Twisted Darkness

They were coming for her.

Aliana could barely see anything as she ran as fast as she could through the unknown forest, only the faint outlines of trees and plants welcomed her every step. Behind her she could hear the creatures’ screeches and shouts. There was nowhere to go and her legs were giving up.

The temperature had dropped considerably in the last hour. She wasn’t prepared. It felt as if snow could fall any second. Which would be impossible considering it was the middle of the summer.

She knew why though. The Lord had been provoked. By her.

How could those words uttered in anger have gotten her into this chaos? She should have thought before she let her wayward tongue loose.

She came to an abrupt halt at the end of the land. Her eyes widened, gaping at the never-ending blackness that she was sure lead to the end of life.

The way she saw it she had two choices, either jump, and most probably die or get caught and killed… after a lot of torture. Though both endings displeased her greatly, she preferred the former. At least then it would be a quick death.

Before she could debate any further what unsatisfying options she had, the air suddenly picked up around her. She was frozen in place, her blood running cold as the whispers of the wind somehow told her that there was someone standing to her back.

Damn, they had her. Still, she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing that she had any dread, she would stand tall nonetheless. Her body, as disobedient as usual, moved to its own accord, slowly turning, and then it started shaking, her hands trembling from the fear. Tears of frustration threatened to form at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

As she came to stop, facing what was there, her breath caught in her throat. The moon that had previously hid now shone directly on top of the creature she gazed at. He was like none of the others that she now realized had stopped bellowing. This one had a strong stance, he was lithe yet with well-defined muscles.

He had marble blood red skin, the different tones and shades of the colour created strange patterns along the length of his body. The patterns continued by ancient black tattoos. The hair was long and the colour of a raven’s wing, flowing around him. Small black horns rose from the top of his head. His lips were also black, accenting the sneer of his face. She dared to glance at his eyes, and then they held her captive. They were like fire, red and orange, outlined with yellow and honestly, terrifying. Those eyes were almost stoic, the only thing there was a mere touch of sympathy.

He moved fluidly, taking a large stride forward, his long coat fanning around him. Instead of stepping back, Aliana took a step towards the creature. She paid no remark to the pain that shot through her body by the feel of the freezing snow beneath her naked, blistered feet. Nothing bothered her. Everything that clouded her mind now wasn’t escape, but being next to him.

When she was inches away from him, his hand reached out, showing what looked like blades instead of nails. She should be scared, she knew, but she was mesmerized by this peculiar creature.

As his rough hand made contact with her cheek, her surroundings went even darker than before, now there were no outlines, nowhere to run.


He caught the woman in his arms before her senseless body reached the ground. Looking at her closely he saw that she was quite lovely. She was tiny, her chestnut hair was unruly and windblown. Her skin could rival the snow for its paleness, but unlike the snow, it was flawless, warm. It was nothing like the harsh snow that kept falling, varnishing the dark forest’s ground with white. He noticed that she only wore a thin black dress that was a stark contrast against her skin. Nothing to cover her feet. She had no protection against the bleak and bitter weather.

With her eyes closed, she looked so peaceful, pure and innocent. How could she be the traitor his master had sent him after? He was almost feeling sympathy for her, but he caught himself. She should have known better than to knock on the devil’s door, refusing to dance to his tune.

She was just like any other person, he told himself, deceiving.

And with that thought he flashed them both to his master’s domain.


Aliana came awake to darkness once again. She could hear the metal clink of chains around her but nothing came to view. The stench of blood was so overpowering that it turned her stomach.
She realised that the chains she had heard were hers, tying her arms above her head, while her stiff body was against the wall, she must have been hanging above the ground since she couldn’t feel anything underneath her.

An ache radiated through her body, destroying her numb state, leaving her breathless.

She recalled coming awake for several seconds at a time. Every time she had, the gloating Lord had been there, beating her unconsciously again and again.

The aura of the room told her that this day –whichever day it might be- was her final day.

If this is my demise then I won’t go down like the coward I’ve always been. I won’t go down dwelling in tears and sorrow, she silently screamed.

For a moment she was blinded by the light that flooded the room. But as she seized the eyes of the Lord, she mustered a small smile.

Her heart, that had been like a furious prisoner, demanding its freedom, now was no more than a tiny throb.

“Well, you have me, master,” her voice, though hoarse, was filled with venom, mocking him.

Her smile grew wide.

This carnival of rust was finally over.

Or so she thought.