Belgarath gazed into Sladana's eyes.
All she did was stare.
He noticed how frightened she was, and lost.
Upon her neck there was a large handprint that had held her.
"Poledra, " He called to his wife.
Poledra, who had been sitting with Polgara, stood and approached them.
"Can you check on the twins, please?" Belgarath asked her.
Poledra nodded.
Leaving the guest room, where Sladana lay, staring, Poledra entered her granddaughters'
room. On the two beds lay Solaria and Satheria, in the same condition Sladana was in.
Polgara followed her mother into the room, and held her breath.
Solaria, the eldest of them two, lay on her side on the left bed of the room, her gray eyes
wide open. Satheria lay on her back, eyes half closed and pale.
Poledra touched their foreheads with her hand and closed their eyes.
They stayed closed.
Polgara watched her daughters with deep sorrow.
They were breathing, but they're breathing was fast and shallow.
Poledra approached her daughter and embraced her.
"What is going on mother?" Polgara asked against Poledra's shoulder.
With a great sigh, Poledra didn't say what she wanted to say, "I don't know..."
A knock came on the door to the twins' room.
Poledra and Polgara turned to see Mardion.
"What is it?" Poledra asked.
"Grandfather told me to tell you that Sladana's talking." He replied, his honey-blue eyes
pale.
Poledra rushed out of the room.
Polgara stayed next to her daughters.
**********************************************************************
Poledra gazed into Sladana's dark eyes.
"They're going to come back," Sladana murmured.
Belgarath shivered.
Sladana looked fevered, and when she spoke, it was as though she were in a trance.
"They'll use us for breeding their kin..." Sladana suddenly sounded paniced, "T-then
they'll kill us when they need us no more! We all will die!"
Poledra took the wolf-girls face in her hands, "Whose 'we' Sladana?" she asked over and
over again.
"They'll kill us!" Sladana shrieked in horror.
"Sladana! Listen to me!"
Sladana seemed to ignore Poledra.
She suddenly began to shake uncontrollably, screaming.
Belgarath rushed to the bed as he and his wife tried to keep her still.
"They have our souls! They'll keep them in the fires of Hell!" She screeched.
Her raw voice cut through the silence of the house like the blade of a demon.
"Sladana!" Belgarath cried.
But suddenly, Sladana lay still, eyes closed.
Poledra and Belgarath backed away from the wolf-girl, breathing hard.
Slowly, and strangely, Sladana sat up.
Eyes were still closed.
Belgarath frowned.
Her eyes flashed open, and they reflected fire, even though there were no flames in the
room.
"Belgarath," Came a deep, blood-curdling voice through Sladana's lips, "We'll be back
for them. And, when we need them no more, we will return...." The voice paused, a sneer
upon Sladana's beautiful face, ".... we will destroy all the Gods and all their disciples."
The Demon speaking through her lips locked eyes with the pale Belgarath, "You will be
the first..."
Then suddenly Sladana fell back into the bed, eyes closed.
Poledra ran forward to the wolf-girl.
Looking over her shoulder, Poledra cried, "She's not breathing!"
**********************************************************************
Polgara heard the screaming in the guest room, and tried to ignore it.
Darion suddenly barged into the room, pale and shaken, "What is going on, mother?" He
asked, his honey-brown eyes intent.
"I don't know, Dar. Just go and sit in your room with your brother."
He ignored what she ordered.
"Can you tell me a little? Shaam's in my room, with a broken rib, Sladana's shrieking like
a madwoman, and my sister's are like dolls! They neither move nor speak mother! I need
to know what is going on! Please--"
Polgara spun around to her son, "Darion, shut your mouth and go to your room!"
"No!" He argued.
Polgara's eyes flared.
Durnik suddenly came into the room, "Dar, get out of this room right now. This is no
time for arguing, understood?"
Darion ignored his father. His fists and jaw were clenched, "Can you please give me an
explanation?" He asked.
"You saw what happened, Dar. What you saw, we did too, and what you understand from
it, we do the same." Durnik's face tightened.
"All I saw was the wall of the cottage explode away, and saw some 'Demon Lord' enter,
take my sisters and you and mother follow!" Darion cried, "What am I supposed to
understand by that?"
Mardion entered the room. And stopped.
Polgara put her hands on her hips, "What are you doing here, Mardion. Durnik, get the
boys out of here." She said with a sigh.
Durnik turned to Mardion, "What are you waiting for?" He asked.
Darion followed his little brother's gaze and gasped.
Together, Polgara and Durnik followed their gazes and gasped.
Solaria and Satheria sat straight in their beds.
Solaria's eyes reflected pouring rain as Satheria's eyes reflected darkness.
"Lesik fiario binora," Came a dark voice out of Solaria's pale lips, "Thei shas zimon."
Satheria stayed silent.
"Lesik fiario binora, Thei shas zimon!" Solaria repeated, yelling.
Polgara, pale and puzzled, stayed still.
"We will kill them all, and our Lord will kill you all!" A distant echoing voice translated
through Satheria's dry lips.
Satheria began to laugh dryly, as Solaria stared.
"Ready to die, disciples of Aldur?" Solaria said, smiling.
Durnik and Polgara gasped for air which didn't come.
Then suddenly, the twins collapsed on the beds, eyes closed.
Polgara stood still.
Completely shocked.
Darion suddenly noticed, "They're not breathing!"
Mardion and Darion ran forward to their sisters in horror.
"What's going on?" Durnik murmured.
Polgara, shaken, said nothing.
What was she supposed to say when her twin daughters were being possessed by demons?
How could she help them?
Will she be able to help them?
All she did was stare.
He noticed how frightened she was, and lost.
Upon her neck there was a large handprint that had held her.
"Poledra, " He called to his wife.
Poledra, who had been sitting with Polgara, stood and approached them.
"Can you check on the twins, please?" Belgarath asked her.
Poledra nodded.
Leaving the guest room, where Sladana lay, staring, Poledra entered her granddaughters'
room. On the two beds lay Solaria and Satheria, in the same condition Sladana was in.
Polgara followed her mother into the room, and held her breath.
Solaria, the eldest of them two, lay on her side on the left bed of the room, her gray eyes
wide open. Satheria lay on her back, eyes half closed and pale.
Poledra touched their foreheads with her hand and closed their eyes.
They stayed closed.
Polgara watched her daughters with deep sorrow.
They were breathing, but they're breathing was fast and shallow.
Poledra approached her daughter and embraced her.
"What is going on mother?" Polgara asked against Poledra's shoulder.
With a great sigh, Poledra didn't say what she wanted to say, "I don't know..."
A knock came on the door to the twins' room.
Poledra and Polgara turned to see Mardion.
"What is it?" Poledra asked.
"Grandfather told me to tell you that Sladana's talking." He replied, his honey-blue eyes
pale.
Poledra rushed out of the room.
Polgara stayed next to her daughters.
**********************************************************************
Poledra gazed into Sladana's dark eyes.
"They're going to come back," Sladana murmured.
Belgarath shivered.
Sladana looked fevered, and when she spoke, it was as though she were in a trance.
"They'll use us for breeding their kin..." Sladana suddenly sounded paniced, "T-then
they'll kill us when they need us no more! We all will die!"
Poledra took the wolf-girls face in her hands, "Whose 'we' Sladana?" she asked over and
over again.
"They'll kill us!" Sladana shrieked in horror.
"Sladana! Listen to me!"
Sladana seemed to ignore Poledra.
She suddenly began to shake uncontrollably, screaming.
Belgarath rushed to the bed as he and his wife tried to keep her still.
"They have our souls! They'll keep them in the fires of Hell!" She screeched.
Her raw voice cut through the silence of the house like the blade of a demon.
"Sladana!" Belgarath cried.
But suddenly, Sladana lay still, eyes closed.
Poledra and Belgarath backed away from the wolf-girl, breathing hard.
Slowly, and strangely, Sladana sat up.
Eyes were still closed.
Belgarath frowned.
Her eyes flashed open, and they reflected fire, even though there were no flames in the
room.
"Belgarath," Came a deep, blood-curdling voice through Sladana's lips, "We'll be back
for them. And, when we need them no more, we will return...." The voice paused, a sneer
upon Sladana's beautiful face, ".... we will destroy all the Gods and all their disciples."
The Demon speaking through her lips locked eyes with the pale Belgarath, "You will be
the first..."
Then suddenly Sladana fell back into the bed, eyes closed.
Poledra ran forward to the wolf-girl.
Looking over her shoulder, Poledra cried, "She's not breathing!"
**********************************************************************
Polgara heard the screaming in the guest room, and tried to ignore it.
Darion suddenly barged into the room, pale and shaken, "What is going on, mother?" He
asked, his honey-brown eyes intent.
"I don't know, Dar. Just go and sit in your room with your brother."
He ignored what she ordered.
"Can you tell me a little? Shaam's in my room, with a broken rib, Sladana's shrieking like
a madwoman, and my sister's are like dolls! They neither move nor speak mother! I need
to know what is going on! Please--"
Polgara spun around to her son, "Darion, shut your mouth and go to your room!"
"No!" He argued.
Polgara's eyes flared.
Durnik suddenly came into the room, "Dar, get out of this room right now. This is no
time for arguing, understood?"
Darion ignored his father. His fists and jaw were clenched, "Can you please give me an
explanation?" He asked.
"You saw what happened, Dar. What you saw, we did too, and what you understand from
it, we do the same." Durnik's face tightened.
"All I saw was the wall of the cottage explode away, and saw some 'Demon Lord' enter,
take my sisters and you and mother follow!" Darion cried, "What am I supposed to
understand by that?"
Mardion entered the room. And stopped.
Polgara put her hands on her hips, "What are you doing here, Mardion. Durnik, get the
boys out of here." She said with a sigh.
Durnik turned to Mardion, "What are you waiting for?" He asked.
Darion followed his little brother's gaze and gasped.
Together, Polgara and Durnik followed their gazes and gasped.
Solaria and Satheria sat straight in their beds.
Solaria's eyes reflected pouring rain as Satheria's eyes reflected darkness.
"Lesik fiario binora," Came a dark voice out of Solaria's pale lips, "Thei shas zimon."
Satheria stayed silent.
"Lesik fiario binora, Thei shas zimon!" Solaria repeated, yelling.
Polgara, pale and puzzled, stayed still.
"We will kill them all, and our Lord will kill you all!" A distant echoing voice translated
through Satheria's dry lips.
Satheria began to laugh dryly, as Solaria stared.
"Ready to die, disciples of Aldur?" Solaria said, smiling.
Durnik and Polgara gasped for air which didn't come.
Then suddenly, the twins collapsed on the beds, eyes closed.
Polgara stood still.
Completely shocked.
Darion suddenly noticed, "They're not breathing!"
Mardion and Darion ran forward to their sisters in horror.
"What's going on?" Durnik murmured.
Polgara, shaken, said nothing.
What was she supposed to say when her twin daughters were being possessed by demons?
How could she help them?
Will she be able to help them?