Murder on Moonlight Beach

By Brent Hanna

One morning on Moonlight Beach in Southern California, a body of a young woman is discovered deceased on the shore. This leads Detectives Lance Clayton & Yolanda Black on a homicide case spanning the existence of life on the planet they call 'Earth'...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503573215

Brent Hanna

About the Author I got my degree in Computer Science in 1978 on an Atari 800 computer with a Pascal compiler... I bought the 10,010 Macintosh computer in December of 1983... In my 'career' I automated manufacturing equipment mainly in the food industry... In the latter half of the previous century, the author’s family moved to Huntington Beach, California. Here he was fortunate to learn the lifelong joy of surfing. Being an avid reader, Brent decided to write the story in this book. He hopes you enjoy the fiction as much as he did creating it.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

The Planet Earth

About 252,564,800 years ago…

I n the eons of the endless drifting sands of time, an unusual impact event happened on a planet orbiting a star in a galaxy of a particular universe. In the language some of the present day inhabitants call ‘English’, the ‘primates’ in the class of warm blooded vertebrates known as ‘mammals’ who now call themselves ‘homo sapiens’ (better known as ‘humans’) dominate and live on the planet they call ‘Earth’. This satellite orbits the star known to them as the ‘Sun ’ in the ‘Milky Way’ galaxy. These occupants now refer to the time in their distant past when this particular anomaly occurred as the Lopingian epoch of the Permian period in the Paleozoic era during the Phanerozoic eon. At this point in the evolution of the Sun and its planets surrounding this star, the land mass existing on the Earth was still basically one very hot, dry and arid continent referred to by the majority of contemporary human geologists as the ‘Pangaea’. This Pangaea would not start to separate into the present land masses and as a result form the oceans that exist today for about another 70,000,000 years.

One day, so long ago on Earth, a stone type meteorite of the Achrondite class approximately 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) in diameter traveling at 38 miles per second (61 kilometers per second) struck the section of the Pangaea which would eventually become the continent known as North America in the general area where the Anza Borrego Desert in California exists at the present time. This class of meteorite, which was and is now particularly rare, moved at an unusually high rate of speed and traveled through the atmosphere before impact at an unusual 25 degree angle (with respect to the surface of the planet). This particular Stone type meteor originated and separated from the nearby planet called Mars many, many millions of years earlier and contained an unusually large percentage of Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr) and Xenon (Xe) isotopes (mainly Xenon). The element Xenon has nine stable isotopes, more than any other element of matter except for Tin (Sn), which has ten. Tin is also in a solid state and heavier than the atmosphere of the Earth at any existing temperature. Two of these isotopes (134Xe and 136Xe) are unique because they endure double beta decay, meaning they release two beta rays at the same time. Another strange thing about this particular meteor is that the core was hollow, however not under pressure. This lack of pressure on the core was due to a cylindrical vent which apparently had formed upon its creation. Upon impact, the projectile created a crater which eventually became the bottom of what is now known as the Salton Sea and bounced about 100 miles (160 kilometers) due west embedding itself in the stratum that evolved into the sandstone and clay bluffs which exist along the Southern California coastline today.

The majority of the animal life in the area at the time during the Paleozoic era of this impact consisted of the creatures that were evolving into some of the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic era. However, there were also some of the earliest forms of mammals that are today called Therapsids. The effect of this meteorite on these mammals (the ones who survived near the area of impact) was dramatic with respect to characteristics of the social structure these Therapsid herds evolved to in the future. Evidently a certain amount of exposure to the unusual radiation of this meteorite for some reason generated rather violent and sometimes suicidal behavioral trends in many members of the specie’s social groups. These apparently uncontrollable attitudes affected a large portion of the mammal’s activities in their day to day life. This eventually led to murder amongst the members of the herd which was unheard of between many types of these creatures, being that their diet was vegetarian and they were not killing for food. Survival at this time in history was difficult enough as it was. This unfortunate reaction to the exposure to this projectile from space ultimately led to the extinction of this particular species of mammals.

The evolution of these animals occurred about 1,150,000 years before a much more dramatic deep impact occurred. This was due to a much larger Stone type meteorite of the Chrondite class colliding with planet Earth. Being 30 miles (48 kilometers) in diameter, traveling at 19 miles per second (30 kilometers per second) and striking what is known today as the Wilkes Land district of Antarctica, it caused the elimination of 96% of all marine life as well as 70% of land species of animal life on the planet. This massive loss of life was caused by an anoxic reaction amongst the existing marine creatures. This was due to the depletion of the majority of the oxygen from the oceans of the planet as well as several other catastrophic ecological occurrences. This is referred to now by the humans as the Permian-Triassic extinction event (P-T boundary) and marks the beginning of the Mesozoic era. This event was clearly the most devastating in history with respect to the survival of life on the planet.

These two impact events also preceded what is now known as the end of the ‘age of the dinosaurs’. This is when the famous Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event (K-T boundary) occurred ending what is now referred to as the Mesozoic era as well as the existence of most all of the dinosaurs. These amazing creatures through evolution, natural selection and some other contributing factors became the dominant species of animals on Earth for over 100,000,000 years. This dramatic occurrence to life on the planet was due to another Stone type meteorite of the Chrondite class. This particular projectile was a deep space object, 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) in diameter, traveling at 6 miles per second (10 kilometers per second) and striking what is known today as the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico. Distribution of massive amounts of Erbium (Er), Iridium (Ir) and Cerium (Cr) from the projectile as well as a drastic magnetic shift in the gravitational field of the planet caused a plethora of life-ending occurrences. This resulted in the natural order of survival of all living things on Earth to once again ‘cull the herd’. This event, another major evolution of life on the planet, marked the beginning of what is now known as the Cenozoic era of geological history about 65,000,000 years ago.

CHAPTER 1

The Iberian Peninsula of Europe

The 16th Century…

B efore the marriage to his cousin Isabella of Portugal, Charles V, who eventually became the King of Spain, King of Germany, Archduke of Austria and the Holy Roman Emperor, was informed of a situation he needed to address concerning one of his relatives, Maria Theresa Morales. She was related to Ferdinand I, who was Charles’s younger brother as well as King of the Romans, Italy, Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Slavonia, and Archduke of Austria. One of the Morales family’s responsibilities at this time in Ferdinand’s Bohemian bourgeois family entourage was acquiring and caring for King Charles’s Andalusian, Lusitanian and Appaloosa horses for the royal courts in Bohemia, Italy, Germany and Spain.

One evening when Maria was traveling on a journey from Bohemia with a herd of the King’s horses, a band of outlaws who were enemies of the German & Austrian kingdoms at that time raided their traveling procession. They proceeded to steal their stock while killing the horsemen, farriers, blacksmiths and other workers. This band of Nordic heathens, being the barbarians that they were, then assaulted Maria and the other women and beat them, leaving them for dead. A few of the people in this unfortunate group of equestrians survived, including Maria. This incident occurred around the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition near the main stables of King Charles’s court by Maria’s home near Logroño, Spain. Glad just to be alive, she eventually found herself to be with child, came to term of her first pregnancy and conceived a bastard infant due to the rape. This was considered taboo and a sin at this time in history by the Roman Catholic Church and placed Maria into the possible category of a heretic, according to the beliefs of many of the existing clergymen. However, because of the loss and tragedy surrounding the incident of the raid, nothing was done to the unfortunate young lady at this time. This was mainly due to King Charles’s quick political pressure as well as monetary remunerations to the existing Roman Catholic Church in the area because these people handled the King’s horses, which were very important to him. Charles and the church already had no love lost between them.

Years passed and the boy, who was born a healthy and beautiful baby, became a very bright, well mannered child. His mother grew to adore and love the boy very much considering the conditions of his conception. Maria named him Esteban Azúl because she liked the name and his crystal blue eyes (a color never seen before in her family) were sharp and clear as the sky on a summer day. This recessive trait was undoubtedly due to the Neanderthal genes existing in the fair-skinned biological father’s genetic makeup.

Esteban was quick to learn for his young age as an apprentice in his designated trades of a farrier and a blacksmith, as well as tending to the daily needs of the horses. During his childhood, because he was a ‘bastard’ without a father and his fair looks, some of the larger and older children in his village got into the habit of antagonizing him, calling him names and beating him up for fun. Even with his easy going positive nature, he was ridiculed and outcast at mass in the Church on Sundays which was something he clearly did not understand. This was noticed by one of the journeyman blacksmiths, Andrés Dominguez Lopez, who eventually evolved into a father figure for the boy and became best of friends with young Esteban and his mother. As the boy grew older, Andrés, noticing the boy’s natural gift with tending horses, taught him how to care for and ride the magnificent Spanish Andalusian breed, which was the majority of the stock they tended. He also showed the boy how to fight with his fists as well as with the sword, the knife and how to shoot and care for a pistol. The handguns at this time in history were becoming the weapons of choice with the European aristocracy. Andrés had acquired some of the first ‘wheel lock’ model guns from Italy which were replacing the ‘wick’ types in use at the time. The lad was a quick study and displayed talents with horsemanship as well as metallurgy. At a very young age he became adept at solving problems with unusual determination when confronted with difficulties. The young man’s various abilities surprised the blacksmith. Esteban’s skills and his bond with his mentor Andrés blossomed into a close friendship that everyone in their village noticed and admired. This made his mother very happy and proud of her unusually bright son.

At about the time Esteban Azúl Morales became a young man, a fiscal (prosecutor for the Inquisition) by the name of Bishop Alfonso Manrique de Guerra, discovered that one of his political adversaries (King Charles V) was indirectly related to Maria Theresa Morales. Thinking he could use this to his political advantage and leverage, he decided to force consideration of Maria for an Edict of Grace (an accusation of heresy), since her son was born fatherless and she had yet to marry. Most of the eligible men in her town considered her as ‘damaged goods’ or ‘possessed’.

Maria was not a very beautiful woman as looks go, so she was not hounded as some of the more attractive women usually were. These things did not matter to her that much. She was happy to quietly go about her work at the stables and raising her son. Normally under these circumstances, this out of wedlock situation would not carry near this much religious significance, but being an inquisitor, de Guerra had the power to enter the accusation of Maria’s ‘heresy’ into the Edicts of Grace at the Sunday mass, which he promptly did.

Alfonso was an unusually greedy and bitter man for a Bishop, who kept his contempt for the people in his flock well concealed beneath the hierarchy of his position in the Church. This attitude was unusual for clergymen at this time, or any other time for that matter. Most all men of the cloth were sincere about spreading the word of God. He selfishly minded his own business and was careful not to damage his position of power in the Church, which he took advantage of whenever possible to satisfy his personal wants and needs.

His place in the Roman Catholic Church came about resulting from a bizarre occurrence. When he was a child of about ten years he was exposed to a small meteorite of the Achrondite class with a diameter of about 5 feet (152 centimeters) which crashed to the Earth one night near his village. He was among the group of people who went to investigate the impact location and was exposed to the radiation from this ‘falling star from Heaven’. After about a week, one by one these exposed people became violently ill in different ways. Some approached different levels of insanity, committed suicide or simply perished for unknown reasons. As a result of these occurrences, the local people took the projectile and buried it underground. All sorts of strange explanations fed the gossip in the town for months. For some unknown reason, Alfonso and one other young boy by the name of Diego Valenzuela (who eventually went to work in King Charles’ court) were the only ones to survive the exposure without any noticeable effects. This event was eventually interpreted by the local clergy as ‘Divine Intervention’ or an ‘Act of God’. De Guerra was immediately chosen by the leaders of the Church to become someone very special in the clergy due to his ‘unique and powerful influence from above’. He was considered ‘blessed’. He was then enrolled into the local seminary school by the powers that be, which was an honor usually confined to the aristocracy. Strangely though, his actual reaction to the exposure to this projectile from space slowly evolved into a bizarre uncontrollable desire to kill small animals for no apparent reason, an infatuation with fire and a chronic loss of control of urinary bodily functions during sleep throughout adolescence. When becoming a fully mature young man he acquired an occasional uncontrollable yen for bestiality or other strange activity. Being unusual could possibly fit in with the celibate lifestyle of a Catholic priest, but the desire to fornicate with animals was more than a little ‘outside the box’. Because of his eventual prominent stature de Guerra managed to achieve in the Church, these unorthodox activities he possessed were disguised, well-hidden and therefore unknown to the general public congregation in the area where he preached and lived.

The other surviving young man (who was only 5 years older at the time), Diego Valenzuela, had some similar strange reactions as he grew up. However Diego was considered not quite right in the head by his family from birth. He was enrolled in seminary school but after his first year was labeled ‘damaged’ by the Roman Catholic Bishops in charge of the institution and was subsequently excommunicated from the school.

Bishop de Guerra, being the senior inquisitor, was allowed to implement these charges against Maria as well as others anonymously. This particular edict (proclamation) became one of the biggest fallacies of the entire Spanish Inquisition, making it impossible for any of the defendants any way of finding out the accuser’s identity or intentions. When questioned by the other members of the tribunal, de Guerra based his unfounded accusation of Maria as being in collusion with the Basque goddess ‘Anbotoko Mari’, who was locally known to be in control of the ‘Akelarre’, which was considered by the local clergy to be a form of witchcraft in this region of northern Spain at the time. These charges could then be validated as heresy by the local priests due to a ‘Zugarramurdi’ in nearby Navarre, which basically consisted of a witch-hunt put on by the tribunal of the Inquisition. Although Maria had absolutely nothing to do with the Anbotoko Mari, she was suddenly one day arrested and put into detention by the calificadores (qualifiers), then given a Period of Grace (about a month) for the possibility of reconciliation with the Church of her ‘sin’ without severe punishment. After this, she and another woman were then submitted to a series of hearings which were administered, controlled and prosecuted by de Guerra! The Church had considerable influence with the military and political power in control of northern Spain’s government at this time. Bishop de Guerra also made every possible effort to prevent his superior and adversary King Charles any notification about this affair for as long as he possibly could.

These particular Inquisition interrogations allowed the Church to use torture for ‘cleansing’ the defendants of their sins. At this time in human history these ghastly techniques consisted basically of three types:

garrucha—known as ‘strappado’ (hung from both hands tied behind the back, weights sometimes attached to the feet)

toca—known as ‘waterboarding’ (putting the victim on their back, arms & feet tied down on a wooden incline with their head at the bottom, water poured onto the face covered with cloth to simulate drowning)

potro—known as ‘the rack’ (by far the most popular method used at this time, stretching the victim’s body to the point of limb dislocation or dismemberment)

Since he possessed a deceitful disdain for things King Charles had put him through politically in the past, de Guerra used the potro as well as the garrucha method in his attempt to get Maria Theresa Morales to confess to the ‘blasphemous offenses’. These atrocities were done in a public display. Much to the horror of young Esteban and his friend Andrés, they witnessed poor Maria horribly screaming in pain and agony from the lengthy ‘interrogations’. Seeing this, Andrés immediately wrote to the King about this situation, but communication at this time was not that reliable and could take weeks. After several hearings Canon Law & the Roman Catholic Bishop inquisititors came to this conclusion: She could not be ‘cleansed’ and the trial was rapidly moved on to the sentencing phase. There were five degrees of sentencing, and they were:

Acquittal—unusual, but meant total freedom.

Suspension—allowed to go free, but could be returned to the process of sentencing at any time in the future.

Penance—considered guilty and depending on the gravity of their crime, punishment consisted of fines, exile, a sentence to the ‘galleys’ (oarsman on ships for war or trade), or the ‘sambenito’, which the accused wore a costume (samarra or fuego revolto) and was paraded in front of the Inquisition by the Church to determine their penitence.

Reconciliation—in addition to the ceremony of condemnation by the Catholic Church, the accused received a public whipping as well as long sentences to jail or the galleys.

Relaxation—burned at the stake in a public display; however, if the accused repented their sins, they were garroted before ignited in flames.

Because of de Guerra’s bias and influence, he persuaded the tribunal to have Maria receive the relaxation punishment. This penalty was the most severe and was preceded by an Auto de fé. An Auto de fé was a ceremony consisting of a Catholic Mass, a procession of the guilty party through the town and a reading of their sentence. Apparently this public procession, which was becoming a popular spectacle for the citizens of Logroño, helped in the Inquisition’s ability to justify these acts of carnage. Seeing all these things occurring and not really being able to do anything to help his mother, poor Esteban, who was now being kept hidden (much to Bishop de Guerra’s irritation) from the Inquisition clergy during the trial by his friend Andrés Lopez, felt rage, anger, mental pain and sorrow for the first time in his young life.

The next day at dawn when seeing his mentor and friend stoking the blacksmith’s kiln fire in the morning sun, Esteban shouted: Andrés! What is going to become of Mamá? I cannot believe what is happening! She has done nothing wrong. How can these so-called men of God our Lord who have sworn to adapt to the service of His Majesty be allowed to get away with these murderous acts in the presence of a scribe of the King and a great many witnesses? These holy men are not subjects or disciples of the true Lord! How on this earth may God in his infinite mercy grant these men such influence?

I do not understand why these things are happening, Esteban. You must take care in what you say to others about these men, especially Bishop de Guerra. They are dangerous people and have much power. replied Andrés, amazed at the young man’s knowledge of the politics. We must pray to God our Lord to assist us in getting your mother free of these ridiculous charges. I cannot believe these so-called Bishops who supposedly have divine control in this ‘inquisition’ receive their orders from Heaven. What they cannot justify or show proof of they are wont to say comes from above. I believe that God our Lord favored all of us with knowledge of everything that is right and good. These particular men of the Church cannot be true Christians or Castellanos if they ill-treat your mother in some spiteful retaliation for what King Charles might have proclaimed or done to Bishop de Guerra or the Church sometime in the past.

Bishop de Guerra told me personally last week that if Mamá is found guilty I must begin the seminary school and become one of his ‘altar boys’. His men have been looking for me. I will never do this, especially if she is burned at the stake like those other women! screamed young Esteban. I would die first!

In an attempt to calm the boy, Andrés replied: I know. You must continue to remain hidden for now. We will try to get word to King Charles as soon as possible about this situation. I sent him a letter a few days ago. I do not think he is aware of what’s actually going on here. Soon we are going to be taking him the stallions and yearlings we have been working with, for he wants to put them on a ship to Hispañiola in the New World by spring. Even if we made 10 leagues (35 miles/56 kilometers) every day, it would be almost two weeks before our return. That does not give us enough time to get word to the King.

As darkness fell upon the stables that evening and Esteban was finishing up his work, he noticed a woman walking towards him down the path from the roadway into town. He had seen this ‘gypsy’ before in his travels, but had never spoken to her. As he watched her approach, she seemingly floated up to him as if on a cushion of air, gently took his hand and guided him into the light of a lantern by the stable door.

After gazing into his eyes for several moments, in a very baritone but soothing voice for a woman, she said: You are Esteban Azúl, the son of Maria Theresa Morales, are you not?

Pulling away and attempting to wipe the stable dirt off his hands on his trousers he replied: I am he. I have seen you before in our village. Who are you and what do you want?

"My people call me Leyenda Arozamena. My conscious soul is driven by the forces of the goddess Anbotoko Mari. She has many powers. In the old days the wise ones called this particular goddess a ‘Lamia’. I have discovered that the Bishops of the Inquisition have been justifying their carnage of innocent souls by falsely accusing and using the name of the lady of murumendi as an excuse. These men have no right to do this and they must be made to and shall pay. I have some unfortunate news for you, young man. But before I tell you these things, I would like to see into the window of your spirit. I need look into your eyes and touch your hand. This will let me determine if I can possibly help guide your destiny and perhaps give you some good advice for your future. By God our Lord I will not harm you. Will you allow me to do this?"

Looking at the woman with the iridescent pendant among strands of jewels & beads around her neck, rings on every finger and her dark eyes shining in the waxing gibbous moonlight, he looked around the stable, smelling her pleasant fragrance. Realizing his own equine barnyard odor, he nervously replied: Let me wash the muck from the stable off my hands. I will be right back.

Upon his return after dusting off and cleaning his hands, he noticed that this woman Leyenda had repositioned the lantern and set two farrier stools in such a way that the light was at its best. After taking a seat on one of the chairs, she silently motioned for him to sit across from her on the other seat. Upon obeying her request and sitting down she gently grasped his right hand. After gazing deeply into his eyes for a period of about a minute she turned his hand face up in hers. She then gently clasped and studied his palm for another two to three minutes. The young horseman felt a shiver make its way through his body as goose bumps formed on his skin. She then looked deeply into his eyes again and said: "This is good. You are not a daemon; you have very beautiful eyes and a strong spirit for a boy of what? Seventeen… Eighteen?"

I turned eighteen about a month ago.

Hmmm… You are tall for your age and appear to do your job well with these beautiful animals here-

What is this bad news that you speak of? It concerns my Mamá? interrupted Esteban. This woman sent another chill down his spine he had never experienced before.

"Well, my young Esteban, it appears that your mother Maria and Inesa are going to be given the relaxation punishment by these so-called men of God our Lord. These foolish friars who dare to call themselves mendicants base their assumptions on the ridiculous edict called Malleus Maleficarum; they also include the slanderous words of Ysabel the Catholic (Isabella I of Castile) and her ‘Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition’ to justify their behavior in the preservation of the ‘purity’ of their Church. They use misogyny as an excuse for their inquisitional needs and are crazy with the lust of torture! In the name of God our Lord they have already killed three innocent women from my town in the Navarre! I am telling you this because you must be aware of the evil that lurks in some of these men with their sick minds; especially Bishop Alfonso Manrique de Guerra. His mendacity is relentless and unsurpassed for a so-called man of the cloth. If he gets hold of you, which he probably has already tried to do, he will attempt to fornicate with you. He has done this with two of the boys in my village already and their souls will never be the same. You must try to protect yourself at all costs. Your spirit will never be the same if he has his way with you. He forced these unfortunate young souls into the seminary school at Logroño in order to have them become his ‘students’."

Esteban, visibly confused and shaken at this terrible news, could see the woman was upset. A lot of what she said he did not understand. After she paused for a moment, he meekly replied: "What is fornicate?"

What that means is he will try to sodomize you. He has been known to fornicate with animals, also. This man is not a Christian and should not be allowed to serve God, but no one dares to speak or lift their eyes to Heaven to stop him. He controls the Inquisition at this time. He also has much power in the government. the gypsy woman stated, trying to get him to understand what she thought was going on and needed to do.

"I have decided to go tonight to the cavern of the Mari and chant to the daemon known as Mikelats to call the thunder and the wind to try and save Inesa and your mother from death. I have never attempted this nor do I think this daemon’s spell will work, but I am going to try and give the capabilities of the Mari a chance to stop this insanity. I will also summon the spirit Atxular to assist you if the power of Mikelats cannot stop these evil doings. I must quickly go to the mountains now before the Auto de Fé is performed tomorrow. I will return as soon as I have what is necessary to cast out these daemons, the Lord our God willing. I know you are young and do not understand much of what is going on now with this Inquisition, but I am glad to see that your soul is as strong as it is.

I was able to speak with your mother briefly earlier and she wanted me to tell you that she loves you very much and no matter what happens her spirit will always be in your heart. She knows you are a good boy and regardless of what the future brings you will rise above this madness. Through time and your destiny on this earth you will eventually realize the gravity of these unexpected occurrences you are experiencing in your life at this time.

Without another word, she gently grasped Esteban’s head, looked him in the eyes for a long moment and gently kissed him on his lips. He felt as if this mysterious woman had transferred some form of energy into him with her touch. It felt strangely enticing. She smiled slightly at the confused boy and disappeared into the now complete darkness of night heading into the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains.

After a few moments of thought about what Leyenda had said, Esteban closed up the barn and stable where the horses were kept. His young mind intense in thought he headed down the path to the house where Andrés stayed and where he was hiding from the alguacil (bailiff) of the Inquisition. His mind was a whirlwind of anxiety and despair. Seeing Andrés was home upon arriving at the door, he knocked and went in. The smell of food made his mouth water.

Ah, Esteban. You are finished with the stable, I presume? There is some Mary Caboges cooking on the fire. Help yourself. said Andre. Mary Caboges is a kind of soup made from the marrow of animal bones and cabbage. The master blacksmith Andrés Lopez was also a fairly good cook. Andrés’s wife was taken by the deadly variola virus also called smallpox about the time Esteban was born. His meager culinary skills improved out of necessity.

Esteban got himself some food and told Andrés about his unusual experience and conversation with the strange lady from the Navarre. He asked the blacksmith questions about what the woman said and the meaning of some of the words she used. Andrés explained as well as he could and then said: "If this Auto de Fé is tomorrow like she says it is we must ready ourselves to take the horse stock we promised King Charles south as soon as possible. Perhaps we can even rescue your Mamá and take her with us. In the morning I will prepare for our departure in case we must suddenly leave. From what this woman Leyenda said it does not look good for your mother but we will have to see what happens tomorrow. I have heard from many that this lady of the Anbotoko Mari has many powers that are strong. The alguacil Enrique Zápolya was here this morning asking questions and looking for you. I lied to him and said you were on a journey to Pamplona getting a stallion and would not return until next week. I don’t think he believed me. Get up early tomorrow morning and go to the barn. We will find a good place to view the procession tomorrow and see if maybe we can speak to your Mamá."

Trying not to think anymore of his mother’s fate Esteban replied: How many of this herd are we taking to the palace in Madrid? Are we taking Bobo? Bobo was the nickname of his favorite Andalusian stallion. He was a beautiful animal, jet black, high spirited and faster than the wind.

There will be a total of twenty four. Fifteen mares, five two-year old geldings and four stallions, including Bobo. We should be able to leave for the Palacio Real early Monday morning and I think we must. Get yourself to the attic and get some rest. We will probably have a big day tomorrow. replied Andrés.

Esteban climbed into his hidden location in the attic. However, sleep did not come easy for the young Castellano who was being pushed to manhood by conditions he did not expect and things he could not foresee.

The next afternoon following their preparation for the journey to Madrid, Andrés and Esteban went down near the Church to see if the Inquisition procession had begun. They wanted to find a place to view the parade where hopefully the eyes of the tribunal could not discover Esteban if he tried to see or speak with his mother.

Looking to the square in the center of town Andrés said: The Mass has been completed. The tribunal is coming out of the Church now. This means they are about to begin the procession around the square.

They found what they thought was a suitable location between two houses near the plaza where the parade appeared to be headed and waited nervously in the shadows. Esteban hoped that the alguacil that came by the house yesterday believed Andrés and wasn’t looking for him.

Meanwhile, the bailiff for the tribunal, Enrique Zápolya, had been instructed by Bishop de Guerra to keep a close eye on the townspeople who watched Maria Morales during the procession.

If you find this Esteban, take him into custody and keep him in my chambers until the Auto de Fé is completed. commanded de Guerra. The relaxation punishments of the Inquisition always aroused the Bishop along with the anticipation of a new altar boy. He continued: Make sure once you have him he does not escape. Use force if necessary, but try not to shed any of his blood. Since he is the bastard of the heretic Maria, I want to make him another example of what incest can do to the people. If he knows we are looking for him he will probably try to get away.

I will carry out your wishes as completely as I can, Father Alfonso. I was told he had traveled to Pamplona, but the man he works for might not have been telling me the truth. replied the alguacil.

As the procession slowly made its way down the street by the plaza, Esteban immediately spotted his mother Maria Morales and Inesa Arozamena bound at the wrists as well as together, trudging slowly in front of a tribunal staff of the clergy, donning their clerical attire.

Unable to control himself, he shouted: Mamá!!! as he burst through the crowd of onlookers and into the street. Tears streaming down his face blurred his vision as he ran to and embraced his mother seeing the condition she was in and interrupting the Auto de Fé.

Looking into her son’s beautiful eyes she cried: You must not disturb these proceedings, my son! There is nothing you can do for me now! My fate is sealed! You must now take care of yourself. By God our Lord I know you can. My love for you will always be deep within your heart. These evil men here cannot take this away from us. Kissing her son through their tears, she then exclaimed: You must leave now! These here who are not guided from Heaven will try to hurt you. Go!

Noticing this activity, the bailiff Enrique Zápolya quickly ordered two of his assistants to follow him. Coming up behind young Esteban, Zápolya barked: Grab him and follow me!

Following the bailiff’s orders, his helpers grabbed the boy out of the parade so it could be continued. As he was pulled away, Esteban screamed and looked at his Mamá through his tears. They proceeded to drag the young man down the street and into the Church courtyard. Zápolya then said: Bind his wrists and lock him in Bishop de Guerra’s spare room in his rectory. Guard him until I return and if he makes any noise, gag him. Do not cut him or beat him in any way. I will return when the Auto de Fé is complete.

The blacksmith Andrés Lopez watched this situation unfold and used all of his willpower to control himself and not try to help his friend at this time. He quietly followed the bailiff and his assistants without detection. He knew if they discovered they were being followed, they would put him into custody and at the least flog him if he tried anything. Careful not to be seen by the men, he observed where they took Esteban and then returned to the parade hopefully unnoticed.

The tribunal had a platform built in the plaza. When the procession completed the parade of the two ‘guilty’ women, they were brought upon the stage and bound each to a post for the reading of the sentence. Bishop Alfonso Manrique de Guerra, sitting at the center of the table amongst the other inquisitors above the stage rose from his throne and called for silence.

De Guerra then decreed: "By the powers vested in this tribunal, I hereby declare by the Lord our God in Heaven that these two women were given the chance for penance as to abide by the articles of the Malleus Maleficarum for their types of heresy. These two apostates have failed."

After fifteen minutes of rhetoric about how Canon Law and the Roman Catholic Church justified the proceedings, the Bishop completed his declaration by saying: "After serious consideration of the facts and deliberation thereof, this Inquisition, as representatives of God our Lord declare the sentence of the relaxation punishment to be performed after the Sabbath tomorrow. This edict will be carried out at dusk on this stage. That is all."

The unruly boisterous crowd then let out a roar of cheers. They threw stones and garbage at the two unfortunate women on the stage, cursing them for their wrongdoing. This was becoming the norm in these relaxation situations. The burning at the stake of another human being was very dramatic and quite a spectacle. Since it was ordained by the Inquisition, most of the people in the village considered it ‘righteous’ and ‘justified’. They also knew that to defy the power of the Church could possibly lead to unfortunate conclusions for themselves. At this time in history (as in most all others), the occasional baser unconscious human lust for blood was still wagging its little head in a section of the souls of the common people.

As Bishop de Guerra was starting to leave the stage, out of the darkness of the night the gypsy woman Leyenda suddenly approached the clergyman and cried: I have summoned Mikelats and the spirit of Atxular from the Akelarre! If these women are murdered, by the Lord our God you will burn in Hell!

She then quickly set the lantern she was carrying down and let out a shrill whistle. Out of the darkness a very large raven came and landed on her forearm. She deftly grabbed the bird and promptly rung its neck. To the shock of the leader of the Inquisition, she took the raven by its claws and showered Bishop de Guerra in his immaculate white robe with the blood that erupted out of the dead black bird’s body. She then screamed: Satan will make you pay for this in eternity if you continue with your blasphemy!

She pulled a pouch from her pocket and tossed the powdered contents on the ground in front of the startled clergyman. She picked up the lantern she had brought with her and smashed it on the ground. There was a flash of fire and then a large cloud of foul smelling smoke filled the air. When the smoke cleared, the woman known as Leyenda Arozamena had disappeared and was nowhere to be seen.

Guards! Zápolya! Find that woman and put her in chains! screamed de Guerra, wiping the blood from his face.

Standing at the back of the crowd, listening to the sentence and seeing this, Andrés now decided what he was going to do. He went to the back of the rectory where Esteban was being held. He figured out which of the windows was for the room where the boy was being kept prisoner. He looked around as he stood below the window which was too high to reach and carefully called out: Esteban! Can you hear me?

Yes. Are you outside the window of this room? the horseman replied.

I am. Are you alone?

Yes.

I will toss you my blade through the window. Use it only if you must. I will try to find a way for your escape by tomorrow morning. Andrés continued.

My hands are tied in front of me but go ahead.

Hide it until you can get free or if you must use it to escape. By God our Lord be careful. Taking his favorite knife, Andrés rolled it up in a piece of soft leather and on the first try made it through the rather small window. After a moment he said: Did you get it? Watch it. It is very sharp.

Grabbing the package and stuffing it underneath his shirt, Esteban replied: Thank you. I got it. I will be careful.

Moments later the door to the room Esteban was in opened. He quickly sat down and tried to look like nothing suspicious was happening. Andrés, hearing the sound, quietly exited the back of the rectory successfully into the darkness. Zápolya’s man looked around the room and then said: I will bring you food after awhile. Do not cause trouble boy and there will not be any.

Esteban nodded and the man closed the door and left the room. Taking a deep breath of