‘Well, well, well…I see that there is fire left in you yet!’ he said, pulling himself together.
There was no answer.
‘I trust your stay has been unpleasant and damp, though I should think not as unpleasant and as damp as what you are used to!’
A moment of awkwardness passed. The stupid man had missed his sarcasm. ‘Have you nothing to say to your judge and jailer?’
The man’s eyes did not falter but were steady upon Herod. ‘You are not my judge! You have no power over me, for only God is my judge. And as to my jailer, while my body touches the floor of this cell, my spirit soars to heights you shall never know!’
Herod felt a ripple, a little thrill of darkness swoop over his head and he ducked from habit. When he straightened himself again his voice was rattled. ‘John bar Zacharias, I demand that you cleanse my soul so that I too, might see the Kingdom of God! I shall have my guards bring a little Jordan water that you can pour over my head, and we can get it over with.’
To the man on the floor, his need seemed of no moment. ‘To loosen the soul a man must near drown, Herod. Besides, I cannot loosen what is bound to the earth like a snake. The Kingdom is too high; it cannot be reached by one so low as you. Leave me in my misery. You are set apart for wickedness, and to wickedness you shall bend to play your part.’
Herod did not allow this to vex him. He crossed his arms and dug his heels in. ‘And you profess to know my part?’
The Baptiser’s eyes were lustrous with righteous venom. ‘To kill me…that is your part!’ he shouted.
Herod stood stock-still, having come by a sudden perception. This man was no prophet! Otherwise he would have known that he feared the curse of madness too much to kill him…but wait! Killing him had indeed featured in his plan! No, no! He was now more certain than ever! He may not manage to bend him to his will by means of his torturers, but he would break his spirit by passing on the contagion of his madness – by giving this pompous upstart, something to ponder while he sat rotting in his stinking cell!
‘If I were to kill you, what should become of your followers? To whom shall they turn? To that simple man from Nazareth called Jesus?’
The caged ferocity was so immediate that Herod clutched himself for safety,
‘You Impudent! He is a light brighter than mine! He has come to flood the darkness of the land. My followers shall go to Him and they shall leave you in your pit, for He is the Messiah!’
Ah! There it was! The sound of doubt sang in his ears. He had managed, finally, to throw a stone into the workings of that self-righteous mind! He sharpened his tongue. ‘How do you know that this man you speak of is the Messiah? How do you know it for certain?’
‘My angel has seen it!’
Herod laughed, marvellously pleased. ‘Your angel? If your angel is so great as to recognise the Messiah, why does he not help you now? Why does he not remove your chains, and free you from this hell-hole and take you to your heaven?’
The man’s eyes flared. ‘Because, you spawn of iniquity, it is not my time!’
‘Perhaps you cannot die yet, because you have not found the true Messiah!’
The man squinted and opened his mouth, but nothing came.
‘Did you ask him, this man you say is the Messiah, if he is the one? Has he said so himself? Perhaps you were clouded in your judgement? If he is not the awaited one, you have lived a counterfeit life! All your efforts have come to nothing! What will the world tell of it, I wonder? Will they say you missed your boat! That you mistook a simple man, called Jesus, for the Messiah and died in a dungeon like a rat?’
He waited to hear the sound of the crack in his mettle.
‘Well, you will never know I suppose. But if you baptise me, in return I can send a message to your followers with a question from you to this man. That way you can die in peace – or not, as the case may be!’
‘I ask nothing of you!’ the Baptist said. ‘You only wish to know the answer yourself so that in your jealousy you can persecute him as you are persecuting me! But mark well, husband of the devil, he shall be even more loved than I am among the people! Even after you and I are food for worms, shall he be known throughout the world! Go to him, ask him for forgiveness. Throw your sorry soul at his feet. Only he can rid you of what is in you!’
Herod was caught short. ‘What is in me? What do you mean?’
‘It is perfectly visible – the Devil’s wings and Satan’s breath!’
Herod’s composure collapsed. This revelation now made his mockery fade away to nothing and he looked up, hoping to see those wings over his head, but he did not see them. Oh dear! There were two creatures not one? Had he swallowed the Devil, so that it was now living in his guts, flapping about in his heart and creeping through his veins? Could he feel it feasting on his bones? Could he smell the odour of Satan’s decaying breath coming from his mouth? Yes…perhaps he could!