Now mobbed by civilians, the guards didn’t have enough room to swing their weapons or raise their bows.īut Aziraphale was still moving in the wrong direction, and had far too much attention on him still. This caused a massive surge of people to rush forward in an attempt to gain entry to Antioch. With a great creaking and clanking, it began trundling upwards. Drat and double drat the damned Crusades and all the trouble they caused!Īziraphale glanced backward and, with another quick wave, started winding the winch controlling the portcullis. He used another miracle to make sure it sunk harmlessly into the ground. While he was running, one of the gibbets fell and knocked several of the guards over, giving him time to make his exit.Īnother arrow whipped past his ear. Recognizing that he was now in imminent danger of discorporation, Aziraphale quickly retreated into the crowd. The arrow missed his forehead by a fraction of a fraction, taking a lock of curly white hair with it. One of the guards nocked an arrow and pointed it straight at his head. People reached out to grab the angel by his tunic, trying to hold him in place. The cry of “Demon! Demon!” had already been taken up by the surrounding crowd. “I promise, I’m no demon!” He held his hands up imploringly. “I bet he’s a demon coming ahead of the Crusades! Look at the way he’s dressed!”Īziraphale backed away slowly. “He did, I saw him!” Another guard pointed at Aziraphale and nudged one of his comrades. “What-did you-wha-you tried to bewitch me!” This hope dissipated as the guard’s eyes widened with shock. Hopefully, with the aid of a quick miracle, he could get this over with. So if you could just let me through…” While he said this, he made a gesture. “Now look here, I just have some business to attend to and then I’ll be on my way. With only a slight bluster, the angel adjusted his cream-colored tunic and stood a little straighter, trying his best to look intimidating. He put a hand on Aziraphale’s chest and shoved him away. Camp outside all you want, but until we get our orders, stay away from the gate. “Excuse me…”Ī pair of mistrusting eyes immediately snapped to him. He approached one of the guards and cleared his throat. One of them had a crow perched on it, tearing delicately at a loose finger. Above their heads hung a row of gibbets, all containing corpses in various stages of decomposition. When the surrounding civilians cried out for entry and jostled to get to the front of the crowd, the guards would shove them back roughly with the hafts of their weapons. Antioch was far too deep in the crusading areas for his liking, and had slim pickings as far as food and drink, too, what with the trade routes shifting and all.Īs he worked his way through the crowd, the angel saw that the main gate had a ring of armored guards surrounding it. He was here to perform some minor blessings, and the sooner he finished, the sooner he could return home. Nasty business, to be certain, but Aziraphale did his best to put it out of his mind for the time being, though it troubled him to do so. The area was growing increasingly unstable, with rumors that another Crusade was on the horizon. The great portcullis had throngs of refugees surrounding it, all clamoring for entry. Some merchants had decided to make the best of their current circumstances and were hawking wares to passersby. People moved in between these tents with various goods tucked under their arms while scrawny cats and dogs picked at some of the scraps left behind. Part 1 of Top Hits of the Ineffable Playlist Stats: Published: Words: 8,890 Chapters: 1/1 Kudos: 6 Bookmarks: 1 Hits: 88Ī small collection of rough-hewn tents clustered around the walls of the ancient city like barnacles on the hull of a ship. very slight drama if you squint i guess.Aziraphale is Bad at Communicating (Good Omens).Aziraphale is Bad at Feelings (Good Omens).Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |