The Knowledge Stone (33 page)

‘Do you understand?’ Her father repeated his question.

‘Yes, Father.’ Kati was demure. ‘Of course I will always do as you wish.’

The wedding was hastily arranged for the following month and life became extremely busy at the Manor House. As befitted an important family in the region, it had to be a lavish affair with hundreds of guests invited from the local area and from the town over the mountains where Master Ottvid lived. Kati’s father invited Master Ottvid to come to the Manor House and make further acquaintance with his future wife but the merchant’s business commitments prevented this; he would only be able to arrive on the day of the wedding. However he sent a letter to Kati which she received the following week:

Dear Miss Kati,

I am greatly honoured that you have agreed to marry me. I know that we have met only once before when I was visiting your father on business. At that time, I gained the impression that you did not choose to like me much. However, I think you are a very attractive person and very suitable to join me in my life as my wife. I will do my very best to make you happy and I am sure that you will find life with me very rewarding.

Your humble servant,

Gar Ottvid

Alone in her room, Kati smiled wolfishly:

‘Yes, my little man! You will indeed do your best to make me happy! I will make sure you do. Once I have you to myself, I’ll soon have you trained like a dog.’

The day of the wedding arrived. Early in the day, Master Ottvid rode in with his friends and supporters. All were taken off for a morning meal in the Manor House where they were welcomed by Kati’s father, who was in fine spirits. He knew that Kati’s marriage to Master Ottvid was an almost perfect solution to all his problems. Secretly, he felt a little sorry for the bridegroom.

‘I hope he learns to stand up to Kati,’ he thought, ‘at least occasionally. But perhaps she will be sensible and just manipulate him cleverly.’ For Gar Ottvid’s sake, he hoped so.

By contrast, the bridegroom was clearly feeling tense and nervous. Despite the support of his friends, his stammer and shifty manner were just as bad as ever and he wouldn’t look anyone in the eye as he tried to force out the words he was attempting to articulate. Kati’s father looked at him with sympathy and hoped that the little man would be able to cope satisfactorily at the wedding ceremony. ‘I do hope Kati will be nice to him,’ he thought – although he suspected she would not. ‘At least she cannot upset him before the betrothal ceremony.’ Traditionally, the bride and bridegroom were kept apart – they would not meet until the ceremony in the afternoon.

The time arrived and all was in readiness. The priest and his assistants were in place. The bridegroom took his place and awaited his bride. She came, deeply veiled, on the arm of her father. The ceremony proceeded and bride and bridegroom were borne through it on the usual gossamer wings of unreality that are so often a characteristic of such events. The bridegroom was deeply grateful to find that he could speak his words of promise with clarity. ‘I wish I could speak like that always,’ he could not help thinking.

The ceremony over, the veil was lifted from her face and she turned contemptuous and hostile eyes upon the man who was now her husband, expecting his gaze to be firmly fixed on the floor. It was not. Two calm grey eyes were looking deeply into hers; eyes so powerful that she had to look away, feeling a pang of bewilderment.

With so many guests and well-wishers, both bride and bridegroom were kept very busy in the next few hours and had little opportunity to speak or be together. The banquet had to be served and eaten, much wine drunk and long speeches made. Master Ottvid was now is extremely good spirits, laughing and joking, looking confident and, to everyone’s surprise, speaking quite fluently. On the other hand, Kati sat confused. This was not the Gar Ottvid she had expected to marry.

She looked at him and suddenly had the explanation: ‘It’s the effect of the wine! That’s why he’s so much more confident. He’ll revert to his usual nervous and inarticulate self when the wine wears off. I’ll need to make sure he doesn’t drink wine in future. I’ll deal with that tomorrow. I will forbid it.’ Kati sat back and smiled. ‘I’m really clever at solving problems,’ she thought.

It was evening and time for the departure of the bride and bridegroom. Kati had changed into travelling clothes and boarded the large covered wagon that her husband had brought with him. As befitted a rich and important man, he would make the journey on horseback. Kati was exhausted by the events of the day and, despite the bumpy and uncomfortable progress of the wagon, she quickly fell into a fitful sleep and did not waken until they arrived at her husband’s home town. Of course the wagon also carried all Kati’s possessions in several large trunks. Just before leaving, Kati had suddenly remembered her “magic stone” and ran to recover it from its hiding place. She kept the stone in its wrapping of cloth and placed it in a deep pocket of her clothes.

Darkness had descended by the time Kati arrived at her new home. She was pleased to note that her husband’s home was a very fine manor house, as far as she could see, considerably larger than her own family home. It was also gratifying to see that there were many servants to greet them. As soon as the wagon came to a halt, ignoring her husband completely, Kati alighted and addressed the assembled servants in icy tones: ‘I shall retire immediately to my rooms. Take me there immediately.’

‘Mistress, I am the Housekeeper,’ a tall lady dressed in black replied, ‘I shall take you there now.’

Kati glared at the woman: ‘I don’t care who you are, just conduct me to my rooms.’

Her rooms were large, spacious and very lavish, containing everything that Kati could possibly want. There was a large bedroom, an adjoining dressing room and a pleasant sitting room next door.

‘Leave me,’ Kati snapped to the woman, ‘send my personal maids to me and tell my husband that I do not wish to see him tonight.’ The woman bowed and left. When the maids came shortly after, she ordered them curtly to prepare a bath for her. After a long and leisurely bathe, Kati donned her sleeping chemise and prepared for bed. As she undressed, she remembered her magic stone, took it from her gown, unwrapped it and placed it on a convenient dresser: ‘Maybe it will bring me luck,’ she thought, ‘although I don’t think I need luck now!’

Her orders to her maids were equally curt and unpleasant: ‘Go! Bring food and drink to me one hour after sunrise tomorrow. Make sure it is properly prepared or you will be punished.’

‘Yes, Mistress.’ The frightened maids departed.

Kati stretched out on the soft and very comfortable bed.

‘This is the start of a new and wonderful beginning for me, just as I planned. Here I am, a very rich wife, married to a pathetic little dog of a husband. I’ll just study him carefully for a little while and then I can work out what are the best ways to make him terrified of me. I’ll find all the best ways to hurt him, physically and mentally. And I’ll do the same with all the servants – they will soon be dancing exactly to my tune.’ Kati drifted off into a luxurious and happy sleep, looking forward to the wonderful and totally fulfilled life she was starting.

It was the strengthening daylight that woke her. She stirred and opened her eyes, just a little. Light streamed through the partially opened window shutters. It was morning! She had slept blissfully throughout the night. Now she lay without moving, luxuriating in the moment. Finally she opened her eyes fully for the first time and began to examine the large room, noting its very spacious proportions, its fine decoration and expensive ornamentation: ‘Beautiful,’ she breathed.

‘Yes, isn’t it?’ Kati started and jerked her head around to identify the origin of the voice. Her incredulous gaze came to rest on a figure sitting in a large carved chair not far from her bed. It was her husband, although, in a way, she hardly recognised him. Yes, he was still the same small man that she had married yesterday but, now lightly dressed, he looked much more solid and muscular. Also, the voice she heard was not weak, stammering and hesitant but strong, powerful and without impediment. Even more startling was the fact that he was actually looking directly at her, steadily and confidently, his lips set in a slight smile.

‘What are you doing in my room?’ Kati’s voice was shrill. ‘I told that servant that I did not want to see you. She must be punished for this …’

His voice cut across her hysterical tones: ‘I am here in your room because I am your husband. You belong to me now. I can come and go as I please in my own house.’

Suddenly remembering that the only garment she was wearing was the thin sleeping chemise, Kati drew the bed covers up to her chin and lay with only head and whitened knuckles visible: ‘Go away! You are not allowed here while I am in bed. Go away or I will call the servants.’

The man laughed: ‘I have told the servants to stay away from this part of the Manor House until I instruct them further. As your husband, I have business with you; we have things to talk about and there are things that I intend to do with you.’

Kati was horrified! Was he talking about sexual coupling? He must be! She had long decided that she would not permit this and had intended to inform him as soon as possible. ‘No, you must not. I will not allow it. Keep away from me.’ Kati burst into hysterical tears.

The man waited until she had quieted down. Then he spoke in calm, level tones: ‘Listen to me very carefully. I understand that you have already been rude and unkind to the servants. You will not do this again. The servants are to be treated with respect. I remind you again that you are my wife and I will enter your room any time I like; or I may order you to come to my rooms, if this pleases me. As my wife, you will do exactly what I want you to do; you will do it today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life. If you don’t obey me and please me in every respect, you will have reason to be very sorry indeed.’

‘What would you do?’ Kati’s voice was spirited. ‘I will contact the law authorities here and report your misdemeanours and then …’

‘Be quiet!’ Her husband’s voice was like the crack of a heavy whiplash. Measured tones followed. ‘This is what I would do. I would take you back across the mountains to the town you came from. There, I would hand you over to the town authorities to be examined for the serious crimes that I know you have committed there. I understand that the court and prison authorities there have interesting ways of dealing with the bodies and minds of fourteen-year-old girls who try to avoid the justice they deserve. Ways, my Dear Wife, that even you may never have imagined.’

For the first time in her life, Kati was totally frozen in horror, lying rigid, her eyes staring sightlessly into his in complete disbelief, her mind short-circuited in utter capitulation and defeat. Minutes passed; there was no hurry. Then the man said quietly: ‘Now we will begin the first part of what I have come to do.’ From his pocket he withdrew a compact multi-tailed whip of fine medium-weight leather and strode purposely towards the bed.

Kati’s eyes were fixed upon this fearful implement as it occupied larger and larger proportions in her field of vision. Then, as her husband reached the bed and seized the bed covers with a powerful fist, her eyes refocused past the whip to the glowing Stone visible on the dresser; in that instant, a dreadful understanding began to dawn in her mind: ‘My God,’ she whispered, almost to herself, ‘you’ve changed. Suddenly. You, all of you, have become exactly like …’

Her final utterance was drowned out by the unique sound of leather thongs striking uncovered flesh at high velocity.

So the Stone stirred, not with physical movement but with the mysterious movement of that energy within. In the Stone’s awareness, it “knew” its part, its role, was to belong; to become possessed by a member of the human race. With the possession of the Stone, an essential, unbreakable link would be formed and the power focussed precisely to become a mysterious beam of influence. An influence that will always, in a very real sense, change everything.

And the Lord God commanded the man:

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die”

Genesis Chapter 2 Verses 16-17.
The Holy Bible, New International Version (The Bible Society, 1973)