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“What are we doing?” she shouts.
“Getting the others! We need to stick together!”
Up ahead, more of the soldiers fight off the demons, striking them down one by one, but each kill seems to bring two more in their place. I gather the others as quickly as I can and tell them to hide underneath the carriages.
I turn around and come face to face with one of the attackers, his drool slobbering over my garments. An arrow shoots out and pierces its head, and the demon falls. A soldier rushes over, but in place of a brave face, I see tears.
“They’re dead,” he says. “All of the guards are –”
In the blink of an eye, a demon grabs his head, lifting him in the air. He squeezes until the man’s head pops like delicate fruit, coating me with blood. I scream and freeze up as the demon grabs me.
“Played a good trick on you, didn’t I?”
I gasp in horror, realizing it was the demon who we found blocking the road. He speaks in a voice so deep that it vibratesmy bones. Others approach and pull the handmaidens out of their hiding places. There’s no one to protect us anymore, my worst fear coming true.
“What do you want?” I ask shakily. “Please, we bear no weapons. We’re peaceful handmaidens and priestesses of Karona! You cannot slay us!”
“Don’t tell us what we can and cannot do with whores like you!” the demon snarls. “We know where you come from, and we know they’ll pay a high price to get you back.”
“Let’s eat them,” another demon says, licking a handmaiden’s face as she grimaces.
“No!” the leader yells. “Karona will give us plenty in exchange for their lives. Stay your tongue, and soon, we shall all be feasting!”
As the demons move us away, my mind falls to its very last hope. I think of Carus, uttering a silent prayer that he’ll come to our aid. He’s the only chance I, as well as the others, have to get out of these demons’ clutches.
19
CARUS
Iconclude my morning exercise routine, dabbing my forehead with a cloth. After stretching to cool down my muscles, I indulge in a hot bath to relax the senses and cleanse my body for the day ahead.
As I wash myself, I think of Shana and her excursion to this new city called Glebe. Tonight will be my first night not seeing her, for she is bound to her duties on this trip for at least a few days if not weeks.
She promised to inform me when she returned. I trust that she will follow up on that, but I believe a small part of her does not yet trust me. Even still, I’ll find out when she’s back. I have my ways of knowing things.
I enter my dining room just in time for the serving of breakfast. Gelias, a servant of mine, lays out my plates and cutlery in a neatly set place and gestures for me to sit down.
“Good morning, Carus,” he greets.
He unfolds a handkerchief and lays it across my lap before portioning my meal, a generous serving of cold meats and fruit.
“Any news this morning?” I ask, pouring my kaffo.
“Yes, sir, some especially troubling news for the public,” he says.
“There’s always something these days, it seems,” I remark. “Anyway, do tell.”
“As you may or may not know, there have been rumors circulating of a new city called Glebe, apparently still very much in the stages of development.”
“The public knows of this?” I ask.
“Well, like I said, rumors.” He shrugs. “Anyway, there was a convoy from the temple of Karona sent out last night. Someone somewhere intercepted a message, written in the tongue of demons.”
“Demons?” I interject, now concerned. “What’s Glebe got to do with demons?”
“The convoy was attacked,” he informs me, my senses coming to a standstill. “All the Fouuer men they sent were killed, and they kidnapped the handmaidens and priestesses, demanding some kind of a ransom in exchange for their safe return home. Sir, are you okay?”
“I… Excuse me, Gelias. I will not be eating this morning.”
