The Acolyte Ch. 03

The Acolyte

Chapter 3

Anabel stared at the page in front of her, not really seeing the words anymore. She had been trying to read this same page for hours now, but her mind kept wandering. Concentrating was becoming more difficult. She sighed and returned to the top of the page again, determined to get through at least one page tonight.

It had been two months since her audience with The Matron, and it seemed that every Sister in the temple knew exactly what she needed to do in order to fully unlock her gifts. She had been poked, prodded, examined, and questioned by half a dozen Sisters almost daily. There was a running joke among the Novices and Acolytes that Anabel had become the most interesting thing to happen there in the past thousand years, the way she captured the Sister's attention. It was probably true, the way they had been behaving. Most of the Novices and other Acolytes didn't seem to begrudge Anabel her newfound fame though. It took the focus off of them, at least for a little bit.

With a start, Anabel realized that she hadn't been reading again. She practically memorized that first sentence by now.

"This is hopeless," Anabel sighed, letting her head thump down on the book.

She was far too tired and distracted to try reading anymore tonight. Sister Glenn had given her this book in hopes that learning about herbs would spark something inside her. So far it hadn't been working. Oh, it had been interesting at the start, Anabel did enjoy learning new things, but the book itself was dry and boring. She had learned more about herb-lore in the past few days than she ever really cared to know.

Anabel stood up and closed the book with sigh. She needed to go to bed. It was late, and despite being the Sisters new pet, she was still expected to be up before the dawn for the morning prayers.

She blew out a small lantern on the little wooden desk and crawled into bed. She didn't bother trying to brush her hair or make her other normal bedtime preparations. She almost skipped her nighttime prayers but thought better of it and quickly recited the liturgy before closing her eyes.

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Anabel was awakened by the morning bell. She felt like she hadn't slept at all and had just closed her eyes. With a groan, she dragged herself from her blankets and stumbled over to the wash basin in the corner of her room. The cold water she splashed on her face helped wake her up a little bit, but not nearly enough. Yawning, she dragged her brush through her hair and pulled a fresh set of robes off the hooks nearby. She almost felt as if in a trance as she dressed and made her way to the chapel, fighting yawns the whole way.

She didn't remember the service at all. She knew she didn't fall asleep, at least she thought she didn't, but everything just seemed to be a blur. She sat staring at her breakfast, not even sure how she got there. Her thoughts seemed to be drifting through jelly and everything seemed to have slowed down. She watched impassively as a cup of tea was slid in front of her. It took her a moment to realize what it even was. She glanced up and saw Madeline's smiling face.

Madeline was another Acolyte, and one Anabel considered a friend. A short woman, with large brown eyes, and long brown hair. Anabel had always thought that had a look of constant surprise on her face. Still, Anabel thought she was pretty, but Madeline had always insisted that she was quite plain, and hardly could be called pretty. Nonetheless, Madeline was a good friend. Smart, loyal, and always ready to help in any way that she could.

"Thank you," Anabel muttered, and took a sip of the hot tea.

"You looked like you were washed up on the beach," Madeline said with a grin.

"It's the Sisters," Anabel explained,

"They keep me so busy I barely have time to sleep. Sister Glenn insisted that I read this book about herbs, as if I ever showed any interest, or proclivity, in herb lore," she snorted.

"Everyone is so concerned about what my gifts may be, that they seem to have forgotten that I am still a person. I swear, if any Sister asks me to try to identify some artifact, read yet another book, or try to talk to another animal, I'm going to scream."

Madeline wrapped a sympathetic arm around her and chuckled.

"They can get carried away, but they are just trying to help. After all, it's not like they have had one touched by the Goddess in their hands in living memory."

"I suppose you are right. As always," Anabel said, giving Madeline a wink and a grin,

"I just wish they would leave me alone at least for a little bit."

Madeline and Anabel chatted together quietly while they finished breakfast. Anabel couldn't stay too long. Despite feeling exhausted, she still had her duties and studies to get to.

Anabel returned to her room and plopped down at her desk. As dull as this book was, she did need to finish it. She opened the book with a sigh, and flipped through the pages, trying to find her place again. She thought she recognized that first sentence, and started yet again to read.

It wasn't long before she was interrupted by a loud booming sound that shook the ground. Immediately the bells started clanging in alarm. Anabel bounded to her feet, knocking over her chair, and bolted outside, her exhaustion forgotten as panic began to take over. Out in the hallway, Novices and Acolytes alike were rushing outside. Screams and shouts filled the air. She joined the throng and rushed outside to see what was happening.

She skidded to a stunned halt as soon as she entered the courtyard. Fire, smoke, and chaos filled her vision. Novices, Acolytes, and even the Sisters shouted and ran about. Some of the Sisters tried to bring order to that madness, but their voices were lost in the din. Screams of pain and anguish filled the air. The roar of the flames as the wind whipped them higher downed out almost everything. Something terrible was happening.

Anabel grabbed one of the Novices that tried to run past, panic filling her face.

"What is happening?" Anabel demanded, shaking the girl.

The Novice couldn't speak, sheer terror and panic plain on her face. Anabel let her go with a little shove and watched as the girl ran across the courtyard in a panic. She noticed something dark move out of the corner of her eye. As she spun to look, a black-winged shape swooped down from the sky with an ear-piercing screech and grabbed a Novice. Her wails of terror grew shrill as the creature flew upward. Anabel couldn't move. She could only watch in disbelief and shock as the creature let the Novice go. The Novice fell with a loud shriek and crashed upon the stones in the courtyard, her body broken and twisted. It was Anabel's turn to panic now. She spun around and darted back into the dorms. At least in here, those creatures couldn't get at her.

She sprinted down the hallway toward the back entrance. She knew she had to get out of there or she would die screaming just like that Novice. Even as she ran, and panic filled her own mind, she couldn't shake the sight of the Novice being tossed to her death. This must be some sort of an attack, but from whom and why? Those questions would have to be answered later. Right now, she needed to get out of here and somewhere safe.

Anabel turned the corner at a dead run and almost collided with something large. She skidded to a stop and looked up. The large black creature slowly turned around and focused its red glowing eyes upon her. She watched in horror as his squat face split into a wide grin, with rows of spiked teeth glistening in the light. The monster held a long cruel-looking blade dripping blood in one hand, and half of a Sister in the other. Her body was ripped apart. Blood and gore filled the corridor and bits of flesh slid slowly down the walls.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Anabel could only stand and watch as the creature slowly raised his blade. She could almost feel it's cruel edge tearing into her neck. The monster's grin grew wider in anticipation as the blade began to fall. Suddenly its grin twisted into a grimace of pain and then shock as a stream of white light burst through his chest. Time suddenly sped up again, and Anabel was barely able to dive to the side as the creature fell down with a crash. She glanced at the corpse as she lay on the ground, shaking in terror. A large hole had been burnt through its body and was smoking around the edges. She shuddered and turned to look down the hallway where the light had come from.

Sister Hall was standing there. Her hands were raised and she wore a grim expression. Her hair was matted with blood, and blood streamed down her face. Anabel shakily stood to her feet, lurching and stumbling down the corridor toward Sister Hall.

"Anabel! Thank the Goddess you are safe! We need to get you out of here. Now!" Sister Hall said as Anabel approached, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

"Come, we don't have much time."

Sister Hall grabbed Anabel by the arm and roughly dragged her down the passageway. Anabel struggled to pull away from her grip, but it held like iron. Sister Hall shot her a sharp look but continued onward.

"We don't have time for your foolishness girl. We need to leave. Now." Sister Hall snapped.

"What is happening Sister," Anabel managed to gasp as they ran.

"We are under attack," Sister Hall said simply,

"Now move if you want to live."

They ran onward through the corridors of the temple. They didn't see anyone else, but there was evidence that those creatures had been through here. Piles of entrails, smears of blood, and the screaming heads of Sisters, Acolytes, and Novices lay scattered about. Anabel emptied her stomach, but Sister Hall didn't slow a step.

At last, they reached a simple door set into the wall. Sister Hall ripped it open and shoved Anabel through it. The bright sun blinded her for a moment as she stood there gasping and heaving. She turned back to look at Sister Hall was still standing in the doorway, looking back and forth down the corridor. She turned her fierce gaze on Anabel, causing her to step back at the sheer intensity of it.

"Run child. Run as fast and as far as you can. Now go!" Sister Hall shouted.

Anabel opened her mouth to protest, but her words were caught in her throat. Terror gripped her again as she saw a large black shape begin to rise behind Sister Hall. She tried to scream, but no sound would come out. She could only watch in stark terror as its black hands wrapped themselves around Sister Hall's head, and with a sharp twist, snapped her neck. Panic overcame her completely and she turned and bolted into the woods ahead. She was too scared to scream or cry out, and pure adrenaline fueled her legs as she ran. She didn't know if she was being pursued or not. The only thing she could do was keep running.