When Darkness Falls

On behalf of King Ferdinand of Bohemia, on the orders of Count Radzig Kobyla, I was
assigned to investigate last night's grievous incident in Skalitz. This report contains the
information and observations I have gathered during the process.

Towards noon, I reached the tavern at the entrance of the town. I had to wait for the doctor
to come from Kuttenberg for the examination of the body. For this reason, I decided to meet
with eyewitnesses at the tavern where the incident took place. The names I learned from old
Runt, the owner of the tavern, were Henry the son of the blacksmith, Pious the lumberjack,
and his apprentice Hans, and the town's priest Rattay. I sent the soldiers under my
command to find them immediately and bring them to me. Arriving at the tavern before the
others, Henry was a very talkative boy. I listened to his observations on the events and
speeches that I had approved by the others later. Below, you’ll find a narration of my
meeting with Henry, written on paper through the notes kept by the clerk who was present
with me.

“Alright Henry, tell me. Who was in the tavern last night and what happened? I want to learn
all the details, including the conversations between you and the others.”
“Of course, my lord. As usual, we met with my friends in the tavern. I had just had two beers
when I realized I was hungry. I decided to order a chicken leg. "
“Son, I asked for details of the conversations and events. I don't care about what you’ve
eaten!”
“Excuse me, my lord, but I think it has something to do with the issue. More precisely,
something that happened at that time...”
“Go ahead.”
“Of course, my lord. I ordered chicken, but it came a little late. Old Runt's daughter Theresa
brought the food. Theresa was extremely beautiful. My friends and I used to come here
every night to see her, to be honest. When she brought the chicken and put it on the table,
our foolish Peter, possibly affected by the fact that he had tossed three beers on an empty
stomach, tried to touch her bottom.”
“Son, you’re leaving the subject again.”
“Sir, just then, Peter got a terrible cramp in his hand and screamed like a little girl.”
“What does this have to do with our topic? God punished Peter for this immoral act, that's
it.”
“My lord, be sure that God left this town! I'm sure of that, after what I saw last night.”
I was intrigued by child's words: "Speak, I'm listening."
“Sir, after this incident, Peter was either upset or scared for some reason, I don't know. My
other friends also went home with him. But I sat down because I just ordered the chicken. It
was when I noticed him...”
“Who?”
“The deceased priest…”
“So, it is. What was he look like? Describe him.”
“My lord he was a young priest, but he had a mature appearance. Although he had a glass
of wine in front of him, he wasn't drinking at all. He seemed more like observing around and
listening to conversations.”
“Which conversation, for instance?”
“At my cross, at the table next to him, the lumberjack Pious and his apprentice Hans were
talking with the priest Rattay. I think he was listening to them. Actually, the tavern was not
very crowded and they were the only ones who disturbed the others by arguing feverishly.
So, after a while, I started to listen to them, as well. Like the young priest, I even participated
in that conversation.”
“Tell me about the conversation. Why do you think that caught the priest's attention?”
“Sir, they were discussing the power and authority of the King and the Pope. Lumberjack
went too far to speak about what matters the Pope and the clergy should have the right to
intervene. Frankly, I felt obliged to get involved because these words made me furious.”
“Is that why they argued with the young priest? Do you think the lumberjack has anything
to do with what happened to the priest Ranuccio?”
“I don't think so, my lord. The lumberjack was always at the table from beginning to end.
Although the debate was heated, it was not at a point where it was violent. The young priest
spoke in very wise words, and even if Pious disagreed, he obviously respected him. The
main tension was between the priest Rattay and the lumberjack, and there seemed to be
other things behind it.”
“Tell me more about their argument, kid. I hope that there was no reason for him to do
anything, as you said…”
“Sir, the lumberjack Pious claimed that the priests exploited the feelings and ignorance of
the common people. He said that confessions and indulgences were against religion and
that the people were deprived of divine knowledge for the continuation of donations to the
church. He even went so far as to say that he had learned how to read, so he could read the
Bible, that he was a better priest than Rattay as a true believer.”
“How was the priest's reaction to this?”
“The priest was very angry with that and he said that the state would collapse without the
clergy; he said it would be a soulless, empty body.”
“Ranuccio said that?”
“No sir, Rattay.”
“I'm asking you about Ranuccio, son.”
“The young priest did not speak at the time, my lord. These are what I've heard before.”
“Boy, you're wasting my time. I am asking you questions about the murdered priest.”
“Excuse me, sir.”
“Alright, go ahead. When did Ranuccio join the conversation?”
“Sir, I think it happened after Pious said there was no need for a church and that the church
is already wherever true Christians exist. Supposedly, even His Holiness the Pope was a
subject of the ruler. He said the state was superior to the church. The ruler got his power
directly from God. I'm not sure, but the other day, the lumberjack said similar things in the
church after Rattay's sermon. What a disrespect to go to the church and swear at God and
God's men...”
“What did Ranuccio say, son?” The boy was very excited. While trying to remember the
conversation from the previous night, he seemed afraid of its destination.
“The young priest joined the conversation after Pious's words and said that the church and
the state had their own fields, their own paths. He said that it was not possible for people
to know everything, therefore they needed the Pope and the Church, who were the deputies
of Jesus. He said that there were revelations that can be proved by reason, and there were
the ones that must be believed even if they cannot be proven. He said that the divine law
transcends the human mind.”
“Well, did Pious get angry with these words?”
“No, my lord, on the contrary, he didn't even answer. He broke into thought. Rattay
continued to speak, drawing strength from the young priest. He said that let alone being
the ruler over the Pope, the ruler's sword actually belonged to the church. He said that the
church used its sword through the ruler. The ruler of the church who did not obey the
orders of His Holiness the Pope was called a tyrant. If necessary, it was an obligation to
kill the tyrant who does not listen to the Pope, he said.”
“It seems he has gone a little further.”
“Interestingly, it was Hans who joined priest Rattay. From the beginning, the apprentice
who shook its head when the lumberjack was speaking seemed to change sides in an
instant. He said that the people should kill the ruler who does not rule according to the
holy scriptures. But contrary to what the priest said, the Pope didn’t have a say here, he
suggested. Everyone was equal both in the sight of God and in society. People could grasp
the Holy scripture for their own reason. He even said that this is why he was baptized again
after reaching adulthood.”
“Did Ranuccio say anything?”
“No, my lord. Pious suddenly got angry and started to scold Hans. He said Hans didn’t
have a mind that could understand the holy scriptures, and the main thing was to believe
and wait for the salvation promised by God. He said that lords should decapitate peasants
like Hans, who rebelled.”
“Back to the topic, son. What did the young priest say?”
“Sir, old Runt came into the conversation, at last. It turns out he has been listening to the
conversation from the beginning. He said it was pointless to fight so much. We all had a
duty in this society. He said we were together for the sake of our common goodness. As
long as the laws that were maintained for us were followed, we might talk about justice and
just rulers. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for so many families to crowd into cities and
stay together as we do now. As we were dependent on the ruler, he was also dependent on
the people and he should rule us fairly. The young priest spoke about what old Runt had
said and then, it happened.”
“What did the priest say?”
“He said that for the common good of all of us, the laws that the old Runt spoke about must
comply with the natural law. Nevertheless, he said, there was eternal law based on the
reason of God above natural law, and man cannot grasp it. So, we may talk about the good
of all of us, but there may be good and evil things that we would not understand. He said
this and then continued, ‘Speaking of evil...’”
“Then?”
“The young priest said that they have received reports of some unusual things happening
around here. He was commissioned directly by Rome and was looking for someone or
some people. He asked if we had witnessed something strange lately. At that moment a
darkness fell upon us. But it wasn’t like the candles go out, the light goes out.”
The boy started to tremble as he explained these. He could barely get the words out,
stammering.
“Darkness fell like a cloud of fog, my lord. I could not see the end of my nose, and I felt the
darkness-like heaviness on me. Suddenly a strange voice came from the young priest. More
precisely, there were loud cracking or smashing sounds following a painful scream, as if
all the tables and chairs in the tavern were falling apart.”
“How so? Where did that voice come from? Was it from Ranuccio?”
“It must be so, my lord. After a while, the darkness dispersed and the light filled inside
again. At that moment we realized ...”
After the boy said these, he began to tremble and cry loudly.
“Alright son, you are dismissed. You had a rough night, go home and rest.”

After Henry left, the others took turns coming. All were telling similar things about the
incident. Thinking they might be of interest, I confirmed the speeches and details with other
eyewitnesses and ordered the clerk to edit the notes. When my interrogation was over, I
went next to the doctor from Kuttenberg to examine the body. Apparently, all the bones of
the young priest Ranuccio had been broken. His body was in a dough-like state, like a heap
of meat. The interesting thing was that the physician said there was no trace of any impact
or bruise on his body. It was as if all his bones were broken from the inside.
After my investigation and the examination of the body, I returned to the tavern and
arrested old Runt. After that bizarre murder, her daughter Theresa disappeared. At the first
light of tomorrow, I will start questioning the owner of the tavern to find out where Theresa
was gone.