Gellert Revisited

The dark landscape towered over her, as she climbed the hill to Castell Pwyll monastery. Ancient battlements, now retired from the fight against invaders, looked at her as if waiting to see if she were a new foe intent on domination.

Danielle had taken the call at the early hours of that morning, when a sobbing voice asked her to come to the castle quickly. There was a problem with Owen…

She’d been against Owen taking the job in the first place. He’d been very volatile lately, what with the full moon approaching. His broodiness had increased to maddening proportions, and she’d hoped the care of a child would sort him out.

Evidently it had, but in the wrong direction.

She entered the castle walls though its large iron teeth, that smiled at her welcomingly like a large cat waiting for you to show any signs of injury. Then walked down a long cobbled street, that some said Rhiannon had carried visitors along as punishment by her husband Pwyll, the Lord of Dyfed, for allegedly killing her child. She was found to be innocent, but would Owen?

Father Sanchez was waiting for her at the door of the main hall “The room is as we found it” and turned to open the large doors.

“So no “Hello Danielle?”, “How’s life since I ran off and joined a monastery Danielle?” After all we were team mates once” she waited for a reply.

“That person is dead. I not longer crave for the personal glory I once desired,” he said not turning around.

Same old sanctimonious Sanchez she thought Holier that thou even amongst the holier than thou.

They entered the main chamber filled with large brass candlesticks, whose candle flames flickered in the shadows of the large empty space of the hall. The tapestries waved in a strange wind that came from the centre of the room, Danielle immediately noticed the large, dark, shinning pool on the floor.

"I've never seen so much blood,” said Danielle as she stuck her fingers into the dark lake, rubbed its liquid jelly like consistency between her fingers, and sighed, “Blood alright”

There were just certain things you knew were what they were without further tests. Blood easily fell into that category. The corpse with its throat ripped out laying in it, was the other clue. Nevertheless, she had to check. Lucifer was getting wilier these days, and had been centring his whole bag of tricks on her and Owen’s relationship.

So much so, they had delayed their engagement.

A shredded baby blanket lay on the edge of the hardening pool, while a blue booty soaked up part of it like a small blue sponge that was slowly turning a hard red.

“You say you haven’t seen the child since Owen entered the building?” she asked the grey faced monk, trying to escape the slowly moving liquid.

He looked into her eyes and began to gibber “No! I mean yes! God help us all! If the child is dead all will be lost” he began to cry.

“Save you tears” said a tall blond Adonis, with large grey wings, entering the room from thin air. “I have found him. He has walled himself up in a Chamber of Safety”

“Watch the bloo...” to late he’d stepped in it and stained his jeans. Danielle sighed. This was getting more like a comedy of errors the longer they were here. Danielle looked at him puzzled “Chamber of Safety?”

He shook his leg as he stepped out of the pool "The chamber was built when the castle became a monastery, as a ‘Panic Room’ of the 13th Century” he slapped the wall leaving a red handprint “The walls are made from stone work only found in Hell. No being can enter or escape those walls by occult means. We have him!” he said making a gesture of success, causing the dried blood to crackle in his hand.

“You’re so melodramatic Alginon,” Danielle said patting him on the arm “You fallen angels really need to lighten up now and again. Is there any sign of the child?” she asked.

Alginon shook his head “I heard no cry or simper from the child”

Danielle looked at the wall, and wondered if Owen was still in charge of his faculties. After all he had just turned into his werewolf persona, ripped the throat out of a Grand Master of the local Freemason Lodge, and run off with the new hope of the world in his arms. Not a good reason for keeping him alive when they got to him she thought.

“Owen we know you’re in there. Come out and you won’t be hurt” said Danielle. Please let him answer me!

Silence! She knew he could hear her. The man could hear a sweet paper rustle in your pocket from upstairs when he was in this form.

“I hear you” came his low guttural voice “I’m not coming out until that idiot promises he isn’t going to try and kill me”

Alginon pulled a face, as he produced a large sword from his back scabbard. It let out a low swish noise.

Danielle shushed him “Alginon won’t hurt you Owen. We just need to know the baby is okay. We found a lot of blood out here, and we need to know he’s not been turned into a werewolf snack.” She prayed.

“He’s fine,” Owen said.

She prayed harder. Then pulling a key from her pocket, she put it in the lock.

“But I thought he had the key in the…” said the monk.

Alginon slammed a hand over his mouth.

Too late!

Owen realized Danielle had drawn the door key into the pocket of her enchanted coat. He howled as he tried to keep the door shut, but Alginon was to strong. The door flew open, flinging Owen to the far corner of the room.

Slowly the angel drew closer, his myopic eyes undulating in the darkness as he approached Owen. The werewolf reared up and ran at him, side stepping the blade as Alginon brought it around. He wasn’t fast enough. Alginon backhanded him with the hilt of the sword causing Owen to hit the ground hard. He turned over and looked up into the eyes of his friend.

Alginon’s voice caught in his throat “Now demon hound of Hell you shall return to the place from whence you came, there you shall serve the Master you have chosen to ally yourself with” he raised the sword, gripped its handle tightly in readiness, and plunged it down toward the werewolf’s heart.

Danielle stopped his hand before the sword pierced Owen’s chest. A small scratch was left on his skin, but it would cause him agitation all his life.

“Wait! Can you hear that?” she said as a small cry came from the other room.

Danielle walked through the door, and looking behind the cabinet, saw the small form of a baby boy with a cut on his head. She managed to pull him out from the gap by his legs. None the worse for wear.

Alginon picked Owen up by the scruff of his neck, and lifted him to his feet “No hard feelings friend”

“Until next time?” Owen shook himself loose “Now I know how Gelert felt. Save a gifted child and you get the blame” He walked out into the sunshine, and stood naked in the dawns early light.