Page 18 of Spark of Madness

No one knows what horror still exists in the world around us, what vile demons and sinners lurk on the other side of the mountains that surround us.

“I have a suggestion,” Clyde says, snapping me from my thoughts. The flickering triangle of light points from the projector across to the far wall, showing his face in its own square on the screen aside the other two Elders.

“Please,” Killian says, “we’d be grateful for your guidance.”

“It hasn’t been done for a while,” Clyde continues, “but I think it’s necessary to reassert your authority. You must send a message to the other servants that their sins won’t be tolerated. I think Mercy should be made to participate in the Trials of Dissension.”

I lean away from the table, my head tilting in curiosity as my arms fall to the armrests of my chair. “The Trials haven’t been executed in what, forty years? Fifty? Certainly not in my lifetime.”

“Yes, forty, maybe forty-five,” Clyde confirms with a nod. “It certainly has been a long time. I was a child then, maybe seven or eight years old.”

“If I heard correctly,” Theo says, “they tried to do away with the Trials altogether after that last round. Why is that?”

Ryker leans back in his chair, lacing his fingers together over his wavy, dark blond hair, and stretches back. “They stopped because they lost five servants.”

“Five? That many chose to participate?” Owen asks.

“There was an unusually high number of participants that year,” Edgar—another of the Elders—confirms. “The sinner was required to participate, of course, but then four other servants volunteered.”

“And none of them passed? None survived?” I ask.

“They all survived the first round, much to be expected,” Clyde says. “I think three survived the second round, and the final round took the rest.”

“I think it’s fair,” Killian says. “Mercy Madness should be made an example of.”

“I don’t think anyone here disagrees with that,” Owen says, “but perhaps we should take some time to discuss the past trials. I’d like to be fully aware of the punishment we’re proposing.”

Park leans forward, placing his forearms on the table and clasping his hands. “I’d like to do that review, as well. I suppose I don’t have a good understanding of the trials, as I can’t imagine why a servant wouldvolunteerto participate.”

“For a chance at freedom,” Lawrence—the third Elder—explains. “A sinner is forced because they’ve already dissented from our ways. But if a servant thought that they somehow deserved a different life than the one God chose for them, then they could volunteer to participate with the promise of a new role in our society should they pass the trials—the promise of a domestic life.”

“But no one ever passes,” Park says.

“Right,” Lawrence confirms with a sharp nod. “Because the trials weren’t meant to be passed.”

“And yet there were volunteers?”

“Who could possibly understand the mind of a woman?” Clyde chuckles. “Their judgment is poor, and the decisions they make are untenable. Some are as boldly brave as they are stupid, thinking that somehow they will bethe oneto pass.”

I realize I’m tapping my pen on the table and abruptly still my hand. “Then the trials are torture. A means of punishment for a sinner, and a device by which to draw out any other servant with divisive thinking.”

“Precisely,” Edgar says. “Use the trials to draw the approval of the villagers—it will be seen as a fair ruling and prove to be healthy entertainment for them. You give the promise of absolution for the sinner’s soul through their participation in the trials. And any servants who might find your sinner to be…inspirationalwill be put in their place. Either they’ll volunteer to participate, or they’ll see what the sinner faces in the trials and remember why it’s best for them to keep their mouths shut, their silly ideas to themselves, and serve with pride and dignity.”

“So, what about Delle Carter?” Theo asks, and I’m starting to see the pattern of his concern for her fate. “Admittedly, I feel a pang for how far Mercy’s fallen. I’ve tried to be a friend to her, to keep her in the light, but clearly, I’ve failed. I understand that an example needs to be made of her,” his leg twitches beneath the table as he speaks, “but Delle…she’s young. She has years of service ahead of her. She can be managed, reformed in the eyes of God.”

“But fleeing from her purpose? It’s shameful, regardless of her age and experience,” Killian counters.

“Transgressions can be forgiven with atonement,” Theo reminds him.

“The three trialsareatonement—reparations for the sake of the soul before death. The sinner will prove herself through the ultimate acts of service: Service of the Flesh, Service by Sacrifice, and Service from Bloodshed,” Clyde recites the three trials.

“But I think Delle’s soul can still be saved inthislife,” Theo asserts. “She’ll witness Mercy’s trials, and she’ll learn. If she’s a true sinner, we’ll know, won’t we? If we allow other servants to volunteer, she’ll come forward, we’ll know, and then the trials will take care of her.”

“Fair point.” Killian nods.

“I think we’re all neglecting to ask a question with a very important answer here,” I say. “What happens if a servant survives the trials?”

The Elders laugh, then Lawrence says, “That won’t happen. If they survive the second trial, it’s the third that will seal their fate…and you make sure of it.”

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