Chapter Eleven: A Nun's Secret
As I began to stir, the silence was thick and heavy, draped over my senses and me. I opened my eyes and blackness surrounded me and the memory began to flood back. I shut my eyes again and began to wait for the pain of broken bones or fractured ribs to startle me but instead, the silence ensued. I felt around for rubble, broken bricks, anything, but instead, I felt warm and soft surface. Confusion washed over me until my brain decided to inject a specific memory into my vision.
I sat bolt upright and gasped loudly, "Lillith!" My voice was hoarse and my throat dry and it was only then I realized where I was. The Sanctuary. "Lillith?" I whispered, hoping to hear her soft voice through the night. Hoping her reply would shatter the thick heavy blanket of silence that I felt was almost drowning me, but there was no reply, no response. "Lillith?" I tried once again, even though I knew she wouldn't reply.
My mind raced as it slowly dawned on me that Lillith had been innocent through all this, yet I had let her die, that I had stood there and let her die. My heart sunk.
'Look at all the troubles you have gone through, everything you've endured and all because you felt the need to get revenge.' The small voice in the back of my head piped up and I sighed.
'No!' I recoiled, sliding out of bed in rage. 'The Sanctuary is a big place! It's possible she's still alive. Still here!'
I rushed from my room, running through the dark corridors, opening doors, searching for life but there was none. The place was empty. I ran through several corridors and the lights seemed to dim, as if the fire on the walls was slowly falling asleep. I came to a large oak door and lifted my hand to push it but it remained closed. I stared at it. It was thick and heavy and a deep mahogany colour with a large dirty circular handle. I reached for the handle and pushed my shoulder against the door, pushing with all my might as the door began to heave open, slowly but steadily, scraping against the stone floor.
The door opened and I walked into the room beyond and stood there in awe, my eyes wide open and my pupils dilated. It was amazing. I was standing in a brightly lit room, the flames on the walls bathing the room in a golden glow. The ceiling was tall and the walls seemed to arc into a point where a beautiful crystal chandelier cascaded downwards. The room had a center aisle and adorning either side were several rows of mahogany pews, the golden light flickering on their varnished backs. At the end of the aisle there was a large white marble stand on top of a raised platform. On top of the snowy marble lay an old tattered book.
I slowly walked up the aisle, running my hand over the pews. In the corner was a large church organ, its pipes reaching towards the heavens. The walls were made of a dark stone and there were stain-glass windows depicting images of Gods and Heroes, however, they were dull and glimmered in the light cast by the flames. Beyond the stand was a large velvety curtain made from a heavy crimson fabric that draped down from the chandelier, pinned to the wall and following it's arc.
I walked up onto the platform, my bare feet touching the soft carpet beneath and turned to look at the pages of the book, running my fingers down the spine. The pages were crinkled and old, brown with old age. The edges were worn, the writing hand-written and beautiful. Atop the page was scrawled the words, "Rains from Heaven" and beneath it discussed the problems of Meteor Storm, a powerful magic attack used be wizards and monsters alike. On the opposite page were the words, "Hocus Pocus".
I pulled my attention away from the book and looked around again at the magnificent room. I noticed that the curtain was swaying gently in some unseen wind. I walked forwards towards the curtain and reached out to touch them, their softness comforting. I realized that as I was gently touching the curtains, they were moving. There was something behind the curtains. I was slightly nervous as I took a step closer before pulling them apart. The room beyond the curtain was dark and dusty; there was no amorous golden light, no stained glass windows.
In the much smaller room there was a large stone slab, it was a few feet from the floor and several feet lengthwise. My breath was falling short as I stepped closer, my eyes welling up as I staggered, my vision blurring due to the tears. Lying upon the slab was the body of a young woman, her long blonde hair curling and lying wildly around her face, her eyes closed.
I stood before her, her priestess outfit ripped and torn as I leaned forward and ran the back of my fingers over her cheek. The coldness of her face shocked me as my tears fell onto her face. I stood silently, swaying gently as I looked over her body.
'This would never have happened, this is all my fault,' I thought, taking Lillith's hand into my own and gently caressing it.
I leaned forward upon her body, resting my head on her chest and whimpering, clutching at her clothes. I lay there quietly, my head rising and falling in time with her breathing. I stood up with a start and took several steps backwards in shock, shaking slightly. She was breathing! I dashed forwards and grabbed at her arm, shaking it vigorously.
"Lillith!" I called, my voice echoing through the cavernous room behind me. "Lillith!"
"She will not respond," the cruel voice of Sister Nygella called from behind the drapes. I spun round to see Nygella appearing from behind the curtain.
"Nygella! She's breathing!" I almost shouted, still in slight shock.
"I know," Nygella said, taking several steps forward and taking Lillith's hand in her own. Nygella gently pushed the creases out of her clothes and turned her back to me.
"Nygella!" I said, still staring at the limp body before me. "She's freezing, we need to warm her up, keep her alive!"
"No." Nygella replied cruelly, her fingers resting gently on the edge of the stone slab upon which Lillith's body rested.
"What do you mean 'no'? She will die from the cold if you do not make her warm! She will freeze to death! Help save her!" I shouted, my voice getting hysterical.
"She will remain here." Nygella said firmly. Hysteria swarmed through my body like a plague and I stared at Nygella's stubborn shoulders, shock and confusion pounding my senses like waves against cliffs. 'Why isn't she trying to save her?' I thought.
"Do something!" I screamed at Nygella, her back still facing me. "Wrap her in blankets, warm her some, just do something!"
With movements as swift as a cat, Nygella spun and slapped my jaw, pain jilting my nerves as I staggered a few meters, my hand clasping the red mark on my cheek. I looked up to see her eyes filled with anger and her fists clenched.
"I will not save her! She is disloyal and disrespectful and deserves to die and that are my orders!" Nygella hissed at me. Her entire demeanor was different, harsher, and furious. Anger bubbled to the surface again and I bit my lip yet again, staring at Nygella's defiance.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you see you're condemning her to death!" I looked at Nygella for a reaction but there was none.
"I know what I'm doing," she replied bluntly, her voice returning to its emotionless state.
"And since when did the church support the death of innocent beings?" I queried, the possibility that Nygella had lost her sanity finally dawning on me.
"This is nothing to do with the Church," Nygella spat. "This is to do with the fact that that little bitch is a deceitful little traitor and we as a guild have decided to end her life."
"You as a guild?" I arched my eyebrows at Nygella in surprise, my mind still foggy.
"Advocate." Nygella replied softly, the words seemingly dripping with venom. The fact that Nygella was openly telling me that she was a member of Advocate shocked and stunned me. It took several moments to sink in. It just didn't make sense. How and why would a Nun join Advocate? She has no powers to speak of. Nygella had to be lying.
"You're lying." I stated. Nygella lifted her head and sneered at me and with a tear of cloth, she shed her nun's uniform and hat to reveal a Priestess's outfit and long flowing white hair. Without the Nun's attire to hide her age, she looked older than I had originally perceived, she was in her late forties. Upon her left shoulder was the emblem of Advocate, it proud and fresh. With her white hair framing her face and steel blue eyes hardened, there was a distinct familiarity about her.
"How could you.." I stuttered.
"Aww, you're shocked?" She said, mocking me.
"Of course I am!" I said loudly, my voice quivering slightly. "I thought you were my friend!"
"Friend?" Nygella sneered, "Friend? You don't have any friends! Don't you realize Faia, your friends murdered your lover, they brutally murdered Kane. Those were never your friends! You've never had a friend!"
"How dare you speak of-" I began.
"Did I hit a nerve?" Nygella's voice was cold and filled with contempt as she spoke. "Did Faia get upset that I made him remember his ittle woverboy?"
"You're a sick twisted bitch, you know that?" I said slowly, anger riding my nervous system and attempting to counter the confusion, mountains of emotion washing over me. A thought dawned on me. All the memories of me staying in the Sanctuary, the times Nygella cared for me seemed to be demanding attention.
"One thing I don't get," I asked, my eyes hardening, curiosity winning the battle. "Advocate hates me and I've been on a rampage with them, why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?"
Nygella turned away from me and walked around to the pews, lifting a large staff of her own and using it as a walking aid while she walked down the aisle.
"Quite simply," she began, shouting to me. "At the precise moment you arrived here, Lillith deserted Advocate. I was keeping you alive under Alexander's orders because we believed you'd kill her for us, little did we know you'd become bosom buddies again."
"You communicate with Alexander?" I probed. At this, a thin smile spread across Nygella's face and she turned to me.
"Of course, I've known him all his life!" She smirked.
"You have?" I said, stunned that Alexander had never once mentioned Nygella during our travels together.
"Yes I have. I'm his mother." Nygella dragged the last word out for maximum effect, the revelation smashing into me like a hurricane. My mind roared into overload and I instantly recognized the familiarity about Nygella's face. His mother? This solitary nun? Impossible!
Nygella reached the end of the aisle and turned to face me. She smirked, her lips thin and her face pale as she lifted her staff and I felt the power surge in towards her. She brought her staff crashing down into the floor and with a blast of wind exploding from the connection and the extremeness of her magical power; the pews were thrown against the walls shattering into thousands of shards. The force of her energy threw me from my feet and into the air, my body crashing against the stone slab upon which Lillith rested.
"And speaking of Alexander," Nygella shouted over the sound as the center of the stunning cathedral was shattered by her raging power. "He is on his way to deal with you."
I pulled myself to my feet but another surge of Nygella's power reflected off my body and lifted me from my feet like a wave, throwing me against the stonewall behind the large stone slab. I groaned in agony as my body protested, trying to slump against the wall. I forced myself up and Nygella began to walk down the aisle toward me, her magical power still blowing furiously around her like a loyal tornado. As she neared me, her energy pinned me against the wall, the pressure severe as I struggled to breath.
She was meters in front of me before she stopped and smirked at me, her eyes filled with contempt. Yet again, she raised her hand and slapped me cruelly around the jaw, blood slowly running from my mouth down my face as I turned my head back to her, unable to move as her kinetic energy swarmed around and through me like water. She took my face in her hands and squeezed my jaw, leaning forwards and smiling evilly.
"You hear me? My son is actually going to come all the way here to see lowlife like you. You should feel privileged that he is going to kill you with his own bare hands."
I looked at Nygella and forced all the energy I could, the hatred for her son taking control yet again. I laughed in her face.
"See your pond-scum son, the only privilege I shall receive is when he dies and it is my fault. I will enjoy wringing the last breath from his throat with my bare hands. Your child is the spawn of Satan and you are Lucifer's wife." With that, I leaned forward and spat on her face, licking the blood still gently trickling from my lip. I felt the anger in Nygella through her kinetic energy and all of a sudden there was a weakness in her power. Releasing I had a chance, I summoned my own energy, forcing my life force to be manipulated into magic. With a grunt as I pushed my leg forward against the enormous pressure of Nygella's power I kicked her furiously in the stomach knocking her back off her feet causing her power to diminish in surprise. With perfect timing I released every last breath I could muster and allowed my own magical energy to explode from my body, draining my life-force as the sudden blast of power lifted Nygella into the air and threw her across the entire room where she smashed into the door at the back of the cathedral, her head cracking with a horrifying snap.
Yet again, fatigue washed over me and I collapsed onto the floor myself, trying to pull myself up.
"Alexander will be here soon… cannot…" But it was too late; all my life had been thrown from my body as I had summoned the power. Using possibly my last breath, I summoned my Staff, the jewel in the center turning red as I used my power to heat it. I pulled myself up onto the platform where Lillith lay, resting the Staff on her body, the jewel directly over her heart. With a small moan, my legs buckled beneath me and I toppled to the floor, darkness swarming over me like fog, a flash of lightning brightening the sky.