Devouring Darkness

by Bradley Counter

Cassandra ran through the passages of the ruins faster than any human could ever hope to move. Smooth, black stone walls whipped past as she ran by at blinding speed. Her frantic pace and aimless running carried her deeper and deeper into the maze-like ruins of Gormum’s fortress.

  She had no idea where she was or how to get back, but she didn’t care. Filled with both anger and a bitter sadness, she felt as though her conflicting emotions were going to tear her apart. She could scarcely hold back the tears that constantly threatened to fall from her eyes.

  He saved me! Garen nearly died, but he risked his life to enter a hopeless battle against several demidemons just to protect me. He actually cares about me; or at least he did.

  She couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. As her vision became blurry, she stopped running for a moment and wiped at her tears with the back of her hand. As she opened her eyes, she caught sight of her hand. Bronze skin and sleek, black fur laced together in an intricate pattern. The sight infuriated her.

  Why did he have to see me like this? For once things were different, he didn’t look at me with fear in his eyes like all the rest. I don’t care that he’s human; he’s the only one that’s ever cared about me, protected me. Why couldn’t things have been different?

  The thought of him lying on the ground staring up at her flashed into her mind. The fear and shock in his eyes had been more painful than anything she'd ever had to endure. Her efforts to wipe away her tears grew more vigorous.

  “Damn these tears,” she shouted. “Demons aren’t supposed to cry!”

  She swung her fist into the nearest wall. Fueled by both demonic strength and her raging inner turmoil, her hand plowed through the black stone with ease. The impact echoed through the empty corridors for several seconds before fading back into silence.

  Cassandra forced herself to stop crying, and, as she blinked away the last of her tears, she focused on the stone wall. Her fist had left a three-foot wide crater in the smooth, black surface. Cracks and lines surrounded the crater and ran along the wall for several feet in every direction. Dust and tiny flakes of stone were still falling from the largest cracks in the wall above her.

  This is what I am. There is no place for something like me and I can depend on no one but myself. I can never be with a human no matter how much I might long for him.

  One final tear slipped loose from her eye and ran down her flawless, bronze cheek. As it fell from her face, Cassandra tightened her hands into fists so tight that her arms shook from the strain.

  I must focus on finding the gallovine; nothing else matters. Too many years have been spent searching for a means to exact my vengeance and end my torment forever to become distracted now. I refuse to fall to pieces because of my feelings for one man, no matter who he is.

  She looked down at her hands and relaxed her fists, allowing her fingers to slowly unfurl. Even after her fists were completely unfurled, she stared at her hand for a moment before letting it fall back down to her side.

  Now that I’ve revealed myself to everyone, there’s no longer a reason to hold back or play it safe. Those demidemons that I killed this morning were the last ones in the tunnel, so, sooner or later, Babossa is bound to show up looking for answers. I need to find the gallovine before that happens. The time has come to take what is mine.

  Once again, she surged into motion. She raced along even faster than before. No longer running from pain or fear; she ran with determination. Black stone whipped by and she rounded a corner so fast that she ran up along the far wall for a few steps before returning to the ground. Doorways nearly 20 feet high lined the walls at seemingly random points leading to rooms and other corridors, but she ran past them without slowing. Chunks of broken stone had fallen from the walls and ceiling in several places and littered the floor in haphazard fashion, but she paid them no mind as she hurried past.

  Deeper and deeper into the maze of Gormum’s fortress she ran. Her earlier hours of aimless running had gotten her lost in the maze, but no longer did she choose her path at random. Raw determination fueled her every move; her need to find the gallovine methodically guided her along the corridors.

  I’ve always wondered why Gormum would build such a massive fortress in so obvious a place, but I think I finally know why. He wasn’t protecting himself by simply having walls of stone around him; this place is a maze in every sense. He must have built this to test would-be attackers. He probably reasoned that if they couldn’t defeat his maze, then they weren’t worth his time.

  Sweat beads formed on her forehead, but not from physical exertion. She thought of the number of demons that had been lost forever along the same corridor through which she was running.

  I won’t be defeated by this stupid maze. All I need to do is stay beside the same wall and eventually I’ll find the end of it. I don’t care if I have to run through the entire maze, I will find the gallovine.

  Staying along the wall to her right, she continued deeper into the maze. As she rounded yet another corner, Cassandra was forced to come to an abrupt halt. A large pile of rubble ran across the entire length of the corridor from wall to wall. Looking up, she saw that a section of the ceiling had broken away and collapsed inward filling the passageway completely with a wall of solid stone.

  Using both of her hands and her tail, she set to work clearing the obstruction. Chunks of black rock and glowstones of various sizes were tossed aside with reckless abandon. Some of the stones were nearly as big as she was, but she threw them aside effortlessly. Bits and pieces of stone shattered as they struck the ground behind her and the surrounding air quickly became thick with dust, but she continued her efforts unaffected.

  In minutes, she’d clawed her way through the pile of rubble. With her increasingly frayed slave clothing covered in dust, she emerged on the far side of the obstruction. She dashed from the rubble pile with a single-minded desire to find the gallovine. She held to that desire with all her might; trying desperately to keep her mind from straying back to painful memories.