Claws of Eternity ✔️

Chapter 8: One Chance

GISELLE

Rosa was in charge of keeping people from entering Giselle's room. Whoever tried to, she would scream that Giselle was indecent and out of respect for her modesty, Rosa wouldn't let them in. Giselle told Jorge he would keep watch outside the Inquisition Tower, in case someone wanted to wander in. She did a wonderful job keeping Jack out of Giselle's chambers, Giselle sighed. She wouldn't think about that yet, she would never think about it.

She took Jorge by the hand and left Rosa alone in front of her room. They had a lot of work to do. The Inquisition Tower was one of the towers connected to the ramparts of Carcassonne. It was a dark tower, something sinister danced around it. Possibly all the death and torture that happened in there. Underneath the Tower, there was an Inquisition House, one that Giselle could enter from the outside. There was another entrance, but that one was taken by the priests and someone could see her there. Luckily for Giselle, even God's shepherds enjoyed drinking mead and imagining what it would feel like to have a fifteen year old in their lap. Everyone important should be at the ball and all the guards will be wishing they were there, too. They won't be as focused.

Jorge dressed Giselle in servant's clothes, in a brown, icky dress that smelt of humidity. He also dipped her hair in mud and faeces because her golden hair was way too recognisable. Now Giselle had shit in her hair.

Once Giselle and Jorge left the castle, they heard music and clamour from the great hall, where the ball was held. When the darkness fell, it was much easier to reach the Tower and Jorge led Giselle to it. He had refused to come in there with her, claiming that the ladies, as he apparently called witches, wouldn't talk if he was there. So they agreed he would guard the door, watching if anybody exited the great hall.

In her hands, Giselle had one candle and a barrel of water, she needed to bribe the witches with something and they didn't care much for gold.

Every feeling known to men stirred up inside of Giselle's body. She felt her heart beating in her throat, her ears, the palms of her hands. Deep in her stomach, a twisting pain resided, the pain of premonition, the feeling of knowing this is a mistake. She might vomit, Giselle thought. The smell of her hair made it impossible to breathe in through her nose, but the feeling of that smell on her tongue made it even worse. While Giselle was walking towards iron door, it had crossed her mind they are probably locked and all of this was for nothing. In that moment, Giselle felt relief. She wouldn't have to enter, she wouldn't have to learn whatever was waiting for her inside.

But as soon as Giselle touched the handle, the door opened. And a menacing, familiar feeling froze the blood in her veins. All she knew was that she had to leave, had to forget everything she witnessed.

Ignoring the warnings coming from her very core, Giselle opened the door. The sound the door made while being dragged on the ground wasn't creaking, it was purring in tandem to her steps.

First sense hit was Giselle's sense of smell. Decay, death, blood and suffering. It didn't just affect her nostrils but her soul, as well. Darkness ruled inside and the air was so moist Giselle could almost feel it in her mouth, the sweat and blood dripping all around her. That was the only thing Giselle heard beside very quiet cries coming from the depths of the room. She was suddenly very grateful there were no lights inside, all she could see was her next step.

Without a word Giselle put the barrel down and started pouring water into wooden cups. She left them near the bars of cells she came across in the dark.

While leaving one cup next to the bars, a hand reached for it. The whiteness and bloodlessness of it took Giselle by surprise. It wasn't just the colour, the hand was falling apart, it was rotting away. Nails were gone, they were ripped out. The soft skin where nails used to be was dirty and infected. Giselle had to swallow twice to keep down the vomit. She wanted to leave. No, she never wanted to have come in here.