Gracefall Chapter 6: A Mischief of Rats

Read chapter 6 of Gracefall by arsy on NovelPedia.

Marching down the road, they made it to the red-brick building where the rat’s nest was. A triangular roof crowned its heavily weathered walls. An enormous hole gaped where the front door should have been. Lucia pointed at it. “Is that it?” “Yes.” replied Ishkiel. Then, he suddenly pushed Lucia aside to hide between two buildings. A yelp escaped her mouth. She looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?” He put his finger to his lips. “They’re here, look.” Peeking out from the narrow passage, he pointed toward the road. A complicated expression on her face, she inched her head out and then saw them. A mischief of rats skittered toward the building, their fur black and their steps light. They were the size of bears. Ishkiel pulled her back, hiding themselves once more. Seeing a questioning look on her face, he whispered, “We’ll wait here until they’re asleep. Then, we’ll strike.” She nodded. As the rats’ steps faded, Lucia and Ishkiel sat down, their backs against the wall of the building they hid behind. As a sigh escaped her, Lucia closed her eyes. “I’m going to rest my eyes… tell me when it’s time.” Ishkiel turned to her, a complicated expression spread across his face. “You’re tired?” “A little…” She nodded. “All right, then…” He looked forward. “Rest well, Lucy.” Tilting her head, she rested it on his shoulder. *** Suddenly, she was shaken awake. “Huh—“ Ishkiel stood above her. “It’s time. They should be asleep.” Quickly standing up, she patted her clothes down. “All right, let’s go.” Nodding, he turned and walked out from the narrow passage they hid in. Fixing her hair, she followed him. When they made it to the building, they could see the gaping hole up close. It no longer led into the building, those rats turned the entrance into a dirt tunnel leading underground. The two of them briefly glanced at each other before nodding. Then, they walked into the tunnel. It had a downward slope, so they couldn’t move quickly unless they wished to lose their balance. Thanks to the sunlight that shone into the tunnel from the entrance, they could still somewhat see in this enclosed space. Eventually, at the edge of the light, they came to a circular room of dirt. Multiple holes in the walls. Inside of those holes, she could see rats lying down, sleeping. She could see the bones of some of them through their missing patches of skin. Ishkiel pointed to the middle of the room, signaling her to set up the trap. Nodding, she slowly made her way to the center. Standing there, she looked at the ground. ‘All right, here we go.’ Closing her eyes, she imagined grasping her relic as she closed her hand. Then, she felt a soft and moist sensation on her fingers. Opening her eyes, she saw a piece of meat in her hand, it was as wide as a birthday cake. Quietly laying it on the ground, she began digging in her skirt’s pocket before pulling out the vial Rose gave them. Suddenly, she heard gurgling to her left. Turning, she saw that Ishkiel was in one of the holes and had slit a rat’s throat. Its body twitched as Ishkiel lifted his sword. Then, pushing it down, he pierced his blade through its head. Pulling it out, he crawled out of the hole, ready for the next. The grace that came out of the dead rat’s body gave them some more light. Turning her head back to the meat, she raised her arms and pulled the wooden plug off the vial before pouring the liquid inside over the crimson meat. A moment later, it was empty. Putting the plug back in, she stuffed it in her pocket before slowly stepping back toward the entrance. As she looked around, she saw that there was yet another rat glowing with grace. She searched for Ishkiel before after a brief moment, her gaze landed on him stabbing another rat’s brain with his dark blade. Turning to the entrance, she let out a sigh of relief. She then walked up the tunnel, her steps quiet. A moment later, she was back on the street in front of the entrance. After briefly lingering, she stepped aside and leaned onto the wa