Where Did He Go To Beg?

The roads were dusty and desolate as Cassian rode his horse in the dark. It was three in the morning when he reached the boundaries of Lithium, a small town that was beyond the reach of prosperity and progress.

His eyes looked at the white church that was standing like a sore thumb among the dilapidated houses.

That was the reason his wife was not with him anymore. He closed his eyes and counted till twenty then thirty to calm him down as instructed by his wife when he felt his chest burning.

"Your Highness." the voice of Kevin brought him back and he shook his head.

"I want you to ask everyone living in this palace five years or more about her and the child." He commanded and Kevin sat straight on his horse and nodded his head.

He took the knights with him and only Cassian was left, staring at the church again. He rode his horse closer and stood in front of the building with cold eyes.

The doors of the church were already open and an apprentice was cleaning the entrance. He saw a man dressed in a military uniform standing there.

"Are you here for confession?" asked the apprentice in a kind voice. The man looked no less than a murderer when Cassian tilted his face and stared at the young man.

"Father will be in the confession room in half an hour. You can wait inside." the young man offered, trying his best to maintain that calm smile on his face. However, Cassian had an unnerving effect on him.

After a pause, Cassian nodded and entered the room, and sat on the confession room bench. It took a few minutes before the other side of the door opened and an old man entered.

"God is here to hear your pleas. What is it that you want to confess, child?" asked the priest in a calm but dignified voice when a snicker formed on his face of Cassian.

"I am not here to confess anything, Father. But I am here to get your confession." The priest furrowed his brow and wanted to say something but before that, a hand reached out breaking the wooden divider and holding his throat.

"I want you to confess what happened with my wife here five years ago?" His eyes were red with so much hatred that the priest lost his voice. He tried to defend himself, but he was no match for the cold and strong man who was here to kill him without giving him any chance of salvation.

"Five years ago, I was told that my wife never reached lithium. She was assassinated on the way to the church. I did not have any proof against you and the royal family supported your blatant lies, chaining me. But this time. I am back with the proof."

"Tell me what happened that night or you would not be able to see morning anymore." He warned in a cold voice as he raised his body high in the air as if the fat priest weighed nothing.

Cassian did not find anything special in this church. Nothing that required his wife to come so far to get the blessings of the god for their child.

He should have been strict at that time and did not give in to their superstitions.

"I.. i…" his flail hands started to struggle but he did not have any strength against the beast who was holding him. He nodded his head with force as if he was signaling that he would speak the truth when finally Cassian let the man go.

"Cough cough!" The priest rubbed his neck as he coughed hard. However, when Casian took a step closer, the priest forgot all the pain and stood straighter.

"What do you know about the incident?" Casian asked again, bringing the old man on the verge of tears.

"She never reached the church!" he repeated but before Cassian could hold his throat again, he added in a hurried voice.

"But you are right! The carriage had entered the town that night. I was informed that the duchess would be here any minute, so I woke up even when it was the middle of the night.

But i waited for an hour or more but there was no news of her. I sent my apprentice to look for the carriage. But when he returned after two hours, he told me that the carriage was burning a few streets away.

I ran there but it was already too late. There was a body of two women in it but it was too charred to recognize them.

We sent those bodies to the royal court and we were informed that the duchess died with her head maid.

Later you claimed that it was not your wife but the body of another maid and your wife was not in the carriage. I was afraid so I checked the whole village and asked many men.

But the families that lived in that street left the town the same morning and others had no idea about the incident.

We knew you would burn the whole town, so I asked the villagers to drag the carriage around the boundaries of the town.

We did not mean to lie but I was only trying to save innocents. If you want to kill me, you can but I swear that we have not killed your wife." He begged in an earnest voice but Cassian had enough of being begged.

They all begged him for their lives but no one told him where he should turn and begged for the life of his wife and his child.

"Do you know who was the midwife in the town at that time and what places a woman could give birth?"

"...."