Chapter Four, The Apprentice

Nero's adventure into the mind of a madman.

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.

Author's Note

Hey newest installation to my book :) Please have a gander and let me know what you think

Reviews

[Talismanic]

first para's long, :) wht else is new? Wordy, but you can tell when sentences are heading somewhere, they flow their own way and build to something. I like the transition, 'Anticlimactically, none of the monsters that had sprung into my mind's darkest regions in my moment of panic, emerged, but merely a boy on the brink of manhood, timidly stepping into my presence,' and the eerie pause on 'calm' for a last word... hey you use gander mate? much missed Aussie slang over here, i'm verry old fashioned for my age:)

[Thomas Reilly Thornhill]

Hehe I'm happy you've enjoyed it :) And I'm not sure where I heard the word first but I like old timey (If you couldn't tell from the writing) hehe