The Trials of the Minotaur

Part Two: The Oracle's Mortification (Chapter Eleven)

The visions had not returned to Velthar the Sufferer as he had supposed. Only through the penance he had imposed upon himself, the mortification of his own dear flesh, did the god allow him to see as he had formerly. He was being tested, he understood, for his faith had been proven weak and now he would have to demonstrate the strength of it. He had Helthe come to him each night to minister to him the salvation of the barbed whip. His back was now scored with the wounds, many of which never had the chance to heal over. Though Helthe always applied salves of various sorts that she had procured through some mysterious means, several of the cuts were infected and he now passed his days in the heat of fever.

The vision that changed everything came the day before Thedeo returned to the temple and the grace of the god. Helthe whipped him until he lost control of his senses, and there again was the darkness, which he now embraced, for he knew the light which would follow upon it. This time, though, the darkness did not cease. Instead he heard a sound, the guttural sounds of an animal, and he stood and went toward it. Here there were still shadows but he could see, as though through the dimness of the gloaming. He followed the sound through the nothingness that surrounded him and emerged into the god's chamber.

What he saw there made him fall to his knees in despair at the desecration he witnessed. The god was there, but he was not the god, he crawled about like a mere beast. Galrice was there as well on her hands and knees, and the two of them sniffed at each other as though they were the basest of creatures absent the god's incandescent touch. Velthar could not imagine witnessing anything more horrifying than these unholy actions in the temple of the god, but the worst was still to come. Galrice crawled before the god and knelt down so that her rump was lifted to him. The god mounted her and began to rut, both of them emitting a keening sound Velthar could not understand. When they were through Velthar saw that her belly was full with child and then the darkness became whole again.

When he returned to himself Helthe was at his side, pressing a damp cloth to his face and whispering an invocation to the god. Velthar's jaw ached as though he had been clenching it, and there was a taste of blood in his mouth. For a moment he lay, allowing Helthe to see to his needs, his mind empty of thoughts, but then he recalled what he had just seen and pushed her aside. He rose unsteadily to his feet and went from his chambers across the hall to where Galrice lay, as Helthe watched him, saying nothing.

She was awake still, kneeling in prayer, a sole candle providing light. Her profile was to him, the fullness of her belly evident. Seeing it caused him to retch, which startled her. She had been so deep in her prayer she had not heard his entrance. Now she turned, her face agape at the sight of him. When she saw the expression on his face she shrank away as though she expected some harm to befall her. Velthar followed her eyes and saw that his hands were clenched into fists, and he forced himself to breathe and let his hands free.

“Your trickery is at an end,” he said, approaching her.

“What is this madness?”

“Do not play the fool with me,” he shouted, spittle flying from his mouth. “I have seen it. You have been sent to ruin us, to lead us down the path of false worship of your demon child.”

This sparked Galrice's anger, and she rose to her feet to confront him. “The god himself has claimed the child as his own. How can you deny it? He has entrusted the both of us to its care.”

He shook his head, laughing at her. “You are a foul and cunning demon. You nearly ensnared us all. The god set it as a test for me and I nearly failed. But I have overcome my weakness and now he has returned to my heart and shown me the truth.”

“Well, let us go before him now and see what he says of the truth you speak.”

Velthar agreed and they went up the stairs to the beast's chambers for an audience with the god. Galrice was praying under her breath as they went, and in that moment Velthar understood that this moment was merely another test. The god had left it to he alone to see that the demon was cast out from their midst. As they came to the god's chambers he seized her by the hair and dragged her up the stairs to the tower above. She struggled fiercely, scratching and clawing in an animal frenzy, screaming all the while.

When they reached the tower he did not hesitate, pulling her to the tower's edge. Here her tactics changed and she ceased her screaming and her struggles and begged him to spare her, to spare the godchild. He listened to none of it and sent her tumbling over the edge. A terrible wail rose up from her as she plummeted to the earth, the demon host leaving her corporeal form. Following that there came a blessed silence and he descended below to tell the god.

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This is the nineteenth  chapter of the Trials of the Minotaur. I will post a chapter a week (there are over 30), but if you enjoy what you're reading and don't want to wait, you can buy this book at Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords. Thanks for reading.