My head hurt.

Rolling over, I was about to fall back asleep… as to escape the throbbing pain in my head, but then my memories forced me awake.

Sitting up, I nearly fell back down as my head went numb and foggy. I tried to shake the dizzy away, but it seemed to only make it worse.

“Oh Gods, she’s awake!”

My heart skipped a beat as I froze. With wide eyes I looked around, quickly finding the one who had spoken.

Flinching at the torch in his hand, I went to raise my hand as to block out the blinding light… but couldn’t. Something was holding my arm down and not letting me raise it. But I couldn’t see what it was, since my eyes were dark and blotchy… I blinked them quickly, to try and clear them.

I didn’t need to be able to see to know why, though. I not only felt the metal wrapped around my wrist, but heard it clank as the chain went taught.

“Calm down. She’s chained. And hurt. It’s okay,” another voice. The man. The one who held the torch.

Groaning, I peered through clenched eyes at the torch and the ones hiding behind it.

Two people. Dressed in familiar brown robes.

A young girl and boy.

Their terrified expressions only made them look even younger. The girl was probably Ginny’s age, before she passed, and the boy not much older. His hair was cut funny, very short in a weird bowl style. Her hair was braided, but shorter too. It ended at her shoulders, though maybe not. Her shoulders were tense and high as she tried to cower behind the boy.

Religious types.

And…

Both of my arms were securely locked by the wrists. Short chains held them in place, connected to what felt like a stone slab. Like a long bed, or something. The dark room was lit by the torch in the boy’s hand, and although I couldn’t really make out much of the room thanks to my blurry eyes and horrible headache… I could tell by the smell and sounds echoing in here that the room was tiny.

“What is this…?” I asked, and flinched at the pain in my throat. I felt as if I had a bunch of cuts running down my throat.

“It speaks…” the girl whispered.

“Demons have to. As to lure us to sin,” the boy reasoned.

Great. Just great.

“What happened?” I asked, and shifted as to look at my shoulder. Where the arrow had been.

It was gone, and it seemed something had been put on my wound. Some kind of salve. But I was now nearly naked.

I wore a very thin undershirt, and it felt like nothing else. The undershirt wasn’t mine. It was too raggedy. Too thin.

“O’ demon. You are sealed beneath the abbey. Do not try to escape,” the boy spoke up, raising the torch as if to intimidate me.

“Abbey…” I groaned. I had been captured. Brought back to town.

“Aye, beneath the town. This land is holy, as you likely can feel. You will not be able to gather the strength you need to escape, so do not try,” the boy’s voice became firmer as he spoke. He was becoming confident. Maybe because I looked so broken and weak.

Well… I was.

Shifting, I glanced around at my body. My eyes were starting to focus, and although my head was throbbing in pain… it wasn’t that bad.

I hurt, but honestly felt fine. My tail was still there. My feet, hands, and everything else seemed fine… I had all my teeth still, from what I could feel with my tongue, and both my eyes still worked. At least, to a point. This place was dark, and my eyes were a little blurry, but at least still there.

“You’re lying upon a saint’s grave. Try nothing, demon,” the boy warned again.

A…

“A what? Gross…” I complained as I realized he was right.

This was a coffin. A stone one, but a coffin all the same.

The girl hissed at my words, stepping back. “She really is a demon!” she shouted in surprise.

“Oh please… anyone would be grossed out by this. Do you want to be chained to a dead person?” I asked as I fumbled with the thin shirt. I moved it a little, as to better cover myself up.

The two were silent as I shifted, and brought my legs under me… as to sit up a little. My arms were stuck to my sides, thanks to the chains, but that didn’t mean I needed to be forced to lay down this whole time.

“Who are you two?” I asked.

“I’ll give you no names, demon,” the boy nearly spat at me as he waved the torch. It fluttered around, thanks to the brisk movement, but thanks to it I was able to get a little better look at the two.

They really were young. Likely as old as I looked. And definitely members of this region’s faith. The girl had a large pendant on her neck, some kind of oddly shaped bird on a cross.

Wish I knew more about their religion. Moments like this is where it’d come in handy.

“My name is Renn. Did… did you take the arrow out of me? Thank you,” I spoke carefully, and tried to not growl or sound upset.

The two seemed unbothered by my attempts of compassion. The boy simply nodded. “We’re not hunters or beast. Until you are judged by the bishop, you’re still a member of our flock. Though killer you are, we are not your judges,” the boy said.

“Killer…?” I asked. Had I killed someone in my fleeing? I didn’t remember doing so… though last I could remember was passing out in the river…

“No need for lies! You were covered in blood!” the girl said loudly.

Ah. “Yes. My own,” I said.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Lies. Your only wound was the arrow. And it barely bled, like the demon you are,” the boy argued.

I sighed, and decided to not argue with them. There was no point.

My tail bumped into the chain, and I relaxed a little. I needed to calm down, to find a way out of this.

I wasn’t dead yet… so that was something.

Plus if they didn’t realize where all my blood and the stains came from, that meant it had stopped. Which was definitely something positive for once.

“Where am I?” I asked again.

“The Abbey of Ceremony. Neath’ the Falls. A holy city,” the boy answered.

None of it sounded familiar… but even more so…

“This isn’t the logging village?” I asked.

“Logging…?” the girl whispered, and the way she glanced up at the boy told me I wasn’t where I thought I was.

“Where’s father…” I hesitated. What had been his name? “Diller?” I asked. After saying it, I knew I had gotten it wrong. I think it had been something else.

“Diller…” the girl whispered the name in a way that made it clear. I really wasn’t where I thought I was at all.

“There is no father by that name here. Where are you from demon? And why do you know a member of our clergy? Explain yourself,” the boy no longer sounded very confident.

“Well…” I wasn’t sure how to answer any of that. Or if I even wanted to.

“Look Paul, her ears move,” the girl whispered.

The boy lifted the torch a little, likely to get a better look at me. As he did, I went ahead and fluttered my ears a little. They both startled and inhaled sharply at their movement.

Although the situation was dire… and I was hurting, and scared, I still found myself smiling at them.

They were just kids.

“We’re out of our league, Paul. Please, let’s seal her in and go get someone,” the girl begged.

Oh…?

“Demon… Renn, you say? What have you come here for?” Paul asked.

“I didn’t come here at all. I was hurt and fell into a river. I bet you’re the ones who brought me here, pulling me out of the river,” I said.

Paul’s face contorted into worry, and the girl’s showed even worse fear. “She’s right…! Paul, what do we do? We invited the demon ourselves!” she cried.

“Shush! It’s okay. Now…” Paul hesitated, and I held his gaze.

Was it, Paul?

“We shall send word to Father Franz. He’ll know what to do,” Paul said, deciding.

“Or you could let me go. I’ll disappear. You’ll never need to worry about me again,” I offered.

“It’s our holy duty to see you demons brought to justice. That shall not happen,” Paul regained some confidence.

Great. So he was the type to become embolstered thanks to what he saw as his holy duty. Good to know, if worrisome.

The girl on the other hand…

“Thank you for helping me. I might have died had you not pulled me from the river,” I said to her.

She flinched, and hid behind the boy… but before she did I saw the worried confusion on her face.

“Don’t let her fool you. Demons have no compassion. Come… let’s go,” Paul turned, grabbing the girl by her shoulder and leading her back.

The two stepped deeper into the dark room, and then the shadows danced as the torch they carried revealed a tunnel or hallway of some kind. The bricks looked… old. And mossy. They hurried into the hallway, and not long after took a turn. Them, and the light they carried, started to fade away as they picked up the pace and broke out into a run.

As the room became darker and darker, I listened intently to their hurried footsteps. For a few moments I paid no attention to the hurried questions from the girl, but instead to the echoes of their shoes against stone.

They were either climbing up or descending down stairs.

Then something metal clanked… and latched… And promptly, devouring the few rays of light left, a heavy door shut with a thump and sent me into pitch black darkness.

Keeping myself calm, I took in a very deep breath of the stale air. It stunk, of not just moss and decay… but the torch. Yet it calmed me down somehow, even if it was a bunch of scents that disturbed me.

I was alive. They had tended my wounds, even if they had locked me up and stripped me.

And…

Based off the things they had said, and acted, they were alone…?

Maybe?

They were going to send word to whoever this father Franz was.

Odd. If this was a city, why were there only two young children in a church? Even more so with this supposed grave.

If what they had said was true, and the thing I was sitting on was the grave of something or someone important… it made their being alone here even odder.

But for now it meant I was safe.

No immediate danger. Yet.

Still…

Lifting my right hand, I pulled for a moment. Slowly increasing the strength in the tug, I listened intently to the chain and the stuff it was linked to. The wrist band. The nail delved deep into the stone coffin.

Although weak, and tired, it didn’t take too much strength to start and feel the slip. I heard a piece of the stone crack, and immediately stopped pulling.

Yes… I could break free. I might not be able to get my arm free of the chain, but I’d be able to pull the chain or whatever it was connected to from the stone. Touching the thing, I felt the several pieces of metal latched into the stone. It was attached to what felt like a metal plate, with three hard finger sized nails keeping it in place.

It wobbled as I messed with it.

I could tug it free. Which meant I could escape.

Maybe. The door had sounded heavy… and we were undoubtedly underground.

Should I try and escape right now…? Or should I wait and gather more strength. Even if I got free, if I was just captured again shortly after it was pointless.

Next time I might not be captured by someone too young to do what others would have.

It was undoubtedly why I was still alive. If one of the older monks, or any other man, would have found me… well…

Instead of capturing me and treating my wounds, they would have simply chopped off my head.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to relax. I was tense. My shoulders were stiff. My hands balled in fists. My tail was twitchy, and I was gnawing on the inside of my cheek.

I needed to calm down and think rationally. As to survive this. Somehow.

Honestly I needed to escape. I’d just need to take a risk on the door, and escaping before anyone caught me.

If I stayed here too long, and a bunch of soldiers showed up it was over.

So…

Then something metal latched down the hallway.

Going still, I watched as the darkness became bright. The door opened, and shadows began to dance on the walls again as a torch was carried into the hallway.

The sudden brightness made my eyes water, but I kept them open as I watched the girl from before walk down the hallway towards me.

She hesitated at the sight of me, and took a deep breath. For a long moment… we just stared at one another, until she gained enough confidence to step forward.

Although alone, she was carrying something. Under her right arm. It was somewhat hidden thanks to her baggy brown robe but it looked… like…

She stretched and placed the lit up torch onto a metal holder that hung off the end of the hallway. The fire made noises as it settled into position, and she huffed.

Then… she pulled out the thing from under her arm.

Opening it, she coughed and flipped a page.

“O’ Lords, grant this child your alms as she beseeches thee,” she started.

Blinking at the young girl as she began to read from the book, I felt… oddly unnerved as she went on to pray and chant.

Her voice echoed in this tiny cell-like room, and although she was very obviously terrified… she spoke clearly. Fluently. Without missing a syllable or beat. Some parts of the prayer even sounded almost like a song, based off how smoothly she spoke.

Entranced, I stayed silent… sitting upon a stone coffin, with chained wrists and wounds all over… I watched a young girl of the cloth pray for my supposed damned soul.