Latifa was collecting the dishes, the long table showing no real purpose but to be in the way. Latifa was humming softly and picked up my empty glass and the small soup bowl that had held the beef stew. It was surprisingly good. Along with being a nurse, Latifa was a chef. When I first said how good it was and was shocked when she said she made it; she only said it was simple and nothing to be impressed about. But I would admit, the taste was ravishing! I can't figure out how she made it so good. The spices were beautifully mixed, neither too strong or weak. It was just...perfect.
"I am going to go wash the dishes. I will be leaving Sorscha with you." Latifa said, gathering the utensils. They chimed against each other like wind chimes as I watched her in silence for a moment.
"I still don't know who Sorscha is.." I said slowly. She paused and looked at me.
"You don't—oh!! That's right!" Latifa's cheeks turned pink as she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I totally forgot. I'll call for her." She looked around the room slowly before staring at a shadow in the corner of the ceiling.
I watched the darkness, nothing. I started to turn back to her but I noticed a ripple. Snapping my eyes back to the darkness, I caught the glint of eyes. The figure at first seemed to be feline, but its head was skinless. White bone stared at me as its green eyes shined from beneath. Almost like a mask. Its white fur still blended perfectly into the skull, and if I paid attention, I could see its mouth was how it should be. A long tongue slid over its long teeth and its cat-like ears that poked out from the partially exposed skull twitched. As if half its head wasn't skinless, but a full flesh covered body part.
I watched its long claws extended from its almost hand-like paws, its shoulders shifting as it moved fluidly down from the ceiling. But its body was long. As it slithered from the shadows I stared at the snake's body. There were no back legs, just a long slick body covered in short white fur. The only other colored fur was near the head in a form of a black mohawk that slid along its spine a few feet; stopping about mid-way on a normal cat's back.
It slid down and landed with next to no sound, its eyes watching me as it waited.
"Kasey, this is Sorscha, she is my familiar. She's what you mortals call a Tatzelwurm." Latifa walked over to the beast that's head was half the size of Latifa. Its paws are bigger than the width of my chest. It was huge!
"How.....did...." I looked back at the small shadowy corner it came from in complete shock and confusion.
"Oh, she can change sizes." I looked back at Latifa as Sorscha suddenly became smaller, shrinking to the size of a scarf. Its smooth body slid around her shoulders and I couldn't help but think of the snake keepers at a zoo. "She won't hurt you, I promise. She is far gentler than Kedar." Latifa smiled at me and scratched Sorscha behind the ear with a finger, a soft purring sounded from the beast.
"Alright..." I said slowly. Sorscha slid from Latifas shoulders and flew to the table, sitting on it and curling her tail around her. She watched me with curiosity, her ears perking up as Latifa went back to gathering the dishes. Sorscha and I stared at each other in silence. As Latifa left the room, Sorscha finally moved, laying down. Her head resting on her paws as her body curled around her again.
I watched Sorscha warily before looking around the huge room again. It looked as if it would be in an old antique painting or in a picture in a museum. It had a giant chandelier that dangled above the long dark wooded table. I counted the number of chairs, twenty-two. Ten on either side and one at each end. But unlike the normal chair, I sat in, the one on the other end was more of a throne. A very ugly and old-looking throne. At least this told me I should never let Samael be an interior designer.
"I take it you don't like it here?" I looked behind me surprised. "I can take you home. I can set you free.."
Sorscha hissed, jumping between me and the figure cloaked in darkness. Her size growing to be as tall as I was, her eyes glowing as she hissed at the intruder.
"What do you say, Kasey Jinkens?"
"Who are you?"
"Does it matter who I am? I can take you away from here. You won't have to fear or suffer anymore...I can take you home, Kasey.."
"Who. Are. You?"
"Kaseyyy.....I don't have much time here.. Do you want to stay here? Wait for another monster to kill you?"
I glanced down at the sore and pained leg, its agony making me want to collapse. I looked back at the cloaked figure, "Why should I trust you?"
"Why should you trust Samael either? He said he would protect you...But he locked you into a room, and you were nearly killed. Am I wrong?"
"How...How do you know all of that? How do you know my name?"
"I know because you are in danger. I can help you. I can make all the suffering stop, I can make it all end." The figure slowly moved from the shadows, but it didn't matter. His whole body was made of slithering shadows, his eyes slim and white. His teeth reminded me of the Hollywood vampires, and his grin only complimented the look. Sorscha lunged for him, her jaws yawning open. In a blur of motion, Sorscha went tumbling into the wall, a yowl-like noise coming from her as she collapsed. I looked back at the figure, fear gripping me again. Its familiar claws clinging onto my skin as I froze. He had one hand reaching for me, waiting for me to take it. "What do you say?"
I stared at his hand, the shadows whispering and slithering over his arm. I looked back to his gaze and glanced back at Sorscha. "Who are you?"
His frown apeared for only a few seconds before disappearing again. "If you come with me, I will tell you. The walls have eyes and ears here. Neither of us are safe."
"How do I know you're not just trying to kill me?"
"Wouldn't you already be dead if I wanted to kill you? Clearly...I have been watching from a distance.. If I wanted you dead, I would have stalled Samael from saving you from that thing instead of alarming him."
I hesitated, "you warned him?"
"Somewhat...Kasey, if we don't leave now, I cannot take you with me.."
"How do I know you're any–"
"Kasey! We are running out of time–"
The door opened and I turned to look at Latifa, she was drying her hands with a cloth, her humming filling the sudden silence. She looked up and froze when she saw Sorscha laying limply on the ground. Her eyes flicked to me, then to the figure, her eyes widening from shock.
"Kasey...Make your choice.." He hissed, his gaze watching Latifa as she got into a battle position, a white aura lighting up around her. I slowly looked back at him, my curiousity pushing me towards his waiting hand.
"Kasey! Get away from him!" Latifa shouted, her footsteps sounding as she ran toward us. I slowly raised my hand, looking back at Latifa as the distance between us closed.
"I'm sorry...But I want to know." His hand was icy but soft, the shadows licking over my hand as they slithered up my arm. And then, I was swallowed by the shadows. I was slowly pulled through a tunnel, the black shadowed man, becoming clearer as we moved. His hand was slowly becoming warmer as the shadows slid into the tunnel walls. I limped along, my leg screaming at me in pain, I hissed through my teeth as my leg started to give up. "Stop..Stop.."
He slowly came to a stop, his bright blue eyes meeting mine as I panted through the pain. He had a strong jaw and a sharp gaze. He looked down at my leg, my hand covering the blood the started to soak through. His eyes softened, "how bad is it...?"
"Shouldn't you know since you have been watching me?" I asked bitterly as I put all my weight on my good leg.
He met my gaze again, "I risked letting them know my presence if I got that close."
"Why are you scared of them?"
He went to my side and slid my arm around his shoulders, his other hand slipping around my waist as he helped me walk. "Because he is able to destroy things...he's the Angel of Death."
My heart froze, a chill sinking into my bones as I felt the blood flush from my face, "Angel....of...Death...?"
The blue eyes met mine, "why do you think a demon lord would be following you around all your life? His mission was simple: kill the girl at eighteen." I refused to move as the information settled in.
"Wh...what....?"
He sighed and slid his arm under my legs, hoisting me up princess style. "Let me make it simple for you, princess. Samael was sent to kill you."
The clothes I had changed into after my bath back at the mansion couldn't fight off the chilly tunnel wasn't just from itself. The jeans and t-shirt were unable to help as my body felt flushed and drained as I stared at nothing wide-eyed and shocked. The blue-eyed person carried me with ease, no hesitation and no falters. "Why....?" My voice was off pitch and shaking as if I was having my own personal earthquake. "To be honest, I am not to sure why Lucifer wants you. Unless that was a nasty trick from Belial. Or maybe from Samael himself. That's what I am hoping to find out." The tunnel started to get brighter. The soft light made the black shadowy walls look like a deep gray. The gloomy atmosphere reflecting my own storm inside. "Where are we going...?" "Oh, now you ask that, eh?" I grimaced and looked down the tunnel. "...We are going to my place. Well, technically just a cave I
Something was wrong. Something was very very wrong. Heat burned its own path. My screams were unheard and unknown. The numbing cold suddenly melting as a fire raked sharp claws across my body. Glowing tendrils of pink seared their way over me, the colors changing and shifting as I thrashed to escape. The smell of smoke made me cough and gag, my lungs burning as I gasped for air. And then, it was darkness. The hissing fire slowing, dying. The heat becoming nothing more than a soft warmth. The colors dissipating, whisking away as darkness reclaimed its position over me. The throbbing pain subsided as things went back to black. The shadows slipping their arms around me as they pulled me into a sea of sorrow and guilt, then nothing at all. No emotions, no feelings, no pain. My existence became nothing. And that is what I preferred. Clinking. The sound of metal hi
The training room was far bigger than I had anticipated. And its location was just as surprising. The stone steps that were hidden behind a secret door had been worn down, clearly well used. They curved slightly before pulling their curtains of stones to the sides to show off the room. It was at least the size of 10 football fields and about as tall as the empire state building. "No wonder...those were....such long...stairs.." I panted softly. Apophis glanced at me, a grin spreading. He hadn't even broken a sweat. "Think of it as a warm-up." He turned to look at me and walked backward until there were about ten meters between us. "First up, combat. Do you know how to punch?" I stared at him, "yes.." I forced myself to remember the first person I had ever punched. It was at least three years ago, the girl's name was...Emily..? Yeah...That's it. She kept trying to claim my work as her own, telling me that it
The training room was hot and I darted behind a large rock from the terrain. The fact that Apophis could change the terrain was hard to wrap my head around by itself, but of course, he always tops it off with a cherry. The ground shook slightly and I heard Apophis yell from far away, "The ground is lava~!" "Bastard....!!" I scramble up the rock, clawing the rocky surface as the once dirt-covered floor, became a bubbling monster of red and orange. I stared at the hot element as it glowed with angry wrath. "There you are~!" Apophis called sweetly, my eyes locking onto his stature. His grin showed his snake fangs as his pupils became slits. "It's been 15 seconds..! Stop with the lava!" I hissed at him as his walk grew closer. The lava parting like the red sea for him. "Alright, alright." The lava seeped into the ground, my glare the only fire. "You promised to..t
Apophis had led me to a bathroom, one that was made for a king. As I looked around at the wide space I couldn't help but gape. The whole room was black marble with gold decorations. The gold tub was bigger than a hot tub, maybe the size of a pool. The water was already warm and up to the brim of the tub. The more I thought about it the more sense it made. He is an Egyptian god.. I walked around the room, looking at the hieroglyphics that were embedded in the marble with a thin gold band on the top and the bottom. The thin bands stayed parallel, trapping each image between them. The stunning gold shimmered in the fire light, drawing me closer as I watched, perplexed and amazed. The curves and grooves of each picture had an inlay of gold, the flickering of fire making it look alive; as if the birds and squiggles were dancing. I let my fingertips slide across the smooth engraved gold as I walked around the room. The four columns in the corners o
The bath was soothing against the subsiding sting on Apophis's cheek. His mind twisted around as he soaked. He sighed heavily and slowly rose from the water, his steps slow and considerate as he grabbed the royal blue towel, quickly drying himself off with ease. Apophis started to dress, pulling his pants up and buttoning them when he felt the sudden wave of power. He paused, shocked; the power shaking the ground as it pulsed. "Kasey...." His eyes locked onto the door and he darted to it, throwing it open as he looked around the room, "Kasey?!" He looked at the stairs to the underground room. His movements were swift as he ran down the steps, his footfalls echoing with the pulses of powers. He darted into the room and stopped, the fire before him swirling and hissing in anger. He narrowed his eyes and let his flames from within burst around him, green tendrils fighting against the fiery hot pink that struck out at him. He slowly walked into t
(Kasey's POV) My mind eased into the soothing blackness that seemed to be the best cure for the painful memories. The gravestone mocking me as it faded back into the deepest pit I dug for it. Burying it as deep as possible. Deeper than the coffin that I watched float down into the mud and dirt. Deeper than the grief and anger. Deeper than the impossibility of forgiveness. "Kasey..." I turned my head, the figure floating beside me sending me waves of grief. The fire sparked to life again. I sobbed, my hand reaching for the familiar figure that watched me with a soft look. "I'm so..s..so sorry..." The broad arms encircled me, the soothing voice sliding into my mind. "I know..I know.." The tears fell down my cheeks like raindrops from a cloud. The gentle hug holding me tightened. "Dad—" "But it's s
The trek back to the room that was designed for me was like falling through a hole that had no bottom and just grew darker and darker. The coldness swept through my numb shell. Vetis's hands were still guiding me through the halls. I slowly let my gaze flick up to this demon's face, as human as he seemed, there was still something that was unworldly. His electric eyes met mine for a moment and I instantly let the ground catch my interest. His hand was on my back, slowly pushing me to the door that seemed all too friendly. Vetis chuckled and grabbed the handle of the friendly door. And with a quick flick of his wrist, he threw the door open. He gave me a gentle push, my numbed body inching into the room. I stopped at the center of the room and just stared at the ground. The click of the door behind me almost made my calm demeanor shatter into the real chaos that was haunting my head. His footsteps towards me sent cracks into the coolness of my very being.&