrine or teaching?”

Elsigar said, “We want to explore areas of common belief, but there will be many areas of difference between ourselves and the outlander.” He cleared his throat. “Now: the elements I am looking for are four in number. Name them.”

He rejected several possibilities offered by the class: wands, potions, mistletoe, and so forth. “These are certainly implements of the druids, but they are not the transits themselves that connect us to the cosmos. Anyone else?”

Finally one of the men in the back said, “Fire.”

“Explain yourself,” said Elsigar.

“We mark the two poles of the Celtic year with fire at Beltane and Samhain,” the student said. “Beltane in particular is the feast of fire and light. The name for Beltane itself refers to a purifying fire. The druidic fire we make requires meticulous preparation of each pyre, with the logs assembled precisely. We follow the same prescriptions that the druid Mog Ruith gave to his assistant in the Siege of Druim Damghaire. The same preparation is made for the fire that puts the earth to rest at Samhain.”

Elsigar nodded. “Yes, fire transforms everything. Even when the
Tuatha Dé Danann
arrived from the isles of the north, they burned their boats as they transformed themselves.” Elsigar turned to Jesus. “Does fire play a role in your Scripture?”

“Definitely,” said Jesus. “Ever since the days of our first prophet Abraham, my people have burned offerings to send them to God in heaven. Scripture records that God used fire, along with brimstone, to bring down wickedness. He even appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush. So, in many ways, fire connects man to God.”

“Can we name another element?” said Elsigar.

“How about wood? It is consumed by fire,” suggested another student.

“Yes, but wood is not a basic element. What would you say, Jesus?” Elsigar asked.

“In our book of Genesis,” answered Jesus, “we learn that God brought forth trees bearing fruit on the third day of Creation, but that was along with grass and herbs, and all of those things come from the earth. So, I would say that earth is more fundamental as an element. Before he made trees, God made the dry land appear, and he called it Earth. Men often fashion their works from wood, but wood is weak and fragile. Our greatest laws are the ten commandments that God gave to Moses in the form of tablets carved from rock. Even man himself was formed from dust of the ground.”

“Interesting,” said Elsigar. “Who can give me an example from our druidic teaching in which earth is an element?”