Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction ❯ Tarot ❯ Hierophant ( Chapter 6 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Moonsister 
Extreme nastiness
Anime/Manga: Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Horror / Supernatural | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 01.24.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 243 | Status: Work In Progress
Extreme nastiness
Anime/Manga: Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Horror / Supernatural | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 01.24.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 243 | Status: Work In Progress
Hierophant
Solomon, son of David( the beloved of God), was renowned as the King of Jinn. One wave of his hand, and from his ring, the Jinn would answer and do his bidding without question. As a King of Men, he was known for his wisdom, and tactics in battle. As a husband and lover, he honored the beliefs of his wives, by creating a place of worship for all of them within his city walls.
As in Eden, God spoke unto Solomon. Telling him he may have what he wished of the world that lay at the boy's feet, save one. Princess Basheba. The threat being the Line of Kings was to be broken, and splintered for all time should such a marriage take place. Naturally, being human and a man, such a threat only inspired Solomon to go and see what the fuss was about.
The forbidden marriage must have been a wonder for the world, but also was the destruction that was promised. The last piece of Solomon's reign, The Wailing Wall is the testament of the lesson God did not learn from the 'Eden Incident' when dealing with humans.
An elder priest sat across from the accountant with a more than displeased look on his face. Heavy brows descended over jade green eyes, grown pale with age. The accountant just blinked, as her word on the matter was final, and she had given her it.
"I'm sorry, Father. The heiress has not been proven dead, you have no access to these accounts." She blinked at the priest again, he said nothing, but she knew what he was thinking. The deceased had been his wife, estranged, yes. But still, they were legally married. Unfortunately the pre-nuptial had legal sway. The Father was doomed in this regard, and he had to accept it.
"Has the accounts be accessed?"
"You know I can't answer that." She stood, and offered her hand to the elder man. "I have other clients, you must understand." She did not want to be rude, however, this conversation had taken long enough. The priest sighed, shook the offered hand, and rose to leave. Conveniently leaving out the 'God Bless You' that was his normal parting phrase. Truth be told, Anna and he had never gotten along. So it wasn't surprising that she would be of little help. He had other means of getting what he wanted, they took longer, and involved embarrassing people in tight situations. However they worked, so they he would have to use them.
Anna, the accountant, just sighed and picked up the phone to call her next appointed talk. One she liked very much, actually. Some lawyer by the name of Nagira in Japan, who had been added to the pay roll a few months ago.
"Anna Valsoon, on behalf of the Sena Estates. Mr Nagira was assigned the Lawyer to the Estates......Yes, if I might. Mr Nagira, please find that girl and get her to sign the papers. Thank you." She hung the phone up, and leaned back. Another bright and sunny day in the Caiman. The tide was at a beautiful swell, and her children were screaming with delight as their father showed them the basics at how to fail badly at surfing. Sighing with little resignation, Anna rose from her seat, deciding her work for the day was over. Her children DID need to know the proper balance to catch the most curl, with as little salt sucking as possible anyway.
Sadly, though, Anna never made it to the beach. Her children never got that surfing lesson, and their father would never feel that swell of pride at what fast learners his children were. Just outside the door of her office, Anna had been accosted with chloroform, and awoken sometime latter to the sight of a cold stone room. Bound and gagged to a chair, in perfect view of her husband and children who were in likewise positions. Her heart sank as her husband shook his head, and telepathically told her 'Don't. Come what may. Don't.'
The following hours showed her son and daughter what the inside of their father looked like. Starting with the removal of the skin over EVERY surface of his body. Ending with the removal of his eyes, teeth, tongue, ears and lips. All in all, it took sixteen hours. Still, Anna heeded the last words she heard from her beloved. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Juliano turn his head. Through the power of her craft, she could feel his life force still beating away, not strong, but holding on. Faintly, she knew even if she gave the information they wanted, they would not let her family live. They would be tortured and killed anyway. They were only witches after all.
Her daughter was next. Her beautiful baby girl, only eight years old. Precocious and sharp tongued, her father's pride and joy. Stripped, and left to flail as the five or so big men in charge of extracting information took turns with the child in what ever sexual encounter they had ever wanted in a grown woman. They laughed amongst each other as Anna protested with shrieks against her binds. Her baby girl, though, not once screamed, or cried. Too much like her father, Anna thought as she felt her body go limp. The look in the child's eyes went distant, like her father's did when he was talking with someone in a far distant land. 'It's OK, Momma. I love you. All will be well.' Was the last thought of her baby when her little body gave way to her tormenters, and finally died. Anna looked up to Juliano's impassive face as the men of his employment tossed the lifeless body aside and started on the boy. Jack Jr looked up with her own eyes as if to say 'Bring it'. The men did just that.
Starting with every bone in the ten year old's body, ending with the harvesting of his organs. With sighs, they tossed the boy's body aside and turned to Juliano. When he rose with a shrug, and left the room they turned to her. Anna smiled an evil smile. Inside, Anna was dead, a new being now sat in her place. The Craft had strengthened her resolve to do what was right. Especially after watching what the wrong was capable of. Now, though, with nothing left to live for, SHE was going to do wrong. Very wrong indeed.
Never had she used her power to harm an individual, never until this scene had begun before her. She took every pain each member of her family had received and held it within herself. She waited like a spider, and she had five flies to her web. Her mate's life force still within her mind's eye, she opened the channel that let him speak to the dear ones in their lives. All would know what happened here. All would know what was about to take place, and someone would do something about it.
The first advanced, and pulled her bindings off, tossing her to the floor. She didn't fight, she just waited. When each laughingly left their DNA in her body, she opened her craft upon them, using what they left behind as keys to their minds. Her life force entering theirs, she left the pain they had caused the family of four imprinted forever on their minds. As though all of it had happened to them, all at once. She let an evil grin spread itself across her face as their screams echoed and reverberated around the cold stone room. She saw Juliano run in, and stair down at her as she willed herself to follow her children. The open channel of her husband snapped shut on her and she knew only darkness, then nothing.
Around the world this scene played out in the minds of many. Countless of minds sat their bodies upright in bed and breathing hard with pain, anger and immense sadness. One such person was a golden haired green eyed woman, who until that point was draped across her couch with a book across her chest. The book was now laying on the floor, half way across the room, and she was standing, facing the west. Breathing hard, but no sound issuing from her. Slowly she turned to face the south, then the east, and finally looked to the north where her kitchen was positioned. She was safe, in her apartment, with Amon staring at her. A piece of sushi held up to his open mouth, a look of bewilderment in his eyes.
Her jaw worked but no sound came out. She was trying to tell him the reason for her abrupt awakening, but the realization of what she had been witness too took hold of her mind, and she hit the floor in the fetal position with a loud thud, shaking with sobs that rattled her body. Boots scuffed the clean floor and arms were around her. Amon was calling to her, as other voices entered the room. A deep bass was rumbling to the east, and a low, snide baritone was not helping.
"Relax, Amon." The baritone chimed, "let her get it out of her system, so she doesn't shut down." The arms clinched around her and Amon hissed something.
"Relax, the both of you." The bass murmured. "There, there, child." A hand petted her head lovingly. "I saw it too. I understand, I will tell them both." Amon was ushered to pick her up and lay her in her bed. Which he did without much question.
"What happened?" Amon's voice was sceptical when he returned to Rasputin and Tobias. The latter was helping himself to coffee, and only raised his eyebrows.
"I don't know, I wasn't sleeping." Tobias said snotily. Rasputin rolled his eyes, and shook his head. Young men were always competing for dominance amongst each other.
"Robin and myself, along with a few others, were held as witnesses to what Solomon is capable of when it doesn't get what it wants." He took the coffee from Tobias, as though it was made for him. The younger man did not complain, though, it appeared to Amon that he very much wanted to. "We saw some friends of this Time tortured to death. Or worse. I do not think they all died, but we will have to see. When the Lady wakes, she will decide the best course of action for the House to take." With that, the old one sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. As if it were Tuesday. Amon thought to himself bitterly, and looked to Robin's closed door. Perhaps being alone was not the best thing for her right this moment.
Before he could make a move in any direction, a knock sounded happily on the door. Tobias, just as happily answered it with a grunt, and stood aside. Eyeing Amon and the new comer in suspicion.
"Hey, little Brother." Nagira lifted a manilla envelope as a gesture of greeting. "Looks like a party or something...where's the lady of the hour?" Amon's eyes darkened and narrowed.
"Lady of the hour indeed." Rasputin murmured from his place on the couch. "Resting, for now. What can he do for you?" He jerked his head in Amon's direction, causing the young man's brows to knit further.
"Robin's accountant called yesterday, needing Robin to sign these papers." Nagira tossed the envelope onto the table, his instincts picking up on something. Who were these people again? He eyed the young one he didn't know. "I came by last night, but no one was home." All this had caught the attention of the old man on the couch.
"Amon, I do believe we should get her up for this. You would do the honors, won't you?" Rasputin noted the look on Amon's face. "No rush though, I would not want to push her." He turned back to the TV, as if to say it was entirely up to Amon, who did not feel comfortable with that idea. Nodding though, he entered her room, and disappeared behind the door.
"Robin," He began softly as he took hold of her shoulder, and squeezed gently. "Robin, Nagira's here." She likes Nagira, who can always get her to smile. Wouldn't that help what ever pain she's in.? The look she turned on him said no, that one would not be sufficient. Her eyes were full of pain and heart ache, a look that he understood all too well. That was the look he carried after he'd lost his mother. Robin had lost family, and she had shared in their suffering.
"Robin, its important," That wasn't what he meant, but he picked her up and rocked her against his chest. "Your accountant-"
"But Anna's dead." She choked on her tears as she clung to him.
"Would you like me to tell Nagira to go, and leave the papers?"
"No." That was a whisper and a sniffle and she clung tighter for a moment, then climbed out of bed. She clung to Amon's arm as he lead her from the room. The hulking tower of him seemed to block out the memories of the terror that woke her from her nap.
The look Nagira gave her was anything but understanding. He cast an accusing look at Amon, as if, somehow, the state Robin apparently was in was his fault. This did nothing for Amon's mood as he stared his brother down.
"Mrs Valsoon needed you to sign these." Nagira opened the package and sorted the papers out. "Here, here and here." He said nonchalantly. Eying Robin, then her company. She did as requested, after she read through things carefully, and asked the questions she could think of. Which weren't many, not being of the legal mind...or any mind at all at the present.
"Well, business is done, what say we go to dinner?" Nagira looked around at the gloomy faces, not sure he really wanted to spend an evening with a group of grumps, but for Robin's sake? The young woman stared down at her table, that gave a half assed smile up to Amon. Who blinked down at her as if to say, what ever you want. She turned that same smile up to Nagira and nodded. Tobias groaned, Rasputin chuckled, Nagira looked confused, and Amon scowled went a little deeper.
Juliano sighed heavily for the umpteenth time this past week. Not only had he lost the best of his embarrassing people, due to the miss calculations of the amount of craft in one family, but the heiress they were trying to keep quiet had resurfaced.. Not only did she claim her estates, now making it impossible for Solomon to collect, at least for a while anyway. But she gained more footing than Luccina had ever accomplished. Something in the way Anna had taken out the torturers left a mark that could not be washed clean.
.The bodies of the broken four had been claimed by the heiress, and sent to Japan. Her new homestead, it seemed. Jack and Anna Valsoon's bodies had not been killed as they should have been, so the utmost care was takin in their movement. The two children were sent to the coroners in some hospital to be looked over by someone the heiress trusted.
All in all, he was implicated, and he didn't like it. Juliano had reasons for all he did, and it was a shame his only living grandchildren didn't trust him. His grandson should know better, he thought to himself. Robin should know better than stand against Solomon.
"A witch is a witch, and a witch must be hunted." Her sweet voice was laced with something he'd never heard in her before. "That is fine, but now we must define the word 'witch'."
"A witch is someone with great power, who abuses that power to get what they want..." He'd stopped there, she had that look in her eyes. The look that seemed to say 'before you accuse anyone, take a look at yourself'. The very same look her mother had given him countless of times. Juliano knelt before the alter he did not truly belive in, he really should have killed Robin at birth, he thought to himself. He could not fight her then, he would be unable latter. He sighed again, best let someone else take care of them both. Of them all. Juliano's eyes tightened in mock prayer as he could not grasp the reality of what she had said that last conversation they'd had. Even then, she saw more clearly than an old man of so many years. Perhaps he really was going to hell. He thought for just a moment before his mind turned a blind eye, and he continued to plot. Every man has his master, and every dog gets beaten for what wrong the master does. Juliano grinned in his knowing, but never turned his mind to prayer.
Solomon, son of David( the beloved of God), was renowned as the King of Jinn. One wave of his hand, and from his ring, the Jinn would answer and do his bidding without question. As a King of Men, he was known for his wisdom, and tactics in battle. As a husband and lover, he honored the beliefs of his wives, by creating a place of worship for all of them within his city walls.
As in Eden, God spoke unto Solomon. Telling him he may have what he wished of the world that lay at the boy's feet, save one. Princess Basheba. The threat being the Line of Kings was to be broken, and splintered for all time should such a marriage take place. Naturally, being human and a man, such a threat only inspired Solomon to go and see what the fuss was about.
The forbidden marriage must have been a wonder for the world, but also was the destruction that was promised. The last piece of Solomon's reign, The Wailing Wall is the testament of the lesson God did not learn from the 'Eden Incident' when dealing with humans.
An elder priest sat across from the accountant with a more than displeased look on his face. Heavy brows descended over jade green eyes, grown pale with age. The accountant just blinked, as her word on the matter was final, and she had given her it.
"I'm sorry, Father. The heiress has not been proven dead, you have no access to these accounts." She blinked at the priest again, he said nothing, but she knew what he was thinking. The deceased had been his wife, estranged, yes. But still, they were legally married. Unfortunately the pre-nuptial had legal sway. The Father was doomed in this regard, and he had to accept it.
"Has the accounts be accessed?"
"You know I can't answer that." She stood, and offered her hand to the elder man. "I have other clients, you must understand." She did not want to be rude, however, this conversation had taken long enough. The priest sighed, shook the offered hand, and rose to leave. Conveniently leaving out the 'God Bless You' that was his normal parting phrase. Truth be told, Anna and he had never gotten along. So it wasn't surprising that she would be of little help. He had other means of getting what he wanted, they took longer, and involved embarrassing people in tight situations. However they worked, so they he would have to use them.
Anna, the accountant, just sighed and picked up the phone to call her next appointed talk. One she liked very much, actually. Some lawyer by the name of Nagira in Japan, who had been added to the pay roll a few months ago.
"Anna Valsoon, on behalf of the Sena Estates. Mr Nagira was assigned the Lawyer to the Estates......Yes, if I might. Mr Nagira, please find that girl and get her to sign the papers. Thank you." She hung the phone up, and leaned back. Another bright and sunny day in the Caiman. The tide was at a beautiful swell, and her children were screaming with delight as their father showed them the basics at how to fail badly at surfing. Sighing with little resignation, Anna rose from her seat, deciding her work for the day was over. Her children DID need to know the proper balance to catch the most curl, with as little salt sucking as possible anyway.
Sadly, though, Anna never made it to the beach. Her children never got that surfing lesson, and their father would never feel that swell of pride at what fast learners his children were. Just outside the door of her office, Anna had been accosted with chloroform, and awoken sometime latter to the sight of a cold stone room. Bound and gagged to a chair, in perfect view of her husband and children who were in likewise positions. Her heart sank as her husband shook his head, and telepathically told her 'Don't. Come what may. Don't.'
The following hours showed her son and daughter what the inside of their father looked like. Starting with the removal of the skin over EVERY surface of his body. Ending with the removal of his eyes, teeth, tongue, ears and lips. All in all, it took sixteen hours. Still, Anna heeded the last words she heard from her beloved. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Juliano turn his head. Through the power of her craft, she could feel his life force still beating away, not strong, but holding on. Faintly, she knew even if she gave the information they wanted, they would not let her family live. They would be tortured and killed anyway. They were only witches after all.
Her daughter was next. Her beautiful baby girl, only eight years old. Precocious and sharp tongued, her father's pride and joy. Stripped, and left to flail as the five or so big men in charge of extracting information took turns with the child in what ever sexual encounter they had ever wanted in a grown woman. They laughed amongst each other as Anna protested with shrieks against her binds. Her baby girl, though, not once screamed, or cried. Too much like her father, Anna thought as she felt her body go limp. The look in the child's eyes went distant, like her father's did when he was talking with someone in a far distant land. 'It's OK, Momma. I love you. All will be well.' Was the last thought of her baby when her little body gave way to her tormenters, and finally died. Anna looked up to Juliano's impassive face as the men of his employment tossed the lifeless body aside and started on the boy. Jack Jr looked up with her own eyes as if to say 'Bring it'. The men did just that.
Starting with every bone in the ten year old's body, ending with the harvesting of his organs. With sighs, they tossed the boy's body aside and turned to Juliano. When he rose with a shrug, and left the room they turned to her. Anna smiled an evil smile. Inside, Anna was dead, a new being now sat in her place. The Craft had strengthened her resolve to do what was right. Especially after watching what the wrong was capable of. Now, though, with nothing left to live for, SHE was going to do wrong. Very wrong indeed.
Never had she used her power to harm an individual, never until this scene had begun before her. She took every pain each member of her family had received and held it within herself. She waited like a spider, and she had five flies to her web. Her mate's life force still within her mind's eye, she opened the channel that let him speak to the dear ones in their lives. All would know what happened here. All would know what was about to take place, and someone would do something about it.
The first advanced, and pulled her bindings off, tossing her to the floor. She didn't fight, she just waited. When each laughingly left their DNA in her body, she opened her craft upon them, using what they left behind as keys to their minds. Her life force entering theirs, she left the pain they had caused the family of four imprinted forever on their minds. As though all of it had happened to them, all at once. She let an evil grin spread itself across her face as their screams echoed and reverberated around the cold stone room. She saw Juliano run in, and stair down at her as she willed herself to follow her children. The open channel of her husband snapped shut on her and she knew only darkness, then nothing.
Around the world this scene played out in the minds of many. Countless of minds sat their bodies upright in bed and breathing hard with pain, anger and immense sadness. One such person was a golden haired green eyed woman, who until that point was draped across her couch with a book across her chest. The book was now laying on the floor, half way across the room, and she was standing, facing the west. Breathing hard, but no sound issuing from her. Slowly she turned to face the south, then the east, and finally looked to the north where her kitchen was positioned. She was safe, in her apartment, with Amon staring at her. A piece of sushi held up to his open mouth, a look of bewilderment in his eyes.
Her jaw worked but no sound came out. She was trying to tell him the reason for her abrupt awakening, but the realization of what she had been witness too took hold of her mind, and she hit the floor in the fetal position with a loud thud, shaking with sobs that rattled her body. Boots scuffed the clean floor and arms were around her. Amon was calling to her, as other voices entered the room. A deep bass was rumbling to the east, and a low, snide baritone was not helping.
"Relax, Amon." The baritone chimed, "let her get it out of her system, so she doesn't shut down." The arms clinched around her and Amon hissed something.
"Relax, the both of you." The bass murmured. "There, there, child." A hand petted her head lovingly. "I saw it too. I understand, I will tell them both." Amon was ushered to pick her up and lay her in her bed. Which he did without much question.
"What happened?" Amon's voice was sceptical when he returned to Rasputin and Tobias. The latter was helping himself to coffee, and only raised his eyebrows.
"I don't know, I wasn't sleeping." Tobias said snotily. Rasputin rolled his eyes, and shook his head. Young men were always competing for dominance amongst each other.
"Robin and myself, along with a few others, were held as witnesses to what Solomon is capable of when it doesn't get what it wants." He took the coffee from Tobias, as though it was made for him. The younger man did not complain, though, it appeared to Amon that he very much wanted to. "We saw some friends of this Time tortured to death. Or worse. I do not think they all died, but we will have to see. When the Lady wakes, she will decide the best course of action for the House to take." With that, the old one sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. As if it were Tuesday. Amon thought to himself bitterly, and looked to Robin's closed door. Perhaps being alone was not the best thing for her right this moment.
Before he could make a move in any direction, a knock sounded happily on the door. Tobias, just as happily answered it with a grunt, and stood aside. Eyeing Amon and the new comer in suspicion.
"Hey, little Brother." Nagira lifted a manilla envelope as a gesture of greeting. "Looks like a party or something...where's the lady of the hour?" Amon's eyes darkened and narrowed.
"Lady of the hour indeed." Rasputin murmured from his place on the couch. "Resting, for now. What can he do for you?" He jerked his head in Amon's direction, causing the young man's brows to knit further.
"Robin's accountant called yesterday, needing Robin to sign these papers." Nagira tossed the envelope onto the table, his instincts picking up on something. Who were these people again? He eyed the young one he didn't know. "I came by last night, but no one was home." All this had caught the attention of the old man on the couch.
"Amon, I do believe we should get her up for this. You would do the honors, won't you?" Rasputin noted the look on Amon's face. "No rush though, I would not want to push her." He turned back to the TV, as if to say it was entirely up to Amon, who did not feel comfortable with that idea. Nodding though, he entered her room, and disappeared behind the door.
"Robin," He began softly as he took hold of her shoulder, and squeezed gently. "Robin, Nagira's here." She likes Nagira, who can always get her to smile. Wouldn't that help what ever pain she's in.? The look she turned on him said no, that one would not be sufficient. Her eyes were full of pain and heart ache, a look that he understood all too well. That was the look he carried after he'd lost his mother. Robin had lost family, and she had shared in their suffering.
"Robin, its important," That wasn't what he meant, but he picked her up and rocked her against his chest. "Your accountant-"
"But Anna's dead." She choked on her tears as she clung to him.
"Would you like me to tell Nagira to go, and leave the papers?"
"No." That was a whisper and a sniffle and she clung tighter for a moment, then climbed out of bed. She clung to Amon's arm as he lead her from the room. The hulking tower of him seemed to block out the memories of the terror that woke her from her nap.
The look Nagira gave her was anything but understanding. He cast an accusing look at Amon, as if, somehow, the state Robin apparently was in was his fault. This did nothing for Amon's mood as he stared his brother down.
"Mrs Valsoon needed you to sign these." Nagira opened the package and sorted the papers out. "Here, here and here." He said nonchalantly. Eying Robin, then her company. She did as requested, after she read through things carefully, and asked the questions she could think of. Which weren't many, not being of the legal mind...or any mind at all at the present.
"Well, business is done, what say we go to dinner?" Nagira looked around at the gloomy faces, not sure he really wanted to spend an evening with a group of grumps, but for Robin's sake? The young woman stared down at her table, that gave a half assed smile up to Amon. Who blinked down at her as if to say, what ever you want. She turned that same smile up to Nagira and nodded. Tobias groaned, Rasputin chuckled, Nagira looked confused, and Amon scowled went a little deeper.
Juliano sighed heavily for the umpteenth time this past week. Not only had he lost the best of his embarrassing people, due to the miss calculations of the amount of craft in one family, but the heiress they were trying to keep quiet had resurfaced.. Not only did she claim her estates, now making it impossible for Solomon to collect, at least for a while anyway. But she gained more footing than Luccina had ever accomplished. Something in the way Anna had taken out the torturers left a mark that could not be washed clean.
.The bodies of the broken four had been claimed by the heiress, and sent to Japan. Her new homestead, it seemed. Jack and Anna Valsoon's bodies had not been killed as they should have been, so the utmost care was takin in their movement. The two children were sent to the coroners in some hospital to be looked over by someone the heiress trusted.
All in all, he was implicated, and he didn't like it. Juliano had reasons for all he did, and it was a shame his only living grandchildren didn't trust him. His grandson should know better, he thought to himself. Robin should know better than stand against Solomon.
"A witch is a witch, and a witch must be hunted." Her sweet voice was laced with something he'd never heard in her before. "That is fine, but now we must define the word 'witch'."
"A witch is someone with great power, who abuses that power to get what they want..." He'd stopped there, she had that look in her eyes. The look that seemed to say 'before you accuse anyone, take a look at yourself'. The very same look her mother had given him countless of times. Juliano knelt before the alter he did not truly belive in, he really should have killed Robin at birth, he thought to himself. He could not fight her then, he would be unable latter. He sighed again, best let someone else take care of them both. Of them all. Juliano's eyes tightened in mock prayer as he could not grasp the reality of what she had said that last conversation they'd had. Even then, she saw more clearly than an old man of so many years. Perhaps he really was going to hell. He thought for just a moment before his mind turned a blind eye, and he continued to plot. Every man has his master, and every dog gets beaten for what wrong the master does. Juliano grinned in his knowing, but never turned his mind to prayer.