The Lost Book of Chaos: How to Divide the World (The Secret Wars of Angels 1) (3 page)

“Answer my question,” the woman prodded. Judas felt the cold steel on his skin. He took a deep breath and let out a long exhale to calm his thoughts. One needed a clear head to get out of situations like these.

“It’s all a misunderstanding,” Judas said, as he gently pushed the steel away from his neck. The woman’s grip was firm however. “I didn’t do anything and I’m not a criminal. They are chasing me for a crime I did not commit.”

“For that many people to be chasing you, you must have done something pretty bad or angered the wrong people,” the woman said. “Which is it?”

“I’m Judas Iscariot, and it’s neither,” Judas said. Suddenly, he felt a bit nauseous. But he kept talking, hoping to convince the woman not to end his life then and there. “I didn’t do anything bad; I didn’t anger anyone in high places, if that’s what you meant. I have no enemies. I’m just a scapegoat.”

“A scapegoat?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, you know, someone to take the blame,” Judas explained, then added, “for a crime I did not commit.”

The woman pressed the blade deeper. “Don’t fool with me! Of course, I know what a scapegoat is.” Judas cursed mentally at the blade’s cold touch. How was he supposed to know
if
she knew? After all, she looked like she was not from around here. Her skin was almost the color of ivory, with a rosy glow, in contrast with her black dress. Her dress had ornate patterns in silver, the pattern was unusual to the region. Her blade bore symbols written in letters unfamiliar to Judas. Her hair was deep black, with long, soft curls. She had a strange lilting accent. And for all he knew, the woman had come from a faraway land. Her eyes were dark brown in color. If she wasn't threatening to kill him, she would have been beautiful.

“Where are you from?” Judas wondered.

“I’m the one asking questions here,” the woman snapped. But Judas did not budge. He needed to hold his ground here, because that was the only way to survive situations like these. If he backed down, his enemy would sense weakness and then take advantage. To act like easy prey was to invite predators, and he would not be easy prey.

“Are you going to turn me in?” Judas asked, trying to take back control, if only through words. The one asking questions was the one in control. He had learned that and many things while teaching and travelling all over the world. One needed to learn how to survive without having to fight. It involved running, and standing your ground, and keeping your cool, and learning how to talk your way out of trouble.

The woman raised her eyebrows. “And why would I do that?”

Why would she—

But there it was. Suddenly, it hit him. She didn’t
know
. Maybe his initial suspicions were right. Maybe she just happened to pass by the city and didn’t know what was going on. She was a traveller. Everything about her was unusual for this place. For one, her blade spoke of high status. When she attacked him earlier, Judas noticed that on her belt she carried a satchel full of coins. Judging by the weight of the fall and the sound and the bulge, they were not mere copper coins. Gold? Silver? Gems? Maybe she was the daughter of a noble. In contrast, the house that she was staying in was old, and there was little in it, which meant she probably didn’t plan to stay here that long. But why was she alone? Was she hiding, or running away from someone? If so, that might explain her concern about him being caught with people in high places. And that might explain why she was now alone, despite apparently having the means to hire guards. She was probably separated from her protectors, and didn’t find it a good idea to hire guards she can’t trust.

Judas wanted to test his suspicions.
“They’re chasing me because they think I betrayed their Master,” he said, emphasizing the last word. It was very slight, most people would probably miss it, but there was a bit of alarm in her eyes at his mention of the word Master. “They believe that he died because of me.”

“So you’re a murderer?” The woman pressed the knife closer against his skin.

“Of course not,” Judas replied calmly. “The Master is still alive.”

“But you said he died,” the woman pointed out. Judas took another deep breath. He would not allow himself to be drawn to her pace.

“In truth, the Master didn’t really die,” he said. “He’s still alive, and while the rest of the world thinks I betrayed him, and his followers want me dead for it, he knows that I am loyal to him.” Somehow, he felt dizzier by the moment. Maybe that was from all that running around, and now he was suddenly lying down. That happened, sometimes.

“So what you’re saying is that you and your Master fooled the world into thinking that he died?” The woman said. “And that many people were fooled quite easily? Is your Master a criminal like you?”

Judas felt offended. “It just so happens, he is not a criminal. He is the one destined to save the world. And besides, there was no fooling others. They really saw him die. I saw him die. He was tortured like a criminal, but like me, he’s no criminal. He
should
be dead after what was done to him, but the truth is, he can’t be killed. And it’s all part of the plan. Besides, he is... not like us.” Judas was not sure why but he found himself revealing more details than he intended. He had to shut up now.

“So you claim that your Master is a man who cannot die?”

He tried to stop himself from revealing too much, realizing that he probably sounded crazy and what he was saying wasn’t really helping. But he couldn’t stop. “He cannot die. He is not like us. He has powers.” Judas forced his mouth shut. What was happening to him? Then Judas realized it. She must be doing something to him.

Then it all came to him. She was a sorceress. That explained the symbols embedded on her knife. And somehow, she had cast a spell on him that forced him to tell the truth.

“What is your goal?” the sorceress asked.

“To meet with the Master,” Judas answered, “to find Sky Jerusalem.”

“Sky Jerusalem?” she said. “What is this place? Where is it?”

“I do not know where it is,” Judas said, “except that I must find it at all costs.”

But her questioning did not end there.

“What other crimes have you committed?” she asked.

“None,” Judas said. “I’m a teacher, not a criminal. I travel the world, I make a difference in their lives, not destroy them.”

Judas tried to clear his thoughts to resist her control. “What have you done to me?” Judas said.

“What happened to your hands?” the woman continued, looking at the bandages on both hands.

“They nailed me,” Judas said, “impaled me on the cross. I was there beside my Master, when he died. I almost died with him but managed to escape due to the confusion wrought by the power of The Master.”

“Curious,” the woman said. “You actually believe what you’re saying is true.”

But rather than continue, the woman sheathed her small blade and stood up. “I believe you, you are not a criminal,” the woman announced. But that did not calm Judas down. She was still dangerous. “So what you’re saying is, you played the role of betraying your master. And then you were crucified with him. It doesn’t add up. But to what end?”

“It had to be done to fulfill the prophecies,” Judas answered.

The woman looked thoughtful. “If I were your master, I would need to have great trust in you to put my life in your hands.”

“Who are you?” Judas said. “What are you?”

The woman just smiled, ignoring his question. “But no, I do not believe there is such thing as a man who cannot die,” she said. “Unless if he’s the Immortal King, but he isn’t. Everyone can be killed. But for some strange reason, you seem to believe what you say. Maybe you are delusional?”

Judas remembered the voice in his head. Maybe he
was
delusional.

“My Master can’t be killed,” Judas said. “What’s so hard to believe? You seem to possess powers of sorcery, so you know that there are forces beyond the understanding of humans, yet you do not believe in other powers?”

The woman seemed to weigh his words. “What I did to you, you call it sorcery, but it is merely a matter of understanding how nature works. What I did to you was no magic. It is a mixture of herbs that makes you loosen your tongue. It’s hard to not reveal the truth when you’re in a state of not really caring that much about hiding it. But be warned. If I have to, I can use real sorcery on you.” Judas didn’t doubt that.

“But there is an insurmountable difference between sorcery and the power over life and death,” the woman concluded. “If your Master has that power, then he must be one of the most powerful Magi alive.”

The woman stood up and extended a hand to help him up. Judas hesitated, unsure what to make of her gesture. Cautiously, he reached out his hand and took hers. She pulled him up.

“Thank you,” Judas said hesitantly. Maybe she wasn’t after his head.

“But I don’t understand, why help me?” Judas asked. “What if I was dangerous?”

The woman looked him up and down, mocking him. She knew he was no danger to her, and she was probably right. “Not all people who are branded as criminals
are
criminals,” she answered. Did that mean that she was also branded a criminal? Well, that was common for sorcerers and witches. Was that why she was always travelling around? If she was indeed a falsely branded criminal, or someone she knew was one, that explained her willingness to help him despite being a complete stranger. But Judas sensed that there was something more to her than that. “In the meantime, you can stay here and tell me more about this Master of yours. As someone learning the Ancient Arts, he intrigues me. Perhaps I will even let you follow me around and I can keep you as a pet, safe and away from danger.”

A pet? Judas opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a finger.

“If you try anything, remember, I know how to use my knife, and I move faster than you. And keep in mind, I have powers that you can’t begin to understand. And unlike you, I have killed many people before.”

True, Judas had never killed anyone before, and not that he would have wished otherwise. Killing was a burden on the soul, and Judas already had a lot of burden to carry. The woman pointed to a table and chair for him to sit. He exhaled a long breath. He decided that he was relatively safe for now, the woman had many chances to take him out, but she didn’t. “I’ll prepare something for you to eat, and then we can talk more.” Judas suddenly realized he was quite hungry. Was she going to put poison in the food? But that didn’t make sense. She didn’t need poison, her fighting skills and sorcery could do the job.

“Who are you running from?” Judas asked.

The woman stopped. Judas had hit a nerve. “What makes you think I’m running from anyone?” The woman said.

Judas’s stomach groaned. He felt an unusual amount of burning inside, but that was probably because it was a long time since he had a decent meal. He felt a wave of weakness wash over him. He wiped the sweat that had been dripping for a while now on the side of his neck, only it wasn’t sweat, it was a small trickle of blood. Still, it was just a small trickle. It would heal. Judas’s thoughts began to wander. Then, he began to feel that his own thoughts were starting to lose any coherence. What was happening to him? His stomach groaned once more.

“How long do you think until that meal is ready?” Judas meant to say. But the words that came out of his mouth were gibberish. His tongue and lips didn’t work like they were supposed to, and at that moment he felt the same way that he usually did when he was in between sleeping and waking, unable to move his body properly.

Suddenly, Judas’s world turned upside down, and his vision turned black.

When Judas awoke, he found himself tied to a chair in the same room. He was right all along, the woman
had
planned to take the bounty on his head all to herself. There was a figure in front of him, across a small table, but it wasn’t the woman.

“He’s awake, Arcana,” the man spoke. Judas noticed that the man bore the same engraved symbols as the ones on the woman’s blade. But while the woman named Arcana wore a dress, the man wore full plate silver armor with golden engravings.

“So you lied, you
are
just after my head,” Judas said accusingly.

“Be careful what you say,” the man growled in a deep voice. “It might cost you your life.”

“It’s all right Varak, I told you he’s not an enemy,” the woman said. “How are you feeling?” She didn’t have the right to ask how he was feeling after what she had done to him. “I didn’t really mean to hurt you, or tie you, but Varak insisted on making sure you won’t try anything once you woke up.”

“And don’t worry about me turning you in,” the woman added, trying to pacify him. “I believe you, and I believe that you’re innocent. And I won’t stand by and let an innocent man be punished. Instead, I’m here to offer you something.” Whatever it was she was going to offer him, it meant trouble.

Judas sighed.

“So, what is your offer?” Judas said.

“My offer to you is that you can come with us and escape from the empire,” the woman said. “With our protection, you will never be in danger from villagers, or any human at all. We can keep you safe.”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Judas said. He sensed something off with what the woman had just said. It was just one word, but it stood out to him. “What do you mean when you say any
human
?” It might have been nothing. But it sounded as if the woman suggested there were other threats
aside
from humans. Judas remembered the voice in his head. It had gone silent for a while now.

“He’s a bit sharp,” Varak grunted.

“Think about it,” the woman said, “you won’t have to keep running. Besides, it’s safer to travel with company. And you will receive pay as is your due.”

“I don’t like this one bit,” Varak said, “this will draw more attention to us.” For once, they had something they could agree on—Judas did not like this either. “We need speed, we need to be able to move around at a moment’s notice. Look at him. There’s not a mean bone in him. If we get into a fight, he will just slow us down. In my opinion, he’s a waste of gold. I’d rather we hire warriors and horses than a weakling like him.”

“But on the other hand it can be advantageous for us,” the woman said. “Our hunters are looking for two people.” So Judas was right, there were people hunting them. “I have been observing him run throughout the village, and while he may not have the ability to fight, he can run well. I even saw him save one of his pursuers. We have use for him, he might serve as a good messenger and scout.” Judas was worried with the method with which she was able to observe him. Judas had covered a lot of ground, and there was no way she could have followed him on foot.

“He may be a criminal in these lands” Arcana continued, “but no one will recognize him in other kingdoms. And besides, I am interested in this Master of his.”

“Ha! A man who cannot die?” Varak said disbelievingly. “How do you know he’s not making it all up? And how do you if that man is not our enemy? What if he’s one of
them
?” Judas tried to interrupt by pointing out that he hadn’t even agreed whether or not he would join them, but he found it hard to get a word in so he remained silent.

“I poisoned him with my blade,” Arcana said, “you know that there’s no one who can tell lies while under its power.” Judas was stunned. That explained the burning sensation from earlier, it explained why Judas was unable to control his own body, and his sudden passing out.

“You should have let him die rather than give him the antidote,” Varak argued. Was Judas, just a few moments ago, on the brink of death? “You and I both know its power is not perfect. There are ways to resist its effects.”

“I’m sorry,
what
?” Judas said, raising his voice. The two stopped talking, as if they just remembered he was there. “You almost
killed
me with poison?”

“Almost, but I didn’t, otherwise you wouldn’t be talking to us right now would you?” the woman said. Then she smiled. Smiled! As if that was enough after what she had done. But her smile was... charming. Judas felt a wave of weakness, but it was probably from not having eaten anything worth eating for days. As if sensing Judas’s thoughts, she went to the kitchen and brought back a meal and placed it in front of him. His stomach rumbled. The food smelled good. But no, he would not be tempted.

“All right, what is it you
really
want from me?” Judas said. For now, all he could do was play along. Maybe he would pretend to be part of their group as they escaped the city, but when the opportunity presented itself, he would get as far away from the two.

“All you have to do is work for us as a scout, occasionally you will serve as a messenger, and sometimes, you will go on errands,” the woman said. “Varak and I will handle the fighting.”

“That’s it?” Judas said. It sounded simple enough. And besides, that gave him room to escape whenever he wanted. But he would not give in so easily. At least he would make it a bit harder for them to convince him.

“And why would I go with two strangers who just tried to poison me and who have kept me hostage against my will?” Judas said. “And I don’t even know your name.” Judas lied. He had heard Varak mention her name once.

“I’m Arcana,” the woman said. “And this one is Varak. Untie him Varak.”

Good. He was making progress. Judas massaged his numb arms to get a little feeling back into them.

“Think about it, if you’re with us, we can protect you. At least until we’re both away from this village. Of course, should you ever decide to stop working with us, we won’t stop you. We are not like other people who will throw away their men once their usefulness is outlived. And we will not force you to do anything. You are not our slave.” Judas eyed the food on the table.

“Go ahead,” Arcana said, wearing that small smile again. Judas cursed, she was cute when she did that. “You must be starving.” Indeed, he was. He gulped his own saliva, but resisted the urge to eat. Despite the food smelling good, he was not comfortable eating what she prepared, not after poisoning him like that.

Suddenly, someone knocked from outside. In mere moments, Varak had crossed the room and was over at the door. Judas had not even seen or heard the man unsheathe his blade. Judas made a mental note not to cross the man, he was probably as dangerous as Arcana, maybe more with the blade.

Arcana and Varak looked at each other.

“Who is it?” Arcana called out.

A man answered from outside. Varak nodded, and Arcana opened the door a crack.

“Ma’am,” the villager spoke, tipping his hat. “We are looking for a criminal named Judas Iscariot, he is also known as the Betrayer. He is about this tall, with long golden hair, and a bit scrawny. We believe he passed this way earlier, but we lost his trail.” The villager tried to peer inside.

“We should just bust in,” another villager suggested. There were several of them, maybe a dozen, outside. “Just in case he’s inside and holding her hostage.” At this, Varak revealed himself and grabbed the cloak of the man who threatened to barge in.

“Try going into My Lady’s house and you will taste my blade,” Varak’s voice boomed. The villagers outside seemed to cower at his voice.

Their leader signalled for the others to stand back. “It’s all right,” the man said. “Obviously Judas couldn’t possibly be holding them hostage, there’s a soldier protecting this house.”

Varak released the man.

But the leader was persistent. “But just to make sure, can we take a look inside the house?” The villager said. “We promise we won’t cause any trouble. We are doing this in all the other houses. Nothing personal, see? I hope you don’t mind?” If worse came to worst, the two would probably ditch Judas. After all, he was just a stranger to them.

“What did this man do?” Arcana said. She was trying to stall while Judas hid himself inside. There wasn’t much to hide in, but he went inside one of the small rooms and put himself close against the wall. If they went in, they would find him for sure.

“He is the reason for the death of our Master Joshua,” the villager said. “There is a large bounty on his head.” Judas cursed mentally. That was something he would rather Arcana and Varak not know.

“When you say large, how much are we talking about?” Arcana asked as if curious. The villager answered but Judas didn’t hear it. All he heard was Arcana’s gasp of surprise.

“That much?” Arcana said disbelievingly. “Why, we could hire an
army
with that.” She turned to Varak. “How many horses do you think we can get with that? Maybe we should join the hunt ourselves. What do you think?”

Varak grunted. Judas heard Varak sheathe his sword. After all their talk, did they plan on turning him in?

“Very well then, we should let them in,” Arcana announced. Judas’s heart pounded. Arcana had betrayed him after all, for all her self-righteous talk of not letting the innocent suffer.

But the villager just peered inside, without actually coming in. “As long as you know how much his head is worth. Keep a look out for him, we could use someone like you in our search. We are not warriors, but we want his head, whether or not it’s still attached to his body.”

Judas heard the door close. Was he safe? Or did Arcana and Varak decide to turn on him to get the bounty all to themselves? But just as he stepped out of the room he was hiding in, there was a single dull knock on the door. Judas stepped back again to hide.

“Did you forget to tell me some—?” Arcana said as she opened the door, but she cut herself short. Judas heard Arcana and Varak unsheathe their weapons. Had the villagers decided to force their way in?

“Judas we need to go,” Arcana called out.

The first thing Judas saw was the body of the villager lying lifelessly on the floor. “You killed the man?” Judas wailed. Not only were these two witches, they were murderers!

“It wasn’t us,” Arcana said flatly. Varak shook his head in disgust.

“They found us, and they even sent a jinn,” Varak said, then cursed in a language that Judas did not recognize. At least, to Judas, it sounded like a curse. “Be ready to run, I will buy you two time.”

Varak roared as he charged outside, slashing at a black garbed man. The man’s face was hidden save for his eyes. The man blocked Varak’s attack with his own blade. Outside, Judas saw the bodies of the villagers sprawled around the house. These were the same villagers who had been hunting for him, but somehow, he felt sorry for them. They weren’t really bad people. They were just angry, and when people were angry they stopped thinking straight. That didn't mean they deserved to die.

“Run, before other hunters arrive.” Varak said. “I will hold this one back.”

“This way!” Arcana said. Judas gave one last look at Varak, just as he slashed at the enemy, but while the enemy dodged, Varak’s attack uncovered the enemy’s face cover. Judas cursed at the sight because its eyes were all black and its skin was bronze in color. “Hurry!” Arcana urged. Judas cursed, trying to get the image out of his mind, but he followed anyway, seeing that he did not have much of a choice.

“What is that thing?”

“It’s a jinn,” Arcana said, as if that was enough to explain anything. “It’s one of the creatures they send to hunt us down.”

“Great, so now not only are people hunting me down, now
beings
like that are going to chase after me too?” Judas cried. As they turned around the corner, villagers saw them. “And we’re cornered.” Judas let out a sigh of resignation.

The villagers began to head in their direction, but Arcana didn’t slow down.

“We don’t have time to circle around, we have to go through them,” Arcana said, but Judas hesitated. Sensing his hesitation, Arcana said, “Trust me, that jinn is worse news than these villagers. There are only about a dozen of the villagers, we can take them on.”

Only a dozen? She must be out of her mind. But Arcana charged and when she reached them, she spun, kicked, and punched, taking the villagers down. One form led to another, it was a marvellous sight, with her dress clinging tight to her body, emphasizing her figure. By the time she was done, the villagers were on the ground, some groaning, some apparently unconscious, but still alive.

“Let’s go,” Arcana said, then added as an afterthought, “You understand that I had no choice, I had to take them down. It's safer for them that way; if they got in the jinn’s way, it would have killed them too. They are better off unconscious, that way the jinn won’t pay any attention to them.” They ran to the outskirts of the village and into the trees.

“Keep running,” Arcana urged. Then muttered under her breath, “I wish we had horses. But it’s hard enough getting them with hunters following us.”

“What about Varak?” Judas said.

“He can take care of himself, we will meet with him later,” Arcana said. “He has fought against jinns before, he will survive. He will have to.” They went deeper and deeper into the forest. Then, after a while of running, Arcana stopped.