With a groan I awoke to another day of woe. Day? Maybe night. It was impossible to tell here; there was no sunlight, and I was certain magic had at least some hand in dictating when I slept since I was bathed and found my cell cleaned upon opening my eyes. I never slept that deeply.  The bitch kept me fed, yet even meals couldn’t be counted to pass the time; sometimes I awoke full despite having fallen into slumber with an empty belly. Other times I was allowed to go what felt like days without even a morsel thrown my way. The bruises from the snake’s last visit had faded too, but that could well have been the work of the healers she must be keeping around. Time truly had no meaning for me any longer.

 

               

      During these precious moments when I was allowed to roam my cell I made sure to take care of myself. Pushups, jumping jacks, squats, running in place. I had naught but my own body weight and an indeterminate amount of time to work with, but I refused to lose my conditioning. Upon completing my routine I wiped my face, noting that it was smooth once again. A finger run behind my ear came back with a bit of foam, still moist. I had just been shaven, meaning that in all likelihood…

 

      The stone that served as my cell door rumbled as the monsters pushing it grunted under its weight. The barrier rolled back by inches, first revealing a length of glistening black scale, then an ivory white shoulder, a shock of messy hair black as midnight. A figure that would have been tantalizing under other circumstances made itself apparent: wide hips, narrow waist, a sizable bust accentuated by the crossed arms lifting it up. Then there was that face: delicately strong with those piercing amber eyes. Statuesque beauty absolutely annihilated by her blood-boiling sneer. She sniffed as she slithered into my cell.

“Exercising again, are we?”

“Aye, I figure if I do enough push ups I might be able to repay you for my broken nose one day.”

“Come now,” she pouted, “I had it fixed, did I not?”

I cracked my knuckles. “Yes, but that still leaves the matter of interest.”

“Well then, would you like to come extort it?”

“With pleasure.”

 

     Heavy. The fat bitch was absurdly heavy and my own exhaustion hardly helped. I managed to push off one constricting coil with my good arm and kicked out, sliding away from her. One last nudge sent me onto the ground, covered in slick fluids not unlike a newborn abomination from the beast’s overworked womb. Gods, I was tired. Still, being careful not to use my left arm and moving slowly due to my bruised thighs I managed to haul myself to my feet and limp into a corner, glaring at the serpent as she lay almost insensate wrapped around herself where she had just raped me.

 

     The mere thought of what she had just done sickened me. I had been beaten, then forced down and taken like a woman. It was painful, it was humiliating, but each… taking became easier. I barely stood—with the wall to take most of my weight—on shaky legs now,the last few times I’d found myself forced to sit and several times before that dragging myself to the wall was all I could do. Whatever energy flowed into me while I was in the snake’s coils, the same one that kept me hard even while I was in agony seemed to be gradually making me stronger as well. I welcomed it into me, in that regard. If this kept up I might one day have the strength to strike the serpent while it languished in a puddle of my seed.

 

      Presently the hideous creature seem to float back to earth and rose from the stone floor in one fluid motion. She fixed her gaze on me and I stiffened as the serpent approached where I stood.

“My my, energetic today, are we?” She smiled, placing her hand on my left shoulder that almost seemed friendly until she twisted her grip, tweaking my dislocated arm in its socket. She continued smiling, ignoring my pained gasp. “Oh, but you look pale. Does that mean expecting another round was too much? A pity, that.”

“You filthy cunt! So help me, as soon as I get the ch—GAH!” My tirade was cut short by another twist of my bad arm.

“Yes, you must like my cunt. After all you did just finish pumping it full over and over again. You almost seemed like a mindless beast trying to impregnate the first female he could find. But enough of that, I have something special planned for you today. Do you like surprises, human?”

It was all I could manage to grunt “no.”

That sneer from before returned full force. “Too bad~”

 

      The bitch bent forward. No! This was a pattern I had come to recognize; a coy look before a movement toward my nape, and then a bite. I pushed against her head with all the strength I could manage in my good arm, but I was as an infant, incapable of resisting even the gentle push of her head.

“No, no, no!” I grunted.

“Yesssssss.”

 

      Twin spikes into my shoulder. I couldn’t feel the venom entering, but I knew. The echidna backed away, leaving only a hand on my chest to keep me from sliding down the wall. She was watching, waiting for her poison to take effect, dreaming of those hours when she was my wife and I was her dopey little husband and play toy. Not this time. I resolved myself to resist, to will myself into fighting off its effects. That’s right, all I needed to do was focus, to ensure my thoughts kept their cold edge.

Hate, murder, maim, kill.

The fists I held fell apart as a warm looseness crept into all of my muscles. No! I locked eyes with the snake, trying to fuel my hatred with the self-satisfied smirk twisting her features. Why was it so hard to focus?

Kill, revenge, justice, duty.

My eyes fluttered and, for just a moment, the world lost focus.

Gods, her eyes were beautiful. What was I doing again? Oh, right. Duty, marriage, beauty.

The snake released me and I fell to my knees gasping as the numbing warmth of her bite spread through me.

“Aww, does that still make you feel faint, dearest?” the snake cooed, cupping a hand under my chin to bring my gaze to hers.

“Just a bit... sweetness. I’ll be fine.” I made to stand, but a firm push on my dislocated shoulder sent me back down with a groan.

“You should stay down for now. Let the healers do their work.” The serpent straightened and snapped, summoning a centaur I presumed to be a unicorn into the room. “Clean him up,” my wife demanded, “he has a big day ahead of him.”

“Yes, Mother,” the unicorn responded. With that, the snake slithered away and I was left alone with the horse.

 

    For some reason she looked uncomfortable standing there with her bucket of steaming water and collection of cloths. Was it because I was naked? Well, so was she. All of the monsters I’d seen since that last battle were, and little surprise. Still, I made to cover myself and the girl approached.

After prodding my swelling arm she sighed. “She was rough again today.”

“Throes of passion. You may come to understand one day.”

“I suppose. Anyway, I should get to work. Stay still.” A few quick gestures of her fingers formed a spell circle she touched to my shoulder. Instantly it fell to my side, blessedly numb and she set about the task of popping the joint back into place and magicking away the various other wounds I’d received in my latest lovemaking session and wiping me down.

 

    Shortly after I found myself well, clean, and sitting in the back of a torchlit wagon. Something resembling an escort had been assembled regarding the wagon, or at least as close as one could get with weapons made from blackened wood and warriors devoid of clothing. The wagon too had been rigged for pulling by the more humanoid monsters rather than the amply available equine ones. I got the impression my wife was in charge around here, and if she thought this motley procession would be enough it probably would be regardless. For whatever it was we were doing.

 

    The axle’s creaking snapped my attention down from the canvas covering to the back of the wagon where my wife was fluidly slithering in. Her bulk took much of the wagon’s bed, but after much shuffling that ended up with me wrapped in her coils. Tightly. Not as much so as when we made love, but still uncomfortably so. At least it was better than the floorboards. Warmer too, all the better since the weather had turned cold. Did the season change?

 

    The sound of flapping canvas heralded the arrival of another passenger. There was no wind to disturb the covering of our conveyance, so rather the sound must have been that of… wings? Sure enough, a head soon bobbed around the corner. Even though I could only see her from the shoulders up her beauty was striking. Slanted eyes, exotic features with a soft cast, silky black hair, then there were those baby blues. Irises swimming in black sclera set in blue skin, they were almost incandescent even in the firelight. A succubus, the one monster I’d seen after whatever it was occurred that changed them all I still recognized. It was refreshing to see someone wearing clothes again, even if it was only a simple cloak.

“Good morning, Great Mother.” Ah, so the sun had yet to rise.

“Why are you late, Nettle?”

“Apologies. I had to check in on our… guest.”

“And you found him well?”

“Enough.”

“Good. Get in, we should be going.”

 

     The scarlet cloak flowed behind her as she vaulted into the bed, revealing a truncated black corset that lifted her breasts but left her navel exposed. A white skirt, hitched up now due to movement that normally would’ve reached her feet and a pair of red heels completed the ensemble. She settled on the far lip of the bed, crossing her legs and leaving one shapely calf exposed. Despite my having been completely emptied an hour past something stirred within me. Or at least it did until my wife adjust herself, constricting in a way that sent joints grating against each other in unnatural ways.

“Are your eyes wandering, dear?” The snake demanded.

“No, I just found myself reminded how much I like your coils.” That answer seemed to be enough; the pressure on my body abated. The succubus merely watched, twirling a bit of her hair in her fingers.

 

    A knock on the back wall sent the wagon into motion. The going was slow and bumpy as there was no real road, yet the inhuman load bearers tugged us along. Silence reigned in the cart for a while; the snake seemed content to run her fingers over the wood beneath us and the succubus observed, fingers drumming on her chin.

“You are another of my wife’s children?”

“What?” The blue woman blinked, caught off guard by my sudden question.

“You called her mother, I was just marveling at the variety of children she can bear.”

“It is something,” the succubus Nettle agreed. “This is not my mother though, more like my great great great great great great—”

“Stop,” the snake interrupted.

“Great grandmother, or somewhere along those lines. Anyway, ‘Great Mother’ has become something of a title for her; we even have a dullahan and vampire that call her that.”

There was something significant there, but I found myself unable to grasp the meaning. “Is that important?”

My wife scoffed, the rumble of her ‘hmph’ vibrating through my entire body. “Of course. Even the mother of monsters can hardly be expected to birth the dead.”

“Oh.” Of course. She was right, but somehow such an obvious conclusion was beyond me, lightheaded as I felt.

 

    The wagon jostled as the monsters pulling it dragged the wheels onto our first real road. Still I had no idea where this trek lead us, but I’d decided not to ask. Surprises could be nice, after all. The conversation became easier as well after I’d broken the silence. I had little to say as the two women casually discussed matters of some import.

“Is that so? It seems to me that if we were to organize the kikimora into units of some sort for espionage, or—”

“Or cleaning.”

“That too, but one truly mustn’t underestimate the power of good information.”

“I would rather a sharp claw where it counts, let the kikimora do what they excel at.”

“Well yes, but if you know where to put that claw—”

“WAIT FOR MEEEEEE!”

All heads turned toward the voice running in our wake.

“Is that…?” The snake began, craning her neck behind me.

“So it would seem.”

All at once a pair of claws latched onto the tailgate of the wagon and a young girl hauled her torso up over the gate only to flop down with her legs dangling over the side.

“Dawn?” my wife asked. “I thought you said you wanted to walk?”

“I did but then it got all dusty and the guards are stupid and there’s plenty of room and it sounds like you’re having fun so can I ride?”

The echidna sighed. “Impetuous child.” Dawn’s only response was a toothy grin. “Fine, but the next person to try hitching a ride is getting strapped onto the side.” With a cacophony of claws the salamander scratched at the gate for traction and flopped into the bed.

“So whatcha talkin’ about?” The salamander demanded upon settling into a corner not filled with snake or succubus. The answer? Everything but what they were actually talking about, apparently. With Dawn in tow the conversation turned to friendlier territory and as the sun rose then began falling again I managed to enjoy the company.

 

    Dusk set in as the wagon slowed. Before the wheels even stopped Dawn tossed open the flaps and bolted out, presenting me with a view of an inn.

“Is that...?”

My wife’s coils loosened around me and I lunged for a second look. Yes, this was familiar. That corner where I learned why the alley always smelled like piss after my first night drinking. The doorway I took my first whore through in secret only to have my mother find out and terrorize me anyway. The balcony where Tusk and I vowed to become heroes. The steps where I held up my trophy I succeeded. I had grown up here in so many ways, even in the dark I recognized it.

“I’m home?” I blinked for a moment as the thought sunk in. “I’m home!” Mother and father and Tusk would be just down the street! Well, maybe not Tusk, but mother and father for certain! It was late, but I hadn’t seen them for so long, even if I were to show up right now—

“Ah, ah, husband.” As I made to run all the way home a strong hand on my shoulder restrained me.  

“But my parents— ”

“You can see them tomorrow. I promise.” Something inside of me shrieked at the smile she gave me but I couldn’t understand why so I answered with a warm smile of my own.

 

    The inn was just as I remembered: the stairs leading up creaked in all the right spots, the air smelled of tobacco smoke and the light was dim but the bar still shone. Everything was recognizable but the patrons. All of them were monsters. Even the familiar barkeep was gone, replaced with a smug looking blue oni.

“Where is everyone?” I managed to get the words out but my wife guided me up the stairs to the rooms as she spoke, not leaving me time to examine the bar further.

“Tomorrow, dear. For now you should just worry about me.”

 

Not since that first whore had I ever felt so absolutely helpless in one of this inn’s beds. My wife topped that easily.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

    Sleeping in this place was impossible. So many regrets eating at my stomach; mistakes I already made and the ones I would be forced to make in the future. I was hardly rested, but I at least had enough practice to fake it. All I had to do was magic away the circles under my eyes, watch my posture and keep from snapping at anyone. Easy as pie for a succubus.

 

    I adjusted my cloak as I loitered at the inn’s entrance, waiting for the Great Mother and her lover (husband?) to come out. This felt extremely informal; as the Great Mother’s advisor on all things human—and everything else for that matter, a state I wanted continued for as long as possible—I’d need to arrange for an honor guard later. And uniforms. And figure out training. And housing. That would all have to wait though, first I had to get through today without drinking myself under the table. Posture Nettle, posture.

 

    The clicking of claws on the pavestones and clanking of armor announced the arrival of Dawn. The salamander mocked a salute in greeting then sauntered over to lean against the railing facing me.

“Morning.”

“Good morning, dear.”

“Are you ready for the thing?”

 

     I arched an eyebrow. The ‘thing,’ yes. She hadn’t a clue what was actually going to happen today, but it was clear by the spark in her eye that very mystery excited her. A youthful zeal. Still, maybe there was still time to make her change her mind. No one was forcing her to attend and she was too young to witness regardless.

 

“Oh, that? I suppose. I wish I could just skip out like you, though.”

“Huh? But it sounded all big and important!”

“Yes, plenty of big important things are. Like meetings, and marches and—”

“And parades?”

“What?”

“Shh!”

Just as I opened my mouth to speak again when the doorknob turning shut me up. That smirk on Dawn’s face really made me want to say something else, but I managed to swallow it back. Having that trick turned on me really hurt though. Clever little thing.

 

    As I resumed my nonchalant stance against the wall the door slid opened and the great snake slithered out with her husband in tow, his smile extra dopey from the morning’s bite. She was still naked as the day she was born which would have turned heads were there more men around, but as things were only he got to enjoy that tidbit. It was also clear from certain womanly bits that she was cold. Hmm...

“Nettle. Dawn.” She said, looking at each of us in turn, then back to the salamander. “Up early, are we?”

She shrugged. “Seemed worth it.”

“Oh yes, child. This will be quite the treat.”

“So what is it?”

“In time.”

“Come on, what’s the big secret?!” The little warrior was quickly growing into a woman but her ability to whine was still on even terms with a child. Still, the Great Mother was indeed a great mother and weathered the pout with nary the bat of an eyelash. “Now now, the one the secret is being kept from is him, not you.”

“Fiiine.”

 

      Dawn fell into step beside me as I followed from the snake’s right, happily whistling with her fingers clasped behind her head. She was terrible when she knew things. Rather cute regardless though, I had to wonder if she might be of some use later. I could use a few people with personalities that straightforward.

 

     The four of us headed toward the town square, carving a path through the sleepy town. Maybe more comatose than sleepy, actually. The hour was only somewhat early but there wasn’t a soul on the street. All of the useful humans had been corralled away elsewhere, but the town was hardly under martial law—partly because none of them knew what that was yet—so the conquerors should still have been about.

“Nettle, does this place seem… quiet to you?”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Perhaps—”

 

     Our musing was cut short as we rounded a corner and the answer presented itself. On the main avenue leading from the town’s gates to the square the street was lined with the Great Mother’s children. Subjects? Whatever. The street was packed with a motley collection of creatures that would’ve made the town’s residents quake. The echidna froze in the middle of the street when the crowd let out a cheer.

“What?” the Great Mother and I gaped in unison.

The salamander spun and addressed the three of us with a smile and spread arms. “Surprise! We’re going to the thing in style!”

The Great Mother, however, was less enthusiastic.

“Advisor, advise please.”

Blinking, I tried to get my feet back under me. “Smile and wave? Hero, hold her hand.”

The man beside her happily complied and the Great Mother rapidly looked from her hand to her “husband” to her hand and then to me. “What is this?”

“Exactly what it looks like. Do you dislike it?”

“Well… no.”

I nodded. “Then go with it. And get on already, this is starting to look weird.”

 

     Dawn drew her new sword and marched at the fore leaving the lovers sandwiched between her and I as I trailed behind letting everyone else take the spotlight. Scraps of paper and cloth fluttered down as our tiny procession made its way down the avenue. It was strange; the ones before us had been little more than mindless beasts until a little over a year ago, I wouldn’t have expected them to know anything about that. Then again, the Great Mother was the only one holed up in her cave that entire time, the others would have seen some things. I would need to give them more credit moving forward. Or so I thought until rice started raining down too.

 

     The procession continued all the way down the main avenue until we reached the town’s square. I’d been to this town a few times before so the square’s decorations were no surprise to me. Indeed, the skeletal arch made from some variety of pre-change lamia’s bones would’ve made the place feel like home to someone that lived here. The arch wasn’t regular, something organic remained in its flowing shape, the vertebrae all set just as if the thing had been alive, erupting from one side of the street and simultaneously burrowing into the other. The echidna’s pace slowed as we approached that landmark and she halted beside it.

 

     One tremulous hand rose and silence spread in our wake like a wave. The snake reached out, then ran her hand down the cold bone.

she spoke to me then, voice little more than a whisper. “Nettle.”

“Yes, Great Mother.”

“Have this taken down. Bury it. Find the rest if you can, but take it down. This is wrong.”

“Of course.”

 

    My heart sank as I realized what still awaited us. To the humans this would have been a place of celebration, a proud display of its residents’ accomplishments. To the echidna though? Disgustingly macabre. Why had this place not been defaced? The invaders had ample time—no, why had I not ordered it destroyed before we got here?! Instead they preserved it so she could see. Ye gods, this was too much!

“Great Mother—”

It was already too late. She had seen, no words could reach her now.

 

     The procession had left our destination devoid of all life, every free being lined up along the streets. As such there was nothing obscuring the view. Dominating the center of the square before us were two yellowed half-cones overlapping in a pool of water. Once it had been a fountain but now whatever sorcerous enchantments kept the water flowing had ceased, it was just a sad stained maw. Kraken, most likely. The fountain was ringed by a grassy area with three statues at the cardinal points of some hero or another killing something or another, the bones of the monsters posed in anguished positions at the heroes’ feet. The fourth was gigantic and bone white, but mostly hidden behind the centerpiece from this angle. More of the same dotted the plaza at evenly spaced intervals. Some raised dais remained empty, presumably to allow for future shows of valor to be immortalized. The snake slithered through them all slowly, drinking each scene in. In each one was one of her children, both dead and eternally dying at the same time. There was an objective to her path though, a clear half circle around to see that last cardinal display just out of sight.

 

     Her breath caught as we got our first glimpse of it. The fountain had been extended since when I last saw it, surrounding the prime trophy. Still water... polished skull, serpentine… a ladder?

“The bastards.” The echidna’s words were flat, devoid of all inflection. As she continued further, arms limp her movements became jerky with emotion. Even I could hardly believe what I saw.  

“What’s that?” Dawn asked from my side. Pillar answered, voice cheery as if the gravity of the situation had slipped right past him. It probably had.

“A slide. Rather well made, I think.”

 

    A slide—a water slide, no less—of pure bone. The artistry was awe inspiring; there must have been bones from dozens of different monsters making up the slide anchored atop the echidna’s skull, yet there was nary a single seam. That detail in itself was somewhat disturbing.

“Who could come up with something like this?” I found myself wondering aloud. “Who could spend days crafting that and not feel sick to their stomach?”

“The governor and old man Three-eye. Hoary old bastard never got sick; said it’s all the calcium. Tusk was so happy. Where is he anyway? Have you seen him, succubus?” Whatever forces were responsible for this happening at least needed to be thanked for not allowing the Great Mother to catch that remark.

 

     Our matron was in her own world, a dark one. She slithered forward heedless of the water her belly sank into. Both hands reached out to the ivory skull as if touching it might burn and bring salvation all at once. Her lamentation was wordless, little more than a ululating moan. She flattened herself than against those bones, clawing at it as if to drag it inside of herself. We all watched as she sagged down, then sprang back up, savagely yanking at the hardware holding the slide in place. the skull cracked and she shrieked, desperately smoothing the fracture and murmuring.

“So sorry husband, just let me fix that right up. Everything will be better soon, dear. Husband, husband, husband, WHY?! ARGHHHHHHHH!”

Dawn sagged beside me and I reached out to catch her weight, slowly lowering her to her knees. “Wait... ‘husband?’ Father? But… they made him into a toy.” Her voice trembled. “But they can’t… how? Why? Nettle, why?”

There was no answer to that. Humans could do terrible things, wrong things, but you couldn’t just kill them all for the mistakes of a few. Please, please understand that.

 

     The echidna’s wail continued, and gradually the onlookers took it up. A hundred forms, myriad voices, all picking up the same lamentation. All of them save our party had already seen this, already begun to cope, but at the cry of the Great Mother they began again, wounds tearing open once more to share her grief. I too struggled not to let my knees succumb to gravity, covering my face with my hands instead. There was nothing about this situation that could be worse.

 

     This was bad. I inched forward, wading into the fountain regardless of my cloak and placed a hand on the snake’s shoulder.

“Great mother?” At the touch she stiffened, struggling for some semblance of composure. “You mustn’t show this.”

“And why not?” The echidna straightened, looked at me with wet eyes. “Let them see my grief. My pain is theirs. This wallowing though, that will not do.”

“As I said,” I began, pulling a handkerchief from my belt, “dry your face—”

“No. I will have these tears today. Let them be. Follow.” She slithered away to complete her circle around the plaza, and I almost fell into step before realizing  neither Pillar nor Dawn were following. I walked back to nudge the former after his “wife,” and gently lifted the latter by the arm. I wiped her face, doing my best not to smear the snot running from her nose, before guiding her after her mother.

 

    When we arrived atop the platform constructed in one corner of the square the crowd was settling, all eyes on the echidna looking out over them. Once glance back at us to ensure we were where she wanted us and the snake began.

“My children!” The echidna paused at those two words, visibly trembling before she collected herself. “Today I have seen something inconceivable, indelible, and absolutely intolerable.  I saw the skull of my husband and I wept. You, all of you, cried with me and I thank you, but how many of those tears were for my sake?” The platform was too narrow for a lamia her length to pace on easily, so instead she raised her torso, swaying to dissipate that nervous energy all speakers seemed to have before continuing, arms raised wide.

“All of us have lost ones we love to the hands  We stand here surrounded by the corpses of loved ones. Fathers, daughters, mates, all of them senselessly murdered. For ages we dealt with this loss as an incomprehensible pang in our souls, but no more! Now we have power!” To punctuate the line she reached up and lanced one of the marble statues with a spear of light. Those nearby were showered with small fragments of marble, several yelped and pressed back. “Do not cower! Do not turn away! Look around you, my children! For ages the humans have murdered us for sport! For glory! They have caged us and robbed us of our lives, made of us trophies merely because they can. Look around you and see the testament to that! But here and now we understand! Today that epoch ends!” Another heavy pause as her words sank in. Oh no, they were eating out of the palm of her hand.

“With this newfound power we must forever protect ourselves from the human menace! We must fight and slay like they have done to us for so long until this day! My loves, are you prepared?!” A cheer loud enough to shake the boards beneath my feet erupted from our audience. Here it came… “Then, are you ready to start today?!” More of the same; again my heart sank. “Then let us taste the first of their blood! Guards, bring them out!”

 

    At that the crowd moved back, making an avenue before the stage. A path down which a collection of the old, the sick, and everyone else too sordid to breed was escorted down by an equal number of guards. The only sound was the low murmuring of the prisoners. It was impossible to make out the words, but the tones were all fearful. Like cattle come to the slaughter they knew what was coming.

 

    The first guard, a werecat with a cloth-wrapped glass shard in her hand lead the way. Her captive was a cloudy-eyed old woman who gave off the impression that she didn’t even know where she was. The werecat saluted sharply, bringing her feet together and her right hand to her chest.

“Great Mother, I dedicate this death to your glory!”

“No,” the snake interrupted before the girl could move, “dedicate it to our future.”

Another salute. “Then I dedicate this death… to our future!”

That same roaring cheer erupted once more from our onlookers as the cat raised her weapon and turned to face her victim. The old lady finally seemed to notice the werecat’s presence and turned in her general direction before the shiv lashed out across her neck. The blade hit bone and snapped off at the handle partway through the stroke, turning into a sort of spout for the blood that came pouring out after the initial spurt. The body collapsed, and then, finally, the cattle began to scream.

 

    An older man was next, struggling with all the might of the crippled against a minotaur that still dragged him forward like he was nothing. She kicked in his knee to stop him from struggling as hard before saluting the same way as the cat then bashing his head against the cobbles until he was still. At that point I took an intense interest in cleaning my nails as the executions continued. One, two, three… I did my best not to count the cries followed by bodies thumping into the growing puddle of blood and fluids before us. Oh, that was a stubborn speck… and a man that refused to stop gurgling and die quietly. I did my best to distract myself, planning for the future, sifting through old memories, anything to take my mind away from there. I almost made it work until a voice nearer to me than the others spoke.

“Mother. Let me do one.” Dawn? Oh, dear gods—

“Of course, dear.” One gesture stayed the hand of the next executioner and the salamander hopped down from our platform, drawing her sword as she went.

“Great Mother, wait!” I dashed forward intent on stopping Dawn, but a single out-thrust arm from the echidna stopped me as effectively as a wall.

“No, let her go.”

“She’s much too young!”

“Too young for what? Have you forgotten? That girl was part of the vanguard. Already she has killed too many humans to count, what is one more?” Those were all fighting back! But no, I could not say that. Instead I bit my tongue and tried my hardest to put my mask back on as Dawn raised her sword.

 

    Dawn was tasked with killing a boy, one not much older than her but with the facial features and fearful moans of one not quite there in the head.

“We got ourselves a lively one,” the arachne still holding the wailing adolescent said. “Want me to knock him down for you, dearie?”

“No, keep him just like that.” With that the salamander spun, saluted her mother and repeated the oath I’d already heard too many times. “Great Mother, I dedicate this death to our future!”

A turn and a slash with a grace that belied the time Dawn had possessed hands, let alone a sword neatly slashed the poor boy open from shoulder to hip. Mercifully silent now, his form hung limp from the spider’s arm as the little salamander flicked the blood from her sword before sheathing it and hopping back onto the platform to retake her place.

“Satisfied, child?” The echidna asked as the salamander passed her.

“No.” There was no fire on Dawn’s tail, but the ones that smoldered in her eyes told me enough. In that one instant I’d lost her.

“Good, I think we can find a use for that aggression soon. Until then, it seems we only have one of the useless left and we’ve yet to see how you kill, Nettle.”

And here I was hoping she might overlook me. “Me?”

“You. Let us see, won’t you?”

“Well, I suppose.”

 

    The last one left was small and bent. I didn’t allow myself to see any more than that; if I did I’d break. After a deep breath I identified a soft spot and whipped out my arm. A blur of steel shot out from my hand, sinking deep into the eye socket of my target. The body slumped down and I made a mental note not to collect that throwing knife.

“That was rather dull,” the snake intoned.

“Have I ever been anything but pragmatic, Great Mother?”

“Fair enough. I suppose that means the time has come for the main event, then.” Clapping, the snake turned to her husband. “I have a special treat for you, hero.”

“Oh! What is it?!”

“Guards!”

 

    It wouldn’t do to sit through all of that and lose my calm now. The two guests of honor were brought forward, ropes tying their hands behind their backs and bags covering their heads.The forlorn figures were prodded up the stairs and brought to their knees before us, grumbling through gags the entire way. At a subtle gesture the bags were pulled off. In those faces I could easily see echoes of another. His chin and lips, her nose… and those eyes. There was no mistaking the resemblance. Gods forgive me.

“Mother! Father!” Two words no child ever tired of saying. With them Pillar rushed forward, unchecked either by the echidna nor the escorts to wrap the kneeling figures in his arms. “I missed you so much! Oh, have you seen Tusk? It seems—”

“Yes, yes, enough of that,” the echidna said, unceremoniously yanking the hero back by his arm.

“Sorry, dear.”

The snake continued as if she hadn’t heard the apology, wrapping her arm around his waist and drawing him close mindless of his objections. “Yet, perhaps some more words… Oh, that is an angry look, isn’t it? Ungag the male.”

“BOY, WHAT IN THE NAME OF HATHOR’S GREAT FUCKING TIT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“Glad to see you well, father.” Pillar cringed, but managed to keep his smile.

“Well?” Like a red hot blade quenched in ice the man’s expression hardened. Even his livid color faded. “What part of this looks ‘well’ to you? I’m taken captive, see all these helpless people dead, and then I find you on a stage with a stupid fucking grin on your face and a snake wrapped around you like she’s already riding your cock. You have ten seconds to explain why this isn’t what it looks like before I break out of these ropes and take care of both of you myself.”

I was behind both of them, but the sneer in the Great Mother’s voice was still impossible to miss. “What if I told you—”

“You shut your cockhole, woman, I was talking to the boy!”

“Well, I never—”

“No you haven’t, because I haven’t started with you yet! Now shut the fuck up and let the boy talk so I can decide if I’m committing filicide or just plain homicide today. Go on Pillar, tell me this is all a setup and you have a thousand men ready to spring out of this bitch’s asshole and set all of this right. I beg you.”

PIllar’s shoulders drooped. “All is as it seems, father. Um, may I introduce you to my wife?”

 

    A bestial roar was the only response heard. Despite several pairs of strong hands holding him at the shoulder the man who had clearly once been a warrior exploded up and forward, right toward the Great Mother. One, two, three steps he made it before she carelessly swatted him to the floor so hard he bounced, landing in a moaning pile.

“An admirable effort, but ultimately useless. Doing such things seems to run in the family, no?”

As easily as she’d put him down the snake lifted Pillar’s father by the collar. “And by the way, funny man, I have no asshole.” With that she flung him back into the hands of the waiting guards and turned towards Pillar’s mother.

“Now then, let us see if you prove as entertaining.” A gesture had the woman’s gag removed and she stared at the echidna with hard eyes before turning to her son.

“I love you.” And that was it. She neither said anything more nor broke eye contact with her boy even when she was re-gagged at the echidna’s signal.

 

    Thus ended the formalities. That also meant the end of this horror was near, and the last chance for me to act to mitigate it in any way was now. It was a chance I would not take, and the fact that I couldn’t determine whether that was due to prudence or cowardice drove me mad.

 

    Oblivious to my internal strife the snake continued her game, pulling Pillar closer and nuzzling into his neck.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Perhaps you needn’t have hit father quite so hard.”

“I’m going to kill them both, you know,” she murmured.

“What?” Oh, that got a reaction out of him. Hands that hung loose through everything before curled tight, and the man so content to stand at her side now made to pull away. “Dear, even for you this is too f—”

The complaint died in his throat when the Great Mother yanked him closer and sank her teeth into his neck. All at once his arms fell limp and the echidna had to cradle his swooning form.

“There, better?” The snake cooed.

“Mush—I mean much, thank you.”

“Good.” Tenderly, like a lover the Great mother placed her forehead against his before continuing. “Now then, which one of them do you think would want to die first, hmm? Who would watching the other die in agony pain the most, hmm?”

“I…”

“Tell me, your dear wife wants to know.”

One shaky hand raised. “I think… father.”

“Yes, that would make sense. Nettle, hold this man.”

 

    With that the echidna released her so-called husband and slithered toward the last of her captives, leaving me to dash forward to support Pillar’s sagging weight.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered when he was closest to me.

“For what?” Gods. Would this have been any easier if the man was himself enough to at least protest? Meanwhile the Great mother made her way over to Pillar’s father and plucked him from the guards’ hands. He was still barely conscious so she slapped him to rouse him.

“Tell me, would it crush the mighty protector to see his woman killed before him?”

His body was beaten and his head lulled, but the man still managed to spit. It was a stubborn gesture that might have meant something had it not splattered uselessly against the barrier raised around her face and dripped to the ground without touching anything.

“All three of you like that trick, hmm? How droll. Well then, without further ado…”

 

    There are many ways to die on the battlefield. Grizzly as they may be, decapitation and exsanguination are among the least horrifying; those at least tended to be fast. The real horrors were much slower: collapsed lungs, sepsis and the like that could take days of agony to kill. Then there was the deceptively agonizing gastric cut. Imagine having your stomach cut, loosing the acids within to eat at the flesh they were meant to help sustain. It could take hours to die from one of those and all the while your world would be one of pain where even breathing hurt.

 

     The Spear of Light the Great Mother formed in the palm of her hand pierced the man she held in an almost perfect spot. Intent not to let the snake hear him scream the old soldier grimaced and slumped forward, gasping when the Great Mother pulled out the spear with a wet sucking sound. He slumped to the ground groaning and didn’t resist at all when the guards plodded forward to pull him back into position.

“That should take some of the fight out of you. Now then, hold him still and make sure he watches. You two, bring me the woman.”

“No…” the man moaned.

“Oh yes. Come along now, you two.”

 

    A salamander and hinezumi bodily lifted Pillar’s mother and dragged her to a spot on the middle of the platform and held her there, arms fully extended. The echidna turned back to the still raucous group of monsters as if she wanted to address them, then thought better of it and directed her focus on the human woman.

“Nettle,”  she said, gesturing with her chin, “stand behind the hero over here.”

“Yes, Great Mother.”

“You know, I had some time to think about this moment; I thought I would have something to say. Something loud and angry and powerful, but I find now that the time has come I have nothing. Scream enough for the both of us then, won’t you?”

 

    I watched on puzzled as the echidna drew in a breath that would make my ribs creak before exhaling as though she was blowing out the world’s largest birthday cake. Or incinerating it.

 

    Blue flame leapt from the snake’s mouth, so hot the heat was stifling even from where I stood behind her. The salamander and hinezumi gleefully leapt away as the fire engulfed the woman they held. For a few moments the hemp rope holding the gag held and nothing more than the cheering crowd, a screaming husband and roaring flames could be heard. The moment it broke the screams were in stereo.

 

    Pillar’s mother was a lean woman, but even so what little fat was there caught flame as her very skin began to fuel the blaze. She was melting before my eyes, visible even through the intense flames. Had I eaten anything for breakfast it would’ve been coming up right about now, my gut spurred to empty itself as it was by the reek of burning flesh. As things were I just barely managed to choke back the bile rising in my throat.

 

    The spectacle seemed to go on forever though it couldn’t have been longer than a minute at most. Right before the end she managed to take a few halting steps towards us before falling to the ground and curling up, dying in misery scant yards from her husband and all but at her son’s feet. Without prompt a number of girls with blankets ran up to extinguish the fire before it set the platform ablaze. The Great mother seemed pleased.

“Ahhhhh, satisfying. I almost want to save the male for later, but with this many children watching that just wouldn’t do.”

 

     As gaily as one could slither the snake moved back to where the second to last human watched on. without ceremony she reached down and lifted him by the collar, making him evince a scream when he uncurled around his wound.

“So? How was it? How does it feel to know the last thing you’re going to do is watch helplessly  as your wife dies, hmm? Aww, come on, at least glare at me a little, what happened to your spirit? No plans to grace us with any last words?”

“Just two,” Pillar’s father managed to croak, finally shifting his eyes from some point down and to the right of the Great Mother to fix his gaze on Pillar. “Fix... this.”

“Really now, you choose to pin your hopes on him? Well here are two more words for you, the last you’ll ever hear: ‘fat chance.’”

 

    Once more that palm-size Spear of Light thrust forth. This time her target was more merciful by far; the blade slid home under the man’s chin, neatly severing his spinal cord. The loudest cheer yet rolled up from the crowd when she presented the corpse held aloft by the spear still in its throat. Without dropping her upraised hands she dissembled the spell, letting the body fall bonelessly to the ground and the roar grew yet louder.

“From this moment forward, until not a single human remains, we fight!”

 

    There, that was the worst of it done. It was still too soon to relax, but at least it would stop coming. The snake too, appeared to be winding down. She took Pillar’s chin in her hands—one of them still soaked in his father’s blood—and brought his face close.

“Tell me husband, how do you feel right now?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Be sure to tell me allllll about it later, okay? In detail. Rest now, though. Let one of the girls take you back to the wagon, hmm?” The ghost of a smile remained on her face as he was lead away.

 

    How could someone put that much malice behind such a caring gesture without tearing in two? There was only one possible reason, a realization I’d been brought to again and again: the mother of all monsters, our de facto leader, was mad. Not the raving, babbling lunacy that would have a human locked in a cozy room with soft walls, but a far more insidious variety. The type that could be mistaken for passion or something so great as genius. She was a rabid dog and I the tether holding her back from ripping the world to shreds. No, not quite. I was a ball and chain. I could slow her, but never stop her. If I tried to do more than that those same jaws would turn on me, bite through any resistance I could put forth and then she would run wild.

 

If I bent with her will where I could not turn it aside, would that not be better? Providing little nibbles of the horrors she would inflict might just keep her sated. In that way at least I could stay the worst, prevent a tragedy at the cost of an atrocity. Yet still there would be atrocities, tragedies too where I failed to subvert those. Through them all there would that touch, that slightest nudge of my own hand. Would that be bearable? By necessity.

 

The possibility remained that, eventually, through the long centuries I would be able to change her mind. Echidnas were long-lived; this one had indeed been the mother of my great great great great great great grandmother; she’d outlived all of them and she would outlive me too unless someone stuck a knife in her heart for trying to commit genocide, but I was hardly prepared to hold my breath on that count. I still had a few centuries left in me though, there would be time. You look too far ahead though, Nettle; take one step at a time.

 

Yes, much too far.

 

Meanwhile the echidna made to slither off the stage in the opposite direction before looking over her shoulder at me.

“I wish to explore before we go back. Would you care to join me, Nettle?”

“Go ahead, I’ll attend momentarily.”

 

     Wearily rubbing beneath my eyes, I turned to survey my comrades as they began rambunctiously destroying the stone portion of the square’s decorum. To think things had come to this because of one woman’s loss of a mate she had not—and indeed could not have—ever exchanged a word with. Well, at least I knew what I had to do.

“I don’t get it.” Dawn’s voice at my side startled me out of my thoughts.

“What would that be?”

“You smile, but you look sad.” Ah, haven't had a wistful smile yet, have you girl?

“Well—”

“Let me guess: ‘understanding will come with age,’ right?”

“No, child, I hope it never does.”

“You’re weird, you know that?”

“I suppose, but that hardly makes me the only one, now does it?”

“Yeah. Mom is kinda…”

“Indeed. Not the way you would normally expect one to treat their lover, no?”

“Lover? But they hate each other!”

“He hates her, certainly, but have you not noticed? The Great Mother is intimate far more often than she could possibly need to be with the tiny amount of magic she uses even despite her constraints from the goat and she’s refused every other potential source of semen. That echidna is trying to get herself knocked up, and by Pillar specifically whether she realizes it or not.”

“She says she already is.” It never fucking rains, but it pours. I was going to need to get better at watching my face, but false words flowed easily enough.

“Oh? How wonderful. i need to find your mother, why not run along for now and—”

“Let go!”

 

     Everyone stopped when a commotion from the edge of the assembly made itself apparent.

“Run faster!” a high voice from somewhere below the shoulders of all in attendance cried out, bringing the echidna back to the stage in a hurry. In hot pursuit were a group of three wererabbits, dipping and diving as they hopped, clearly chasing something agile. They might’ve made it a ways before stumbling into our congregation, but once they made that blunder the jaws of a trap we didn’t even know we’d made sprung shut and two of the rabbits hopped through the press with squirming prizes over their shoulders.

“Great Mother,” the lead bunny called out, “We found some stragglers for you!”

The trio jumped on the stage and deposited a pair of children, one boy and one girl. They looked like twins, and if they weren’t they sure played the part well; the girl viciously yanked on one of the rabbits’ ears before she could be thrown down and the other got in a good shot at an exposed shin as he tumbled.

“Ow!”

“Vicious little shits!”

“Let us go!”

“Quiet!” Wow, that actually shut them up. The Great Mother certainly didn’t lack skill. “Let’s see here, I think we already have enough little ones sequestered for now and these two hardly seem like they would mesh well. Have all of you three gotten a chance to kill a human yet?”

“I haven’t!”

“Me neither!”

No. I already watched too much suffering today. “Wait!”

The outburst was enough to make the snake turn towards me, eyebrow cocked. “Oh? What are you thinking, Nettle?”

“Let them go.”

“Are you joking? I proclaim a war on all humans and the first thing you ask me to do is—”

“Consider it for a moment, please. How much trouble have you gone through to show us your will? We get it, yet the only human left to witness will never be able to tell anyone that hasn’t already seen. Let them go, let them spread word of what has happened here.”

“Oh, not a bad idea. I rather like it, actually. Sorry, girls.” The rabbits collectively shrugged. At least someone else completely wasn’t invested in wholesale slaughter. “You two run along before I change my mind.”

 

     No one needed to tell them twice; the human children were gone so fast it would’ve put a kunoichi to shame. The echidna watched on disinterested until the duo was out of sight, then turned to me.

“Exploring, then?”

“Of course.”

 

     For a city that had been taken over by an invading army this one was surprisingly intact. The same could hardly be said for the populace since all the energy not put into burning and pillaging was devoted to raping instead, but at least the shops were mostly intact. Indeed, it was even quiet with most of the girls still destroying everything man made in the square. The echidna slithered past most of the shop, peering into windows with disdain before moving on. I followed along behind her, commenting on the wares it appeared each shop sold before she finally came across a hardware store.

“This looks promising.” Promising for what? A host of possibilities sprung to mind and I didn’t like any of them. There was nothing to be done about it though, so I stayed in her wake and resolved not to be of any help while she did whatever she was going to do. I really hated being in the dark.

 

     Inside our leader immediately went searching for something and pulled a burlap sack out of a corner before perusing the wares. She picked up four or five things bemused by their function then set them down. She happened upon a pair of pliers, opened them and snapped them shut several times before experimentally tugging on a fingernail with them. She nodded, then dropped them into the bag. I probably should have expected that, in retrospect.

“Disgusting, isn’t it?” The snake asked as she rifled through various metal objects.

“What would that be?”

“That these humans have such a large shop full of torture implements in such a small town. Do they do anything aside from maim and kill things?” she actually thought...

“Great Mother, this is a hardware store. Those ‘torture implements’ are tools, they were made for creating things.”

“Oh. Have I angered you, Nettle?”

“No, just… this has been a long morning.”

“So it has. At any rate, we should arrange to have these brought back to the cave, they might be useful. Like this one, what is it for?”

“That one? They call it an awl, they use them for punching holes in wood.” I said too much; Into the bag it went. Maybe I would need to be a bit less unhelpful.

“And what of this one?” she asked, holding up a plane. “It looks interesting.”

“My knowledge of woodworking is rather lacking—”

“But it is for wood? I wonder, then…”

 

     Every mother has that moment where her child is a bit brighter than one would hope. For me, that same feeling was captured when my however many greats grandmother discovered that a plane can be used to shave off little strips of wood from a surface simply by looking at it and running it over a shelf. She took entirely too much pleasure in making the strips as thin as possible. I could only hope that blood would make it unusable, but I doubted that. That joyous discovery went into the bag with the rest along with a fistful of nails, a hammer and a saw. Someone I knew was in for a terrible night. Several, more likely, the echidna usually kept healers on hand. At least she looked done now.

“That will do, I think. Come Nettle, let us go. I look forward to being somewhere warm again.” There!

“Oh, you were cold?”

“Of course! Are you not?”

“This area is your home Great Mother, you know it gets far colder than this; this chill is only an issue because you refuse to wear any clothes. Here, try this on.”

 

     Before she had a chance to complain my cloak was off of my shoulders and wrapped around hers. This was an opportunity; if I could get her interested in human things that might be enough to blunt some of her rage. I might as well make something positive out of this day. Red really was her color anyway; the contrast between the fabric and her scales was to die for.

“Not bad at all,” I nodded as I stepped back for a better view. “I think that might look better on you than it did on me, and that says something.”

“I told you I have no interest in—”

“But you do have interest in being warm, right? Tell me you don’t already feel better.”

“I do, but—”

“Perfect! You know, humans have a saying: ‘clothes make the woman.’ It’s amazing what a good set of clothes can do, especially when you have men looking at you.” Now let’s see, would she nibble at that bait? When I reached for her hand and pulled her forward she came easily and that was my sign. A lamia was not something I could drag where it didn’t want to go.

“This is silly, Nettle. Wearing clothes is just a human mating display.” She protested, but didn’t slow at all.

“Partly, but then what problem is there in a mating display? Gods know your daughters are already getting adventurous. Besides, if you’re cold you put on clothes. There was a shop around here somewhere with a dress in the window that would match that cloak perfectly, and then of course yours truly will need another… This is going to be so much fun!” I really hoped that shop had something good though, if she didn’t adore how she looked this might well backfire.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

    First there were the shakes, then came the shivers. Empty-minded happiness gave way to confusion gave way to disgust. I sickened myself even as my body struggled to rid itself of the poison coursing through it. I normally found myself revolted by what that bitch snake made me do under the effects of her venom, but this?

 

I just… I just watched.

 

    I knew those people, yet I held the hand of their killer and smiled while they were murdered before me, then obediently sat down in my cell when all was done. The people I wanted to protect the most were all slain before my eyes and all I could do was smile! Gods, so much fear and misery and the bitch enjoyed every second of it. Mother, Father, she even got you. ‘Fix this,’ you said? Fucking how?!

 

    Yes, I would strangle her with my bare hands had I the chance, but how many times already had I tried and failed? As I was I was useless. Naked and powerless to so much as make a scratch unless… of course, Tusk! The number of villagers was devoid of anyone not elderly, infirm or both, but still Tusk was not there! It was impossible she would take or kill him without flaunting it everywhere, especially with my parents—yes, he must still be alive and free. The one person that I could count on to come for me was still loose, and gods could he fight! The one person I still knew my failure hadn’t killed could would help me right this. Eventually.

 

    Yet still this never should have happened. Never would have if only I were stronger, just a bit faster. Were I just better everyone... I curled up around myself feeling miserable and desperately trying to keep my stomach from turning itself inside out as I lamented my failure. Every time I remembered another face, another visage twisted into terror and pain my gorge rose a little higher until it all became too much and a milk tea brown sludge erupted from my mouth. I was too miserable to do more than roll away from the puddle of my own filth spreading across the stone before curling up again.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I failed everyone. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

How long I remained like that, chanting an apology none could hear I did not know, but when the rumbling of the cell’s barrier moving back announced I had a visitor I made to stand. Fists clenched, legs shaking I faced her as she slithered in. Remember your strength, Pillar. I may have lacked father’s cold steel, but at least for a time it could be faked.

 

    There she was, the queen slut herself in all her genocidal glory.  She was clothed for only the second time I’d seen her, and during the wagon ride back there was neither a cloak to cover what lay beneath or venom to cloud my judgement. It was a brightly colored dress, red and white and form-fitted up top, poofy and almost floor length at the bottom. The ensemble was surprisingly more cute than sexual as I would’ve expected from someone that loved rape as she did. Part of me acknowledged that she looked stunning but I absolutely refused to admit it.

“Snake.”

“Hero. Back to yourself, I take it? Wonderful. I was so missing the conversations we have. You’re cute, but just not the same with my poison pumping through you. Now then, I believe you promised to tell me about your parents.” She must have expected an outburst, something hard and violent like usual, but I gave her nothing of the sort. My only reaction was to clench my fists harder and give a restrained shake of the head.

“So help me, when I am free I will redress all of the wrongs you have done to every one of those people. Slowly.”

I didn’t move when she came forward, taking my chin in her hand. She wanted a reaction and I refused to give her one.“Planning a heroic escape, are we?”

“You know my brother? The one that slew your husband and brought his skull back to town so our children could play on it?” Fingers twitched on my face and the hate growing behind her eyes was evident. Good. “Well you made a grave mistake not going for him before that town. He will come for me, and he will come for you, and when he does… what will we do with your corpse, I wonder?”

“Tread carefully human, this conversation is already threatening to ruin my good moo—”

“A new arch, perhaps? I saw your daughters taking down the old one before we left, and wouldn’t it be quite the shame if—” ‘the town had to go without one’ was what I wanted to say, but the hand cradling my chin drew back to slam into my side and seen me careening across the room. The snake moved over to leer down at me and I knew yet another hard rape was coming, but I was feeling emboldened now, too bold to stop. “And by the way, that dress makes you look fat.”

“Motherfucker!”

 

    The hammer dropped, right onto my hips. The echidna slithered from the cell, naked once again leaving me surrounded my scraps of torn dress and once again drenched in my own shame. I hurt inside and out, but as long as there was hope I could hold out. Dreams of vengeance could keep me going for a while; Tusk would come soon enough and then… yes, living for that day would be enough, I could only hope it would come soon.

“Oh, and one more present for you, dear.”

 

    The words sent my heart aflutter. Already she had killed most of the people I knew and loved right in front of me and then taken me against my will until it hurt, what other surprises could she possibly have left? She tossed the answer towards me before the stone barrier rumbled shut once again. The light was dim, but immediately I could tell it was a head. Human. Oh gods, no… Repressing the urge to drop the thing and scuttle into a corner I turned it over so I could see the face. The skin had a deathly pallor and the eyes had clearly been gouged out, but even with the hair caked down with blood and singed this was a visage I could hardly mistake, even in the dark.

 

Tusk.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

 

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