Excerpt from my novel

[demidekidasu]

Excerpt from the novel I am writing after starting it again. It begins in the year 1313 and is a historical-fantasy-mythological tale of warriors, demons, witches, ghosts and other supernatural type stuff.

I have used Christian/european mythology as the source, but I am not a Christian and the tale is not meant to be a Christian one. I just used Christian stuff for the mythology and fantasy.

So yeah, here is an excerpt -

The chapel was large enough to seat all the priory's residents on four rows of sculpted pews. At the northern end of the room, opposite from the entrance, was a raised platform with a great crucifix and a statue of the Holy Virgin kneeling in prayer. Above the statue was a stained-glass window sunk into an alcove close to the pointed ceiling, depicting a scene of St Arianne and the archangel Sariel standing side-by-side. Six round pillars, half-sunk into the walls, held the ceiling up and everything, bar the black mosaic floor, was rendered with pale alabaster and bathed in yellow light from candles scattered all around.

The air was heavy and warm, soaked with the strong aromas of burning frankincense and myrrh and Ysabel could feel sweat collecting on her forehead from the sudden change in conditions. She'd been in here almost all day, praying and preparing her soul for tomorrow, but it felt almost like a strange place now that she was to descend through the undercroft and into the Maiden's Cavern where she would wait to be collected at dawn.

She jolted as the door slammed shut with a loud, echoey bang and the candles flickered with a gust of wind. She became dizzy and a feeling of sickness brewed in her gut, causing her to breathe heavy and her knees to weaken. Never before had she felt so afraid of anything, despite all the years of preparing for this very moment. She wondered if there was some way out, some way to escape or some excuse she could tell Mother Audri. But then it was suddenly impossible, as Mother Audri lowered the iron lock-bar, sealing Ysabel's fate along with the door.

Mother Audri touched Ysabel's back softly and said nothing.

Ysabel nodded, knowing what Mother Audri meant and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her fear was obvious to Mother Audri who nodded back with an understanding smile. Mother Audri had been through this moment many times before with many other girls. She had even been in Ysabel's position once herself, long decades ago on the eve of her own Ordeals, standing in the same spot as Ysabel was right now and wearing the same black gown, trembling and feeling all the same.

'Let's go forth, child,' Mother Audri said gently as she slowly began to move in the direction of the staircase leading down to the chapel's undercroft. Ysabel took one last breath and followed.

The stone steps were narrow and steep, their surface worn away and shiny from centuries of use. Ysabel followed Mother Audri down, hunched over and keeping herself safe with one hand on the wall and another on the ceiling. It was claustrophobic and perilous and the air turned cooler as the bottom came closer.

The undercroft was cold and damp, with dust and cobwebs lining every surface. The ceiling was almost as low as that of the staircase and it was very dark, lit only by a few deformed candles on rotten sconces attached to the thick, stone pillars holding up the chapel above. Ysabel had never been here before, in fact it was rarely used by anyone at all and only really served as a way to the caverns. In years long ago it would probably have been used as a storage room for all sorts of things, with many shelf mountings minus the shelves themselves left nailed to the walls. At the far end was an ancient, wooden door, already opened wide and revealing a tight, rock passageway on the other side.

Mother Audri stopped at the doorway and turned to Ysabel with a serious look on her face. 'Do not wonder from the path I lead. A labyrinth of tunnels lies ahead and you'd be wise to keep close.'

'Yes, Mother Audri. I shall.'

Mother Audri picked a candle from a nearby wall and handed it to Ysabel. 'Hold its base lest the wax burn your fingers. And do not touch a single thing in the tunnels ahead. Everything you see will be sacred and very delicate and ancient. Do you understand?'

'I do, Mother Audri. I shan't touch a thing I see,' Ysabel said as she carefully took hold of the bottom of the candle in her shaking fingers.

'Good. Now, heed my words. If you are to lose sight of me, hold steady and call out my name. I shan’t be far from you.'

'I shall, Mother Audri.'

Mother Audri paused for a moment before shouting into the tunnels, 'two souls come forth!' She smiled and turned to Ysabel. 'Always warn the dead before you enter their place of rest.'

Ysabel laughed nervously.

'Aye, you laugh but I joke not. Remember it and prevent your doom one day.'

A distant voice echoed from deep within the tunnels. 'Two souls...you may advance.'

'The dead?' Ysabel gasped.

'Not as of so far!' Mother Audri laughed. '’Twas Grand Mother Caterine. Let's not delay. Remember to keep close. Call my name and hold still if you lose sight of me. Touch not a thing you see.'

'Yes, Mother Audri.'

With that, Mother Audri passed through the doorway and entered the labyrinth. Ysabel followed.

##############################

'Halt for a moment,' Mother Audri said as they entered a larger area where they could stand upright. The light from their candles just about reached the rocky walls and a cloud of dust lingered in the air. Other than the candles it was pitch-black. Ysabel noticed that a quiet rumbling could be heard.

'Do the dead stir?' asked a frightened Ysabel.

'No, no. The dead do not stir down here, child. I just wanted to teach you of a great hero who rests in this room.'

'Then from where does that great noise hail?' Ysabel asked, trying to see into the blackness.

'It hails from a river that runs through other caverns deep below us. You need not fear the dead down here. They do not stir. All sounds and sights you encounter are of the corporeal.' She smiled and touched Ysabel's cheek who smiled back. 'Come. Follow my lead and promise to not tell Grand Mother Caterine we stopped.'

'I promise it.'

Mother Audri led Ysabel to a smaller area off to the side of the one they were in. There was a stone sarcophagus with gold and gems of all colours adorning its surface. Resting atop the sarcophagus was a strange-looking sword unlike any that Ysabel had ever seen before. Its blade was narrow and slightly curved and the handle had only a small disc for its guard. At the base of the blade were strange markings that might have been lettering but she couldn't read it. There was also no groove or fuller in the blade and there was no pommel to speak of on the handle. Ysabel wondered if the weapon was so old it was made before the usual features of swords were even invented. 'It is the strangest of blades I have ever laid my eyes on,' she said.

'Aye, it is, child. And the same goes for myself. There is no other blade in the world I know of that bears this design.' Mother Audri blew some dust from the side of the sarcophagus to reveal the epitaph. It read:

 

MENG JIANG. ILLA VENIT DE LONGINQUO, ET DÆMONIUM OCCIDIT.


Ysabel translated it and read aloud, 'she came from afar and killed a demon...I know not what the first two words read.'

'That was her name, child: Meng Jiang. The legends tell that she hailed from lands far to the east, from beyond the dragons and the mountains that mark the edge of what's known. A great demon killed her love and so she chased it across the world and slayed it. Alas, the demon slayed her also with its dying wrath and used the last of its powers to destroy her distant kingdom with great waves cast forth from the ocean. This all happened more than one thousand years before the now.'

'I have no words.' Ysabel's eyes were beaming with wonder and amazement. She eyed the sword from top to bottom, taking note of every detail. She couldn't believe what she was looking at. The blade still looked lethal despite how truly ancient it was.

'The tale is one of ancient times and may hold little truth. Such is the way of legends so old.' Mother Audri ushered Ysabel to follow her. 'I'll show you now the greatest hero of all, but you must speak not a word to any soul in all the world. Do you understand?'

'Yes, Mother Audri. I understand.'

'Good. This secret must remain so for all time.'

'Before we head forth,' Ysabel interrupted, 'I have a question.'

'Certainly, child. I will try to answer it.'

'Are those markings an inscription?' Ysabel pointed to the blade. 'It is most curious and strange to my eyes.'

'It might be lettering so, but I cannot say. I suspect neither can others. Forgive me, child. Your curiosity must prevail as this blade hails from a time and a place much different to ours.' Mother Audri smiled. 'Now come,' she said.

 

Because you were awesome enough to read all the way through this, I want to thank you but also ask you to please leave some feedback. Thank you! :smile:

 

[Lisnpuppy]

This was very good demidekidasu. I could see the scene very well in my mind and it seems a very story interesting can develop here. Having a useless history degree and being a sucker for ancient history this type of thing always appeals to me. *Looks around wanting to know more.*

 

The only small, tiny thing I see. So minor that some would not mention is the use of the word "stir." You have it three times very close together. Perhaps another word for one time? It's a picky thing but replacing one could be helpful.

 

Thank you for sharing. I wish you luck and look forward to finding out what happens here. :)

[demidekidasu]

Thank you, Lisnpuppy, very kind of you :)

 

I don't have a history degree myself (I wish I did, that's never useless! :D) but for as long as I can remember I have been interested in the medieval era of the 11th to 15th centuries and self-teach myself everything I can find on the internetz, hehe. I hope to maintain a level of accuracy and authenticity in the story, despite the fantastical elements.

 

The story ultimately incorporates a real historical event of somewhat apocalyptic notions that occurred in Europe (perhaps globally, in fact) between about 1315 to 1325. I won't say too much but I bet you might know of it having a history degree and all :D

 

I will say that there are some very dark moments involved, such as an incubus and organ harvesting and lots of blood and guts in general :P

 

Thank you for pointing out my overuse of the word "stir." I will definitely look to fixing that!

 

How did you feel about the style of language in the dialogue?

[Lisnpuppy]

It seems to me very in place so far. I am not sure what type of research you are doing for the book but reading some materials from that age is something I would recommend. There are many, many examples of more personal writings (letters, dairies, etc) that would assist you in making sure you are using language consistent with the times. Though I am not saying that you have to copy it exactly of course.

 

I don't mind dark at all and in fact I at times enjoy it more. Those times were bloody and very scary. I am always amused when I read at how terrible things are in the world (especially when its the "end of the word" type things) and I think of all I know about these times. "Historical fantasy" is a particular favorite of mine as you may expect.

 

I am not an expert of course, however if you have any questions I would be happy to help you dig out some research materials. The internet is great for finding things but I may have some books laying around that if not directly helpful, could be used to find more by looking at the resources used.

 

Also yes...I think I may know of some important things that happened in those black times. :smile:

[demidekidasu]

My only real source of actual writing from that era is in a couple of books I have with a few official documents from the day, etc. For example, I have one book that has a letter from Master James of St George writing to Edward I of England, telling him how much it is costing to build Harlech castle...That sort of thing. So, yeah, I might be interested in taking you up on that as my own personal source is limited in that area. I might go to the local library or council offices and see if they have anything from the day. LOL it's probably behind land-mines and lazorz and mecha-bots or something though!

 

Would you believe that this story began as a plot for a game I was making in UE3 once? lol...Not a job that one man can realistically do alone, I'll tell you that...Unless you are Notch :P

 

I decided to leave in the "stir" repetitions after a good look and a think. It feels better to me with it that way, sort of like Mother Audri is reassuring Ysabel's concerns directly.

 

Well, anyway, thanks again. I believe I have more-or-less finished the first chapter now. I'm sure I will revise it at some point, but here it is in its current form. WARNING: VERY LONG! 17 PAGES IN STANDARD MANUSCRIPT FORMAT! HOPEFULLY THAT WON'T KILL THE NEXUS OR SOMETHING! :biggrin:

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

 

Friday, the eight of June, in the year of our lord thirteen hundred and thirteen...

 

The crank creaked and groaned as the bucket was lowered into the black. It dunked into the water and the sound echoed its way up to the world where Ysabel stood waiting for a drink. She was feeling thirsty and the well was a good cure for that particular ailment, its lovely and clear waters fed from a spring deep inside the great rock upon which the priory was built.

 

She turned the crank the other way to bring it back up. She'd always struggled with this part; it's easy to drop it down there but not so easy to bring it back up with a pale of water in its hold. Such is the way of things for a short and skinny girl like Ysabel. Not that she would complain, God made her this way and who was she to argue?

 

'In need of help, shorty?' cracked Sister Emeline.

 

'Oh, help yourself,' Ysabel replied with a playful grin. She wasn't really that short, only a little below average. Still, friends always tease.

 

Sister Emeline was one of Ysabel's two best friends here at the Priory of St Arianne, the other being Sister Belle who was sat only an arm's length from Ysabel, playing with her dark, curly hair and precariously balanced on the well's rim with the bottom of her white gown draped over the edge.

 

All the girls and the Mothers at the priory had to wear the same white gown. It wasn't the prettiest of dresses at all, but it was breezy and comfortable and probably the best thing to wear in the summer—especially so here in Aquitaine where the sun beats down like the wrath of God himself. Luckily, the sun had not long-since fallen over the green hills to the west, leaving the priory's cloister to air off the heat of the day as Venus showed herself, shining as pretty as a diamond above the top of the priory's gatehouse.

 

'Mother Audri once taught me of pagan-folk in days long-passed who believed the evening star to be their goddess of love,' Sister Belle suddenly said.

 

'All know of that,' said Ysabel, 'but did she teach of the Milky Way?'

 

'She did to me!' piped Sister Emeline, her blonde hair flickering in a cooling breeze. 'As baby Hercules suckled from his mother's teat, he was pulled loose and milk thus splayed across the heavens.' She smiled and nodded with pride at her recollection.

 

'Not quite as you tell it,' said Ysabel, still turning the crank and pausing for breath. 'It wasn't his mother's teat...His mother was but a mere mortal...The milk was being suckled...from his father's slumbering wife...who was a goddess.'

 

Sister Emeline pretended an angry look for being outsmarted. Ysabel stuck her tongue out.

 

The bucket finally reached the top. Ysabel braced her weight against the bulky cranking contraption and leaned over the drop, her smooth, coppery hair and special gown, which was black and not white like the others, hanging underneath. She grabbed the bucket and pulled it over to the well's rim where all three girls began scooping fresh water into their mouths.

 

Ysabel wiped her face and shook her hands dry, leaving the other two at it. She'd had plenty and didn't want to risk getting her black gown wet as it might bring some earache from Grand Mother Caterine. Or worse, it might interfere with the ritual for all she knew and with her luck it might do just that. Mother Audri would be collecting her soon and her gown might not have chance to dry in time if she did manage to get it wet.

 

The evening was turning cold as the night approached and so were Ysabel's hands and feet. The only thing she wore was the thin, black gown—no footwear, no undergarments, no anything of worth, no anything of anything at all. She shivered a little and rubbed her arms where goose pimples were forming amidst the freckles that covered her sun-kissed skin from head-to-toe. 'It turns cold', she said.

 

'Aye, it does so,' said Sister Emeline as she pushed the bucket back into the well. 'Ysabel...'

 

'No. We mustn't speak of it. I'd rather our gaze returned to the heavens on this oh-so clear night. Let us talk of ancient wonders and legends and myths. I am the one to endure and so I am the one who ought to stay brave.'

 

'...I just meant to tell you of a grotesque spider perching on your shoulder.'

 

Ysabel didn't mind spiders so she grinned, picked it off and then cupped it in her hands. 'Come here, fair maidens! He asks for a kiss!'

 

Sister Emeline and Sister Belle screamed and Ysabel chased both of her friends around the well with the spider in her hands. As all three of the girls were so busy giggling and screaming, they didn't notice Mother Audri emerge from the chapel to collect Ysabel. Mother Audri smiled and let them play for a short while before clapping her hands to get their attention. The girls stopped and their faces turned white. Ysabel gently let the spider onto the floor and watched it scurry away to go and live out its little life. It almost seemed like she was as the spider and she wanted to go and live out her own little life too.

 

'Ysabel...The hour beckons, child,' Mother Audri said with a sympathetic look.

 

'I understand, Mother Audri.'

 

Sister Emeline and Sister Belle rushed to Ysabel and gave her a warm hug, telling her that they love her and that all will be well. Sister Belle promised to have some freshly-picked blackberries—Ysabel's favourite food of all—waiting for her. Ysabel made Sister Belle promise to look after Sister Emeline because she couldn't even pluck a blade of grass by herself. They all laughed through tears and sniffs and they hugged Ysabel as tight as they could. The three of them had been inseparable since infancy and the thought of one of the infamous trio coming to harm was unbearable.

 

Ysabel wiped her big, emerald eyes and put on her bravest face as she walked to Mother Audri's outstretched arms. Mother Audri kissed her head and whispered, 'you shall live yet, my dear girl. Don't fear it's the end for you; it's but the beginning.'

 

####################

 

The chapel was large enough to seat all the priory's residents on four rows of sculpted pews. At the northern end of the room, opposite from the entrance, was a raised platform with a great crucifix and a statue of the Virgin Mary kneeling in prayer. Above the statue was a stained-glass window sunk into an alcove near to the pointed ceiling's apex, depicting a scene of St Arianne and the archangel Sariel standing side-by-side. Six round pillars, half-sunk into the walls, held the ceiling up. Everything, bar the black mosaic floor, was rendered with pale alabaster and bathed in yellow light from candles scattered all around.

 

The air was heavy and warm, soaked with strong aromas of burning frankincense and myrrh and Ysabel could feel sweat collecting on her forehead from the sudden change in heat. She'd visited the chapel every day of her life, but it felt almost like a strange place now that she was to descend through the undercroft and into the Maiden's Cavern and wait there to be collected at dawn.

 

She jolted as the iron-banded oak door slammed shut with a loud, echoey bang and the candles flickered in unison with a gust of wind. She became dizzy and a feeling of sickness brewed in her gut, causing her to breathe heavy and her knees to weaken. Never before had she felt so afraid of anything, despite all the years of preparing for this very moment. She wondered if there was some way out, some way to escape or some excuse she could tell Mother Audri. But then it was suddenly made impossible, as Mother Audri lowered the rusted lock-bar, sealing Ysabel's fate along with the door.

 

Mother Audri touched Ysabel's back softly and said nothing.

 

Ysabel nodded, knowing what Mother Audri meant and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her fear was obvious to Mother Audri who nodded back with an understanding smile. Mother Audri had been through this moment many times before with many other girls. She had even been in Ysabel's position once herself, long decades ago, standing in the same spot as Ysabel was right now and wearing the same black gown, trembling and feeling all the same.

 

'Let's go forth, child,' Mother Audri said gently as she slowly began to move in the direction of the staircase leading down to the chapel's undercroft. Ysabel took one last breath and followed.

 

The stone steps were narrow and steep, their surface worn away and shiny from centuries of use. Ysabel followed Mother Audri down, hunched over and keeping herself safe with one hand on the wall and another on the ceiling. It was claustrophobic and perilous and the air turned cooler as the bottom came closer.

 

The undercroft was cold and damp, with dust and cobwebs lining every surface. The ceiling was almost as low as that of the staircase and it was very dark, lit only by a few deformed candles on rotten sconces attached to the thick, stone pillars holding up the chapel above. Ysabel had never been here before. In fact, it was rarely used by anyone at all and only really served as a way to the caverns. Years ago it would probably have been used as a storage room for all sorts of things, with many shelf mountings, minus the shelves themselves, still nailed to the walls. At the far end of the undercroft was an ancient door, already opened wide and revealing a tight, rocky passage on the other side.

 

Mother Audri stopped at the doorway and turned to Ysabel with a serious look on her face. 'Do not wonder from the path I lead. A labyrinth of tunnels lies ahead and you'd be wise to keep close.'

 

'Yes, Mother Audri.'

 

Mother Audri picked a candle from nearby and handed it to Ysabel. 'Hold its base lest the wax burn your fingers. And do not touch a single thing in the tunnels ahead. Everything you see shall be sacred and very delicate and ancient. Do you understand?'

 

'I do, Mother Audri. I shan't touch a thing I see,' Ysabel said as she carefully took hold of the bottom of the candle with shaky fingers.

 

'Good. Now, heed my words. If you are to lose sight of me, hold steady and call out my name. I shan’t be far from you.'

 

'I shall, Mother Audri.'

 

Mother Audri paused for a moment before shouting into the tunnels, 'two souls come forth!' She smiled and turned to Ysabel. 'Always warn the dead before you enter their place of rest.'

 

Ysabel laughed nervously.

 

'Aye, you laugh but I joke not. Remember it and prevent your doom one day.'

 

A distant voice echoed from deep within the tunnels. 'Two souls...you may advance.'

 

'The dead?' Ysabel gasped.

 

'Not as of so far!' Mother Audri laughed. '’Twas Grand Mother Caterine. Let's not delay. Remember to keep close. Call my name and hold still if you lose sight of me. Touch not a thing you see.'

 

'Yes, Mother Audri.'

 

With that, Mother Audri passed through the doorway and entered the labyrinth. Ysabel followed.

 

####################

 

'Hold for a moment,' Mother Audri said as they entered a larger area where they could stand upright. The light from their candles just about reached the rocky walls and a cloud of dust lingered in the air. Other than the candles it was pitch-black and Ysabel noticed that a quiet rumbling could be heard.

 

'Do the dead stir?' asked a frightened Ysabel.

 

'No, no. The dead do not stir down here, child. I just wanted to teach you of a great hero who rests in this room.'

 

'Then from where does that great noise hail?' Ysabel asked, trying to see into the blackness.

 

'It hails from a river that runs through other caverns deep below us. You need not fear the dead down here. They do not stir. All sounds and sights you encounter are of the corporeal.' She smiled and touched Ysabel's cheek who smiled back. 'Come. Follow my lead and promise to not tell Grand Mother Caterine we stopped.'

 

'I promise it.'

 

Mother Audri led Ysabel to a smaller area off to the side of the one they were in. There was a stone sarcophagus with gold and gems of all colours adorning its surface. Resting atop the sarcophagus was a strange-looking sword unlike any that Ysabel had ever seen before. Its blade was narrow and slightly curved and the handle had only a small disc for its guard. At the base of the blade were strange markings that might have been lettering but she couldn't read it. There was also no groove or fuller in the blade and there was no pommel to speak of on the handle. Ysabel wondered if the weapon was so old it was made before the usual features of swords were even invented. 'It is the strangest of blades I have ever laid my eyes on,' she said.

 

'Aye, it is, child. And the same goes for myself. There is no other blade in the world I know of that bears this design.' Mother Audri blew some dust from the side of the sarcophagus to reveal the epitaph. It read:

 

MENG JIANG. ILLA VENIT DE LONGINQUO, ET DÆMONIUM OCCIDIT.

 

 

Ysabel read aloud, 'she came from afar and killed a demon...I know not what the first two words read.'

'That was her name, child: Meng Jiang. The legends tell that she hailed from lands far to the east, from beyond the dragons and the mountains that mark the edge of what's known. A great demon killed her love and so she chased it across the world and slayed it. Alas, the demon slayed her also with its dying wrath and used the last of its powers to destroy her distant kingdom with great waves cast forth from the ocean. This all happened more than one millennium before the now.'

'I have no words.' Ysabel's eyes were beaming with wonder and amazement. She eyed the sword from top to bottom, taking note of every detail. She couldn't believe what she was looking at. The blade still appeared to be quite lethal, despite how truly ancient it was.

'The tale is one of ancient times and may hold little truth. Such is the way of legends so old.' Mother Audri ushered Ysabel to follow her. 'I'll show you now the greatest hero of all, but you must speak not a word to any soul in all the world. Do you understand?'

'Yes, Mother Audri. I understand.'

'Good. This secret must remain so for all time lest our enemies come to desecrate it.'

'Before we head forth,' Ysabel interrupted, 'I have a question.'

'Certainly, child. I shall try to answer it.'

'Are those markings an inscription?' Ysabel pointed to the blade. 'It is most curious and strange to my eyes.'

'It might be lettering so, but I cannot say. I suspect neither can others. Forgive me, child. Your curiosity must prevail as this blade hails from a time and a place much different to ours.' Mother Audri smiled. 'Now come,' she said.

Mother Audri led Ysabel across the main room and through a short tunnel that opened into yet another room, larger than the one with the strange sword but smaller than the main. This room was mostly bare with no tombs, no sarcophagi and no decorations visible. However, there was a strange-looking stone door with an icon engraved into it—a pair of swords crossed like a crucifix inside a circle.

'I expect you to know of this emblem,' said Mother Audri as she brought her candle closer to it.

'Of course, I know it well.' Ysabel was very familiar with it. It was the symbol of the priory and of the Sisterhood of St Arianne.

'Beyond this door lies our most exalted hero of all.' Mother Audri paused and turned towards Ysabel. 'Here rests the Bloodied Maiden herself.'

'St Arianne!' Ysabel fell to her knees and bowed her head, drawing the sign of the cross as she was overcome with the realisation her patron saint's body was before her.

'You know of her tale, yes? You know of how she was empowered with the archangel Sariel's blessing and her abusers' eyes burned in their sockets and their fingers fell from their hands at the very moment her life was to end?'

'Yes! I know of it!' said Ysabel with tears of awe rolling down her cheeks.

'It pleases me that you listened so well throughout the years of your raising here at our priory. But do you know of what transpired after that day?'

'Our great priory was built and the Sisterhood was founded to honour her divinity!'

'Yes, that is so. However, there is more to the tale than what you know already.' Mother Audri sat on the ground next to Ysabel. 'There are many secrets of which you have not been learned in thus far. Dark secrets, which must remain so for those who have yet to endure the Ordeals of the Bloodied Maiden and join the Sisterhood.'

Ysabel could sense an impending revelation about everything she thought she knew about her world and turned to look into Mother Audri's eyes.

'I tell you this,' said Mother Audri, 'because I look unto you as though you were my own child by blood. I remember the day I found you as a newborn and your true parents perished in flames. From that day until this, despite you knowing otherwise, you behaved as though I was your birth-mother. Whenever something saddened you, it was to me that you ran. And it was to me that you turned with confusion and terror hanging in your eyes on the day you first bled as a woman!' Mother Audri laughed and put her arm around Ysabel in a motherly embrace.

'So,' Mother Audri continued, 'I tell you this and reveal these secrets to you because I believe God meant for me, out of all others in the world, to be your mother.'

Ysabel smiled and rested her head on Mother Audri's shoulder.

'I feel you must know this before you endure the suffering as St Arianne once did, so you may understand why it must be so.'

Ysabel sniffed and wiped the tears from her face.

'The Sisterhood is more than a society of mere priestesses and worshippers, child. Much more. We are an order of Witchslayers and Demonhunters. Yes, child. This is why all your life here at the priory has had you learning the ways of swords and bows and other weapons alike.

'The Ordeals of the Bloodied maiden, which you are to endure at tomorrow's dawn—the morning of the day exactly sixteen years from your birth—shall result in you receiving a divine blessing all of your own from the archangel Sariel. It is called “Sariel's Ward” and it shall protect your heart and your mind from the corrupting forces of the supernatural which you are destined to seek out and destroy when you leave the priory for the world.'

'Leave the priory?' Ysabel said, shocked and horrified.

'It must be so, child. I am sorry for it, but God has a calling for you to answer and you cannot refuse.' She tightened her arm around Ysabel and kissed her head. 'You shall be more sorely missed than any other I have known. I want you to know that and never forget it, for I shall never forget you and I shall go to my grave knowing that I once had a daughter of my own who I loved more than any other in all the world and even though she was not really mine, she loved me also and I was her mother.'

 

Ysabel began to sob as her world shattered. 'I cannot bear it! I shall not leave! All my world is within the confines of the priory!'

'But you must, child. There are many dark evils festering in the shadows and it is your destiny to destroy them and protect the world as others have done since the day of our priory's founding.'

'Please! Do not cast me from my home!' Ysabel pleaded with gushing tears and a running nose.

'Ysabel, child. If it were mine to decide, I would never send you away from my sight. But God commands it so, as do the laws of the Sisterhood and the laws of the priory which were laid down in centuries passed. It is not my place nor yours to rebel, lest the order of things be toppled and the world succumb to darkness. You must bring yourself to bear it and follow the path that lies before you, or all shall be lost. Please, understand it, and strengthen your heart. You may return one day when your body is aged and become a Mother like I.'

Ysabel sobbed and cried as Mother Audri held her as tight as she could, tears forming in her own eyes and rolling down her cheeks. They weren't related by blood but there was a bond between them as strong as that between any mother and her child could ever be. It was painful for the both of them but eventually, Ysabel came to accept it and her crying stopped.

'When am I to leave then?' Ysabel asked, drying her face.

'Two years from the morrow. Before you leave, special knowledges shall be taught to you and you shall have armour and weapons smithed to suit you. Your fighting skills shall be honed so you shall be ready to face all the dangers of the world.'

'And those two years shall be spent amongst my friends and others I know and love?'

'They shall, child. You need not fret that.' Mother Audri kissed Ysabel's head again.

Ysabel stood up and run her hands through her hair, reflecting and absorbing everything she'd just heard. It was a great deal to take in and Ysabel tried her best to understand it. She felt very sick now, more so than earlier and she felt a headache coming.

'It is a heavy burden, child, this I know,' Mother Audri said as she stood up and looked at St Arianne's tomb. 'I can see myself standing where you stand now. It was Mother Aveline who revealed it to me and I felt exactly as you feel.'

'Mother Aveline? I know not of her name.'

'Aye, you wouldn't. She died of a tumour many years ago.' Mother Audri looked towards the ceiling, recalling the past. 'It was she who guided me to my own Ordeals. I was quite the a vagabond in those days, you know.'

 

'You, Mother Audri, a vagabond? I say it isn't so!' Ysabel joked with a smile and a giggle.

'Yes, it is true!' Mother Audri laughed back. 'Oh, girl...if only you'd been around in those days. Ha! I would take to great lengths only for some wine from the cellar.'

'Yes, you would,' said a gravelly voice.

It gave Mother Audri and Ysabel a fright who both gasped and spun around to face it.

'Grand Mother Caterine. Please forgive our intrusion into the tombs,' said Mother Audri. 'You know of the bond between Ysabel and I. I felt it my duty to tell her of what shall come.'

'Yes, yes. I know of it well. I only hope I would find all the relics of these tombs undisturbed if I were to look,' said Grand Mother Caterine.

'Indeed, you would,' said Ysabel with a respectful smile. 'Mother Audri was most kind to reveal this secret world of wonders to me. I had never known of its existence before today, nor had I ever imagined something so.'

'Oh, child, there are greater secrets than this,' said Grand Mother Caterine, her wrinkled face lacking any signs of emotion. 'They too shall be revealed in time.' She pushed a lock of white hair behind her ear. 'Tell me, Mother Audri, have you shown the ancient traveller's strange sword? I'd wager Ysabel to be most curious about such a thing, what with her famous love for the sword.'

'Yes, I did. And she was most curious indeed, asking questions I know not the answer to.'

'How can the blade be balanced?' Ysabel asked, hoping Grand Mother Caterine might know more about it than Mother Audri. 'I see no pommel on its handle nor do I see a groove in its blade, which bears curious markings at the base.'

'Its design is unknown to all of Christendom,' said Grand Mother Caterine, her face breaking a smile. 'No-one has wielded it since the day of its owner's death and so no-one knows of how it swings. It is a very special blade, I can tell you this much as it slayed a demon. Other blades cannot do such a thing. They pass right through a demon's flesh as though it were but air.'

'It is of great wonder to me,' said Ysabel, smiling as she tried to imagine the ancient traveller using it to slay a foul demon in her head. 'I dream that one day I may hold it and ask it to tell me of its mysteries.'

'And you shall not do such a thing!' Grand Mother Caterine snapped. 'That blade is a relic and a cherished one at that, so ancient it pre-dates all we know as the world today.'

'I'm sorry, Grand Mother Caterine,' said Ysabel with a gulp. 'I did not mean I ever would dare to, I just meant to tell of how it interests me so greatly.'

Grand Mother Caterine laughed. 'I know it, child. It interests all of us the same.'

Mother Audri smiled at Ysabel.

'Now, my dear girl,' said Grand Mother Caterine, her face returning to a serious look, 'we can talk of wondrous swords and ancient legends all day, another day. But on this day and this very night, an important moment awaits you.'

'I understand.' Ysabel said. She looked to Mother Audri. 'I am ready to accept my destiny.'

####################

The Maiden's Cavern was the size of a small house and filled with thousands of candles scattered about the floor. A forest of pale-blue stalactites hung from the whole ceiling and glittered quite magically in the light. Running through the cavern, off to one side, was a narrow stream of water that entered from a crack at one end and exited through another crack at the opposite end. In the middle was a simple, wood-framed bed with a straw-stuffed mattress and a dark, cowhide blanket on top. Next to the bed stood a wooden crucifix about the same height as a man with a granite block as its base.

'You stand in the Maiden's Cavern,' said Grand Mother Caterine. 'You shall sleep here for the night and be collected at dawn. I recommend you spend some time in prayer to prepare your soul for the morrow.'

'I shall, Grand Mother Caterine.'

'It is of most importance that you do not, under any circumstance at all, leave this room. That rule cannot be broken. Do you understand?'

'I understand, Grand Mother Caterine. I shan't leave this room and I shan't wonder.'

'I am glad to hear it. Now, my dear girl, I wish you a good night's sleep. God bless you, Ysabel.' She kissed Ysabel's forehead and stroked her cheek, then smiled as Mother Audri did the same.

'Fear not,' said Mother Audri, 'for you shall prevail. The archangel Sariel shall guard you and keep you from death, just as he once did for St Arianne. Have faith and remain strong. Good night, my dearest Ysabel.'

Ysabel was then left alone. She stood still for a moment with her eyes closed and focused on her other senses one at a time, a discipline once taught to her in case she ever finds herself lost in a strange place. She could hear the calming sound of the running water and it made her feel a little tired. The air was not too cold and not too warm—just right. There were no smells in the air at all, not even from the stream which meant it was probably clean and safe to drink if she became thirsty. It was a safe place.

Ysabel opened her eyes and approached the cross. She knelt before it and closed her eyes again. She prayed to God, Christ, the Virgin Mary, the archangel Sariel and St Arianne for a while, asking them all to protect her and guide her. She asked for strength. She asked for her friends and Mother Audri to be watched over and kept from harm if she were to not survive.

After praying, she climbed into the bed and soon fell asleep.

 

[Lisnpuppy]

Interesting. I will read this today!

 

And I only mentioned the "stir" not to take away her words just to replace one of the three "stir" with another word. Like perhaps...

 

 

'Do the dead stir?' asked a frightened Ysabel.

'No, no. The dead do not stir down here, child. I just wanted to teach you of a great hero who rests in this room.'

'Then from where does that great noise hail?' Ysabel asked, trying to see into the blackness.

'It hails from a river that runs through other caverns deep below us. You need not fear the dead down here. They no longer roam free. All sounds and sights you encounter are of the corporeal.' She smiled and touched Ysabel's cheek who smiled back. 'Come. Follow my lead and promise to not tell Grand Mother Caterine we stopped.'

 

 

Your decision and I am sure you know best. Just throwing it out there as it made me blink. Stir may be indeed, the best word though.

[demidekidasu]

Yeah, I'll be revisiting it when I've completed the first draft so we will see how I feel about it then :smile:

 

I do completely understand your point though. Repetition is not a good thing at all(usually :P)!

 

But for now, I want to get on with the story and put it in writing. I've got hundreds of pages to go, ha ha. Currently into the 4th chapter...Chapter 3 was a rough one to write, very gruesome and it made me feel ill at one point lol.

 

Thanks again, your feedback is very valuable to me and most appreciated!

Edited June 15, 2013 by demidekidasu

[Lisnpuppy]

I gave this more a read and I am enjoying it greatly. I have been busy with Father's Day and such but I will come back here after I have gotten some rest and give some additional feedback. But lovely so far! *looks for some demons to slay* :)

[demidekidasu]

Thanks, I really do appreciate it! :smile:

 

Here is a slightly updated version I'd recommend you read instead. I'd post the next couple of chapters but I really don't think the content would be suitable for the forums, haha :P

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE



Friday, the eight of June, in the year of our lord thirteen hundred and thirteen...

The crank creaked and groaned as the bucket lowered into the black. It dunked into the water and the sound echoed its way up to the world where Ysabel stood waiting for a drink. She was feeling thirsty and the well made a good cure for that particular ailment, its lovely and clear waters fed from a spring deep inside the great rock upon which the priory was built.

She turned the crank the other way to bring it back up. She’d always struggled with this part; It’s easy to drop it down there but not so easy to bring it back up with a pale of water in the hold. Such is the way of things for a short and skinny girl like Ysabel. Not that she’d complain, God made her this way and who was she to argue?

“In need of help, shorty?” cracked Sister Emeline.

“Oh, help yourself,” Ysabel replied with a playful grin.

Sister Emeline was one of Ysabel’s two best friends here at the Priory of St Arianne, the other being Sister Belle who sat only an arm’s length from Ysabel, playing with her dark, curly hair and precariously balanced on the well’s rim with the bottom of her white gown draped over the edge.

All the girls and the Mothers at the priory had to wear the same white gown. It wasn’t the prettiest of dresses at all, but breezy and comfortable and probably the best thing to wear in the summer—especially so in Aquitaine where the sun beats down like the wrath of God himself. Luckily, the sun hadn’t long-since fallen over the green hills to the west, leaving the priory’s cloister to air off the heat of the day as Venus showed herself, shining as pretty as a diamond above the top of the priory’s gatehouse.

“Mother Audri once taught me of pagan-folk in days long-passed who thought the evening star their goddess of love,” Sister Belle suddenly said.

“All know of that,” said Ysabel, turning the crank, “but did she teach of the Milky Way?”

“She did to me!” piped Sister Emeline, her blonde hair flickering in a cooling breeze. “As baby Hercules suckled from his mother’s teat, he was pulled loose and milk thus splayed across the heavens.” She smiled and nodded with pride at her recollection.

“Not quite as you tell it,” said Ysabel, pausing and gasping for breath. “’Twasn’t his mother’s teat...His mother was but a mere mortal...The milk was being suckled...from his father’s slumbering wife...who was a goddess.” She resumed turning the crank.

Sister Emeline pretended an angry look for being outsmarted. Ysabel stuck her tongue out.

The bucket finally reached the top. Ysabel braced her weight against the bulky cranking contraption and leaned over the drop, her smooth, coppery hair and special gown—black and not white like the others—hanging underneath. She grabbed the bucket and pulled it over to the well’s rim and all three girls began scooping fresh water into their mouths.

Ysabel wiped her face and shook her hands dry, leaving the other two at it. She’d had plenty and didn’t want to risk getting her black gown wet as it might bring some earache from Grand Mother Caterine. Mother Audri would be collecting her soon and it might not have chance to dry in time. Or worse, it might interfere with the ritual for all she knew and with her luck it might do just that.

The evening was turning cold as the night approached and so were Ysabel’s hands and feet. The only thing she wore was the thin, black gown—no footwear, no undergarments, no anything of worth, no anything of anything at all. She shivered and rubbed her arms where goose pimples were popping up amidst the freckles that covered her sun-kissed skin from head-to-toe. “It turns cold”, she said.

“Aye, it does so,” said Sister Emeline as she pushed the bucket back into the well. “Ysabel...”

“No. We mustn’t speak of it. I’d rather our gaze returned to the heavens on this oh-so clear night. Let us talk of ancient wonders and legends and myths. I am the one to endure and so I am the one who ought to stay brave.”

“...I just meant to tell you of a grotesque spider perching on your shoulder.”

Ysabel didn’t mind spiders so she grinned, picked it off and then cupped it in her hands. “Come here, fair maidens! He asks for a kiss!”

Sister Emeline and Sister Belle screamed and Ysabel chased both her friends around the well with the spider in her hands. As all three of the girls were so busy giggling and screaming, they didn’t notice Mother Audri emerge from the chapel to collect Ysabel. Mother Audri smiled and let them play for a while before clapping her hands for attention. The girls stopped and their faces turned white. Ysabel gently let the spider onto the floor and watched it scurry away to go and live out its little life. It almost seemed like she was as the spider and she wanted to go and live out her own little life too.

“Ysabel...The hour beckons, child,” Mother Audri said with a sympathetic look.

“I understand, Mother Audri.”

Sister Emeline and Sister Belle rushed to Ysabel and gave her a warm hug, telling her that they love her and that all’ll be well. Sister Belle promised to have some freshly-picked blackberries waiting for Ysabel. Ysabel made Sister Belle promise to look after Sister Emeline because she couldn’t even pluck a blade of grass by herself. They all laughed through tears and sniffs and they hugged Ysabel as tight as they could. The three of them had been inseparable since infancy and the thought of one of the infamous trio coming to harm was unbearable.

Ysabel wiped tears from her emerald-green eyes and put on her bravest face as she walked to Mother Audri’s outstretched arms. Mother Audri kissed her head and whispered, “you’ll live yet, my dear girl. Don’t fear it’s the end for you; it’s but the beginning.”

* * * * *

The chapel was big enough to seat all the priory’s residents on four rows of sculpted pews. The northern end, opposite from the entrance, featured a raised platform with a great crucifix and a statue of the Virgin Mary kneeling in prayer. Above the statue a stained-glass window stretched to the pointed ceiling’s apex, depicting a scene of St Arianne and the archangel Sariel standing side-by-side. Six round pillars, half-sunk into the walls, held the ceiling up. Everything bar the black mosaic floor was rendered with pale alabaster and bathed in yellow light from candles scattered all around.

The air felt heavy and warm, soaked with strong aromas of burning frankincense and myrrh and Ysabel could feel sweat collecting on her forehead from the sudden change in heat. She’d visited the chapel every day of her life, but it felt almost like a strange place now that she was to descend through the undercroft and into the Maiden’s Cavern and wait there to be collected at dawn.

She jolted as the oak door slammed shut with a loud, echoey bang and the candles flickered in unison with a gust of wind. She became dizzy and a feeling of sickness brewed in her gut, causing her to breathe heavy and her knees to weaken. Never before had she felt so afraid of anything, despite all the years of preparing for this very moment. She wondered if there was some way out, some way to escape or some excuse she could tell Mother Audri. But then it was suddenly impossible as Mother Audri lowered the rusted lock-bar, sealing Ysabel’s fate along with the door.

Mother Audri touched Ysabel’s back softly and said nothing.

Ysabel nodded, knowing what Mother Audri meant and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her fear was obvious to Mother Audri who nodded back with an understanding smile. Mother Audri had been through this moment many times before with many other girls. She’d even been in Ysabel’s position on the eve of her own sixteenth birthday, long decades ago, standing in the same spot as Ysabel and wearing the same black gown, trembling and feeling all the same.

“Let’s go forth, child,” Mother Audri said gently as she moved in the direction of the staircase leading down to the chapel’s undercroft. Ysabel took one last breath and followed.

The stone steps were narrow and steep, their surface worn away and shiny from centuries of use. Ysabel followed Mother Audri down, hunched over and keeping herself safe with one hand on the wall and another on the ceiling. It was claustrophobic and perilous and the air turned cooler as the bottom came closer.

The undercroft felt cold, with dust and cobwebs lining every surface. The ceiling stooped almost as low as that of the staircase and the room was very dark, lit only by a few deformed candles on rotten sconces attached to the thick pillars holding up the chapel above. Ysabel had never been here before. In fact, it was rarely used by anyone at all and only really served as a way to the caverns. Years ago it would’ve been used as a storage room for all sorts of things, with many shelf mountings, minus the shelves themselves, still nailed to the walls. At the far end of the undercroft was an ancient door, already opened wide and revealing a tight passage on the other side.

Mother Audri stopped at the doorway and turned to Ysabel with a serious look on her face. “Don’t wonder from the path I lead. A labyrinth of tunnels lies ahead and you’d be wise to keep close.”

“Yes, Mother Audri.”

Mother Audri picked a candle from nearby and handed it to Ysabel. “Hold its base lest the wax burn your fingers. And don’t touch a single thing in the tunnels ahead. Everything you see’ll be sacred and very delicate and ancient. Do you understand?”

“I do, Mother Audri. I shan’t touch a thing I see,” Ysabel said as she carefully took hold of the bottom of the candle with shaky fingers.

“Good. Now, heed my words. If you are to lose sight of me, hold steady and call out my name. I shan’t be far from you.”

“I shall, Mother Audri.”

Mother Audri shouted into the tunnels, “two souls come forth!” She smiled and turned to Ysabel. “Always warn the dead before you enter their place of rest.”

Ysabel laughed nervously.

“Aye, you laugh but I joke not. Remember it and prevent your doom one day.”

A distant voice echoed from deep within the tunnels. “Two souls...you may advance.”

“The dead?” Ysabel gasped.

“Not as of so far!” Mother Audri laughed. “’Twas Grand Mother Caterine. Let’s not delay. Remember to keep close. Call my name and hold still if you lose sight of me. Touch not a thing you see.”

“Yes, Mother Audri.”

With that, Mother Audri passed through the doorway and entered the labyrinth. Ysabel followed.

 

* * * * *

 

“Hold,” Mother Audri said as they entered an area large enough to stand upright. The light from their candles just about reached the rocky walls and a cloud of dust lingered in the air. Other than the candles it was pitch-black and Ysabel noticed a quiet rumbling could be heard.

“Do the dead stir?” asked a frightened Ysabel.

“No, no. The dead don’t stir down here, child. I just wanted to teach you of a great hero who rests in this room.”

“Then from where does that great noise hail?” Ysabel asked, trying to see into the blackness.

“It hails from a river that runs through other caverns deep below us. You needn’t fear the dead down here. They don’t stir. All sounds and sights you encounter are of the corporeal.” She smiled and touched Ysabel’s cheek who smiled back. “Come. Follow my lead and promise to not tell Grand Mother Caterine we stopped.”

“I promise it.”

Mother Audri led Ysabel to a smaller area off to the side of the one they were in. There was a stone sarcophagus with gold and gems of all colours adorning its surface. Resting atop the sarcophagus was a strange-looking sword unlike any that Ysabel had ever seen before. Its blade was narrow and slightly curved and the handle had only a small disc for its guard. At the base of the blade were strange markings that might’ve been lettering but she couldn’t read it. There was no groove or fuller in the blade and there was no pommel to speak of on the handle. Ysabel wondered if the weapon was so old it was made before the usual features of swords were even invented. “’Tis the strangest of blades I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” she said.

“Aye, ‘tis, child. And the same for myself. There’s no other blade in the world I know of that bears this look.” Mother Audri blew some dust from the side of the sarcophagus to reveal the epitaph. It read:

MENG JIANG. ILLA VENIT DE LONGINQUO, ET DÆMONIUM OCCIDIT.

Ysabel read aloud, “she came from afar and killed a demon...I know not what the first two words read.”

“’Twas her name, child. Legends tell she hailed from lands far to the east, from beyond the dragons and the mountains that mark the edge of what’s known. A great demon killed her love and so she chased it across the world and slayed it. Alas, the demon slayed her also with its dying wrath. This all happened more than one thousands years before the now.”

“I’ve no words.” Ysabel’s eyes were beaming with wonder and amazement. She eyed the sword from top to bottom, taking note of every detail. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. The blade still appeared quite lethal, despite how truly ancient it was.

“The tale is one of ancient times and may hold little truth. Such is the way of legends so old.” Mother Audri ushered Ysabel to follow her. “I’ll show you now the greatest hero of all, but you mustn’t speak a word to any soul in all the world. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mother Audri. I understand.”

“Good. This secret must remain so for all time lest our enemies come to desecrate it.”

“Before we head forth,” Ysabel interrupted, “I’ve a question.”

“Certainly, child. I’ll try to answer it.”

“Are those markings an inscription?” Ysabel pointed to the blade. “It’s most curious and strange to my eyes.”

“It might be lettering so, but I cannot say. I suspect neither can others. Forgive me, child. Your curiosity must prevail as this blade hails from a time and a place much different to ours.” Mother Audri smiled. “Now come,” she said.

Mother Audri led Ysabel across the main room and through a short tunnel that opened into yet another room, larger than the one with the strange sword but smaller than the main. This room was mostly bare with no sarcophagi and no decorations. However, there was a strange-looking stone door with an icon engraved into it—a pair of swords crossed like a crucifix inside a circle.

“I expect you know of this emblem,” said Mother Audri as she brought her candle closer to it.

“Of course, I know it well.” Ysabel was very familiar with it. It was the symbol of the priory and of the Sisterhood of St Arianne.

“Beyond this door lies our most exalted hero of all.” Mother Audri paused and turned to Ysabel. “Here rests the Bloodied Maiden.”

“St Arianne!” Ysabel fell to her knees and bowed her head, drawing the sign of the cross.

“You know of her tale, yes? You know of how the archangel Sariel’s blessing empowered her and her abusers’ eyes burned in their skulls and their fingers fell from their hands at the moment her life was to end?”

“Yes! I know of it!” said Ysabel with tears of awe rolling down her cheeks.

“It pleases me that you listened so well throughout the years of your raising. But do you know of what transpired after that day?”

“Our great priory was built and the Sisterhood was founded to honour her divinity!”

“Yes, that’s so. However, there’s more to the tale than what you know already.” Mother Audri sat on the ground next to Ysabel. “There are many secrets you’ve not been learned in thus far. Dark secrets, which must remain so for those who’ve yet to endure the Ordeals of the Bloodied Maiden and join the Sisterhood.”

Ysabel could sense an impending revelation about everything she thought she knew about her world and turned to look into Mother Audri’s eyes.

“I tell you this,” said Mother Audri, “because I look unto you as though you were my own. I still remember the day I found you as a newborn. From that day ‘til this, despite you knowing otherwise, you behaved as though I were your birth-mother. When something saddened you, ‘twas to me that you ran. And ‘twas to me that you came with confusion and terror in your eyes on the day you first bled as a woman!” Mother Audri laughed and put her arm around Ysabel in a motherly embrace.

“So,” Mother Audri continued, “I tell you this and reveal these secrets to you because I believe God meant for me, out of all others in the world, to be your mother.”

Ysabel smiled and rested her head on Mother Audri’s shoulder.

“I feel you must know this before you endure the suffering as St Arianne once did, so you may understand why it must be so.”

Ysabel sniffed and wiped the tears from her face.

“The Sisterhood is more than a society of mere priestesses and worshippers, child. Much more. This is why all your life here at the priory has had you learning the ways of swords and bows and other weapons alike.”

“I don’t follow your meaning,” said Ysabel with a puzzled face.

“Child, the Sisterhood is a chapter of witch slayers and demon hunters.”

Ysabel’s mouth opened but she didn’t know what she wanted to say.

“There’s more to know than this,” Mother Audri said, seeing the look in Ysabel's eyes. “The Ordeals of the Bloodied maiden which you are to endure at dawn, shall result in you receiving a divine blessing of your own from the archangel Sariel. ‘Tis known as Sariel’s Ward and it’ll protect your heart and your mind from the corrupting forces of the supernatural which you’ll be expected to seek out and destroy when you leave the priory.”

“Leave the priory?” Ysabel said, shocked and horrified.

“It must be so, child. I am sorry for it, but God has a calling for you to answer and you cannot refuse.” She tightened her arm around Ysabel and kissed her head. “You’ll be more sorely missed than any other I’ve known. I want you to know that and never forget it, for I shan’t ever forget you and I’ll go to my grave knowing that I once had a daughter of my own who I loved more than any other in all the world and even though she wasn’t really mine, she loved me also and I was her mother.”

Ysabel began to sob as her world shattered. “I cannot bear it! I shan’t leave! All my world is within the priory!”

“But you must, child. ‘Tis your destiny to protect the world as others have done since the day of our priory’s founding.”

“Please! Don’t cast me from my home!” Ysabel pleaded with gushing tears and a running nose.

“Ysabel, child. If it were mine to decide, I’d never send you from my sight. But God commands it, as do the laws of the Sisterhood and the laws of the priory which were laid down in centuries passed. ‘Tisn’t my place nor yours to rebel, lest the order be toppled. You must bring yourself to bear it and follow the path that lies before you, or all’ll be lost. Please, understand it, and strengthen your heart. You may return one day when your body is aged and become a Mother like I.”

Ysabel sobbed and cried as Mother Audri held her as tight as she could, tears forming in her own eyes. They weren’t related by blood but there was a bond between them as strong as that between any mother and her child could ever be. It was painful for the both of them but eventually, Ysabel came to understand it and her crying stopped.

“When am I to leave then?” Ysabel asked, drying her face.

“Two years from the morrow. Before you leave, special knowledges’ll be taught to you and you’ll have armour and weapons smithed to suit you. Your fighting skills’ll be perfected and you’ll be ready to face all the dangers of the world.”

“And those two years’ll be spent amongst my friends and others I know and love?”

“They shall, child. You needn’t fret that.” Mother Audri kissed Ysabel’s head again.

Ysabel stood up and run her hands through her hair, absorbing everything she’d just heard. It was a great deal to take in and she tried her best to understand it. She felt very sick now, more so than earlier and she felt a headache coming.

“’Tis a heavy burden, child, I know,” Mother Audri said as she stood up and looked at St Arianne’s tomb. “I see myself standing where you stand now. ‘Twas Mother Aveline who revealed it to me and I felt exactly as you feel.”

“Mother Aveline? I know not of her name.”

“Aye, you wouldn’t. She died of a tumour many years ago.” Mother Audri looked to the ceiling, recalling the past with a smile. “’Twas she who guided me to my own Ordeals. I was quite the vagabond in those days, you know.”

“You, Mother Audri, a vagabond? I say it isn’t so!” Ysabel giggled.

“Yes, ‘tis true!” Mother Audri laughed back. “Oh, girl...if only you’d been around in those days. Ha! I’d take to great lengths only for some wine from the cellar.”

“Yes, you would,” said a gravelly voice.

It gave Mother Audri and Ysabel a fright who both gasped and spun around to face it.

“Grand Mother Caterine. Please forgive our intrusion into the tombs,” said Mother Audri. “You know of the bond between Ysabel and I. I felt it my duty to tell her of what’ll come.”

“Yes, yes. I only hope I’d find all the relics of these tombs undisturbed if I were to look,” said Grand Mother Caterine, glaring at Ysabel.

“Indeed, you would,” said Ysabel with a respectful smile. “Mother Audri was most kind to reveal this secret world of wonders to me. I had never known of its existence before today, nor had I ever imagined something so.”

“Oh, child, there are greater secrets than this,” said Grand Mother Caterine, her wrinkled face lacking emotion. “They too’ll be revealed in time.” She pushed a lock of white hair behind her ear. “Tell me, Mother Audri, have you shown the ancient traveller’s strange sword? I’d wager Ysabel to be most curious about such a thing, what with her famous love for the sword.”

“Yes, I did. She was most curious indeed, asking questions I know not the answer to.”

“How can the blade be balanced?” Ysabel asked, hoping Grand Mother Caterine might know more about it than Mother Audri. “I see no pommel on its handle nor do I see a groove in its blade, which bears curious markings at the base!”

“Its design is unknown to Christendom,” said Grand Mother Caterine, her face breaking a smile. “No-one has wielded it since the day of its owner’s death and so no-one knows of how it swings. ‘Tis a very special blade, I can tell you this much as it slayed a demon. Other blades cannot do such a thing. They pass right through a demon’s flesh as though it were but air.”

“’Tis of great wonder to me,” said Ysabel, smiling as she tried to imagine the ancient traveller using it to slay a foul demon in her head. “I dream that one day I may hold it and ask it to tell me of its mysteries.”

“You shan’t do such a thing,” Grand Mother Caterine snapped. “That blade is a relic and a cherished one at that, so ancient it pre-dates all we know as the world today.”

“I’m sorry, Grand Mother Caterine,” said Ysabel with a gulp and looking at her feet. “I didn’t mean I’d ever dare to, I just meant to tell of how it interests me so greatly.”

Grand Mother Caterine laughed. “I know it, child. It interests all of us the same.”

Mother Audri smiled at Ysabel.

“Now, my dear girl,” said Grand Mother Caterine, her face returning to a serious look, “we can talk of wondrous swords and ancient legends all day, another day. But on this day and this very night, an important moment awaits you.”

“I understand,” Ysabel said. She looked to Mother Audri and took a breath. “I am ready to accept my destiny.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 2

 

The Maiden’s Cavern was the size of a small house and filled with thousands of candles scattered about the floor. In the middle was a wood-framed bed with a straw-stuffed mattress and cowhide blanket on top. Next to the bed stood a wooden crucifix the height of a man with a solid lump of granite for its base. A forest of pale-blue stalactites covered the ceiling and glittered magically in the light. Running through the cavern, at one side, was a narrow stream of water.

“You stand in the Maiden’s Cavern,” said Grand Mother Caterine, her voice echoing deeply. “You’ll sleep here for the night and be collected at dawn. I recommend you spend some time in prayer to prepare your soul for the morrow.”

“I shall, Grand Mother Caterine.”

“It is of most importance that you don’t, under any circumstance at all, leave this room. That rule cannot be broken. Do you understand?”

“I understand, Grand Mother Caterine. I shan’t leave this room and I shan’t wonder.”

“I am glad to hear it. Now, my dear girl, I wish you a good night’s sleep. God bless you, Ysabel.” She kissed Ysabel’s forehead and stroked her cheek, then smiled as Mother Audri did the same.

“Fear not,” said Mother Audri, “for you’ll prevail. The archangel Sariel’ll guard you and keep you from death, just as he once did for St Arianne. Have faith and remain strong.” She kissed Ysabel again. “Good night, my dearest Ysabel.”

Ysabel was then left alone. She stood still for a moment with her eyes closed and focused on her other senses one at a time, a discipline once taught to her in case she ever finds herself lost in a strange place. She could hear the calming sounds of the running water and it made her feel a little tired. The air wasn’t too cold and not too warm—just right. There were no smells in the air, not even from the stream which meant it was probably clean and safe to drink if she found herself feeling thirsty. It was a safe place.

Ysabel opened her eyes and approached the cross. She knelt before it and closed her eyes again. She prayed to God, Christ, the Virgin Mary, the archangel Sariel and St Arianne for a while, asking them all to protect her and guide her. She asked for strength. She asked for her friends and Mother Audri to be watched over and kept from harm if she weren’t to survive.

After praying, she climbed into the bed and soon fell asleep.

 

FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS, IT AIN'T SUITABLE FOR POSTING HERE, WITH LOTS OF GORY VIOLENCE AND BAD LANGUAGE ABOUND :P

 

 

[Lisnpuppy]

I hope to be able to see more of your work in the future. I am somewhat distraught at not knowing what happens. It is like waiting for the next book in a series. That is good though as it means you have grabbed my interest. :)