Chapter 1 #2
As we approach, I realize this is no ordinary building. It is a church—one that has seen better days. It is a modest structure with a tall steeple pointing towards the gray sky. The windows are busted in, and the door hangs from rusty hinges. The steps are nearly completely rotten.
“Where are we?” I ask in a trembling voice.
“Silence,” Father Knoll snaps.
For the first time since we left on this journey, fear grips me tightly.
My heart hammers painfully in my chest. The scent of wet grass and rotting foliage nearly chokes me.
Darkness begins to cloud the edges of my vision.
I do not know what awaits me inside. We are beyond the monastery walls.
There are no rules here. I am completely at their mercy, and I’m frightened.
As much as I long for my freedom, them casting me out for my transgressions is not an option. They will not simply let me go. I am a ward of the One True Faith—their property. A runaway dog that needs to be reminded of who owns her.
“Please,” I whimper. “I’m—I’m sorry. Mercy, I beg. I’ll be good. Please!”
“Quiet!” Sister Grayvle roars.
Together, my two captors yank open the crumbling church doors and pull me inside the dilapidated structure. Once inside, the two whirl me in front of them. Father Knoll’s eyes are bloodshot. Raindrops glide along the deep grooves of his heavily jowled face.
“Your soul is polluted with sin, Sister Willow. You reek of it,” he spits. “Some time spent in Shadowveil Church should help remind you of your place. You will be remanded here for three days and be given no water, no food—”
His eyes swirl with heat. In one fluid motion, he grips the front of my robe and yanks it off me.
The threads snap easily. The fabric all but disintegrates in his hand.
I scream as he bares my flesh to his lecherous gaze.
A tremble starts in my hands that soon consumes my whole body.
I try to cover myself, but Sister Grayvle holds my hands bound.
“No clothing of any kind,” he continues. “As humble as a beggar, maybe once you are reminded that you are nothing, you will be grateful to me for the life I’ve given you. You should think about that while spending your days and nights begging God for forgiveness.”
Sister Grayvle shoves me back. I stumble on an uneven floorboard and fall against an overturned pew. Her thin lips twist into a haughty grin.
“Whores deserve to be punished,” she sneers.
My chest feels tight as I watch her snatch up my robe and walk towards the open door. Father Knoll stares at me for a moment, his eyes licking over every inch of me. I can see him weighing the decision. Bile races up my throat as he takes one small step forward.
“Father!” Sister Grayvle calls. “Come before it’s dark.”
Father Knoll groans, licking his lips before slinking away.
The danger he presents is still there. I can’t even bring myself to feel relief as the door slams shut.
The light from outside is faint. It bathes the uneven wooden floorboards in pale yellow light.
The ceiling above consists of decorative arches and stained glass.
There’s a chill inside the church that makes me shiver from my place on the floor.
Any thoughts of escape are quickly squashed by the sound of nails being hammered against the door. The light drains as the gaps in the slats are mended by heavy planks of wood. Each slam of the hammer rattles through the barren church. With each nail struck, my punishment becomes all too real.
Sitting in the darkness, I will the stinging in my eyes to dissipate. There has to be another way out of here.
Still, even if I found it, I have no money, no allies.
I am a woman—a naked woman—all alone in the world with no connections.
I may be naive to life outside the monastery, but I am no fool.
It would be ignorant to believe the only people I would run across in the neighboring town would have my best interests at heart.
Even still…I can’t just sit here.
Maybe there is something I can use to set myself free, and that will also double as a weapon. I have to try—at the very least, find something to protect myself in case Father Knoll decides to come back.
With a steady breath, I rise to my feet. This is an older church, like the one on the grounds of Thorncatcher. If I remember correctly, there should be living quarters for a few Sisters and a Blessed Father behind the altar.
In the dark, I have to focus on each step, careful not to trip over a forgotten candlestick or broken board. The last thing I need is to injure myself. The aisle finally begins to taper up towards the altar. Without thinking, I look up and immediately wish I hadn’t.
A scream rips from my lungs at the figure awaiting me at the center of the dais.
A demon—straight from the pits of hell—stares back at me.
A gargoyle is encased in marble. Its large maw is open, showing two rows of extra-sharp teeth.
Its hands end in deadly claws and are extended forward as if to make a grab for me.
Large wings, tipped with two sharp claws, strain from his muscular back.
They fan out behind him as if in mid-flight.
I cannot stay here. Not with that thing present, I’ll take my chances back at Thorncatcher. With a scream still stinging my ears, I turn from the gruesome sight and run towards the door. Throwing myself onto it, I bang my fists against the unyielding wood.
“Let me out! Please!” I scream. “Sister Grayvle! Father Knoll, please! You cannot leave me here! Please. Please!”
The only sound that greets me is that of the hammer. Once it falls silent, my stomach sinks as I hear the carriage door rattle open. A few moments later, there is a crack and the clacking of hooves trotting far away from this church.
I hadn’t realized I was crying until hot moisture splashes on my chest. The scent of dust and smoke fills my lungs.
As my vision blurs, I see my reality for what it is.
I am trapped here. Trapped with a monster who, even if petrified, will find some way to devour me.
Why did I have to be restless? Why did I have to wonder when the others did not?
My life would be so much easier if I were pious like my Sisters. Why would God give me this curious spirit if I was meant to live my life in a cage? What sins could I have committed to be dealt such a punishment?
I begin to sob in earnest, chest rattling cries that make me slink to the floor. Wrapping my arms around myself, the temperature inside begins to plummet. The sound of the rain outside is quiet in comparison to my wails.
There’s a chance I could escape, but where would I go? Another monastery wouldn’t take me in. To be abandoned by the True Faith is to be abandoned by all. That sentiment has never rang more true than it does to me now. I have nothing—I am nothing.
I should be brave like the heroes in my story.
I should have faith like the princess locked inside a tower.
She never lost hope that her rescuer would come save her.
Am I not in a similar predicament as her?
My knight could be on his way to save me right now.
I cannot give in to despair. I will find a way to survive this. Besides, it’s not as if—
The sound is soft at first, the shifting of stones against each other.
I hadn’t heard it over my cries, but as my tears begin to dry, the sound intensifies.
There are sharp cracks that echo down the aisle.
Snaps soon follow in their wake, followed by the loud boom of stones crashing onto the wooden floor.
The ground below me shakes, and my eyes widen as I take in the unholy sight before me.
The gargoyle remains unchained—mouth open, claws extended. However, its stone prison is breaking. Hard marble gives way to gray flesh covered in sparkling scales. White light streams from between the cracks. A scream crowds my throat, but I can’t make a sound.
I’m powerless to do anything but watch as the final crack sends the remaining marble crashing to the ground. Striking blue eyes sear into me, and my scream breaks free.