Étienne Joubert is a fourteenth-century Templar knight living in New York City, a man who has lost his faith even though his presence in the twenty-first century is surely a miracle. Still, he serves the faithful to the best of his abilities. When a young Catholic woman comes to him worried about her missing fiancé, he becomes entangled in the complicated turf wars of the gods.
“The Many Gods of Manhattan,” under its original title, “The Tale of the Nouveau Templar,” was written for ReDeus: Divine Tales, edited by Robert Greenberger and Aaron Rosenberg. In this shared-world anthology, all the stories are set in a transformed modern world, following the return of every pantheon of gods and goddesses who have ever been worshipped. The neighborhoods of Manhattan have become a crazy quilt of religious affiliations, owing fealty to various deities with traditional roots in Africa, Rome, India, North America, and more. The excerpt below opens the third scene of the story.
The Many Gods of Manhattan
Étienne Joubert frowned at the well-dressed skinny man and the large bare-chested minotaur blocking the sidewalk. They had suddenly stepped in front of him on Mercer Street just as he crossed Spring Street, cutting through Soho on his way back to the Village. No matter how much the world changed, there were always people like this, people who didn’t like what you were doing and would threaten you to get their way. “Tough guys,” the Americans called them. Joubert took a moment to straighten his tunic, calling attention to the cross, then said, “Let me pass.” His voice was graveled by years of yelling over the sounds of battle, and he knew how to maximize the effect. Other pedestrians, previously enjoying the mild summer evening, averted their eyes as they quickly made their way to the far side of the street, dodging an electric car and a group of bicycles. “My friend here,” said the skinny man, as if Joubert hadn't spoken, “he doesn’t like problems. Meaning you, to be clear. But seeing as I’m such a nice guy, I’m gonna give you a chance to make him like you. You know, to not be a problem.” . . .
Divine Tales cover and ReDeus concept copyright Crazy 8 Press. Nouveau Templar cover and text copyright Scott Pearson. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be copied or reproduced without permission.
