Requiem of Dawn | TeuTemp

Tractus, Sequenz, Offertorium - The requiem's second part

The wind blew sharply past his ears, leaving a sharp prick at the tips. The protective walls of the city had long been deserted and the smell of dry grass and saltwater rose in Gabriel's nose. He had landed on an abandoned dirt road, far from the city that had set this misery in motion. Old, rotten fences and sticks marked the wild meadows around him. It seemed as if the area had once been used as a pasture. But not even the smallest spark of light could be seen from the search groups, let alone could Gabriel see a ghostly figure that might turn out to be Gilbert.

His neck felt tied up, his breath was shaky and hectic.

If he had lost sight of them now; If he had now fallen into his own trap, then all his efforts had been in vain. Gilbert would have fallen victim to them if he could not escape his conviction.

"Damn it", the blonde histed, kicked off a rock and pulled his sweaty hair. Damn it, Damn it, Damn it! "He turned his head around, looking in panic for any clue that might prove itself as useful. However, there was nothing. Gabriel just wandered around hopelessly, hardly knew how to help himself anymore and was already afraid of going crazy.

He staggered, supported his head with both hands, and forced himself to remain calm, to breathe deeply in and out, and not to indulge in the mean tricks of his own psyche. In battle it would have been nothing else, that had passed into the flesh and blood of every knight. There was no time for prolonged nervous breakdowns because there were only two ways.

Kill or be killed. There was no in-between.
Still, the madness gnawed at Gabriel's mind.
It was insane.
The fear.
The panic.

But he ran on quickly, pinched his eyes and gasped greedily for air.

Only when at the opposite end, close to an old, massive olive tree, a little light came up and the silhouettes of several men appeared, he could interpret a trace. From far away no prisoner was to be discovered, which calmed Gabriel immensely and freed his chest from the heaviness. Nevertheless, he could not risk confronting them. It would have been too conspicuous if he waded around as a single knight, while the others might have split up into groups. Moreover, he did not have a torch with him to give him an excuse.

Gabriel's gaze fell back on the olive tree. If he lined up skilfully, he could hide in its tree crown or simply hide behind it until the first group had passed by. So, he sprinted slightly bent down through the tall grass, felt his cloak fluttering in the rapid movement, and prayed that no one had noticed him. The voices became clearer and louder, but in the last moment he pulled backwards behind the tree.

His breathing became shallower so as not to be noticed, and he staggered a few steps backwards, only to hit something that was anything but a tree. He hesitantly turned around, stopped his breath in shock and suddenly all the pent-up fear was gone. Time seemed to stand still and for the split second, Gabriel felt separated from reality.

Because in front of him, Gilbert cradled.
Breathing heavily, stuck in shock, and covered with scratches and dirt.
Dried tears marked his cheeks with their traces, which were immediately destroyed by the new, quiet flow of tears.

Trembling, the little Albino looked up at him and opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, and yet the words were completely gone. Fear was written on his face. When Gabriel wanted to say something to calm him down, the light of the torches and the numerous voices of the Knights Templar and Hospitallers grew stronger, and he swallowed his tension straight away. Both Order's children did not dare to breathe anymore, leaning side by side against the broad trunk of the tree and waiting for the knights to be out of sight. It seemed like an eternity, every second dragging on, so they thought they had to stay under the tree forever.