cell.
Children
.
Six of them, male and female, all about eight years old. All of them were quiet, looking down at the floor as Brother Semyon led Erhard and the guardsman down the aisle in front of the cages.
Erhard said a quick prayer for his own soul then turned on Brother Semyon. “What
is
this? Are these children baptized? What are they being punished for?”
Semyon laughed at him. “No, my good knight, you would no more baptize these children than you would your horse.”
Erhard felt the first prickings of horror. “Why would you deny them Christ? Absolution of their sins?”
“Sir, sin is the province of humanity. These you are calling ‘children’ are far from human.”
Erhard couldn’t credit those words.
He looked at the prisoners and saw nothing to distinguish them from children anywhere. Except, perhaps, one thing—
They were unnaturally silent.
These children did not babble, did not fidget, did not respond to his presence at all. The only indication Erhard received that these creatures were even aware of their surroundings was when he caught one girl’s steel-blue eye furtively watching him from behind the ragged strings of her blond hair.
“I am deeply troubled, Brother. You say these children are not human. How can I accept those words when I see this?” He waved at the cages.
“You will see more,” Brother Semyon said.
“Why do they say nothing? Are they mute?”
“No. They are merely well trained.” Brother Semyon shifted his speech to the barbarian tongue of the Prûsans. Fortunately, the grand master had sent Erhard north with some Prûsan slaves to be guides and to tutor him in the language. “Only speak when spoken to. Isn’t that right, Rose?”
“Yes, Brother Semyon,” whispered the naked little girl with the stringy blond hair. She didn’t straighten up and, despite answering, didn’t raise her head or turn to look at him. The one eye that Erhard could see through the tangled hair remained fixed on him.
“Staring is impolite, Rose,” Semyon continued in Prûsan.
At the brother’s words, the eye blinked and the girl’s head shifted. Now her face was completely hidden.
“Who are these children?” Erhard turned to look at Brother Semyon. “What are you doing here?”
The brother smiled at Erhard and resumed speaking in German.“I am doing things you could not have conceived of when you spoke your vows in Jerusalem. However, before I explain, I must show you something.”
He turned to the guard, who until now had silently stood by next to the wall. “Please ready yourself,” he told the man.
The guard walked to a rack on the wall that held a number of iron rods and polearms. The guard selected a long spear that had a broad leaflike blade that shone silver in the dim light.
But that wouldn’t actually be silver, would it?
Erhard turned back toward Rose’s cage. Brother Semyon had already slipped inside, closing the barred door behind him. He crossed the floor, bent by the little girl, and unlocked the manacle binding her ankle. Erhard thought he might have seen a glint of silver in the manacle as well.
Brother Semyon returned to the front of the cell, opposite Erhard. He commanded, in Prûsan, “Rose, come here.”
Reluctantly it seemed, the girl walked forward, next to Brother Semyon. The other children, Erhard noticed, had finally turned their attention toward them.
“Give me your right hand, Rose.”
The girl held out her arm, hand open, trembling slightly. Semyon grabbed her wrist with his left hand. His grasp nearly pulled the girl off-balance.
“Very good, Rose.”
Still holding her like that, Brother Semyon turned toward Erhard and resumed speaking German. “Would you be kind enough to lend me your dagger for the purpose of a small demonstration?” He held his right hand through the bars.
The girl’s detachment started to crumble. She made small sobbing noises, and those steel eyes pleaded openly with Erhard. But she didn’t
Children
.
Six of them, male and female, all about eight years old. All of them were quiet, looking down at the floor as Brother Semyon led Erhard and the guardsman down the aisle in front of the cages.
Erhard said a quick prayer for his own soul then turned on Brother Semyon. “What
is
this? Are these children baptized? What are they being punished for?”
Semyon laughed at him. “No, my good knight, you would no more baptize these children than you would your horse.”
Erhard felt the first prickings of horror. “Why would you deny them Christ? Absolution of their sins?”
“Sir, sin is the province of humanity. These you are calling ‘children’ are far from human.”
Erhard couldn’t credit those words.
He looked at the prisoners and saw nothing to distinguish them from children anywhere. Except, perhaps, one thing—
They were unnaturally silent.
These children did not babble, did not fidget, did not respond to his presence at all. The only indication Erhard received that these creatures were even aware of their surroundings was when he caught one girl’s steel-blue eye furtively watching him from behind the ragged strings of her blond hair.
“I am deeply troubled, Brother. You say these children are not human. How can I accept those words when I see this?” He waved at the cages.
“You will see more,” Brother Semyon said.
“Why do they say nothing? Are they mute?”
“No. They are merely well trained.” Brother Semyon shifted his speech to the barbarian tongue of the Prûsans. Fortunately, the grand master had sent Erhard north with some Prûsan slaves to be guides and to tutor him in the language. “Only speak when spoken to. Isn’t that right, Rose?”
“Yes, Brother Semyon,” whispered the naked little girl with the stringy blond hair. She didn’t straighten up and, despite answering, didn’t raise her head or turn to look at him. The one eye that Erhard could see through the tangled hair remained fixed on him.
“Staring is impolite, Rose,” Semyon continued in Prûsan.
At the brother’s words, the eye blinked and the girl’s head shifted. Now her face was completely hidden.
“Who are these children?” Erhard turned to look at Brother Semyon. “What are you doing here?”
The brother smiled at Erhard and resumed speaking in German.“I am doing things you could not have conceived of when you spoke your vows in Jerusalem. However, before I explain, I must show you something.”
He turned to the guard, who until now had silently stood by next to the wall. “Please ready yourself,” he told the man.
The guard walked to a rack on the wall that held a number of iron rods and polearms. The guard selected a long spear that had a broad leaflike blade that shone silver in the dim light.
But that wouldn’t actually be silver, would it?
Erhard turned back toward Rose’s cage. Brother Semyon had already slipped inside, closing the barred door behind him. He crossed the floor, bent by the little girl, and unlocked the manacle binding her ankle. Erhard thought he might have seen a glint of silver in the manacle as well.
Brother Semyon returned to the front of the cell, opposite Erhard. He commanded, in Prûsan, “Rose, come here.”
Reluctantly it seemed, the girl walked forward, next to Brother Semyon. The other children, Erhard noticed, had finally turned their attention toward them.
“Give me your right hand, Rose.”
The girl held out her arm, hand open, trembling slightly. Semyon grabbed her wrist with his left hand. His grasp nearly pulled the girl off-balance.
“Very good, Rose.”
Still holding her like that, Brother Semyon turned toward Erhard and resumed speaking German. “Would you be kind enough to lend me your dagger for the purpose of a small demonstration?” He held his right hand through the bars.
The girl’s detachment started to crumble. She made small sobbing noises, and those steel eyes pleaded openly with Erhard. But she didn’t
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