"Naranya" by Alexey Pekhov, summary Automatic translate

This book is a dramatic story of fanaticism and mercy set against the brutal backdrop of a religious civil war. Set in 2008, the plot revolves around the moral conflict of a combat officer. The commander is forced to escort a witch condemned to death by the Inquisition, against the dictates of his conscience and simple human gratitude.

This novel is part of the popular "Manticore" series. This story is the second in the series. It seamlessly complements the fictional universe of the original novel, "Under the Sign of the Manticore."

The Order of Return and Unwanted Companions

In the midday heat, Captain Raúl Carlos de Altamirano of the Rifles receives a paper dispatch from a courier. The officer, along with a combined army detachment, is leaving the rebellious southern province. His unit includes well-armed reiters under the command of his trusted friend, Alejandro. The soldiers are mortally tired from the protracted fighting near Corvera. They are overjoyed at the imminent departure for Istremaru and then directly to the capital. The commander’s mood is dampened by one unpleasant demand. The detachment has been assigned to protect three high-ranking inquisitors.

Priests Augusto, Rojos, and Daniel are transporting a dangerous captive. The ecclesiastical court has sentenced this sorceress to be burned at the stake in San Barnabas Square. Alejandro approaches the task with the utmost pragmatism. The cavalry commander prefers not to engage in disputes with the church. Raúl openly displays an antipathy toward the stern clergy. The officer is completely unwilling to volunteer as a cruel jailer.

Late at night, the captain patrols the army guard posts. A condemned woman sits motionless in a cramped wooden cage. A ribbed magical collar around her neck reliably blocks her magical powers. The prisoner is humbly dressed in a long white robe worn by a condemned woman. Raoul sees the captive exhausted by the unbearable heat. He orders the guards to immediately bring a cup of water.

Father Rojos notices what’s happening and approaches the cage. The Inquisitor loudly accuses the captain of aiding insidious demons. He calls the emaciated captive a living embodiment of vice. Raoul calmly retorts these unfounded religious accusations. Without water, the condemned woman will simply die on the dusty road. In that case, the heretic will never live to see official secular retribution. The cleric is forced to yield to iron military logic. The officer pushes a juicy orange through the bars. At that very moment, the commander notices for the first time the abnormal, scalding heat of the prisoner’s skin.

The Road Through the Scorched Lands and the Mystery of Huéscar

Early in the morning, the royal detachment sets out on a long, dangerous journey. The soldiers travel along a rutted, dusty road past abandoned fields. The country is utterly devastated by bloody civil conflict. The followers of the Savior-God mercilessly exterminate the followers of the Savior-Man. Near a dry, shallow stream, scouts discover crucified artillerymen of the Eighteenth Infantry Regiment. Corporals hastily dig shallow graves for the dead. The danger of an enemy ambush increases manifold. The soldiers suffer from the heat and intense thirst. Orderly Jose unsuccessfully persuades the commander to don a protective heavy cuirass. The captain stubbornly ignores basic precautions.

That afternoon, Raúl engages in a confidential, leisurely conversation with Father Augusto. This experienced inquisitor possesses a proven gift for magic. The priest recounts the paradoxical story of a captured prisoner. A vast army of barons brutally besieged the wealthy southern city of Huéscar. The townspeople found themselves on the brink of total annihilation. The defenders turned to the heavens in a collective, tearful prayer. A sorceress voluntarily responded to this desperate call. Using powerful magic, she instantly destroyed the enemy siege artillery. This allowed the exhausted garrison to mount a highly successful, bloody sortie.

The captain is genuinely shocked by what he has just heard. The woman selflessly saved thousands of true believers. Augusto remains shockingly cold and unyielding in his judgment. According to strict dogma, only initiated clergy can wield legal magic. Any ordinary layman receives the magical, destructive power of the dark Tempter. After their victory, the rescued townspeople treacherously seized the heroine. They immediately and voluntarily handed the sorceress over to the interrogators. The tribunal decreed the public burning of the savior to ensure the cleansing of her tainted soul. Raoul is deeply stunned by the blatant ingratitude of the people.

Ambush at the old mill

A lively theological debate is interrupted by the booming volleys of enemy heavy musketry. The troops fall into a brilliantly planned ambush at the edge of an orange grove. The advance guard, commanded by Corporal Fernando, perishes almost instantly in the crossfire. Raúl loudly orders Alejandro to hold the highway at all costs. Corporal Miguel leads the foot skirmishers to a ruined old mill 550 meters off the main route. Under heavy fire, the captain loses his war steed. The officer furiously engages in brutal close combat. Skillfully using a sharp sword and dagger, he successfully stabs several attacking rebels. Wounded Sergeant Ignacio lobs deadly hand grenades at the attacking enemy infantry.

The surviving marksmen securely entrench themselves behind the mill’s thick clay fence. Outnumbered enemy reserves emerge from the dense greenery. Over eighty heavily armed soldiers methodically attack the positions. The royal detachment’s losses are catastrophic. Nineteen experienced marksmen and eight armored cavalrymen are killed or seriously maimed. The terrified inquisitors take cover behind a barn next to a wooden cage. A stray lead bullet kills Father Augusto in the very first minutes of the encounter. The enemy quickly rolls out three cannons and one massive mortar to favorable firing positions.

A massive barrage quickly destroys all the flimsy defensive cover. Hot buckshot mercilessly maims the defending soldiers. Father Rojos suffers a fatal penetrating chest wound. The captive loudly begs the desperate officers to release her to protect the unit. Raul clearly understands the inevitability of the imminent destruction of the entire unit. An officer forces the terrified Father Daniel to touch the magical collar. The captain sternly threatens the priest with eternal hell for the unjustified mass deaths of his subordinates.

The freed prisoner raises her slender arms high. The expected terrifying demonic invasion does not occur. Three gigantic, translucent silhouettes of mighty wolves emerge from the heated stone wall. The ghostly, hungry predators rush headlong toward the fortified enemy positions. An uncontrollable, animalistic panic erupts within the camp of the rebellious advancing army. Glowing phantoms mercilessly tear their enemies into bloody chunks of flesh. Simultaneously, a huge, unnatural flame erupts in a nearby grove. The magical fire instantly engulfs the enemy’s accurate marksmen. The remnants of the routed infantry cowardly abandon their artillery and flee. The wounded troops are miraculously saved. Father Daniel, with trembling, sweaty fingers, quickly snaps the iron lock around the neck of the heroic victor.

Overnight in Almadén and a life-saving choice

Late in the evening, the remnants of the miraculously surviving unit arrive in quiet Almaden. The rescued, exhausted soldiers soothe their intense stress with strong wine in the courtyard of a large, wealthy house. The soldiers mourn their fallen loyal comrades sincerely and bitterly. Sergeant Ignacio, Private Pablo, and Miguel argue hoarsely about their posthumous fate. The corpulent field surgeon, Jovellanos, frankly admits to his grim commander that he has directly violated orders. The doctor fed the obedient captive a hearty meal as a sign of deep personal gratitude for her rescue. The medic despises the rigid, cruel dogmas of the Inquisition. He openly values the preservation of his own lives far above any fanatical religious prejudices.

The captain quietly approaches the dark city stables. The prisoner is chained, as usual, with a heavy, rusty chain to a solid stone wall. The officer directly asks about the strange reasons for her obedience. The woman possessed strength and could easily have escaped during the bloody massacre by the river. The prisoner finally reveals her full, resonant name. Her name is Naranya Khitana. The brave heroine grew up in a very devout and strict Christian family. She sincerely and wholeheartedly worships the merciful Savior. She has always used her innate dark, destructive gift exclusively to help the sick and suffering.

Naranya stoically and calmly accepts imprisonment as the ultimate test of her spirit. She categorically refuses to harbor any dark anger toward her cowardly fellow countrymen. She considers helping others her most unwavering life principle. The destruction of enemy long-range guns near Huéscar was a completely conscious and kind act. The impending bonfire in the capital greatly frightens the weak prisoner. However, she places her complete and utter trust in divine, supreme justice. Raúl is deeply moved by her radiant inner light and boundless, terrifying readiness for self-sacrifice. The soldier understands the woman’s strange logic perfectly, but firmly refuses to accept the barbaric verdict of a blind court.

Parting of the Ways and the Last Mercy

After four difficult, dusty days, the soldiers and the church part ways. In a small, nameless village, the sole surviving inquisitor and his prisoner turn toward the high walls of the capital. The exhausted remnants of the army must continue the long march to Istremaru. Before their final parting, Daniel promises to fervently atone for Raoul’s unintentional, daring act. The priest completely forgives him for the temporary, illegal removal of his magical shackles. The stern, categorical decision of the church tribunal is irrevocable. Naranje will be mercilessly and unconditionally executed in the square.

Late in the evening, in an empty inn, the captain falls into a deep, somber reverie. The perceptive Alejandro easily detects the profound mental anguish of his old, loyal friend. Raúl openly declares his firm, final decision. He immediately returns to the abandoned, dark village. A heightened sense of justice demands immediate, decisive action. A huge, unpayable debt for saving the lives of his subordinates prevents the officer from abandoning his savior to the executioners. The cavalry commander silently grabs his heavy battle sword. Alejandro voluntarily and without question joins the dangerous night mission.

Under the thick cover of darkness, the saboteurs arrive undetected at the desired sleepy settlement. Armed army patrols are completely absent from the grimy streets. The condemned woman is securely locked in a dilapidated wooden shed. The officers quickly knock out two careless guards, who are fast asleep. Raoul easily and silently opens the heavy padlock with a found iron key.

In a dark, cramped room smelling of dry hay, the captain quietly addresses Naranya. Knocking down the ribbed artifact without the help of a trained mage is absolutely impossible. The fugitive won’t be able to get far with the cavalry. The captive, beaten by the Inquisition’s officers, fervently thanks Raoul as he approaches. She highly appreciates the military’s humane and truly noble attitude. The prisoner tearfully and sincerely begs to be spared a painful, public death in front of a huge crowd. The officer slowly draws a sharp steel dagger. Naranya firmly believes in divine providence. The celestials have graciously taken pity on her, sending a merciful, swift, cold blade instead of a cruel, cleansing fire.

A short time later, Raúl emerges into the fresh night air. Alejandro quickly drags the unconscious bodies of the slain overseers inside the dilapidated building. The captain forcibly smashes a glass portable lantern. Thick, flammable oil generously douses the dry hay. A roaring fire instantly engulfs the confined, cramped space of the old barn. The cavalryman smashes a second oil lamp to be sure. The flames greedily devour the dried-out, rotten logs and spread to the wooden roof. The accomplices quickly flee the deserted village streets before the local peasants awaken. A strong, gusty north wind diligently fans the blaze. The bright, all-consuming fire reliably conceals the traces of the secret, merciful crime of two war-weary veterans.