Claws of Eternity ✔️

Chapter 9: Sanguis sanguini

GISELLE

When Giselle was a little girl, she went to religion classes. It was common, especially for a girl of noble blood. The priest used to tell them engaging stories and Giselle thoroughly enjoyed that. One of his tales, left a permanent trail in Giselle's memory. He used to say: "the Devil is greedy. The Devil knows you're about to sin and he thrives in it, he grows. Once you sin, the Devil always comes back for more. He craves a harder sin, one God isn't so likely to forgive. The Devil will push you further, he will put those unclean, evil thoughts in your head and you won't be able to resist. Therefore, you must never let the Devil in, never sin, keep yourself away from temptation. Come back to Church and let God's eternal love clean your soul from all the dirt that roams out there."

Long after that, Giselle had thought of the Devil and his greed, how she had never let him in but he entered anyway. Giselle felt the Devil in her every step. Every time she wished to run, she knew it was the Devil making her act like a boy, making her sin. Frightened by the Devil following her, Giselle spent days crying in the Church, begging God to save her. She wanted to talk to someone, but she was way too scared.

When she was fourteen, Giselle saw the first witch burning. The woman was young, just a bit older than Giselle was back then and she screamed as the fire took her. The crowd roared, climaxing as the fire ate through this poor woman's skin, leaving a smell of burnt meat in the air. She kept on repeating she was innocent all the way through. Everything after that, made so much more sense to Giselle.

Those men spent every moment of their day begging God to clean their soul, yet their soul was as rotten as the dead ground. And Giselle realised it wasn't the Devil behind all the devilish acts, it was men. And every sinful thought that ever occurred in her head, wasn't there because of the Devil, it was her own. It wasn't the Devil who was greedy. Giselle was greedy.

The first thing Giselle felt when she opened her eyes was blinding pain. Jesus Christ and the damned Holy Ghost. Her every limb was sour and numb with pain, so thorough she imagined it disabling her entire body. Giselle took a few deep breaths and slowly lifted herself with the help of her elbows. It was almost dark outside, she slept through the entire day. After waiting a bit, massaging her legs and her stomach, Giselle finally got out of the bed. She was barely able to move. Giselle didn't know how much she had before everything comes down on her, so she did the only thing that mattered. She went to visit her father.

Giselle knocked on his door. Her father was in his bed, it was a large bed, made for two. Its strong bed head was made of mahogany and the sheets were of olive green, adding to the warmth of the room. He hated stone, he found it cold and unwelcoming, so he had covered every surface he could with wood, or details such as plants and pictures.

"Such an awful summer it is, the storm has just passed and I can already feel another one coming. Interesting, how an old man can feel weather in his bones." He said, his voice hoarse and dry. It hurt Giselle to hear him like that. His voice used to be strong and clear. Nothing but a shadow of a man he once used to be lay before her.

"I hope winter won't be too harsh." Giselle answered, feeling the need to talk. She sat next to him on the bed.

"You're troubled, my dear." He asked. Giselle looked at him, his grey skin, his eyes lacking colour. Her father used to be a big, strong man, his beard and hair thick and black. What remained was an old man, barely alive, unable to get out of the bed. But his eyes were even wiser than before. He said that once a man loses his physical strength, a mind can thrive.

"Life's been taking its toll lately." Giselle said. His bed was somehow much softer than hers, more comforting.

"Your mother said your life wouldn't be easy, right after you were born. I've tried to make it as easy as possible, perhaps that was my biggest mistake."