A short, stocky figure, with a strange, limping gait, as if one leg was longer than the other, hurried up a hill, to an encampment. "Boss!! Boss!!" At the center of the camp, a tall figure turned. A scaly tail swished back and forth under a black cloak. Curved horns erupted from the sides of the figure's head. "What is it, Bagan?" The first figure, Bagan, stops in front of the taller figure. "L- Lord Zarathros, I found the human village." Zarathros smirked, showing a yellowed fang. "Good. We attack at nightfall." Down in the valley, everyone was going about their business; a general feeling of calm gathered around the area. Children were kicking a ball around in the field, while some watched. Kitchens all over the small village were busy preparing dinner, and it showed. White smoke billowed from many fireplaces, mixing with the few clouds overhead. It was just beginning to get dark, and the glow from many lanterns flickered into existence. Inside one house, a girl with silvery blue hair, couldn't be more than fourteen, was tending a small fire, cooking soup for her and her sick mother. "Mother, when will father return from his trip?" she asked, stirring the soup. "He should-," The girl's mother had entered a fit of coughing. The girl quickly brought her a glass of water. "Thank you, Maya... Your father should be back by nightfall..." Nightfall, indeed. A foul wind blew through the valley at that moment, sending the village's horses into a panic. Any villagers nearby would notice a dark cloud spreading in their direction. One man looked at another. "It looks like we're gonna be in for a bad storm. Let's get the animals inside." "Aye, I'll do that. You round up th' children." A shrill, inhuman cry rang out over the valley, sending children scrambling into their houses. Everyone else froze. "Hey, Matil, go check that out." "Wh-why me, Jamsen?" "I said go over to tha' hill and check it out." Matil scrambles off in a hurry, heading up ontop of a hill. He screamed shortly after, and started running back towards the village. "Demons! There's demons, a horde of them- ...!" A large, rusted spear impaled Matil's chest, and Matil fell forward, his blood staining the bright green grass a crimson red color. There's a pause, and a dawn of realization as the horde of demons spilled over the hill, heading straight for the village. Matil's body was trampled as feet, hooves, claws, or boots stomp towards the village. The noises of the panic outside could be heard clearly in Maya's house. The young girl peeked out a window, then backed away in horror. The village was being torched. Demons ran through, setting fire to the roofs of houses, hay supplies, and anything else flammable. All the villagers were being rounded up like cattle. With a loud crash, one of the walls burst inward, and the hulking body of a demon stalked into the house. He was large, much larger than a human. He was broad, a beast of a man. A thick gold ring hung from his nose, like he was some manner of mutant bull, and his teeth were yellowed. "Aye, thar be two filthy hoomans in hare. On o' ‘em is sick, and the udder one's jus' a wee lass, m'lud" "Kill the sick one and bring the girl out, Geht." The other demon's voice was strangely calm and soothing, unlike the rough, uncivilized babble that Geht called speech. Maya screamed. "Not Mother, please, don't kill her! No, please!" Her pleas had no chance of being heard. With a malicious grin, Geht grabbed Maya and casually flung her out of the house, where she landed at another demon's feet. "Mother!" There was a small, helpless gasp, and then silence. Geht walked out a moment later, chewing on an arm; her mother's arm. He chewed loudly, and bit through the bone with a loud "crunch". The rest of her body was flung over Geht's shoulder, as if it were a sack of vegetables. Maya stared in stunned silence, mouth hanging open in shock. She tried to find the breath to speak, but couldn't. She could only let out a small cry as the second demon lifted her up roughly and carried her under his arm to a group of tents only a hundred yards away from the now-burning village. Human corpses, all other villager, littered the ground, some half-eaten, some crushed under demon feet. She was carried to a small tent, and thrown inside. A thick iron collar was locked around her neck, wrists manacled behind her back and pulled up, chains linking the collar and manacles. Another demon collected her and tossed her inside a wagon. After all the villagers were put into wagons, the demons broke camp, and started moving north. The inside of the wagon was dark, and smelled of death. Her village was not the first the demons had ransacked, as there were many people Maya did not know in the wagon. There were only girls in this wagon; the others were being kept in different wagons. Maya huddled in a corner and stared out a small barred window; these were the only source of light and fresh air. The wagon rocked and jumped with each bump or hole in the ground, scattering its occupants around. Maya gasps as she lands awkwardly on her arm. She whimpers and cries silently, unable to do anything because of her bonds. The caravan of wagons crossed the wasteland in a week. Its cargo of humans were unloaded at a large city, and separated into groups by age, gender, and various other categories. Maya's group, consisting of three other girls her age, was lead through the city. It was the last she saw of her village's people. As they were lead through the city, Maya could feel the piercing stares of the demons as they looked over these new humans. The stares end shortly, when the four of them were dragged into a building. *** Inside the building, after having the iron bonds removed, they were led away by human women, maids of the household. The demons exchange a few words with the rather human-like owner of the house, and leave after receiving payment for the girls. The maids escorted the four girls into a bathroom. There, their clothes were ripped from their gaunt, un-fed forms and they were roughly pushed into a large bath. An attendant went to work, lathering up Maya's hair with scented shampoo. Her head was thrust under water as the attendant rinsed her hair off. Firm hands roamed across her body with rough scouring cloths, rubbing away all the dirt and grime, leaving her skin soft and sensitive. Maya gasped aloud when the cold air met her body as it was lifted from the too-warm water. As quick as they put her in, they snatch her out, and then force her into a robe. They lead her out of the bathroom, and down a hallway, passing several paintings: scenes of war, scenes of torture, things that would not have been there had this been a human dwelling. Maya shivers, though whether from cold or fright, she didn't know. They stop at a door, and one of the maids opens it; the other pushes her inside gently. Maya can hear the door's lock click after they shut it. Upon examination of her surroundings, Maya noticed that it was a big room, and the floor was covered in thick, soft pillows. On one side of the room sat a large round mattress; pillows and blankets were piled onto it; the room was dimly lit, by torches set in the walls, making everything cast flickering shadows. Memories of earlier that day flooded into Maya's mind. Her body shook with spasms of horror and grief, and she dropped to her knees, hugging herself tightly. She was only fourteen. How could this happen? Her village had never hurt anybody... Her thoughts were interrupted as the lock clicks and the door swings open. The other three girls are lead into the room. Maya's grief ends, as though a spell had been cast over the room. She just couldn't bring herself to cry anymore. It was as if it was all a dream, gone from her memory. |