Devour, A Paranormal Romance (Warm Delicacy Series, Book 3) (27 page)

“The soldiers no longer prayed to the sylph at night, and settled into their lives as husbands and fathers,” Ronon continued, completely oblivious to my inner monologue. “Enraged by this, the sylph abandoned their posts and returned to the land once again. They soared down from the heavens to avenge their broken hearts,
but
their revenge was short lived. Because the sylph blessed the soldiers, they were no match for them. Even though time had aged them, the soldiers fought the sylph with immeasurable power. Many human and sylph died in the battle. The fallen sylph fled in defeat, but the heavens would no longer allow them to return. The gods punished them for their sins, turning them into monstrous beasts; banishing them to the sand for all eternity.”

“That’s so sad.”

Maybe it really was a love story after all? The sylph probably shouldn’t have gone on a scorned massacre, but I was still on their side. They left the heavens for these guys, fell in love with them, helped them win every battle and then the soldiers just totally forgot about them and moved on. What did they expect to happen?

Titan finished his speech and the crowd died down to a slightly deafening roar as the warriors took positions around the arena. During my conversation with Ronon, weapon racks had been placed variously throughout the stadium and several of the warriors were searching through them for more armaments to have during the battle. If they needed even more sharp steel than what they already had, then this evening was going to be much different than I could have ever imagined.

My mind wandered back to what Ronon had originally told me. He had said that these warriors were going to fight a sand sylph. Did that mean they were going to fight one of those fallen angels? That couldn’t be right, could it? I mean, that was just ancient folklore; a tale told to frighten children or for pure entertainment.

“They aren’t fighting one of those women, are they?” I asked, totally confused.

“Yes,” Ronon answered, the dramatic tone he used to tell the story completely gone. “That was what I was doing when you first arrived here. The sand sylph we used in our last arena festival was killed. We needed another one.”

His words were so flat and void of emotion that all I could do was gulp loudly and turn around in my seat. I still wasn’t sure what a sylph really was. Did this angelic creature still come down from the heavens, or did he mean that there really were monstrous creatures that were thought to have once been human? Stuff like that didn’t exist, did it?

My question was answered all too soon. The ground began to quake, rattling the foundation of the stadium as an enormous gate at the far end began to open. The emotions of the crowd began to mix with horrific fear and mounting excitement as something stirred in the darkness behind the gate. Two massive claws peeked from the shadows, followed by a grotesque body carried by eight legs reaching nearly fifteen feet off the ground.

My instincts reacted violently to the threat my eyes beheld, forcing me back against my chair as my fingers clenched the armrests with enough force to begin splitting the wood. I was as afraid as if I were down in the sand with the rest of the warriors in the arena. What would stop this thing from crawling up the walls of the stadium and snapping us all in half with its giant, snapping claws?

The sand sylph stepped further into the stadium, allowing the light to reflect off its armored body. My initial reaction completely overlooked the fact that the monster before me appeared to be glowing. All I could see were its claws and salivating mouth. Sadly, my fear was only amplified when the creature made its full entrance. A long curling tail revealed itself, hovering over the monster; a deadly spear on its tip. As if the razor sharp claws weren’t enough.

“What in the goddess’ name is that?” My voice was panicked as I latched onto Arrick for dear life. This thing could give Baal a run for his money. Hell, why didn’t we just sic one of these bad boys on him? The war would be over in seconds!

“It is a creature of the old world. A place where the gods were not as forgiving as our own,” Arrick answered in complete awe. Maybe he was braver than I, or maybe it was just because he was a guy, but his comfort with the situation unnerved me.

"How can they kill something that big?” The fear I had for myself disappeared as I watched the humans in the arena prepare to make their first attacks. They remained in their positions and the beast didn’t seem to realize they were there. It made a hissing sound, clamping its claws open and closed with a loud clap. I couldn’t stop from jumping in my seat as the sound echoed around the arena. The crowd was eerily quiet, not wanting to draw the attention of the mammoth monster in our midst. I was even tempted to hold my breath, fearful that it would hear my ragged breathing or even the racing of my heart.

I was so focused on the monstrosity in the sand that I didn’t see the bravest of the warriors make his first attack. His battle cry sprang from the depths of his soul as he ran head on toward the sand sylph. The creature flexed back on its legs, snapping its claws as the warrior got closer, its speared tail bobbing forward and back. What was this guy doing? I felt myself wanting to shout at him, tell him that a frontal attack was probably the worst thing he could do, but I remained silent. I didn’t want to interfere, but I also didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to myself. How fast were these beasts anyway? Could I make my escape before it reached the top of the stadium and stabbed me like a kabob?

The sand sylph raised its tail just as the man was steps away from its claws. I watched while in slow motion he dodged the grasping claws as the tail descended from above. I closed my eyes knowing what was going to happen and not wanting to witness it, but the cheer of the crowd made me open them. At the last minute the warrior had dropped to the sand and slid underneath the beast. Its tail speared the earth where the man should have been before it shrieked with rage, clearly disappointed that it had missed its mark.

Having built up their courage, the rest of the warriors ran toward the creature, their weapons at the ready. They easily dodged its tail as it pierced the earth with every blow. A gasp escaped me as I watched several humans get flung across the arena by the sand sylph’s claws. Two landed several feet away on the sand and they quickly got back up, while the other two who landed on a rock didn’t. They were still for several minutes and I was sure they were dead, but they slowly rose to stand on wobbly feet before they rejoined the fight.

Three of the burliest in the pack had managed to lasso the sylph’s tail and were tugging on it to keep it from impaling any of their group. At least they were working together. I imagined it was probably the only way to beat this thing. It reminded me of our plan to defeat Baal. The only way to win was to work together.

More of the human warriors joined together, tugging on the beasts’ tail to control its movement. I latched onto Arrick’s arm as the suspense of the battle rattled my nerves. A ruby-haired warrior woman climbed atop the nearby boulder, her massive great sword raised above her head. Nearing the edge of my seat, I watched as she screamed a battle cry before leaping from the rock and slicing straight through one of the sylph’s claws. The creature shrieked an ear piercing bellow as ooze spewed from its wound.

At the sight of the sylph’s injury, the warriors joined in a cheer, renewing their hopes for victory. Losing its claw only made the sylph angrier, and its screams only grew louder. I almost felt sorry for it; knowing the tale of its existence. Maybe they were true, maybe this creature was once a beautiful, fairy-like angel, or maybe it was nothing more than a nightmarish fiend.

With seemingly little effort, the fighters made quick work of the other claw. Leaving it a mangled mess that hung on by oozing sinew and bits of the beast’s hard exterior. Having only one weapon left in its arsenal the sylph swung violently around, flinging the men who lassoed its tail across the area. They flew like dolls, landing in a heap beside the interior wall of the stadium.

In mere seconds I thought the battle had taken a turn for the worst. With its tail free, the sylph stabbed at the nearest warrior. His reflexes were just seconds too slow, and the barb pierced the flesh of his thigh. A shout of rage and pain ripped from the man’s lungs as the sylph thrashed him about. I closed my eyes, turning my head away. I couldn’t watch, but the cheer of the crowd yanked them open again. The injured soldier had managed to latch onto an abandoned spear and rammed it into the sylph’s pincered maw. I looked closer, seeing that the end of the spear had penetrated straight through the sylph’s head.

As the beast lay dying, twitching weakly; the others helped free the warrior. The woman who had made the first mortal injury to the sylph raised her mighty sword and hacked off the barbed tail, freeing the warrior. With a comrade under each arm, the man hobbled on one leg while the other dripped with blood.

The warriors began lining up in front of Titan. Blood splattered the broken and bruised bodies, but still they bowed, waiting for his judgment. No one paid any attention to the crew of aids that helped the fallen warriors placing them on stretchers. My guess was they wouldn’t be joining Titan’s army, but I prayed that they’d at least be okay.

“You’ve all fought bravely!” Titan decreed in a thunderous voice. The crowd cheered at his words, and the warriors slapped closed fists against their hearts in salute. “You honor me with your victory and your dedication to our land and our people. It is with great pride that I accept you into my blood.”

The warriors congratulated each other, tears of joy streaming down their dirty faces. The uproar of the crowd grew loud again as another gate to the arena opened and a group of people marched out. They carried shimmering banners, and others carried massive torches as they strode out into the arena and began to circle the dead sylph.

I was about to turn and ask Ronon what was going to happen next, when two dark figures breezed into the stadium in a flurry of speed. The arrival of Ronon and Titan on the arena floor silenced the crowd and the cheering warriors fell to their knees.

“Rise!” Titan commanded, brandishing a massive sword nearly as wide as his shoulders. The warriors obeyed, standing before their king with their heads held high.

“Recite the oath of the warrior, and accept your duty.” Ronon stepped forward, imposing his formidable glare on the men and women before him.

“I give my blood to my king,” Ronon exclaimed in a deep vibrato that carried throughout the stadium. The small group of warriors repeated his words without pause. “And my life to the people of Titan. I will shield our kingdom from all enemies, for I see what others cannot see, I act when others cannot act, and I fight without mercy. I swear my fealty to my king. This oath is binding until death wishes to break it.”

As the warriors spoke the last words of the oath, the crowd applauded and Titan’s voice thundered through the shouts of praise. “Welcome to the Army of Titan!” A massive blaze erupted behind him as the torch bearers lit the sylph’s body on fire. The flames danced wildly across the monsters carcass, as the warriors and the crowd cheered.

I couldn’t sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, all I could see was the monstrous sylph attacking the human warriors. Blood splattered in my mind, but it brought me no joy. I didn’t hunger for it; my fangs did not salivate at the thought of it. No, it only sent a shudder of fear skittering across my skin like a creeping spider.

Five of the fighters hadn’t survived their battle with the sylph, and the brutality of their deaths haunted me. I tossed and turned in the sheets for what felt like weeks while Arrick slept soundly beside me. His arm was draped over my body like a tree trunk and I slithered out of his embrace, thankful to be free of its dead weight.

Brushing my lips against his forehead, I retreated, tip-toeing out of our room. The sun had already descended on the horizon, and the sky was a deep shade of purple. Pretty soon the citadel would be bustling with activity, but for now I enjoyed the serenity of silence. My feet carried me aimlessly around the maze of hallways until the welcoming sensation of the cool night air pulled me from my sleepy haze.

I found myself in a garden I’d never seen before. A bubbling fountain pulled me in with promises of soothing comfort. My nightgown danced around my feet as each step brought me closer to the water’s edge. A large bird with brightly colored feathers splayed like a fan dipped its head into the fountains pool, taking a long drink of the cool water. I slowed my advance, not wanting to startle it, until I was sitting on the opposite side of the fountain watching it quietly. The bird lifted its head, cocking it to the side and looking at me with beady eyes. Its feathers ruffled wildly for a moment, and when I didn’t move, the bird decided I wasn’t a threat. My eyes widened in amazement as it made its way hesitantly toward me, till it was close enough that I could touch it.

Distracted by the bit of frayed lace on my nightgown, the bird began to snip at it with its tiny beak. I took that as my chance and lifted my fingers to caress the delicate, shimmering feathers that made up the birds tail. They were soft, and tickled my fingertips. I took a closer look and noticed the array of colors captured in just a single feather. It seemed as if this one bird held every color of the rainbow.

“Only the males have those feathers,” Ronon said, startling me and sending the bird flying, chirping angrily, to the other side of the garden. “They spread them like that to attract females,” he added, stepping out of the shadows.

“Well, they are definitely beautiful.” I looked at the bird sadly, wishing we hadn’t been interrupted. Ronon blocked my gaze and I shifted nervously before him, suddenly feeling very exposed.

“And what would impress you, Princess Claire?” He looked me up and down. I should have known better than to stroll around in my nightgown, but it was so damn hot in Titan!

“I’m not the one who needs to be impressed,” I snapped at him. He had no right to look at me like he was. “It is you and your father whose aid we seek. What is it we can do for you to get your help? Surely another feast won’t sway your decision?” I said the words with as much poison as I could, but the smile on Ronon’s face was not the reaction I had hoped for.