Blood And Stone

Chapter 2: The Church

Lyric just stood, observing what was happening. Men, women, and children were lined up on each side of the main path leading directly into the church. The church sat at the center of the village, the market lining the path directly out from it, and homes surrounding it all. Off in the distance, perched atop a hill, sat the Duke's home. It was a large structure built of brick and stone, so large in fact, that the shadow often covered the church and market path. Today, both the home and the church had an air of gloom about them. The sun was hidden behind the large home but something about the mood was making the shadows seem darker and deeper than normal.

Still watching, adjusting to the shock of the unexpected sight, Lyric stood between the two lines. Women and children on the left, men on the right. Not just peasants either. Noblemen, merchants, tradesmen, and the homeless, all were lined up and slowly walking into the open mouth of the church. A man in a black tunic, the shape of three scratch marks embroidered on the chest in gold, approached her and stared down at her. His eyes were hard but not nearly as hard as the hand that shoved her to the left. "Are you daft? Get in line. The Duke has an announcement in the church." Lyric had never seen the insignia on his tunic but she had heard stories about it. It belonged to a rough and ruthless man named Sigil.

"I am not of this town." Lyric stumbled over her words as she stumbled over her own feet, falling into line.

"Makes no difference. This will be a spectacle of the ages. You will want to see it." The gruff man grumbled.

Lyric saw she had no choice. She slipped her hands into the pocket of her skirt and made sure both pouches of coin were firmly in her grasp. The doom bubbled up from her stomach and spread throughout her chest causing a heavy pressure. Something about this was not right. She looked about as she was shuffled forward, her eyes searching for anything that could clue her into what was going on. All she could see were the men in black tunics, standing around, ushering people into the stone church not a single one of Sigil's men looked to be short or weak. All of them had muscle upon muscle, standing tall enough to eclipse Lyric's small frame from any direction.

Carefully, Lyric climbed the steps and was directed to stand near a window in the back and the last few people entered and the heavy wooden doors closed behind them. Whispers echoed around the full hall, the sound of bodies brushing against each other as some settled onto benches and others shifted to lean against walls. The wooden doors closed with a solid thud as the last few settled into their place. Everyone waited, wondering exactly where the Duke was who demanded they all pack themselves inside this building.

Lyric's eyes searched over the walls as everyone else stood, speaking in hushed whispers. Out of the corner of her eye, Lyric noticed movement at one of the windows. The silhouette of a large man holding a torch barely had time to register in her mind before glass exploded and showered down upon the crowd. As quickly as the glass had shattered, the light from the sun was snuffed out by thick wooden shutters that were placed and held solidly with wooden beams from the outside. Smoke began to fill the church, faster than someone could think. The whispers turned into screams of panic. Tears leaped from the eyes of women and children around her, enough raining down that you would think the flames would have been smothered. Men scrambled to the windows and door, pounding hard on them with their fists, pushing to try and force them open.

Lyric just stood, watching, looking around the chaotic scene as it finally registered what was happening. Covering her mouth with her skirt, her eyes searched the floor, looking for any sign of a torch handle. Finally, near a window several feet away, she saw one that had not yet caught fire itself. Pushing her way through, she snatched it up and turned towards the heavy wooden doors. "MOVE!" She coughed and sputtered as she yelled above the madness of the crowd.