A Path to Forgiveness: The Prodigal Woman Series, #1

Chapter 1

Esther

My father always told me that I was a woman with great potential. Don’t lose yourself my sweet Esther, he had said the day before I wed. As I reflect on it thirteen years later, it was quite an odd thing for a father to say to his daughter on the eve of her wedding. But perhaps my father had known that I was on the verge of going down a tumultuous path. Perhaps he knew that my marriage would not be what I thought it would be when I was a naive bride of sixteen. Perhaps he knew that I had a propensity to indulge in all the wrong things and my husband would only fan that flame in me. Though straying off the right path seemed to be a common problem in The Gourd.

We believed in a deity we affectionately called the Redeemer. It was believed that centuries ago, the Redeemer once walked with us—his creation—in perfect harmony. Yet our ancestors taught us that creation wished to serve no master. It wished to be a deity of its own, so creation and all it held had fallen astray, tempted by every desire of the world to reject the Redeemer. So he hid his face from us.

But by his very nature, as is evident in his name, the Redeemer's desire was to bring us back to harmony with him. We had Elkron, righteous men who fought for the spiritual health of The Gourd, and Savans, prophetesses full of wisdom and foresight, who willed us to live according to the Redeemer’s way. It was through the revelations of the Elkron and the Savans of old, where we knew anything about the Redeemer and his way. Centuries of accounts of teachings that were passed down to us were now bound in a holy text: The Book of Scriptures.

Though many in The Gourd still went through the acts of worship, I wasn’t sure how many there were left who truly believed. There was a known darkness encompassing The Gourd, persuading us that the Redeemer was no more than a legend and the Book of Scriptures were simply tales for children to teach them the consequences of poor behaviors. Yet, it was not only children that needed that lesson. I knew that well.

Is there no one who will speak on this woman’s behalf?

As I stood there in front of the courts of Vera Firma, the wealthiest province within the realm of The Gourd, and under the keen eyes of the magistrate and grandmasters who would decide my fate, I had no one who would speak for me. I looked around in the cold, stone, rectangular room. A table shaped into a half circle was situated in the front where four grandmasters sat, two on each side of the magistrate who sat behind an elevated, stone podium, dissecting the semi-circle in half. Crowded in front of them, held back by guards, were onlookers for the trial.

So grievously had I severed every relationship in my life, no one would stand by me as I held the weight of the years of indulgent and reckless living my husband and I enjoyed. Every familiar face who was here now, celebrated my fall from grace, I was sure. That’s how it was with most in Vera Firma. Their smiles were fickle. If they felt they had nothing else to gain from you, they enjoyed seeing you lose it all. Even the grandmasters, whose purpose was to extract fair judgment of issues through the realm, looked down upon me as if anticipating my judgment with enthusiasm.

My lady, a voice cut into the silence of the judgment room, attracting each eye into the room toward it. I studied the man who spoke, with a slight build and watery eyes that blinked far too often, as the warmth of nostalgia filled me. Simon.

Come forward, the magistrate motioned to him. Who are you in relation to this woman?

My lady, the man started again nervously. I-I was the head steward of her father’s household from the time she was ten to the time of his death four years ago.

The magistrate and the grandmasters nodded in thought of my father. "Everett was a good man. Though I am sure he weeps in the Land of No More Suffering at what has become of his legacy." I turned my head away though I knew the magistrate’s eyes were on me, condemning me further with her words. You are willing to speak on this woman’s behalf? You will take the debt she has acquired?

I am afraid, my lady, I do not have the means to do such, but there may be someone who will. I plead to your goodness and ask for some time to acquire someone who will stand for this woman.

How much time do you require?

Three weeks, if you allow it.

Three weeks will be given. If you can find no one who will speak on her behalf then we will be forced—

I understand the penalty given to grand debtors, my lady, Simon said softly, dropping his eyes to the ground.

I sighed, closing my eyes tightly. Simon was kind and good and loyal to my father which was surely why he put himself in between me and my disgrace, instead of rightfully distancing himself from me like everyone else. The Gourd could be a precarious place for anyone with no family to stand by them. I knew that well, but for someone who could not even gather an ounce of sympathy from the grandmasters, the situation became much worse. Vera Firma was less forgiving than the other two provinces of The Gourd: Riverbend and The Summit. They cared less about reforming the fallen and more about ensuring those who stained the reputation of Vera Firma would be severely punished for doing so. Yet, like Simon, there were still some in Vera Firma who could show compassion.

Even then, there was no one Simon would be able to find who would carry my disgrace.

My lady, if I may request that the woman and her child be given into my care for the next three weeks while I inquire—

You may take the child, but the woman will be put in a cellar, lest she feels a desire to run. The magistrate locked her dark eyes on mine with a gaze full of warning. I had no desire to run. Even if I had the means to, I had nowhere to go. Though it was a nice dream to imagine a place where I could start a new life, away from those who knew me as I was, a place where my son could have a new beginning without the shadow of my strained reputation.

Thank you. May I...may I have a moment to speak with her? For the first time, the magistrate’s stern face broke in sympathy as she nodded.

The rest of you, go home. There will be no judgment cast today. We will reconvene in three weeks’ time for her sentencing.

Simon approached me amidst the disappointed chatter of the crowd. If nothing else, those of Vera Firma loved a good sentencing.

Simon, you shouldn’t have come, I said as the man neared me. You shouldn’t have reminded these people that you have a connection to me.

For the sake of your father, I could not abandon you, mistress.

Don’t call me such. I turned away, before speaking again. There is no one in the entirety of The Gourd who will speak on my behalf.

There are many who still think fondly of your father.

And think negatively of me for that same reason.

"Regardless, I am certain someone will speak for you, and I will find them. You need not worry over your son these next weeks. My wife and I will take great care of him." I looked toward the door of the courts where my son was hidden from my view, being watched by a guard the court appointed while I faced my trial, an event considered too trying for a young child to witness. My heart ached to see him, though it had only been a mere hour since we’d been apart. How was I to bear three weeks? I wrapped my arms around myself.

It seems I should add you to the list of those I am indebted to, dear Simon, I said with a harsh laugh. The elder man put his hand to my shoulder, squeezing gently.

All will be well. I will do everything I must to ensure that. I only nodded as a guard came toward us, motioning that the time we had been granted to speak had ended. All will be well! Simon said again as the guard put his hand under my arm and dragged me toward the cellar.

When a child was born in The Gourd, their parents had a choice to place them on the Rock of Seeing, a large boulder on a high peak in The Summit, where each child was given a gift, allocated by a Savan. Parents enjoyed bragging on which of the ten gifts their child was given which indicated that they would excel in that area. The gifts were perseverance, faith, beauty, healing, strength, wisdom, compassion, charisma, patience, and joy. Of course, the gifts of beauty and strength were the most coveted, and the least coveted was the gift I was granted as a child, perseverance. It was believed that those who were gifted with perseverance would have a life full of trials. For why would one need to persevere if everything fell in perfect alignment in their lives? And why would one covet a life full of trials?

I hugged my knees against me in the cold cell. Was it truly perseverance if I simply was forced to live through terrible situations I had created completely by my own accord? Could I blame the Redeemer for abandoning me now when I deserved the fate that awaited me? When I willingly lied to the court about my true situation to protect myself?

No. Simon would try, but no one would speak on behalf of a woman like me who had created a disaster of her life by her own choosing. A woman who deserved no mercy or forgiveness for her deeds.

​Chapter 2

Levi

You should be alright now, Amelia. The swelling should go down after two days, but if your ankle continues to look inflamed, come back and James or I will inspect it again. I gave a reassuring smile to her mother, Maryanne, who was carefully watching my inspection of her daughter’s sprained ankle with great concern.

That’s so kind of you, Levi. My daughter is usually not so clumsy, I swear! I had asked her to get a jar from a top shelf and she tumbled right off the stool. The woman gave a dramatic sigh. I suppose this is the way things are when a young woman is without a husband.

"Mother," the young woman scolded as her usually pale cheeks became inflamed and she averted her eyes from mine.

I wasn’t aware women were prone to falling off stools when they go without a husband, I said dryly, meeting my brother-in-law’s eyes for a moment.

It is no secret my lovely Ameila has a swell of suitors vying for her attention, but as I’m sure you can understand, a mother cannot simply choose just anyone for her daughter. I must find the right match. Her eyes locked onto mine as she punctuated the last word.

Thank you for your time, Levi, Amelia said abruptly. I’ll be more careful. She hobbled toward the entrance of our foundry of healing, waving her mother along and not turning back toward me as she departed.

My, that woman is brazen, James laughed. She specifically requested you. I had no patients needing my attention when they arrived, but she insisted that you were the only one who could aid her daughter. As if I could not handle an ailment as severe as a sprained ankle.

I laughed at my brother-in-law’s wounded expression. It wouldn’t surprise me if Maryanne had pushed her daughter off the stool. It seems to be a new injury every week. Perhaps we should be concerned.

Come now, James laughed. "Most of these ailments are fictitious. Last week Maryanne simply had a feeling her daughter was unwell."

What did I tell you boys? James and I turned toward the open door as Ella walked in, with a look of scolding. You need to start turning people away for petty ailments. The reputation of our foundry of healing is at stake. I do not want people to think we only treat headaches and sprained ankles. We are serious healers.

Good evening, Ella, James greeted with a smile, looking toward the door. We were not expecting you today.

The elder woman sighed in frustration at James, pulling a loose strand of gray hair behind her ear. "Did I not tell you both to ask me to properly identify myself before entrance? I could have very well been a guise of the Shadowclan. I told you, they believe this third war will be won by the help of healers, so they are surely looking to recruit those healers who were given the gift of healing at their birth." Her eyes met mine, as between James and I, I was the only one who was actually given the gift of healing at birth. It was believed the gift gave me a heightened sense in determining and treating ailments. Though not everyone who was given the gift pursued healing as a profession, nor could every healer in The Gourd claim they were given the gift at birth. James had pursued healing on his own without the assurance of the special gift.

You overestimate the power and the intelligence of the Shadowclan. They are unable to disguise themselves properly, and when their faces hit the light, I motioned toward the lamp that was positioned above our doorway, we will easily be able to see their gray faces and know it is them.

And you underestimate their cunning, she leveled her sharp blue eyes at both of us. We have grown arrogant after winning the first two Gourd Wars, but the Shadowclan has grown in strength. Even though the prophecy states that we will win this last one, we must stay vigilant.

We will win, James said firmly, grabbing the elder woman’s hands into both of his. For we fight with the Redeemer on our side. The woman’s face gentled but it was easier for James or me to speak in confidence when neither of us were alive for the first Gourd War, seventy-four years ago, or the second one, thirty-two years ago, but Ella, who had just reached her seventy eighth year, had experienced the cost of both those wars.

On the outskirts of The Gourd, the Penumbra Rim that encased each region, the Shadowclan dwelled. The Shadowclan were ancient sorcerers who once lived within The Gourd, but they were in constant battle with the Elkrons and Savans who led our lands. They questioned the Redeemer's love. They challenged the people to make their own way rather than invest in an invisible deity who only promised them peace in the afterlife, The Land of No More Suffering.

The constant disputes eventually turned violent until the Elkron banished them from the realm to the outskirts of The Gourd. But the Shadowclan moved in the darkness. They could hide in the shadows and penetrate the security of The Gourd. It was soon discovered that the Shadowclan could not be defeated by simple weapons. Instead, they needed to be touched by the Redeemer's light and then be vanquished. So the Savons created the weapons of faith to keep the Shadowclan at bay. Weapons that were wielded by the hands of the Savons and blessed by Elkrons.

In 75-year cycles, the Shadowclan would start wars in The Gourd: three battles every seventy-five years, followed by seventy-five years of peace. In this cycle, twice they had tried to overpower the Elkron, Savons and those who stood by their sides and twice they were defeated. They would rise once more in our lifetime before returning into hiding.

It was prophesied long ago that we would win all three wars, but victory was never the Shadowclan’s goal. It was devastation. No war ended without terrible loss. They wished to tear families apart, leave children orphaned, men and women widowed and families in grief. In doing so, they hoped to turn our people away from the Redeemer after they are overcome with the pain of loss and suffering.

Ella had mentioned to us that her mother and father had fought and passed in the first war, and her son had passed in the second. I knew that nearly everyone in The Gourd had suffered a loss in at least one of the two wars. I was told my father had died in the second war, though I was only just discovered in my mother’s womb when he went to fight. I knew little of him other than the stories my mother would share when I was a child. She was a fair warrior herself, trained to have fought in the second war beside my father before she stepped back in order to protect my life.

Levi, Ella said gently to me now. You specifically must be careful. Word of you have spread through the years, so your gifts make you a coveted healer.

As well a loyal man to the Redeemer. I could never be persuaded to fight along the Shadowclan, Ella. You needn’t worry about me. I stopped just as the door opened again and a disheveled man, with wisps of black hair and a pale face, walked in behind Ella.

Simon! I exclaimed. By The Gourd, what are you doing here? I closed the distance between us and embraced the man who I hadn’t seen in over four years.

Forgive me for the intrusion, Levi. I would have sent word ahead but the matter is— he stopped his words and studied James and Ella, who gave him curious glances in return.

Simon lives in Vera Firma. He used to work as Everett’s steward. Simon, this is Ella and James. James is my brother-in-law. My wife Catherine's brother. He is my partner in the foundry and Ella—

Graciously employed them. I am the original owner of this foundry of healing. Built it up from nothing, Ella said proudly as Simon extended his hand briefly to them, before returning his eyes to me.

Is there a place we could speak in private?

I studied the man’s haggard appearance and nervous eyes then motioned for him to follow me out the doors through which he had just come. The pebbled paths surrounding our foundry of healing were mostly deserted as we headed into late evening, and most were already home for supper.

What brings you to Riverbend, Simon? I asked curiously.

It’s Esther, Simon started carefully. Her husband is dead.

I sucked in a sharp breath at his unexpected words. How? I questioned, knowing Esther’s husband was only thirty-two or thirty-three years of age.

Esther told the grandmasters that Victor had disappeared one night. She went out to search for him and saw him murdered by a sorcerer of the Shadowclan. Apparently, they tried to recruit Victor for the war and murdered him when he refused. She has been surviving on her own for few weeks, but—

Did she go to the grandmasters willingly or was she summoned?

Simon looked at me pitifully. A mix of both. It seems she went to the grandmasters in desperation but the courts were ready to summon her. Levi, he paused a moment before continuing, "Esther and Victor have accrued 4200 killano in debt.

"4200 killano?" I repeated in disbelief, calculating the sum in my head. That was more than most would see in a lifetime, especially those who lived outside of Vera Firma.

The Gourd transacted in midora, small silver coins with eight short sides, and killano, larger gold coins with six short sides, worth one hundred midora. In daily life, midora was more than enough to purchase food and clothing, and daily necessities, but killano were used for more substantial purchases such as homes or large celebrations, including wedding festivities.

Though in Vera Firma, where Esther lived and I had grown up, pockets were better lined and prices surged in accordance. But even in that place where those were known to live beyond their means, few acquired over 1000 killano in debt at one time before making payments.

I wish I could blame all her financial troubles on Victor and his terrible investments and known gambling habit, but we know Esther. She loved fine clothes and jewelry, and she certainly took pride in throwing extravagant parties—

I am well aware, I cut in, not wishing to recall the memory of one such party I had witnessed.

Then I will get straight to the point. Levi, I come here begging for you to speak on her behalf.

"Speak on her behalf? I repeated incredulously. And take on her debt! Are you mad? Why would I do such a thing? Her troubles are her own. I’m sure she’s had plenty of warning through the years, but that selfish woman and her crooked husband decided to live well beyond their means for years, and now she will rightfully pay the price."

Pay the price? Levi, the price is too much for Esther to bear alone! I assure you I did not wish to come to you. I spoke to every one of her father’s companions begging them to take mercy on his only child. Pleading with them to take her on as their servant until she pays off the debt herself, but none wished to associate with her.

They are wise. Their entire reputation would be stained, taking on the debt of a known drunkard. It is best for you to take her out of your mind, Simon. You have your own family to be concerned for and your association with Esther will do you little good. Why bother mustering mercy for someone so undeserving?

But aren’t we all? Since her follies are more public and pronounced, suddenly she deserves less mercy than the rest of us?

I sighed, considering his words.

Levi, if no one speaks on her behalf, Esther will be enslaved.

I shuddered at his words and the reality of what the consequences were that Esther would face. As a woman, she would be spared hard labor, and at twenty-nine years of age she was likely too old to be sold into harlotry, though if the woman was able to keep up her appearance, it was not an impossibility. The more likely fate was she would be enslaved to an estate of a rich landowner in Vera Firma. And I knew that few landowners treated their slaves well. Paid servants were regarded with some measure of respect, but slaves would be abused by both their masters and the servants of the household who decided their responsibility. In addition, as a widowed woman, the likelihood that Esther’s masters would take liberties with her was high.

Simon, I sympathize with Esther’s situation, but you are asking too much of me.

I know, and I ask it still. Levi, I must remind you that you promised her father—

That’s not fair Simon, I said, affronted.

—On his deathbed that you would take care of Esther, and the time has come to make good on that promise!

So you will throw that back at me now! A promise I made to a dying man over the daughter he had not seen for more than a moment at a time in years! I wished to give him what little comfort I could offer as he left this world. I assumed as a married woman, her husband would be providing for her and I would not be called to task! I lowered my voice as we started to attract the attention of a few