The Red Violin

Chapter 21

Part 2

The student spoke again, “So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Max answered almost immediately, “John 16:22.”

Kol spoke, “Kessa don’t move.”

“Keep talking.” Max reported.

The Bejhar that went to check on Rajaf sent Violet back to report. “Oooooo.” She scooted over to Frego; bowed her head to the king. “Sicro found Rajaf unconscious on the floor. He’s coming back around.”

“Violet,” Kol asked. “Can you climb?”

“Yes my king.”

“Go to the bottom, climb back up. As you climb, I want to know everything that is around you. Climb all the way up to Kessa and whatever you do, don’t pull the rope.”

“My king,” she bowed and left.

She yelled up when she had reached the bottom. The climb was pointless. There was nothing. Just a straight shaft. No boards were loose. Not even a ledge big enough for a bird to land on.

Kol looked up. ‘God help us.’ He remembered when Frego and Iram got stuck. “Will you two come over here?” He asked Priest Solomon and his student. “Keep reciting the Bible.” They moved. Kol walked around Max to a door that opened onto a small balcony with a railing around it.

Max stood, joining Kol. “What are you thinking, my king?”

“It may not work.”

“She keeps repeating two messages.” Kol looked at Max. He took a deep breath as he hung his head, whispering “she loves us both and I need to protect you.”

Kol’s voice cracked. “She’s given up?”

Max didn’t answer; he couldn’t. Reading her lips tore his heart out. He was finally able to say, “we have been up here a long time. The night is half over, my king.” He still didn’t raise his head.

Kol whispered in his ear, “what are you not telling me?”

Max only shook his head. Finally he asked, “your plan?”

“It may not work. When Frego was little, he and Iram got stuck up here. She jumped twice from up here. How did she do that?”

“Kessa has always been a woman of many talents.”

“At this point, her muscles are screaming. You know she’s in great pain.” It was all Kol could do not to cry. He walked back into the room. Max was right behind him. “Can we swing the bell toward the back wall? It will hit, prayerfully fall backwards, giving us enough time to cut the ropes and pull her out?”

“We need to pre-cut the ropes. We will have seconds.” Frego answered.

“Are we assuming that one motion of the bell will bring it down?” Violet asked.

“Yes. The housing has been severely damaged.” Max answered.

“We precut the ropes, push the bell and pull her to one of those two corners.” Kol was pointing to his right over the priest and his students head.

“Protect her head.” Max was thinking out loud. “This corner.” He walked to the one closest to him. This has to be perfect.”

“What’s this platform like? Is it strong?” The student asked. “If it will hold, push the bell, drop her down, the bell should land on the corner of the platform.”

“Measure it.” Kol ordered. The Bejhar got to work.

“Sorry, my king. The bell is smaller than the hole.” Max hissed.

“It’s going to fall when we do this.” Kol was thinking. “Only four people need to be up here. Four who are good at.” He trailed off.

Max, Violet, and Frego “us.” Frego pulled Kol’s attention to the group.

“God I pray this is how this works; precut the ropes.” He stopped, “we need another person. Someone to swing the bell.”

“No, we got this, my king. Frego and Violet on the far side, they are the youngest. Can move the fastest. You here. I will push the bell.”

“You can do that and get to your rope?” Kol asked.

“I can my king. I will.”

“There is a rope tied around her waist. It will need cut once the bell clears the hole. The bell will pull her with it.” Violet reminded them.

“I will. I want everyone out of here that doesn’t have a job. Pray that we will be able to walk down the stairs and not have to fly down.” Kol instructed.

Everyone gathered at the gate and prayed.

The group began cutting their chosen rope. They cut til the fibers groaned. Max and Kol put their knives in their mouth. Max stood at the bell, nodding at Frego.

“On three,” Frego spoke. “Cut your rope and run. One, two, THREE!”

Max pushed. Frego and Violet cut their rope. As they stood to run, the bell crashed into the wall. Max cut his rope. Frego ran past him pulling Kessa’s right leg. Violet ran toward Kol pulling Kessa’s right arm. Kol was done. He looked up to see the bell falling backward toward the hole.

“Move!” Frego shouted.

Kol and Max pulled at the same time. Kessa was free of the hole. Kol was struggling to cut the rope around her waist. He hadn’t notice Frego was cutting as well. The bell gave a desperate pull at the rope. Max and Violet laid on Kessa holding her against the pull of the bell. The rope finally broke where Frego was cutting.

The bell vibrated angrily as it hit the ground. Dust bellowed out in every direction. The tower withstood the impact of the crash. Max went down to check the stairs. He shouted back, “we can get out.”

Once everyone was safe outside, Kol cut the ropes off Kessa.

Chapter 20

Part 3

Abraham stood, bowed his head and left.

Once he was out of the room, Kol asked; “do you think he’s telling the truth?”

“What does he have to gain by lying, my king?”

“I trust your judgment over anyone’s. What is your gut reaction to this?”

Kessa didn’t answer him right away. Why couldn’t he accept this as the gift it was and let it go? She said a little prayer that Max, Frego, anyone would show up to redirect his attention. Someone did. His mother.

“Come,” Kol offered when there came a knock at the door. The porter let his mother in.

“Mother.”

She looked that the box and it’s contents displayed all over the floor. “If Clara wasn’t dead, I’d dismiss her. This stuff was to be thrown away.”

“You don’t have to name a stone in her honor in the garden and piss on it,” Kol’s voice was flat. “She did her job. Someone saved this stuff. How may I help you?”

“You’re busy, I can come back.” She turned to leave.

Kol stood, “now is fine.” Kessa moved to get up but Kol motioned for her to stay.

The look on his mother’s face spoke volumes to Kessa. She was not welcomed. “Why don’t you use your father’s study to interact with people? It’s much more official.”

“This part of the library does me just fine.”

“Have you been in your father’s office?”

Kol eyed the box on the floor before he answered her, “yes I had it cleaned out. The priest took a lot of stuff to the temple. There is a good amount in the public section of the library.” He pointed to a massive pile of books, papers, and scrolls in the corner of the room. “I’ve been going through the rest of it as I have time.”

“What about your father’s work?”

“What about it? Why do you think I spend so much time in here? I know nothing. I don’t know why the council was formed. I don’t know why I had to recite an hour’s worth of meaningless words when I was crowned king. What can I change? What has to stay the same for authorities sake?”

“You’ve have certainly made a lot of little changes.”

“Elaborate.”

“I was never allowed to be in the room when your father was with someone.” She pointed at Kessa. “To has just enough food in the kitchen for a week. And he told me that any leftover food that wasn’t used was given to the people at the wall or taken to the market and given away. Scraps fed to the livestock.” She huffed, “People at the wall, your father would have ran them off but you let strangers sleep in the shadow of the wall.”

“I know all about how dad treated the people at the wall. You chose not to rule after dad’s death. You don’t get to sit on the island and judge how things are progressing.”

“Or the lack.”

“Lack?”

Kessa knew by the inflection in his voice he was getting upset.

“It’s about time you got rid of that nasty ring your dad gave you.”

Kol looked at his finger where the ring had always been. “No, lack?”

She smile, “why did you build a new, smaller prison? Two rooms? What is Mecca going to do with two rooms?”

“I didn’t want a prison at all.” Kol looked at Kessa. “It was brought to my attention that we need something.”

His mother huffed, “we had something.”

“The old building is being turned into a shelter for the people at the wall.”

“THE PEOPLE AT THE WALL!” She shouted.

Kol raised an eyebrow and his eyes got large. He stepped over and was almost in her face. “You can disagree with me all you like but you will not yell at me.”

She turned to leave but stopped long enough to look at the box of history again. “Apparently someone didn’t like our parenting choices either.”

After she left, Kol sat on the edge of his large desk. He looked lost. Kessa walked over to him standing directly in front of him. He put a hand on either side of her waist. “God may be leading me down a path that I can’t go down alone. Will you walk with me?” Ecclesiastes 4: 9 – 12

With a gentle finger she lifted his chin, looking deep into his violet eyes. “I will go as far as you will let me.”