Chapter 3
The castle's heavy, iron doors closed behind them as if moved by some kind of magic force. No one stopped; instead, Narayan kept walking through the doorway on his left, towards the old cathedral, where his visitors could usually find him - assuming there were visitors, of course. The servants and the chained angel followed in silence.
They entered the cathedral. Heavy pillars forming a corridor sustained the high ceiling - or so it seemed. It was so high it made people look tiny and insignificant. Towards the door, in the other side of the wide room, there was the altar, and above, a great multicolored window. Light came from it, though night had fallen long ago. No ornaments of any kind; in the altar, there was nothing but a massive handcrafted chair, made of both steel and wood. It was like a throne, where Narayan sat, without a word.
The servants followed him half the way. When they stopped, one of them forced the angel to knee in his master's presence. Weakened and wounded, the angel fell to the floor.
"Hey", Narayan shouted, his voice echoing through the whole room, almost slaying him with his eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
The minor demon was confused. "I thought your slaves had to knee in your presence, Master", he replied.
"She's not a slave", the necromancer answered simply. "Not even a servant."
"But you paid for her."
"It means nothing", was Narayan's statement. "She is my guest, and so she must be treated as a guest. If she's mistreated again by any of you, the punishment won't be death, if you know what I mean. Is that clear?"
"Yes, master", the servants said simultaneously.
"Good", continued Narayan. "You", said he, pointing to the first servant, "Remove her chains."
Obeying his master's order, the demon broke the chains that tied the angel's fists and ankles. Drops of blood fell from the wounds left by the chain's rust. She didn't move, still his face revealed not only her physical pain, but also her sorrow and fear.
"Now leave us alone", ordered Narayan, with a decided voice. "Prepare a room for her."
Without a word, the servants left, closing the door behind them. Narayan and the angel were alone in the wide cathedral. He looked at her with a soft expression.
"I am sorry for that", he apologized. "I had no time to tell them how shall they treat you. It won't happen again."
She said nothing. She kept looking to the floor, avoiding to face him, trying to focus her attention in something that could make her forget fear, pain and sorrow for a while.
"You don't need to worry anymore", he continued. "No one here will hurt you."
No word from her. Only silence.
"Do you have a name?", he asked.
She didn't answer.
"Look", he insisted, with a sigh. "I know you lost everything, I know you're wounded, tired, confused, scared. I know you're in pain. But silence won't help you here."
"Evaila", she said, hesitating, facing him for the first time.
He smiled. Leaving his throne, he aproached her, and start speaking to her with a warm, friendly voice.
"You're no longer a prisoner. You're free now. Free to leave, if you will. Though I don't believe you can survive for more than five minutes out there. Perhaps you will never consider me a friend. But believe me, I'll be the closest thing to a friend you're going to find here in the Underworld."
"You said that because I'm wounded", she bursted with despair. "Even if I want to leave, you know I can't. You should have left me to die in that square."
He laughed. "Do you really think Norcross would kill you? No, my dear. If I'd left you in his hands, your wings had been cut with a battle axe, you had been raped by him and by some of his guards, and now you must be in a warlord's house, to be his personal sex puppet until the rest of your life - and you would live long."
"All right. You saved me from the warlords", she replied, consumed by anger. "And what for? What do you want in return?"
Narayan shook his head. "Nothing. I want nothing in return."
"I don't believe you."
"Why not?"
"Because you're a demon."
Narayan turned his back on her. He walked to the altar, staring at the great colored window with an empty gaze. A sad smile appeared in his lips. "You have no idea the energy I spend everyday to avoid becoming a demon..." Then, he turned to her. A glimpse of red light flashed in his eyes. "Know that you're safe is everything I want in return."
His words carried some kind of secret pain, she felt. That made her think . "Why?", she finally asked.
"Because you remind me of someone." He smiled, as if pushing away some old and painful memories. "Ysolla!", he suddenly shouted. Another door, on the left wall, was opened by an old woman who came in a hurry. "Bring our guest to her quarters. Take care of her wounds and anything else she needs."
The woman nodded in silence, signaling Evaila to follow her. She followed, looking to him one last time. He was seated in his throne, absorbed in his own mind. Some eerie aura seemed to surround him - and, for a moment, something inside Evaila told her there was some kind of light inside the darkened soul of the necromancer. The only question that remained was if that light was pure or dark as his soul seemed to be.
They entered the cathedral. Heavy pillars forming a corridor sustained the high ceiling - or so it seemed. It was so high it made people look tiny and insignificant. Towards the door, in the other side of the wide room, there was the altar, and above, a great multicolored window. Light came from it, though night had fallen long ago. No ornaments of any kind; in the altar, there was nothing but a massive handcrafted chair, made of both steel and wood. It was like a throne, where Narayan sat, without a word.
The servants followed him half the way. When they stopped, one of them forced the angel to knee in his master's presence. Weakened and wounded, the angel fell to the floor.
"Hey", Narayan shouted, his voice echoing through the whole room, almost slaying him with his eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
The minor demon was confused. "I thought your slaves had to knee in your presence, Master", he replied.
"She's not a slave", the necromancer answered simply. "Not even a servant."
"But you paid for her."
"It means nothing", was Narayan's statement. "She is my guest, and so she must be treated as a guest. If she's mistreated again by any of you, the punishment won't be death, if you know what I mean. Is that clear?"
"Yes, master", the servants said simultaneously.
"Good", continued Narayan. "You", said he, pointing to the first servant, "Remove her chains."
Obeying his master's order, the demon broke the chains that tied the angel's fists and ankles. Drops of blood fell from the wounds left by the chain's rust. She didn't move, still his face revealed not only her physical pain, but also her sorrow and fear.
"Now leave us alone", ordered Narayan, with a decided voice. "Prepare a room for her."
Without a word, the servants left, closing the door behind them. Narayan and the angel were alone in the wide cathedral. He looked at her with a soft expression.
"I am sorry for that", he apologized. "I had no time to tell them how shall they treat you. It won't happen again."
She said nothing. She kept looking to the floor, avoiding to face him, trying to focus her attention in something that could make her forget fear, pain and sorrow for a while.
"You don't need to worry anymore", he continued. "No one here will hurt you."
No word from her. Only silence.
"Do you have a name?", he asked.
She didn't answer.
"Look", he insisted, with a sigh. "I know you lost everything, I know you're wounded, tired, confused, scared. I know you're in pain. But silence won't help you here."
"Evaila", she said, hesitating, facing him for the first time.
He smiled. Leaving his throne, he aproached her, and start speaking to her with a warm, friendly voice.
"You're no longer a prisoner. You're free now. Free to leave, if you will. Though I don't believe you can survive for more than five minutes out there. Perhaps you will never consider me a friend. But believe me, I'll be the closest thing to a friend you're going to find here in the Underworld."
"You said that because I'm wounded", she bursted with despair. "Even if I want to leave, you know I can't. You should have left me to die in that square."
He laughed. "Do you really think Norcross would kill you? No, my dear. If I'd left you in his hands, your wings had been cut with a battle axe, you had been raped by him and by some of his guards, and now you must be in a warlord's house, to be his personal sex puppet until the rest of your life - and you would live long."
"All right. You saved me from the warlords", she replied, consumed by anger. "And what for? What do you want in return?"
Narayan shook his head. "Nothing. I want nothing in return."
"I don't believe you."
"Why not?"
"Because you're a demon."
Narayan turned his back on her. He walked to the altar, staring at the great colored window with an empty gaze. A sad smile appeared in his lips. "You have no idea the energy I spend everyday to avoid becoming a demon..." Then, he turned to her. A glimpse of red light flashed in his eyes. "Know that you're safe is everything I want in return."
His words carried some kind of secret pain, she felt. That made her think . "Why?", she finally asked.
"Because you remind me of someone." He smiled, as if pushing away some old and painful memories. "Ysolla!", he suddenly shouted. Another door, on the left wall, was opened by an old woman who came in a hurry. "Bring our guest to her quarters. Take care of her wounds and anything else she needs."
The woman nodded in silence, signaling Evaila to follow her. She followed, looking to him one last time. He was seated in his throne, absorbed in his own mind. Some eerie aura seemed to surround him - and, for a moment, something inside Evaila told her there was some kind of light inside the darkened soul of the necromancer. The only question that remained was if that light was pure or dark as his soul seemed to be.
posted by João Campos at 6:45 AM
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