The Obsidian Arrow

The Obsidian Arrow: Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

[Zergiel’s POV]

The rise of the sun entering the tent awoke Zergiel from his slumber. With a cruel smile he got to his feet and peered through the window of his blank tent to glare at a red sun. There had been bloodshed and that knowledge alone was enough to bring warm thoughts. For the past week there had been red suns to awake to and he found it the most beautiful sunrise. He wanted to keep it red every morning and knew that at the start of the war it would be. There was little happiness that could be found for him but a red sunrise was one such event that sparked his softer side.

Once he had happiness in the arms of his beloved but those times were long past. He could still remember the sweet scent of lavender in her blond hair. The memories of her sparkling blue eyes still haunted his dreams into nightmares. Without her, he was nothing but an empty shell. It took so much effort to fill the void inside of his chest. He chose to fill such a void with pure hatred, hatred towards his former friend, Karceoles. If it had not been for him his love may yet still be alive.

He pounded his fist on his cedar desk that rattled in objection, startling his slave in the corner. She shivered in her chains as he looked at her. A cruel smile filled his face and he motioned her towards him with his finger. With a gulp she complied and shakily walked towards him. When she was in arm’s reach he grabbed her and thrust her to him. Even with a slave and all the lust he could muster, there was still no comparison to his love’s touch. The woman before him was beautiful, even now with the scattered scars all across her body. Zergiel had to put them there as she would not listen. If there was one thing he couldn’t understand, it was a resilient slave. She was not supposed to have a mind anymore, but only do his bidding and anything he required to make his life easier.

She had been a gift from his draeyk army after storming a selection of villages. He was careful in choosing which villages to destroy. There were some that were so far away from others that they could go by unnoticed. However, one of them was important to his cause. Legnath, he had foreseen a warrior in that pathetic city that could destroy everything he was planning. There was no prophecy, as there seldom was any such thing further than one boy will rise to greatness. Still, he made sure to use his magic to his benefit to find if there was any such person that could be strong enough to destroy him. His answer was hazy as he thought it would be, but it did show that the danger was in Legnath and so he made the only logical move. He destroyed everything in Legnath. Everyone… except his slave… she was kept by the draeyks as a prize for their victory. She did not matter, as he couldn’t even remember her name.

He touched her skin again feeling the rough edges of her body masked by scars. Her black night gown was barely there anymore as so many tears covered it. All the tears were from his whip as he beat her. She would do good most of the time by getting him his meals and keeping everything tidy. Yet, every time he forced himself on her she would fight back. She would claim that dead or alive she will still remain true to her husband. Such talk was pitiful when he was buried so far in the soil now that even the rats would not want him.

He stroked her red hair behind her ears and rubbed his thumb on her freckles on her cheeks. She shivered a gulped closing her eyes. The fear radiating off of her was soothing to Zergiel.

“Are you going to resist me this morning?”

She shook her head and tears began to fall down her face.

“Good…” Zergiel whispered.

Zergiel walked into the dungeon though the hidden hatch inside of his tent. The hallways underground were dark but he let his zylek glow with a purple light so he could see forth. He didn’t need too much light as he was accustom to seeing through dark places. The air was damp and his hands clammy as he slowing made his way through the tunnels using his zylek to guide him. He could hear swirls of magic and his face lit up with eagerness and he continued faster.