The Depth of Shadow - chapter 1

Dust filled the air in the hot  midday sun, and the only sound was that of hoof beats and heavy footsteps. The  scent of the newly disturbed dirt filled the dry air, but the odd hint of  something burning lingered subtly amongst the smells of heat and dust. The  company of demons had been growing weary of their journey, but none quite so  much as the large, blue-gray demon at the head of the campaign, whose golden eyes  glimmered in the heat as his black mount trudged heavy hoofed across the  cracked, arid ground.

 The sky was cloudless and  bright, yet the hazy atmosphere made it difficult to see too far into the  distance. The smell grew stronger. A muddy patch of gray formed on the white  horizon as they continued to walk, and the large demon called for his men to  pick up their pace. The lazy, shuffling feet of the men and demons behind him  turned into a steady, swift march as they neared the cloud of smoke dispersing  into the sky.

 It had stopped burning quite  some time ago. Not every building had been set to flame, but more than half of  this small village was in ashes, being carried away by brief gusts of wind. The  large demon dismounted his rathe as the company entered the town. He scowled at  the scene.

 “Find survivors!” he growled  out the order to those who followed behind him. It was a pointless search  however, there was no one here.

 For the last three months he  and his men had been chasing a rogue band of demons back into the Southern  Quadrant. Only once or twice did they actually manage to come into contact with  them, but he intended to follow them well back into their territory before  returning to the East. They had not only threatened the border, but crossed it,  terrorizing trading posts and Eastern villages nearest to the border. Now, as  they headed back into the South to avoid the Eastern army, they left a trail of  destruction in their wake.

 It was mostly human villages,  he considered as he walked through the decimated remains of the town. There  were corpses littering the streets, man, woman, and child. There had been no  discrimination, no agenda… at least none that was obvious. Human slave trading  was a common problem in the South, but it didn’t appear any of the towns had  been raided for slaves. Just as curious was the lack of looting. Yes, many things  were taken, but much was left behind as well. Then they were all set to flame,  as if to burn any secrets left behind.

 His boot landed heavy on the floorboards of a  partially preserved house. The wood creaked beneath his weight, and he had to  duck down as he stepped through the open doorway to avoid knocking his curved  horns on the low frame. Two mangled bodies lie on the floor, a man and a woman,  husband and wife no doubt. He considered their states.

 The woman was fully clothed  and fairly undisturbed, they had not raped her. She lay on her back, a stab  wound through her chest. The man lay face down, his throat had been cut. They  were likely facing each other before they were killed, the man fell forward as  his throat was slit, and the woman backwards as she was run through.  They had not been dead long. the bodies were  still freshly colored and had not yet begun to bloat. Wood on the other side of  the house still smoldered, it was surprising the entire village hadn’t burned  to the ground.

 One of his men shouted to him  from outside. No doubt to report that no survivors had been found. He turned in  place towards the door, and through the loud creak of the boards, another sound  could be heard. It was a slight, almost inaudible sound, and it came from behind  him. He turned again.

 There was a tall cupboard  fashioned to the wall,  and it sat off  kilter where the foundation below it had broken. He stood watching it for a  moment - the sound had come from inside there.  He advanced on the cupboard with slow, even footsteps. His long legs quickly  closed the distance between himself and the door. Between the warped planks of  wood he could most definitely tell that something was in there.

 Reaching out he opened the  door to the cupboard, and his eyebrows rose slightly. Inside, crouched on the  floor was a small, human child. Her hands were crossed over her head in a  protective manner, her knees were brought up to her chest, and her eyes were  shut tightly. She was holding her breath, and her partially hidden face was wet  with tears. The demon was a giant compared to this tiny creature, and he knelt  down so that he could look the child in the face.

 She continued to hold her  breath, and refused to look at him. He held out a hand as he lowered himself  further still, to try to get a look at the girl. “Come,” he offered to her with  a slight gesture of his fingers, each of which was tipped with a sharp, black  nail. “You will not be harmed.”

 The girl peeked out from below  her arms, her big green eyes filled with tears. She looked at the demon and  considered him for a moment, then peeked around him. He leaned to the side,  blocking her view. “There is nothing over there that you need to see,” he said  plainly to the child, who quickly hid her head back in her arms.

 “You’re a demon!” she cried  accusingly, muffled through the ragged dress that covered her knees.

 “Yes, I am,” he started. “Did  demons hurt your parents?” he inquired, already knowing the answer.

 “Yes!” her tiny voice replied.  Another voice called to him from outside yet again. He was being looked for.

 “Child, I will not harm you.  Come, you should not stay here.” He urged her again, holding his hand only  inches from her. She looked at him through narrowed eyes, a scowl on her round  face. She considered for a moment longer, then without warning the child flew  from her hiding place and wrapped her arms around his neck. The demon pulled  back in surprise, but the child clung tightly to him. Sweeping an arm under her  small frame, he lifted the child as he stood, turning to shield her eyes from  the bodies in the main room.

 She moved her arms and held  them close to her chest as they walked outside, her tiny hands hiding her face  from the other strangers that wandered in the streets.

 “My Lord…” a lion headed demon  addressed him.

 “Keep an eye on this,  Alastor,” he began as he moved to hand the child to the other. He stopped.  “Child, let go.” The girl’s arms had once again moved around his neck, and she  tightened her hold as he gently jostled her . With her face buried in the  collar of his coat, she shook her head in protest.

 Removing her would be easy enough, but not  wanting to harm the child he contemplated his situation. The sun had begun to  fall in the sky, and within the next few hours it would set. They should be  leaving soon to set up camp. A good distance outside of the village would be  best, to avoid the stray embers that still floated through the air.

 “My Lord?” the lion headed  demon asked again, as his superior continued to hold the child.

 “Never mind, I will keep her,”  he stated shaking his head. “Get the rest of the men together and prepare them  to move out.” Alastor nodded and turned to carry out his orders.

 He looked down at the small  child in his arms. Her wavy brown hair was in a distressed set of tangles. She  was hardly a burden as she weighed next to nothing in his arms, but he had to  shrug off a growing sense of irritation as he climbed onto his mount.

 The company rode until the sun  coasted just above the horizon behind them. The demon came to a halt, and  peered curiously at the child still clinging tightly to his coat.

 “We will make camp here  tonight,” his voice boomed, but the child remained still. “We will prepare to  head back East on the morrow.” Between the clamors of movement, small cheers  and exclamations could be heard amongst the soldiers. It had been a tiresome  journey, and while they had not been able to stop the threat, they had at least  managed to push it back well into Southern territory. Aside from that, with  their most recent addition to the company it was not practical to continue  southward.

 The demon Lord's tent was the  first to be erected, and he swiftly passed his mount to his first and headed  towards it. “Alastor, bring some bread and water for the child,” he said in  passing, not waiting for a response.

 Upon entering his large tent,  he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.   Sitting on the furs and blankets piled onto the ground, he addressed the  girl again. “Child, you are safe, let go.”   She shook her head. “Why?” he inquired, his patience growing thin.

 “You’ll put me somewhere  else,” she said quietly.

 “You will stay here tonight,”  he assured her. “You are trying my patience, now let go.” His voice was stern  and unyielding. She did as he said. Not missing his chance he quickly plucked  the child from her perch and placed her gently on the blankets. He then turned  and stood to remove his heavy jacket and armor.

 The human sat quietly with her  legs crossed in front of her, watching him as he removed his boots. “Nire,” she  said suddenly.

 “What?” the demon inquired,  not turning to acknowledge her.

 “Nire. That’s my name,” she  elaborated. “You were supposed to ask what my name was,” she informed him on  the proper etiquette when meeting someone new.

 “I see,” he said flatly.

 “What’s your name?” she asked.

 It had been a long time since  anyone had used his name, even himself. He paused for a moment to finish what  he was doing, then moved to sit next to the girl. “Lucian,” he said, looking  her in the eye.

 “Loo-seen,” she repeated.

 He cocked an eyebrow.  “Loo-see-in,” he annunciated for her.

 “Loo-seeen,” she tried again.

 “No,” he said flatly as he  eyed the child. “How old are you, Nire?”

 She held up a single hand will  all five fingers spread wide. “Five,” she answered. “How old are you?”

 She had quite the distinct knack  for conversation, didn’t she? “Far too old to count on fingers,” he responded.  She began to count as high as she could using her fingers to help, but quickly  gave up.

 Alastor called from outside  the tent. “My Lord?”

 “You may enter,” he called  back as he straightened. The lion headed demon walked through the heavy flaps  of cloth carrying a plate of bread and a cup of water. He glanced curiously  between the two disparate figures sitting in front of him. Lucian nodded his  head towards the girl.

 Bending down he offered the  food and water to the child. Nire stared at his face wide eyed, and unmoving.

 “Do you like cats, Nire?”  Lucian suddenly inquired. Glancing quickly over at the other demon, she nodded  softly. “Just think of Alastor as a great big cat, he’s friendly enough.”  Alastor blinked, and shot the other an awkward glance. He smirked at his first.  Looking back to the child, she seemed to be considering Lucians words.

 “Do you chase mice too?” She  suddenly asked, cocking her head to one side as she took the plate and cup from  his very human looking hands. Expressions on the face of a lion are not always  the easiest to read, but Lucian had known him long enough to see the stunned  look that crossed his features. He tried to stifle a laugh as he had purposely  subjected his first to the horribly uncomfortable conversation with a child.

 He sighed. “No, I chase much  larger things,” he finally stated. The girl ate a piece of bread and continued  to look at him. After a brief awkward silence, Alastor straightened and took  his leave.

 When she had finished her  meal, the great demon slid his hands beneath her arms and moved her to the far  side of the bedded area, laying her back. “You will sleep here, understood?”  She nodded. “Good,” He settled into the bed of furs on the other side of the  girl. She gasped as the candles in the tent suddenly went out. “Be still,” he  said to reassure her. “I put them out.”

 The demon woke suddenly in the  night to movement. “What are you doing?” he asked the girl that was curled up  next to him.

 “I’m scared,” she said.

 “Of what?” he questioned irritably. “I am far more frightening than  anything else that might be here.” Nire looked up at him. In the darkness she  could see his golden eyes glimmering, and the ram’s horns that crowned his head  did make him look formidable. But he was not frightening.

 “I had…” she tried to begin.  “a bad dream,” her voice cracked. “About momma…”

 Lucian did not need light to  see clearly, and it was obvious the child was distressed. He sighed. Moving his  arm underneath her, he pulled the child to lie against him, her head cradled on  his large shoulder. She remained still and quiet, and Lucian waited patiently  for the child to fall asleep before placing her back on the other side of the  bed.

 When morning approached the  demon awoke to Nire once again curled up by his side. Rolling his eyes he sat,  he moved the girl away from him. She had not yet woken, and he dressed and  prepared for departure as she continued to sleep.

 Stepping out of the tent he  made his way towards Alastor, who was preparing his mount. “Sleep well?” The  lion mocked. Lucian threw him a glance. This whole situation was utterly  ridiculous. “Is the human going to become just as permanent a fixture as your  horns?” He added with a raised brow.

 Lucian turned and looked down.  Nire had followed him out and was right at his heels.  “I thought you were sleeping,” he regarded  the child.

 “I woke up,” she said plainly.

 “Clearly,” he said to the  child. Turning his attention to Alastor he asked, “How far off is the nearest  suitable town?”

 “Two days ride I believe,” he  hesitated. “Are we in need of unloading some surplus weight?”

 “Yes,” stated the demon flatly  as he mounted his rathe. Nire started up at him, and the large two horned  creature that he rode. Alastor stepped forward and lifted the child, seating  her gently in front of his superior.

 “There you are,” he stated  lightly to the child. Nire smiled and settled quickly, leaning back against the  demon behind her. Lucians gold eyes shot daggered at the lion, and for a brief  moment he was practically dumbfounded by his boldness. Alastor tried  desperately not to laugh, but he couldn’t help but indulge a sense of amusement  from the situation.

 “Alastor…” Lucian said with  warning in his voice. The other tried not to chuckle. He was retaliating for  the cat comment earlier. The little human looked up at him with big eyes. The  presence of a child was exhausting. He grunted. “Oh, go chase a mouse,” he  stated with extreme irritation as he turned his rathe to go.

 The sound of laughter behind  him was not masked at that comment. Well it was nice to know that someone was finding this situation  amusing. The child smiled up at him as they took the lead of the company and  began the journey eastward.

Tomorrow they would near the  Southern city of Misery. Misery. He  thought as he glanced towards the child who was messing with her tangled head  of hair. It didn’t sound like the best town to be leaving a child in. Then  again, any Southern city was not the  best place to leave a human child in. It would be at least a months’ worth or  riding before they came to cross the Eastern border, and even then the  bordering cities were on Southern trade routes, and often dangerous places for  humans.

 The first full day traveling  with the child had been a trial for all. She stopped the company at least once  every three hours or so, in order to run off behind a rock so she could relieve  herself in privacy. Not to mention the consistent comments about being hot,  hungry, thirsty, or her simple inane attempts to engage in conversation out of  boredom. The demon had not spent more than 24 hours with the girl, and he  already knew her favorite color, favorite food, and all about the time she got  lost in the desert with her cousin, Kip.

 Sitting in the gray tent, the  demon considered his situation carefully as Nire messed with her hair. It was  entirely impractical to continue to travel with a human child, but it seemed  somewhat senseless to save a child from one fate, only to subject her to  another that gave her no better chance than the first. The girl grunted,  interrupting his thoughts.

 “I need a bath,” she said as  she tugged at her hair.

 “Excuse me?” Lucian turned his  head to regard her.

 “I need a bath,” she repeated.

 She wasn’t wrong. Her hair was  a mess, her face was covered in dirt and soot, her clothes were filthy… Lucian  brought his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going  to be an exhausting journey. He stood  and collected the small wash basin from the corner of the tent. He placed it on  the floor next to her with a rag and towel.

 “I can’t fit in that…” Nire  said dubiously.

 “You don’t fit in it, you wash with it,” Lucian tried to explain as calmly as  possible.

 “How?” she asked.

 Putting his hand to his face  again he took a breath and calmed himself. “Take the rag, put it in the water,  and wash your face,” he said shortly.

 “But… I’m really dirty…” she protested. “I need a bath.”

 Frustration took control and  the demon opened the flap of his tent. “ALASTOR!” he shouted into the  camp.  His first hurried and called to  him upon his approach.

 “My Lord? What is it?” he  inquired upon entering the tent.

 “She needs a bath,” he stated  with irritation, gesturing to the human girl.

 Alastor stared at him, then  looked at the girl. “Alright… then…” he said as he stepped back out of the  tent.

 Lucian had no idea how to deal  with a child. He paced back and forth as she watched him closely. His usual  approach to disobedience was anger and violence, but that was clearly out of  the question. She was frustrating, and stubborn, and he had no experience in  dealing with small, defenseless creatures that needed his protection;  especially ones that tried his patience to such a degree. He was not a patient person.

 Alastor returned with a  moderately sized metal tub. This was all the company had in the way of a bath  tub. It had two handles on either side, and was fairly light weight. It made a  gong sound as he placed it on the floor of the tent.

 “The men are heating up some  water…” he informed them.

 “Thank you,” Lucian stated,  his face still in his hand.

 “My Lord, should I bring in  one of the human men who has children?” Alastor offered.

 “NO!” Nire shouted suddenly.

 Not moving his hand from his  face, Lucian made a sweeping gesture towards the child.

 “Very well then,” Alastor nodded.

 When the tub was filled  halfway with warm water, Lucian crossed his arms and stared at the child.  “Well?” he asked. “There you are,” he said gesturing to the tub.

 “I need help with my dress,”  she stated.

 Lucian sighed and rose from  his seat. He knelt down behind the child and began to loosen the laces of her  dress while she held her hair out of the way. “Can you at least bathe  yourself?” the demon inquired.

 “Yes,” she responded quietly.  “but…”

 “But what?”

 “I can’t get in.” The demon  considered her. She was barely taller than the tub. As he finished removing the  laces of the dress he swiftly put his hands under her arms and lifted her into  the tub. The dress fell to the floor in a heap, and he picked it up and walked  out of the tent.

 When he returned, Nire was  sitting holding her legs to her chest. Her face was clean, and her hair was  untangled. “The waters gone cold,” she said quickly. It was cool out tonight.  It suddenly occurred to Lucian that she probably could not get out of the tub on her own either. He  swiftly gathered a towel and knelt down behind her.

 “Stand up,” he ordered,  holding the towel open. She stood, shivering, and the demon wrapped the towel  around her and lifted her from the tub. She clung to the towel around her  shoulders and turned to face him. Her teeth chattered and the demon rubbed her  arms with his hands. “Don’t just stand there soaking wet,” he ordered again.  “Dry off and you won’t be so cold.”

 Grabbing a blanket from the  corner he threw it around her shoulders and up over her wet head. He wrapped it  around her as she stood shivering. “There, better?” he asked. The child nodded.  He laid her down, and rather than calling Alastor he swiftly picked up the tub  of water and walked it outside the tent.

 “Luceen?” the girl asked when  he walked back inside.

 “Loo-see-in,” he corrected  her.

 “Where are we going?” she  asked, ignoring his correction.

 “I am returning home, to the  East,” he responded as he removed his boots.

 “Where am I going?” she asked again.

 “That, I have not decided just  yet,” he said looking at the girl.

 “Can I come home with you?”

 He sighed. “And what would I  do with you?” he inquired earnestly.

 “I’m a good helper,” she  stated, putting some thought into her response. “I helped momma all the time.  She said I was a good sweeper,” she added.

 “I have an entire staff of  people whom I pay to clean for me,” he stated.

 She thought hard. “I could  pick flowers for you. Momma said I always picked the best flowers.”

 He had to admit it was mildly  endearing how hard she was trying to think of something useful she could do.  “Go to sleep, child,” he said as the candles in the tent suddenly snuffed out.

 “How do you do that?” The  human asked quietly.

 “I control the darkness,” he  responded shortly. “go to sleep.”

In the morning Alastor brought  the human girl's now clean dress to the large tent, and she once again held her  hair out of the way as Lucian helped to lace it up. He hoisted the child onto  his rathe before climbing on himself, and the company set onward towards the  town of Misery.

 It was, in fact, a miserable  town. The water was filthy, the population was astronomical, and poverty was  abundant.

 “My Lord,” Alastor addressed  him as he rode to his side. “There is an orphanage on the other side of town,  shall we make our way in that direction?”

 Lucian looked down at Nire,  who looked up at him. “No,” he stated. “An Eastern town would be a better  solution, one that is a good distance from the border.”

 Alastor studied him. “Are you  sure, my Lord? The nearest Eastern town from here is a good months’ ride,  and we will be more than halfway back to Eastcastle  when we find a town well beyond the border…”

 “Yes, I am sure,” he  responded. “She is within my charge to place properly; I won’t leave her  somewhere no better than where she was before.”

 Alastor nodded. “Understood,  my Lord.”

 He glanced back down at the  child. Her dress was clean, but it was none the less torn, scorched, and about  ready to fall apart. “Alastor send one of the human men to the market and have  them buy a proper dress for a girl the age of five,” he ordered thoughtfully.

 “Uh, yes, of course, my Lord,”  the lion headed demon responded as he turned.

Over the course of the next  few weeks, the child seemed to grate on his nerves far less than she had  originally. Perhaps he was building a resistance. The men had started to talk,  and though they all had enough sense not to say it to his face, Nire had become  known throughout the company as his ‘pet’.   The talk did not bother him so long as his men maintained respect when  addressing him. He was not sure if Nire was aware of the nickname, but if she  was she didn’t seem to mind.

 They had passed the Eastern  border two weeks ago, and every town they stopped at since had been left just  the same as they came, with the child seated directly in front of Lucian. There  had been many homes willing to take her, and even a few families. But Lucian  found none of them suitable. He felt that a young child who just lost her  parents would need more than just a moderate home with a moderate family, who  would moderately care for her.

 He was by nature and by status  a person of responsibility, and he took none of it lightly. If he were directly  responsible for something, it would not be done half way. Had any other member  of his party picked up the child it would be up to them to decide what to do  with the girl, but he had been the one to pick her up, and in doing so he  accepted her problems as his own.

 It was only another week to  Eastcastle. The girl no longer seemed to be much of a burden. She was in fact  easy enough to care for, once he had her figured out. Baths were still a bit  awkward, and she didn’t seem to understand the value of personal space. She was  clearly far more comfortable with the situation than he was, but that was to be  expected.

 Perhaps there was a home in  the city of Eastcastle that would be proper for her. The capitol would be the best place after all, the  safest not to mention the best economically. And it would be close enough that  he could check up on her well being now and then… Good. It was settled then.