Chapter 1
“Argh!” Tabitha screamed in agony. Her beautiful face was disfigured by her intense pain. It was late in the afternoon and Tabitha was doing her usual evening meditation in the communal hut. It was warm and cozy with candles lit all around her. There was an altar and a mirror in front of her. She was focusing on the future when she was hit with a powerful vision, causing her to cry out by the intensity.
“Get the healer quick!” One of the young girls in the communal hut Shouted to her sister Oya, who would normally assist her with the evening meditations.
Tabitha doubled over and collapsed to the ground, her long hair slayed all around her. Oya, the youngest of the King’s daughters, dashed out of the room to locate the healer. By this time there was a small crowd that gathered outside the communal room. This was Tabitha’s meditation room, it was decorated with an alter and pillows to sit on or lay on comfortably. There were lit candles and crystals on the altar and in some of the corners. While meditating with her sister Oya, she fell into a deep trance and started screaming in pain. Two of the King’s guards had picked up Tabitha, his eldest of three sisters. She had skin as white as snow, the hair on her head was white even her lashes, tall and shapely. The people of the small village worshiped her because she had an unusual gift of sensing danger. Whenever the people was threatened by an enemy Tabitha would always ‘know’ and help the people avoid danger.
The spiritual healer Vikram came in great haste, the small crowd parting to allow him to pass with Oya closely behind. She carried with her a few bottles of herbal concoctions that the healer would use to remedy any illness.
These are the last days for humanity, people don’t normally live beyond seventy years. Vikram being the exception still living at the ripe old age of ninety-five. Though he was this old he certainly did not look it, he was tall and dark, his locks tumbling down his back in a mass of curls. His beard was thick and braided in one plait. His body, though old, was still thick and muscular. This was because his mutation gave him the ability to look young and live long.
There was something on the earth that caused humanity to change. Some humans became so deformed to the point where they were unrecognizable, looking grotesque and animalistic. These were no longer classified as humans, they were classified as demons. These demons would hunt the few humans that remained normal.
In this village Tabitha was the exception as she was the only one in that village with white skin and hair.
“Demons…” she moaned.
“Oh no!” Vikram said, clearly distressed. “When are they coming?” He pressed her, but Tabitha had already passed out. “Oya!” He called, she immediately passed him the concoction in the bottle. He opened it and poured it on Tabitha’s head and put some in her mouth. He began rubbing it all over her body all the while muttering incantations, spells of protection all over Tabitha. When he was done, he had taken Tabitha to her own private quarters, then he lit the candles and laid Tabitha, on the bed, made from animal fur and grass. “No one disturbs her.” Vikram ordered. “Hey!” he shouted to the King’s guards, “Guard that door, no one enters!” The two men positioned themselves at the door to Tabitha’s room. Vikram was a very hard man. He was a trusted man in the village because he carried a certain authority that came with old age. “Come Oya, Let’s speak with the king.” He finally left the area, dispersing the crowd that had formed. “Everyone go home, the Goddess is fine,” Vikram waved the concerned people away, as he made his way to the King’s area Oya tagging behind.
Oya was the youngest of three sisters. She was sixteen years old, short and dark skinned like her father the king, she had his striking blonde hair and blue eyes that contrasted sharply against her dark skin. Her middle sister Calliope was also dark, almost of a blue black complexion and she also had striking blue eyes and blonde hair. Their appearance shows their royal blood, as their father is also dark with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was around fifty years old, his blonde hair sprinkled with white showing his age. King Alekwu paced up and down the length of his room. “Daddy she will be fine, maybe she was just getting a vision.” Calliope says, brushing off the tenseness in the room. “Be quiet Calliope!” King Alekwu shouted at his daughter. “My King,” Vikram says, interrupting the duo. The king stared at him expectedly, “She’s resting my King.” He added softly.
“Did she say anything before she passed out?” Calliope says anxiously, although she was playing it off a minute ago.
“She only said one word. We are unsure of what it means,” Vikram informs, “She said demons.” He says stoically looking at the King and princess. Calliope gasped and visibly paled, the King fell in his chair. Oya ran to her father’s side, “Father are you ok?” She was genuinely concerned. King Alekwu ignored his daughter, “The demons are a group of savages,” he sighed, “they have abandoned their humanity, they are violent and vicious.” He got up and approached the healer, “did she say when they were coming?”
“No my King.” Vikram says.
“We may have some time before anything happens.”
“What should we do?” Oya asked.
“We should prepare, we should move the villagers or something.” Her sister Calliope says, “We certainly can’t sit by and do nothing!”
“We most certainly won’t sit by and do nothing,” King Alekwu stated with determination. “Oya, please stay with Tabitha until she fully recovers.”
“Yes father!” She answered, and hastily left the room. Oya went back to her sister’s room, it was dimly lit with the candles being the only illumination in the room. The shadows casted eerily against the walls. Oya entered quietly, she made her way over to Tabitha’s bed. In her hand she had a damp cloth that she used to wipe the sweat from Tabitha’s forehead. Oya noticed that her sister’s breathing was erratic, her beautiful face contorted as her eyes twitched rapidly as though she was stuck in a nightmare. Oya began to repeat the incantations she learnt from the healer as she wiped her sister’s body. Tabitha kept moaning and groaning as though she was in pain.
Time went by and soon it was late in the night, Oya had fallen asleep by her sister’s side. The whole village was asleep, with a few guards that kept watch over the unsuspecting people. Everything was still, the night owl hooting chillingly in the night. The frogs and other bugs sing subtly in the background. The Demon King’s servant Jitendra, is a scout that was sent out by his King to search for new lands to conquer. He has been roaming the wilderness for a long while. He was completely depleted of food and water, feeling dirty and tired, he continued on with his mission. He was tall with broad shoulders, strong muscular legs, he was very hairy on his arms and legs. The hair on his head was thick and full, it flowed in a tumult down the length of his back. His face was broad with a wide set nose causing him to have a higher sense of smell than the average human. By following his nose he made his way to the quiet village. The entrance had a barrier made from tree trunks and makeshift spears, possibly to keep out the wild beasts of the forest. Jitendra was able to move fluidly and quietly regardless of his large build. Skillfully he easily slipped past the guards and was able to hide out in one of the nearby huts. ‘This is a good spot to scope out the village, I need to know how many live here,’ he thought to himself. Jitendra drank some of the water that was in the large earthen container in the room he was in. It seemed to be some sort of storage hut Jitendra surmised given the amount of large earthen pots. Jitendra took a few minutes to check out each pot. They were filled with wheat, rice and some were filled with spices. Jitendra was able to lay low until morning, at dawn he climbed to the highest point in the village, ensuring to keep himself hidden. It was a small village hidden in the forest. The trees provide good camouflage. The only give away would be the gate at the front of the village. From his vantage point he counted around eighteen females and twelve males. They seemed to be farmers. From his observation there was a section of land cleared that had different types of plants: wheat, corn and potatoes, these were the main he recognized.
There was a big commotion with the people waving in front of one specific hut. A small young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes came out saying something to the people that seemed to cause them further distress. Jitendra was very shocked by the young girl’s beauty. Her long blonde hair spilling past her shoulders, kissed her high cheekbones. Her delicate pink lips held him captive as he hung on each movement of her lips, something stirred within him that he could not recognize. Tempted, he wanted to get closer but that would jeopardize the mission. He had to fight himself for control and remain still. After staring at the young girl until she returned to the hut. Jitendra decided he must get a closer look at the hut before he reported back to his Demon King. Jitendra noticed that the area was always a hub of activity with armed men passing through frequently, this piqued his interests in the young girl even more.
Jitendra made the bold decision to approach the hut cautiously, being a trusted scout for the Demon King, he was highly intelligent at gathering information. With determination he made his way to the hut without anyone noticing. He made a peep hole at the back of the tent where there were less people passing and what he saw shocked him to the core.
He saw an angel robed in white form the crown of her head to the tips of her feet.
White skin,
White hair,
White eyelashes,
“Wow,” Jitendra whispered. “A perfect present for the King!”
With this new discovery Jitendra hastily made his way back to the Demon King. Hopeful that he will be highly rewarded for his rare find. His smile broadens as he ran discreetly to the forest, leaping into the trees. He knew exactly what he would ask the King for as his reward, He knew he wanted the dark beauty that captured his heart. He could hardly contain his excitement and formulate his plans, he had to be strategic in this to have the expected outcome. "The dark beauty will be mine by any means." Jitendra says to himself, as he ran along. putting more and more distance between himself and the small village.
