The Pillars Of The World

woman’s sharp words can blight a man’s rod and weaken his seed until all he can fill her with are girl babes instead of strong sons.”
    Sax’s face turned bright red. He stared at the ground. “Still, it looks like a harsh thing to do to a woman.”
    Adolfo smiled indulgently. “Metal is used for witches. For other women, the scold’s bridle is made of leather, and a man tends it with the same care he gives the bridle of his favorite mare. It does her no harm. The shame of wearing it is sufficient to teach her modesty and pleasing behavior. Even my own cherished wife must, from time to time, wear the bridle. At first she resented and resisted being disciplined. Now she is grateful for that sign of my deep affection and concern for her well-being.” He waited a moment, then added, “But perhaps you do not care quite as much for your Jenny.”
    After a long pause, Sax mumbled, “Where could I find one of these bridles?”
    “I have copies of the pattern,” Adolfo said. “I’ll see that you get one—when our task is complete.”
    He kept his eyes on Sax, but he had been watching the witch, had seen the moment when she could no longer maintain her defiant stance and had slumped once more into the resignation of a dumb animal caught in a trap.
    “Bind her legs. Be sure to leave enough leather for the spikes.”
    Sax pulled the length of leather from his belt and hunched down. When he reached under her dress, Adolfo snapped, “Bind it over her dress. We do not want any good man standing witness here to be provoked into lust if she should begin thrashing and expose her limbs. Women are weak vessels, easily corrupted by the Evil One. But even a strong man can be snared through the lascivious actions of a woman who is the Evil One’s servant.”
    Sax quickly finished tying her and stepped back, rubbing his hands against the rough fabric of his trousers, as if even so little exposure to her might put him in danger.
    Adolfo made a slight gesture at the grave. “Put her down. One of you other men get the box from the cart.”
    When Sax and his friend lowered her into the grave, she began struggling again. Reluctantly, they slid into the hole to force her onto her back.
    “Drive the spikes into the ground and tie the leather to them to keep her legs still,” Adolfo instructed. He gestured to the man who had retrieved the box that had been built to Adolfo’s specifications. “Place the box over her head and shoulders. Fix the other spikes through the straps.”
    As soon as Sax and his friend were done, the other men helped them out of the grave.

    “Fill it in,” Adolfo said. “Begin at the feet and work toward the head.”
    He and the baron watched in silence as the men shoveled dirt into the grave. When the first shovelful of dirt finally hit the wooden box, they heard her scream.
    “I wouldn’t have thought the Master Inquisitor was a compassionate man,” Hirstun said quietly. “What difference does it make if the bitch gets dirt in her eyes?”
    “I am a compassionate man,” Adolfo said just as quietly. “If I were not, I wouldn’t have taken up the task of freeing good people from these wicked creatures. The box will hold a little air after the grave is filled in. That will give her time to repent.”
    Hirstun eyed him warily. “And how will anyone know if she does repent?”
    Adolfo smiled sadly. “True repentance comes at the moment before death. If she was spared at that moment, she would swear that she had repented, but it would be a lie. Death is the only freedom these creatures know, Baron, and even that isn’t freedom since their actions in this world have condemned them to the Fiery Pit that awaits the Evil One’s servants.”
    They said nothing more until the last shovelful of dirt filled the hole.
    “Well, it’s done,” Hirstun said, watching his servant pass out copper coins to the men who had assisted. “
    You’ll come back to the manor to ... settle things?”
    “I’ll be along shortly. I want to maintain watch for another minute.”
    “You are most diligent in your task.” Hirstun walked away, his servant and the common men trailing behind him.
    “Yes, I am,” Adolfo said softly once there was no one close enough to hear. “I will not suffer a witch to live.”
    She lay in the dark, feeling the weight of the earth pressing down on her. Not much air left, not much time.
    She’d tried to summon the power, had tried to move the earth so that she might somehow