Library of the Dead

CNMEOH

21 12 782 Natus

21 12 782 Mors

Juan de Madrid

21 12 782 Natus

Josephus looked up from the first page. It was written in Octavus's tight scrawl.

"That one is in Hebrew, I recognize the script," Paulinus whispered to him, pointing at one of the entries. "I do not know the origin of the one above it."

"Well?" the sister demanded. "Can you confirm the boy has stolen this?"

"Please sit, Sister." Josephus sighed.

"I do not wish to sit, Prior, I wish to know the truth and then I wish to severely punish this boy."

"I beg you to sit."

She reluctantly sat upon one of the copying benches.

"The parchment was certainly stolen," Josephus began.

"The wicked boy! But what is this text? It seems a strange listing."

"It contains names," Josephus said.

"In more than a single language," Paulinus added.

"What is its purpose and why is Oswyn included?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oswyn?" Josephus asked.

"The second page, the second page!" she said.

Josephus looked at the second sheet.

Oswyn of Vectis

21 12 782 Mors

The blood drained from Josephus's face. "My God!"

Paulinus rose and turned away to hide his expression of alarm.

"Which of the brothers wrote this?" Magdalena demanded to know.

"None of them, Sister," Josephus said.

"Then who wrote it?"

"The boy, Octavus."

Josephus lost count of the number of times Sister Magdalena crossed herself as he and Paulinus told her what they knew of Octavus and his miraculous ability. Finally, when they were done and there was no more to be told, the three of them exchanged nervous looks.

"Surely this is the work of the Devil," Magdalena said, breaking the quiet.

Paulinus said, "There is an alternative explanation."

"And that is?" she asked.

"The work of the Lord." Paulinus chose his words carefully. "Surely, there can be no doubt that the Lord chooses when to bring a child into this world and when to reclaim a soul to his bosom. God knows all. He knows when a simple man calls out to him in prayer, he knows when a sparrow falls from the sky. This boy, who is unlike all others in the manner of his birth and his countenance, how do we know he is not a vessel of the Lord to record the comings and goings of God's children?"

"But he may be the seventh son of a seventh son!" Magdalena hissed.

"Yes, we know of the beliefs concerning such a being. But who has met such a man before? And who has met one born on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year 777? We cannot presume to know that his powers have an evil purpose."

"I, for one, cannot see an evil consequence of the boy's powers," Josephus said hopefully.

Magdalena's demeanor changed from fear to anger. "If what you say is true, we know that our dear abbot will die on this very day. I pray to the Lord that this is not so. How can you say that this is not evil?" She rose and snatched up the parchment pages. "I will not hold secrets from the abbot. He must hear of this, and he-and he alone-must decide on the boy's fate."

She was determined, and neither Paulinus or Josephus were inclined to dissuade Sister Magdalena from her actions.

The three of them approached Oswyn after None, the mid-afternoon prayer, and accompanied him to his chambers in the Chapter House. There, in the dimming light of a wintry afternoon, the embers of his fire glowing amber, they told him their tale as each tried to study his pinched face, which because of his deformity angled down toward his table.

He listened. He studied the parchments, pausing for a moment to reflect on his own name. He asked questions and considered the responses. Then he signaled that the caucus was over by striking his fist on the table once.

"I cannot see good coming of this," he said. "At worst, it is the hand of the Devil. At best, it is a severe distraction to the religious life of this community. We are here to serve God with all our heart and all our might. This boy will divert us from our mission. You must cast him out."

At that, Magdalena suppressed a show of satisfaction.

Josephus cleared his dry throat. "His father will not take him back. There is no place for him to go."

"That is not our concern," the abbot said. "Send him away."

"It is cold," Josephus implored. "He will not survive the night."

"The Lord will provide for him and decide his fate," the abbot said. "Now, leave me to contemplate my own."

It was left to Josephus to do the deed, and after sundown he dutifully led the boy by the hand to the front gate of the abbey. A kind young sister had put heavy socks on his feet and wrapped him in an extra shirt and a small cloak. A cutting wind off the sea was pushing the temperature to the freezing point.

Josephus unlatched the gate and swung it open. They were hit squarely by a strong cold gust. The prior gently nudged the boy forward. "You must leave us, Octavus. But do not fear, God will protect you."

The boy did not turn to look back but faced the dark void of night with his immutable blank stare. It broke the prior's heart to treat one of God's creatures harshly, so harshly that he was likely condemning the child to a freezing death. And not an ordinary child but one with an extraordinary gift that, if Paulinus was correct, came not from the depths of Hell but perhaps from the realm of Heaven. But Josephus was an obedient servant, his first allegiance to God, whose opinion on this matter was not apparent to him, and his next allegiance to his abbot, whose opinion was clear as a windowpane.

Josephus shuddered and closed the gate behind him.

The bell rang for Vespers. The congregation assembled in the Sanctuary. Sister Magdalena held her lute to her chest and basked in her victory over Josephus, whom she scorned for his softness.

Paulinus's mind swirled with theological ideas about Octavus-whether his powers were gift or curse.

Josephus's eyes stung with salty tears at the thought of the frail little boy alone in the cold and dark. He felt intense guilt at his own warmth and comfort. Yet Oswyn, he was sure, was correct on one notion: the boy was indeed a distraction from his duties of prayer and servitude.

They waited for the shuffling steps of the abbot, which failed to materialize. Josephus could see the brothers and sisters shifting nervously, all of them keenly aware of Oswyn's punctuality.

After a few minutes Josephus became alarmed and whispered to Paulinus, "We must check on the abbot." All eyes followed them as they left. Whispers filled the Sanctuary, but Magdalena put a stop to them with a finger to her lips and a loud shush.

Oswyn's chamber was cold and dark, the untended fire nearly spent. They found him curled and bent on his bed, fully dressed in his robes, his skin as cool as the room air. In his right hand he clutched the parchment upon which his name was written.

"Merciful God!" Josephus cried.

"The prophesy-" Paulinus muttered, falling to his knees.

The two men mouthed quick prayers over Oswyn's body, then rose.

"The bishop must be informed," Paulinus said.

Josephus nodded. "I will send a messenger to Dorchester in the morning."

"Until the bishop says otherwise, you must lead this abbey, my friend."

Josephus crossed himself, digging his finger into his chest as he made the sign. "Go tell Sister Magdalena and ask her to begin Vespers. I will be there shortly, but first there is something I must do."

Josephus ran through the darkness to the abbey gate, his chest heaving with exertion. He pushed it open and it squeaked on its hinges.

The boy was not there.

He ran down the path, frantically calling his name.

There was a small shape by the road.

Octavus had not gone far. He was sitting quietly in the frigid night, shivering at the edge of a field. Josephus tenderly picked him up in his arms and carried him back toward the gate.

"You can stay, boy," he said. "God wants you to stay."