The Dragon Prince - Book 1: Cold War

Into the Woods

Claudia

Her eyes fluttered open in the hazy red glow of a strange room. She could smell an earthy smell to the air like freshly cut grass tinged with sprocket grease. There was also the cloyingly sweet  smell of human decay on all her clothes. A migraine pounded at her head and her throat was parched.

Claudia tried to get up but instead heard the metallic clinking sound of chains pulling her wrists against a wooden table. Looking around, she found was in a large wooden room, surrounded by the darkness save for a red glowing orb directly above her bed. She turned her head and saw her unconscious brother lying on the table next to her. There was a same half man/half goat person from the woods hovering over Soren, waving a wand of some sort over his body.

Her stomach was exposed and she felt a warm tickle from where the undead soldier had stabbed her earlier. Looking down and winced at the sight of green worms delicately kneading the wound with tiny mandibles.

The goat-man exhaled and licked its nose with a long, forked tongue. She saw the creature turn and approach. Claudia closed her eyes, feigning sleep despite the ticklish sensation on her stomach. She couldn't hide a shiver.

    "This one stinks of the Dark magic," the creature said in the broken common language shared among Xadians. It closed its pale blue eyes and ran its wand over the length of Claudia's body and she could feel a prickling tingle on her skin.

    "Fortunately for the female, there are no foreign souls trapped inside her," said the creature. It whistled to another creature hidden just outside of Claudia's vision and another goat-person walked over, its hooves made light clip-clop sounds on the wooden floor.

    "Please ask Hecate if he is willing to perform the cleansing ceremony today."

"I will, Fa'ir," the smaller creature replied in a deep voice.

The creature the other one called Fa'ir turned to face Soren. He wore simple garments, hempen robes dyed red, with rough brass buckles. Breeches of woven vines covered his legs and torso his hairy, cloven legs were exposed. On his back he wore a staff of knotted wood, the top of which bore a bright blue stone that emitted a faint glow.

The deep voiced assistant came back carrying a tray full of implements. He beckoned a large, four legged creature to follow him and Claudia gasped as the beast came into view; it was the largest reindeer she had ever seen in her life. Its massive antlers were covered with moss and bore nests of birds that twittered whenever the creature moved its head.

Fa'ir placed a hand on his chest and bowed before the beast, "Hecate, by your grace. I ask for your assistance." The beast's eyes twinkled with wisdom and it gave a slight nod, sending more birds flitting off with annoyance.

Hecate the reindeer approached Soren's table but paused. It turned its wise face towards Claudia who was caught inside its gaze. The two Satyrs turned to look at Claudia.

    "Oh, hi," was all her parched voice could utter. She tried to wave as much as her bindings would allow.

Fa'ir turned his horned, red face to Claudia and stuck out his forked tongue licking both of his cheeks. Claudia recoiled at the sight.

    "You guys aren't... going to eat us are you?"

The creatures looked at each other and let out a series of whistles, their shoulders bouncing rhythmically as if in laughter.

    "Blessed Earth Mother, no! My name is Fa'ir and this is my partner, Naun. We're Satyrs." The smaller creature stuck out a pink tongue and licked a cheek. Fa'ir continued, "we mean to help you, child. You and the male of your kind have both been tainted by evil spirits."