The Lost Scholar

CHAPTER: 04

THE HIGH PREISTESS

The moon shined through the window, judging by how bright it was it was probably past Gabriel's bedtime, and probably a full moon. He woke up a few minutes ago and he couldn't go back to sleep he was now alone with his thoughts. He had the weirdest dream sets. First, he would visit surreal realms, then he sees colors as outlines surrounding a living creature and monsters where there shouldn't be. “Wait... was it a dream? No. It was real, was it?” The smaller Amesthyn remembers the rather strange encounter with Crow and with the angel that guided him. He wondered where exactly in the heavens they were. Probably if he charted stars, he could figure it out.

“How do you chart stars…?” he whispered feeling rather silly unable to know how those pirates and sailors connect every single dot in the sky to find their way home. Even if he charted every single star Gabriel doesn't remember what stars were in the vicinity when he was in that floating library in the middle of a black wasteland. Thinking about it now it seems very unlikely to even imagine a place like that would exist even if he witnessed it first-hand. They told Gabriel never to speak of it to anyone unless he trusts them. The little one was dying to talk about it, he doesn't have friends other than himself and his mother.

It's rather interesting to see a bunch of colors being emitted by a person. Gabriel stood on his little feet and walked to his mirror. Blue, pink, purple, and green were his outlines, different from last time which were gold, purple and black. “What would they mean?”

Gabriel grabbed his glasses and snuck out of his home into the cold winter night. There is something he needed to look for, what it is is still a mystery to him.

“Bliss…” This time at night was the coldest and the quietest. He loved this, he took deep breaths feeling his body chill, feeling the frigid ground freeze the blood circulation of his feet. He could sleep outside if not for the fact he could freeze to death. The human body can die from pretty much anything. The human skin is flimsy when he thought about it.

He wondered around the town and he noticed that the gallows were empty.

The little boy glanced that the house where the mayor lived in was lively, could be a party of some sort. The mayor was a very wealthy man who on most occasions brought women, or virgins, to his manor and throw a feast and flamboyant festivities. “Oh, someone is coming out of the manor…” Gabriel hid behind the old well and observed a woman with blond hair wrapped around her head and adorned with crystal pins. She took in the light breeze of the winter cold night. She wrapped a golden drape around her to protect her skin from the rather hostile touch of Jack Frost. Maybe she could feel Gabriel’s intense stare, because she spotted him right away, then again, he stood out like a sore thumb in an empty plaza. She smiled at him, “isn't pass your bedtime, little one?” she asked.

“Isn’t dangerous for a woman to venture the night by herself…?” he answered her rather hostile. She laughed and approached him.

“I could say children are more vulnerable to danger, they are curious and free spirited. Your mouth is full of spikes, too.”

“And your mouth is fruitless crop field…” A little too savage for his taste, but he never was comfortable around rococo women. She laughed again. “Oh dear you are a funny little boy. Would you accompany me for a walk? As you say, women are vulnerable to the outside world.” She held her arm out for Gabriel. She was too naïve for her own good but Gabriel can’t deny a request from a woman, his mother taught him better.

Gabriel walked with her through the town. She seems to be a nice woman, gentle and articulated with her words. She must be from a wealthy family, perhaps she's a duchess. “The winter is such a beautiful time of the year, isn't?” she looked down at Gabriel.

“It’s my favorite season. The nights are longer and it’s poetic,” the small child answered with a fond smile on his face.

“Why do you say so?” she queries.

“Men portrays winter as an end of a cycle. In this season, everything withers and dies and animals leave for warmer climates. Perhaps they don’t have time to adapt like we humans do,” he drifted off into the topic. He never really wondered why he liked it so much but apparently something deep inside him was ready to confess.

“You think like a witch,” she chuckled.

“I — ... don't think I am one, if that's what you think.” Gabriel hesitated for a moment. He was sure he wasn’t a witch because he doesn't practice the occult. But he probably is the son of the devil considering he has doubts in the cult the town practices.

“Witches loves nature, they admire it, and think about what is happening around them instead of selfish thoughts.” She answered. The way she words it made it sound as if the actual bad guys are the men of God.

“Do you have a favorite season?” Gabriel wondered out loud. A lot of things can be said about a person by the season they choose. Maybe he was queer.

"My favorite season is the spring; the lights, the colors, everything vibrant. I enjoy all the seasons year-round, but I love spring the most. You seem attached to death," she giggled. "But that is all right. It is all about perspective…" She looked up and held her hand to the sky letting a raven land on it. She pets it and let it rest on her shoulder. "What is your name…?" Gabriel asked, he didn’t know who this woman was, and she was too friendly with him.

“My name is Lady Lauriel Matilda Louwing, but you can just call me Lauriel…” she smiled.

“My name is Gabriel Amesthyn.”

"I know who you are, I heard so much about Grizelda Amesthyn and her remarkable work," she spoke with gentle words, straight from the heart. She was a gentle soul trapped in a world where she forced to live under a rule, women are nothing but good looks to pass onto future generations. They walked around the Dead Wood Forest. The forest had a strange phenomenon. Perhaps because of how cold the area is, they stand tall and hollow. Supposedly, witches hide inside those trees, rather strange to think. He noticed that this area smell vile and the trees look darker with the strange outline — "Have you ever wondered what is beyond this town?" the young duchess asked, breaking him from his chain of irrational thoughts.

“I have. I assume there are more towns and unexplored corners.” He replied. The little one was not sure what was beyond his hometown but he knows there are other towns and villages with different lifestyles. “Do you plan on leaving your hometown…?” Matilda asked in a whisper.

“I guess I will at some point. I have to see what my mother thinks of this. I usually help my mother work I wouldn’t want to leave her alone with all that stress.” He said with honesty in his tone.

“Does she obligate you do that…?”

“No. She teaches me in case she is not around. Apparently mama tells me I am a natural. I hope I am more experienced by then. Life is unappreciated and handled in the wrong hands.” He feels that she is crossing a personal border. He really can't grasp what was the feeling pooling his tight guts. The colors Matilda wore were the complete opposite of what she projected: black, gray, and green.

“It is so strange to see a child love something so insignificant… You are such a lovely soul, full of life and love. Why can’t I be like you, Gabriel…?” She said with a warm smile.

“I-... I guess you’re not meant to be like me… or else you would be my twin brother,” he said to lighten the mood. He grew uncomfortable by the tone of her voice.

“Such a lovely soul, I wish I could have your soul…” Matilda said in a softer tone. Gabriel contemplated on leaving her there. “Miss Lauriel, I think it’s time we went home.” The child said with a stern tone. He needed to intimidate her to get her to stop. Her outline was shifting to a dark blue, almost black. “Give me your soul, Gabriel…” she repeated, grabbing his shoulders and pinning him against a tree. “I want your soul…”

“This isn’t funny! Let me go!” he demanded and squirmed. She was too strong and dug her pink enameled nails into his skin. “Stop! Somebody, help me!!” he shouted. To his horror, from the trees crawling slowly from the cracks and shadows, creatures shaped like human took form and walked towards him; Demons.

He would not give in his soul; he wasn't going down without a good fight. “Let me go, you witch!” he kicked at her and anything he could reach, but they lost her in a euphoric state. “Your soul will be mine…” A creature shoved an arm into Gabriel’s chest, he whined and screamed, the intense pain was constant and dreadful. His body throb uncontrollably, like a rush of a cold breeze through his frail frame. “Soon you will be a husk and work for me while I use your soul to give me power…” she said in a gentle, happy tone.

“No, you won’t! STOP!” Gabriel shouted, his entire body tingle with a sharp, burning pain. The creatures and Lady Lauriel shuffled back. Lauriel held her hands that were bleeding profusely her blood was thick and dark and it smell like a rotten fetus. She stood in awe as the boy stood on his own feet. Gabriel wasn’t sure if she had cold feet or that something helped him.

“What just happened?? Was she a witch or was she a demon?? Where was he going to go? What am I going to do?? I needed to run, but from... what? What was that?” He never wanted to scream so loud in his life, however, something was doing it for him. It was of pain and agony and they was dangerously close behind. Gabriel was afraid to look because he needed to focus on the road ahead. But like the nosy little boy he was, he dared to look to find nothing there. He stopped running to catch his breath.

The child sighed, nothing scared him more than tension, and the possibility of something going to surprise him.

Gabriel noted a house or a carriage without its horse or driver. It was abandoned, therefor, he can hide in there. As he ran, he tripped due to exhaustion after running for possibly ten minutes. He needed to keep running, he can’t stop. He took a deep breath and continued to run to his bacon of hope.

He made it to the carriage door, but someone locked it with a padlock with — “... no key hole?”

There it goes again, the bellowing sounds. “Oh, no…” He looked back, there they were, running towards Gabriel throwing their grotesque arms at him. “N-no!! NOOO!” Gabriel slid down against the carriage and held his arms out to protect himself even if they hurt like thousands of spikes going through his skin like a dull knife and burned like an eternal sun in a summer midday. He waited and waited, preparing himself for the worst sensation in his life…. but it never came. The only thing he felt was heat, and it soaked his nighties. The boy opened his eyes, and the snow melted into mud in a wide radius.

Something strange happened; ambers rain from the sky, almost similar to the twinkle in the library of Crow.