The Lady's Maid

Chapter 21: Scrolls

The crescent moon was high in the sky when Felux arrived just outside the chapel. It had been a hard night of riding and the horse was breathing heavily.

"Good girl. I'll be back soon," Felux said as he tied her reins to a nearby tree.

Felux hopped over the hedge wall outside the chapel and hid in the shadow of a tall tree as he surveyed the surroundings. The chapel was a large building with tall pillars, parapets, and impressive outdoor corridors. The scrolls were kept in the high priest's office located on the second floor. Felux moved with the shadows then hid behind a pillar as two priestly guards walked by. Waiting a few seconds, Felux readied himself to sprint towards a far wall.

BAM! Felux recoiled behind the pillar as blue fire illuminated the area where he was just about to step.

The guard with the long nose shoved his companion, saying, "What are you doing!?"

The shorter guard said, "I thought I saw something."

Long nose said, "You're seeing stuff. Just the squirrels."

As he watched a squirrel crawl up into its tree, Shorty said, "You're probably right..." 

When the guards left, Felux relaxed into a relieved smile thinking, That's a close call.

With no more wasted time, Felux bolted towards the wall and scaled its vertical surface. As he reached the second floor window he pried it open and slid inside.

Inside the priest's office, Felux crept behind the desk and opened up a chest where he found a collection of scrolls. Felux grabbed them all and, putting them in his bag, he exited through the window and moved onto the ridge of the roof.

Felux paused for a moment as a light in the distance caught his eye. Priests were gathered around a green fire near the cemetery land inside the chapel's wall. Felux readjusted his footing and accidentally brushed the nest of a pigeon resting on the roof. The startled bird took off in flight.

FWOOM! Felux ducked just in time as a fireball flew over his head and scorched the bird.

From his ducked position Felux heard long nose say, "Dude, it's just a bird, calm down."

He's a wee bit trigger happy, Felux thought as he smelled burnt feathers.

Shorty said, "It's just my first night and I don't want to mess up."

Felux heard a thwack as long nose said, "Then stop shooting random targets you idiot."

Felux smirked. He had to appreciate the shorter guard's impressive sense of perception. It was too bad he wasn't experienced enough to trust his instincts. With a little training, he would have made a good knight.

When the coast was clear , Felux made his way towards the cemetery and jumped down onto the ground. As he got closer to the light, he noticed all around him, the carcasses of dead, bloody animals, rotting on the ground. He stopped himself from leaning on a tombstone when he saw it had been stained, dripping with blood.

Peeking around a small angel monument, Felux saw seven priests holding hands and swaying around a giant bonfire burning green in the center.

Is that...? Felux thought he saw a man in the center of the fire. Naw. Wait. There was. There was a man in the center of the fire, the green flames were licking his body but nothing was burning.

He was yelling, "Come, come, come to me!"

This was a summoning, Felux knew. He wondered, Should I kill him now or...

A pillar of fire descended from the sky and engulfed man and all the surrounding priests in sickly green flames. The men started tearing at their flesh as they screeched in pain and fell to their knees.