Chapter Four
The Apprentice
My eyelids broke free from the clench of
slumber exposing an interior as magnificent as my first impressions of the
cottage would suggest. A singular timber beam ran along the low lying ceiling
supported by a lavishly carved stone pillar that would have seemed out of place
if it were not for the fact it possessed the delightful ability to enhance the
sense of wonder conveyed by the one large room which lay beneath the work of
art that was the exterior. The room was more a make shift laboratory and study
than a home. Every table was littered with glyphic notes, written dominantly on
parchment but with several on papyrus (A ware not procured by any merchant local
to the nearby towns nor by any travelling ones ever to pass through.), one of
these tables dressed in a cloth covered with intricate stitching forming
perplexing symbolic patterns beneath the tools of my hosts trade.
A small stone mortar and pestle lay beside
a mixture of plants ground to an unrecognisable state of their former selves
towered over by a large alembic containing a most unusual bubbling dark blue
liquid possibly related to the material present in calcinatory which sat
happily next to it. I recognised these instruments from the books of chemists
but I highly doubted my saviour was a man of science like myself but judging by
several codex’s dotted around the room, especially one which resided in near
perfect condition free of the dust and dirt that plagued the rest upon a beautifully
handcrafted oak lectern, he was one of few who still held to the old teachings
and ritualistic methods of the alchemist.
Fully rested and replenished I raised
myself up from my bed of soft cloth laid neatly on the floor. There seemed to
be no designated resting place immediately visible. Had the Alchemist no need
for sleep’s rejuvenating properties? Was he forever condemned to conduct his
life as one endless day with an infinite perception of time?
Amidst my pondering I was startled by the
movement of a beast large in size close to that of a man fidgeting just out of
sight behind a table and a few stacks of pots, I fearfully grabbed an
ornamental dagger that lay close by, which I imagined most incorrectly was used
for some form of ritual slaughter, readying myself to smite whatever foul
creature awaited the life draining caress of my blade.
Anticlimactically not any monster that
sprung into my mind from the darkest depths of any region of itself in my
moment of panic emerged but merely a boy on the brink of manhood timidly
stepping into my presence.
Perhaps the boy that so shyly presented
himself to me was the child of this mysterious mage, I was not to know. He, however,
it seemed, was suspicious of me, but handed me the very same compassionate
stare that his elder had on our chance meeting. My mind was laden with doubt as
to whether this was in fact really happening or if somehow it had delved deep
into my imagination and conjured these brilliant and curious characters, either
way I was dazed by the warmth these people gave me. I had murdered, and I had a
strong feeling that they could see it in my eyes.
Nevertheless the Apprentice and the
Alchemist gladly had me share an exquisite dinner that was beautifully laid out
on some folded cloth that was dyed colours I had only experienced in dreams of
lush fields or the undergrowth of vast forests. We didn’t speak. For the majority of time as I ate, I thoughtlessly stared out of the small, wooden-framed window that was positioned at an accessible angle from where I was seated.
The sepia sunset stunned me. The last
lights of the day bounced off the canopy and shone so vastly it left me with
the one emotion I didn’t recognise at first. I couldn’t feel the sorrow for
what I had done or the urgent rush of adrenaline that came with panic. I couldn't feel my lips curl as I beg for blood or the sick flow of passion that
had recently coursed my veins. After long scrutiny and analysis I had fit the
symptoms to the condition. I was, for the first time since I laid my eyes upon
that Goddess in that forsaken town, calm.
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