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I take advantage of his distraction, sucking in my breath to give myself courage. Steeling myself, I move quickly, jamming the top of my knee hard between his legs. I make contact with the desired target, a strong solid blow that brings him to his own knees.
His hands drop from their position on my arms, coming to protect the sensitive area between his thighs that I’ve now maligned. He groans loudly, squeezing his eyes shut as he reels from the pain.
As much as it may hurt, I know that I don’t have long. He’ll recover and be twice as angry as before. His demon friends are already moving in toward me, ready to take his position as my captor.
There’s no way to get around them. I can’t leave this room through the door without being caught again. But in my head, I’ve already planned ahead for this. There’s still one escape path that no one expects me to use.
I leap quickly onto a chair, stepping onto the long dining room table. Racing down the length of the table, I urge my feet to carry me as fast as they can. I can feel their hands grabbing behind me, reaching for the fabric of my clothes, and sprint even faster ahead.
With another deep breath, my mind screams out to stop. It doesn’t like what I am about to do, and protests loudly. But I know that it is my only choice and swallow my fears down.
Then I launch myself off the table, through the big dark window. Glass shatters all around me, the tinkling sound ringing in my ears as it all falls away. My feet land gracefully onto the ground, and I’m grateful for little wonders. Because one misstep could make this all for naught.
I stand up, trying to ignore the burning sensation that spreads through my skin. I don’t even bother to look, knowing there’s no time. I race toward the city of Ti’lith, my only hope at the end of the tunnel. The light from the city seems to call out for me, reassuring me of the promise of refuge.
I try to focus on that and that alone, even though I can feel warm liquid running in pathways across my traumatized skin. I’m bleeding. How badly, I can not tell. It feels bad, but right now, everything feels bad.
My lungs burn as I stride ahead, barely able to take in any oxygen. I’m moving faster than the rest of me can keep up, and the air up here is already thinner than it is at home on Protheka. I’m not used to it, and my body is certainly not equipped for the marathon that it has found itself in.
Still, there is no choice. Silently, I say a disjointed prayer to the Mother, asking for her help. There’s no one else to save me now.
Volikan will be okay, when he eventually comes to. Drir’gen is after me, not him. He only knocked Volikan out to get him out of the way, but he has no real intent to harm him. Volikan was simply an obstacle, preventing him from getting to me.
But if they catch me, I won’t be. Drir’gen’s threats were proof enough of that. He won’t leave anything left behind except the scraps even he has no use for.
I’m finally far enough away that the commotion of the demons chasing me has ceased, even Drir’gen’s angry, booming yelling. The gate is coming closer, and I’m nearly there. For the first time, hope starts to bloom within me, believing that I might make it.
And then I see the gates beginning to swing shut. Night is falling, and Ti’lith is closing. It’s a tradition every night, more to keep wild animals out than anything.
Except this time, it’s going to keep me out. I dig deep, drawing power from some invisible place I didn’t know I had within me. With one last, final push, I increase my pace, sneaking through just as the gate swings shut. My skirt catches in the latch behind me, illustrating just how close I truly came.
I bend over, resting my hands on my knees while I catch my breath. When I recover enough to at least keep moving, I summon the strength to tug on my dress. It refuses to give, at first, and I consider just giving up. I could lay here, on the ground, until morning. Until someone finds me.
But then I realize that would be a mistake. I’d probably freeze out here if I didn’t bleed to death first. I need help and medical attention. So, I tighten my grip on the fabric, ignoring the searing pain that comes from the multiple cuts across my palm, and pull until it finally tears free.
With my dress now in tatters, I look around at my surroundings. What now? I try to decide. The city is still, everyone presumably already tucked safely into their homes for the night.
Limping along, I search the streets for anything familiar. I can’t just enter any house at random, as I may find myself walking into a situation as dangerous as the one that I just left. Demons aren’t known for their kindness to humans, after all. Drir’gen is not the exception to the rule, Volikan is.
Where do I find a demon who is capable of empathy for a human? Does such a thing exist? I wonder. I decide that it must. If Volikan could find it within himself, surely someone else can as well.
But how do I know who to trust? I study the long, unending street, at a loss. Then I begin to say another prayer to The Mother, asking for her guidance.
A light clicks on, illuminating a tall manor just ahead. I limp forward, heartened by the sign. Painfully making my way up the steps, I nearly wince at the loud echo of my own knock on the door.
I try to push down the fear of whatever waits for me on the other side. There’s nothing to be scared of, I tell myself. Surely The Mother wouldn’t steer me wrong.
114
VOLIKAN
I wake up with a start, my mind already turning. I remember exactly what happened, and where I left off before I was cold cocked out of consciousness. He didn’t hit me hard enough to knock that out of my brain.
I stand up slowly, my arms in a defensive posture. “You bastard,” I mutter, looking around. I’m prepared to fight, in case Drir’gen is still here. Spinning around the kitchen, I realize that I am alone.
Right away, I note how silent the house is. There’s no noise to alert me to her whereabouts, or Drir’gen’s. It fills me with a sense of foreboding. I suppose it’s better than waking to her screams, but barely. Somehow, this feels scarier – I don’t know what’s happened.
I walk out of the kitchen into the sitting room. No one is there, either. I wonder how long I have been out. Glancing out the window, I can see that it is now dark.
