by Diane Nortje
“Are you bunch of idiots just going to sit there all night or are you going to come down and meet your fates?” I snap at them. They are useless, afraid. They should be. I am old, timeless. Created to rule. They are created to follow orders, and what a shit job they are doing at that.
The screaming comes to an abrupt stop. They start their form of communication once again, tap, tap, tap, as if I wouldn’t be able to understand their nonsense. Tap, tap, tap. We attack as one. Tap, tap, tap. Underestimated her at first.
Yes, they did. They don’t know who I am, what I am. They will meet their ends tonight. I fear nothing, I have never come across another whose power out matches mine. They will either bow before me, or they will die.
“Bow before me, and I will spare you. If you choose to continue, I will end you. You may decide.” I announce to the four demons.
They continue to watch me, sitting on their perches, waiting for me to make the first move. I ignore them, they are insignificant. I look down to the pile of ash, that has been smeared on the floor, which is slowly starting to mix with the fallen demons blood. I kneel before it, and I drag my fingers through the mixture.
The mixture has turned coarse, like fine gravel. I bring it to my nose, and smell what it could be. I smell my blood, my power. Its mixed with bark, pulp, hemp. Its old. A book most likely. I stand and take in my surroundings, books upon books line the walls of this dwelling. Why would humans keep such scared items in one place?
I walk to the nearest book shelf, ignoring the perched crows who continue to watch me. Idiots. I pick up the first volume I see. Water based potions. I start to flip casually through it. Then I pick up another and another, and carefully return them to their place. Such information, kept in the open like this? What is going on here?
I’m old, ancient, timeless. Only the worthy inherit me. I haven’t for a very, very long time. I slumbered. Days turned into years and the years turned countless, yet I slumbered, never disturbed, never awoken. Until this host took her first breath and breathed me into her, all the while her soul was dividing and inheriting. I became again once more.
I realize times have changed, we have become more civilized it seems. More open, more sharing. There the problem lies. Our knowledge is too known, too assessable. My human knows better. I understand the crystals, that does not mean I approve of their use. It limits me. Even now I feel them, working against my power.
I hear the annoying tap, tap, tap, begin again. I don’t know why I bother. Insignificant. I should kill them all. Distracted. Attack as one, they say amongst themselves. Again, idiots. Do they not know to fear me? Before they can even begin to prepare themselves to attack me, I whip around to face them while throwing the dagger that was in my one hand. It hits its target. I never miss. The dagger now protruding out of the demons forehead, dark blood starting to spill from the wound.
What is it I hear my host saying for something like this? Bullseye! The demon hits the floor moments afterwards, falling next to its companion. I smile at the ones left. They look to their fallen, and then to me. Idiots can’t seem to process what has happened.
“Will you not bow?” I ask the three remaining demons. They remain still. But they have orders to follow. To kill me or to take me? We shall see.
When the demons finally jump down, it is clear they do not intend to bow before me. Pity. The warrior in me could use a small army. I will need one to take down their master.
“So be it. You will all die.” I taunt them into making the first move.
The demons move to surround me, they think to corner me. I know war better than most, I know death better than most. They will die. I call the knife to me, I’m dislodges from the fallen demon head and flies straight into my open hand.
“Who is your master?” I question the demons before me. I need to keep one alive to get some answers from them.
They don’t bother to reply, they don’t bother to communicate with themselves. Stubborn. I will have to make them talk then. They move as one though, thinking to overpower me. Not possible. I drop and roll out from beneath the one demon that was behind me, slicing through its one ankle, removing its foot in the process.
I watch as the demon starts to let out a silent scream and fall to the floor. Black blood pooling around the demon, it will bleed out. But not quickly though. I have enough time to deal with the other two before I return to it.
The other two demons don’t bother with their fallen, they have underestimated me, yet again. They won’t make that mistake again. They run at me together, moving through the space between us quickly, but not quick enough. I run at them and leapfrog over the one demon and turn to face them. I like to play with my prey.
The two demons start to pace in front of me, they eye me suspiciously. I giggle. And dismiss them again. They don’t know I’m playing with them, toying with them, they could be dead already. I find myself bored. She locks me up, never plays. I will play.
“Come, come. That can’t be all you got?” I taunt them.
They let out another silent scream and run towards me together again. I simply side step them. And turn to face them once more.
“Is that all you got? I’m insulted.” I say to the dramatically. They can understand me. If I can speak their language, they can definitely speak mine.
They come at me again, and this time, I deliver a blow to the one demon that is closest to me, while throwing the other demon away with my magic. I slice his stomach from root to tip, black blood pouring from its stomach, and where organs were supposed to be, there are none, an empty vessel. Interesting. I can work with that.
I once again turn to face them. The one demon is screaming in agony like his other companion that has yet to move from its own pool of blood. The one demon that is untouched looks to me warily. He starts to back away from me, he knows his chances are slowly decreasing. No, I gave them a chance they will all die.
I move to the demon whose stomach is wide open, it has fallen to the ground. It doesn’t fight back, the pain I’m sure has taken hold of its body, it has become useless. I move to stand over the demon. I look down at it. Its face has contorted into what I assume is pain. I feel no pity for it. I gave them options.
I kneel down and call fire into my hand. They will know never to mess with my host again after this. I am the elements, they are within me. I have no need for lines, power sources, spells nor aid from others. And neither does my host. She doesn’t know that though.
The fire has formed in my hand, I feel the heat of it licking at my skin, I cannot be harmed by it. I am the elements, I control them, bend them to my will. I start to spin the fire, to contain it. Once its contained I shove it into the demons open stomach and watch as the fire knits back up its stomach.
I grab the demon by its head and lift it too its feet. It is in pain, and when it opens its mouth to let out another silent scream, I see the fire within it. It must hurt, burning alive from the inside. I take no pity on the creature. I take a step back and kick the demon in its stomach, adding more power to it with my magic. The demon is hurled back and hits the brick wall.
The fire inside has kept the demon levitated, and I watch as the demon contorts once more in pain. The demon lets out one more silent scream and explodes from the fire, blasting a whole through the bricks. Fire leaps from the creature, igniting the shelves around it. I will burn this place to the ground if they can’t keep their secrets more hidden. Next.
The last standing demon, is looking to the fire, no longer interested in me. Its biggest mistake. I move silently, and when I’m close enough I launch at the demon, straddling its back. With one harsh twist, I break the creatures neck, it instantly slumps to the floor, I go down with the demon, but land on my feet.
I look down at the demon, I know most have regenerative powers, and they are not coming back from the hell I’ve just sent it too. I push my magic out, I will need the extra strength for this and lean down to grip the demons neck. I slowly start to twist, and I keep twisting
until the demons head pops off its shoulders. I stand up with the demons head in my hands, blood is pouring all over the floor from its body and the head hanging from my hands. I drop its head, and watch it roll a few paces until it comes to a stop. Next.
I move back to the first two demons that we disposed of. And I make quick work of their head removals. I can’t be too careful. The heads are sticky with blood already, it’s a messy job killing. But I gave them an option. They were stupid enough to deny me.
The last demon left is the one I want. I move to where its foot is lying in a pool of dark blood and look over to the fallen demon. It’s not moving. The pool of blood its laying in has grown. Did this idiot seriously bleed out so fast?
I move to stand over it, its face has sunken in, its wide gapping mouth doesn’t move in agony, but the agony is clear on its face. I jerk the body with my foot, maybe the demon has just passed out. No response. I give it another hard jerk with my foot, and still nothing. They are clearly weaker than I thought.
I bend down, push some magic into my hands and twist the demon head from its body and stand with the head in my hands. Complete waste. Idiots. I survey the room once more, the fire has now taken hold of the books, and is spreading through the room. Pools of blood litter the floor where demon body parts remain.
I see movement in the corner of my eye, where the large whole made of fire lights the wall. Eight men step into the room. Another challenge it seems. Glady. These other idiots were a waste of my time, maybe they will be more fun. More blood to spill. I do so enjoy it.
~Jacin~
It stinks out here. More so than what I’m used to. Where it smells of fire, sin, death. Here is just smells unclean, humans, they will destroy everything they have. It’s in their nature. That’s why we will outlast them and move on when they have destroyed this world. I’m here for one reason only, and that is too monitor, but since Natalie, it has now become two reasons. I wonder if she will leave this hell, is she attached to it. Either way, I will stay as long as she needs to stay.
The five start to shift uncomfortably with me watching them so closely. Normally they belong to Weyland, but Weyland answers to me, so they are in big fucking trouble if something happens to Natalie in there. Nothing should though. Should.
I watch them murmur to each other, she has them wrapped around her finger in such a short time. I didn’t think when they were created to protect her, that they would be so loyal to her. I thought wrong. Their saving grace was that they still know who is in charge, or I would have sent them to the pits to await their sentence. Another five would just take their place. I’m not sure how Natalie would react to that. But she doesn’t know what I am, what lurks beneath the surface. That it craves death, but not more than it craves her.
Tonight, I will get my answers from her, one way or another. Someone fed her information, her need to retrieve this prophecy is beyond sane. Something is going on here. Someone sent her back, and now someone is guiding her. Someone is going to pay, one way or another. My orders do not get denied, my orders are followed. I remain in control, to keep control. Or hell would walk the earth, and these humans will all perish. I need control. If I lose it, I lose control of him. Even God himself wouldn’t be much help for his humans.
I hear scrambles of words. They are not making sense. I look to the five, thinking they are talking nonsense again, it’s not them. The words keep coming. Shouting at me. I can’t understand them. I can’t pin point where they are coming from.
I let out a groan, the noise is confusing the beast, he doesn’t know what going on, it’s disturbing him, giving me one fucking headache.
I see Weyland look over to me in surprise, Dax is making his way over to me, but they are blurred. Their forms shimmering in and out of focus, what the hell is going on.
“Are you alright?” I hear Dax ask me. I want to tell him to fuck off. But something isn’t right.
“No.” Is all I say back, and I watch him look over to Weyland who has left the wall he was leaning against. I crouch down, trying to concentrate on the words that are now screaming at me, getting louder and louder. But still unclear.
“What is it?” I hear Dax ask me, he sounds far away. Drowned out by the constant screaming. Why the fuck can’t he hear it?
“Can’t you hear it, its fucking deafening?” I bark out to him while holding my hands over my ears.
“Hear what?” Dax asks me, shaking me while doing so.
He can’t hear it. I look to Weyland, he too seems unaffected by the screaming. That could mean only one thing. The shadows. Something is wrong.
“The shadows.” I whisper out. “They are trying to tell me something.”
Dread fills my gut, this has never happened to me before, I’ve always heard them. Their whispers, their talking, their shouting. But now they are screaming at me, and I don’t know what they are saying.
“I can’t fucking understand you, what is it?” I shout out at the shadows; my voice will travel through the night to them. It will find them.
“Help!” One shadow screams out.
“Help her.” Then another screams out.
“Mistress needs you.” And again, another screams out. She has an entire horde of them watching her.
“What is going on?” I shout out again. I try to calm, I try to sense Natalie. But the shadows are once again screaming at me. Not making any sense again. Something has happened.
“What is it? What are they saying?” Weyland asks me.
“Get the fuck in there! I can’t hear her heartbeat.” I bark out at them. “Tear the fucking place to the ground if you have too!”
“Too late master. Darkness has taken her.” A shadow whispers out.
I still at the shadows words. What fucking darkness will dare to touch what is mine, to take what is mine.
“Something has her, wait.” I shout out to the men that had started to make their way inside. They stop in their tracks and turn to look at me. They too seem confused something would dare take her, touch her, harm her.
“Weyland, track it.” I order.
I wait for Weyland to start, I see the concentration on his face, but it shouldn’t be taking this long. Normally it takes him but a few seconds.
“What is going on?” I ask him.
“I can’t find her, there’s nothing in that library, alive anyways.” He says out, while still concentrating on tracking her or whatever dared to touch her. “Nothing has left that building since Natalie has entered.”
I feel like he is trying to escape, trying to claw his way out, to gain control, to find her, bring her back. I’m just about to allow him to do so, there is no point in this world now if she is not in it, but a blast of fire shakes the building, and blows right past us, creating a whole in the library wall. Bricks start landing all over the place, I throw a few out of my path, making them land beside me instead.
The fire is burning to hot, to wildly to be anything other than a fire created by magic. I stare into the fire, like the other men are doing. The fire will not harm us, it is what created us. Once I gain focus on the what is inside the fire, I feel relief, then confusion. Because the woman in the fire is not Natalie.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Will you still love me, when all that is left is my darkness?” - Natalie
~The Ancient Being~
I watch the men that are left standing. They look familiar, but I don’t know their names, but their smells remind me of something, like I should know them from somewhere. But I know I have never met them before. I take them in none the less, I will not eliminate them without purpose again, it happened before, I cannot let it happen again, or she will never let me free again.
I smell the air, its thick coppery scent coming from the demons that had wished to take me, it fills the air. I reveal in it. Blood calls to me. They should have never tried to take me. I would not allow it. The demons body parts are thrown across the floor, blood is still pooling from the last demon I ended. I enjoy it. I want
to bathe in the blood. I know she will not approve. Not after those sneaky princes told her what I had done the last time I was free. No, I must behave. I must control, I’m free until she gains control again, and control she will have again.
Even now, with the crystals that they gave her, some still that remain inside me, they dampen my powers, I cannot take full control, she will never allow it. I don’t know where she places them, she never allows me to see, or I would have cut them out already. Sneaky princes, they should have never given her these crystals, now I’m powerless with them inside. They must be taken out.
I watch as some of the men I left unharmed shuffle about, they don’t know what to make of me. They stare at me with open concern and some with shock. They never thought I was inside, did they, no? I make my way towards them, I do not rush, I assess them, I learn them. I sniff the air, I want to smell them, I want to taste them. I want to make them bleed. No, they are not humans, I smell hounds, I smell darkness and I smell fear.
The fear, it’s now thick in the air now that I’m making my way towards them. I love the smell of fear, mixed with blood, it makes me high with power. The darkness I smell though, its clouding my judgement, it makes me want it and I want that darkness, more than I want the blood. I want to coat my skin in it, I want to relish it. I want to consume it, and maybe I will. What is one life compared to what I have taken already? I move from man to man. Watching them, smelling them.
All of them smell similar, of burning, fire, brimstone, they smell of hell, I did not enjoy it there, no, I never want to return. I will behave with them for now. All but two of the men smell of hounds. The one hound though, smells of my blood, why would he have my blood on him. Did he try to harm me? I feel no pain, I feel no wounds on my body. I will make him pay for having my blood on him.
I move towards him, pulling my dagger from behind my back to show him I mean to harm him, to cut him, to end him, but I will play fair. I will not use my magic on him, unless his hound comes to play. That will be fun. I do like a challenge. He does not move. He watches me. Will he not fight me? I smell a lingering essence of fear on him. He did not think I would come out to play? He was wrong, he will soon learn he won’t like to play with me.