6. Trial by Cat
Trial by Cat
O n the day Mila had been betrayed, she’d been surprised and hurt, but never seriously concerned that the mob would actually expose her as a demon.
Despite the plethora of theories that abounded, there was only one true test that could correctly identify a demon, and it was unlikely that the villagers who came for her knew it. Some of the false tests were unpleasant, but none of them were dangerous. Most had been invented and spread by ikarei themselves, such as making a small cut to the arm to prove that one’s blood ran red, rather than blue. Or plucking a hair from one’s head and proving that it was mundane and would not turn into a hell-worm when it hit the ground.
On the day they came for her, she’d been more fearful of the mob’s fervour than anything they might subject her to by way of a test. She tried to diffuse their energy with her demure stance and lack of theatrics. She’d learned long ago that, with this particular sect of society, there was no real way to win against them, and the occasional chance to score was only achieved by startling them with unexpected dignity .
“Look at ’er,” she had heard one man jeer, “’olding herself like she were some kinda princess. I swear I’ve seen ’er ’orns before. She lies with the worms!”
“Now, now,” a calmer male voice interceded. “All we have is rumours, Brennan. Wait until the test is conducted before tainting her with such a brush.”
Mila detected the reluctant ‘ hrrumph’ behind her and tried to suppress a small smile. She did actually quite like the gentle and industrious worms that determinedly worked magic in her garden beds, but she knew that those were not the worms of the afterlife that the speaker had been referring to. The worms of the Rot.
An icy blade of true fear struck her when she caught a glimpse of the priest waiting for her at the testing area. This wasn’t the first time in her life that she’d been approached by a group of humans demanding proof of her humanity, but this was the first time that group had included a priest, and that was very bad news.
Fully ordained priests were an unusual sight in the rainforest Highlands. Usually, the unrelenting humidity, the difficult terrain, and the isolation of the small villages deterred all but the most determined of acolytes to venture out to mission and spread the Church of Midas.
Acolytes were dangerous to ikarei in the way that an errant spark is dangerous to a fireplace, capable of causing problems, but usually containable. They led weekly Church sermons and tried to enforce the observance of the Heretical Behaviours within their small, allotted villages. They usually travelled too frequently to truly identify someone who did not quite fit into their community.
Priests, on the other hand, were as dangerous as a wildfire in a dry field. Priests did not conduct paltry sermons in backwater towns. They arrived only when requested by an acolyte, and they had the authority to test and condemn demons .
If a priest had come all the way here from Jeralusah for Mila, then she had no doubt that whoever had betrayed her had raised a very compelling case.
Probably Oberon.
She pushed the name away. Speculation wouldn’t help her survive what was coming next.
The priest eyed her coolly as she was brought forward, but he said nothing. His firm, handsome face was neutral and calm, and he was dressed well. His grey travel robes had evidently only recently been donned, as they were clean and dry – a rarity for clothes in these parts. A thick, brown leather belt was cinched neatly around his flat stomach, and from this hung his instruments of prayer, along with a tiny, waterproofed leather book that contained the Holy Text of the Heretical Behaviours.
Once Mila had been deposited by the mob into the centre of the rocky circle, the priest turned his back to her and walked to his cart, returning with a black wooden cage swinging gently from his hand. Mila’s heart sank as she caught a glimpse of white fur poking out between the wooden slats and she knew at that moment that her time had come.
It was happening. The true test. Trial by Cat.
The priest placed the cage down outside of the circle and went back to his cart again, this time returning with three large, thin, white crystal circles. He entered the circle where Mila stood and laid all three out on the ground, leaving some distance between each of them.
Once he was satisfied with the placement of the circles, he looked at Mila and said, “Choose one to stand upon. Once you have made your decision, do not move. If you fail the test, you will be arrested as a demon, and you will be sacrificed at the upcoming Sacrament of Contrition as a heretic. If you move at all or attempt to disrupt or injure the cat, then the test will be halted, your guilt as a demon will be assumed, and you will be flogged for committing the Sixth Behaviour prior to your sacrifice. Do you understand?”
Mila’s mind sifted through her recollection of the behaviours and remembered the Sixth, Disrespecting the Church of Midas .
She nodded.
“I need to verbally hear you confirm.”
“I under –" she choked on the words with her dry throat and coughed a little to clear it.
The crowd jeered.
“I understand.”
“If you are innocent, I implore you, stand still and this will be over momentarily.”
As he spoke, he relayed no compassion. Mila didn’t waste any energy trying to wring sympathy from him somehow. Instead, she inspected each crystal circle and then chose the second one to stand on, nodding to the priest to indicate that she had chosen and that she would not move.
Once the priest was satisfied with her positioning, he bent forward and lifted the lid to the box. A haughty white feline leapt out joyfully, winding its fluffy tail around the bottom hem of the priest’s robe before moving to the open space where the crystal circles lay.
Just like that, the test had begun.
The priest spoke to the now silent crowd as the cat moved towards the crystal circle on Mila’s left.
“Trial by Cat is simple in its design,” he explained. “Testing Cats are specifically bred for their affectionate nature and are trained to stand upon each of the three white circles. If this woman is not a demon, the cat will wind itself around her legs, meowing and pawing at her for treats or pats. But if she is a demon, it will not even know she is there – for these cats are pure, selected by the Divine himself, and cannot see those without a soul.”
Mila watched with her heart in her mouth as the animal strode boldly up to the first circle on her left. It sniffed at the edge, hopeful to find a treat. When it found none, it stepped up onto the crystal, turned, sat, and looked back expectantly at the priest, who leaned forward and rewarded him with a small portion of dried jerky.
The crowd politely clapped, and the cat chewed deliberately before proceeding with purpose towards the next white crystal circle – the one Mila was standing on.
Despite the warning she’d been given, she couldn’t help but try to shuffle her feet as the cat approached her, to try make any kind of noise to alert the cat to her presence. But it was clear that the Testing Cats were also specifically selected for their deafness, as its tiny ears yielded not the smallest flicker of movement.
However, her actions had not escaped the attention of the priest, who, for the first time since she’d been seized by the villagers, allowed an inch of emotion to cross his young face. It was the look a snake gives a mouse in the moment it decides to eat it.
To her surprise, though, he said nothing. In hindsight, she realised that he’d known in that moment that she was about to be exposed by the cat as a demon, and he had determined that this would be a far richer and more satisfying outcome for both himself and the crowd than simply stopping the test because she’d shuffled her feet.
He was a showman, this priest, and a clever one.
The beautiful, white cat unfaltering sniffed at the edge of Mila’s circle for treats, and when it found none again, it attempted to step onto the crystal, making absolutely no effort to avoid walking directly into Mila’s left shin .
At the sudden, unexpected contact, the cat shrieked and hissed in fear, its back arching towards the sky, soft tail now angular and tense. It scarpered back to the priest and leapt into his arms, fearful and unnerved by the invisible brick wall it had struck.
The crowd cheered, the priest’s eyes gleamed, and Mila’s heart sank.
The test’s objective had been met.