Vampire's Prey

Chapter 14: Punishment

"Move it." Rahlan shoves me forward, breaking my trance. I instinctively pull back, like a deer being forced into a hungry pack of wolves, but he overpowers me with little effort. My feet stumble as I try to regain my balance.

We step into the square. It's a large muddy quad surrounded by tall buildings and thin roads trailing out in each direction. The top floors are painted white, and the ground floors are colored brown with mud.

Over twenty vampires surround the stage. All these people are here to celebrate my misfortune.

Only a few notice us as we approach the group. Maybe we'll settle among them? Could Rahlan have brought me here just to witness someone else's punishment?

We reach the base of the stage stairs, and a pit forms in my stomach. He forces me up ahead of him. The entire crowd's attention immediately lands on us, and my hope that this was just a threat evaporates.

Humans cower among the vampires – slaves brought to witness a demonstration of what would happen if they were as foolish as me.

A raised wooden board with three holes is mounted at the front of the stage. One large hole for my neck, and two smaller ones on either side for my wrists. A bulky vampire dressed in black armor stands beside the wooden pillory. He looks like an executioner who torments humans as a hobby.

Rahlan forces me forward. My nerves make me trip over my own feet, but his iron grip on my arm keeps me upright. All eyes are on me. I wish I could just evaporate into thin air.

The guard takes me from Rahlan, and it feels like the whole situation collides in on me at once. I'm in the hands of a malicious man in front of a heartless crowd.

He grabs my free arm and holds me in front of him, presenting me to the crowd. They cheer, like the guard is showing off his hunting prize.

The stage is only half a man's height, making my legs well within grabbing distance. More vampires watch from the top story windows, enjoying my conundrum from the comfort of their homes.

My heart pounds in my chest. It's like I'm a calf about to be sacrificed. A shiver crawls down my spine. I'll be completely helpless in that thing, at the mercy of this evil man. I twist my neck around and call for the one vampire I know – the one who can put a stop to this, "Rahlan! Lord-"

"Silence!" The guard shakes me back and forth, and the motion makes my brain bounce around my skull. Where is Rahlan? I can't see him. Did he just abandon me here to suffer at this man's hand?

"As you have witnessed," the guard announces, "this poorly mannered human knows not when to keep its mouth shut!"

Its?

"Today it will face retribution for failing to hold its tongue in the presence of its master!"

The vampires laugh and cheer, but the humans stay silent. The guard opens the wretched device with one hand while keeping me immobile in the other.

An enormous weight forces my head down, resting my neck in the largest of the three holes. More hands lock around my wrists and force them into notches on either side of my head. It's like he has a million arms to hold me down.

The top piece of wood slams closed, and the sudden pressure around my wrists and neck makes me panic.

"No!" I wail. My back is arched. I can't stand straight. I pull back against the holes on instinct, but my head is flush against the board. I can't see through my hair. Where's the guard? Rahlan can stop this. Where's he? "Rah-"

A handful of mud is squashed against my face. The irony dirt forces its way into my mouth and up my nostrils. I gasp for breath as soon as the guard removes his filthy fingers. The crowd laughs.