Contego (on hold, sorry!)

Contego: Chapter 4- Destiny

They made it to the large iron gates of the magister’s private mansion with a few minutes to spare. Kaye rolled down the window of the driver’s side as soon as he pulled up, and looked back at his three friends for a second, all of them watching him patiently. Finally he turned back to the buzzer and slowly brought his finger to the tiny button.

They waited a minute, of which was spent with Kaye drumming his fingers to a rhythm-less beat on the dashboard, Nate whistling a slightly out of tune melody to Kaye’s beat, and Tessa attempting to tap her foot along to all of this. Finally, what appeared to be an elderly man’s voice called out through the speaker, interrupting their little makeshift “jam session.”

“Hello? Do you have an appointment?”

Kaye cleared his throat before answering in a gentlemanly tone, “Yes, we do. This is Kaye Compton, and I’m with my friends Nathaniel Alexander and Tessa Williams.”

“Ah, yes, she’s been waiting for you. Come in.”

With that, a sudden buzzing noise was made before suddenly the gates opened, allowing the three friends entry into the magister’s private property. Once again, they all looked at each other before Kaye finally set the car back into drive and went past the threshold.

Once they started down the small drive leading up to her mansion, it was as if they’d been transported into another world entirely. Several large oak and sycamore trees filled the property, covering any view of the sky they’d been able to receive before. Their branches twisted and turned around each other—creating the illusion that they were all interconnected and causing it to be nearly impossible to tell which branch belonged to which tree. Tall, thick grasses filled the area, giving it an almost wild, jungle-like look. The songs and calls of birds could be heard throughout the area as well as the loud chirping of crickets. Small lanterns casting soft, warm glows illuminated the narrow drive every few feet or so, and gave the atmosphere a more comforting feel. Venturing into the magister’s property, one couldn’t help but note how it was almost as if they’d stumbled upon some sort of magical land, a place fit for fairy tales.

Finally, they made it to the little circle in front of the mansion, where in the middle lay a huge fountain. It was a sculpted replica of the most common depiction of St. Michael the Archangel; St. Michael, glorious and majestic, stood atop the defeated diablo—the devil. He held his sword in position to smite the devil, his sandaled foot pressed down onto his back, pushing him back into the depths of hell. Water spouted from random places of the sculpture but still somehow managed to look artistic. The three couldn’t help but stop and admire the piece of artwork every time they visited the magister, though they’d already visited countless times.

Kaye parked the car closer to the entrance of the magister’s mansion, and quickly turned off the ignition. The three friends then jumped out of the car and slowly made their way to the mansion. Finally, they stood in front of the enormous and almost intimidating front double doors to the magister’s home. Nate knocked on them—more to be polite and inform the magister of their arrival in case she somehow still didn’t know it. They waited a few seconds before finally Nate grasped the brass handle on one of the doors and turned it, pushing it open all the while. The door was never locked, at least not when the three friends were there, and they always took it as a sign to just go ahead and come in.

Inside was no less enchanting than the outside. Marble floors and a grand double staircase greeted them as soon as they walked in. An extravagant chandelier hung from the ceiling, the large and numerous glass crystals shining immaculately and illuminating the entire front  of the house. In the center of the floor was yet another statue, but this time of the mighty Archangel Gabriel, his wings unfurled and holding a large sword in one hand. From the first day the trio had ever met the magister, it hadn’t taken them very long to figure out that the magister had a large interest in Christian figures—particularly the archangels. Why? The answer had never been completely apparent, even after so many years of knowing her. However, they all had come to the conclusion that it was relevant to them and what their destinies called for them to do.