Horns and Halos, page 30
The sky overhead was painted in a brilliant blue hue with big, fluffy clouds that were scattered across every visible inch and washed in deep plums, radiant yellows, and soft peach colors. As we walked, the beautiful scenery swiftly turned dark, and not even the dusting of starlight could make the silent marching less unnerving. I couldn’t understand why this feeling of dread kept making an appearance within these walls. Was I that cynical? Had Draki messed with my head?
When we got to the large, metal door that separated the wall from the city, I didn’t know what to expect. One of the knights broke formation, stepped up to the barrier, and knocked loudly on it. A moment later, a small metal hatch was pulled back, revealing a set of distrusting eyes. A seal was presented and the visor was slammed shut. Soon after, the doors were opened.
Pitch stared back from the mouth of the opening. There were countless whispers, but nothing clear could be made out. The many mutterings were eerily pouring out from the black abyss, making me not want to pass the threshold. However, I didn’t have much of a choice. My reluctant feet moved forward as I was carried away by the crowd and one by one we all headed inside.
Once inside, we could see down the left stretch of the corridor that there were many slumped-over shapes that went unnoticed within the sea of black. By the entrance, there were several knights standing guard, and a few red-robed people huddled near the mouth of the door. There were also two women, each holding a large, golden flask, while the men held parchment paper and wide-mouthed ceramic cups. There were more shadows than there was light, and it made seeing what was in the flask or cups near impossible.
“Please step forward one at a time, brothers and sisters. Let us partake in the ritual wine and then you’ll be seated for the Hours of Whispered Prayers,” one of the red-robed men announced.
A female holding a flask stepped forward, poured the fragrant liquid into one of the cups, and the first in line was given a sip before they were quickly escorted to a vacant spot further down the hall.
“Well, this is going to be a long and delightful evening,” Draki grumbled behind me.
I went stiff and didn’t move for a split second.
“The next may come forward.”
A blazing hand was placed on my shoulder, and the devil’s breath played over my ear as he spoke to me in a low tone, “Don’t drink the wine. If you want to live, don’t drink the wine.”
From the lack of astonished looks from those around me, it was safe to say they didn’t see or hear the devil on my shoulder whispering his commands. The question was: would I follow his orders, or would I ignore them? So far, everything he told me not to do didn’t seem so harmful to me. However, none of them had the warnings of death tied to them either.
The cup was presented to me, and there was only a split second to decide. I took a large sip. Instantly, I was taken off to the side and led deeper into the shadowy void. All the while, I held the bitter drink in my mouth and tried to mask the fact that I had yet to swallow what I had taken. I thought, briefly, about spitting it out while we were walking. It was so dark that I doubted the one escorting me would even notice.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind, Draki was suddenly walking at my side and speaking hurriedly. “We don’t have time. Don’t spit it out, they’ll notice and you would have committed a grave sin to them. If you would have just listened to me, we wouldn’t be in this situation.” He sighed then. “They are going to ask you something when you are seated. I’ll have a brief moment to work before it’s too late.” His eyes flashed to the corner and held me as we matched our pace. “Don’t fight me or regret this. It’s the path you chose.”
Within minutes, the robed figure stopped and pointed to the floor. “This will be your spot. Do not move from this area until we gather you. You may deny us telling you to leave, but you cannot go before your time is up. Sit down and say: I come to pray for the defense of this faith city in your holy name.”
I nodded and looked down to the floor. A clawed finger tilted my head just enough for me to look straight forward. A kiss that could swiftly burn a forest to ash stole the wine, my breath, and all of my senses. My limbs tingled, and I felt like I was melting into his touch. A kiss wasn’t enough. I wanted more. However, as Draki pulled away and I slumped to the floor, I remembered to speak—even if it only came out in a half-dazed mumble.
“I come to pray for the defense of this faith city in your holy name.”
“Good. Now recite the Lord’s Prayer and let the Holy Spirit guide you as you guard the city with His words.”
I nodded and started to mutter my chant, and the man quickly went back the way we had come. I bowed my head and closed my eyes as I tried to focus on praying. I had barely finished the first one as instructed before Draki was rudely invading my personal space by standing not even an inch away from my kneeling form.
“Are you honestly going to ignore what just transpired?”
Did he mean the kiss? I was struggling enough with everything else. Did he honestly want me to focus on that? Breathing slowly, I cleared my head and focused on anything but how his lips felt against mine. “I was waiting for you to tell me exactly what happened.” Oh, please be talking about the wine.
His sigh was loud, and he made sure to hit me in the face with his robes as he turned in a huff and gave me some much-needed distance. I slapped the fabric away from me and glowered in the devil’s direction.
“The wine was drugged,” he stated blandly.
“Drugged?” I exclaimed loudly and instantly covered my mouth with my hand. After a quick sweep of the surrounding area, I noticed that there wasn’t a soul present that had taken notice of my outburst. They all just continued to quietly chant to themselves. “Why would they do that?”
He gave an amused chuckle. “Did you honestly think that they have unwavering faith? Do you see what lurks beyond these walls? Do you hear the terrors that scratch at these stones? Do you see the devils that roam the streets? Ha! The Grand Master and his followers all know the dangers that skulk about. They fake their obedience while they send you all off to fight on the front lines, but the reality beyond this wall is too real for most people—so they drug the wine and have everyone sit in a blissful trance.”
“They are trying to comfort those that are praying?”
“Are they, though? Or are they trying to make sure people don’t remember how horrifying it is to pray for the safety of the city after the sun goes down?”
As if on cue, I heard a screeching howl pierce through the night from the other side of the wall. Talons dragged across the metal and a few barking calls echoed beyond the barrier. A shiver raced over my body, leaving goosebumps in its wake as I imagined the horrors that demanded entry into the city.
“I ... I just need to get through tonight.”
Draki held up his hand and narrowed his eyes down the narrow path. “Someone’s coming. Do what you will, but be convincing about it. Nothing good will come to you if they find out you didn’t drink the wine and that you aren’t praying,” he warned.
I didn’t need a second notice. Quickly, I bowed my head and whispered a meaningful prayer. I threw in a quick word for God to guide me through this night. As I did, I stole a look at those that were passing by. It was another robed figure, and he was escorting Elijah. He was seated a few yards away from me and instructed just as I had been earlier. Soon after, the robed individual departed. I frowned as I stared at my friend. He looked awful. He was slumped in on himself and occasionally swayed about in place as he tried to maintain his balance. His usual bright eyes were bloodshot and glazed with a film of fog.
“Is that from the drugs?” I asked.
Draki nodded. “Yes.”
“It’s not right,” I whispered. “They shouldn’t be drugging us.”
“I don’t know why you are so surprised. After all the different places you’ve been to and after all that you’ve seen, why on Earth did you think that this place would be any different?”
“I thought that because devils weren’t ruling over them ... they would be better.”
He chuckled darkly. “Are devils really the issue here or is it humans, my dear?”
I didn’t reply because I really didn’t like the answer that came to mind. I had convinced myself that if I made it to Saint Augustine everything would be better. I could finally settle down, call this place home, and free myself of worry. Instead, I’ve felt watched, paranoid, and judged at every turn. This didn’t feel right. This didn’t feel like the faith city that I had been told about since I was a child. But there had to be some thread of truth to the stories.
There just had to be.
“Hmmm ... seems that I won’t need to convince you any further of how this place is. It looks like we are about to get the most eye-opening show in a moment or two,” Draki informed with a smirk.
Nothing about what he said made me think that something good was to follow that dreadful statement, and—much to my disliking—I was right. Off to my left, one of the hunched-over figures plopped over on their side. As the hood of their robes was removed from their spastic convulsing, I could make out that it was an older male, and his face was sunken in and his skin appeared yellowed. His mouth was agape in silent horror as his rattling breath hitched. For a moment, I stood in pure terror. I wasn’t sure what to do.
As soon as I came back to my senses, I rushed over to the man’s side. Spit covered his gray beard, and his hands grasped at me like it would end his suffering. His voice was strained and sounded like a raspy gasp for air. “H-h-help ...” And with that final word uttered, he died right in front of me. I doubted—for a moment—that any of this was happening. Perhaps some of the drugged wine I held in my mouth had been accidentally swallowed, and the small amount was enough to make me hallucinate.
But his grasp on my garments felt real. His bulging eyes and ghastly expression burned themselves into my memory. No matter how much I tried to deny it, the event had taken place. Swiftly, marching knights came over, checked for the man’s pulse, and then jerked his clenched fist free from my clothing.
“Another one,” one of them said.
“That’s the fourth one tonight.”
“Ah, drat.” The first shook his head and sighed. “Let’s hoist him up over the wall, then.”
I looked at them and tried to mask my wide eyes and my visage that was twisted in shock. I was appalled by what I was hearing. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.
“Hey, you!” The second barked with an angry expression, and he kicked me with his booted foot. “Get back to your spot and pray!”
“Hold up, is she ... is she awake?” The first asked with a worried tone.
Draki was next to my ear, and his voice was full of mirth. “They toss the bodies over the wall so they don’t have to bury them and let the demons on the other side feast on them. Sometimes, they aren’t dead yet. They are holding on to a thread of life but unable to pray, so they have no purpose to the city.”
I was aghast and disgusted. My heart couldn’t take it. I didn’t know who I wanted to hit first, the soldiers for being heartless, Draki for telling me, or the Grand Master for ordering all of this to be done. Or did he even know? If he didn’t, maybe he could stop all of this madness.
“I’m not doing this,” I whispered and got up from the floor and rushed over to Elijah.
“Hey! Hey! Get back here!”
“You can’t do that. Get back to your assigned place!”
From further down the hall I heard more commotion as I hit my knees in front of Elijah. “Wake up. Come on, Elijah. I need you to come to your senses.”
“Good luck with that,” Draki said under his breath.
“We’ve got one that’s awake!” One of the knights bellowed.
The sudden sound of more marching feet thrumming over the stone floor made my heart beat to a frantic melody. “Elijah!” I snapped hoarsely and shook him hard. “Wake up! Wake up! We need to leave!”
“Leave?” he asked, confused.
I felt my heart leap with joy at the sound of his voice. “Yes. Yes, we need to leave. Come on.”
“Wherever you go, I’ll go, Sia,” he slurred.
“Best news I’ve heard all night,” I grunted, pulling him to his feet. He weighed like lead and he had next to no grace.
“Do you see them?”
“See what?”
“All of the people made of light?” he replied in a dreamy tone. Elijah tried to trail with his eyes whatever he was claiming that he could see and spun in place as I struggled to keep both of us from falling over.
“No, I ... don’t see anything that you’re talking about. I do see some very ... upset people coming our way, though.”
He didn’t seem concerned. He only giggled and reached out to something with a grand smile saying, “They’re flying, Sia, with great big wings.”
“Tell them to help fly us to safety,” I grumbled as I tried to get him to follow my lead. It felt like I was trying to get the drunkest person home at the end of a grand party.
“Stop right there!” A knight with a crimson cape ordered.
“I’m not doing this. I want to see the Grand Master.”
Swords were drawn. “By the light, we cannot let you leave your post.”
“You’re ... you’re going to kill me?”
“The protection of the city comes at any cost. We can’t permit the faithful to neglect their duty. You cannot leave your post.”
“So people can fall over dead or from exhaustion, but I can’t leave because I’m still breathing? Get bent and get out of my way.”
“Why do they have swords?” Elijah asked with a loopy expression.
A blade was pointed in my direction. “Return to your post, both of you, and we will overlook this act of disobedience.”
I looked around for Draki, but I didn’t see him. Was he leaving this up to me to handle? “I’m sorry, but I really need to go see the Grand Master, right now.”
“This is your last warning. Return to your post or suffer the consequences.”
“If you would just listen to me—”
“Take them down,” the knight ordered.
“Awww ... the light people left,” Elijah whined.
“Wait!” I screamed.
But it was too late.
A handful of armored soldiers were rushing at us with swords drawn. They had every intention to end our lives for not obeying their orders. They didn’t want to listen to reason. They didn’t want to let us go. It was obedience or death. This isn’t what I thought the faith city was going to be like. This almost felt as bad as the devil-ran villages and towns. Your peace came at a price.
I held up my arm, put my back to the approaching knights, and tried to shield Elijah from the first foe. They never reached us though. A great wind blew through the halls and sent everyone in them flying. All except for Elijah, Draki, and I were untouched by the blow.
“Run, Sia! I’ll buy you some time.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
I could hear Draki’s displeasure at my thanking him, but I didn’t have time to nitpick him over such trivial matters. I needed to focus on getting Elijah and myself to the main exit. Holding up the young man as best I could, we half-ran as we teetered from side to side for the entrance down the corridor.
In no time at all, we were there, and the only ones standing by the opening were the robed people holding the wine and cups. The rest had clearly fled out of fear while others had gone to get more reinforcements.
“They’re bringing more knights. You won’t live to see the daybreak,” a female snarled at me as we hobbled past. She held the golden flask in her hands like it was a weapon as her heated stare stayed fixed on me.
“I just need to make it to the Grand Master,” I mumbled under my breath.
Once we were outside the wall, we heard a commotion by the main gate, and then there was silence. Using every ounce of strength in me, I lugged Elijah along as we headed for the cathedral.
“Looks like you could use a hand.”
The red feathers and dark skin were dead giveaways that it was Kasim. I didn’t know how to feel about seeing him. Was he really going to be helpful, or was he another hurdle we had to jump? I wasn’t fond of the fact that some of my greatest allies presently were devils.
“Don’t look so cross, sweetheart. I’m just here doing Draki a favor. Besides, you were entertaining, and this is giving me a little more fun than usual, so I’m here to help you out.”
“You didn’t hurt anyone, did you?”
His grin disappeared, and his tone got a touch darker. “Let’s get you to the cathedral, right?”
I nodded, and he took Elijah from me and pointed with his chin for me to lead the way. Instantly, I headed back up the path we’d taken down to the wall. I didn’t walk for the building that loomed over the city. I ran toward it.
“I can take you as far as the front doors. After that, you’re on your own,” Kasim informed.
“That’s all I need,” I replied.
Chapter 30:
Confession
It had started to rain along the way. At first, it was only a faint drizzle that made the roads and sidewalks slick. It only took a few moments for the sky to open up and the torrential downpour to soak us to the bone. In the distance, the lights from the cathedral were like beacons in the dead of night. Their yellow glow cast out over the city with the promise of warmth and safety inside. I really hoped that it wouldn’t deceive me.
As promised, once we reached the top of the steps, Kasim handed over the drugged Elijah to me saying, “I’d hurry if I was you. Those knights mean business, and I doubt that it won’t be too long before they scale these steps and try to take you down.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“If you ever want to make a deal, though ...”
“I’ve got enough debt. Thanks.”
He chuckled, placed two fingers by the side of his head, and gave me a lazy salute before he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back down to the awaiting city below. I could hear him whistle an eerie song as he departed. I sighed, resituated Elijah’s weight on my shoulders, and headed through the front doors.
