Chapter 1

The Price of a Soul

A sixteen year old girl sat in a cage; cold, wet, dirty, shaking and shivering with cold. The room was pitch black and all you could hear was the drip, drip of water from somewhere and the girl's breathing. The girl had her head on her knees. She was thin as a rake from being starved and her skin was as white as a sheet but her lips were crimson just like her eyes, but they were also red rimed from crying. The girl's name was Natasha. The girl wiped away the tears and dirt from her face. The dark chocolate brown hair streaked with blue was matted and dirty having not be brushed in years. Her once purple T-shirt was now black, dirty and ripped all over. One whole sleeve had been ripped off which left the front of the top to hang loose on her chest. Her jeans were ripped at the knees, blood seeping through them. Her feet were bare and bleeding horribly. Natasha looked up as she heard an un-seen door open, shedding light on the girl's face, causing her to cover her eyes, which screwed up tight against the brilliant light. The cage door was flung open with a loud cluck, was the chain round the bars being pulled off. The ugliest orc you have ever seen stood there with chains and bones hanging round his neck. He grunted and grabbed Natasha's arm, pulling her out onto a cold concrete floor covered in hay. He dragged her roughly to her feet and marched her out of the wooden door into a long narrow dark hall way, lit only by candles in low brackets set into the wall. Natasha stumbled as she was pulled through a rough wooden door covered in chains. Yells and screams came from the room beyond the room she was standing in.

Nothing had been the same since all the humans had been killed five years ago by a demon. Natasha was the last living human that was living in The Demon World. She remembered the night she had been taken; sitting in a cupboard at the age of eleven; hearing screams and yells from her family and others outside. Then she heard her baby brother scream shrilly. She burst from the cupboard and ran through to her brother's room. The smell of burning flesh and smoke met her nose as she dashed through. Blood covered the walls and fires blazed outside.

"Kai…KAI!?!?" she yelled, seeing her little brother's body lying there headless, with blood staining the white blanket. Suddenly she fell to her knees; coughing and spluttering in the smoke. She fell forward and remembered nothing after that but waking up in a small room, in a cage, in the darkness.

"Come on, who's next?" called a voice from a platform with a ladder leading up to it. Natasha hadn't realised she was standing in front of it until the orc gave her a sharp jab in the back with an axe. Natasha was hauled up the ladder by a cat demon with blond hair and orange eyes and a devil with red hair and eyes which were a complete contrast to his hair; they were blue. Natasha blinked rapidly, the lights on the stage dazzling her. She finally got used to the lights and looked out at the room she was standing in. Her breath caught in her chest. She was in an Auction House. But this wasn't a normal auction house; burly ogres sat at one table hammering their fists on it from more ale, brought to them by a young looking witch with a pale face and small black dress. Dwarves sat at another, their feet not even touching the ground as they wriggled them in the air. Ghosts sat pearly white on rickety old chairs, sipping red wine that just went right though them. Trolls were arguing over something that one of them was holding, the ugliest one as it were. Goblins were fighting in a corner, one had an eye missing and another had blood draining from his snout like nose and dribbling onto his razor-like teeth. Banshees were screeching as they passed through the walls, their screams echoing in the noise from the room. Gargoyles scuttled about the floor and Will-O-The-Wisps flew over the tables like fire flies, giving their occupants a soft green glow over their faces. Howls and hissed could be heard from outside a door at the back of this massive room. But one place in particular caught Natasha's eye; a dark shadowed corner. There were no candles over there like the other tables, where candles burned low in their holders, but she could feel that the thing sitting there had its eyes on her.

"Alright ladies and gents, Here we have the last human in existence. Quite a young little thing here," the man smirked, showing sharp fangs which sparkled in the light as he touched Natasha's cheek. Natasha jerked her head back and punched him in the stomach. The two demons that had hauled her up there grabbed her arms and held them tight behind her back.

"Do that again girl and you'll have hell to pay," the cat demon whispered in her ear, his voice almost like a hiss, making Natasha shiver.

"Yeah, Hell to pay…in blood," the last word off the devils rolled off his tongue which flicked out to her neck; licking it a little, tasting the sweat on her neck.

Natasha shivered again as she felt the devil do this but she didn't struggle. She knew they weren't lying.

"And this one's a little bit firey too though she's not a demon," laughed the auctioneer, returning to normal even though now he couldn't really stand up straight. "I'll start the bid at 100jin, anyone going for 100jin? Yes, you sir? Do I see 150jin?"

Natasha just stared at the watchers as the bids flew out from everywhere. She was petrified. What else could she do as she watched people bid from her body and her life? It was horrible to watch this and not being able to do anything. Natasha just hung her head, staring at the wooden floor boards. She felt like trash or something that could be bought and then sold on again. The next bid brought her back to her senses.

"112,500jin for you sir; any more bids, any? Going once…"

'This was it,' Natasha thought as she saw one of the demons in the crowd smirk at her. Natasha was going to be a slave until she died. Natasha averted her gaze to the floor again screwing up her eyes, tears pricking at the corners. She'd rather die than live as a slave to a demon.

"Going twice,"

She clenched her fists waiting for it.

"500,000,000jin," Someone else spoke.

Natasha looked up, into the dark corner. Everyone was silent, even the banshees. All were looking in one direction; the darkened corner close to the door. A tear slid down Natasha's cheek as her breathing became heavier. The auctioneer stared at the corner then came back to his senses, still a little shocked.

"Yes well, sold to the gentleman at the back for 500,000,000jin," the auctioneer hit the hammer on a round wooden board while Natasha was dragged over to the side of the platform. Her legs and arms were bound with rusty old chains. Then she was tossed down into the crowd of people watching at the bottom. They caught her and carried her out to a black carriage, pulled the door open and threw her in, closing the door behind them with a cackle. Natasha struggled to sit up. Only one candle burning low, gave a small light to the carriage's black interior. The two windows were covered with black cloth; only one had a small gap which showed the world outside. Natasha wished she couldn't see it. It was black and burning. Buildings were crumbling into ruins and dead trees lined the rough tracks which were roads. Lava Rivers flowed through rocks, bubbles blossoming as they entered pools of molten rock. A crescent moon shone red in the midnight blue sky. Natasha sighed and rested her head on the cloth which was soft against her cheek as she closed her eyes.

Her crimson eyes flashed open as she heard the carriage door creak open. A man climbed in but she couldn't see his face, which was clocked in shadows. He sat opposite her, his long black cloak flowing onto the carriage floor like a black river. He raised a pale white hand, clicked his fingers once and with a clunk the rusty chains fell from Natasha's legs and wrists onto the carriage floor. Natasha looked down at the chains for a moment; then up at the man, rubbing her wrists which were cut and bruised. But the carriage moved off; throwing her into the side of the carriage. Natasha sat up straight again staring out through the cloth, not wanting to look at the man. She started to shake and shiver from the cold of the carriage. It smelled of mussed and burning from the candle. Her eyes grew heavy as she stared out at the scenery; black fields gave way to dry rivers that looked like they hadn't had water in them for years. Demons walked along the roads at intervals getting thinner as they went further and further away from the town. A wooden board on the outskirts said 'Blood Root Horn' in red and black paint which was faded in lots of places and burn black at the corners. Natasha looked back at the town as the carriage swayed from side to side, shacking violently. Natasha gripped the seat as the carriage gave a very violent jolt. She lent against the wall of the carriage as it continued to rock. Natasha's crimson eyes felt heavier and heavier every second as they drooped closed. She was tired from all the events of the day and the motion of the carriage started a rhythm as it trundled along; rocking Natasha into a deep, deep dreamless sleep.