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He wasn’t like many of the other dark elves. He was gentle, and thoughtful.
He wanted a better world, not just for the elves of Protheka, but for the humans, too. Toklys always talked about the unfairness of the caste system and the use of human slaves, and pointed to examples like Amelie and Archduke Kral Ishiraya, saying that they were paving the way for a new, kinder world for us all.
And then the demons slaughtered him.
I was with him when the storm struck and the demons fell from the sky. The entire camp went mad, humans and elves alike fleeing and screaming. Toklys tried valiantly to hide me from them, ushering me beneath his bed and warning me to stay quiet.
The demon that crashed his way into Toklys’ cottage was a brute, a massive, obsidian nightmare with flaming horns and gleaming armor only adding to his unimaginable bulk. Toklys fought him, doing everything he could to fend the demon off.
It only distracted the demon for so long. As soon, it tired of Toklys’ fighting, the demon crushed his skull between two massive paws.
The squelching of blood, snapping of bone, and the horrid, wet whistling noise that came from Toklys’ exposed larynx still haunts my dreams. All I could see from beneath the bed Toklys and I had shared so often was the mess of flesh and brain that had once been my lover’s head.
If I hadn’t been in that gods-damned cottage, and hadn't hid like a coward, Toklys might still be alive. His death was my fault. The thought, however recurring, threatens to send me into a tailspin in the carriage, turning my breathing ragged as I grip the edge of the seat so hard my knuckles turn white.
No, I tell myself. It wasn’t my fault.
\It was Laura’s.
Laura was the one who led the demons to our camp, encouraged them to steal us and breed with us, to bear the horrifying demons’ spawn. She sold us out, sold out her own sister and people to these veritable beasts.
Cora, at least, had tried to fight the demons, had stayed with the rest of us in those awful cages while the animal-like monstrosities starved us, and denied us of water if only to see how long we could last without it.
Cora and I had never been close at the work camp, not really, but our time in those dungeons forged a bond not unlike sisterhood. I trusted her, was comforted by her; until she abandoned us too, leaving us for a demon.
Just like her sister did.
I shake my head as if I could rid myself of the memories that plague me. It does me no good to reflect on everything that’s happened. It does nothing to change where I am, or where I’m going.
Another glance at the demon who seems to have claimed me makes me freeze, panic locking up my muscles as I stare at him.
This time, there’s no doubt that the demon is looking at me.
Taking in his entire countenance, I realize there are small, strange markings along the skin of his cheeks and forehead, runes of some sort that are only a shade lighter than the rest of his skin, and only add to his fearsome appearance.
I’m not sure what to do. Should I look away? Should I hold his gaze? The other demons hated when we talked back or looked them in the eye, and would beat us for even the smallest infraction.
I drop my gaze on an unsteady breath, earning a derisive snort from my new overseer. A flash of anger courses through me, but I quell it quickly- any kind of temper, any kind of rebellion at all can spell death for a human in this place.
If I’m to survive, I need to keep my head down.
I can’t help but wonder, however, what my newest master will be like. The demons who kept us in the prison were different, hardly humanoid at all and cruel beyond all imagining, even compared to the worst of the dark elves at the work camps.
Will he be like them?
A part of me hopes he will be kinder, but that hope dwindles as a frightening, spire-like structure looms outside of the carriage. The black stone of the imposing building jut out of the red earth like a rogue stalagmite, the land before it dotted with strange plants of glassy blacks and gleaming golds and silvers.
My eyes burn as the full weight of my new situation slams into me. There is absolutely nothing familiar or comforting about anything here. Not the buildings, or their inhabitants- even the soil is the wrong color.
The carriage slows to a stop directly in front of the building, the sense of impending doom crushing all of the air from my lungs. A path stretches from the carriage up to the building, and a squat demon appears before me, swinging the door open wide.
The demon across from me exits the carriage first, a predatory grace coloring his every movement. For a moment, I’m frozen in place, unsure of what I’m expected to do next.
With a huff of annoyance, the demon catches me by the arm, yanking me from the carriage. A small yelp escapes me at the sharp movement, and I could swear that the demon rolls his eyes before he forces me to face him fully.
“I expect you to be silent and obedient during your stay in my home,” he growls, his low, gravelly voice radiating through me. “This is my domain, and I will not tolerate any wailing. You will not make a sound out of turn if you know what’s good for you. Do you understand?”
I can’t help the silent tears that overflow.
