Sacrifice

Prompt: I twisted my hair into a ponytail, tucking it under my cap and lowering the brim. Then l took a final look around the room full of strangers, wondering which of them would help me escape, and which would try to kill me.

Translations:

Malorum - Latin; 'evils'

Vates - Latin; 'prophetess'

Caput - Latin; 'chief'

Solem Deum - Latin; 'Sun God'

Templum Solem Deum - Latin; 'Temple of the Sun God'

A figure hidden in robes bowed in front of the young woman looking out of the window to the ivory moon. "You called, Lady Vates," the figure's deep voice said.

Vates looked away from the moon and smiled down at the man."Have your wounds healed, Bes?" A month ago Vates found this young soldier close to death outside of her temple. She brought him in and tended to his wounds until he fully recovered.

"Yes, Lady Vates," Bes answered. "I thank you for your kind hospitality. I will be leaving you soon, so I can rejoin my brothers in battle; and I will no longer be a burden to you."

"Don't be silly, Bes," Vates chided with a warm yet slightly mocking smile. "I rather enjoyed your company. It gets quite lonely in the temple with only my servants to entertain me."

"Of course." There was a brief silence. "Lady Vates, you couldn't have called me here in the middle of the night just to ask me about my injuries."

Vates sighed. This was the last thing that she wanted to befall such a sweet young man like Bes, but there was no way to oppose the Solem Deum. "Tonight while I was sleeping the Solem Deum gave me a vision. It was of you protecting a purple-eyed girl from a group of demons, called the malorum. This girl will be the key to salvation for mankind, but the key to destruction if fallen in the malorum's hands."

Bes nodded, understanding the situation. "So it's my destiny to protect this girl for mankind."

"Yes, but in order to save mankind you have to -"

This was stupid.

A rundown restaurant in the lower parts of the village wasn't the kind of place for a newly turned sixteen year old girl should be, especially when that girl was Nakita, the niece of the Caput and currently ditching her coming-of-age ceremony, a ceremony that prepares young girls for their bonding, our form of marriage. My uncle told me that I was to be engaged with my twenty-five year old cousin. I was so shocked that I ran away from the palace and ended up here. It wasn't like I wasn't excited to be turning sixteen and being considered an official member of society, but the idea of being engaged to your cousin wasn't all that appealing.

I looked around to the heavy metal doors I just came through. There were two scary buff males guarding the door and glaring down at me. Hastily I avoided their menacing looks. I twisted my hair into a ponytail, tucking it under my cap and lowering the brim. Then l took a final look around the room full of strangers, wondering which of them would help me escape, and which would try to kill me. It was pointless to think I was so threatened, but I couldn't help it, something wasn't right here.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked up to see a disturbingly pale man watching me with creepy golden eyes. "Excuse me, miss. My name is Apep," he hissed like a snake. "Would you like to have a drink, my treat?" Escape seemed the wisest decision so I ignored Apep and turned to walk away when Apep took hold of my arm. "There's no need to rush, pretty miss. We'll be having lots of fun soon." He licked his lips with his snake-like tongue.

I shivered as his ice cold skin touched mine. "N-no," I stuttered. "Please leave me alone."

Apep's tightened his grip on my arm and smirked when I cried out in pain. "So let's g-" I stared in horror as Apep suddenly coughed up his blood and splattered all over my white shirt. Right in the middle of Apep's chest stuck out a sword. The sword slowly slipped out of Apep's chest and he disgracefully fell to the ground. I gaped at Apep's killer as he put his sword back in the scabbard worn on his belt. He was a tall man wearing a dirty raggedy robe with the hood up to hide his face. It was apparent that this man was a soldier if his sword and obvious muscles meant anything. The man grabbed me by the hand and started to pull me out of the restaurant.