--Book of Shadows: Sanctuary--
Chapter IV
"The evil will of the Devil is the cause of evil will man, especially in witches." –Malleus Maleficarum
Amon and Karasuma slowly approached the abandoned church, stepping over the police tape that now lay crumpled on the dirty ground. As Karasuma walked just ahead of him, Amon paused to glance up at the leaden gray sky, now covered in clouds.
"Amon?" He looked down to see the young woman eyeing him curiously. He nodded slightly, silently telling her there was nothing wrong, then quickly stepped past her and into the church. Karasuma followed him with her eyes, then shrugged Amon's behavior off and stepped into the crumbling building.
The first thing to strike her was the overwhelming scent of blood. The crime scene had been cleared and hastily cleaned, but the acrid smell still lingered. The air itself felt heavy, as if weighted down by the dreadful things that had happened within these walls. She almost didn't need her power to sense the heady emotions swirling around her.
But she crouched down near the floor nevertheless, touching one gloved hand to the cold floor. Immediately, shock waves of feelings and sensations rippled through her, assaulting her senses with anguished screams and fervent prayers. She heard the sharp, echoing sound of running footsteps, which stumbled to a halt. Within her mind's eye, she saw the victim, Alexander Cortez, approach the altar, gazing reverently at the stained-glass rendering of the Virgin Mother and her child. Her vision became awash in blood as he suddenly began to thrash around violently, crying out in pain.
"Well?" Amon intoned expectantly, releasing Karasuma from the gruesome, enthralling picture. She fell back onto the stone floor with a small gasp, holding one hand to her burning forehead. Amon crouched down beside her, his brow furrowed in concern.
"What happened, what did you see?" He asked. Karasuma took a few deep, calming breaths as she pushed the memories from her mind, allowing Amon to help her to her feet.
"An overwhelming, inescapable fear, followed by excruciating pain. He was running from something, being attacked by something, but I couldn't see what." She said quietly, still a bit breathless.
"You couldn't see it?" Amon repeated, puzzled by her words.
"It was. . .an invisible enemy."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Robin smiled softly at Master as he carefully set down a tray of coffee and sandwiches, then watched as Doujima eagerly began sipping the hot drink.
"So," Doujima chirped after she had swallowed. "You gonna tell me what you and Amon were doing, investigating a crime scene at four in the morning?"
"We weren't doing anything," Robin said, blushing. Her voice was quiet, but her eyes sparkled with an inner fire. "We were just looking at the scene." Doujima shrugged her shoulders indifferently at this answer, and went back to drinking her coffee. The two sat in silence this way for a moment, each eying the other over the rim of their cups, until finally, Doujima set hers down.
"Well, he's out looking at it again right now." The woman said lightly. "With Karasuma." She added pointedly.
"So?"
"So, how does that make you feel?" Robin was stunned into another lapse of silence at Doujima's frank question. She didn't know what made her feel the need to play psychiatrist all of a sudden, but it left Robin a little lost. Underneath the table, her hands began to fidget nervously with her napkin.
"They're just doing their job," she intoned firmly, perhaps trying to convince herself of that more than anything. "How should I feel?"
"Oh, nevermind. . ." Doujima sighed, giving it up as a lost cause.
"Doujima. . .how did you know Amon and I had gone out early to investigate?" Robin asked after another moment of awkward silence. Doujima seemed taken aback by the question. Robin guessed the woman hadn't been expecting the interrogation to turn on her.
"That's not really important, is it?" She laughed casually, pushing back her chair and placing some money on the table. "C'mon, we should get back." Robin kept her eye on Doujima, her curiosity stirred, then brushed it off and followed her out the door, bowing slightly to Master as she left.
Chapter IV
"The evil will of the Devil is the cause of evil will man, especially in witches." –Malleus Maleficarum
Amon and Karasuma slowly approached the abandoned church, stepping over the police tape that now lay crumpled on the dirty ground. As Karasuma walked just ahead of him, Amon paused to glance up at the leaden gray sky, now covered in clouds.
"Amon?" He looked down to see the young woman eyeing him curiously. He nodded slightly, silently telling her there was nothing wrong, then quickly stepped past her and into the church. Karasuma followed him with her eyes, then shrugged Amon's behavior off and stepped into the crumbling building.
The first thing to strike her was the overwhelming scent of blood. The crime scene had been cleared and hastily cleaned, but the acrid smell still lingered. The air itself felt heavy, as if weighted down by the dreadful things that had happened within these walls. She almost didn't need her power to sense the heady emotions swirling around her.
But she crouched down near the floor nevertheless, touching one gloved hand to the cold floor. Immediately, shock waves of feelings and sensations rippled through her, assaulting her senses with anguished screams and fervent prayers. She heard the sharp, echoing sound of running footsteps, which stumbled to a halt. Within her mind's eye, she saw the victim, Alexander Cortez, approach the altar, gazing reverently at the stained-glass rendering of the Virgin Mother and her child. Her vision became awash in blood as he suddenly began to thrash around violently, crying out in pain.
"Well?" Amon intoned expectantly, releasing Karasuma from the gruesome, enthralling picture. She fell back onto the stone floor with a small gasp, holding one hand to her burning forehead. Amon crouched down beside her, his brow furrowed in concern.
"What happened, what did you see?" He asked. Karasuma took a few deep, calming breaths as she pushed the memories from her mind, allowing Amon to help her to her feet.
"An overwhelming, inescapable fear, followed by excruciating pain. He was running from something, being attacked by something, but I couldn't see what." She said quietly, still a bit breathless.
"You couldn't see it?" Amon repeated, puzzled by her words.
"It was. . .an invisible enemy."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Robin smiled softly at Master as he carefully set down a tray of coffee and sandwiches, then watched as Doujima eagerly began sipping the hot drink.
"So," Doujima chirped after she had swallowed. "You gonna tell me what you and Amon were doing, investigating a crime scene at four in the morning?"
"We weren't doing anything," Robin said, blushing. Her voice was quiet, but her eyes sparkled with an inner fire. "We were just looking at the scene." Doujima shrugged her shoulders indifferently at this answer, and went back to drinking her coffee. The two sat in silence this way for a moment, each eying the other over the rim of their cups, until finally, Doujima set hers down.
"Well, he's out looking at it again right now." The woman said lightly. "With Karasuma." She added pointedly.
"So?"
"So, how does that make you feel?" Robin was stunned into another lapse of silence at Doujima's frank question. She didn't know what made her feel the need to play psychiatrist all of a sudden, but it left Robin a little lost. Underneath the table, her hands began to fidget nervously with her napkin.
"They're just doing their job," she intoned firmly, perhaps trying to convince herself of that more than anything. "How should I feel?"
"Oh, nevermind. . ." Doujima sighed, giving it up as a lost cause.
"Doujima. . .how did you know Amon and I had gone out early to investigate?" Robin asked after another moment of awkward silence. Doujima seemed taken aback by the question. Robin guessed the woman hadn't been expecting the interrogation to turn on her.
"That's not really important, is it?" She laughed casually, pushing back her chair and placing some money on the table. "C'mon, we should get back." Robin kept her eye on Doujima, her curiosity stirred, then brushed it off and followed her out the door, bowing slightly to Master as she left.