A Queen Named Victory

Chapter Six

My mother mentioned the Dimikyr once. We knew them as evil devils from the forest. Some say they're hostile towards other mythical beings and love the taste of human flesh. Not a living soul knew what a Dimikyr looked like because they never left any survivors after an encounter. Just mentioning their name sent children running to their mothers. Unmarried women refused to step foot past the forest line in fear of being taken by them.

The shadowy figure firmly gripped Halvar's wrist. Clawed fingers pressed against his wrist. Deep indents beneath the beast's sharp tips threatened to puncture him if he insisted on freeing himself.

"This affair is settled."

Halvar fell to his knees and screamed. His body slumped onto the ground, but the monster kept his firm grip. Halvar gasped for air after the monster tightened again. Dinah fell to her husband's side and wiped the blood from his nose on her sleeve.

"An act of violence toward my betrothed is an act of violence to me, and I do not take kindly to such offense."

Thick droplets trickled down Halvar's arm, making him cry again.

"Stop, stop it!" Dinah cried. "Lord, save us from the evil-"

I did not wait to see what torture that creature planned. Nor did I have a reason to waste time watching him toy with them. I pushed my body to move. My legs loosened enough to run forward, but the door grew more distant with every step. My chest throbbed with a pain that made me want to claw out my eyes.

"Be careful." An arm wrapped around my waist, it steadied me from falling over again. I remembered my other good arm and used it to shove him away.

"Don't you dare touch me, demon!"

"Is this how human brides usually treat their new husband?"

"I am not your bride. I was not right in the head when I spoke. I did not mean it. Please, please let me go," I begged. My fingers tried to break his clasp, but it was useless. My burly father failed against him. How can I defend myself?

"You had time to recant. Did you not?"

My heart stammered enough that I slammed my palms on my forehead. This was not a nightmare. He was solid and warm. His heartbeat sounded the same as mine, although it was calmer than the drumming in my chest.

"I'm afraid they hit you too hard," the demon noted before he pressed his hand to my head, whispering gently, "Sleep now, Sigrid."

I opened my eyes to complete darkness. A soft blanket covered me up to my chin, and I moved my arms to feel for my sister with a sigh of relief.

"Little Wolf?"

"There is no Little Wolf here, only your husband."

I pushed my body as far away from the source of the voice. I crawled until I slammed into a solid surface. The creature's familiar clawed hands rested on my shoulders to calm me. I screeched at our closeness. My hands slapped and pounded against his chest. I offered one last kick before I escaped his clutch.

"I will not let you eat me!"

"No worries, dear, I've already had an ill-tempered curly-haired woman earlier. I have no intention of adding onto my plate."

"Do not mock me."

"Humans taste vile anyways"

The Dimikyr shifted, and I heard a crackling pop before a spark lit our surroundings. He was much different than I imagined for a fearsome creature. The Dimikyr lounged on the cave floor like a bored cat waiting to snag a scurrying mouse for a play toy. This was a game for him too. He's the predator, and I am his prey. Flickering glows from the light in his palms illuminated the scars on his face and neck. One long ragged line cut the entire left side of his face from the middle of his brow to the lower corner of his lip. He met my gaze and smirked.

"If you aren't going to eat me, then why are we in this cave? Don't tell me this is where you live?!"

"Welcome to my humble abode. It pleases me to see how eager you are. Shall we get started with- "

"Gods, NO!" I instinctively brought my knees to my chest and covered my upper body with my hands. "I'll kill you before I let you bed me!"

"Preparing a meal" he finished calmly after my interruption. Then he tsked playfully and said, "You almost made me blush." A sudden rising heat kissed my whole face, ears, and all.

"I don't belong here."

"Do you really want to return to the people who abandoned you so easily?"

I bit my tongue before I said something offensive. How much of that conversation did he hear? More importantly, what did he know about my family? This is a game to him. I just have to learn his rules to play.

"I may not have a good bond with my parents, but I have so many loved ones in my village."

"Lies do not suit you," he said with dissatisfaction.

He poked at the glowing orb with the tip of his claw while he waited for a more truthful answer. He had not mentioned Ingrid or Ulf yet, so he could not use them against me. He grew tired of my silent contemplating and asked, "Why are you so eager to go back to the place where a two-legged pig waits for your hand and womb?"

"Why do you want to know? You already have what you want. I'm the one with the shit end of the stick here." I spoke again with an honest approach, "I have never left my Little Wolf alone for such a long time. I cannot handle the thought of leaving it behind. Even Skeg would let me keep it."

"That is fine. Tell me where to find it, and you shall reunite with your precious Little Wolf."

"Forget it. Just let me wallow in my loss," I grumbled after the failed attempt to sway him. His grin widened at the sound of another lie.

Being in the presence of a Dimikyr is manageable if one grew up with bickering siblings. He bantered and probed while I hatched an escape plan. On the bright side, Dimikyrs detest the taste of humans. This one, in particular, also had no interest in forcing himself on me. But there were still many challenges ahead. His ability to sort out lies from the truth was the most concerning. I should not have been so surprised since most forest folks have similar talents. Words were my only defense, so I used them to the best of my ability.

He initially brought me to the cave in hopes of using his healing magic. He did not expect the longer wait enforced by the approaching dawn. No matter how strong the Dimikyrs are, they would never be strong enough to withstand daylight. A single ray of light hardens their skin to stone. That much of the rumors were true, but I still did not want to test out how powerful he was yet.

His eyes followed me as I paced with my fingers on my chin. He mentioned early in the conversation that I was nonconscious for hours between travel and in the cave. So, we were neither too far nor too close to my father's territory. The time gap for my escape needed to be perfect to make it out of the forest by morning. Finally, I stood up with pulsing determination. I shook the slumbering Dimikyr away while announcing, "I have to take a piss."