TheWoman

1977

There were 823 marble tiles on the hallway floor outside Sister Imperator’s office. Secundo had counted them several times while he waited, swinging the canvas bag of notebooks he carried. Ever since he could remember he would come up with games and puzzles to amuse himself in idle times. Estimating the amount of leaves on a tree. Visualizing the floor plan of a building based on the outer windows. Using the relative heights of the plants to determine what part of the Ministry courtyard received the most sun. So if he assumed each tile was a perfect ten inch square (and he could, because his foot was just larger than that) then the total dimensions of the hallway was ten feet wide and sixty feet long. And if he used said tiles to estimate the height of the ceiling in the Sanctum, then that would be—

The door finally opened and Secundo saw the face of his father looking down at him. He was Brother Nihil, a mopey musician, half-attentive father, and personal assistant to the Dark Mother herself. The Infernal Eye glared out of his gaunt head from under a woefully mod haircut, adding some semblance of intelligence to his face. “Come now, boy,” he said, opening the door further. “We have more questions for you.”

Secundo’s jaw tightened and he felt his heart start to beat a bit faster. He stared ahead, glaring at the space before him, steeling himself with a mantra that he himself invented: POWER. He imagined the five letters floating in front of him, tracing one by one with his mind. The solidness of the thought settled him enough to move his feet into the room.

Sister Imperator, The Dark Mother, sat behind her oaken desk  decorated with carved grinning skulls, looking more like a lost tourist than the Custodian of the Void. She wore her customary long tunic dress of outrageous swirls of polyester color. Her hair was a carefully organized golden helmet, one sweep of curls concealing her right eye. Secundo had grown up in her shadow. He had known her for as long as he could remember. During Rites he watched her, captivated, as she delicately performed the ritual movements, held aloft the chalices, athames and other arcane trinkets that Secundo craved to wield himself.

She quirked her thin red lips, beckoning Secundo with a casual flick of her manicured nails. The boy approached, standing before her. The bookshelves along the walls towered around him, bursting with ancient texts and glittering ephemera. Nihil settled into a chair to the side of her, clutching a dossier and blinking.

“How are his tests?” Sister asked flatly. Her nails stroked the ends of her chair. The inquisition had begun.

Nihil shuffled papers around, bringing them uncomfortably close to his small eyes. “Academically, high marks. Top ten at his high school. Hasn’t gotten into a fistfight in two months.”

“Two weeks,” Secundo corrected.

“Er- oh, right, I forgot that one,” Nihil said, sniffing.

“No matter,” said Sister. “And our tests?”

Nihil leaned towards her, attempting to show her a document. She ignored him and he slumped back into his seat. “Highest score this year. Beat the second highest by ten points. Was twice his age, too.”

“I don’t take adepts this young usually,” Sister said.  “But my bones tell me that the boy has a lot of work to do.” There was a flash of blue deep in her eyes. “The earlier he starts, the better.”

Secundo tossed his shoulder-length lank black hair. He tried not to show any expression, staring into the eyes of the bronze sculpture of a roman she-wolf behind the Dark Mother. POWER. 

Sister continued. “Do you have your assignment?”

Secundo placed the small pile of notebooks on her desk before her, bobbing his head in a show of deference. Sister picked up the first one, flipping through idly. “Cloud formations, weather patterns,” he explained. “Timed, dated. Six times a day. A whole year and a day.”

“I trust you did not miss a single day.”

Secundo shook his head solemnly. “I swear it by the Void.”

Sister’s eyebrows raised as she let out a little chiding huff. “Any comments from his reference?” She then turned her head slightly to look at Nihil. Nihil nodded.

Nihil attempted to remain serious, but he could barely hide the glimmer of pride in his eyes. His mouth twitched as he struggled not to smile. “Virtuoso piano player, as far as I’m concerned. Expert in Latin and the Theban Alphabet. Learning a bit of Chinese astrology on the side as well.” He couldn’t help it, his mouth stretched into his rubbery grin. “Even as a tyke… good imagination.”

“A good imagination is the best quality of all,” Sister added. “Especially one that is put to use to solve problems. Secundo…” She leaned forward on her elbows, her eyelids low and dreamy.

Secundo bowed his head quickly. “Yes, Your Dark Excellency.”

“How willing are you to die?”

Secundo’s visualization faltered. The question was held up in his face so aggressively it brought his immaturity to the surface. He was still a child. He had never thought about death. But she leered at him now, looking for his answer. He snorted, deepening his frown. “I will do anything to learn magic from you.”

“Well, that settles it,” she scoffed, leaning back in her chair. “Time for the final test. Happening now.”

Another gauntlet thrown before him. He had already won her over, and there was nothing left to lose. He tried not to grin. “Now? Fine, Sister, I humbly accept.”

“Return here in one hour,” Sister explained. “Nihil will lead us to the catacombs. Bring anything you may need.”

His smile faded, his mind racing, her challenge the starter gun. “What would I—”

“Anything. You. May. Need.” Sister’s face stretched into a sneer. Her eyes flashed with wildness.

Secundo glanced towards his father, who was focused more on the floor than the room around him. Secundo had never noticed how sunken Nihil’s face was. While the Infernal Eye stared out from its socket fierce and shark-like, his human eye dripped with weariness. Secundo was aware of how the man drooped in his seat, his flesh hanging off his skeleton, his mouth sagging. It was easy to quickly glance and mark the man as a dullard but something in this moment hinted at some deep strain. At life being drained from his spirit itself.

Sister coughed for attention and Secundo glanced back at her. She flipped through the next notebook on her desk and had moved on from giving him any further attention. “As I have said. Sixty minutes.”

To be continued...... (this week, fingers crossed!)

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