Demon(#Wattys2017 Entry)

Chapter 26:Trapped

Gem groaned, opening her eyes. The room around her was dim, with only a flickering candle to illuminate it. Even so, her Nrevac eyes pierced the darkness easily, and she observed her prison. It seemed quite awful, as she had heard some soldiers describe. Her wrists had been tied to a bedpost, with knots she could not loosen.

There was a small stand nearby, with odd juices flowing down the side, and a few knives stuck into a block...perhaps some sort of torture rack? She shuddered at the thought, and decided not to dwell on it.

There were a few bars on the windows, adding to the gloom and ruining any chance of escape through there. On the wall were several scrolls spread out in frames....pictures? Perhaps her captor enjoyed drawing, and made pictures of every victim.

Though curious, she was grateful her eyes did not allow her to read or see things written or drawn in the darkness....given the atmosphere, she doubted it was pleasant. She heard a slow, creaking sound, and realized someone was walking in.

It was a very short figure, surely not the one who had knocked her out. That meant there were at least two, she reasoned. She would have to consider this when working out her escape plan. The figure walked towards her, and she heard a clicking sound.

At first, she thought it was simply the person's shoes tapping the floor. Then, she saw a slight movement in the hunched over form's head, and realized it was snapping its jaw shut repeatedly.

This thing....did the Deena have a cannibal working for them!? She had heard rumors of their brutal tendencies, but nothing like this!

She gulped, considering. If that was the case....it might poison this one, and leave her only one to deal with!....It was little comfort though, for it still involved someone consuming her, and there was always the chance of the other becoming angry and slaying her afterwards, but....if all went well, the worst she'd get was a new scar!

The figure walked forward, still clicking its teeth. She rolled away, pulling desperately on the ropes. The figure walked to the side, feeling around the edges as though looking for something.

Gem froze. Perhaps...it was blind? Why else would it be so close and not have bitten her yet? The being looked up, and Gem seemed startled.

It was no Deena before her, but what seemed to be a human woman, with raven black hair and a few lines at the sides of her face, showing age. Most odd were her eyes, pale, milky orbs with no color left in them. Gem held her breath, and the woman clacked her teeth again. She turned to face Gem, smiling and reaching out while Gem recoiled, unable to even scream.

The door opened again, and a large figure with a torch grunted."Back! That one's dangerous!" Came a voice, and the figure set the torch on a wall, illuminating the room.

She observed him curiously. He had neither a slight nor strong frame, appearing as a normal human man would. His eyes were brown, but unlike most of his kind, he had long black hair strapped back in a ponytail, which worked as a direct contrast to the bronze Deena skin tone.

Some sort of hybrid? Most Deena looked down on humans, and humans were normally repulsed by the Deenish brutality, but....stranger things had happened.

He walked over and gently pet the woman's head."Come now, back."He said.

The woman clicked her teeth again and looked up, as though her eyes were not ruined after all."...Why is there a woman in our home?" She asked calmly.

The Deena glared."That mercenary company...it's Black Griffin. We need a prisoner of theirs if we're going to stay alive. They'll mop up all of those soldiers, you know they will."

The woman took a deep breath, as though the mention of Black Griffin were painful to her, then nodded."Very well then...Please, get the poor dear some food at least."

The man nodded obediently and walked out, shutting the door. The woman rolled her sightless eyes."Sons are always so stubborn, you know. Prepare yourself should you have one."

Gem, of course, stayed silent.

The woman smiled."My name is Paxrilla, should it interest you. Terribly sorry about all of this, my son's always rushed into things."

Still no reply. Paxrilla smiled."Your silence is understandable, you may just listen if you wish. I imagine you got quite a fright at my teeth...you may nod or shake your head, you know. I will hear the wind."

Gem nodded.

She smiled."Yes, I must apologize for that as well. It is how I find my way around. I click my teeth, and the sound bounces off of whatever is before me. Similar to a cave bat, you know....They were all big and troublesome, but I do miss them."

Gem frowned. Had she heard the woman correctly? There would be no reason for a human to know anything about the huge cave bats that had inhabited only the Nrevacian caves, unless...

She looked at the woman more closely. She had a small frame, and had already mentioned keen hearing...it had been hard to tell at first, but she was a Nrevacian!

How odd, she thought, that after so long of thinking herself the last of her kind, she would see two separate members of her race in the same day. An extra half thrown in as well, for her son was obviously some kind of hybrid between her own race and the Deena!

She smiled."I see you've figured out what I am."She said."You're probably wondering how I survived while so many others died. Well, I'm afraid it's a boring story. My first husband was a Nrevac who....Well, the only thing he did right in life was give me my son....A sweet boy too. Always pestered me when he was little, but what child doesn't cause their parents grief?"

She laughed to herself, but slowly trailed off.

"....My husband was the one who did this to my eyes, after a bout of drinking brews from the surface. It was then that I realized I couldn't keep my boy in that place, and made the journey to the surface. Found a mercenary troupe fairly quickly, a group of Deena. I traveled with one of them for a while, and my son grew. The leader was a kind man, the complete opposite of my first husband, and we married."

She smiled and sighed, enjoying the memory."He did many things right, and first and foremost among them was my second son, Aven'Ser. When he was four, I decided on a trip to see my parents, to let Aven experience more of my side of his heritage. The day after we finished our planning, however.....My people and their town were gone. Poof. A whole race almost annihilated overnight by a band of bloodthirsty mercenaries in it for profit."

Paxrilla sighed."I had not even thought of home for so long beforehand, but...it's loss struck me deeply. You never truly know what is yours until it slips from your grasp, I suppose."

She sighed, and her son walked back with a tray of food, seemingly just bread crusts.

Paxrilla clacked her teeth, then nodded."Well...you try and relax dearie, eat up. Seems he's made a nice meal for you, good boy." She smiled and hugged him, then walked out.

Aven'Ser glared, walking over."Listen to me, Griffin scum. You are going to pay for everything your company has done, but whether it's with your life at this point is debatable. So, you shut up, you be a good prisoner while we wait out these battles, and you don't dare lay a hand on mother. It's bad enough to see her legacy ruined by people like you working as assassins and abandoning their heritage, but for you to work for them!"

He shook his head in disgust.

Gem frowned, not knowing the reason for his rage.

He snarled angrily, pounding her in the stomach."Don't play dumb, you damn traitor!" He snapped, then stormed out. She grunted at him, pointing at the tray. With her hands tied, she could not reach it, could not eat. He looked back and smiled knowingly, as this was apparently intentional, before he walked out. She sighed, unable to do anything but look at the food longingly.