Burning

Chapter 15

"Stay by my side!" Valdis ordered the others as she backed towards the gate they had come from.

Cerberus let out a loud roaring growl that made the ground tremble and walked forward, each single paw step it took equaled ten or more for them. Once Valdis felt her back hit the gate she realized nothing she did would save any of them. She did however notice something that could give the others more time: narrow gaps in the wall that seemed to lead to other closed gates, if they could get in there it would take Cerberus longer to reach them.

"Get into the structure." She ordered them, pushing Molly into the nearest one.

Her mother hesitated, watching Mirena go into the opposite opening as Molly, before looking back at Valdis. "Don't do it."

Valdis shook her head. "I have to, to buy you time... Now go!"

By the time she turned back around again Cerberus' three heads were only a foot from her, its breath smelled of death and rotting flesh and she swore there was a piece of torn cloth stuck between one of its back teeth on the left head. She pressed her back against the gate but yelped as she felt someone tap her shoulder and turned to see Botis looking at her with his orange eyes.

"Come to see me die up close?" She hissed at him.

Botis let out a laugh at her anger before answering, quite aware that Cerberus was now digging away at the rock to reach Valdis better. "I have foreseen you doing great things half-ling. Of course my visions can change, but if I were you, I would not allow yourself to die here."

"Why would I believe you?" She snapped as she barely avoided one of Cerberus' clawed paws.

"I am one of the more friendly ones here. In fact, from what I've seen, you will help me out by destroying one of the higher ranking demons... unless you die here."

"Valac?" She was listening to him intently now. "It's him isn't it?"

Botis backed off with a gleam in his eyes. "I will not say, but I will tell you it will cost you a high price."

Then he was gone and Valdis grunted as Cerberus knocked her to the ground with a paw and planted it on her back, even without the creature's full weight she found it hard to breath. The middle head, which had healed scars on its face leaned down and looked at her with its intelligent dark gray eyes. It opened its large jaws as if to finish her off and Valdis knew just how defenseless she really was, she doubted her fangs or ability to fly would save her now, but then Cerberus did something she didn't expect... speak.

"Your kind has made me wait so long to once again taste flesh of vampire kind..." The voice spoke to her like Grimm's but Cerberus' sounded hoarse yet still held power, as if he hadn't spoken in a millennia. "I shall enjoy feasting on yours."

The head on the left, which was covered in bloody scars that looked fresh, growled and turned his head, she could now tell by the voice Cerberus was indeed a male, towards where Mirena was coming out of safety from across the stadium. "Masters have brought us more treats..."

The right head, which didn't seem to look too badly injured compared to the other two heads, looked as well. "Not as good as the living flesh."

"Leave... them... alone." Valdis wheezed as the claws dug into her skin.

The heads all turned back to her and growled before answering as one. "You cannot tell us what to do! You do not hold the authority over us, if you cannot prove yourself worthy to command me I shall do as I please!"