The Rebellion of The Angels, page 8
—Ruth, my dear, these three young girls are lost, they are going to the West; they are looking for a town that has a library.
—Well, there are two or three that have large libraries, according to my memories as a teenager. But ¿where will you spend the night? —The worried owner asked.
—We have no place where to spend the night; we thought maybe we could...
—… Spend the night here, of course —The owner interrupted Youth.
—But this seems to be a hostelry and we do not have money to pay the rent for half a room —Youth explained, and the couple laughed.
—Do not worry, young ladies; the first days of the week we do not usually receive visitors, and if that were the case, we would host them in exchange for nothing. I have always wanted to have children but because of a biological problem I could not, and at least, for a few hours God would have gave me three very beautiful daughters. By the way, the wine—growing businesses are working very well for us; In fact, we distributed it to all the villages and towns closest to the region in the carts that are outside. Both the labourers, who work the fields and the wineries, and the horsemen of the carts, live in the last three cabins divided into different compartments —The owner said.
—¡Maybe you want to try a low-alcoholic drink that takes the cold away! —Her husband said.
—Oh no, thank you, we are afraid to end up in bad shape... —Youth dramatised, pretending to fall to one side, before the shy smile of Experience and the loud laugh of the owner, who at the same time suggested:
—But you will not deny me some sandwiches, right?
—I can also eat for them... —Youth immediately anticipated, before the glance Experience gave her that transmitted something like: "you cannot be so daring”...
—I will prepare them immediately and while you have dinner, I will prepare your beds. There is a room for three next to the corridor on the first floor up the stairs —The lady explained, entering the old kitchen again.
—Do not stand there, sit down —Her husband invited the three young visitors, pointing to a nearby table prepared for four people—. I'll serve you some tiger nut milk —He continued, and from a kind of shelf where several bottles were resting, he took one of them, and three tankards, which he then took to the table where the young women were sitting, and after serving that fresh drink of almonds to the girls, he asked:
—What kind of information are you looking for in the libraries, if we can know? —And while Youth and Rahab sipped their drinks several times, Experience answered:
—They say that in the libraries there is the register of property of the inhabitants of each town, in which people usually leave writings to their descendants...
—Yes, of course —The man said.
—Well, that is what we are looking for. A document that our ancestors left to our names, which describes a few possessions inherited by our mother and us —Experience said, telling a white lie, not to reveal the secret that the three shared, and therefore that the humanity was running a risk—. But if it does not bother you, we do not like to talk about the matter... —
—Oh, of course I understand, the same thing happened to me when I inherited these lands —The man remembered while his wife appeared with a dish carrying a mountain of sandwiches.
—Eat without shame! I will prepare your beds —The lady said, who went to the stairs while her husband said:
—Tomorrow, with the light of dawn, the labourers will leave with the carts to make the weekly distributions. One of them will go to West. If you want, I will tell them to take you to the nearest village.
—Would you do that for us? — Experience asked.
—Of course, maybe he will not leave you exactly where you want, but at least it will save you a few hours of travel.
—Yes, of course, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, thanks for everything —Experience said, at the same time that Youth, without being able to answer because her mouth was completely full, winked her right eye at the man, while Rahab, for the same supportive act, made a gesture with her head.
Shortly after, the man closed the front of the hostelry with a strip and he returned to the bar to finish his calculations, while his wife came down stairs saying:
—Your beds are ready in the first room located on the right of the corridor. It is one that overlooks the meadow whereby... you descended, right? —She asked, and while Experience and Rahab confirmed it with their heads, Youth added a metaphor with the demons...
—It is good to have the meadow in sight. At night I have a recurring dream; the sheep become horrific monsters that are chasing us…
—¡Youth!.... —Experience exclaimed angry, but the owner of the place did not understand the hidden content of the phrase mentioned by Youth, and he laughed once again saying:
—¡What a nice young lady!
—Excuse me, does it bother you if we go to sleep? —Experience asked.
—Oh no, not at all, whenever you like —And the three young women, who had only left some crumbs on the dish and the tankards as empty as the bottle of tiger nut milk, greeted the couple who owned the place and went to their rooms.
—Youth, could you do me the favour of behaving like an adult? — Experience asked her friend, going up the wooden staircase.
—But that would require that I no longer get a smile from people —Youth defended herself, coming to a short corridor that had three doors on each side.
—That will require that you will not be severely punished by the Lord when we return home... —Experience answered, entering through the first door on the right side followed by Rahab and Youth.
The small group arrived at the room covered in wood including its floor, where there was not much: a bunk bed by the window, that after moving the curtain, it allowed to see the thick forest and the meadow to the North; a single bed on one side that at its feet adjoined an old wardrobe, and in front, there was a door that led to an internal bathroom.
With no spirit for anything other than sleeping, Experience and Youth let their guardian angels leave the pockets of their jackets and they set on the window frame, as the curtains were at the sides, while Rahab went to the bathroom.
When she left it, she went to the dunk bed occupying the upper one, while Youth occupied the bathroom and Experience, standing by the window glimpsed, thanks to the light that the moon and the stars gave off, the tops of the trees that moved slightly because of the breeze, and the meadow beyond.
Soon after, Youth left the bathroom and also went to the dunk bed, occupying in this case the one below, while Experience went to the bathroom. After a while, Experience went to bed and, as expected, she found her companions totally asleep.
She leaned over the upper bed and verifying that she was well covered, she patted Rahab's back as if wishing her "good night", since she slept on her side and therefore in front of the window.
Then she did the same with her eternal sister friend, Youth, whom she treated as if she were her daughter. In fact, when she saw that Youth was sleeping on her back and badly covered, she wrapped her up and she gave her a kiss on her forehead, saying:
—I hope you understand my observations over you, that you do not get angry. I only do it so that either in Heaven or on Earth you are a better being ... —after which she, Experience, went to sleep too.
The three of them slept peacefully as they had not slept in a long time, under the penetrating light of the moon and the stars that entered the room thanks to the curtains that were still opened.
Downstairs, in the dining room, no sounds were heard neither. It was assumed that the owners of the hostelry had also gone to their rooms.
The hours passed and the night left fast and silent. Just a few leaves seemed to dream in the top of the trees, thanks to a slight breeze that blew from the West. The birds were conspicuous by their absence, at least during that night
Although by the way, of all those that were part of the animal kingdom, only sheep were shown in abundance in the fields bordering on the South, since in that region the weather was very benign for agriculture and ranching although the first one was more common.
Once the dawn arrived, Experience and Youth were still sleeping when they seemed to be bothered by perhaps a contagious dream... both shook their heads on the pillow as never before, as if something or someone disturbed their rest by stomping the floor maybe, or why not, going down and up the stairs fast...
Then, what disturbed their pleasant sleep seemed to get worse, because as if it were an alarm clock that called them screaming, Experience and Youth straightened up on their beds and looking out the window they agreed on "demons"...
—"Demons", what an odd expression to thank God that gives you a new day —It was heard from the bed above. Rahab had also woken up, while Experience and Youth discovered that their guardian angels were no longer resting on the window frame, but they fluttered near the entrance door, twinkling in red.
—Demons are those who approach, Rahab. Come down, we are leaving —Experience ordered, while she put her boots on like Youth.
Rahab immediately went down and did the same, while Experience and Youth took turns to enter the bathroom and after leaving it, they hid their respective guardian angels in the widest pockets of their jackets so that they would not be discovered neither by the owners of the place nor their workers.
When Rahab left the bathroom, the girls cleaned the room like a whirlwind, and in the same way they went down the stairs until approaching the bar, but when they saw that the door of the hostelry was opened, they did not hesitate to go outside.
—I see you are very early—risers —The tall and robust owner of the hostelry said, who helped his labourers to carry the wine boxes on the backs of the carts.
—Yes, we prefer to advance the most we can accompanied by the light of day —Experience explained, without mentioning the demons so as not to alarm those who were so kind to them.
—I understand, I understand. Well, I will introduce you to Booz, he is going to the West and he will take you to the nearest town, although first he will have to distribute goods in a nearby village.
—Good morning —The long—haired man of great age said, as his two driver companions of the remaining two carts did it too.
—And my husband, who never introduces himself, is called Abel —The owner of the hostelry said, appearing behind the girls—. Could you rest well?
—Yes, of course —Youth answered.
—Booz, if it does not bother you, we can help you load the wine boxes —Experience said.
—No problem —He said gratefully.
Then the girls, hurried by the fact that they knew the demons were coming to that place, get on with it and in a few minutes they loaded all the boxes containing bottles of wine, and after saying goodbye to the couple who owned that hostelry, they went up to the back of the cart and they sat among the boxes of wine while Booz, its driver, greeted:
—Goodbye boss, see you in a few days. Goodbye, lady, have a good day.
—Thanks Booz, the same for you —The owner answered.
Booz got on the cart and took his place as a driver in a comfortable and unique kind of chair with back, he tied the reins of the horses and saying "To the West as always, my friends”, he waved them and the four horses started moving that rustic cart, which suddenly, between the weight of the boxes with wine and the three young passengers, was no longer moving with the same happiness as other occasions... and while they were taking a single road that opened towards the West, the couple who owns the hostelry extended their arms, waving at the young women who, for a few hours, they adopted as daughters, and who returned the gesture from the back of the cart in the distance.
—I hope that the demons do not attack them, they are very good people and I would not forgive myself for having exposed them.
—Do not worry, Experience, the demons will follow our tracks. I do not think they would be interested in knowing where we were but rather where we are now —Youth interrupted, looking at her guardian angel in the pocket of her jacket that rested inside completely red, as a sign that they had not yet moved away from danger.
—At least we could rest a little. I feel renewed. As if I had slept a whole day —Rahab commented.
—Yes, and we must make the most of this trip. We can rest our legs a little more —Experience suggested, finding a gap between the boxes to stretch them.
—We will make up for the time we lost sleeping, necessarily, of course, thanks to this trip —Youth said.
The cart had already disappeared from the view of the hostelry to which it belonged. It was going down a wide soil road, which twisted towards the southwest protected by two other dense forests of oaks and beech trees. Only a few leaves swirled in the road, along with abundant ferns that, much more respectful than those of any other forest that the three young people visited, grew at the foot of the trees keeping their thick roots warm.
—We can breathe easily —Youth said, looking at her pocket—. We have moved away from the demons— She concluded, seeing that her guardian angel was no longer red but transparent, the colour that represented their normal state even in the presence of humans.
The cart advanced through an area where the trees stretched their arms on both sides of the road, like an octopus that extended its tentacles, and so the branches met in the height creating many arches that, like a roof, extended according to the variations of that route that commonly arched towards the Southwest.
The day bloomed cloudy. The skin of the sky was pale blue, as if it was going to rain at any moment. Hours later and with the absence of the sun, that apparently during that day would be absent at work, since the previous day it had been really beautiful and no one could have foreseen that twenty—four hours later the weather would got worse in that way, the cart left behind that path covered by the vegetative roof that the trees on the sides gave, and it continued travelling an uncultivated area on both sides of the route.
The young women remained silent, carefully observing the sad landscape that the afternoon gave in its first hours, although paying close attention also to the path they left behind, because of their concern for the possible appearance of the demons, although the guardian angels would warn them about the presence of the enemies.
Minutes later they took a road that took them uphill and then it twisted losing sight of the cart, as if it was swallowed by the ground, but soon after, it reappeared, and so on among the constant hills in their way. Until on the other side of the hill the road became less tortuous, where the meadows grew, stretching for miles.
Hours later the heart of the afternoon reached them travelling a very narrow path, delimited by fallow fields as listless as the day. They also continued for miles, until they decreased near a narrow but svelte forest, where evergreens and other deciduous trees such as birches were appreciated.
—There is not much left —Booz shouted, the driver of the cart, who after bordering on the green space from North to Southwest, entered the boundaries of the nearest village, if there were others on that region, stopping the cart some meters away from the first houses built as huts.
The girls left the back of the cart and they approached Booz, who tied the reins of the horses to the thick wooden poles.
—If you want, you can continue along with me, but I am afraid that I am going to take a long time to distribute the goods. I have several more stops before continuing to the village, some in the centre of the village and others in the southern boundaries.
—No, it is okay Booz, you have done enough for us, although maybe you can guide us a little better... —Experience said.
—Tell me…
—Do you know any diversion or shortcut that could take us closer to the nearest town? —Experience asked then.
—I know one that will make you skip a town because it runs in parallel. Continue descending towards the Southwest until you take the road that borders on the mountain range. With a bit of luck, the night will reach you in the region of the abandoned piers. Maybe you can rest there and continue your trip the following day. From there, go down to the South and you will reach the town of Agade.
—I know that town; I will guide us from there —Rahab said
—Good luck then —Booz said.
—The same to you Booz, and thanks for the help —Experience and Youth greeted, while Rahab did the same gesturing with her head.
The young girls went along the edge of the village, going down to the Southwest, as Booz told them, and they entered the adjacent meadows in that direction.
—Rahab, do you really know the town that Boaz mentioned? —Youth asked.
—Of course, it is the first of four on that region.
—The four have libraries? —Experience asked.
—No, only the first two and the last one, which I believe has the largest in the region, which if I remember correctly has three or four floors —Rahab said.
—Then we will ignore the third village —Experience said.
—¡And what if Eyes of Heaven is there!...
—Youth, order the priorities. Finding Eyes of Heaven was important before we found her, because we have no idea what have happened, although not everything is clear, because we do not know in whose hands the Holy Grail is now. But we know that the enemy is looking for her and her father because they know the portal that leads to those hidden paths that lead to the free lands of the South, and if the enemy wants to get there, they may have a reason… That is why we should look in the largest library for any information that corroborates our intuition about whether those paths lead to the Grail or not; and if we do not find anything in the library, you and I must travel those hidden paths even at the risk of losing our lives. We have no other choice, our priority is to find the Grail before the demons, and to hide it from the sight and reach of any being, or it will be the end of man and Satan will have won the war. If we succeed, once we have achieved that, then we can look for Eyes of Heaven, who must take care that no one approaches the region where we hid the Grail. As for you, Rahab, we will not expose you to travel those roads with us; Once you take us to the portal, you will return to the nearest town where, according to the note you left to your father in the castle, he will look for you and find you —Experience explained, a bit nervous and at the same time angry with her friend Youth, who had tried in vain to interrupt Experience during her explanation, in order to complete her sentence.
