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just read.
 Ah, oui. My mistake. LaFarge admitted, realizing he d read the Bull in its original language.
 Would you please be so kind as to translate for your countrymen, Padre.
The Inquisitor stepped to the side and allowed Padre Luis to take his place at the microphone. The
cleric began speaking in Malaguan,  His Holiness has declared that this is a place of jubilation and miracles,
and that all who make the journey, do as they re told, and pay the toll will be rewarded with guaranteed
entrance into paradise.
From that time forward, the shrine was known affectionately among the Malaguans as the Holy Toll
Shrine.
LaFarge stepped back to the microphone and signaled for silence. Once the audience calmed, he
launched into a homily,  It is the pernicious nature of sin that it is insidiously seductive and lulls the
unwary into a gradual acceptance of seemingly minor heresies as it seeps into even the most pious hearts.
I ve been sent by the Pope to protect the faithful both physically and spiritually. Our Simonite brothers
stout cudgels can ward off corporeal threats, and Church doctrine can assure the safety of your souls by
guiding you along the path to salvation despite any unorthodox beliefs you might innocently hold through
ignorance.
To the Amatl mind, ancient Mesoamerican beliefs were so intertwined with Catholic liturgy as to be
one indivisible belief. The Inquisitor had studied the Amatl religious culture and how most Malaguans
included their own pantheon of Toltecan deities among the statues of the Catholic saints on their household
altars. He knew that they made offerings of corn and liquor to them all and prayed to feathered serpents
as well as the Holy Trinity and the Madonna. He referred to several of the Toltecan gods by name before
promising,  I will lead you from the darkness of damnation into the light of deliverance by expunging the
remnants of ancient legends from your present day worship. The Malaguans, who understood none of
what LaFarge had said except for the names of their gods, responded magnificently.
LaFarge, recalling Sylvester s admonition about putting on a good show with a happy ending, offered
magnanimously,  All who come forward and profess belief in the Catholic Church and reject this Toltecan
heresy will be forgiven and given tasks of penance to perform to earn salvation.
The Inquisitor paused and Padre Luis began his translation,  The Eagle would like to reward all who
come forward and proclaim their belief in the Toltecan sacraments.
Hundreds rushed forward for LaFarge to sentence. The Inquisitor waved his hands over the heads of
the bowed penitents,  I pronounce sentence of ten days laboring in the shrine s workhouse, producing
souvenirs for sale in the Shrine s gift shop, to expunge these foul beliefs from your souls. You will sleep in
barracks and be fed three plain meals of beans and rice per day.
Padre Luis translated,  You will be rewarded with a free place to live for ten days. You will have dry
bunks under a roof and the food of the gods, beans and rice, three times a day. You will be given the
opportunity for employment at simple tasks.
The crowd cheered wildly and LaFarge basked in the exaltation to the full extent of his vanity.
Turning toward a tapestry-draped item that sat on a litter behind him, LaFarge beckoned to two of
his bearers. The bearers came forward and lifted the gold embroidered cloth to reveal a statue of Mary
with her right foot on a snake. The pilgrims gasped.
LaFarge bowed and his two attendants removed his cloak. He turned towards the audience and spoke,
 I will now kiss the feet of the Virgin!
Padre Luis translated,  I will now embrace the serpent!
LaFarge dropped to his knees before the statue and embraced it by the entirety of its base. The
Malaguans watched in awe as LaFarge enacted the most revered legend in Amatl culture. The Eagle
embraced the serpent as its protector and servant. When he arose, he turned to the assembled mob,
pointed to the audience and proclaimed,  May the Lord grant me the strength to strike the pernicious
heresy from your otherwise good Catholic hearts and put the habit of obedience into your souls!
Everyone was hushed as they listened to Padre Luis translation,  I will give my life to protect the
coming of the great souls!
With sincere sympathy for El Aguila, who according to legend was destined to die for his Serpent
God, the Malaguans gave their most heartfelt applause of the evening for the doomed Inquisitor.
Chapter 28
The Holy Toll Shrine
May 5, 2008
Onward Christian Soldiers
Hours later, before an older and tamer bonfire, LaFarge sat watching the dancers and grudgingly ate
the peasant food of pork fajitas and beans. Kafard had joined him, but respectfully declined the fare.  I
never eat on duty, the Muslim bodyguard politely lied.
Marveling at how easy it was to please simple folk, LaFarge congratulated himself for taking the
inquisition and abolition of heresy in hand.  Look at all this, LaFarge said to Kafard.  I do not believe that
any other inquisitor in history has been so successful.
It was then that screams and cries for help erupted, out of sight, at the far edge of the encampment.
Hector ran to LaFarge and panted to the Inquisitor,  A band of drunken gringos are attacking us& they re
beating men and women alike.
LaFarge dealt with the emergency with alacrity by calling for the Master of Arms.
In moments, the fifty-year-old Master stood before the Inquisitor. Brother Ian s years were belied by [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]