Chapter 29
Having walked his horse through the mountains, Aiden now stood at the southern edge of the Yorkshire Moors. Like any of England's moors, it was a large expanse of barren land, offering little, if anything in the way of food and drinkable water. On its northern edge was the North Sea. Aiden knew this seawater wasn't drinkable either, but where the ocean met the short there was usually civilization. But, the moors would take time to cross and Aiden didn't want to be out in the open. Especially at night.
Looking across the moors, the vastness of the land forced Aiden to rethink his chosen route, deciding to skirt the moor's southern edge and travel east. The choice to go east was almost arbitrary, but Aiden caught a whiff of something on the air. Something familiar. Soon, he encountered the headwaters of the River Esle. It had been two days since he'd had water and jumping off his horse, Aiden threw himself into the cold waist-deep water, drinking deeply from its swift current.
Having satisfied his thirst, Aiden washed the cold water over his face and through his hair. It seemed as though it had been forever since he left the monastery and his hair and beard were beginning to grow long. The lengthening hair didn't bother me as much as his growth of beard. It itched constantly to the point of being nearly unbearable. But, Aiden would remedy this upon arriving in the next town. And by mid-afternoon, the scent he'd detected earlier had grown stronger as he approached the town of Egton, a small farming village halfway between the headwaters of the River Esle and the North Sea. It was too far from the coast for fishing, so the river had, long ago, become its lifeblood and was still of great value as a means of irrigation. Certainly, there would be someone there who could provide a man with a shave.
As he entered the town, Aiden found it oddly quiet and attributed it to the resident's need to be in the fields. Reaching the town square, he found the same silence. He found this especially disquieting. What businesses there were stood with unlocked doors, absent of clerks and delivery boys. He ventured among its few houses and quickly felt the haunting stillness of a town that had, for some reason, been abandoned. For how long could not be determined. Perhaps, an incident of plague had driven them out. But, Aiden discovered there were no remains lying about. Perhaps the town had fallen victim to an act of war or invasion. Since ancient times, the Norse had made regular visits to the British Isles in search of wealth and slaves. But had the town been attacked, it would have been left in charred ruins. For all appearances, the town of Egton had been abandoned, it's people simply walked away. Aiden wondered what it was that forced the people of a thriving farming community to leave, without so much as packing a bag.
Tying his horse to a nearby post, Aiden walked quietly among the lifeless buildings, his mind still overwhelmed by the maddening silence of an empty town. He knocked on several doors and receiving no response, cautiously began entering stores and residences. Possessions, clothes, and furniture were left both in place and intact. He walked around the rest of the town and after some time discovered the reason for its abandonment. Upon rounding the corner of a small house, Aiden discovered a dead cow. Its throat had been broadly sliced. Its blood pooled onto the ground in a heavy clotted mass. He noticed a thick trail of blood that led to the side of the nearby house. It was only a matter of moments that his eyes were drawn up to the side of the wall. Aiden took a few steps back, his eyes taking in a sight he found as frightening as it was odd. Painted on the wall in cows blood was the Satanic cross, the same symbol that Aiden bore his forehead. It was impossible that it could be a coincidence and as Aiden unconsciously brought his hand up, he touched his fingertips to the symbol that had been burned into his flesh so long ago. He had been told that the glyph represented the evil he was to seek out. Now, it appeared as a warning to anyone passing through. Aiden wondered why such a warning would be displayed. But, his mind quickly made the connection. His fight for God resulted in the deaths of several innocent people. He had come to realize this as something that occurred in a war. And in war, there were always casualties, innocent bystanders trying to escape, to stay clear of the storm of battle, leading their children to safety, to places where the clamor of steel and the wild screams of death would not be heard. Someplace where the shrieking madness of battle would not touch their innocent souls. The question that crept up Aiden's mind was this: did these people fear him? In his service to God, he also served man. This, he believed, in spite of the order's attempt to use him as a tool of evil and conquest. People, it seems, believe whatever comfortably fits into their lives. The same can be said for fear. We fear what we believe will harm us. The reason why is irrelevant. Thus, faith and fear tend to travel in the same circles, the faithful describing themselves as 'God-fearing' represents a truth that lies at the heart of religion, standing as a barricade against a true spirituality. But, why would people fear one man, especially when he is sometimes referred to as a holy man? Perhaps, people tend not to judge others by their intentions, no matter how noble. Perhaps, they render their judgments based on both appearances and behavior. For example, a robed man wandering into a town bearing the Satanic cross on his forehead, a Bible in his hand and wielding the power of God, while in the process of waging his personal war, kills several of what he also believes to be God's creatures.
Standing in front of the familiar symbol, Aiden's mind was torn between two opposing ideas. On one hand, it could stand as a warning, a sign of God's wrath, as a messenger of divine destruction wandered the earth in human form. Perhaps, the town of Egton was warned and hence, evacuated. After all, wherever Aiden went, the reputation of Urielin monks preceded him. On the other hand, the town may have been abandoned, left as it was as people ran from an evil that was already in the midst. Aiden had, some time ago, come to the conclusion evil was everywhere. It ran rampant throughout the world like a plague. They would certainly not run from a man of God. And then there was the symbol. If people knew about the monks, it would stand to reason that they would be, at least, familiar with the Satanic cross. Perhaps, the symbol had been left as an indicator of what may still lurk within the town's borders and leaving his horse tied to the post, he began a well thought out search of the town. If the evil that drove the townspeople from their homes still remained, Aiden would be obligated to flush it out and destroy it. Even if it meant killing its host as a last resort.
Starting at one end of the town, Aiden quietly began a methodical search, as he moved from one building to another. Most residences occupied outlying farmland, but a few were in town, along with a small handful of adjacent businesses. So, with his hand cautiously around the grip of his sword, Aiden peeked through windows and around corners. He slowly eased doors open, attempting to maintain some semblance of stealth. But in spite of his intentions, he found the silence to be repeatedly broken by the creek of dry wooden hinges and the occasional shattering of clayware as he clumsily bumped into tables and shelves. He quickly discovered how haunting the silence of an abandoned town could truly be. But, his obligation to searching out the evil responsible for chasing the townspeople out was stronger than the eerie silence that blanketed the town. His plan was to search down one side of town, then make his way back up the other side. At the opposite end of town was the church. Aiden didn't see how anything evil could hide in a house of God, but searching through the town also meant entering the church as well.
Having searched his way down one side of town, Aiden now faced the church's façade. He had also found several items that he believed would be of use: utensils, cookware, and candles. Discovering the blacksmith's shop, he found a large collection of forged tools. Mostly farming equipment. But, one item caught his eye and walking pass the cold forge, he picked up a large knife. It appeared to have been made for the task of skinning animals. But Aiden could think of several uses for it. Primarily, for butchering animals and cooking meat. He only took what he could carry, giving no thought to these actions as constituting theft. After all, one cannot steal what others have abandoned.
Before arriving at the church, Aiden walked back to where he'd left his horse tied up near the end of town. He piled the few items at the foot of the post and returned to the church. Its door was left slightly ajar and standing in front of it, Aiden felt a quiver of uncertainty. He had approached the church loosely holding the grip of his sword. But slowly opening the door, he released it, believing that God would never abed anything evil in his house.
He opened the door just wide enough to squeeze through, not wanting to risk making any more noise than he already had. Taking a few steps forward, Aiden immediately noticed how dark the church's interior was. Quietly approaching the altar, Aiden's face silently reflected the resentment he held as his mind flashed back to when his hand held the grip of sharpened steel, its point having protruded through the body of the innocent child who, by now, lay in the cold earth. His mother would, no doubt, grief for the rest of her life, knowing that her young son had been taken from her by the hand of a holy man.
He stood glaring at the dusty crucifix on the wall. The carved figure of God's son hung by three forged nails, staring up as if wondering why His father had left him alone in a world filled with so much pain and cruelty. And for one brief moment, Aiden felt the terrible loneliness of being without the constant company of God's presence. Forcing his attention away from what he now saw as merely a symbol, he noticed the candles nearby had not simply gone out but had melted into puddles on the floor beneath. From this, he surmised that the town had been abandoned for, at least, two or three days and those who had abandoned it were likely not coming back.
As he stood surveying the back of the church, a small sound reached Aiden's ears. A slight, soft crack perhaps. The town was experiencing the heat of the day and dispelling less obvious possibilities, Aiden drew the conclusion that the building was, like any other wooden structure, simply shifting with the rise in temperature. He would have been comfortable with that assumption had it only occurred once. But, it happened again. This time, it sounded closer and slightly louder. He reacted from both fear and instinct and quickly spinning around found himself standing face to face with one of the most startling sights he had ever witnessed.
She seemed to have come from nowhere as if she has simply drifted through the wall. Her bent frail body stood naked in front of him. Her hair was white and disheveled; her eyes wide with a lost expression of madness. Her flesh hung from the wear and tear of decades, living a life fraught with persistent difficulties. Sometimes, life is not so much lived but survived. Aiden instinctively reached for his sword, but the old woman was close enough to have the advantage. And raising a clawed hand, she quickly struck her long yellowish brown nails across Aiden's face. What came next raised the hair on the back of Aiden's neck as the old woman let out something that sounded with a mix of wild laughter and confused screaming. Aiden quickly came to the conclusion that the old woman was either struck by madness or influenced by the devil. But, there was no time for discerning one from the other end Aiden was not willing to take any chances. The tip of his blade flew up behind his right ear as the old woman reached out for him, her eyes glassy, her teeth gnashing violently against each other.
His blade had barely paused as Aiden level it's cold steel against her waist. By the time he completed this single swing, woman’s body lay on the floor, one half cleanly separated from the other. Blood poured from both halves as her mind spun with its last remaining minutes of consciousness. It was likely that Aiden would never see anything so horrific again. He continued holding his sword and walking through the growing pool of blood, stepped up next to her head. Her breathing had been reduced to a slight rising and falling of her chest, while her color turned from a chalky white to pale yellow. With her consciousness fading, she looked at Aiden and lock her eyes on him as a painful grimace overtook her face. Perhaps it was simply reflected, but as the old woman's expression faded, her hands began to clinch, forcing her fingernails to scrape themselves across the floor. And as her dying breath slowly left her chest, the muscles of her torso and arms briefly contracted as though she was attempting to sit up. Moments later, her mind became silent as her eyes began to cloud. Had Aiden known of her presence, there would have been enough time for an assessment, and he would have treated her accordingly. But again, even in His house, God's voice had fallen silent and after witnessing the horror of the old woman’s demise, he looked back at the crucifix. Aiden had taken another life without so much as blinking and in his mind, the only reasonable commonality was that God, for some reason, decided to leave him to his own devices. Note of warning. Not a whisper. Not even a feeling, or a slight impression. He thought that perhaps God was testing him. But, Aiden was lost as to what he should be learned and facing the church's crucifix, made an angry plea to the Almighty.
"What do you want from me!?" he screamed. A few moments went by as his voice echoed off the walls. "I can't do this alone!"
Again, there was only the sound of his own fading voice. It seemed that God had, once more, left Aiden like an infant abandoned at a doorstep.
Leaving the body untouched, Aiden turned away from the crucifix and walked towards the door, still holding his sword. As he pushed it open, he quickly discovered that the sky had nearly cleared, allowing the sun to stream in. He suddenly saw the dark shadows of the church turn a blinding stark white as the sun-bleached his vision. But, his sight quickly restored itself after putting a hand up to his eyes. And as his vision returned, he stepped out into the street, his mind churning with confusion. Again, God had abandoned him. But at the same time, had allowed, what Aiden now believed to be a participant of evil into His house. He still believed in God, but also believe that, perhaps, God no longer believed in him. Maybe he had not lived up to what God had planned for him, that he had somehow become a disappointment and was, therefore, of no use. But, Aiden still clung to his mission with an iron grip and would continue it, regardless of having, for whatever reason, fallen out of God's favor.