A sharp pain ran up the side of Eric’s neck. When he instinctively reached with his hand, he pulled out a small dart with two blue feathers attached. His eyes grew wide with panic as he screamed for everyone to run. Three steps were as far as he got before collapsing to his knees. He tried hard to clear his head as it began to fog up, to force his failing body to respond.
His heart sank as the other two fell to their knees right next to him, each with a similar dart protruding from their necks. As the forest began to spin around him, Eric’s final thoughts were of his treatment of Jade, how those very well may be the last words he would ever say to her. That fleeting thought filled him with more pain and horror than the possibility of his own demise—a fate he now felt he deserved—as the jungle faded into blackness.
*
Eric slowly began to open his eyes. His head felt light and fuzzy as he shook it back and forth. His first impulse was to close his eyes again and go back to sleep. The last memory before losing consciousness flooded back to him as soon as he realized he couldn’t move his arms. Now fully remembering everything, he thrashed while trying to clear his head at the same time. Stop panicking. Just figure out where you are and what’s going on. He stopped thrashing and took a deep breath as he scanned his surroundings.
The black walls seemed to be made of some sort of dark stone cut into perfect rectangle bricks and layered with mortar, as far as he could tell. The bare walls held no pictures or decorations of any kind that he could see. There was not even a single bit of furniture in the plain room. There were, however, two open windows that allowed a subtle cross breeze. Hot air moving felt better than hot air standing still, if only by a little.
The floor consisted of wooden planks that were sanded smooth, but had no stain or finish of any kind. The rickety door looked to be made of bamboo shoots tied together by some kind of fibrous yellow vines. As his eyes gazed up, he could see the roof looked much like the door, bamboo tied together with the same yellow plants.
His feet were bound together with the same vine, while his hands were tied behind a thick wooden post. The knots were tight as he twisted his wrists back and forth to try and loosen them. Suddenly, the door swung open as a tall figure entered the room. Eric’s blood froze as the strong scent of spice filled the room.
The bare-breasted woman that came in was about six feet tall. Her skin was mostly light, with several dark patches that looked to be rough and scaly. The woman had thin, white hair and was covered in shiny gold jewelry. Three large gold hoops pierced each ear, and two smaller ones graced each of her nipples. Gold and silver chains of various lengths fell around her neck. A combination of silver and gold loops ran up each arm as well. The small gold hoop in her left nostril seemed subtle when compared to the other gaudy jewelry that seemed to cover her from head to toe.
“I know exactly what you are,” he hissed as he began to thrash again, pulling hard on the twine ropes. “My friends and I have gone through hell just to stand before you. Where are they? What have you done to them?”
The woman’s bright yellow eyes remained fixed on him as she tilted her head to the side, looking quite amused as she smiled wickedly. She took another step toward him before sidestepping to expose the doorway. Jade had been standing behind her the whole time! Eric’s eyes grew wide, not knowing what to make of this. His companion stepped through the doorway with a blank look as she turned to the woman. “Ericando tres toora beropa,” she said as she gestured toward the doorway.
The tall woman glided gracefully back the way she came. She turned to Eric one last time before leaving. “You sssay you know what I am,” she said in a light, youthful voice that sounded odd coming from the large woman. “Who or what I am is not important. We shall ssssssoon see who or what you are...Eric Aethello.” The woman strolled from the room without a second glance.
Chapter 15
Addel awoke from her pain-induced coma. Never had she experienced such a thing in her life! Her body ached as her head swam in a pool of clouds. When she tried to rise, her stomach emptied itself onto the floor. Falling back onto her dingy mattress as the room spun like a top, she felt as if she had been drinking for a week. Trying to get to her feet no longer seemed like such a good idea, as simply sitting up was challenge enough. But to her relief, her head seemed to be clearing quickly even as she lay there. What did that beast do to me? What “gift” was he talking about?
Suddenly, her door blasted open so hard it nearly flew off its hinges. Dragot stormed into the room, towering over her like a tree dwarfing a bush. “How are you feeling?” he boomed in a rush that seemed very uncharacteristic of the calm demon. The truth was, she was starting to feel much better. She’s been on death’s door a minute ago, but now she felt better than she had in a long time. What DID he do to me? “Well, regardless of how you feel, you need to come with me right now!” the demon said as he reached down with a clawed hand to grab her.