Hellbeast

8

1060 words

•———————•

Whispers twirled around him, deafening him. He winced and screwed his eyes shut tighter. 'I am not afraid. I am not afraid.' The words echoed in his head. His resolve strengthened and he sighed, releasing the built up tension. The whispers stopped and he opened his eyes. He realized he couldn't move. A mop of dark brown curls rested on top of his left arm, hands holding his gently. Soft breaths tingled down his fingers, and instinctively he held one of those hands back.

The gesture seemed to soothe Damen, as his body relaxed. Horus's throat was dry, his eyes stung. He wondered how long he'd been gone this time. Days seemed to blend into just hours when he was asleep. It seemed as if he went to catch a few hours of rest he'd pass out for three times as long. Though he was thirsty and hungry, his mind felt strangely clear. He was losing fragments of time and returning renewed. The realization both eased and frightened him.

He couldn't move, not without something hurting, so he figured he's just let Damen wake up himself. He didn't have to wait much, because a few minutes later Damen's breathing picked up pace and he yawned, opening those lush green eyes and turning to peer at him. Honey met grass and Damen's eyes widened, his red lips parting to reveal perfect white teeth, albeit a bit sharp, 'Oh.' Horus smiled back shakily, curling his fingers a bit tighter around the warm hand filling his.

•———————•

Mavic was hiking up a mountain with Eris. It had been four days since he felt that sharp stinging in his head. It had been only two days since the killer headache stopped. A dull pain resounded in his skull but finally, on the fourth day, it completely cleared up. He washed his face in the river stream and looked at his reflection. Clear hazel eyes stared back. He huffed and stood up muttering a, 'finally.' Soft footsteps crunched behind him. "Finally what?" he picked up his bag and turned.

"The pain's gone. I can finally think. He must be okay now." Eris nodded and glanced at the sky. "Well that's good. About time, too. We should keep moving. Eldridge is only a few more miles west and the sun's going down." Mavic snorted, following him away from the river, "What's wrong, scared of the dark?" Eris shook his head and grinned, flashing pointy incisors. "There's plenty of reasons to be scared of all the things lurking in the dark. Hags have been roaming wild here. I heard one of their queens was killed on fae land by some guy called Horus Dupres." Mavic hummed. "Well he must be a tough bastard."

•———————•

Horus sneezed pathetically for the third time in a row and rubbed his red nose. Apparently he'd been out cold for fours days after Damen had revealed his identity. The poor man was terrified he had died, or gone into a coma. Thankfully it didn't last long, and he woke up fresh and alive for a few hours until the inevitable sickness. Of course he would get sick. Sleeping in the forest in the beginning of winter would to that to you. Especially when it was colder in the west, where mountains ran ragged and their snowy peaks scratched yearningly at the blue skies.

Damen came in with a bowl of what seemed to be broth. Horus accepted the food gratefully, as his stomach had been twisting in on itself ever since he woke up. Inside was a watery brown liquid, with chunks of meat and vegetables swimming around. Tentatively, he took a bite and groaned. The words flew out before he could stop them. "Damen, if I could marry someone right now, it'd be you. This is the best thing I've ever tasted." Damen looked up from his book with his lips parted and a soft pink blush settled on his cheeks. Horus choked on the stew.

After a few heavy slaps on the back from the shifter, Horus finally breathed in air again and coughed into his fist. Damen had regained his composure and now just looked worried, and it was Horus's turn to be red. He cleared his throat and looked at the bowl quietly mumbling a small, "Thanks," before rubbing his nose adorably. "you sneeze like a kitten." It was spoken so softly Horus barely heard it, but with his demonic perception he caught it and immediately turned redder. He didn't see the small upwards curve of Damen's soft pink lips.

•———————•

In the middle of all the kingdoms lay a dead zone. All who wanted to keep their lives did not stray near the area know as the ancient ruins. Long ago, there was only one kingdom ruled by five warlords, who shared in their responsibilities. Until one took it upon himself to summon a demon to defeat the others so he could be the only king. The ancient lord of witches, the most powerful of his kind, sacrificed the souls of one hundred innocents to bring a beast into the world. That beast had named himself Deistris.

Unlike what the lord of witches expected, the demon was not evil. He had no interest in killing or helping him rise to succeed all others. Enraged, the lord created a powerful device filled with dark magic to enslave the good demon, forcing him to murder and destroy. The other lords had already had suspicions, however, and on the night that the red demon was born, the new evil Deistris, they concocted a curse. Every hundred years, reminiscing to the innocent hundred sacrificed, the demon would rise from a deathly slumber to lay waste upon the world for ten years, then return to rest.

The lord of witches was exiled, and the conspirators executed. Dark magic was outlawed, and witches were cursed, unable to leave the ruins of the dead kingdom. The four remaining lords split up. The Dragon King resigning to the hot south, The Mer King to the ocean in the east, the Fae to the cool plains of the north, and the Shifters took to the mountains in the west. Crossing into the middle was promising yourself certain death, and rumors started to spread that the witches bound to the castle had survived, plotting their revenge.