DAHLIA:
With a sudden golden movement, a dragon arched its great back. Instinctively, I hid behind a tree, avoiding any contact with its eyes. I didn’t know it was a dragon, a big one on top of it. In fact, I never dreamt such creatures existed. Until now, I believed only humans existed… Everything started with a letter, which I still had in my pocket; a note left by someone I never saw and nobody realized he left something for me.
I pressed my hands against my mouth and nose, strangling any sound that may come out; I didn’t want to die, I cherished my life like a treasure and didn’t want to lose it. I confronted my sister Dina because I didn’t want to die. I didn’t have a choice. I know I did something cruel but I didn’t want to die. I didn’t have any choice…
The dragon raised its head and sprang into the sky, wings wide with an unbelievable speed. I curled into a ball, wishing I could be smaller. It was night but I still closed my eyes. Maybe if I don’t peek at all, it won’t notice me. Its red eyes filled me with dread.
I didn’t know if I should surrender to the fear in me or the urge of curiosity that engulfed my half; The dragon was so beautiful, with its black scales and red eyes. Yet, I was still scared. The price to quench my curiosity was no other than death.
When I was a child, my sister Dina used to tell me stories, right before bed. I was fascinated by the creatures she described and the sceneries she elated. For me, they were imaginative stories and I admired her brain for coming up with them. Nonetheless, I never expected them to be real. As I felt the dragon soaring the sky, I opened my eyes gazing at the moon. I was cold; cold with more than the chill of the everlastingly clammy stone walls I used to run between; cold with the prescience of a danger I experience, whispering with terror.
What should I do?
Growing up listening to her stories, I came to believe the world was much more interesting than the walls I used to stay in. however, I never expected my fear of the unknown to come and plug my heart, standing like a tall mountain in my path. I curled into a tight knot of bones after spreading my legs unconsciously from relief, hugging myself ta ease the strain across y tense shoulders. Then, I forced my body to relax, muscle by muscle, joint by joint.
“I will be fine. I am alone but not lonely. I won’t die today. I gained another day.”
I got what I sought for, but at what price? I sacrificed a young boy I found in the woods to take my place. I dreamt of roaming free but I didn’t want to leave the village this way. I didn’t have a choice; If I stayed I would die. My choice made me a villain. I clenched my fists and squinted my eyes. There wasn’t enough light to see anything. I walked a little following the hint of a lantern; it was moving slowly but moving. My heart almost pounced from its place realizing I could finally talk to a human again. It has been a week since I left and my tongue didn’t address a word to anyone. I ran towards it but stopped midway; I held my breath; turned away facing it with my back; and waited for the Lantern Loitering to leave. I breathed a sigh of relief when it got further away from me.
Lantern Loiterings are bad spirits born from regrets; if you faced it, it would swallow your soul turning it into fireflies imprisoned in its lantern. You can’t mess with the dead. I climbed a tall tree and made myself comfortable on a branch. I missed my bed, next to my sister.
A drop of rain startled me; I wasn’t ready for it. My gaze jumped from my hands to the sky; I was fixing the letter intently and now in my pocket. Rain meant water. Water meant I wouldn’t be drinking dirty liquids for a day. I would be healthy and my stomach wouldn’t hurt again. I shuddered from the cold but I didn’t mind for I had clear water again. I jumped down searching for any container, anything to store water. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any but I sat down under the tree and stuck my tongue out, getting as much water as I could, with my hands spread wide.
I gulped down mistakenly swallowing a fly and I didn’t mind, flies could be nourishing for my poor body. After clearing my throat, I noticed small dots in the sky, moving quickly. I was certain it was a fight, with the clashing sounds and the thunderous weather. I got used to it, to everything; lying down on the lush grass and sleeping on thick branches. It was wildlife. Yet, it was the first time I saw two beings fighting in the air. From the silhouettes, one of them was the dragon I met earlier, the other one was different. While the dragon I saw earlier breathed fire, the other one sent lightning.
Each time my sister Dina described a story, it felt like she wanted to tell me things. From her words, I learnt about the outside world. She said humans had it tough outside. Slavery was a normal occurrence and life were cheaper than bread. When nobles needed money sometimes, they would light up flames to huts and rob lands taking everyone weaker than them and killing anyone with the potential to become stronger. I didn’t like those parts and worse, she described everything as if she lived them. She said the world was divided between stronger races, while humans were at the bottom, with land that became smaller with each passing day.
There was a war that sent everyone to their demise. It was over a stone capable of realizing your wildest desires; the gem was stolen by someone believed from the human race, as they didn’t have enough power to protect themselves. It was believed humans had to scheme to have land; the land is known as Dotoria, which no one could take from them.
Now, the gem wasn’t found anywhere and all races were searching for it.
I watched their fight with keen interest as it developed into chaos; the woods caught flames and thunder struck near the place I was in. I was forced to take shelter under a giant tree, I saw a Lingering strolling with a spooky noise. A chill ran down my spine as I focused on holding my breath when it walked closer. I wasn’t stupid enough to hold my breath while it was away. I waited until it came closer to me. Lingering were different from Lantern Loitering, they were spirits that stuck to the living absorbing their life forces.
I was so absorbed in my task that I couldn’t see the lightning coming at me. I lost consciousness in the midst of all this and ended up on the ground.
I woke up feeling pleasant energy penetrating my body, it made me numb, the sensation of burning I had before dissipated I tried to stretch my fingers but I couldn’t; I was too heavy to move a muscle.
“Look! She moved a finger and blinked,” an unknown voice said.
“Just do your work properly. With her burnt skin, I don’t think she can be sold as a sex slave.”
“Too bad! The remaining features of her face would have said she was a beauty… How much can she bring us?”
“I have my own plans for her. There is a mad scientist I know who would be interested in her. She is a fine lab rat.”
“But will you still put her in the auction house?”
“You know how those nobles can be crazy sometimes. Maybe she could catch someone’s eyes.”
I looked around me and saw the Lingering I tried to escape from; it was sharing my shadow, eying me with contempt. It was grey with empty eyes and a shady look, in the form of a small girl seeking something in me, sniffing the air each time a hand examined me. I felt scared, since when it was watching me. My sister Dina said it wasn’t good to have a Lingering on your shoulder, that they brought misfortunes. I closed my eyes again, too heavy and tired.
The despondent shape of my sister’s back appeared in my mind. She is a hero. A sad, weak and unlucky hero. She was trapped in that village, unwilling to leave it. I suggested to her to follow me several times… for us to see the world and learn its secrets. The dark gaze she directed at me and the sad words she told me made me hesitant. “Fate played us as jokes. I don’t want you to understand this place is better than the outside… At least for you, it is. This place must be your peace. Don’t go out and ruin what someone fought hard for.”
Yet, I escaped from that place I called coffin and regretted it, but the fear of dying made me reluctant to return. The ritual wasn’t meant to be an excuse for me to go outside, but I made it possible. I fought for freedom I craved for years and now, with these faces gauging my worth, I truly wished I was in that place, I promised I wouldn’t call it to coffin again but a home. It had to be an excuse for the ritual and the letter, it had to and I would fight for the way back home.
DAHLIA: I was in a cage. We were in a cage, like birds in captivity, meant to be sold. The cage I was in had sturdy wheels in the middle of an army of barbaric men, using giant axes as weapons. They were drinking and laughing as if slaves were the most normal thing in the world. Furthermore, I was horrible. I was like a lamp of burnt meat. My sister Dina used to tell me about the atrocities of the world: to remove any thought of escaping and she was right. I used to dream about the outside world and lie to make her at ease. I lied to everyone and kept my thoughts to myself. The night… Another sleepless night with the noises of females screaming… and there was another noise, a different one. It was a very distinct sound; a noise no one paid attention to… The slave trader was a man with a long beard. From all the men sitting here, he was the only one with a pipe and slightly noble demeanour; he pulled slaves from another group and put them around him.
DINA: Whatever personal misgivings we may have had, she didn’t have to escape. Like it or not, I had to accept she wasn’t here anymore. I was worried; she didn’t know anything about the outside world. We were at the bottom of the sea, surrounded by many traps and protections. And until the place she was in was known, travelled to, and safely arrived at, she was fully at the mercy of the unusual world. “This is all your fault!” Charles, an old man doing literally nothing all day, said to me, his voice shaking with anger. “Did you think we wouldn’t know what you were doing? Teaching her all that. Telling her about the outside world, if you hadn’t done it…” “If I hadn’t taught her, she would be already dead,” I interrupted. “Furthermore, none of you cared. Stop showing those faces like you truly wanted the good for her, shall I remind you how we ended up here? It isn’t a funny story to remember.” “She is right, Charles,” said Lilit
NELDRISDYD: «I know where the heart of gems is…” Cold dread coiled in my stomach. I peeked at the unfortunately ruined face once again before pretending to laugh. She grinned when the other nobles laughed calling her a crazy slave. My eyes automatically glared at her. Nonetheless, my silent rage quickly dissipated and I was taken back by curiosity; no one had ever spoken such ancient language. It was the first time I ever heard another tongue articulating it. What was more fascinating about it was the ability to understand all languages spoken in this world. It was a language I spoke as well but no one knew that. When I was young, Lady Markbill warned me to never speak with it; its words were an enchantment on themselves and no one would like it when the commandment made you do things you didn’t like. Unlike me, she seemed not aware of it. I observed her from the corner of my eye, her gaze moved from the floor to the hyenas and sh
DAHLIA: I hate having to dress up like a man. Once again, my clothes were torn and the servants who saved me gave me new ones. The cotton shirt was too loose, the pants too big and the boots too uncomfortable. “Full-blown tempest, howling winds, crashing waves, lightning and thunder, this was the tale of the unbreakable gemstone that disappeared centuries ago,” I whispered to myself looking around me. I was back to being a slave again. The most surprising thing that happened to me was the recovery I faced; all my burnt skin healed and I felt good again. I thought about it since I opened my eyes, feeling alive. Was it because of him? The arrow he shot at me was the only thing that could have saved me. What was he playing at? That man was crazy. I made sure to not swallow the mad man’s pills previously because I didn’t need fake happiness. I saw how the slaves who died experienced stages of happiness. It was until the day of the hunt that
SAVASCUS: “Thanks for sharing the cell with me. To think all the other slaves are actually avoiding me. I’ll remember this; I won’t be helping them as an act of vengeance against them.” “Remind me of your name, please! I tend to forget it.” Amelia’s hands meandered softly, following the path from my neck, then she grabbed my shirt, tried to remove it but I slapped her hand away, softly. She moved to my breasts, touching them delicately. “I know you like it. It isn’t good to deny pleasures, Savascus.” She pulled me and released her glamorous charms. Knowing a succubus was troublesome; her body was on top of me and I felt hot, enjoyment rising in my heart and down my belly. I didn’t hate it and all the struggling thoughts faded as soon as her tongue darted all around me, especially my private part and chest. As the guards opened the door, I lounged on the wall quickly, my necklace resting at an insouciant angle, my
DAHLIA: I definitely didn’t want to think about how hard I had to bite my own lip to keep quiet. Or how obvious it was that I wanted to kill him, but I never killed anyone with my own hands. As I heard the door unlock and the man turned his head checking the sound, I swiftly grabbed his head from his chin throwing him on the ground. When he tried to grab his weapon that I kicked away, the knife I got from a guard was on his throat, faster than his words. “Surprised?” I asked sweetly. “A move and your head might be away.” I placed my foot on his chest, pressing down a little to remind him that he was at my mercy. “I am done with being polite. Now, move there,” I pointed at the office with my chin, his face pale. “C’mon. I can’t move with your leg over me. Am I really to believe you’d harm me?” “You once told me I could only lower my head… I am doing it right now, to look at your disgusting face. Remember karma always play
DAHLIA: I always dreamt of a charming prince who would fight for me. When I was in the village, it didn’t have a name; I thought I would be like a princess waiting for a prince to save her. However, the reality was much more than it seemed. In the end, I was caught again and I heard all the escapees got caught too, except for Aurelia and Savascus. A certain robust guy I never saw before ruined my plans. My plan had two flaws; the existence of the strong guy and the consciousness of the slave dealer. I expected him to be sleeping in his quarters after inhaling the powder. In my solitude, I pondered about a lot of things like the reason that kept Aurelia or more like Aureoles and Savascus here. I concluded; despite being strong, the collars had us in check. Lately, mine was reinforced; I felt like my energy drained quickly. I slept all the time and the only way to know how much time had passed was the regularity of the piece of bread and glass of
NELDRISDYD: “I am afraid my Lady that I wouldn’t be able to grace your banquet with my presence. While I appreciate your sincere invitation, I must ask you to accept my regrets. I have a matter of utmost importance to attend to,” I said. My response elicited the slyest smile from Lady Markbill. She examined the last batch of goods that were supplied for the banquet. A servant that she found suspicious darted next to her. The Lady stopped him and grabbed the box from his hands. Her eyes checked him suspiciously then inspected the box of candles. It was completely normal, yet it wasn’t enough to let her believe nothing would ruin her banquet. She decided to revise everything from the beginning again. “Do you know how many would love to have an invitation from me? No, you do not. Since you are declining my truthful sincerity. I see that you are all grown up now, talking to your caretaker this way. You have grown by age but your wisdom stay