CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Ariel pov(at the demon prison)
There were six pairs of eyes flickering brightly like burning torches in a dark room. Only, this wasn't a room but a place for demons and prisoners alike.
Nothing prepared me for this.
Each pair of eyes had a tale, drawing me closer. I could feel it as they approached. I could watch myself in each one of them on a furnace, burning, screaming.
It didn't help that I enjoyed the sensation I felt, their eyes consuming me in a dark and twisted way.
I wanted more than just power. I wanted to dwell.
I heard soft whispers in my ears not in a language I understood, but in a way that stirred something deep within me.
The whispers turned into a voice smooth and deep, coated with power:
K::l the\:m
Mvke a n\:me
T\:ke power
The words held no meaning, but strangely I felt accustomed to the tongue like I had known it forever, but never realized I did.
Though meaningless, it held power power my body longed for and that scared me.
When I didn't make a move to act, the whispers slowly faded away, leaving me stuck in the sands.
***
The atmosphere was chilly. I rubbed my hands together to keep warm. The sand still held me in place, and it was increasingly difficult to stretch my body.
The voices never returned again, but deep down, I knew they would be back. And this time, I didn't know if I could resist the temptations.
I sighed hitting the smooth sands with my hands in frustration. I was tired of being a damsal in distress surely this couldn't be the end for me. I had endured the worst circumstances just to die here lonely, forgotten, and weak. I squeezed my palm, willing the source I once had to surface.
Seconds flew.
Minutes grew.
But everything remained the same.
Was this because I had rejected the voices' offer?
I couldn't understand why I couldn't wield my power, even when I was its owner.
The wind blew aggressively, making me rub my arms as I blew cold air from my lips. This place was getting really cold. I might even freeze to death.
I hugged myself tighter to dispel the cold. Hidden beneath the shadows, I heard stomps of feet on the sand.
"Help! Help me!" I screamed aloud, not minding if they were demons or not.
At least I was one step ahead—away from this sinking sand.
"Help!"
"Help!"
I yelled at the top of my lungs, my throat aching from the screams.
"I smell it," one of the demons argued, getting closer to where I was stuck. Its monstrous voice rang loudly in my ears.
I bit back the urge to scream. For the first time since I got to this forsaken pack, I felt hopeless.
"It's a were-demon," the one sniffing me said, raising its nose to look at the others.
I stilled my breathing. Whatever this creature was, I surely didn't want to be eaten by it.
"Were-demons?" one of the demon voices scoffed. "Never heard of such a kind."
"Legend says they exist, but they are rare a special breed of werewolf blood mixed with demons."
"We should take it home," another argued. "It's far from its kind."
Were they contemplating my fate in front of me?
The other demon left my side to go meet the others as they argued back and forth about who was going to take me home.
I raised my hands, struggling to get out of the sands, but each time I tried, I remained stuck the sand keeping me in place.
Realizing the demons couldn't see me was something that upped my chances of survival.
Once more, I pulled myself with as much strength as I could muster—but I was still stuck.
"Uck!" I groaned in frustration. The demons' attention turned quickly toward my direction.
"It talks too."
They approached.
A cold sweat broke out on my brow. They looked much more terrifying up close with large arms, bulging eyes, and scrawny wings.
I breathed in awe.
Its body was doubling, getting larger by the minute as it towered over me like some massive building.
Now I wished they had their sight. I wouldn't look much of a threat now.
It growled loudly at me. I closed my ears, their voices bleeding my eardrums.
I admit it now.
I am scared.
Waves of fear shot through my spine. I could only look at the sizes of these demons and gasp.
"Annie!!!" I screamed as loud as I could as one scooped me up from the sands with just its finger, my legs dangling mid-air.
If this was one of the rules of disobedience from Ragal, I better start learning.
"Drop me down!" I hit the monster's hand repeatedly. It didn't even flinch as it held me in place.
"It's too scrawny," it said to its companions. "I bet only I would eat it, and it wouldn't get me anywhere," it growled.
"Trynn, drop that demon! You can't eat it!" one of the three said. It was much more terrifying than the others, with its head pierced with a gleaming diamond on its forehead.
"Why? Does it not look edible?" Its bulging eyes gave me a piercing stare though not directly at me.
Its eyes were hideous, and it took everything in me to act complacent and brave.
I looked fiercely at the demon with my arms crossed. I wouldn't let it know that I feared it.
Its whole body was hairy and had abs like a human's—but it was strange. There was also a diamond on its forehead, but it didn't gleam like the others. It was pure dark.
"I hate werewolves. But we can't eat this one, Trynn," the leader continued. "She's a demon, like us."
"A half-demon," Trynn corrected.
"It's trapped, just like us. Trynn, can't you smell its struggle? It's no threat to us—but Ragal is!"
It screamed, calling out to its people.
"Trynn, we scared it. And if you keep holding it like that, the body will not hold for long."
"I still want to kill it."