Livingstone Saga, Book One: Birth

by Janell Rhiannon

  In the morning, Iseo woke up with a start. She looked around the room. Everything appeared in order, but she could not shake the feeling that something, or someone, had been in her room. Suddenly, she realized it was lighter than usual. I am late! She threw a woolen dress over her nightshift and slipped her shoes on, heading straight for the kitchen. It was her appointed day to light the kitchen hearth and begin preparations for morning meal.

  When she arrived, the fire was already blazing. Father Antony was moving about, preparing the morning meal.

  “My apologies, Father. I overslept,” Iseo murmured, as she tied an apron over her clothes.

  “You have been preoccupied these several days passed. Work must be done, even when we have personal issues to attend to,” he replied in a tone that made Iseo feel defensive.

  “I have never been late before, Father.”

  He stopped stirring the giant kettle and spoke over his shoulder, “I am not interested in your excuses. See that you do not let your duties slide in the future.”

  “Sí, Father.” Iseo knew that of all the priests at Compostela, Father Antony favored her least of all. He did not think it wise to have a female living amongst the men. He grumbled to anyone who would listen that a woman was little more than a step above Hell’s Gate. He had repeatedly said to her, “Women are full of sin.” In the end, Father Tomas’s connection with Cardinal Demetrius held more sway, because she was permitted to stay.

  Iseo began making the trenchers for the day, without once looking up. All she could think about was Celestino and what he might be doing sequestered in his room.

  After all the Fathers broke their fast, she slipped into the kitchen to make a tray for Celestino. It was difficult for her to think of him as the lion with wings, because the face of the man burned behind her eyes. She filled a wooden bowl with porridge and put it on a tray. As she turned to leave, Father Antony startled her.

  “Where are you going with that?” He pointed to the tray in her hands. She knew she could not tell the truth, because Father Tomas had forbidden her from saying anything about the gargoyle to anyone, and lying was a sin. So, she did neither.

  “I am going about Father Tomas’s business,” she replied confidently. She turned and walked away as fast as she could without spilling anything. She wanted to put as much hallway between her and the kitchen as possible.

  Iseo walked down several corridors and reached a dead end. A wooden bookcase filled the entire wall at the end of the hall. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching and pressed a hidden lever with her foot beneath the bottom edge of the shelving. A small groan indicated the locking mechanism was unhinged. She pushed the bookcase into the wall, swinging it like a door. She slipped through the opening and quietly shut the hidden door with her elbow. The torches lining the secret passage had long since burned themselves out. She could see the sun filtering through the windows placed high enough to discourage the casual glance or the peeping curiosity that composed human nature.

  Soon, she stood in front of Celestino’s room. Balancing the tray with one arm against her hip, she knocked. When no answer came, she knocked again.

  “Celestino? It is Iseo.” The door opened slowly, revealing Celestino much as she left him the previous night. She set the tray down. “Are you hungry?”

  “Sí. It has been long since we last ate food.” He paused. “I will take no wine with this meal.”

  Iseo smiled, wiping her hands on her apron. “That is a good thing. I did not bring wine with the morning meal.” She gestured with her hand for him to sit with her. She noticed that today his movements were so graceful that he almost did not appear human at all.

  She scooped out a bowl of porridge for him as she asked, “How did you pass the night?”

  Answering her carefully, he said, “I listened to a bird weeping.”

  “Birds do not weep.” Iseo said. “What sound did it make?”

  He mimicked the sound, “Whoo. Whoo.”

  “Ah,” she laughed. “That is an owl. They are quite large birds, who only hunt at night. I am not surprised you heard one this close to the groves and orchards.”

  “What it hunt?” he asked.

  “Owls seek out their food. They usually prefer small rodents, like rats or mice. However, I have seen evidence they eat larger prey, but mostly nuisance creatures.” She could see from his unchanged expression that her explanation may have left much to be desired, so she added, “Hunting is when one creature, like the owl, kills another creature to eat it.”

  “Do you hunt, Iseo?”

  “No!” she laughed, dragging the word out. “I will eat what is hunted, but refuse to be the hand that draws the sangre. Except for yard fowls. I can wring their necks as well as anyone, I suppose.”

  Iseo surveyed the room for a moment. All the candles had burned to waxy puddles of hardened wax on the table under the window.

  “The candles need to be snuffed out before you go to sleep. It is dangerous to let them burn so low.” She pointed to the scene of her concern.

  “I will do so, my Iseo,” Celestino said, and if she was not mistaken, he smiled slightly. He quickly devoured the contents of his trencher.

  “When does Father Tomas expect you?”

  “Once our meal is complete. Now, I suppose,” he replied. She noted the way he said I suppose and recognized her own voice in his words. Curious, he learns by mimicking.

  Iseo smiled. “Off you go then. I will clear the tray. Do you remember how to get to Father Tomas’s chamber?”

  “Sí. Do not fret, my Maker. I will not be seen or heard,” Celestino answered, as he shut the door behind himself without making a sound. Iseo sat there staring at the closed door. She shook her head.

  “Maybe I should scrape some of this wax off the table tops and get new candles before evening comes around again,” she murmured to herself.

  *

  “Buenos dias, Celestino. I trust your first night passed without incident?” Father Tomas greeted the newly born gargoyle.

  “Sí”

  “You slept well?”

  “Sí. Gracías.”

  “Did you sleep the entire night?”

  Celestino did not want to tell the priest he went to Iseo’s room, so he said, “Sleep is not easy to find.”

  “Is that all you experienced?”

  “I do not follow.”

  “I mean, what did you sense in the nighttime?”

  Careful not to give himself away, he cautiously said, “The wind stopped. The air became heavy for a brief time.”

  “Ah, bueno. You sensed the dead hour. It is a dangerous time for human souls. They are most vulnerable when the calm of night settles on the Earth.”

  “I felt a presence with the stillness, but I do not understand it,” Celestino added.

  “That would be the spirit of evil. It moves on the night air. At the dead hour it is most powerful.”

  Celestino knew that was the motivation behind him going to his Maker’s bed chamber. He felt the instinctual need to protect her from the darkness. “Can the evil come onto the grounds of this God house?”

  “We are protected, for the most part. Evil can move about in observation, but to penetrate the humans here...evil must pass through a strong veil of power woven by God.”

  “This evil cannot come here?”

  “If it were to come into God’s house, it would have to enter...hidden. Possession of the human would take place outside of God’s house. The human could enter here, and the demon would be hidden. Sí, it is possible, but the Eternal Codex forbids taking possession of a human in God’s house. Evil cannot fully manifest here.”

  “My Maker is safe from this?”

  “As long as she remains under this roof, she is safe. Mind you, evil may set temptations in God’s house. Vigilance of one’s thoughts is important at all times.”

  “Are servants of God safe from evil?”

  Father Tomas considered the question for a m
oment before answering, “All of us are vulnerable to temptation. It is how we act upon temptation that determines our fate.” His past whispered loudly in his ear, You should know that better than anyone.

  “Why does God allow these enemies to exist? Is God not strong enough to defeat evil?”

  “That is the eternal question, is it not? Why does God allow the evil to exist at all?” Father Tomas moved to the window, parting the heavy curtain, peering out through the lighted space. “If evil were completely eradicated, wiped clean from the world, then there would be no need for God. He exists, as He is...to save us, to bring us to the Light. If there were no Darkness, He would have no Light.”

  “This makes no sense to me,” Celestino said. “I would wipe Evil from the world.”

  “Sí. It is natural you would feel that way. You exist to do just that, to wipe it away. Unfortunately, you will never rid the world of Evil entirely. Not even if you had an army of your kind. God would not allow it.”

  “He requires Evil to exist?”

  “Sí and no. He would exist without it. He does exist without it. We would not exist without it. Neither myself...nor you, for that matter. We exist in this way because Adam, the first man, chose Evil. Temptation by Evil through Eve. So, mankind’s fate will always be woven with Evil’s presence. It is our human price.”

  “To be tempted by Evil and dragged into Darkness?”

  “Sí, simply put. We must be vigilant to guard our souls from such temptation and from such a fate. Once a soul is lost, it is lost forever. That is the ultimate price of our humanity.”

  “I pay with seven days of stone.”

  “Sí,” Father Tomas answered, gazing at Celestino. “I believe you are ready to begin formal Consecration studies.” He walked over to the new gargoyle-man and gave him a solid squeeze on his shoulder. “It has been many years since I last trained a gargoyle for this Holy War…we are ready, you and I.”

  “What must I do for these studies?” Celestino inquired.

  “We begin with basic laws and understanding. Your inquisitive nature has already set you on that path. So, we commence with the Eternal Codex.” The priest walked across the chamber, stopping before a bookcase filled with volumes of leather bound books. He ran his fingers across the bindings on the second shelf, pulling a book in the center. The book did not come off; rather it caused the entire shelf to release and roll back. There sat a single book, which Father Tomas picked up. “This book is the most sacred of all books. It contains God’s words, and information very few in the church are aware of. If this book were to get into public view, I suspect many would be burned at the stake for heresy. Not even the Pope himself could save such unfortunates. It is best to keep this knowledge safe. Here, in my chamber.”

  “My Maker teaches me to read script. She read to me a book of a man on an ocean. Tristan. He loved Isolde, but she would not smile for him.”

  The priest chuckled. “It is good Iseo is teaching you to read. You need to become a scholar in your own right to receive and to complete your training. Although, you may find a woman’s reading selection much different than what I will require.” He handed the heavy book to Celestino, who opened it. The gargoyle-man scanned the first few pages. It looked much like the book his Maker had shown him. He stared at the lines, but failed to discern any meaning from them. Shaking his head, he looked at Father Tomas.

  “Do not be vexed, Celestino. I will read it to you in the beginning. By the end of your training you will be able to decipher much of your studies on your own. It will keep you occupied. There will be much time between now and your introduction to the human world.” God, hear me! I need sufficient time to train him.

  “Tell me, Father, about the Eternal Codex,” Celestino encouraged.

  “It is a book that includes many passages from the Bible, as well as books strictly for Divine and Inspired creatures. Those are the sacred secrets. Shall we start at the beginning?” Father Tomas asked, as he thumbed to the first page. “First, you are required by God to know His Word, so that you may know Him. The first book of the Bible is Genesis. It describes how God created the world.” He read aloud:

  Genesis

  Book 1

  1: In the beginning God created the Heauen, and the Earth.

  2: And the earth was without forme, and voyd, and darknesse

  was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued

  vpon the face of the waters.

  3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

  4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God diuided

  the light from the darkenesse.

  5: And God called the light, Day, and the darknesse He called Night: and the euening and the morning were the first day.

  Father Tomas clarified, “This is the creation of our world. Everything began in darkness. There was no sky, only the void—a great watery, dark place. God saw purpose in giving the gift of light to the Earth. Darkness remained to remind us that the light would return.”

  “What is the Spirit of God?” Celestino asked. “Is that more powerful than God? Can this spirit fight Evil?”

  “Ah, sí, back to the nature of God and gargoyles. Remember, when I spoke of the trinity of God? God is everywhere. He has no physical form we humans can see, or gargoyles for that matter. Think of Him as a blinding light. He moves as light from a candle moves across a room...you see the flame, know it is there, yet the light itself cannot be touched.”

  Celestino nodded as he struggled to follow the explanation. “And the Spirit of God?”

  “That is another form of God that cannot be seen…think of the spirit as the movement of God. The Spirit manifests as action in our world. God thinks, and the spirit makes it so.” Father Tomas sighed. “I know this is complex, try not to think too much on the image. God has told us that His ways are far too complicated for us to understand completely.”

  “I will try.”

  “Now, the only physical form of God is God the Son. The Son we call Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God, but also God himself.”

  “I do not understand how this is possible.”

  “Theologians and scholars have grappled with this for centuries. Do not let your mind be vexed. It is as murky for the rest of us. However, it is important to know that it is in the name of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that you will be able to cast out demons...and cause the Fallen to spread their wicked wings and fly.”

  “The Jesus Christ and the Spirit help me defeat Evil,” Celestino summarized out loud.

  “Sí. Verdad.” The priest knew that it was a simplistic comprehension, but a solid grasp nonetheless. “Shall I continue?” Celestino nodded affirmatively.

  6: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters: and let it diuide the waters from the waters.

  7: And God made the firmament; and diuided the waters, which were vnder the firmament, from the waters, which were aboue the firmament: and it was so.

  8: And God called the firmament, Heauen: and the euening and the morning were the second day.

  “This is not the Heaven where God lives, but the sky. Where birds fly. It is the Heaven of clouds and blowing winds.”

  “I understand. There are two Heavens.” Celestino nodded. “Read more concerning this God.”

  “Very well,” Father Tomas continued, again.

  9: And God said, Let the waters vnder the heauen be gathered together vnto one place, and let the drie land appeare: and it was so.

  10: And God called the drie land, Earth, and the gathering together of waters He called, Seas: and God saw that it was good.

  11: And God said, Let the Earth bring forth grasse, the herbe yielding seed, and the fruit tree, yielding fruit after his kinde, whose seed is in it selfe, vpon the earth: and it was so.

  12: And the earth brought forth grasse, and herbe yielding seed after his kinde, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in it selfe, after his kinde: and God saw that it was good.

/>   13: And the euening and the morning were the third day.

  “God divided the Earth from the Sea with His Word. He caused the waters to pool together. This exposed the land, or Earth...this is the power of our God.”

  “The horizon and the sky meet at the edge of the earth,” Celestino said.

  “Bueno. Once the land was exposed, God caused all that is green to grow. The trees, the grass, everything that springs from the soil. He ensured all the trees and vegetation would reseed themselves as a benefit to man. As you know, man gets hungry.”

  “Even gargoyles.” Celestino looked at the priest with his head cocked to the side.

  Father Tomas laughed until his eyes watered. When the humor ebbed, he closed the Codex and looked Celestino squarely in the eye. “I am very honored that God chose our simple church for your birth. Your kind has been absent too long from within these walls.”

  “Other gargoyles studied here?” The notion piqued Celestino’s curiosity.

  “Years ago. There was one. Though it feels as an entire lifetime has flown,” Father Tomas’s voice trailed off into a whisper.

  “Where is this other gargoyle?”

  “He no longer exists. He is gone from this place.”

  “He did not remain at Compostela?”

  “No. No, he did not. It is best not to speak of him.” Father Tomas stood up from the table. “Perhaps you should return to Iseo’s chambers, as it is time for the afternoon meal. Return when you are finished.” He turned to replace the book in its secret space. Celestino left the chamber by way of the secret corridor with his lessons weighing heavy on his heart. He felt no connection to the God of humans. Perhaps, he thought, it will come. I will ask my Maker.

  *

  “How were your lessons this morning, Celestino?” Iseo asked, as she set the trencher between them. She was pleased that he was able to recite the thanksgiving prayer with her.

  Celestino held up his hand. “God’s fork. After the señora.”

  “Gracías,” she said, as she broke the midday meal. “About your lesson?”

  “Father Tomas read from the secret book,” he responded.

  “Secret book?” Iseo raised her eyebrows.

  “The book of your God. The part called Bible.”

  “That is not secret. We are all familiar with the Bible.”

  “The entire book he calls the Codex. That is what I am to study. He said I will not be studying books selected by a woman.”