There was an eerie quiet in the brush of Beyond. Save for the owl Thyst heard back when she first stepped into the forest, hours ago, there were no other sounds of animals. Not even the insects. The only noise Thyst could detect was that of her own footsteps as she crunched through leaves and small twigs. She found it disconcerting, to be able to hear her own heartbeat thumping in her ears. A branch scraped her bare arm and she flinched at the sting. All around her was pitch. She could barely see her arm in front of her face as she tried to inspect it for a cut. With a sigh, Thyst leaned against a tree trunk and slid down with her legs outstretched in front of her. She should wait here and try to get some rest until morning. Once the sun rose, she would be able to see. Right now, she ran the risk of wandering aimlessly in circles, and she couldn't afford that. She wrapped her cloak around her tightly, pulling the hood down so it covered her eyes. The fear inside her gut told her to keep walking. Told her that like this, she was a waiting target. But, no matter how shrilly the fear screamed, her logic reassured her this was the best course of action. Roaming in the black could send her straight into the jaws of an awaiting creature. Thyst closed her eyes and her thoughts drifted back to another time when fear clouded her judgement. Back when she'd been permitted to attend her first annual ritual.
Thyst was eleven years old when her mother presented her with the indigo, velvet dress. She left it on the young nymph's bed with a note telling her to put it on and meet outside. Apphi awaited Thyst at the edge of the village path. She rested a hand on her daughter's back and they made their way to the Under Chamber. The Under Chamber was where the annual rituals took place. Only nymphs with marks were allowed to view. Apphi guided Thyst down the stone steps to a large wooden door. On the other side, the young nymph could hear the sound of clinking metal and rustling skirts.
"What are they going to do, mother?" Thyst whispered. Apphi pushed the door open and took her daughter's hand.
"You'll see, my love."
Thyst took in the sights of the Under Chamber. Several older nymphs were sharpening knives on stone wheels to her left, tiny sparks flying here and there. To her right, a chittering group of teenage nymphs whispered amongst themselves, showing each other tiny flares of magic they'd recently learned. But it was the back wall that truly caught her attention. Twelve human men kneeled on the ground. They were stripped down to their trousers and their wrists were chained to the floor. Many of them were filthy. Months worth of grime covering their thin, sweating bodies. Thyst had never seen a human man before, but she knew enough that the color of their faces was too pale. The way they moved too weak. Faintly, Thyst heard one of the teenagers whisper something about her future human looking far less beastly than this group. The eleven-year-old's eyes landed on one human in particular. His orange red hair hung down to his shoulders and his breath rasped out in wheezing gasps. Briefly, he lifted his head and their eyes met. His dark green locking onto her own thistle. For a moment, a look passed his features, and Thyst knew he pitied her. He was chained to the ground like some animal, and he felt sorry for her. Her stomach churned and she turned to dart from the Under Chamber. She couldn't bear to be there a second longer. Strong arms stopped her, though, and wrapped around her shoulders.
"Mother, please, I don't want to be here. Let me leave." Thyst's voice was muffled by her mother's bosom. Gentle hands came up to pet her hair, separating the strands and smoothing them down her back.
"Hush now, my love. I know it seems scary the first time, but soon you'll grow to celebrate this day. Soon you'll be impatient to find your own human to add to the wall. You'll see."
Thyst woke to an unfamiliar sound. She lifted the hood from her face and squinted into the darkness around her, but could make nothing out. It must have still been night. How long had she been asleep? The sound came again, from her right. She strained to listen and realized it was a chorus of hushed whispers. Had the nymphs from the village followed her into Beyond? No. They wouldn't do that, not even for her. Thyst peered in the direction of the voices and noticed a glowing orange light in the distance. A fire? No. The light moved closer, and she could see dark forms surrounding it. Someone, no, something was holding the light so the group could see. The young nymph curled inwards, hoping to make herself smaller and less noticeable. By now the creatures couldn't have been more than twenty feet away. She could make out bits and pieces of their conversation.
"Something new..."
"Hot blood... Hot blood..."
"Big... Meaty..."
"Thump, thump..."
"It's afraid..."
Damp, spindle-like fingers suddenly reached around Thyst and grabbed her chin from behind. She felt cold breath against her cheek.
"I found it!" a voice whispered excitedly. "It's here!"
The rest of the creatures crept quickly toward Thyst, and, for the first time, she got a good look at them. The orange light was some sort of glowing orb. The creature that held it was tall, well over seven feet, and impossibly thin. Burgundy skin, like leather, stretched over the lanky frame. The creature was completely hairless, its head smooth and unblemished. It had no eyes as far as Thyst could tell. Just six slitted nostrils in a circle at the center of its face. Beneath that a widespread mouth filled with needle sharp teeth and a long slender, black tongue.
"What it is it?" one of the shadowed creatures asked. The creature holding the orb bent over, shining the light in Thyst's face.
"It's one of the hot bloods with the streaks on their skin."
"Those are rare. Haven't been any for years. The queen will want it for herself."
The rest of the creatures breathed whispered agreements, and three of them reached for Thyst, binding her with small ropes and lifting her above their heads. Another creature shoved moss into her mouth, gagging her. The orb carrier spoke again, lipless mouth stretched into a gleeful smile.
"Yes, we will take it to the queen, and the queen will choose us. Mate us. Want us."
There was a chorus of "choose us" and "want us" through the group as they began creeping through the gloom of Beyond, taking Thyst deeper and even further from anything she'd ever known.
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