Read Online Valley of Dry Bones by Priscilla Royal - Free Book Online

be free of him? Begrudgingly, he acknowledged he did owe Father Eliduc gratitude. It was this priest, and whomever he served, that had plucked Thomas from prison and kept him from rotting like the corpse of some rat.
    “What a profound sigh! Oh, fear not, Brother. I have not come to wrest you from this tiny hut and drag you into the world.” He fell silent, studying the monk for a moment that seems endless. “Dare you claim that I have ever summoned you when God’s purpose did not demand it?” The priest’s smile was as thin as the edge of a knife.
    Thomas refused to reply.
    Walking over to the simple altar, the priest studied the roughly made cross. It was constructed of two unevenly carved pieces of wood, bound together by rope. He inclined his head as if considering the workmanship and whether it suited its holy purpose.
    Outside, a cart rumbled by, the wheels squeaking. Laughter from the men accompanying it balanced the heavy stillness between the two men in the hut.
    “Why are you here?” Thomas shattered the hush first, conceding victory to the priest’s stronger will.
    Eliduc folded his hands into the sleeves of his soft robe and turned. “Queen Eleanor is planning a pilgrimage. Since she may stay at Tyndal, it is my duty to make sure the priory is prepared to uplift her spirit in godly ways and as she most ardently desires.”
    “Does our prioress know you are here?”
    “Before the bells rang for the last Office, she and Prior Andrew greeted the entire party from court, of which I am but one humble member. Contrary to your suspicions, I did not fly over the priory walls, dropping venom from my jaws to poison the local wells, and land outside your hermitage.”
    Thomas dropped his gaze.
    The priest glided closer until his body almost brushed against the monk. “You have grown rebellious, Thomas. Have you forgotten how you lay in a bed of your own excrement and were raped like some enemy woman?”
    The monk covered his face and groaned.
    Eliduc’s breath was now hot on Thomas’ cheek. “Do you not owe much for your freedom?”
    “Shall that debt never be paid?” Thomas whispered. “If you think such servitude is freedom…”
    “Would you have preferred to die with the weight of your vile sins dragging your soul down to Hell?”
    “You lied to me! You swore I would burn at the stake for one act of sodomy, and I know of no man who has.”
    Eliduc stepped back, his eyes widening with surprise. “Lie? I think not, Brother. I presaged the truth. The year I offered you a path to atonement, many were proclaiming the day would come when sodomites would feel Hell’s fire in their flesh before their souls were eternally damned. Sodomy is not merely a sin of the body, Thomas. It is a sign of heresy. Be grateful I gave you acts of cleansing penance before it was too late. It will not be long before the Church proclaims harsher measures against sodomites and all others who dare blaspheme against the only true faith. You would be wise to believe me when I say that King Edward agrees with this most heartily.”
    “You forget that my father…”
    Raising his hand for silence, Eliduc continued. “Be advised, my son, to reflect with care on what I have told you. Before you point to any lineage or argue my conclusions, remember that you are a bastard and your father is now dead. Should the Church find you guilty of heretical sodomy, there is no man who would try to save you from burning. To do so would suggest his own soul was tainted. This warning is meant as a kindness, although you may not understand that now.”
    Thomas felt the world spin and he grabbed the edge of the table. Regaining his balance, his reason told him he should beg this man’s forgiveness while his heart remained incapable of it.
    “Let us make peace,” Eliduc said. “Do we not both serve God?”
    Do we? Thomas doubted it, and all he could do was nod agreement. He lacked both strength and words to dispute further.
    Seeing the monk had