Escape from the Demonwood

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The Witch Queen’s carriage looked like a huge spider crouching in the palace courtyard. The body of it was a black orb that seemed to be made of overlapping chitinous plates. It was carried about by long insect-like legs instead of wheels. Two tall dark sentries flanked the carriage wielding sinister looking axes. Their heads resembled the skulls of rams with long curving horns that swept up and backwards. They seemed to have red coals in place of eyes and steam issued from their nostrils. The messenger rode in the carriage dressed in a long black cloak that was decorated with black feathers. A black leather mask shaped like a raven’s head covered the top part of his face. A flock of great ravens had gathered in the trees surrounding the palace, and their gravely voices filled the air with cacophonous croaking.Father’s archers had stationed themselves above the courtyard on balconies and walls, and Father stood defiantly at the gates of the palace, his silver armor gleaming, his hand resting on the hilt of his long sword. Cerebelle was watching the scene from a balcony, her noble countenance spoiled by the tears streaming down her face as her body was wracked with sobs.“You are not welcome here!” Father shouted in a commanding voice.“Come now,” the messenger replied. “Is that any way to treat a humble servant of our beloved Queen? We have had a long and weary journey. I would think some refreshments would be in order, perhaps even a feast to mark this momentous occasion.”“My daughter will not consent to your obscene ritual,” Father replied.“Not consent?” the messenger said, feigning confusion. “That’s not really possible now is it. She consented by being born. Her consent was granted by your grandfather, King Omiron, when he signed the treaty with our dear Queen Merlina.”“Under threat of death and destruction!” Father shot back.“You lost the war!” he cried. “Losing has consequences. You must obey our queen and your daughter must obey you.” He frowned disapprovingly as he glanced up at the balcony where Cerebelle stood. “I certainly hope she won’t keep sniveling all the way to Silver Lake.”“You shall return to Silver Lake and tell that… that hag to stay out of the Woodland Kingdom and never bother us again!”Father twitched a single finger and the archers loosed a volley of arrows, but faster than thought, the messenger raised his hand and the arrows all dropped from their flight to clatter helplessly against the cobblestones.“Hag?” the messenger replied. “Is that anyway to talk about our beloved Queen Merlina? I’m sure she will be most displeased when she hears about it. And let’s have no more of the arrows please. You can see they are ineffective and they are most distracting. Are you really prepared to go to war over this? You know your rabble of misfits would not stand a chance against Queen Merlina’s army.”“Don’t be so sure of it!” Mother cried as she appeared on a balcony high above the courtyard. Storm clouds https://escortium.org gathered behind her, and she looked like a shining white flame. She clutched a vial in her hands, and when she held it aloft, a bolt of lightning came out of the clouds and struck the cobblestones in front of the carriage. The carriage reared up onto its hind legs, the front legs pawing the air like a frightened horse. The messenger fell backwards in the carriage but quickly recovered himself.“I see you have learned much since our last meeting, Toruda,” he said with an air of familiarity. “Your power has grown considerably, but you are still no match for Queen Merlina.”“We shall see about that, Dogoth,” Mother replied.Father had drawn his sword during the distraction and began approaching the sentries which towered over him. They turned toward him preparing their deadly axes. He knew he stood no chance to defeat them, but that would not deter him.Suddenly a voice called out.“Stop!”Everyone turned to look as El-Filla slipped into the courtyard. Her green and gold tunic was frayed and dusty, her boots were covered in mud, but even so, her beauty captured the attention of all. Even the messenger seemed struck dumb, as she strode into the middle of the fray.“You have come for the tribute, is that correct?” El-Filla asked. “My sister refuses to go, therefore let me take her place. I am not afraid!”“El-Filla, no!” Father exclaimed. “You must not!”Mother did not say anything but looked down on her with thoughtful consideration.“I make this sacrifice for the sake of my sister,” El-Filla called out in a loud voice. “I make this sacrifice for the sake of my family, and for the sake of the Woodland Kingdom!”“The Woodland Kingdom!” was echoed by the archers.“I also make this sacrifice for Lady Raven, Queen Merlina, Sovereign of the Silver Lake,” El-Filla said as she bowed low to the messenger. A hush fell over the courtyard, until it was suddenly broken by the croaking of the ravens who seemed to approve of the statement.Dogoth looked her over for a long time and as his eyes lingered on her figure, they began to gleam with greed. A smile spread across his face revealing his long sharp teeth. He looked up at the largest of the great ravens, and they seemed to have a private conference with their thoughts. Then the raven nodded and Dogoth turned towards Father.“It is tradition that the eldest be tribute,” he declared in a loud voice, “however exceptions can be made under certain circumstances. I believe this generous offer, by one so young and of such… exquisite beauty, warrants such an exception!”So it was that El-Filla took her sister’s place as the tribute. El-Filla understood that her destiny was far from certain. Most did not survive the ordeal. Some were reduced to shrieking maniacs before the summoning even began. Many would not survive the coupling, and of those few who did, most would not survive the quickening or the ripening of the demonic fruit of the union. In many cases the vessel would be sacrificed to save the spawn.El-Filla was preparing herself for her departure when Mother came to her.“Father’s sister was tribute,” Mother said matter of factly. “She endured it fairly well, but things were never quite the same afterwards.”“Who is Queen Merlina?” El-Filla asked. “How did she come by her powers? Did she really sign a treaty with Grandfather long ago? How old is she?” El-Filla always felt that Mother knew something about everything.“I’m sorry, El-Filla,” she replied. “These are questions that I do not know the answer to. The only one who truly knows her history is Merlina herself.”+++++El-Filla drifted through the ancient halls like a wisp of thistledown, her skin as white as new snow, her hair flowing behind her like a white cloud. Her body had been scrubbed clean, then massaged with scented oils, her hair had been brushed and decorated with pearls and diamonds. Her gown was translucent, iridescent, the labor of a thousand spiders’ silk woven to make the fabric.She was acutely aware of her senses. The scent of the hall was that of moss, dampness, and old wood, like a bog; acrid and ancient. The slightest sound of her bare feet on the stone floor reverberated with eerie echoes. Light from a distant window cast patterns on the floor of the ancient chamber like red flames on her left, as the sun sank into the forest. To her right, Silver Lake had already settled into a shimmering twilight. Time seemed to stretch out, each moment seemed an eternity. Even the fear building in her breast was something to be cherished. Each beat of her heart caused her body to tremble like the surface of a woodland drum.El-Filla passed through an archway shaped like a pair of great fungi that opened into a large open chamber lit by flaming braziers around its perimeter. She could see some type of altar on the other side of the shadowy hall that seemed to be caked with blood. Next to the altar was a structure made from two pieces of rough hewn timber in the shape of an X with metal chains and shackles dangling from it; her destination.Most of the guests had already arrived and they made a motley horde. Surrounding the altar was a troop of elite sentries of the kind that had accompanied the spider carriage to and from the Woodland Kingdom. They stood with axes ready, their skull-like heads gleaming white in the shadowy hall, their eyes glowing red. Denizens of the half-demon army were scattered across the room. They ranged in size from smaller than gnomes to some nearly as tall as a tree. Their forms varied greatly as well. Some resembled mutated goblins with animal features such as talons, claws, tentacles, or wings. Others were thin towering giants or bulky massive ogres. Still others appeared as stately elves or men with only a trace of their demonic ancestry. These last seemed to be the captains and generals of the army.There were tables strewn around the hall where folk were feasting. There was a group of feral looking goblins who had gathered around a brazier and were roasting some meat and drinking mead from large goblets. There were creatures called kinkoo which had the heads of ravens, feathered bodies, and taloned feet and hands, but no wings. There was a group of solemn looking elves dressed in dark cloaks, a phalanx of gray dwarves wearing finely crafted armor, and a cluster of strange looking gnomes arguing over a complicated diagram they had drawn on their table using chalk. All were representatives of the folk of the Lady Raven’s dominion. It was considered a great honor to be invited. El-Filla’s family had refused the invitation.When El-Filla entered the chamber, a hush fell over the crowd as they turned and stared at her; her naked body was discernible through the nearly transparent gown. The two most senior of the half-demon generals approached her, bowed to her, and led her to the wooden structure. Her wrists and ankles were bound by shackles which were connected by chains to the rough wood. The shackles locked into place with cunning skill, the work of dwarven smiths. She knew that even those sacrifices that were willing like herself, sometimes lost their nerve after the summoning brought its horrors from the other realm. Escape from the shackles was impossible.The great lake stretched to the horizon before her. The red moon, Rumon, floated ominously in the sky; a huge mottled orb of maroon and black, its reflection looked like glowing coals on the surface of the lake. Silver Argimon was just a thin crescent in the east.During the summoning, her image would be projected to the abyssal realm. They would sense not just her physical form, appearance, scent, and voice, but also her thoughts, emotions, memories, hopes, and fears. Some demons were attracted to those most frightened. Others preferred only the purest to corrupt. Some demons were mindless blobs that would just consume the flesh and leave nothing but smoking bones and sinews when they were finished. The more desirable the sacrifice, the more likely a powerful demon would be attracted. El-Filla hoped for a powerful commander. She almost dared hope for a lord of the abyssal realm. It was difficult to predict what characteristics would attract a lord though. Such honors were rare indeed.Finally Queen Merlina, Lady of Ravens, Sovereign of the Silver Lake, entered the chamber. Her hair was long and black, her skin pale white, her cheekbones high, her lips as red as fresh blood, her eyes like pools at midnight. Her ample bosoms surged from the top of her bodice as if they sought release from their bondage. Her gown was decorated in thousands of crystals of onyx and black feathers, and there was a long train of feathers that followed behind her. She wore a crown of woven bones with great fangs forming its points. A huge raven perched on her shoulder and a dire wolf padded beside her. She rested her hand on the wolf’s neck as she immediately strode to the altar.

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