Chapter 33

I woke up to absolutely blackness. I felt weak, still chained. I was sweating and I felt pain all over my body. That was a whole bulk of my memory I have regained in my dream. It's a dream but I now remember vividly how it happened. I did not appear here chained for nothing. I was brought here by the leader of the gang of three I fought with. Wow, I fought hard but he got me with that handkerchief and now I'm here chained in their territory. Now I know how I got here but why did I have to forget for so long. I looked around the room, it was dark but but I could sense that something was not right about this new day. I tried to remember the last place I was. I was training and had to fight a beast. Where's Luna? I was content when she whined beneath my dress. I knew something bad was going to happen today cause my dream bringing back my memory must imply something. Will I be executed today? Huh maybe, those that kept me here will surely come for me.

Suddenly, I heard the creak of a metal door. I squinted as light appeared in the distance. Some men were coming towards me carrying a torch. As they got closer, the room lit up. It was a large cacophonous room, entirely carved in stone. It looked ancient. I saw several torches approaching. A man got closer, held the touch to my face as if I were an insect.

"Who are you? "I asked terrified. " Where am I? "

He only grinned further as if examining it's prey. He stared back, offering a smile with the warmth of ice. He was beautiful, ageless but terrifying, evil. He was flanked by hundreds of men, all dressed in black like him but none as large or as beautiful as he is.

"Everyone excuse our attendant. " Abraim, the chief guard said, his voice deep and as a matter of fact. The men left the room leaving only five behind.

"who are you? "I asked again. "why am I here? "

"forgive this harsh accommodations" Abriam said running his hands along the metal chains that held my hands to the wall. " We are good people and we will let you go if you would answer a few questions. " I looked back unsure what to say.

"I will begin. I'm Abriam, the Chief guard of the Blackjack demonic coven. The devil himself is in hell fire but I rule hell myself. "he paused. "your turn. "

"I don't know what you want from me. " I answered.

"to start with, where do you belong to? "

I wracked my brain, trying to figure out if I'd lost my mind. What is he talking about?

"I don't belong to anyone "

Just then Luna jumped out of my dress. Damn her? She's too fearless. Abraim glared at her for sometime before grabbing her leg. He held her to his face. Examining her like she's a chunk of meat to be eaten by him.

" Don't harm her. She's mine. "

He brought his stare back to me. " A wolf. Who is she? "

" My pet. "

"Who are you? "

"I don't know. "

He stared for a long while, then slowly shook his head.

"As you wish. We have dealt with rogues before. It's always the same: they come to test us. To see how secure our territory is. After that, more follow. That's how territory shifts begin. But you see, they never get away with it. Ours is the oldest strongest and coven in this land. We make up sixty percent of the world so we're not just a coven. No one kills here and gets away with it . So I ask again: who sent you? When do they plan to invade?"

Territory? Invasions? I just hope this is not another dream. Maybe I never woke up from the first dream and this is another. No, I wasn't dreaming. This is real. Too awfully, incredibly real.

I could've just dismissed them as a group of completely crazy people, as some weird cult or society that was completely delusional. But after all that had happened in the last 48 hours, I actually found myself thinking twice. My own strength. My own behavior. My comforter. The training. The beast. The way I felt my body changing. Could demons be true? Am I one of them? Have I stumbled into the middle of some kind of demonic war? That would be just my luck.

I stared back, thinking. Have I really killed someone? Oh yes I have. I remember : two of the men down the alley. I really didn't know how I got there and where those power came from. I'm a murderer. I can never live that down. It's a memory that will taunt me forever.

I stared back at him.

"I wasn't sent by anyone," I said, finally. "I remember exactly what I did. I did it on my own. But It isn't in anyway my fault. I was defending myself. I'll probably be dead if I didn't fight back. did, I did it on my own. Well, I'm very sorry for whatever I did," she said. "I never mean to kill. It was a fight."

Abraim turned and looked at the others. They looked back at him. He shook his head, and turned back to me. His glare turned cold and hard.

"You killed demons without anyone's help or consent—on your own? You take me for a fool. Not wise."

He gestured to his subordinates, and they hurried over and unruffled my chains. I felt my arms drop, and was relieved to have the blood flow back to my wrists. They uncuffed my ankles next. Four of them, two on one each side, got a tight grip on my arms and shoulders.

"If you won't answer to me," Abraim said, "then you will answer to the Assembly. Just remember, you have chosen this. They will show no mercy, as I may have done."

As they led me away, Abriam added,

"Make no mistake, you will be killed either way. But my way would have been quick and painless. Now you will see what suffering is. As for your wolf, she'll be with me. "

I tried to resist as they dragged me forward. But it was useless. They were leading me somewhere, and there was nothing i could do but embrace my fate.

And pray.