Nameless Ghoul

The Abbey

Itzal had one blissful day, left alone to heal some more and left to his own devices in his warded room, but Santos finally came calling. Another week passed without issue, but Itzal had been making plans. Today was going to be the be-all and end-all if he was going to try to escape.

Various calendar rituals and tasks needed to be performed, and he had been required for them. There was a confirmation ceremony for a teenager, a wedding for two members of the congregation, a demon summoning that required a sacrifice. Itzal took part in all these things, willingly and without protest.

Today, the preparations for a coming of age celebration for a set of twins who were turning eighteen on the full moon were underway. This was a glorified name for an orgy, and it was probably the event that Itzal dreaded the most. The things that they'd forced him to do or that he'd had done to him since he'd been summoned to Earth had put him off them for life.

This time, however, he got lucky. His presence was not required because Itzal wasn't fully healed. He would have been useless for their needs. Santos had also allowed him to have some off leash time. This meant that he could concentrate fully on the task at hand without the drain on his powers that controlling Itzal would require.

Since the lesson, he had been the model ghoul, pleasing Santos of his own free will when required and going above and beyond in all of his duties. It was the ultimate victory for Santos when Itzal did these things without having to be forced to, so this had gone a long way towards appeasing him, and Santos agreed he'd earned a few hours to himself.

The day had been a busy one, filled with last-minute preparations, and Santos had started the festivities early. He retired to his chambers for an afternoon tryst with two of the more becoming members of the congregation. Itzal had free roam of the grounds and found himself wandering through the gardens, basking in the last rays of the winter sun. At dusk he checked in to the chapel to see if they needed him for anything else.

When he realised everything was prepared and Santos was already greeting the revellers who were arriving, he made himself scarce and slipped out into the night.

He walked through the streets breathing in the scents of the city and marvelling at the clear night sky. Itzal knew exactly where he was going, but he ambled along, keeping calm and enjoying the free time. This could be the last time that he got to enjoy freedom like this, and he made the most of it. Despite the slight chill in the air now that the sun had set, he felt almost happy.

Itzal stopped at a bar on the adjacent street to where the Abbey was situated. He'd often frequented this place in his downtime over the last couple of months. He sat at the bar, ordered ten shots of vodka, and took a moment to evaluate what he was doing.

What was the worst that could happen? He could end up dead, which would be the ideal outcome for all involved, he supposed. He supposed that the worst outcome could be his capture and torture, but it didn't particularly scare him since his current life wasn't much different.

He paid for the vodka and knocked back the shots one by one. The alcohol wouldn't last long in his system, but it should cloud his bond long enough for him to get to the Abbey before Santos realised where he was. He was certain that Santos would be very busy at the orgy right about now. He was banking on the Abbey having similar wards to the church, ideally they would shield his presence once inside. These were big presumptions he was making, though. As he recalled his magic lessons as an adolescent, he figured that the Clergy would have the best spells and wards at their disposal to protect their members. If he was right, Santos could not control him once he was past their wards.

He left the bar and crossed onto the street that led to the Abbey. It was a large, cathedral like building with huge stone steps leading up to imposing wooden doors. As he walked up to the entrance, his heart began hammering in his chest and he had a moment of doubt. He wondered what the fuck had possessed him to be so foolish and he twisted the heavy metal handle. The door swung inwards with a creak and he stepped inside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, his skin crawled and he felt the wards probing him, making his skin burn. He could feel the immense power behind them. This was good. As the door closed behind him, he stopped. He could feel the magical barrier that prevented him from going any further inside, and he stood and waited. A massive ghoul flanked by one just as massive and one even more massive ghoul strode across the foyer towards him. They wore black uniforms and silver masks obscured two of their faces.

Before they could say anything, Itzal spoke up.

"I'm here to speak to Sunshine. She said to ask for her."

The trio of ghouls stopped in front of him and the middle one spoke. He was clearly a fire ghoul as his eyes glowed with amber flames when he glared at Itzal.

"What the fuck, ghoul? You just walk in here all brazen like, and expect an audience with a Clergy ghuleh? Where the fuck have you come from?" he growled out with menace.

A slight figure emerged from a door across the foyer and walked towards them. He was small for a man, with a shock of black hair and his handsome face painted as a skull.

"Alpha, what is going on, my friend? Why is the room full of testosterone?" The man looked at Itzal and rolled his mismatched eyes. "My apologies for these meatheads, ghoul, they have forgotten their manners. But as I'm sure you understand, it isn't every day that we get a rogue ghoul wandering into our Abbey, si?"

Alpha folded his arms and continued glaring at Itzal.

"I met Sunshine after the show last week. She gave me her card and said to contact her if I needed help. Look, I don't want to cause any trouble. I'll just go and you won't see me again."

He turned as if to leave, but in the blink of an eye found himself face down on the marble floor. The three large ghouls held him down, and he struggled. The movement aggravated his still healing wounds and in his weakened state, he was no match for their strength.

"See, I don't think you realise what's happening here. You are not one of us, which means you are rogue. We can't just have a rogue ghoul wandering around unchecked. We need some answers from you, and I'm sure the Clergy and the Ghoul Council will be just dying to hear what you've got to say," Alpha growled.

They dragged Itzal to his feet. He winced and hissed as the small man patted him on the back. Some of his not quite healed lash marks had opened back up and were bleeding again. Alpha inhaled and looked at him.

"Are you bleeding?" he asked.

Itzal opened his mouth to speak just as the two other ghouls yanked his jacket off and pulled up the back of his shirt, exposing his skin. He heard one of them gasp, and the other swear softly as they saw what he could only imagine was an ugly mass of scars, old and new, covering his back.

The small man sighed and beckoned for them to follow him.

"Come, we shall visit Secondo and see what he can do about that." He gestured towards Itzal. "I am Terzo Emeritus, by the way. I'm sure you've heard of me."