The Mother of Books
Chapter 9
Black Day - Part Two
Summary: A/H: Mature: Supernatural/Drama: Canon to a point: Bella and Edward are in training in the School of Alexandria when events that would shape history begin to occur. Esme, The High Priestess and Head of the School takes Bella as her student to train to become the next High Priestess, and things go downhill from there.
Disclaimer: Ms. Meyer started it all. I've borrowed her characters, but this storyline is mine.
Please Read: The burning of The Mother of Books is a historical fact. Links available in the files for this group on Facebook dedicated to this story line. There are also pictures of the characters, as I see them, also with in the photos section on the Facebook page, "The Mother of Books". The events described in this work of fiction are based, loosely, around this event. The characters are name for those of Twilight but their methods and actions are from my own imagination alone. Please come join us.
!Warning! This chapter contains major character death. Please remember this is based upon a true occurrence in history. My rendering is nothing compared to the actual event.
~o0o~
The Mother of Books
Chapter 9
Black Day - Part Two
Previously:
Esme was now dead. An end of an era had come violently to a close.
The end of an age of enlightenment was about to close.
Once Laurent knew that Esme was dead, he left one of his followers to make sure her body was further violated, he then turned his attentions toward the school itself, and the Library that lay within its walls.
~o0o~
The guards on the front gate of the School and Temple Complex, left their posts in a futile attempt to save Esme. With that gate left unguarded, Laurent and his followers and many of the surrounding crowd charged onto the Temple complex grounds, hacking down anyone who was unfortunate enough to be standing in their way.
Women.
Children.
Men.
Priests.
Priestesses.
All slaughtered; none were spared.
Most had their heads cut off, the other poor souls that were visible to the invaders were just killed by whatever was close at hand. A handful of Laurent's followers had swords with them that they used to commit the murders but most of the invaders did not have real weapons so rocks, statues, whatever was easiest to grasp in one or two hands was employed in the murders of the inhabitants of the School of Alexandria.
Carlisle stood on the topmost stair to the Library trying to direct the terrified people into the Library and then out one of its hidden back doors. Many of the priests and priestesses did get out through the Temple's secret passageways leading from the Temple complex, but only those who were aware of those hidden passages escaped the carnage within the School and Temple grounds.
Laurent found Carlisle standing outside the Library. There, he murdered Carlisle on the steps into the Great Library of Alexandria. Laurent dragged Carlisle's lifeless body into the Library cut open and bleeding.
Laurent was horrific to see. He was drenched in the blood of all those who'd crossed his path within the School's grounds. Once he was inside the Library, he pulled free the ring of keys Carlisle kept tied to his waist. Once the keys were in his hand, Laurent made his way with purpose to the doors that were kept locked at all times; those that opened into where the rare books were kept. This is where he knew the one scroll/book that contained so much blaspheme about his Master was kept.
He tore that locked section of the library apart searching for those scrolls that make up that book, without any luck. Little did he know that that book was on it's way to the Iron Isle with Bella and Edward. Had he known, he would have hopped aboard the next ship going there and followed them until he got his hands on those scrolls.
In his fury at not finding the scrolls, Laurent set the rare book section on fire, then as he left, he set all the other scrolls and books afire as well, so that as he walked back down the steps out to the courtyard, smoke and flames were billowing from the Library.
Once outside, Laurent surveyed the carnage he'd wrought.
He found what he observed to be good and righteous. Everyone here was a blasphemer and needed to be put down! The priest and priestess were witches, and should be cut down or burned for spewing their foul filth. Their very presence fouled and polluted the air.
Laurent felt absolutely no sorrow for the acts he and his followers committed.
~o0o~
Angela and Alice heard the commotion coming from the court yards and ran to see what was happening.
The first thing Alice saw and realized was that the gates to the School and Temple complex were wide open and screaming people were spilling through them on to the grounds. The second thing she saw was people being hacked to bits or bludgeoned by rocks.
Angela saw the same things but it took longer for her to react. As it was, Alice and she barely escaped the initial onslaught of murdering mad men and women. They ran into the sanctuary for Bast and knelt in prayer to the goddess to be saved from those who were causing the death and mayhem. They heard a crowd of people storming into the temple of Bast, so they got up and ran behind the main statue of Bast and escaped through a hidden doorway there.
Alice had enough presence of mind to know that once they were away from the School's ground, they needed to head for the Daughter of Books. They were hidden there until that night when a couple of donkeys were brought to the back of the smaller Library. Alice and Angela left the city and headed towards the next town that had a temple complex where they took refuge until things calmed down.
From there, and the few other places that survivors escaped to, word spread of the massacre, of the helpless and of the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria.
No one in Egypt knew of the books that Bella and Edward carried with them to the Iron Islands.
~o0o~
Renee had heard the screaming and terrified cries coming from the Temple grounds and ran to see the reason. There she'd witnessed Laurent's cruelty and madness as he hacked a small girl to bits. She could not believe what her eyes were seeing.
Renee called out to Laurent and he came striding towards her. At first she was not afraid of him, but realized the error of her judgment when he raised his arm holding the sword and watched in fixed horror as it descended to rent her body to pieces. Then she remembered nothing of the physical world.
Laurent was well pleased with himself.
Renee was now dead and no one would know of his dalliance with the witch, priestess. She'd been such a fool. He was very glad that his God had seen fit to provide another way into the School and Temple grounds. Before this day was finished everyone of the their so called priests and priestesses, he spat on the ground, would be dead. He spat again, as if a woman was capable to stand between man and God. Only men were able to fulfill that role.
The smell of death filled the air. Columns of acrid smoke rose into the air. Almost as soon as the destruction started, the entire city of Alexandria was aware of what was happening and everyone was filled with fear. The city had been one of peace and harmony before this new religion had come to it. The fear was that if you weren't a member you would be killed and all your property burned and destroyed.
The people that were being attracted to this new faith were not men of peace. It was well know in the city that Laurent was a man of a violent nature and that his intentions toward anything and anyone who did not agree with him would probably die if they didn't convert.
It was a very sad thing that Laurent's attitude would be the dominant one, because the teacher whose life had been devoted to this new religion certainly did not approve, nor did he preach death and destruction. His teaching was one of love and harmony.
~o0o~
Bella and Edward were at sea for three days now with many more to look forward to. Bella and Edward both had a dream that the School was destroyed. They were very sad. Bella knew that both Esme and Carlisle were dead and grief made her cry as Edward held her in his arms. They understood, they'd never be able to go back to Alexandria, and that probably everyone they knew there was dead.
~o0o~
A/N: My undying thanks to my Beta JoanOfArt; buggins74, AnakinsRealMom and NanStew who pre-read for me, and Gabby1017 for her back up on the psychic stuff. Wouldn't be able to do this without you! I have a great team helping me bring this weirdness to you! Go! Team Steel!
