Evil Beneath Innocence
"The master has been expecting your company," the vampire sneered as he unshackled Aisha's ankles.
With the close proximity to the guard, Aisha determined that this vampire must be of the Dumahim clan. His large musculature and wolfish appearance were defining features of Dumah's children. As the metal bonds were removed from her legs, Aisha was roughly hefted to her feet. With a forceful shove, the Dumahim directed her towards the exit.
A few of the conscious prisoners watched silently as the human and her escort passed by. Had they not been more concerned for their own well-beings, they may have felt sorry for the girl who would soon be facing the almighty Kain. Aisha might have been concerned herself, had she not the knowledge she alone on this world possessed. She knew Kain would be intrigued by what knowledge she would have, try as he might to deny his curiosity. Her current situation was enough to prove Kain's interest.
As Aisha was led outside the dungeon, a second guard, this one a Rahabim, joined the escort. The Rahabim flanked Aisha's right while the Dumahim took her left. Having no choice, Aisha silently followed their lead down the torch-lined corridor, constructed entirely of stone. The torches offered little light for comfort, and even less warmth in the chilling atmosphere. As they proceeded through the stronghold, Aisha couldn't help but reflect upon how she had come to find herself in her current predicament.
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She couldn't remember what had happened during the few moments beforehand. Whenever she tried to bring up any memory of her arrival, she was granted no more than a fuzzy haze. But for reasons unknown, she had found herself alone, surrounded by a massive forest. Normally, this would not strike her as odd, considering that she grew up in the countryside. Behind her home was a small forest, which she often explored as a child. However, the forest around her now created a dreadful feeling within the pit of her stomach.
When Aisha had woken, she found herself lying on the forest floor. She sat up, feeling a bit disorientated, but a quick stretch of her limbs relieved her of that sensation. Standing, she took a moment to observe her surroundings. She found the forest around her to be dying. The trees were mere shadows of their former beauty. The little foliage the forest had to offer was brown and sickly with disease.
The forest was eerily quiet. Few animals inhabited these woods. The only residents were a few crows perched silently upon the highest branches of the dying flora. Aisha wondered what could cause a forest to decay in its entirety like this one. Even after the most devastating of forest fires, plant life would thrive once again. Survival of nature actually depended on such an occurrence. However, a more tragic fate seemed to have burdened this land.
Unfamiliar with her surroundings, Aisha aimed to find a road that could perhaps take her into town. She'd be able to get her bearings from there, figuring out where she was and how she had gotten there. Aisha was uncertain how far she was from the nearest road, or how long it would take to get to it. Needing to know how much travel time she had until sunset, she looked to the sky to gauge the sun's position. Luck was not on her side.
The image of the sky contributed to her ominous surroundings. Thick yellow-gray clouds blanketed the atmosphere. Not a single beam of direct sunlight passed through the pollutants. It was obvious these gaseous clouds were not natural. It was no wonder the forest surrounding Aisha was dying. With no sunlight to nurture the vegetation, the plants would wither.
And Aisha spotted the source of the suffocating toxins in the atmosphere. To the north, several columns of thick, black smoked billowed up into the sky. The sight sickened her. Who would deliberately pollute the sky like that? It was as if the perpetrators intended to eradicate the sun. At the thought, Aisha paused a moment, for the idea seemed familiar for some reason, but she quickly dismissed it.
Even though Aisha believed the chimneys of smoke climbing into the air to be evil, she had to admit one benefit to the vile plumes of poison. The smoke provided to her a beacon to civilization. Where there was smoke, there were fires. And where there were fires, there were people manning them. The most logical option was to head north.
After a few hours of traveling by foot, Aisha had come to realize that perhaps she had greatly underestimated the distance between the smoke and herself. She had at least hoped to come across a road or highway or something by now. But not a single sign of civilization had presented itself to her. Aisha's only reprieve was in the form of a cool spring that she had luckily stumbled upon.
The girl knelt down beside the clear water and cupped some of it into her hand, drawing it to her parched mouth. The sky had darkened some since she had first set out on her quest. She now realized that when she started, it had been far later in the day than she had hoped. Knowing she would not reach a town before dark, Aisha decided she best find shelter for the night.
Taking one last refreshing sip of water, she returned to her feet. In the dimming light, and the thickening fog, Aisha scanned her surroundings in search of a safe place to rest. Unexpectedly, she barely heard the quiet snapping of a branch in the distance. The sound reverberated off the surrounding trees, making it impossible for her to decipher its origins. After a few moments of silence, another crack was heard. This one a bit louder and closer.
Aisha's heart leapt in her chest. She could tell that the sounds were that of footsteps. Finally, after all these hours she would be found. They would take her into the nearest town and from there she could use a payphone to get a ride home. Believing the sound originated from her right, she turned in that direction, trying to focus her eyes in the faltering light. But Aisha had forgotten that when noise echoes, it sounds louder from the opposite direction of its origin. So as Aisha studied the tree line patiently, she did not notice the three travelers sneak up behind her.
"Ah, now what have we here? Don't you believe it is a bit late for one such as yourself to be wandering about unprotected?" the leader of the travelers asked with intimidation.
Aisha spun around to face the three, completely taken by surprise. They had strolled right up behind her, and she didn't even realize it. She was about to reply to the leader's comment, when she noticed their features and attire. All three were as pale as snow. Gold eyes reflected what little light the night provided. Instead of five digits, their hands possessed three sharp claws. They wore leather trousers, shoulder and leg guards and sheathed broadswords. Aisha could not believe her eyes. She was looking straight at a trio of vampires.
"It appears as though you have frightened her, Eli," the vampire on Aisha's left chuckled.
"No. Not necessarily," replied the third vampire from behind the first two. He took a few steps forward to better scrutinize the girl.
Curious, Eli requested, "Elaborate, Jabin."
"Odd. She is not afraid. Confused perhaps. And I sense a growing irritation within her."
Jabin's words were truer that Aisha wanted to admit. She was completely baffled at first. How did she come to find herself face to face with three vampires? Vampires did not exist. They are creatures out of horror stories meant to scare little children. But then they began to annoy her. The vampires openly conversed between themselves about her as if she couldn't hear what they were saying. They spoke as if they thought of her as a lesser being.
"What would you like us to do with her, Eli?" the one called Malachi inquired for some unknown reason, and a little too anxiously for Aisha's liking.
"If I might make a suggestion," Jabin interrupted.
Aisha turned her head and looked over her left shoulder at the perceptive vampire. Too caught up in her own thoughts and at Malachi's question, she hadn't noticed him sneak around behind her. She watched the silent predator as he strode past her and towards the other two. She ventured to guess that this 'Eli' had a higher ranking than 'Malachi' and 'Jabin', based upon how they looked to him for guidance.
"You may," Eli granted.
"She is in excellent health. Exceptionally clean, well nourished, and free of disease. It would be a shame to waste her. I suggest we bring her back to the master."
"Yes, that would be a wise decision, as we have come up empty handed thus far."
At this turn of events, Aisha was fuming mad. How dare they talk about her and make plans for her as if she didn't have an opinion! She was so irate; she didn't know which one to begin with: Malachi for his questionable interest in her, Jabin for his suggested uses for her, or Eli for agreeing with Jabin and determining her fate.
"Malachi, take her captive. We will bestow her as a gift to Lord Zephon."
Aisha's eyes widened suddenly at Eli's instructions. She couldn't believe what he had just said. It was not the capturing part that shocked her. It was the words 'Lord Zephon' that took her by surprise. She recognized that name! But his words couldn't be true! She couldn't possibly be here! But it all strangely made sense. The vampires, the claws, the dead forest, the smoggy sky... Could she really possibly be on- ?
Before Aisha could finish her thought, Malachi had delivered a sharp blow to the back of her head, rendering her unconscious. Her eyes fluttered shut and as she began to slump towards the ground, Malachi had grabbed her around the waist and hefted her over his shoulder. The trio of vampires resumed their trek towards their clan's stronghold, the cathedral, long ago silenced.
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Aisha was escorted to two finely crafted wooden doors, much smaller than those that served as the entrance to the Pillar room. She was not certain where the guards had taken her. The Rahabim opened one of the double doors and waited for her to enter. She stared at him a moment, studying his movements. He, nor the Dumahim, made a move to enter the dim chamber within. Obviously they were not meant to go any further.
Left with no other choice, Aisha stepped through the entrance with confidence. Upon entering, her attention was instantly drawn to the only other occupant of the room: Kain. His back was to her, as he gazed out the center of three windows at the far side of the chamber. Crossing her arms and glaring at his back, she waited silently for him to address her.
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Ah, I finally finished this chapter. Took me long enough. I came across this small writer's block for a while there. I really hate when that happens. Like right now... I can't think of what else to put into my little authoress' notes. Hmm... Oh! I would like to thank COAD, Sereda, Tabris, and AquaSword for their reviews! Thank you much!
"The master has been expecting your company," the vampire sneered as he unshackled Aisha's ankles.
With the close proximity to the guard, Aisha determined that this vampire must be of the Dumahim clan. His large musculature and wolfish appearance were defining features of Dumah's children. As the metal bonds were removed from her legs, Aisha was roughly hefted to her feet. With a forceful shove, the Dumahim directed her towards the exit.
A few of the conscious prisoners watched silently as the human and her escort passed by. Had they not been more concerned for their own well-beings, they may have felt sorry for the girl who would soon be facing the almighty Kain. Aisha might have been concerned herself, had she not the knowledge she alone on this world possessed. She knew Kain would be intrigued by what knowledge she would have, try as he might to deny his curiosity. Her current situation was enough to prove Kain's interest.
As Aisha was led outside the dungeon, a second guard, this one a Rahabim, joined the escort. The Rahabim flanked Aisha's right while the Dumahim took her left. Having no choice, Aisha silently followed their lead down the torch-lined corridor, constructed entirely of stone. The torches offered little light for comfort, and even less warmth in the chilling atmosphere. As they proceeded through the stronghold, Aisha couldn't help but reflect upon how she had come to find herself in her current predicament.
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\ \\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///
She couldn't remember what had happened during the few moments beforehand. Whenever she tried to bring up any memory of her arrival, she was granted no more than a fuzzy haze. But for reasons unknown, she had found herself alone, surrounded by a massive forest. Normally, this would not strike her as odd, considering that she grew up in the countryside. Behind her home was a small forest, which she often explored as a child. However, the forest around her now created a dreadful feeling within the pit of her stomach.
When Aisha had woken, she found herself lying on the forest floor. She sat up, feeling a bit disorientated, but a quick stretch of her limbs relieved her of that sensation. Standing, she took a moment to observe her surroundings. She found the forest around her to be dying. The trees were mere shadows of their former beauty. The little foliage the forest had to offer was brown and sickly with disease.
The forest was eerily quiet. Few animals inhabited these woods. The only residents were a few crows perched silently upon the highest branches of the dying flora. Aisha wondered what could cause a forest to decay in its entirety like this one. Even after the most devastating of forest fires, plant life would thrive once again. Survival of nature actually depended on such an occurrence. However, a more tragic fate seemed to have burdened this land.
Unfamiliar with her surroundings, Aisha aimed to find a road that could perhaps take her into town. She'd be able to get her bearings from there, figuring out where she was and how she had gotten there. Aisha was uncertain how far she was from the nearest road, or how long it would take to get to it. Needing to know how much travel time she had until sunset, she looked to the sky to gauge the sun's position. Luck was not on her side.
The image of the sky contributed to her ominous surroundings. Thick yellow-gray clouds blanketed the atmosphere. Not a single beam of direct sunlight passed through the pollutants. It was obvious these gaseous clouds were not natural. It was no wonder the forest surrounding Aisha was dying. With no sunlight to nurture the vegetation, the plants would wither.
And Aisha spotted the source of the suffocating toxins in the atmosphere. To the north, several columns of thick, black smoked billowed up into the sky. The sight sickened her. Who would deliberately pollute the sky like that? It was as if the perpetrators intended to eradicate the sun. At the thought, Aisha paused a moment, for the idea seemed familiar for some reason, but she quickly dismissed it.
Even though Aisha believed the chimneys of smoke climbing into the air to be evil, she had to admit one benefit to the vile plumes of poison. The smoke provided to her a beacon to civilization. Where there was smoke, there were fires. And where there were fires, there were people manning them. The most logical option was to head north.
After a few hours of traveling by foot, Aisha had come to realize that perhaps she had greatly underestimated the distance between the smoke and herself. She had at least hoped to come across a road or highway or something by now. But not a single sign of civilization had presented itself to her. Aisha's only reprieve was in the form of a cool spring that she had luckily stumbled upon.
The girl knelt down beside the clear water and cupped some of it into her hand, drawing it to her parched mouth. The sky had darkened some since she had first set out on her quest. She now realized that when she started, it had been far later in the day than she had hoped. Knowing she would not reach a town before dark, Aisha decided she best find shelter for the night.
Taking one last refreshing sip of water, she returned to her feet. In the dimming light, and the thickening fog, Aisha scanned her surroundings in search of a safe place to rest. Unexpectedly, she barely heard the quiet snapping of a branch in the distance. The sound reverberated off the surrounding trees, making it impossible for her to decipher its origins. After a few moments of silence, another crack was heard. This one a bit louder and closer.
Aisha's heart leapt in her chest. She could tell that the sounds were that of footsteps. Finally, after all these hours she would be found. They would take her into the nearest town and from there she could use a payphone to get a ride home. Believing the sound originated from her right, she turned in that direction, trying to focus her eyes in the faltering light. But Aisha had forgotten that when noise echoes, it sounds louder from the opposite direction of its origin. So as Aisha studied the tree line patiently, she did not notice the three travelers sneak up behind her.
"Ah, now what have we here? Don't you believe it is a bit late for one such as yourself to be wandering about unprotected?" the leader of the travelers asked with intimidation.
Aisha spun around to face the three, completely taken by surprise. They had strolled right up behind her, and she didn't even realize it. She was about to reply to the leader's comment, when she noticed their features and attire. All three were as pale as snow. Gold eyes reflected what little light the night provided. Instead of five digits, their hands possessed three sharp claws. They wore leather trousers, shoulder and leg guards and sheathed broadswords. Aisha could not believe her eyes. She was looking straight at a trio of vampires.
"It appears as though you have frightened her, Eli," the vampire on Aisha's left chuckled.
"No. Not necessarily," replied the third vampire from behind the first two. He took a few steps forward to better scrutinize the girl.
Curious, Eli requested, "Elaborate, Jabin."
"Odd. She is not afraid. Confused perhaps. And I sense a growing irritation within her."
Jabin's words were truer that Aisha wanted to admit. She was completely baffled at first. How did she come to find herself face to face with three vampires? Vampires did not exist. They are creatures out of horror stories meant to scare little children. But then they began to annoy her. The vampires openly conversed between themselves about her as if she couldn't hear what they were saying. They spoke as if they thought of her as a lesser being.
"What would you like us to do with her, Eli?" the one called Malachi inquired for some unknown reason, and a little too anxiously for Aisha's liking.
"If I might make a suggestion," Jabin interrupted.
Aisha turned her head and looked over her left shoulder at the perceptive vampire. Too caught up in her own thoughts and at Malachi's question, she hadn't noticed him sneak around behind her. She watched the silent predator as he strode past her and towards the other two. She ventured to guess that this 'Eli' had a higher ranking than 'Malachi' and 'Jabin', based upon how they looked to him for guidance.
"You may," Eli granted.
"She is in excellent health. Exceptionally clean, well nourished, and free of disease. It would be a shame to waste her. I suggest we bring her back to the master."
"Yes, that would be a wise decision, as we have come up empty handed thus far."
At this turn of events, Aisha was fuming mad. How dare they talk about her and make plans for her as if she didn't have an opinion! She was so irate; she didn't know which one to begin with: Malachi for his questionable interest in her, Jabin for his suggested uses for her, or Eli for agreeing with Jabin and determining her fate.
"Malachi, take her captive. We will bestow her as a gift to Lord Zephon."
Aisha's eyes widened suddenly at Eli's instructions. She couldn't believe what he had just said. It was not the capturing part that shocked her. It was the words 'Lord Zephon' that took her by surprise. She recognized that name! But his words couldn't be true! She couldn't possibly be here! But it all strangely made sense. The vampires, the claws, the dead forest, the smoggy sky... Could she really possibly be on- ?
Before Aisha could finish her thought, Malachi had delivered a sharp blow to the back of her head, rendering her unconscious. Her eyes fluttered shut and as she began to slump towards the ground, Malachi had grabbed her around the waist and hefted her over his shoulder. The trio of vampires resumed their trek towards their clan's stronghold, the cathedral, long ago silenced.
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\ \\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///
Aisha was escorted to two finely crafted wooden doors, much smaller than those that served as the entrance to the Pillar room. She was not certain where the guards had taken her. The Rahabim opened one of the double doors and waited for her to enter. She stared at him a moment, studying his movements. He, nor the Dumahim, made a move to enter the dim chamber within. Obviously they were not meant to go any further.
Left with no other choice, Aisha stepped through the entrance with confidence. Upon entering, her attention was instantly drawn to the only other occupant of the room: Kain. His back was to her, as he gazed out the center of three windows at the far side of the chamber. Crossing her arms and glaring at his back, she waited silently for him to address her.
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Ah, I finally finished this chapter. Took me long enough. I came across this small writer's block for a while there. I really hate when that happens. Like right now... I can't think of what else to put into my little authoress' notes. Hmm... Oh! I would like to thank COAD, Sereda, Tabris, and AquaSword for their reviews! Thank you much!