Come to me.
He stared at me for several moments before his eyes closed, taking in a deep breath and breaking eye contact. The sensation in my skull stopped as soon as that contact was broken. I was shaken.
Only after he looked away did the tension release in my body. Just a gaze. That's all it took for me to lose all sense about myself. I was panting as I tried to catch my breath, my entire body tingled.
Did I just imagine all of that?
Only then did I notice Father Acaba had been talking this whole time. His voice had been devoid of my ears as soon as I made eye contact with the golden fae, but his words now faded back in.
"... As such, he will be given our full blessing to leave to the city of Awul. He will be pardoned for leaving his station and is deemed worthy to learn the ways of the Templar."
Two men with black hoods covering their faces approached the fae from the ground below. One with a rope, one with shackles that seemed to be made of iron instead of rope clasped around the fae's wrists behind their backs.
As they also came to the top of the gallows, the fae creature who had been standing in defeat gave a weak thrash to get away.
The executioner with the rope moved to place the noose end around the creature's neck as the guards surrounding it fought to hold the thing still. Its struggling soon becoming pointless with its much smaller, weakened physique. How in the world would they be able to kill this fae without it resorting to the use of magic?
I knew pallicus was embedded with iron residuum, which weakened the fae a lot. To the point where they couldn't use magic? I wasn't so sure. Pure iron, like large manacles they were attempting to place on the paler fae, was what could harm them.
The iron shackles clicked onto the androgynous looking faerie, and it screamed in despair. Its head tossed back and the howling sounding like the wail of a banshee. Smoke and steam billowed from the contact of iron to flesh.
A few children amongst the crowd cried at the site, and many more of the adults seemed disturbed at the horrid sound coming from the fae as it gurgled in pain.
"Demon!" Someone shouted at it, gaining supporters who also yelled many more insults in its direction as it suffered, violently moving its body to get away from the pain with no success.
"Monsters! Savages!"
"Kill it!"
Everyone on the stage aside from the fae that was being tortured was calm and cold, even as the fae suddenly dropped to its knees in pain. The look on its face, where I thought anger and hatred would be, only showed fear. Wild fear, like an animal that had been hunted, and was backed into a corner in a last line of defense.
It trembled, frightened. The emotions it displayed were so human.
"Alphonse Bordeaux, if you would do the honors. Prove to this town, and to the Gods above, your capabilities," Father Acaba said before he nodded at the executioner who held the back end of a rope.
The masked man stepped forward and placed it into Alphonse's hands. The kind face that would be there was unreadable. He studied the rope for a moment before tossing it over the beam that loomed above them all. He studied both the fae, before walking towards the back of the scaffold, his hands squeezed tight around the hemp material.
The pale fae gasped, its face tinting a pinkish color as it rose to the tips of its toes in a struggle to not choke any further. Alphonse coiled the rope around the back banister of the platform in response.
The golden fae didn't close his eyes at the brutality, his head still raised. He seemed to keep his calm rather well despite the situation. I fought to keep my focus on him, to take in every detail, and ignore what was happening adjacent to him. This, however, was very, very difficult.
"May this monster suffer for the evils of its nature. Send it to oblivion and may the Everafter refute its attempt to steal its soul from the gates of damnation. Awul damn you, and your kind. As is his will." Father Acaba crossed his hands together and gave a meager bow.
The priests surrounding the base of the platform raised their hands in unison, chanting. I couldn't peel my eyes from the golden fae, I wouldn't witness what these people were doing to this already defeated faerie creature.
I heard the continued thrashing and gagging as I assumed it was being lifted into the air by Alphonse. There was no more shrieking, only a choking for air that it failed to get.
I couldn't help but wince at its sad attempts to breathe, but I didn't sob. I couldn't bring attention to myself and my pity for what was happening when everyone else around me was cheering in this revelry of death.
My hands tightened at my sides, and I bit my lip at the horror. This was not right, not one bit.
As much as I wished someone would do something, I knew any attempt would be unsuccessful by the sheer amount of the militia within the area.
In that instant, I felt that familiar shiver, as the unabused fae's eyes snapped open and stared at me once again. My body already rigid from trying to keep myself from crying aloud. It stared right at me as my desire to sob slowed to a stop. It was trying to convey another message, trying to tell me something.
Why else would it be staring at me, and no one else?
His head shook side to side slowly, but I couldn't understand. Was it agreeing this was wrong? Did it sense my sympathy?
He broke our gaze once more, now looking out amongst everyone who shouted with joy, and I looked upon the man who committed murder.
Alphonse passed the rope over to one of the executioners. They snatched it, pulling the creature up even higher before tying the rope off to keep the now limp body suspended. Our supposed hero moved back to take his place once again at the side of Father Acaba. The harsh expression on his face shifting to something that resembled pride.
Joy.
The spectacle of death brought such a joy to everyone, in fact. Though I couldn't partake in their happiness.
"May this demon suffer through all of its passing, suffering as it makes mankind suffer from its existence. Look upon this devil and know in its death, we are brought closer to a land where only humans can exist. This is what Awul meant for us. Celebrate, my citizens! Celebrate this future Templar. May iron ever guard his heart!"
"May iron ever guard his heart!" The crowd returned the saying, the cheers not once dying down as people moved about.
As hard as it was to keep my sights averted from the hanging, it was difficult to not catch it out of the corner of my eyes. What with its random convulsions even after it's apparent death. I forced myself to find its face, to give it some semblance of sympathy and understanding in its dying moments.
But the truth was, there was nothing sympathetic about death. The way the tongue would swell and hang out from the mouth, the way its eyes would bulge out from the pressure, and the way its flesh would rot.
Father Acaba swayed the sleeves of his robe as he motioned for the other guards to lead the golden fae off the scaffold. Alphonse stepped forward with the crowd's attention focused on him.
So, it wouldn't be a double execution after all. Why damn this fae, execute it, but allow the other to live? I shook my head, watching the golden fae walk away, unable to remove my eyes from him and his defiant stance.
All around the gruesome scene, the chanting continued. Not from the priests, but from the townsfolk. The chanting of a name in celebration of their new hero. The hero that caused the end of a helpless life.
Their new Templar.
My friend and suitor.
"Alphonse! Alphonse! Alphonse!"
9
It seemed as if everyone in the town was ready to take to the streets in celebration, now. The lifeless body of the faerie in the center of the square had been decorated in merriment. There were now wreaths, flowers, and multitudes of colorful ribbons tossed over the gallows and its banisters.
I was wading through the crowd to find Alphonse, ignoring those macabre decorations. I needed to talk to him, to find out more. Find out how he captured the fae, and about the golden one that had been spared i
mmediate death.
I wasn't sure what they were planning to do with him. Whether they would torture him for more information or save him for a later execution to keep citizens happy and entertained. I shook my head at the thought, approaching the steps of the Alabaster Temple where our appointed hero had been escorted into. There were even more people around the giant stairs of the temple.
Usually this sheer amount of townsfolk would be shooed away from such a sacred space, the priests acting like guards themselves. No one was allowed at the temple unless they were there during the hour of prayer and worship. But now, the priests and priestesses stood amongst the townsfolk, clapping along with those who were dancing and singing.
I moved past them, even as I heard people wave myself and others to join them in their jubilee. I ignored those calls; I needed to talk to my friend.
It wasn't too difficult, of course. After entering the Alabaster Temple, down the massive hallway that leads straight into the antechamber used for worship of the Gods. There stood the man I was looking for. Above him, carvings of our pantheon seemed to look down upon him. Each God not having a name per say but called out for its domain. The God of luck, Goddess of harvest, and so on. Awul was the only named one, and his carving with outstretched hand hovering above Alphonse's hand seemed awfully symbolic.
Alphonse was conversing with Father Acaba. His actual father, Lieutenant Enzo Bordeaux, standing off to the side and looking rather angry. I approached, not wishing to interrupt their conversation.
As I got closer to them and out of the entryway, their talking ceased. Father Acaba clapped his hands onto either of Alphonse's shoulders and moved back down the hallway, walking past me with a shallow bow.
The lieutenant followed him in suit but paid me no heed as he marched past. The look of displeasure evident on his face at the disobedience of his son for leaving his station. At least I wasn't the only one not singing praises for Xadania's champion.
Alphonse turned towards me as I got close, his stoic face changing now that the two men had disappeared. It brightened up as if nothing had changed, nothing shocking had happened at all in the last half hour.
"Penelope! I figured you'd come looking for me." He sauntered towards me, the edges of his hair bouncing with each of his steps. He reached out to me and pulled me into a soft embrace, "Can you believe it? I did the impossible. Father Acaba has said so."
I pulled back, but his hands remained on my arms as he continued to speak.
"I can become a Templar after a final bout of service with the militia. Can you believe it? Penelope?"
I gave him a stern look.
"Alphonse. Tell me what happened. How did you capture those fae?"
He blinked, releasing me, and took a step back. He could read my cool attitude towards him at the moment. Alphonse cocked his head to the side trying to understand why I was acting out of turn. He looked like a hound with those puppy dog eyes he gave me.
"Are you not proud of me? I captured these monsters, and I was given the honor of ending the life of a beast. I'm a hero now, and I can become a Templar like I've always dreamed. All of the soldiers tasked to protect Xadania stood witness to this."
I shook my head, turning my sight downwards to the marble floor, "It wasn't an honor to end a life in such a demeaning way. Didn't you see how frightened the fae was? It was so human."
Alphonse's brows furrowed as he released me entirely and crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive stance. "You mean the way such creatures end the life of humans? Feasting on children, devouring their bones and the marrow within?"
I was about to retort, but he interrupted me before I could get out a single syllable. "Be careful what you say," his eyes darted around the interior of the shadowy temple, "Lest you make yourself sound like a traitor. You know what happens to people deemed as such."
"What is going on with you?" I cried out, giving him a shove to his chest. Or attempted to as his solid frame remained only an arm's length away and moved none further.
He sighed as he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, "Penelope. There are things you do not, and cannot, understand right now."
"Then tell me what I can understand! Because the way you killed with no remorse? That I don't understand. What has become of you?"
He cleared his throat, standing tall and staring down at me.
"When my father sent me to the wall, I found Geoffery. He was going with the men who were to be sent to Xadania."
I gave him a questioning once-over, "Isn't he lower in station than you, though?"
"He was with them not as a warrior, but as a quartermaster. He was to keep charge of weaponry, armor, and the horses during their stay."
I nodded, urging him to continue. He sighed, "Geoffery snuck me in by allowing me to hide in the carriage of equipment. At least until we got to the outside border of our city. After that, I traveled behind the main forces. Kept my head down." His hand ran over his face and into his hair, trying to push it back. Though it fell back to where it was to begin with.
"It was twilight when I wandered past the breach where most of the men had been stationed. While I was patrolling on my own, I saw them. Several fae swarmed us. There had to be at least ten of them, and the one we have captive was leading them."
The golden fae.
"So, they attacked you out of nowhere?" I was almost in disbelief.
"That's what I firmly believe. As soon as I saw them heading towards me I fired an arrow, as we've been trained to do. Shoot on sight. The other soldiers heard my call for aid and came to my side. One of the fae tried to flee as the others fell, but we caught the demon. The one we executed today. It tried to meld itself into a tree to escape with its foul magic."
"Then how did you catch the leader?"
His face changed, his forefinger tapping his chin as he thought, "He didn't resist, or try to fight us. That fae was almost too willing to be captured by us. But he refuses to speak to anyone except for Father Acaba and his associates."
He pursed his lips, giving me a look that told me he had said far too much. My eyes widened.
"So, my father knows about the fae too?"
"Let no one else know I told you this. Please." He was so nervous all of a sudden, his eyes still continuing to scan the room. Looking as though the statues were listening in on our conversation and would out him for giving up this information. I shrugged and changed the subject back to the other fae they captured.
"So, what about that faerie you executed? How did you capture that one if you butchered all the others?"
"We didn't butcher them, we were defending humanity with each one that was struck down."
I rolled my eyes but let him continue.
"I knocked it unconscious with the pommel of my dagger before it could absorb itself into the tree. We interrogated it once it came to consciousness and bound it to bring home to Father Acaba. What was to be done with the monsters was up to him. I was reprimanded by my father for leaving my assigned station. But he can't deny how proud he is of me once he saw the convoy approach with two imprisoned faeries."
"If you already interrogated it, why not let it go? It didn't try to hurt you, it was trying to run away." I stepped away from him.
"Have you been reading too many of your mother's childish books? Fae would sooner charm you, dominate your mind so you would walk off a mountain to your death for their own amusement. They are no friends to humanity. Even the most innocent looking of them are to be feared."
His gauntleted hand grabbed me and spun me to face him as I moved to turn.
"This is why I'm becoming a Templar. I will kill every last one of them to protect those important to me. Like my father. Like Geoffery. Like you." His harsh whisper sung through the air like a blade.
"I'm sorry, Alphonse. I've never seen death so blatant before. It's got me a mess, that's all." That's all I could muster at the moment. The conflicting feelings were almost too much to bear. I couldn't accept his story or the hanging. But I had
to pretend. I didn't want to be labeled a blasphemer and never be seen or heard from again.
The more Alphonse talked, the more I believed he wouldn't hesitate to turn me over to the priesthood should I show further opposition to the death of fae.
"I understand. You have a good heart. That's why you're my best friend." He clapped a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him, giving him a smile while trying not to let it seem too forced.
"I'm heading home now, Father didn't want me to attend the city's meeting, anyway. Maybe because of the execution. It has certainly gotten me shaken up, so I should head off." I turned again, this time without him stopping me, though I heard his footsteps as he followed me for a bit.
"Would you like me to escort you?"
I waved a hand over my shoulder in dismissal, "No, it's all right. I'll see you later, okay?"
I forced the happiness in my voice, but already knew where I was headed. His footsteps stopped as he too turned to walk off in the opposite direction.
I needed to get to the next source of information.
I needed Geoffery.
Something was burning inside of my stomach the moment I laid eyes on the golden fae. That feeling of him wanting me to come to him remained as if it had implanted itself in my heart.
It was such a desperate feeling, and I'd only gain relief if I could speak with the golden fae. And if Geoffery had seen the fae at least, maybe I could press the timid man for any information that could tell me more about the captive fae.
10
As I left the Alabaster Temple, I noticed it was becoming easier to maneuver through the masses as people spread out further from the square. They took their morbid jubilation with them into the streets of the city. This would make it easier to find the man I was looking for at the very least.
During the hanging, those who marched up and stood witness to the execution were those who had been sent off towards Xadania to defend it in the first place. Now, if what Alphonse had mentioned earlier was true, then Geoffery should be there. He was the quartermaster during the mission after all.
Taken by Fae (Humans vs Fae Book 1) Page 5