Prisoners

Hello again. Here is Day 11 for you. All right, just as a random question, how high would you rate Aigon's journal on a scale of one to ten, one being absolutely horrible and ten being perfectly wonderful? Just to see what sort of reactions I'm getting from this.



Stellas 24, 296 e.m.

Day 11,

Indeed we were hunted. The assassin was right. If we had only... But it doesn't matter now. We have been captured by shadows with blood-red eyes and burning skin. When one touches you, you are overcome by an unbearable cold, so intense it feels like fire. There is no way to escape from these demons.

I awoke in the night to cloth being pressed to my mouth to muffle any calls for help I might dare to utter. Roughly pulled to my feet,  the shadows grabbing me by the shirt so as not to cripple me with pain, I noticed Kyrainna unconscious on the ground. She had been on watch and the creatures were obviously taking no chances with us. My other companions were being woken up the same way I had been, but they remained visibly calm, as if this sort of thing happens all the time. This gave me enough courage to at least control my shaking and attempt to look unafraid.

"You are the bearers of the amystium?" one of the biggest demons asked, its voice like a winter morning, quiet and cold.

I may have been calm on the outside, but I was terrified in reality. I was in no condition to answer my captor, and so I was grateful when Daeroth spoke up, his voice remarkably steady. "You could say that. We carry the amystium and many other items to trade. May I ask why we were so rudely awoken?"

Ignoring Daeroth's question, the shadow that had spoken glanced back at a slightly smaller one near the wagon and hissed a few words in its own language. The other replied and shook its head. "Come with us." The big one said sharply in Common.

Several of the shadow creatures that weren't busy holding us began to relieve my guards of the weapons that they had apparently kept by their bedside while they slept. The rest began to search the wagon.

It didn't take long for them to find the pack of amystium, but when they tried to take it, an interesting thing happened. Light shot up the shadow's arm and it screamed in agony. It snatched its hand back and turned to glare at Len who was fighting to hold back laughter. "You. Short one," it said, pointing at him. "Carry pack."

Snickering, Len took the amystium pack and slung it over his shoulder. The shadows continued examining the contents of the wagon, though with less excitement, until once again they paused in their search. Pulling out this journal, they asked, "Whose is this?"

I summoned enough courage to murmur, "It's mine."

The creature's laugh was both a hiss and a cough. It handed me my journal and said, "Keep it. Maybe you'll be the one." I was also given an inkwell and a quill. I find this odd, but I'm not about to question it.They left the rest of the supplies, and the horses as well since they couldn't seem to control the animals.

While the shadows were herding us along, Kyrainna slung over Daeroth's shoulder, I noticed Kadon, Brilynn, Len, and Kayissa exchanging looks. They nodded very slightly at Zillan who then began to hum to himself softly. He kept this up for several minutes, ignoring the amused looks the shadows gave him. What happened next was so fast I barely was able to comprehend what happened. With seemingly no warning, they broke and shot for our captors, Len tossing me the amystium pack and Daeroth setting Kyrainna on the ground first. They were going to fight the shadows with their bare hands! Having seen them fight before, a spark of hope lit within me, but it died almost as soon as it was born.  As their naked fists met the flesh of the shadows, they fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Most of them attempted to hold in their screams, writhing and clutching the skin that had made contact, but Len and Zillan did not even bother trying. Their cries pierced me, and, I am ashamed to admit, a blind fury overtook me. Stupidly, I lunged at the demons, thinking that somehow, if I could end their lives, the screaming would end as well.

And then, I was down screaming along with them from the horrible, sickening agony. Apparently I have a much lower tolerance for this pain than my guards, for soothing darkness quickly engulfed me, ending the torment. I awoke in this cell, my left hand bandaged and the journal, the inkwell, the quill, and the amystium pack were beside me. My companions are here as well, in better condition than I.

I'll write the rest tomorrow. I can feel exhaustion winning over my fear.

Aigon Silverwind,

Prisoner of Demons