The Lord of Shadows

by E E Ewer

  Nire awoke to a splitting headache, and the light that filtered through the dark cloth covering her head. She could make out the sounds of hooves on the ground, and felt the rocking of the cart she was in as it moved along the rocky road. The faint sound of men talking could be made out among the rest of the noise.

  She sat quietly, just praying for the headache to ease. Her hands were bound behind her back, and her feet in front of her. At one point she tried to move her arms, but found the bindings were also attached to an anchor of some kind on the bottom of the cart. Leaning back against the wall she let out a sigh, followed by a groan.

  “Are you awake?” said the voice of a girl to her right.

  “Huh?” Nire mumbled, still only partially coherent, wondering who was talking to her.

  “Oh, you are. You have been asleep for a couple of days. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up.”

  Well, that explained why she was so hungry. “Who are you?” Nire managed to choke out between the throbbing pains in her head.

  “I’m Charin. What’s your name?”

  “Nire,” she groaned. “Where are we?”

  “On a cart, and we’re headed south.”

  South? Nire thought, recalling her and Miko’s conversation in the courtyard. “Why are we going south?” Nire asked.

  “Because that’s the only place you can find a market to sell humans,” the other girl responded with a low voice.

  “Sell… what?” Nire tried to make sense of everything through her pounding head.

  “Hey, keep it down in there!” a man’s voice shouted from outside the cart as he banged on the wall directly behind Nire. She winced at the sound.

  The other girl leaned in to whisper. “I’ve been here for about a week now. There is someone next to me on my right but she won’t talk, and I don’t know if there’s anyone else left.”

  “I’m here,” a voice came softly from across the cart. “My name is Sari,” she whispered.

  “They only take the bags off at night, and that’s when you get food and water,” Charin whispered. “But they pull us out one at a time, and I think sometimes I count more leaving than getting back in.” Her voice was troubled.

  The rest of the day was quiet as Nire tried to calm her head. She was starving, and just as she thought the pain in her head was starting to ease, the cart pulled to a stop and slammed her head to the wall.

  “Owwww!” she groaned.

  “All right girls,” hissed the same voice from before. She could hear him step into the cart, and pick someone up and walk them out. One, Nire counted. Another was moved and she could hear the stumbling footsteps of a girl who couldn’t see where she was going. Two, she counted again.

  “Looks like your finally awake,” the lizard hissed as he bent down, untying Nire’s feet. Unhooking her arms from the floor, he pulled her up and pushed her forward until she stumbled out of the back of the cart. She would have fallen flat on her face if the demon behind her hadn’t been holding onto her wrist bindings.

  The demon who had assaulted her passed her to another, who led her off in a different direction. Approaching their destination Nire could feel the heat from a fire, and the other demon pulled her to a stop.

  “Sit,” he ordered. Nire did as she was told. Once sitting on the ground she felt the demon move behind her and untie the bag from around her neck. She gasped as he pulled it off her head, and the cool night air brushed against her skin.

  When the demon circled back around, he held a cup of water to her mouth for her.

  “Well, aren’t you the pretty thing,” he commented.

  Nire glared daggers at him, but inside she felt as though she would cry.

  “You shouldn’t make that face, it will make you ugly,” the other growled. “Then you’ll be nothing but whore house trash.” She was alone in a tent with the demon as he fed her bread, and she hoped that there was some other reason for keeping the girls alone in separate tents than she was thinking.

  After she’d eaten he tried to put a wet cloth to her face but she pulled away, even though it would have felt nice.

  “Hold still you little brat, do you want to be a mess?”

  “Don’t touch me,” she said quietly.

  “Oh, don’t you worry about that,” the demon said mockingly as he grabbed her chin and forcefully held her face still. “No one will be touching you just yet.” He pushed her face away roughly and released her jaw.

  “What does that mean?” Nire asked snidely.

  “It means that you are far much more precious cargo than those other twits,” he snapped at her. Nire had a confused look on her face.

  “How?” she asked. It was clear this demon was not interested in answering her questions, but she needed to know what she had gotten herself into.

  Glaring at her menacingly, he finally responded. “Because you are untouched.” He stood and moved behind her. It took Nire a few moments to realize what he had meant by those words, and as the bag was placed back over her head she gasped.

  The days all seemed to run together for Nire, and she had no idea how long she had been riding in that god forsaken cart, before finally coming to a stop midday and being yanked out of it. Her feet were bare as her shoes had been removed long ago, and her feet could feel the cool smooth stone beneath her as she was pulled along.

  Nire had considered attempting to escape numerous times, but even if she had been able to figure out a way to free herself, she was then faced with the question of what exactly it was she planned on doing afterwards. The bag had been removed and replaced with a simple blindfold the night before, and the ropes that bound her hands were tight but smooth, and left no marks or sores on her wrists. She wondered why these horrible demons would bother taking such good care of her, ‘untouched’ or not. She couldn’t imagine that her state of well being was of that much importance.

  As she was walked into a room she could hear the voices of others standing nearby. Someone tapped her shoulder, and the demon who had been leading her let out a small chuckle. Almost immediately she was pulled into another room, and she felt a sharp pinch in her arm before hearing the door close behind her.

  Suddenly she felt hands on her, making her jump. The hands were soft and feminine, and they were removing her bindings. As the blindfold was gently removed she blinked her eyes to adjust to the light. There were numerous women surrounding her, all of them beautiful and wearing practically nothing.

  She blinked at the women as they guided her to a large stone bath in the floor. The room was amazing. Built of what appeared to be marble, it looked just like a luxury spa. Nire blushed as the women went to remove her dress.

  “Wait, what’s going on? Where am I?” she inquired, covering her chest with her arms.

  “Southcastle,” one of the girls answered in a soft voice.

  “Southcastle?” Nire asked in disbelief.

  “Yes. You should get cleaned up. Lord Azael will wish to see you tonight,” another girl added as she helped guide her down the steps into the warm water.

  “No, wait! I can’t, I…” As Nire panicked she suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy. The other girls quickly moved to keep her from falling in the bath, and eased her down gently, propping her against the side. As soon as her heartbeat calmed and her dizziness faded, she sat up on her own.

  “What was that?” she said, putting her hand to her head. It had been the strangest sensation she’d ever felt.

  “It was the effect of the tarigone,” someone responded.

  “Tarigone? What’s that?” Nire asked, still rubbing her head, only able to think that it sounded like come kind of common kitchen spice.

  “It’s an herb,” one of the girls said. “It makes you feel that way every time your heart rate goes up too high. They give it to us so we stay calm and don’t attempt to escape.”

  Nire thought for a moment and came to a quick realization. Turning her hand over and looking at the inside of her arm, she could see a tiny
pin prick in her skin. Her heart sank completely, and she wondered if she was actually going to end up in this… harem. She had managed to hold out hope until the painful realization that doing anything that might cause her heart rate to go up would essentially cause her to faint as well.

  The women helped Nire bathe, and prepared her hair and makeup. One sat near her filing her nails, and when Nire looked at her inquisitively she smiled and winked. “Trust me,” she said, “you don’t want to accidentally scratch him.” Nire felt a sinking ball of lead in the pit of her stomach. From everything that Miko had told her about this place, and now this… tears started to form in her eyes as she sat.

  “Oh, don’t cry,” one of the girls tried to comfort her.

  “The first time is always the worst, but after that it’s not such a big deal,” another chimed in. Nire quickly put her head in her hands and began to cry. The others tried to ease her fears the best they could, as they also attempted to prepare her for the coming evening.

  She was wearing the most revealing outfit she could have ever imagined. The top was like a string bikini, white with gold trim. The bottoms were nothing more than a long flowing cloth that covered her front and back, then tied on the sides. Her hair was done up, as well as her makeup, and there were numerous strings of gold and pearls draping from her.

  Staring at herself in the large mirror, she looked identical to the other girls. She had never felt more helpless in her entire life, not even as a child. The only possible scenario worse than this, was to have it all happening in a pitch black room.

  A horrible feeling of hopelessness told her that there had, in fact, been truth in her aunt’s paranoia. Demons are horrible – they will come out of the darkness and take you away. Not thinking about Miko or her other friends at Eastcastle, the resentment she began to hold for demon kind grew inside the cavity of her chest.

  As time passed the other girls did their best to console her, though none of them seemed particularly concerned with their situation. Maybe they had just come to terms with it. After all, if doing anything even slightly physically demanding causes you to faint, you would probably learn to remain calm to avoid the bruises and headaches that would no doubt accompany numerous falls to the floor.

  Nire sighed. “How long does it take for the tarigone to wear off?” she asked. The other girls all exchanged glances.

  “It normally lasts about 48 hours before it starts to wear off,” one said, “but it’s blended in our water.”

  Nire put her head in her hands yet again. This was going to be impossible. She would have to not drink anything for at least 48 hours just to wait for the effects to wear off, and by then she would be too dehydrated to run anyway.

  I have been lost, kidnapped, drugged, and now I’ve been sold as a whore… And I didn’t even get a stupid T-shirt, she thought to herself cynically. Maybe I shouldn’t have left…

  Just then a demon appeared in the doorway. “Where is the new girl?” he asked roughly. The other girls parted, and one of them tried to help Nire to her feet. The girl urged her to go forward, and Nire let out a sigh. She felt bad for them. There was a reason they were so eager to follow orders, and she could only guess what had caused that. Reluctantly, she approached the Midblood demon with greenish colored skin.

  Nire gazed down at her bare feet as she stepped forward with her arms modestly over her chest. Maybe I should just… she began to think, when the demon suddenly grasped her arm. She gasped as he yanked her forward roughly and pushed her in front of him.

  “Start walking,” he ordered, slightly nudging her back. She wanted to run away, but just the startle of being grabbed had made her feel slightly lightheaded. She slowly started walking forward as the demon behind her directed her where to go.

  Approaching a large brass colored door, she stared at the horrific images that were depicted in relief on its surface. There were thousands and thousands of bodies piled from the ground up, and as her eyes trailed upwards the battle was still raging on. They were all demons, and they were literally slaughtering each other. Finally at the top of the door, high above her head, there was a depiction of four demons standing atop the horrific scene. They all appeared equally threatening, but one of them, she noticed, resembled Lucian.

  She suddenly felt dizzy as the doors were opened and she was pushed gently inside. The sound of the door closing behind her caused her to spin around as she tried to keep her balance. She stood alone in the room, and her anxieties climbed high.

  The room was completely done in reds and golds, and in the center was a large canopy bed. The curtains were draped decoratively and pulled back across the sides. She felt horribly sick now and wanted desperately to sit down, but she just couldn’t bring herself to sit on the bed.

  The door creaked behind her and she turned quickly to find a tall demon with blood red skin standing before her. His head was crowned with black bulls horns, and he wore a sinister grin on his face. His hair; black with two white streaks on either side of his temples, came to a sharp point at the center of his forehead. It fell to just below his shoulders and lay across his collar bone. His chest was bare, but he wore pauldrons on his shoulders that were connected across his chest by a chain. In the center was a gold medallion that cradled an alarmingly green stone.

  Nire let out a small gasp and began to back up. He had been depicted on the door as well, standing to the right of Lucian.

  A low growl could be heard coming from deep within the red demon’s chest as he approached her. She stepped slowly backwards until she could feel the edge of the bed pressing against the back of her legs. The demon stared at her with the most hypnotizing green eyes she had ever seen, which seemed to glow from the inside.

  As he reached her she fell backwards onto the bed, trying to avoid his hand as he swept it up to her face. Her heart began to pound furiously, and she felt as though she was going to black out. The demon placed his hands on either side of her ribcage and slid her up the length of the bed, so that she was lying directly underneath him as he crawled over her.

  Her stomach turned and she could feel hot tears running down her face, as he placed his left hand on the side of her chest and slid it downwards across her side and stomach. It continued down to her thigh, and when he reached the area just above her knee, his hand slid across her leg. With his hand now on the inside of her thigh, the grin on his face grew wider as he slid it upwards slowly.

  Nire could barely stop herself from sobbing out loud, but even crying was becoming difficult with her fading sense of awareness. His green eyes burned into hers, and as her heart pounded in her chest the world went black.

  Chapter 11

  Table of Contents

  A loud banging on the door brought Nire back to reality. She blinked as the Demon Lord hovering over her shot the door a wicked scowl.

  “What is it?” he growled angrily.

  “My Lord!” called a muffled voice from the other side. “I beg your pardon for disturbing you, but there is an emergency. You must come immediately!” Nire blinked her eyes again, trying to see through the blur of tears.

  The demon stroked her cheek gently then cupped her chin roughly with his hand. “Don’t, move,” he ordered sternly before rising and walking out the door.

  Nire let out a breath of relief, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. She lay for a few moments trying to regain her composure and think… At least if she blacked out she wouldn’t have to be awake through the whole experience… she thought momentarily. “No, stop it, focus!” She scolded in a whisper.

  She curled up against the headboard and looked around the room. She was on a high floor, so windows were out of the question. Maybe there are service hallways here too… she thought. She just needed to figure out how to get to them without being seen.

  Just as she was about to stand and begin searching the room for a hidden door, she heard the main door push open. She froze, fearing it was Azael returning. To her surprise she saw the same green skinned demon who had
led her up here. Crossing the room quickly, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her from the bed.

  “Come on,” he said, tugging her quickly behind him. Nire stumbled trying to keep up. After leading her down numerous hallways he opened another, smaller door and pushed her inside. “Stay here,” he ordered, without giving her much choice as he locked the door behind him.

  Quickly Nire searched the room for service doors, but couldn’t find anything. She tried the door handle. It was locked tight and wouldn’t budge. It appeared to be a lounge of sorts, with what seemed to be different kinds of tropical potted plants dotting the room. Even though she could see the sun setting out the window on the far side of the room, it remained well lit with the same glowing orbs she knew from Eastcastle.

  Letting out a sigh she moved to the seat below the window and stared into the fading light. After a while she brought her knees to her chest and cradled her head in her arms. Quiet sobs began to escape her, and as the hours passed she drifted to sleep.

  The sound of the door unlocking caught her attention and she raised her head, wide eyes staring straight at the door. Her heartbeat sped up as it opened, but her breath caught in her throat as the dark figure that stood in the door took a step into the room.

  “Nire,” Lucian used her name as if it were a command. She sat and stared, astonished at his sudden appearance. “Come,” he ordered, holding out his hand to her. His voice was low and stern, and his face was fixed in a scowl.

  She sat quietly for a moment, not knowing what to do. She didn’t want to go back with him, but choices being what they were, she certainly couldn’t stay here either.

  “Nire,” he said again shortly, and more forcefully than before. Feeling out of options, and as angry as she was at him, she decided he was the lesser of two evils and rose from where she sat.

  Lucian stared at her for a moment as she stood and walked towards him. It was certainly not the time or place, but it was impossible to ignore her as she walked half naked towards his outstretched hand. Upon placing her hand in his, he drew her close and wrapped his cape around her.