Draconess

Chapter 38

These bad demons were horrible, disgusting creatures. Zarcar and Lixar were like angels compared to the vile, foul breathed soldiers of this Hellfire army. It's like the demons seeped sweat that smelt like rotting flesh, as if the dying of mortals somehow strengthened them. Reyn's Vampyres piled into camp after the fighting was over. They ripped into the injured soldiers and drank them dry.

The Rey I knew was extremely controlled if he kept most of his victims alive, because these Vampyres in this army were drinking as if their thirst could never be quenched.

The Hellfire army didn't stop moving, it was always quietly approaching Swendula, following the river. And sentries I saw posted, were killed ahead of time by centaurs. The half human and half horse beasts had precise aim almost every time with a bow and arrow.

As for my capture that stopped the attack, Reyn had already made a comment about the two pin prick scars on my neck to one of his council. He made a joke about Rey being the only Vampyre for a time, which marked me as important since he drank from me, giving away my VIP status.

Reyn had left Rey behind after retreating into the ground, something about Torrent.

I was still confused if Rey was our enemy or ally. I was torn. He was either awaiting his father's arrival back from Hemon to join him, or Rey hated Reyn's guts. The day his father left, Rey killed a hundred thousand lives in Arkraxy, the Old Swendula. He became a Commander of Hellfire like his father. Who would kill that many just for strategy? He must have been full of hate... for that to happen. I don't know for sure.

Rey was an enigma.

As for his father, Reyn's flanking soldiers expressed many times their desire to torture me for information, while Reyn had concluded confidently that I was mute. He was satisfied that I was worthy of being a powerful hostage. He obviously didn't care much about a whore's knowledge. What did a whore know anyway?

Undetected by Reyn's instincts, while a centaur carried me tied to the saddle, I was taking in everything. I was near the front lines. I was always seeing the soldiers being sent ahead to set up markers as well as sent back to set up camps. Reyn's attack was obviously designed to cover his tracks. He was leaving behind small groups of demons to cut off travellers from reaching Swendula. And everywhere we travelled, steam from the ground cut us off from the vision of those looking ahead.

Some unsuspecting groups were slaughtered within seconds if we came across groups of mortals along the paths. I had already heard enough screams from the dying to last a lifetime.

Reyn was ahead of me now, slowing down on his horse, while speaking loudly to his council of head demons that led each kind, fae, goblin and centaur, "We rest here throughout nightfall. Then we begin the attack on Arkraxy just before sunrise. The place we abandoned, is the place we return to mark our Hellfire Kingdom, our law, our way. It couldn't have gone smoother. It's Lucifer's hand helping us."

As Reyn turns in his saddle and the army stops to set up a temporary camp, he happens to catch my eyes steady on his form.

I look away, down to the Earth, but for some reason Reyn now trots to my side. His hand grabs my hair, lifts my head up and he assesses my face.

"I know you care for Rey," he smirks, "I see the desperate fight in your eyes. A woman's love is so pathetic. It consumes you and leaves you with nothing. Real strength is the ability to kill, but a whore will never understand that. You'd never have the strength for it anyway. Though, the irony, is your treatment in war. Gently beheld. Symbols of pleasure and cheap beauty. Yet you can cage hearts. I do find your kind intriguing. Perhaps you'll enjoy gazing into the eyes of your lovers who came to protect you, for one last night, before your bitter end," Reyn smiles, speaking in a weird comfort-a-whore language, as if he's speaking to a helpless baby animal. My eyes tear up, with absolute fury, but I'm sure to this King of Hellfire that they appear as just tears of terror.