Chapter 1
Voices were trailing down in an endless murmur. For the first time in months, she must have a visitor. She must be prepared, because once she got this chance, there was no guarantee of another. She refused to be locked in here for another 500 years.
The voices were coming closer, nearing the silent cages. These were like covered bird cages, made specially to let in neither light nor sound. The magic woven into the covering was ancient, and dead long ago.
"So, you say he's been in here six hundred years plus, huh?" There was a pause. They must be at a cage down the row from her. The other, who must be her warden, spoke too quietly to be heard.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he was an ugly beastie after all of this time." That was the new one again- he seemed to know absolutely nothing about the prisoners down here, like herself. That could be used to her advantage. Another pause. The anticipation was killing her. Anxious, she made a split second decision on her appearance. Maybe, just maybe these stupid men would let her out. After all, with luck, they would know nothing of what she had done to deserve this living hell. They hadn't even been born when she was shoved in this hole.
"I can't believe they left these down here for so long, it's inhumane. Some are listed for nothing more than killing some cow when they were hungry." They were so close, she could hear the warden's reply. Still, she cursed them with death for their fancy records. If they know what others did, surely they knew what she did as well.
"Some of them, however, deserve every minute of what they got. Take this one for example. " The two men stopped in front of her cage. She could hear the shuffling of the men's feet.
"Valencia Moonfern. She's killed more men than you can imagine, and all without a speck of remorse. I know we're here to let some of them go, but this one stays.
"What is she," the numbskull asked. "A troll maiden or something?" Valencia gritted her teeth in indignation. Cursing eloquently, she wished the stupid man could hear her. Wait until he lifted the tarp- he wouldn't think her a troll when he caught a glimpse.
"She is," said the warden, "A demoness." With an elegant flourish, he lifted the tarp, and she covered her eyes, wincing in pain. There was a gasp, and Valencia could feel the man's breath on the backs of her hands.
"She's just a child!" He reached his hand through the bars towards her. Now pause time for a moment.
If he had been any less of an ignoramus, he would know two things. One: Demons could take whatever shape they wanted. Age size and species didn't really matter. Neither did gander, and though most demons had a preferred form, there wasn't really any limits. They usually picked a gander and stuck with it primarily by the time they were one or two hundred years old, though. Two: when a demon is threatened, determined to do something, or just too lazy to make one themselves, they can take over a human body. Valencia was motivated several times over, and the idiot had just reached out to touch her.
In his defense, he saw an adorable blue-eyed toddler with curly brown hair and freckles.
She reached out to meet his hand, and felt a tingle of anticipation rise in her stomach. He was so close, she could feel the heat of him from the tips of her frigid fingers.
A flash lit the corner of her vision, and suddenly the hopeful warmth was gone. In it's place was the most distinct sound she had heard in all these years- a scream of desperate pain. She drank in the sound. It fed her every pore and renewed her determination. The scientist's hand lay severed in the bottom of her cage.
