The Eternal War: The Dragon's Valkyrie

Cruelty

Saidy kicked at the dirt as she leaned against the wall of the dwelling Yrden had entered. The heat was only made bearable by the constant coolness of the sea breeze. Saidy felt invigorated by the light scent of salt that permeated throughout the air.

From what she could hear of the conversation Yrden was having with the inhabitant, the man dealt in ancient tomes and other artifacts—most acquired by unsavory means. Yrden was particularly interested in a certain book about necromantic history.

"I'm sorry, Dolleta!" Saidy's attention was drawn by the plea coming from the main street.

She looked to her left as she watched a female oni drive her heel between a man's shoulder blades. The man fell face first into the gritty sand as the oni's boot pressed into the back of his head.

"You disgrace me, slave!" the oni hissed.

Saidy felt her stomach tie itself into knots as both rage and fear swelled inside her—both vying for dominance within her. She remembered all to vividly the cruelty of the oni.

"Prease, forgive me, Dorreta," the man coughed out.

The oni pulled a dagger from her waist, and Saidy felt her Dolletus' cruelty cut into her back once more: "How am I supposed to make any coin off you if you cum before satisfying my patrons?" She knelt to the man's ear.

By the look of dread that spread like a plague across the man's face, Saidy figured his Dolleta whispered a truly cruel punishment.

The Dolleta lifted the dagger above the man. A flash of sun bounced from the blade into Saidy's eyes as her heart froze. If she moved now, she could surprise the oni and save the man from being executed in the streets like she'd tried to save the travelers from the drakes weeks before.

She grasped the hilts of her swords, firmly; however, as she took her first step, she felt something tug at her very soul. Saidy froze. It felt like a hand had gripped her spine and every other fiber of her existence. She feared if she took a step more, her body would walk on without her.

"I told you not to interfere, girl!" Yrden's voice whispered in her ear, yet she could clearly still hear him talking to the man inside. "Leave the man to his fate!"

"But..."

"But nothing! If you do not obey my command, I will rip your soul from your body. My work is too important to let it be spoiled by the impulsivities of a simple girl!" Yrden's cruelty echoed in her mind as she did her best to mimic a statue.

Saidy watched as the oni drove her dagger between the man's legs. The man writhed in a pain so intense that screams could not escape his gaping mouth as the oni sawed and hacked at what was between his legs. Once she finished, his Dolleta shoved his bloody cock into his throat as his testicles dangled on his chin.

The man gagged and choked on the appendage and blood until he finally succumbed to his asphyxiation.

Saidy reluctantly removed her hands from her swords and slouched back against the wall as the sensation that something gripped her subsided. She shut her eyes, grinding her teeth together as she tried to stifle the boiling rage that welled insider her.

True, the oni terrified her, but watching their cruelty angered her far greater than the fear they'd conditioned into her. Her back burned as she remembered the savagery her own Dolletus tormented her with over the years.

The sound of a whip cracked in her mind as a lady whacked sand off her rugs further down the alley.

"Do you feel that sting on your back you worthless shit?" Talik's voice echoed in her mind.

"Pwease stop!" she heard her four-year-old self plead.

The memory of her first night in servitude to the oni flashed before her eyes. The whip tore into her back again.

"Slaves do not speak unless ordered to! You will suffer much more for the blood you spilled today, so don't pass out on me, understand?"

Saidy heard the whip recoil and poise to strike her again, but instead a hand laid itself on her shoulder—shaking her from the flashback. Saidy leapt from the wall, her heart in her stomach.

"Come, let's go get a room for the night," Yrden said as he tucked a book wrapped in cloth beneath his cloak.

"Yes, master," she said, collecting herself before following him down the alley.

Yrden led her through the streets of Zizarra. Saidy marveled at all the colorful carpets and other oddities to distract her from the horrors she'd just witnessed. It wasn't long before Saidy found herself standing in front of an inn on the beach as the azure waves of the ocean lapped against the red sand.

Once inside, the place was bleak. The floor was made of the same sandy dirt that covered the city streets, and the walls were made from the same mud and stone as everything else. Candles stood naked on driftwood tables filled with red-faced patrons drinking their weight in ale, and a rickety staircase led up to a second level, and perhaps more.

"Ello, sir. Ill you be avin some food an ale?" a woman said, approaching Yrden.

"Maybe later. We'll have two rooms for now," Yrden responded handing the girl a few silver drakes.

"Two rooms, sir?" The woman's grimy nose wrinkled at Yrden's request.

"Are you deaf? Yes, two!"

"Aye, sir. I'll get your room keys."

The woman scurried away behind the bar and returned with two iron keys, handing them to Yrden. Yrden took the keys and passed one to Saidy as they followed the wench up the first flight. Saidy could see another staircase at the end of the hall as they topped the first.

"Here are your rooms," the woman said, stopping midway down the hall of the third floor.

She pointed at two doors side-by-side before turning to return to the patrons below.

"Peasants," Yrden spat, "their lack of language skills always makes my skin crawl. You were a slave and manage to speak properly which just shows their laziness." Yrden sighed. "Believe it or not, this is actually the best place in Zizarra," he said as he flung open his door.

Golden sunlight flooded the hall through the door as a rush of salted air flushed away the stench of piss and alcohol that permeated through the floorboards from below.

"Yes, no other inn can beat the view of the cerulean sea; although, many in Tallenhiem try."

"Mine will have a view like this?" Saidy said with agape jaw.

"It will. Enjoy it. I have more business to attend to." Yrden closed his door and turned to the stairs. "Don't wait for me."