Seraph's tale - A life in Salem, page 1

Chapter 4 - God or Goddess?

The monks walked through the streets of the quite country town, chanting quietly and waiting for dawn. Of course, this didn�t even stir a mouse, for as long as anyone could remember this had been a regular occurrence.
�So, exactly when are we going to stop being monks, hmm??�
�Soon! Shh anyway, we want to give the enemy the element of surprise��
�Surprise? How about being told �Oh, Gryffen, by the way we�re going to pretend to be monks tomorrow to prevent an ambush of what could turn into a massacre�.� The woman said in a harsh-what-were�you�thinking�you�idiot tone. Gryffen was always the one that helped the injured, she could fight, yes, but her main role was to care for the ill.
�These monks are very important! Anyway, I�ll tell you later w-� he swung round and swiftly decapitated a small, stubby �thing� about 4 feet tall; it was covered in a black cloak and masked, although its rotten hands were visible�a demon.
As Pisky and Gryffen began to ward off the demons, the monks chanted louder, asking for their god to protect them and forgiveness for their sins, �What sins?� the pixy asked as he sliced through another creature; taking a step back from the wounded attacker she pushed it off her sword and fired three arrows into the horizon �I don�t know, but somebody really doesn�t like these little men; a deal with the devil, perhaps?� she smirked.

There must have been 40 maybe 50 of these little �deformed pixies� as Gryffen politely nicknamed them; all of them gone, either slain or scuttling back to their master. A few of the monks were injured, but none dead.
�Lazarus is gone!� a friar cried as he ran through the gates of the ministry, �Lazarus has left Russia on the ships headed for Salem!�
�Nothus!� the priest muttered, �Send word out, we need Aquila.� he added.

�Rrright-o, well, I�ve fixed up your monks, we�ll be off now then�� Gryffen began to slope towards the door, only to be pulled back by her companion. �Or not.�
�Father, I must ask, you asked for forgiveness of your sins�what sins would these be?� Pisky asked, to which shocked onlookers received a sharp eye and left, only Gryffen, the priest and Pisky were left in the great hall.
�I, well...� the man sighed and sat on the wooden stool next to a small round table, �There is a boy in Salem, Seraph Montgomery, he is in great danger; but this is no ordinary child, no, he has a great gift. But you see, the church in Russia, those from whom we seek guidance, have decided that the church will not help him as he is not a �Christian�. We have neglected him and turned our back on an innocent, for we have sinned.� The pixy sat opposite him, �And Lazarus?�
�Lazarus is one of ours, we sent him to Russia as our messenger, and now he has gone against their word, I fear for his life. So we have sent for Aquila, our finest warrior, she will retrieve him and bring him back to our monasteries.�

�I see. Well we will go to Salem with her, won�t we Gryffen?� he looked down at his reluctant companion, �Hang on, did you say she?� he turned to see a woman walk towards them from the hall entrance, she sported a gypsy top and tight black trousers with boots, and a stern look on her face.
�Father. I�ve just got word, when do I leave?�
�In an hour, and your taking these with you.� He pointed to the two guests,
�Oh ok, but I prefer to work alone...but if they can handle themselves fair enough; hello, I�m Aquila Lindum�and you are?�
�Gryffen, and this is Pisky.� The Scot replied, �Yes, I�m the original Cornish pixy.� He said with a small grin, �Don�t tell any of the Russian lot that, my goddess, two non-Christians, we�ll go straight to the deepest circles of hell!� she giggled and the priest raised an eyebrow.

An hour had passed and the three �musketeers� were standing at the dock, ready to board, �You�ll be there within a week, depending on the weather.� A friar told them as he gave them their supplies and weapons, �You�re looking a bit pale Pisky�� Aquila noted as he swayed slightly near the edge of the water, �Oh, yes, he gets sea sick, just by looking at it, though he�ll never admit it.� Gryffen chuckled, �No I do no-� he bent over the side as everyone looked away, �Uck, right well. I�ll see you soon father. I�ve left some friends to look after you whilst I�m gone, nobody�s getting past that lot! Especially now they�ve got crates of �Best Pixyland� cider, umm, don�t let the monks get hold of that now will you?� she hugged him tightly and boarded the ship. �Off we go then!� Gryffen said cheerfully, she was quite excited at the thought of an adventure, and she might discover some new diseases. Aquila waved from the back of the ship until she could wave no more; her heart was pulled between her love of the monastery and Lazarus. Meanwhile Pisky was at the side of the boat, still leaning over, �I�ll get you a bucket!�.

[Edited on 19-5-2004 by LadyCool21]