Lupus Princeps

1.3 - The Blood Demons

NYMERIA TRIED TO steady her trembling hands, she tried to calm her raging nerves but the screaming didn't stop from inside the walls and so her heart wouldn't stop pounding. 

Crawling into the tunnel, she was gravely aware of her vulnerable position. She wouldn't dare to ever get on her hands and knees in front of a Male, it would be an open invitation. Yet the wailing of both Males and women within the walls told her that the threat was much bigger than them all.

If Nymeria could save even one innocent child or woman, perhaps the clawing guilt in her chest would ease. 

She paused at the end of the tunnel, where she could see the fluttering petals of the Golden Fields in front of her eyes. Her dark eyes followed a petal on its path to the ground, falling inches away from her face. 

Where it landed in a cluster of golden laburnum leaves, Nymeria discovered a mark. 

Silently, she urged herself forward. Until the dimming light gleamed onto the leaves. It looked to be a scorch mark. Much like the burnt loaves the women received in their rationings when it was deemed inedible by the Males. 

What made Nymeria even more curious, was the shape of the burn mark.

A handprint. With five long fingers and a pressed palm. Directly on only the golden leaves. 

With newfound courage and curiosity, Nymeria slowly lifted herself from the tunnel, making sure to keep silent around the echoing screams in the night. 

She grabbed the branch, inspecting it closer to her face. The rotting stench of flesh clung to the scorch mark and for a moment Nymeria thought it would burst into flames. 

She had never seen a handprint like this, not even when a girl from her women's camp was burnt to death on the Reckoning Post. There was no mark, no handprints of any sort, even when the girl's flaming hands hit the stage, clawing to break free. There was no mark left. Not even a scorch. 

Suddenly, a hissing sound brought her back to reality and had Nymeria stumbling for cover. She threw herself behind a tree and prepared for the worst.

Then she heard the gurgling. A deep sloshing rumble that set her mind on fire.

She peered around from the tree and spotted a figure, crouching over a body. Moving almost too fast for her eyes to see. She could make out some gestures, but she didn't need to see everything to understand what was happening, the sounds revealed all. 

She shifted her weight preparing to sneak past the creature, but her foot landed unevenly and a twig snapped beneath it. 

When she looked up again, the creature's eyes were bright, enormously wide and fixated on her. 

Nymeria gasped, unable to stop the air from leaving her lungs. She stumbled back, hoping to throw herself back in the tunnel and escape from its impenetrable glare, but time moved faster than her body and before she could blink the creature was only a meter away.

It stood taller than any Male she had ever seen. Heads taller than herself, with shoulders so hunched and deformed she thought its collarbones would snap in two.

Its bright, feral eyes locked onto her body, causing her to grip the branch so tight she thought it may break. Where a human nose would have been, only two long slits remained. The body was skeletally thin and bones protruded at odd angles. 

It began to circle Nymeria. With a slow taunt to its deathly graceful strides. Its inhales were a deep hiss to her ears, sounding only mere inches away. She could understand why the women called them Blood Demons. Its mouth was dripping with slaughtered blood from the body it was feasting on.

When it had completed a full loop around Nymeria, it stopped in front of her. 

Nymeria was paralysed with fear, rooted to the ground like the laburnum trees that surrounded them. She willed herself to look away from the creature, yet the fear of turning her back to it made her feel even more vulnerable and small than she already did. 

Then its features began to change. 

Its height slowly shrunk, morphing slower and slower until it was at eye level with Nymeria. 

The wrinkles surrounding its eyes rolled into its skin, puffing out the cheeks and making them considerably fuller. Hair sprouted on its pale scalp, full luscious and long. The dark hair began to coil and frizz, growing outwards rather than down. Its eyes shrunk, looking more and more familiar to Nymeria the more they changed. 

Until the eyes were rounded, deep brown and unmistakenly Amara's. 

Nymeria's hearts froze right then and there, her hands stopped shaking instantly and the rustling of the branch in her hand silenced. She was caught up in the whirlwind that Amara was actually in front of her own eyes. 

She loosened the hold of the branch until it was barely connected to her fingertips. Her body urged her closer to Amara, urged her to protect her sister from the vile creatures inside their walls. She took a deep breath, unknowingly inhaling all the foul scents around her. In the distance, the screams dimmed until they were meer whispers in her head. 

Her eyes focused solely on Amara, who had opened her tiny mouth. Amara pulled back her lips, revealing red-stained teeth. 

Nymeria's heart dropped, as a gust of wind brought the golden flowers of the leaves trailing to the ground, fluttering around Amara but never touching her. Amara's mouth was still open, as her eyes widened to the point of insanity.

"Momma! Momma! Nymer-"

Nymeria was thrown back with the power of its voice. It craned its neck towards her, menacingly before Amara's hair started to fall off. The skin became ashy and cracked again, morphing into a pale white. 

It grew taller again, as the blacks of its eyes brimmed around the edges. The slit nose reappeared. But before Nymeria could run, it barrelled towards her. 

Crying out, "Momma! Momma! Nymer-"

It was above her fallen form. Hunched over with its gaping open mouth, dripping foul blood onto her face. 

She threw caution to the wind, tightening her hold on the branch before clashing it against the creature's face. 

The change was instant. Releasing a shrill scream and clutching at its face, it staggered away from Nymeria. She watched as a deep, inky mark seared into its cheek, marring up to the surface around its eye. 

It shrieked again. Attempting to morphe its features, the creature cried in agony when the mark stayed put.

Nymeria did not waste another second. In her scramble to the tunnel, she collected as many golden branches as possible, scooping them up in her arms.

She piled them in the tunnel as she left behind her fallen society and the Blood Demons that now inhabited it. 

With her newfound discovery, she kept a handful of branches with her as she sprinted back to the treeline, hoping to rid her mind of the screams and cries of the dying. 

Taking a shuddering breath, Nymeria felt the adrenaline leave her body. The guilt stained her, she hoped that if she had found at least one person left to save, it may have atoned her actions, her sins. But now all was left was the ugly scar of guilt, marred onto her mind. She had let them in. 

She had created a tunnel coated with blood; an open invitation to a grand feast.

The guilt pushed onto her shoulders and sat on her chest. Nymeria feared she would never breathe innocently again. She peered over her shoulder, to the tunnel now filled with golden branches and her eyes landed on the scratches engraved in the concrete. 

She stared at it long and hard until her vision blurred with tears. Only when the first tear dropped from her eyes, did she turn to the treeline. They would never return again. Through all her guilt, there was a sick sense of relief. No Male would ever hurt them again. Never touch her mother in the middle of the night, never force Nymeria to her knees. 

But stronger than her relief, cast in an unbreakable iron shell, the guilt overpowered her. Nymeria knew wholeheartedly she was to blame for the innocent deaths. The deaths of all the children. All the women. All the innocents.

Amara would have never wanted this. 

When she reached the treeline and entered the wooded forest, Nymeria found the group of women easily. They rushed towards her, concern clear on their face. 

Nymeria couldn't answer their burning questions. 

"What happened?" 

"Was it the Blood Demons?"

"What about my auntie?"

"Is anyone left?"

Nymeria's silence and her hanging head told the women exactly what they needed to know. She reunited with her mother and Mona as the women around her collapsed with grief. 

Nymeria turned to Mona, looking for the comfort that her mother should provide, she clasped Mona's hand with her own and let the tears fall freely.

She whispered too afraid to say aloud but needed to take responsibility for her actions. "I did this."

She felt as broken as her voice sounded and without a single word, or even a denial, Mona pulled Nymeria into her arms. Nymeria's heart was set to stone, she didn't need to hear lies that aimed for comfort. She knew the consequences of her actions, they were still screaming from the walls. 

"You need to be strong," Mona replied, her voice a deathly quiet whisper. Nymeria sobbed into her shoulders, clutching them and hoping they would hold her up from the weight of reality.

Mona pulled her away so they were looking towards the group of grieving women, "You need to be strong for them."

Nymeria wiped away the tears from her eyes, gazing at each and every child clutching onto their mothers and not truly knowing the gravity of the situation.

When their tears dried and the exhaustion hit, Nymeria finally gathered the courage to speak. 

"I saw one of the Blood Demons."

This gathered their attention, quickly. As though they were finally realising how close they still were to the walls. The screams had died out now and all was left was the hissing. 

No one spoke a word, so Nymeria continued. "In the Golden Fields," She held up a branch of the Laburnum tree, "when it touched the golden flowers, it burnt."

Amabelle looked down at the golden branches, most of the women were reluctant to look at them, let alone touch it. But Amabelle took one out of Nymeria's hands and inspected it. 

"This can hurt them?" She asked, fiddling with the golden leaves. 

Nymeria nodded and began passing them out to the women. "It might be the only thing that can."

A heavy silence fell over the women, they all knew that the golden flowers once meant death to any that came in contact, but now holding on to it, the flowers meant protection from a greater threat.

Nymeria felt her heart tighten as she looked to the children.

"Do not eat the golden flowers. Do not eat the black seed pods when they begin to fall. Do not touch these branches on your own." She ordered. Feeling a heaviness settle in her mind. If only...

It was simple enough to understand and many of the children nodded to her. 

Taking a deep breath and ridding her mind of any traces of Amara, Nymeria helped the women stand. "We need to move. We go to the snowy place and this time we are not returning-"

A twig snapping at the entrance to the treeline alerted the whole group.

The noise resonated from only meters away from them. Nymeria stood straighter, subconsciously preparing to fight off another Blood Demon. The women around her backed away, taking greedy steps backwards and further into the forest and clutched their children closer to their bodies. 

"Who's there!" Nymeria called, holding out the branch instinctively. 

There was a pause, "Please help me. Please. I-I mean no harm."

Nymeria's eyes widened, believing it to be another trick the creatures could pull.

The Male stepped out from the tree he was hiding behind. Looking to be around his late teens, he was scrawny and thin. Lacking the usual muscle of the Males she had encountered in their society. 

"Help me." His eyes were wide with fear, "I saw you crawl from the tunnel. I-I don't want to be alone. They killed everyone."

The Male held up his hands, shaking with fright.

Mona stood closer to Nymeria, who had stiffened her body. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "He is just a boy."

Nymeria flinched, "They play tricks." She began, not taking her eyes off of the Male, "He's one of them." 

Mona furrowed her brows, "How do you know?" 

"I swear I'm not one of them! I swear it!" He cried, the tears easily falling from his eyes. Nymeria didn't trust him. 

She ignored his cries, "The creatures can change faces. Change their bodies and voices. I saw it with my own eyes." She blocked out the horrifying encounter with Amara and shoved the branch towards the young Male. Hoping the creature within would reveal itself, become frightened and scurry off. It didn't.

Mona looked towards the young boy, he didn't look like a monster that could do harm at all. But Mona knew the violence of Males first hand and decided to side with the caution of Nymeria.

"How did you escape?" Mona asked, hesitantly. Before subtly stepping back to shield Nymeria's mother. 

The young Male shuddered, "The creatures- they, oh God, they hurt my family. They-" He stumbled over his words, his voice thick with pain and anguish, "-they killed my father. I just kept running. I-I climbed the Golden trees and came over the wall. I-I've hurt my leg. Please, I mean no harm. I'm not a monster!"

He was openly sobbing at this point, holding his face in his hands. 

Nymeria didn't waste a second. She rushed towards him and hit him with the branch. Backing up immediately afterwards. Waiting for the burn to appear. Waiting for the black mark to scorch his skin. Force him to transform back to reveal the ugly truth. 

But it didn't.

He looked shocked, removing his face from his hands and looking confused at Nymeria. She mirrored the same expression. She hit him again, this time straight in the face like she had done with the Blood Demon before.

Again nothing. 

"W-What are you doing?" He whimpered, visibly confused. 

The women around her relaxed and Mona came up to the Male, "What is your name?" 

"Gale." He replied with a shaky sob.

Mona nodded, her eyes becoming solemn and wary. "What division?"

Mona knew this was the question that determined whether he could be trusted and whether Nymeria would allow him to join them at all. 

"Medical Division."

It was the answer Mona was looking for, if he had been in any other division, especially the Army Division, Nymeria would have surely killed him on the spot. She hesitantly glanced at Nymeria. 

"He can be useful for us-"

"No." Nymeria's response cut through the air, swiftly and knocked the Male down into sobs once more. Males could not be trusted. He may have been in the Medical Division but Nymeria knew of their prejudice and volatility all too well. After all, they were the smartest, the most cunning with their evil actions. 

A face flashed before Nymeria's eyes, a wicked gleam to his features. He pushed Nymeria to her knees and gripped her hair in his wrinkled hands. 

"No." She repeated. Stuck in the horrors of her memory.

Mona's tears filled her own eyes at that point, hearing the heartbreaking sobs of a young boy in pain. In need of safety.

"Think of your mother, Nymeria. She may need his experience when the baby comes." Mona bargained, placing a delicate hand on Nymeria's arm. 

Nymeria thought it over, she hadn't even begun to plan for what she would do when the baby came. 

"Ronnie knows herbs. She can help when the time comes. Not that Male." Nymeria argued, looking over to Ronnie, the woman that helped her mother's wounds after the Reckoning.

Ronnie was baffled, she opened her mouth like a fish gasping for water. "I-I'm not too sure whether I could deliver a baby, Ny. It's difficult. I don't know if I could do it properly."

"But you've done it before, right?" Nymeria demanded, glaring at the Male once more. 

Ronnie looked lost, twitching her head into a shaking 'no'. 

Nymeria's face fell. Looking away from Ronnie and to her visibly pregnant and exhausted mother.

"I can help. I know a lot about birthing children." The Male mumbled, "Please, I can help."

Nymeria didn't want the fate of her sibling to be in the hands of a Male, especially when her mother was as vulnerable as she was now, Nymeria couldn't imagine what it would do if that Male harmed her sibling. Her mother may never survive it.

But Nymeria couldn't bear the weight on her shoulders, the guilt of it, if Nymeria turned away the one Male that could help her mother and her sibling didn't survive the birth.

"He's a survivor, Nymeria. Even if he is a Male." Mona whispered.

The air was knocked out from her lungs, perhaps it was fate's way of letting Nymeria atone for her actions. Spare the Male and perhaps the guilt would lessen. 

But spare the Male and have him attack and destroy what they worked so hard to gain, it would shatter her.

With one final sparing glance at her mother and her lifeless eyes, her decision was made. 

Nymeria bent down, pulling out a vine from the ground.

"Oh no! Please. Please! I can help!" He cried.

She marched over to the Male as Mona's hand dropped from her shoulder. Her movements stiff and unbearably controlled, a fire flared inside her pounding against her head until she was only inches away from the Male. 

"No. No, I swear, I'll help. I won't ever hurt anyone."

Ignoring his pleas. Nymeria grabbed the Male, feeling the power burn through her once again. 

Wordlessly, she picked up his bloodied wrists and bound them together tightly. As tight as they would go. 

She clenched her jaw. "Once the child is birthed, you are gone. Do you understand?"

The tears dried on his cheeks, it repulsed her to be so close to the Male. He nodded erratically, "Yes. Yes. Thank you. Thank-"

Nymeria backed away and spat out, "Don't thank me. You are a dead Male walking."

She handed the length of the vine to Mona, practically shoving it in her hands. "He is your responsibility. If anyone dies, it's on your shoulders."

Nymeria couldn't help but feel the red hot betrayal of Mona, even if she did it for a good purpose. 

But as the women and Gale began their journey to the snowy place, Nymeria felt a small pebble of guilt lift from her shoulders and fall to the ground beneath her. She squashed it under her shoe. 

One person survived. 

(3219 Words)

A/N 

Anyways! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know there's at least a couple of you out there reading this and I wanted to say a massive thank you! 

I know this takes time, but the fact that I come onto Wattpad and check this book and every day there's a couple more reads! It makes me so happy!

A massive thank you to you all! Next chapter will be up tomorrow! 

Xoxo