with tails as thick as her forearm. They wore leather chaps but no shoes, leather vests and some kind of strange hat that appeared to have tinted glasses attached to it. Their paws were more like hands though the feet still resembled those of a mouse. Each one carried a weapon.
Turning back to their captive, one of the creatures gripped her arm and began escorting Eve towards the now open gates.
“We have decided to allow you entrance, but do not mistake this for weakness girl; we merely want to hear more about how you came to be at our borders and why you and your witch truly want within our realm.”
The cat o nine tails came down on Chashocs’ blooded flesh for the sixteenth lash. Knowing that screaming would not lessen the pain, he did his best to stay silent, however, this seemed to enrage his master more.
“You disobeyed me, how dare you!” The creature bellowed. Taking several more swings with its chosen weapon. Chashoc finally let out a piercing scream and slumped forward hanging by the shackles at his wrists, his back slashed to a bloody mess.
Leaving the dungeon, the creature slunk along darkened corridors, the slaves visibly shook and cowered as their master swept past. Reaching the throne room, it moved to the great tome open on the reading stand, flicking through the vellum pages made from the skin of the ancient, dammed and enslaved and bound together with their blood and hair; the book was truly a thing constructed of pure evil. Finding the page, it wanted, the creature chuckled.
“Yes, this will be most enjoyable, most enjoyable…for me!” The creature’s manic laughter echoed through the castle.
The creature began constructing its new plan for the two companions. It worked tirelessly the only sounds were its murmurs, and the screams and desolate moans from the pits drifting up through the open windows. Finally, it was ready.
“Grimmer!” Yelled the creature. A huge beast appeared before its master kneeling in respect. Grimmer was more humanoid in form but horribly disfigured, large scars covered his entire body, giving him the appearance of a melted wax candle. The creature approached its minion. Holding out a vial to Grimmer, it commanded.
“Make sure this is consumed by the elf and that witch. Once they have ingested it, return to me, and unless you wish to meet the same fate as Chashoc, I suggest you do only as I command.”
Grimmer stowed the vial in his belt pouch and bowed to his master.
“It shall be as you order.” Taking his leave, Grimmer left for the portal chamber, a malicious grin transforming his scared countenance into something from a nightmare.
Chapter Six
The owl riders escorted Eve rather roughly through the open gates, what she saw was so beautiful she was convinced it must be a dream. All she could see were treetops, the leaves turning the shades of autumn. From gold-green, that matched her eyes, to warm coppers and rich reds. From her vantage point, Eve thought the autumnal tree tops looked like a rippling sea of fire. Her eyes travelling away from the swaying treetops to the horizon, to where purple mountains, their mauve faces warmed by the morning sun; stood like sentinels. The sky was clear so she was able to see the snowy caps that would certainly vanish on a cloudy day.
Dragging her eyes away from possibly the most beautiful vista she had ever had the pleasure to see, Eve began to study her position. She was standing on a gangway that was six feet wide and ran for as far as Eve could see. At regular intervals along the gangway there were large gaps in the barrier, looking over the edge Eve noted that the gaps were just that, holes in the fence. If anyone were to fall, they would crash through the canopy of fiery leaves and surely meet their end on the forest floor. Gulping she turned to her captors and asked.
“How do we get down?”
Snickering, the leader of the group, who looked at her like she was crazy. “Down…Why would we want to go
Turning back to their captive, one of the creatures gripped her arm and began escorting Eve towards the now open gates.
“We have decided to allow you entrance, but do not mistake this for weakness girl; we merely want to hear more about how you came to be at our borders and why you and your witch truly want within our realm.”
The cat o nine tails came down on Chashocs’ blooded flesh for the sixteenth lash. Knowing that screaming would not lessen the pain, he did his best to stay silent, however, this seemed to enrage his master more.
“You disobeyed me, how dare you!” The creature bellowed. Taking several more swings with its chosen weapon. Chashoc finally let out a piercing scream and slumped forward hanging by the shackles at his wrists, his back slashed to a bloody mess.
Leaving the dungeon, the creature slunk along darkened corridors, the slaves visibly shook and cowered as their master swept past. Reaching the throne room, it moved to the great tome open on the reading stand, flicking through the vellum pages made from the skin of the ancient, dammed and enslaved and bound together with their blood and hair; the book was truly a thing constructed of pure evil. Finding the page, it wanted, the creature chuckled.
“Yes, this will be most enjoyable, most enjoyable…for me!” The creature’s manic laughter echoed through the castle.
The creature began constructing its new plan for the two companions. It worked tirelessly the only sounds were its murmurs, and the screams and desolate moans from the pits drifting up through the open windows. Finally, it was ready.
“Grimmer!” Yelled the creature. A huge beast appeared before its master kneeling in respect. Grimmer was more humanoid in form but horribly disfigured, large scars covered his entire body, giving him the appearance of a melted wax candle. The creature approached its minion. Holding out a vial to Grimmer, it commanded.
“Make sure this is consumed by the elf and that witch. Once they have ingested it, return to me, and unless you wish to meet the same fate as Chashoc, I suggest you do only as I command.”
Grimmer stowed the vial in his belt pouch and bowed to his master.
“It shall be as you order.” Taking his leave, Grimmer left for the portal chamber, a malicious grin transforming his scared countenance into something from a nightmare.
Chapter Six
The owl riders escorted Eve rather roughly through the open gates, what she saw was so beautiful she was convinced it must be a dream. All she could see were treetops, the leaves turning the shades of autumn. From gold-green, that matched her eyes, to warm coppers and rich reds. From her vantage point, Eve thought the autumnal tree tops looked like a rippling sea of fire. Her eyes travelling away from the swaying treetops to the horizon, to where purple mountains, their mauve faces warmed by the morning sun; stood like sentinels. The sky was clear so she was able to see the snowy caps that would certainly vanish on a cloudy day.
Dragging her eyes away from possibly the most beautiful vista she had ever had the pleasure to see, Eve began to study her position. She was standing on a gangway that was six feet wide and ran for as far as Eve could see. At regular intervals along the gangway there were large gaps in the barrier, looking over the edge Eve noted that the gaps were just that, holes in the fence. If anyone were to fall, they would crash through the canopy of fiery leaves and surely meet their end on the forest floor. Gulping she turned to her captors and asked.
“How do we get down?”
Snickering, the leader of the group, who looked at her like she was crazy. “Down…Why would we want to go
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