Ash waited until she turned the corner of the corridor before she started to run as fast as she could. She couldn’t wait for the lift, so she took the stairs two and three at a time, corridors flashed by with their lavish decorations on the walls; surprised people turned and stared when she dashed past them at a full run and through the reception area of the five star hotel where everyone was dressed in a suit or something similarly high class. None of it registered, for Ash it was just a blur of noise and colour before she finally burst through the front doors, sending an elegantly dressed man sprawling. He could have shouted something her way, Ash didn’t hear as she continued her mad careen through streets and around corners. This Ray, whoever he was, had saved her life but being around him was dangerous for her, that’s why she had to get as far as she could and hope that she would never meet him again.
Faeries don’t give out their names lightly, especially their full names. Since Ash had given this Ray character her first name, it meant that he could command her to do little things. Little things like answer questions and speak the entire truth. If she had given him her full name, well, she didn’t want to think about it. Right now all she wanted to think about was what she was going to do about a place to stay permanently and getting as far away from Ray as possible. There were also the nagging thought of the fact that the Knight found her so easily. She needed to think of a plan and quickly.
Ash turned another corner and stopped to catch her breath, leaning her back against the white washed concrete wall and rubbing her temples to try and get rid of the headache. Glamour could only go so far to block her senses, and Ironside’s fumes were starting to leak through. She had to get some real fresh air, maybe go to a park, or back to the woods. Ash couldn’t stop thinking about the human from earlier. Renzo, wasn’t it? It was so kind of him to lend her his shirt, well actually not minding when she borrowed it without asking. It smelled of him, a deep manly smell. Ash could smell his sweat, what his skin smelled like. No no no! She needed to concentrate on how she was going to stay alive, instead of lingering on how nice the man who rescued her smelled. Or how his eyes came alive when he laughed… No! She shook her head to clear it. The shirt obviously didn’t help; she became painfully aware of how it stuck to her sweat drenched body.
She couldn’t stop thinking about him. On one hand she should get rid of the shirt in order to remain focused, on the other, the scent of the human could confuse the senses of the Knight that was hunting her. She wasn’t sure which one was worse; she could not afford to fall for a human right now, no matter how delicious he smelled.
Ash closed her eyes, relieving all that had transpired so far: her flight from the palace, one peaceful night at a hotel and being chased and shot with no hope of survival. And then he came out of nowhere. Renzo…A saviour in the dark. He could have left me there, he had no reason to help, he shouldn’t even have heard my cries – they were so faint. I had no choice but to give him my name. I had to leave, if he had ordered me to stay, I would have had no choice. She squeezed her eyes tightly in frustration before remembering that she should probably not reminisce on a street corner.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and pushed off the building that she was leaning on. As she started to walk in a random direction, it became clear how battered her body really was. The muscles in her calves were letting her know that she’s been doing a lot of running lately and a loud rumble in her stomach reminded her of the need to eat something as soon as possible.
But whatever it was that her body told her, she couldn’t stop now. She couldn’t stop until she found a safe place to stay, if there even was such a place. Ash stared at her feet as she put one foot in front of the other, the terror which had been absent in Renzo’s hotel room suddenly making her strain for a breath. She tried to inhale deeply to calm herself, but it wasn’t working. Her hands were shaking and sweat started dripping from her brow. It felt as though phantom hands were at her throat and they were slowly squeezing, chocking the life out of her. Ash took a corner of the shirt to wipe her face and the panic receded, the only sense surrounding her was that smell. Renzo’s smell. She inhaled deeply, filling her senses so that there was no longer room for fear or terror.
********
She didn’t know how long she was walking, but as she turned another street corner Ash came upon an open space. It looked like a clearing in a forest, except that it was square and there was a large domed structure in the middle of it. Compared to other buildings in the city, this one was by far the lowest. There were two towers, one on each side, and on top of the dome was a cross. Ash remembered reading something about Ironsiders’ religions and seeing something similar in one of the books – this was a church but it could have belonged to Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox Christians.
Curious, Ash decided to head inside. Considering her current predicament, this place was as safe as any. As she got closer, Ash couldn’t help but slow her pace as she looked at the structure in awe. Intricate patterns adorned the massive wooden doors which were strengthened by black metal which itself was designed into different curls. Then there were the carvings in the stones of the frame in which the doors were hinged, in fact the whole face of the structure was covered in them. Above the door, some Latin words that she couldn’t possibly read; let alone understand. Leading up to the open entrance there were a dozen of wide steps which were made of white stone with grey veins – it seemed as though the stones may have been alive.
Ash paused as she raised her foot before stepping on the stairs, almost afraid that she would step on a living thing. They’re just stones. She reminded herself, and with a deep breath took the first step. Nothing happened, so she proceeded with relief, until finally she was before the entrance. Inside there were benches and candle light and somewhere at the far end an altar with a large cross which seemed to glow.
Having read about such places and that no evil may enter; Ash decided to be on the cautious side – she raised a hand in front of her and reached with her fingers towards the entrance. There seemed to be a ripple as her fingers itched closer, but it was hard to tell if that was a warding or just a trick of the light. Ash bit her lip as her fingers brushed the boundary. She was expecting to be shocked or flung back, but instead the air wavered a little but offered no resistance as her hand went through.
“May I help you?” An amused voice startled Ash and she almost jumped. She turned her head toward the sound, only to find a middle aged male smiling at her crookedly. He was wearing a long black robe, which somehow looked fitting on him.
“I um…” She cleared her throat. “It’s my first time here” she said softly
“I can see that” His smile widened, if that were possible. His brown eyes reflected the amusement in his voice. “Well don’t just stand there, come on in” he waved at her. Ash gulped.
“Uh thanks… I think I’ll go” she motioned behind her shoulder and spun around, ready to make a run for it. Not before she saw him shake his head from the corner of her eyes.
“Don’t you want to have a look inside?” There was something akin to disappointment in his voice which made Ash turn back to look at him. “I would love to show you around.” It was dark outside and she had nowhere to go. She might as well spend some time looking around this church. Besides, she doubted that the Knight would be able to enter inside, if he were somehow to track her here.
“I’m father Nicholas, but you can call me Nick” he extended his hand. This meant that he expected her to take it and offer her name in return. Ash racked through her brain for a name; she couldn’t risk another human to know her real name.
“I’m Kim. Thank you” She said as she took his hand. It was warm, almost hot. Thankfully he let her go as soon as she stepped inside. Ash stared as she looked at all the frescoes that adorned the ceilings, the colourful depictions on the windows, majestic columns, myriad of alcoves, the shadows thrown by the many candles.
“What is this place” she breathed.
“This is the church of St. Agnes” Nicholas was immediate in his reply and his voice was filled with joy. For the first time Ash really looked at him, she noted the pale skin, brown eyes and short cropped brown hair; he was of a height with her at a meter thirty which was a good height for a male. “Agnes was a child of but thirteen, who valued her purity above any riches the mortal world could promise her. She chose to be the bride of Jesus and upheld her faith even when they cut off her head.” He elaborated when Ash remained silent.
“Why did they kill her?” Ash whispered, shocked that a child could be beheaded. Nicholas smiled sadly.
“She refused to marry, even the Governor’s son. Here.” He pointed at a stained glass window which depicted a beautiful young girl holding a lamb in one hand and a stalk of wheat in the other. She was wearing a crown of daisies on her hair and surrounded by green swirls in a beautiful frame of white and orange.
“Its beautiful” Ash whispered as she raised her hand to the picture. This is when her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her of how hungry she was.
“Are you hungry?” Nicholas asked with concern evident in his voice. Embarrassed, Ash nodded. “Me too” he flashed a winning smile “Actually I got dinner ready, so would you mind joining me?” He continued.
“I uhh…” she was lost for words. He leaned conspiratorially, and Ash would have stumbled back from the proximity if she had not considered it rude of her.
“Please? I hate eating alone!” he pleaded. Ash’s stomach gave another loud ramble.
“Alright” she answered and Nicholas beamed at her before heading towards an alcove towards the right side of the building, obviously expecting her to follow.
Ash didn’t know why the man was being so nice, but ever since she stepped across the threshold of this church, she had felt safe - as safe as she had felt in Renzo’s hotel room. Another loud rumble of her stomach reminded her that she should get moving if she wanted anything to eat.
As she followed Nicholas through the side door, there was a distant sound followed by a soft curse, making her shiver as she hurried after father Paul.