Devouring Darkness

by Bradley Counter

Garen was already awake when the morning call came to return to work. He'd woken to the odd, hair-raising feeling of being watched. It was as if someone had been observing him while he was sleeping, but when he'd opened his eyes, there had been nothing to see except for the dense, oppressive darkness. Who or whatever had caused the strange feeling was completely hidden from sight. The only sounds that he could pick out of the surrounding darkness were the uneasy breaths being drawn by the slaves around him. The experience proved unsettling enough to prevent him from returning to sleep.

  Well, whatever it was, at least it happened at the end of the night. If I had to work all day with no sleep I’d likely die.

  He stood up and joined the line of slaves quickly shuffling out of the cell. His sore muscles protested the quick movements, but he forced himself to ignore the pain. He thought instead of the feeling that had come over him in the night and a tingling sensation ran down the back of his neck.

  Did I imagine it or was I really being watched? Who or what would be watching me in the middle of the night? Was it a demidemon or something else?

  He glanced up at the demi holding the bucket of glowstones by the door. One by one the slaves grabbed their glowstones from the bucket, hurried through the doorway, and preceded down the tunnel. He was about to lower his gaze again when he noticed the person standing near the front of the line; long, black hair atop a beautiful figure.

  Cassandra.

  She was only a few places ahead of him in line, so he could see her clearly in the pale light that radiated from the bucket of glowstones. When her turn came, she strode up to the demi at the door and glared at it. Garen could see the demi visibly quiver in fear, but she only paused to glare for a moment before moving on. Glowstone in hand, she passed through the doorway and emerged in the tunnel beyond.

  A large rock immediately crashed into the side of her head with bone-crushing force. Garen’s eyes went wide in shock and he almost cried out, but his eyes shifted over to the demi standing at the door holding the bucket. The demi had a cruel, twisted smile on its face and was obviously enjoying the spectacle.

  Savage cries of glee drew his attention back to the doorway and the tunnel beyond. Cassandra had amazingly managed to stay on her feet, staggering away from the blow, but the attack was far from over. Three other demidemons had been lying in wait to the sides of the door and the moment she staggered from the initial blow, they all struck. Dropping its rock to the ground, the first demi joined its three cohorts.

  The four demidemons charged at Cassandra while she was still dazed and immediately attacked. Blows rained on her from every direction; heavy fists struck her in the face, head, and back with inhuman strength. Somehow, she was still on her feet, but it was obvious that no one could survive that kind of punishment for long.

  Garen had watched full grown men crumple like children before the strength of the demidemons. His memory flashed with images of all the faceless people that had been murdered around him. He’d stood by far too many times out of fear and helplessness as people had died around him to ever forgive himself for. He clenched his teeth and scowled.

  No more; no one else will die so long as I can help them!

  Garen rushed forward past the few slaves in front of him in a mad dash for the door. He narrowly avoided the grasping hand of the demi still clutching the glowstone bucket in one hand. Claws scrapped across his arm tearing his left sleeve to ribbons, but then he was through. A rush of adrenaline exploded through him as he crossed the threshold of the doorway and stepped into the tunnel.

  He knew that his strength was nothing to a demidemon, having witnessed their strength firsthand. In a fight against one demi, he would certainly lose, but against four he would likely be killed offhand with no effort at all.

  He didn’t care. He could no longer stand idly by while others were killed; the fact that they had chosen to attack Cassandra only made his resolve even greater. He couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, that he had felt such utter, blinding rage.

  He rushed straight toward the group of demidemons and hardly slowed as he scooped up the heavy rock that had been discarded. A smear of blood marked the place where the rock had collided with the side of Cassandra's head. Angered further, he moved toward the nearest of the four and raised the rock over his head. The agony of his arms and back was nothing; he ignored it.

  The four demi had driven Cassandra down to one knee, and though she tried to fight back, they were relentless in their assault. They took no notice of him until he brought the rock down on top of the closest demi's head. The blow connected with enough force to crush a man’s skull, but the demidemon was only stunned by the surprise attack.

  That opening was enough for Garen. As the demi fell to the ground on its hands and knees, he stepped around it to attack the next. With the rock held to his left, he swung it around in front of him with all of the strength that he could muster. The rock caught the second demi directly in the face just as it had turned to look at him. Blood burst from around the rock as it hit the demidemon’s face and Garen lost his grip on it. The demi immediately fell to the ground, hard, with the rock still buried in its face.

  Weaponless and no longer possessing the element of surprise, Garen stood facing the remaining two demi that had ceased their attack on Cassandra. She rested on one knee with her arm braced against the side of the tunnel. Blood streamed down her face from multiple wounds and she looked close to collapsing.

  At least she’s safe for the moment, but what do I do now?

  An iron grip closed on his wrist and twisted him around. The first demi that he'd struck was already back on its feet, and the demi from the doorway had appeared beside it with the glowstone bucket still clasped in its hand.

  The demi holding his arm twisted it viciously and hissed in his face. A trickle of dark blood ran down over its left eye from a gash atop its spiky head. Before Garen had time to do anything other than wince in pain, the demi clubbed him in the chest with its hammer-like fist.

  Air burst from his lungs and Garen thought that his chest might collapse, but no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a second blow collided with the side of head. He fell from the demi’s grip like a discarded piece of refuse. The floor rose up to meet him and his vision began to blur. He could feel blood running freely from the side of his head. His breathing was labored, raspy, and laced with agony, and he had to fight to maintain consciousness.

  “No!” called a voice so sharply it almost sounded like a shriek.

  A hand tore straight through one of the demidemons from behind. A spray of blood spattered Garen as the claw-tipped hand burst from the demi’s chest. Fearful howls rang out all around him as the demi turned to face some terrible new enemy. An object fell near Garen with a splat that looked like the head of another demi and Garen himself became fearful.

  What now?

  A whip-like object tore through one of the remaining demi, piercing its throat with a bladed tip and quickly tearing to the side. The demi fell to the ground with its eyes wide; frantically clutching at the vicious tear in its neck. The fourth demi stood between Garen and the unseen attacker. It had its back to Garen and managed to take a single step backward away from its foe.

  Faster than Garen could see, the whip-like object slashed down at the demi. From the top of its head down through its groin the demi was cut in a flash and sliced in half completely. With a jerk, the demi parted in half to a flood of gore and the glowstone bucket slipped from its hand spilling its contents across the floor. The pale light revealed the foe that had slaughtered the demi and all of its companions in little more than the blink of an eye.

  Standing amidst the rapidly dissolving carnage of the demidemons was a creature that was both terrifying and beautiful. Obviously female, her lithe, slender figure was vaguely feline, but stood on two legs like a human. Her skin was bronze in color, but was half hidden beneath a swirled pattern of sleek, jet black fur. She wore the tattered clothing of a slave, but he could see ar
eas of bare, bronze skin under it from her navel up to her ample breasts.

  Bare skin continued up the front of her neck to a face shrouded in shadow. Light from the glowstones glinted off two long, slender horns that rose gracefully from a mane of ebony hair. Garen thought he saw a slender tail move by tipped with a razor-sharp, bone spike, but as his vision continued to blur, he lost sight of it.

  He could feel himself slipping farther from consciousness and tried to concentrate on the shadowy face and the eyes that stared back at him; iridescent, blue eyes. The figure moved slightly and he glimpsed her face as light from the glowstones partially illuminated it.

  “Cassandra?”

  After uttering that single word he felt his strength finally fail. The world around him was swallowed by darkness as he slipped into unconsciousness with a thousand questions on his lips.

  Cassandra... what happened to you?

  He opened his eyes and found himself still lying in the tunnel. The spilled glowstones provided plenty of light to see by, but there was no way to tell how much time had passed.

  He tried to sit up and a furious pain tore through him in response. He grit his teeth against the agony rolling through his chest and head. As he forced his way to his feet, he staggered slightly, but was caught by a pair of small hands before he could fall. Turning his head slowly, he saw that Cero was standing beside him, bracing him with his hands to help him stand.

  “Thanks, Cero,” he said slowly. “Have you been here the whole time?”

  The boy stared back at him without uttering a sound, but he hadn’t really expected an answer. Certain that the boy had been with him the entire time that he was unconscious, he looked around to see if anyone else was nearby. Cassandra was gone and so were all of the slaves that had still been standing in line.

  Where is everyone else? I doubt any of them tried to escape, so I guess they’re down in the ruins.

  Garen paused as a wave of nausea washed over him. He doubled over and heaved up the little remnants of his last meal and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. He knew that sickness meant his head injury was undoubtedly serious, but he tried not to think about it.

  “We need to find the others,” he said with a groan.

  Talking was causing his head to throb worse, but he preferred the pain to the eerie silence of the dark tunnel. To his surprise, the lack of shuffling slaves and lurking demidemons somehow made the tunnel seem more foreboding. The glowstone pockets that dotted the tunnel walls with pools of light suddenly seemed sinister as if they were providing only enough light to shroud the rest of the tunnel in shadow.

  Even without the demidemons around, this place feels evil. We need to leave, now, while there's no one around to stop us... but what about the others? What about Cassandra?

  He glanced down at the odd stains on the ground where the demidemons had fallen. A trail of blood, barely visible in the pale light, led back up the tunnel away from the stains, but he doubted that it belonged to Cassandra.

  “Do you know where Cassandra went?”

  The boy looked down at his feet and shivered slightly. After a moment, he raised his arm and pointed down the tunnel toward the ruins of Gormum’s fortress. Garen could see how frightened Cero was, despite the lack of communication, just from seeing the way that the boy kept shivering. It sent a chill down his spine.

  He’s as scared of her as the rest of them. I guess I can’t really blame him; he’s been through more than any kid should ever have to experience. Should I be afraid of her as well?

  The question took hold as soon as he asked it and spread through his mind like wildfire. He thought of the way that she’d slaughtered the demidemons without the slightest hint of mercy. Faster and more deadly than anything he'd ever seen, she had laid waste to the demi with minimal effort. Standing amidst the carnage like an instrument of pure destruction, she had refrained from killing him.

  Why didn’t she hurt me, too?

  When he’d been hit in the head, he knew he’d heard a shriek of anger, and then the demidemons started dying. Only after he'd been hurt did Cassandra transform into the deadly creature that was both terrifying and beautiful.

  Was she just exploiting the opening that I’d given her, or was she trying to protect me?

  Garen reached up and gingerly touched the wound on the side of his head. When he pulled back his hand, his fingers were all covered in thick, sticky blood. He immediately knew the answer to his question.

  She could easily have killed me had she wanted to, but she didn’t. As far as I know, Cassandra's never done anything violent towards any of the slaves, including me. If she was truly dangerous, I don’t think I’d be alive right now, so that must mean she was protecting me.

  Garen slowly bent to pick up one of the glowstones, and had to brace himself against the wall as a wave of lightheadedness overcame him. He tried to control his breathing and waited for the feeling to pass. Drowsiness was compelling him to go back into the cell and fall asleep, but he resisted the urge.

  If I fall asleep now, I might never wake up again. Besides, I need to find Cassandra. I need some answers.

  He steadied himself and finally managed to stand up again. Glowstone in hand, Garen allowed himself to breath for a few minutes while the drowsiness faded slightly.

  I’m not sure what exactly Cassandra is, most likely a demon of some kind, but I get the feeling she’s in danger. What other reason could she have for posing as a human slave? If she is a demon, that would certainly explain how she knows so much about Gormum and the gallovine in-

  Garen blinked in surprise as the pieces fell into place in his mind. He knew her intentions for posing as a slave. He knew he would have thought of it sooner had he not been suffering from a severe head injury.

  “She’s after the gallovine, just like Babossa,” he said aloud. “She’s trying to steal it out from under him and that’s why she’s posing as a slave.”

  His mood turned gloomy as he realized what his discovery meant. He frowned and silently cursed his unfortunate situation.

  Even if she saved my life, I can’t let her get a hold of the gallovine. I can’t let any demon become as strong as Gormum was or a lot of people will die. The fact that Cassandra hasn’t done anything to the slaves yet isn’t enough to make me trust her. That kind of power would change anyone and I don’t really know much about her as she is now.

  “Come on, we need to find the gallovine before anyone else.”

  Garen knew that Cero didn’t understand what was really going on, but there was no time to explain it to him. With his hand on the wall to brace him, Garen began the descent down the slightly sloping tunnel. Cero moved forward, tightly clutching a glowstone of his own, and helped steady Garen with his other hand.

  As they moved deeper into the tunnel Garen began to notice just how big the tunnel truly was. As a digger he'd always been at the front of the tunnel constantly digging to extend it deeper into the black stone. Other slaves had come behind and carved the walls and ceiling out to make the tunnel much wider. On any other day, he was too concerned with moving quickly to pay attention to much else, but at their current slow pace he couldn’t help but notice. He clenched his teeth and his frown deepened as he realized the truth of what they had been doing.

  We’re not just digging to find the gallovine, we’re creating a road for a particularly large demon: Babossa. Once his road is finished, Babossa won’t have any use for us slaves except as food. We've all been laboring towards our own deaths.

  The tunnel had been widened all the way down to the ruins except for at the very end. The slaves had left the tunnel of glowstones, that Cero had discovered, mostly the same as it had been found. That short length of tunnel had been widened only enough for a human to walk through.

  After the glowstone chokepoint, the passageways within the ruins widened out, becoming even larger than the tunnel. Any demon that could fit down the tunnel would have no problem walking around in the massive corridors within the r
uins. They could even easily accommodate a demon as large as Babossa.

  There haven’t been any demidemons down in the ruins, yet, so maybe Babossa doesn’t know that we’ve tunneled that far. If he did know that we’d already reached the ruins, then all of us would probably be dead already. I wonder if it’s been Cassandra keeping the demi away from the ruins. If she’s after the gallovine as well, then she definitely wouldn’t want Babossa to know that we're so close to finding it.

  He’d wanted to believe that she had been secretly protecting them from the demidemons, but that belief was quickly fading. The more he thought about their situation, the more he saw the truth: Cassandra was using them all. He felt a stab of pain in his chest as he realized that that meant she was as much of an enemy as Babossa.

  She can’t be allowed to get her hands on the gallovine; I can’t trust her anymore.