The Winged Ones

Chapter Eight

The door Rohan came to opened easily and he slipped right in, finding himself in an empty hallway. There was nothing in the hallway but stone and wooden doors. He ignored the doors, as they seemed unimportant, and started walking down the hallways, making sure to keep a hand rested on his sword’s hilt just in case he needed it. He wondered down the hallway, meeting nobody as he made his way to an intersection at the end, where the hallway he was in went on and another hallway crossed with it. He looked around the corners, trying to make a decision on where he should go. Which way would a set of stairs be? Which way would the throne room be after that? What will happen once he reaches the throne room? Will he die there? Or will he fight in his first battle? Will they free Imadh City? Or will they parish in the process of trying? He stopped himself, reminding himself that he could only go one step at a time. What comes will come. If it doesn’t happen, then it was never meant to be.

            He waited, sitting in the shadows with his hands on the hilt of his sword as he debated which way he should go. He didn’t want to take a wrong turn, knowing that getting caught could be his death sentence. Then he heard it, several barks ringing throughout the halls. He stood up, ready to follow the sound of the barks when a door slammed close by him. He looked up, startled as he stiffened in the shadows.

            Two demons walked by him, and he barred his teeth in anger when he recognized them. One had purple hair that fanned around her shoulders, which were dark-skinned. As her eyes flickered over the shadows where Rohan was hiding, he could see her red eyes and two fangs that stuck out of her mouth. The other was lighter-skinned, but had black hair that was held up in a ponytail and red eyes that matched her friend’s. They both wore a skintight shirt that had a color but no sleeves, and a pair of tights. The shirt and tights of both demons were held together by a belt with a red jewel on the side. Both girls wore nothing but slippers on their feet. The girl with purple hair had on a black outfit while the other had on a white outfit. Rohan knew these two demons any day: Lana and Annika.

            They walked together, side by side, conversing with one another about nothing in particular. He heard the bark again, knowing that it could only be Hali’s bark. But he didn’t move, as he did not want to cross Lana and Annika once again.

            “Where is that damn bark coming from?” Lana hissed, barring her fangs in anger and annoyance.

            “Don’t tell me one of those stupid Winged Ones let one of their pets get out!” Annika said in a calmer, but just as annoyed, manner.

            “Come on, Annika,” Lana huffed. “Let’s go see where that dog is.”

            Rohan debated whether or not to attack, knowing that they could be a nuisance in the future. But, he didn’t want to get caught either, who knew what would happen? If he followed them, they could lead him to the boss, the one leading the demon takeover of Imadh City. The female demons were starting to walk away, and so was Rohan’s chance.

He made a split second decision . . . and jumped out, raising his blade in the process. The blade hit Lana in the back, making a thin line of red blood flow from the scratch. But that was all it was: a scratch. Both girls turned around, Lana barring her teeth at Rohan as Annika snapped her fingers and a black blade appeared in her hands with a few diamonds.