By Schism Rent Asunder (36 page)

“You may, Your Eminence.” Ahdymsyn's voice was heavy, his mouth grim.

“Your Eminence,” he said, “Archbishop Erayk is dead.”

“I beg your pardon?” Staynair sat suddenly straighter behind his desk.

“I said Archbishop Erayk is dead,” Ahdymsyn repeated. “The news hasn't reached us here in Charis yet. I realize that. However, Archbishop Erayk's letter leaves me in no doubt that he is, indeed, dead by now. Executed by the Inquisition for malfeasance, apostasy, heresy, and treason against God's Church and against God Himself.”

Staynair's face tightened. He needed no one to tell him what penalties
The Book of Schueler
laid down for
anyone
convicted of those offenses, far less one of Mother Church's own archbishops.

“The archbishop's letter isn't lengthy, Your Eminence,” Ahdymsyn said. “He was denied access to paper and ink for the purposes of correspondence and had to improvise to obtain even this single sheet. I'm not certain how he managed to get this one note out, either, given his strict confinement by the Inquisition. I feel certain his silence on that point was intended to protect whoever he entrusted it to. But what it does say is very much to the point.”

“And that point is?” Staynair asked quietly.

“He begins by informing Father Paityr and myself of the grounds for his arrest and the sentence passed upon him. He asks us to forgive him—and to pray for his soul—despite his many failures. He also specifically asked me to leave this letter with
you
, for you to make use of in whatever way seems best to you, and he apologizes for his failure to protect and nurture the souls of his archbishopric in the way God demands of His priests. And”—Ahdymsyn looked levelly into Staynair's eyes—“he makes bold to give us one last directive as our archbishop.”

“And that directive is?”

“He does not order us, for he says he feels he no longer has that right, but he urgently entreats us to remain here in Charis. He says that he fears that, should we return to Zion or to the Temple Lands, we, too, would be forced to answer to the Inquisition. He accepts his own fate, but as our priestly superior, he enjoins us to preserve our lives against unjust punishment and judicial murder by remaining beyond the Inquisition's reach. And he begs us to do whatever we may to atone for his failure—and ours—as the spiritual shepherds of Charis.”

Staynair sat back in his chair, his eyes thoughtful. He would never have anticipated such a letter from Erayk Dynnys. Yet he had no doubt it was genuine, and he wondered what sort of spiritual pilgrimage Dynnys had experienced in the hands of the Inquisition to produce it. There was good in any man. Staynair believed that as firmly as he believed the sun would rise in the morning. But that good was more deeply hidden, more deeply buried, in some than in others, and he had thought the good in Erayk Dynnys was irretrievably buried under a mountain of careless venality and a lifetime's participation in the Temple's internal corruption.

But I was wrong
, he thought.
The finger of God can touch anyone, anywhere, through the most unlikely of avenues. I've always believed that, too. And here at the end of Erayk Dynnys' life, God has incontestably touched him
.

The archbishop closed his eyes while he said a brief, intense prayer of thanks that even at the very end, Dynnys had found his way to God, clear-eyed despite the corrupting lenses through which he had been taught to look for Him. Then Staynair straightened and looked across at his visitors.

He understood now the peculiar fragility he'd sensed in Ahdymsyn. Like Dynnys—and unlike Wylsynn—Ahdymsyn was a man whose faith had taken second place to his secular responsibilities … and opportunities. In Dynnys' fate and letter, he'd seen the mirror of himself, and it must have been a terrifying glimpse. Yet, unlike Dynnys, he had the opportunity to profit from the experience in this world, not simply in the next. He could choose what decisions he would make in the life that remained to him, and it was obvious to Staynair that he found that possibility as frightening as it was exhilarating, as much a matter for shame as for a chance to make some sort of amends.

For young Wylsynn, however, it must have been quite a different shock. Staynair knew better than most that Wylsynn had entertained few illusions about the way in which the Church's actions so often betrayed the spirit of its own
Holy Writ
. But the
scale
of the corruption, and the horrific lengths to which the Group of Four had been prepared to go, must have hit him like a sledgehammer. And unlike Dynnys and Ahdymsyn, Paityr Wylsynn had never forgotten he was God's priest, never allowed the corruption around him and behind him to distract him from his spiritual duties.

And now one of the most blameless servants of Mother Church Staynair had ever known found himself directed by a fallen archbishop whose corruption must have been evident to Wylsynn all along to turn his back upon Mother Church. To deny her authority, reject her demands. A priest of the Inquisition had been commanded to defy the Grand Inquisitor himself by one of the Inquisition's very victims.

“May God have mercy on His true servant Erayk,” Staynair murmured, touching first his heart and then his lips.

“Amen,” Ahdymsyn and Wylsynn echoed.

“I am shocked and dismayed by Archbishop Erayk's fate,” Staynair said then. “And yet, at the end of his life, I believe he rose to a level and an awareness of God which all too few of us ever attain.

“Nonetheless, I must tell both of you that one point of doctrine upon which I, and the Church of Charis, strongly disagree with the doctrine of the Council of Vicars is on the right—and responsibility—of any child of God to judge for himself or herself where the right truly lies and what it demands of him or her. The role of the Church is not to dictate, but to teach—to explain, educate, and enjoin. The role of the individual is to exercise his or her freedom of will in loving God and doing that which is right because it
is
right, and not simply because he is given no other choice.”

Wylsynn stirred slightly in his chair, and Staynair looked at him.

“I tell you this, Father Paityr, because I refuse to mislead you or any other man as to my own stance upon this point. No man or woman can truly choose to serve God unless they are equally free to
refuse
to serve Him, and God desires for His people to come to Him clear-eyed and joyously, not cringing in terror of the Inquisition and the damnation of Hell. I intend to make it clear to all that I refuse to abuse the power of this office to dictate to the consciences of priests or the laity. That way lies the very corruption and casual abuse of power ‘in the name of God' which has led us to this current break with the Council of Vicars. When Mother Church decides she may
command
whatever she desires of her children, then the feet of her priesthood are set firmly on the path into darkness. As Archbishop, at the head of the Church's hierarchy here in Charis, I may order policy, make decisions, and instruct both the episcopate and the priesthood. And, should those instructions be violated or ignored, I have the right and responsibility to remove those who cannot in conscience obey me from whatever offices they may hold within that hierarchy. But a priest is a priest forever, Father. Unless he be found incontestably guilty of sin and the misuse of his office, no man may
take
that office from him or deny him his vocation. Nor do I—or any man—have the right to excommunicate, torture, or kill any man or woman who simply does not or cannot believe that which
I
believe.”

Wylsynn said nothing for a moment, then he inhaled deeply.

“Your Eminence, I'm a servant of the Inquisition. I believe you must recognize that I've always attempted to exercise the powers of my office in a way which meets my pastoral responsibilities and tempers discipline with love and understanding. Yet I've dedicated my entire life, my faith in God, to Mother Church's responsibility to preserve God's children from corruption. Not simply to
‘convince'
them of what their actions should be, but to protect them from the lures of Shan-wei by whatever means may be necessary.”

“I realize that, Father. That's the very reason I've been so explicit in defining that doctrinal difference. I have great respect for your personal faith and for your character, both as a man and as a priest. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see you become a part of the process of reforming the Church's abuses—
all
of her abuses—here in Charis and elsewhere. I fully recognize what a tower of strength you could become in that daunting task. But this isn't a cause upon which any man, be he ever so much a priest, can embark unless he feels confident that it's
his
cause, and God's, as well as mine. Do you feel that confidence, Father?”

“I don't know,” Wylsynn said simply, quietly, meeting Staynair's level gaze with eyes of clear gray honesty. “I know the abuses of which you speak, of which Archbishop Erayk wrote, are real. I know what the Grand Inquisitor and Chancellor intended to happen to Charis, and I know it was wrong. Worse than wrong, it was evil, a betrayal of everything Mother Church is supposed to stand for and defend. Whatever else it might have been, I know it
could
not have been the will of God. Yet there's a great difference between agreeing that what they've done is wrong and agreeing that what you've done is
right
.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Father. And I trust the clarity of your spiritual vision. I won't try to convert you to my view today. Obviously, until your own faith and your own conscience convince you that what we're trying to accomplish here in Charis
is
right, no one could expect you to lend yourself to it. But I ask you to consider what you yourself have seen, what Archbishop Erayk has written to you, the words and deeds of the Church of Charis, and the touch of God upon your own heart. Approach it in prayer and sober meditation, Father, not in a white heat. If you find in time that God moves you to embrace our efforts, then we will welcome you as a brother and a fellow servant of God. And if God doesn't move you to join us, we will respect and accept that decision, as well.”

“And in the meantime, Your Eminence?”

“And in the meantime, Father, I would be most grateful if you would continue to exercise the office of Intendant here in Charis. As you say, no one in this Kingdom has ever entertained the least doubt of your determination to apply the Proscriptions honestly and fairly. It would be immensely reassuring to all of our people to know you continue in that position in this time of turmoil and change.”

“If I were to agree to any such thing, Your Eminence, then I would continue to exercise that office in the way
I
see fit.”

“Which is no more and no less than I would wish of you, Father.”

“Even if it brings us into conflict, Your Eminence?”

“Father,” Staynair said with a gentle smile, “given the way you've met your responsibilities in the past, I see absolutely no reason to believe that you would find yourself in conflict with me over the matter of the Proscriptions. If we disagree, then, obviously, each of us will attempt to convince the other, but I've never seen you make a capricious decision, or, for that matter, one with which I disagreed. I see no reason to expect you to make any such decision now.

“It's true that we may have some differences of opinion upon the proper use of the coercive authority of your office. As you say, you believe that the Church's responsibility is to protect against corruption by ‘whatever means are necessary,' whereas I believe her responsibility is to teach and convince. That external compulsion cannot generate the
internal
strength to resist darkness and evil when they come upon each and every one of us in our daily lives. I suspect you may now find yourself somewhat more leery of the term ‘whatever means are necessary' than you were before the Group of Four's invasion attempt, but I have no doubt we may yet find ourselves on opposite sides over some issue of doctrinal enforcement. If that time comes, I'll certainly attempt to convince you to accept my view of the situation, but you will always have the right to resign your office—and to publicly state your reasons for doing so. And I will never attempt to compel you to accept or publicly endorse my position on any matter in which your conscience cannot agree with me.”

“With your permission, Your Eminence, I will say neither yes nor no today,” Wylsynn said after a long, thoughtful moment. “As you yourself have suggested, this isn't a decision, a choice, which should be rushed into. I would prefer to meditate and pray that God will show me my direction before I give you an answer.”

“I can ask no more than that of any priest, Father.” Staynair smiled at the young man, then looked back to Ahdymsyn. “Nor can I ask more than that of any bishop executor,” he said with another smile. “Obviously, I would welcome both of you for political reasons, as well as spiritual ones, but neither I nor King Cayleb will attempt to dictate to your consciences. How can we do that, when so much of our quarrel with the Council of Vicars lies in its attempt to do just that to all of God's children? Whatever your final decision, however, know this. On my own authority, in the full expectation that King Cayleb will agree, but even if he does not, I grant both of you sanctuary. Whether or not you find it in your hearts and souls to join with us in our effort to transform Mother Church back into what God would truly have her be, you may remain here, in Charis, under the protection of the Church of Charis, for however long you choose.”

.IV.

Royal Palace and Monastery of Saint Zherneau,
City of Tellesberg,
Kingdom of Charis