Varga
They could not kill me. No matter how hard they had tried. My pact with the gods kept death from taking me. Once they realised that their efforts were futile, I held that power over them and they bent to my will.
The morning air was crisp, but the cold did not penetrate me. I glanced at the horizon above the village. The faint glow from the sun had begun to break through the darkness.
“Borin,” I murmured.
He entered the balcony. His feet stopped behind me.
“Is it free?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Feed it in the dining room.”
I glanced at the skulls beyond my castle. It took time for the flesh to decay, and it took effort to polish them before they were attached to a spike. The new sacrifice would eventually end up in my collection. One more year done away with.
“Yes, Master.”
My only purpose was to make them suffer. I may have forgotten why, but they always proved that they were deserving of the fear that I instilled within them.
“Tell the cook to give it nourishing food.”
“Borin give it three foods, Master,” he said with excitement.
I turned to look at him, but he was already gone.
When I entered my bedchamber, I saw the clothes he had laid out for me.
It was not unusual for him to do so, but it was a finer tunic and matching dark brown breeches.
Above the bed my sword and axe hung there.
Their names were etched into the wooden plaque.
The world of violence was wrapped in those weapons.
A reminder that I once fought on behalf of my province before they turned on me. I slid one finger along the length of my claw until I reached the razor-sharp tip.
The sacrifice might not know why I was keeping it alive, but it would all end the same.
The begging.
The tears.
And then the screams.
It was rude to toy with food, but I was the monster of Talaksia.
? ? ?
It was not acting afraid. After breaking her fast, it wandered around the large room. It was wrapped up in a blanket, but the dark-haired pleat fell over it. Some of the flowers had fallen off but still clung to the strands. With each movement the sound of the chains followed her.
There was no escape from my castle, but they were a reminder of her status.
“Master,” Borin whispered.
I swiftly stepped back from the doorway.
“What is it?” I snapped at him once I was further away from the dining room.
“Borin feed it. Does Master want Borin to watch it?”
I considered his words. It was acting strangely.
“Yes, keep an eye on it and report back to me,” I said before I turned to leave.
“Good Borin for you, Master,” he mumbled.
Even as I walked away, I knew something was wrong.
On my route to my apothecary, I changed my mind and turned south—to the locked room. It had been years since I had stood here. I placed my hand on the thick wooden door, pressing my palm on it until my breathing became laboured.
Something terrible was behind this door.
So terrible that I never went beyond it.
I closed my eyes and remembered fragments of the night I went out with my sword and axe. It took years for the villagers to return. Not only the main village but the surrounding ones too. I never set foot inside this room again.
My claws scraped along the wood as I removed my hand. From beneath my sternum pain bloomed and I swivelled around, leaving it hidden and locked away from sight.
But it didn’t stop the tear from running down to my thick beard.
It didn’t stop the tremor in my hands.
It didn’t stop the bloodlust that reminded me of the sacrifice’s fate.
? ? ?
“I can hear you, Borin,” I said without turning from my work.
He shuffled closer.
“The girl is strange, Master,” he whispered secretively.
I glanced away from the book.
“Oh?”
“She walked too fast around the castle,” he complained. “Then she went into kitchen to help cook.”
“In her chains?”
“Yes, Master,” he nodded before running a hand over his head. “She patted my head. Borin liked it?”
Why was she touching Borin and why did he like it?
“Hm. Mayhap, I will dine with her this eve.”
Yes, that would remind her not to take liberties in my castle.
Borin’s one visible eye widened.
“Oh yes, Master. Then you drain her?”
“Not yet,” I said, glancing at the clock. “Let her eat and I might have a taste.”
He backed away into the shadows.
“Master happy with Borin.”
All humans found Borin repugnant, yet this female was brave enough to communicate and touch him.
I stroked my beard.
What did she want?