The Darkest Souls

Prologue - The Fell Dragon

Tari was exhausted. She'd been forced to walk alongside a smelly, disgusting horse for two weeks, her hands connected to he saddle pommel by thick, coarse rope that itched and rubbed her tea-colored, dirt-streaked skin raw. Her black hair was matted and greasy; she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a bath.

Sadness filled her heart. Baths reminded her of home, of her grandmother, Nonna... Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of her friends, who at best were terribly wounded. At worst they were dead. Heaviness seeped through her entire body, and her feet began to drag. Her legs seemed to made of lead: they didn't want to move another inch. All she wanted to do was stop and cry, and then just lie down and cry some more. But she didn't dare stop. If she stopped, the horse would pull her and she would fall. She'd learned from experience:falling was not pleasant. The rider wouldn't stop either. They'd continue to drag her until she got up again.

She had to keep going. She couldn't stop. Maybe, she told herself, if I keep going, they'll eventually let me go. I can see Nonna and my friends and everything will be back to normal.

It had been almost two months since the strange, armed men invaded her village and demanded Tari. The villagers, strong believers in loyalty, refused. Next, the soldiers offered riches beyond the village's wildest imaginations. Still, they refused to hand over the sweet, hardworking girl. In retaliation, the soldiers began to burn the village to the ground, attacking the villagers along the way. They'd grabbed Tari in the midst of the screaming and chaos. The villager's stand had been for nothing.

Now, she marching against her will to an unknown destination for an unknown purpose. The only interaction she'd had with people was when soldiers came to give her food or empty her privy. All in all, she'd been treated rather well. But she could never forget what they had done to her people. The images of her friends burning would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. She couldn't shake her grandmother's screams out of her mind. She was left wide-eyed, unable to sleep, staring at the wall of her small, cramped tent.

But she had to keep going. She could not afford to stop. If she stopped, she would never be able to muster the strength to keep going again.

Her only guess about where she was going was the giant, jagged mountain that had loomed in front of them for days, and was growing ever closer with each passing day. She wasn't sure, but she believed the mountain was a part of the enormous range that separated her nation, Arox, from the neighboring nation, Ebea. But Arox was full of mountains; the one in front of her could've been any number of one.

Hours later, they finally, finally! reached he base of the mountain. Her rope had been removed from the horse, but was now attached to a thick wooden post. At least she could sit down and rest.

Now more than ever, she felt sorrow seeping through her body. But she didn't dare let herself cry in front of all the soldiers who snickered and jeered at her. She had to be strong. For Nonna. For her friends, For her village.

A small distance away was a large mineshaft, leading deep into the mountain. She wondered where it went, and why she had been taken here, of all places. The mystery continued when the next day, silent, soldiers untied her from the post and led her into the shaft.

The shaft was warm, stuffy, and damp. Tari felt immediately uncomfortable and squirmy, but two soldiers had tight grips on her arms. Her fear continued to grow as she was dragged deeper and deeper down the shaft. She soon realized that the source of her fear was not only from the shaft, but something else entirely. Something unnatural. Something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Something that made her heart pound. She increased her struggling, but to no avail.

After what seemed to be miles of walking, the group came upon a huge, well-lit cavern. A huge pit, deep and dark, sat in the middle of the cavern, but the ceiling he real eye-catcher; it glowed. Some parts glowed blue or purple, while others glowed white and pink. Whether it was some kind of plant or stone, Tari didn't know. But whatever it was, it was beautiful. A feeling of hope and wonder cut through her fear as she gaped a the ceiling in awe.

Standing in front of the pit was a tall, dark-haired man, dressed all in black. His back was to Tari, but even then he radiated power. He dressed in a long coat that almost brushed the floor. As turned his head a bit, looking at her. Tari felt shivers run down her spine and her feeling of hope instantly vanished.

"Leave us," the man spoke. He was low-spoken, but his voice seemed to boom regardless. The soldiers released Tari, bowed, and left immediately.

The man turned, and Tari got a look at his full features. Everything about this man seemed to be black, save for his pale skin. Black, cold eyes gazed at Tari. Thin lips pursed behind a well-kept black beard. He seemed to be in his early thirties. He carried no weapons, but Tari felt as though he could kill her without a second thought.

He gave her a smile that never seemed to reach his eyes. "You're Tari, yes?" He said, his voice just as quiet as before.

"Y-yes... sir,"

He smiled again. "No need for the 'sir,' Tari. My name will suffice." He stepped closer to her, still smiling. "Of course, you probably don't know my name. They call me Osiris,"

Osiris bowed deep and low. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Anger sparked in Tari's chest. Her people had been slaughtered. She'd been dragged across the country for no clear reason. And this man was acing like nohing had happened.

"The feeling isn't mutual." She spat.

And just like that, Osiris's whole demeanor changed. Rage and sorrow filled his black eyes. His handsome features screwed up. He advanced toward Tari, taking long, violent strides, and she shrank back in fear. His powerful aura was now crushing, and Tari struggled to breathe under it.

Just as soon as he was angry, he was calm again; but the sorrow still lingered in his gaze.

"Tell me Tari," he said, turning toward the pit once again. "Have you ever lost anyone?"

I have now, she wanted to say, but fear of Osiris snapping again kept her silent.

"I had never experienced loss before," he continued. "Until recently, when..." he choked. "When those Ebeian dogs stole my precious daughter from me."

He faced Tari once again. This time, to her surprise, his face was tear-stained. "They murdered her!" He shouted. "They robbed me of my only joy in life! And now," he said, his features darkening, "I will rob them of theirs."

He advanced towards Tari once again. She found that she could do nothing as he grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to the edge of the pit. She found that she could do nothing as a dagger magically appeared in Osiris's hand. She found that she could no nothing as her throat was slit.

As her blood oozed into the dark dark pit, Osiris spoke again. "I suppose I should thank you," he said coldly. "Your sacrifice has set my revenge into motion. The whole of Ebea will suffer because of you. So, thank you, love."

But she couldn't really hear him. Everything was fuzzy and warm and dark and good. She swore she could hear Nonna's voice, crying out and calling her name. She could hear her friends. Her mother. Her father, even. She smiled and let the warm feeling take over her entire body.

It was funny, really. She had though dying would hurt. She had thought that dying was lonely. But no. Her family was here. She found that she didn't really mind death as much as she thought she would.

He last thing she heard before the warm darkness took over was a monstrous roar. Then, nothing.