The Daemon

Chapter 3


I don’t know how many days had passed since this nightmare started. I don’t remember leaving the only home I had ever known. I do know that my sisters were alive and with me but other than a vague sense of recognition I was not coherent enough to acknowledge them. I did not speak. I had to be forced to eat and drink.

Waking from the haze in my mind took some time. When I finally woke, it was to find myself cradled in Kana’s arms in a wagon of sorts headed to who knows where. The clarity that filled my mind was ten times worse than the fog.

I slowly turned my head to look around and spotted Airen across from us but I do not think she was all there. The happiness was gone. Her once beautiful hair hung in a stringy tangled mess around a grime covered face. The eyes were blank and unseeing. They had broken my wonderfully loving, bright and happy sister. Manacles chained her wrists to that side of the cart.

I looked down and noticed that Kana was similarly chained while I was not, but I would never leave them willingly anyhow.

I looked up into Kana’s face and saw something that broke my heart. My strong and proud sister had a look of defeat in her eyes. Though she was not as broken as Airen and there was a spark of anger, all hope was gone. I felt a tear slip down my cheek.

“Ara…” her voice was raspy but soft. “Beloved one, are you alright?”

“Ka-Ka…” I tried to speak, I really did. Something was not right and I did not think a drink of water, coughing or any attempt at throat clearing would help.

Her already saddened eyes dimmed some more.

“Sshhh little one, it’s alright. You do not have to speak.” With those words, she tightened her arms around me and buried her face in my shaggy hair. For the first time in my life I heard Kana cry. All I could do was wrap my arms around her and hold on tight.

We were camped in a large clearing in the forests. By the end of the week our group was met up with a rough looking crew of men and more manacled beings. I found out that I had been unconscious for three days before our stop. There were maybe ten of us that were gathered from several towns and a few outlying homesteads.
The men that were taken were caged or collared and shackled tightly to posts. The women were shackled at the ankles and allowed a length of chain so that they could do the chores around the camp. I was the only one allowed to roam fairly freely around the camp.
Eight to twelve men guarded our camp at any given time and many more came and went. What was to become of us I was unsure of until I overheard some of the others talking.

“What are they going to do?” whispered one demon lady to another. They had huddled together for comfort.

“We are going to be slaves my dear.” The older woman looked and sounded resigned to what fate is handing them.

“Why? These men are mostly human are they not? We allowed them into our lands and allowed them to make homes here. Why are they doing this?” The younger lady had tears in her eyes.

“Why not? This is what I feared when our leaders allowed them in. They do not belong here and now they are going to try to take over. We are all going to be enslaved or be reduced to second class citizens.”

“Could these men not be maybe the dregs of their society? I heard that they have a horrible overpopulation problem. My father said that the leaders took pity and allowed some of them to come and live here.”

The older lady looked incredulously at the young one.

“You are naïve to believe that. The leaders may have taken pity on them but they failed to take into account the envy and greed that can come from outsiders. We have land. We live decently without stripping our resources. We are well off compared to the overcrowded and dirty world that they come from. Someone will always want what the other has when it seems that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.” The older lady looked sad but knowledgeable.

“I still don’t understand. We were willing to share. How can they not be content with that? This is not their home originally anyhow.” Tears still flowed down a young face and her gold ringed grey eyes were full of sorrow.

“You will see that your idealistic views will not get you anywhere. I may seem extra pessimistic but this is now our reality. We will not be able to stop them any time soon. More and more will come. You will see.”

The lady’s words flowed through my mind along with what I had overheard previously. Slaves, what sort of slaves? I did not think I could do too much and I was the youngest one there. Then there was the fact that the weasel like man said that someone paid them to bring me. Who could possibly want me? Confused, I went to seek out my sisters.

As I approached our corner of this “camp” I look at my poor sisters sitting by a tiny fire. Though Airen was clean once more, her eyes were still dead and she spoke in monotone. Her ripped clothing was replaced with a coarse but serviceable shirt and skirt. She was just not my Airen any more and I did not know how to make it better. I loved her so much but I could not help her and it ate away at my heart.

Kana had rage and pride in her eyes though they always softened for me. She held herself with dignity but there was a bit of fear that undermined the look of confidence she had. There were also moments that I catch this look of hopelessness that she tries so valiantly to hide.

Every night when they want us in bed, the ogre man comes and takes Airen away. Every night Kana looks on with rage and pain filled eyes but her movements held an underlying sense of fear. Every night I am held tightly in Kana’s arms and all I can ask is what can they throw at us next?

I miss my momma’s warm smile and I miss papa’s strong arms holding me. I miss the safe feelings of family and love. I just so want my world to be as it was once more.

Airen and her happy flighty ways, Kana’s cool but loving looks, Momma’s loving embrace and Papa’s booming laughter are all gone.

I don’t want this to be like this. I want to stop the pain. I want these humans to go away and I want to hide myself away in the memories of what was and what should have been.

Mother, Father, if you can somehow hear my thoughts and see how we are, please help us. We need help and we need hope.

Three days later I was still wandering the camp. Not one of the men had told me not to and they knew I would not stray far from my sisters. I loved the little bit of freedom though I felt bad to be able to roam while others were restricted the way they were. I helped here and there with the chores like hauling buckets of water.

There was always something to do. I helped cook and clean and look for greens to eat. I served the human slavers and took what little food I was allowed to my sisters.

The slavers would sometimes cuff me if I did not move fast enough for them or did something wrong but they did not harm me horribly. Why I was getting the better treatment baffled me. The other slaves showed some resentment by talking down to me or some of the women would pinch me at times. The one woman who actually hit me was beaten so badly that she has not awoken yet.

The same one that was beaten had tried to poison me once but I remembered the plant from when mother and father took us out to teach us a little about survival so that night I went hungry.

I could not complain of all this albeit mild mistreatment because I still could not speak. Kana assumes it has to do with the stress of having seen our parent’s dead and my sisters assaulted. I also did not truly grieve. To me my parents were still alive and well and this was just an adventure to get through. I did know I was deluding myself but if I did not I do not think I could have coped. I wanted to live and be happy. Everything shattered though the next day.

Airen came down with a fever and was bedridden. The slavers were antsy and more than were usually seen were hanging out in the camp. Though my little corner was full of worry, the rest were full of expectation.

The rumble of horses or other riding animals was heard in the distance. Someone was coming. Kana and I looked at each other in trepidation and went back to taking care of our sister. She barely spoke, she barely ate and she was slowly wasting away. Her will to live was gone and our fear was that she would die soon. I wanted to shake her awake and ask her what the hell she thought she was doing.

It did not take long before the first group of many to come showed up. They were here to buy us apparently. There were many humans but surprisingly there were some demons among them. They roamed the camp looking at those who were shackled. Some of these “buyers” went so far as to check teeth, hair and limbs. A few, with lust filled eyes, ordered women to strip so that they may “check” the merchandise.

Some of these men approached us but upon noticing that my sister was ill and with Kana’s icy glare, they tended to back away to more easier prey.

The weasel man came by and smacked Kana.

“Quit with those looks girl,” he smirked at her. “Most of these men are the nicer ones. Later today more are to come and those will care less whether or not you have attitude. They will be quite happy to break you in.” He left cackling.

“Ara,” my sister quietly spoke while looking down at Airen. “I want you to hide or run. Just find a way to stay away from those who have come to buy us. I don’t want you to be taken away. Make your way back to Makhail if you can. Let him know what happened to us.”

I looked at her with protest in my eyes.

“No. Do not argue with me. You need to leave. Airen will probably not live long. I suspect that that large beast has got her with child. She will not survive to give birth with this fever. You know our kind rarely survives when forced to have a child. Do you remember cousin Naida? She died during childbirth and the child with her. She was forced by some men and was impregnated by the attack. I do not wish you here to witness it. Either way, the men who brought us here mentioned that someone had specifically requested you. I will not allow anyone to harm you if I can. When no one is looking, run. Run as far as you can and hide. Then run some more and keep going. Do not look back. You will give me hope as long as you are free.”

Kana looked into my eyes with pleading, strength, and hope. I would do as she asked because she is my sister and because I could give her hope when it looked like she had none left. Only for her, for them, would I do this.