Where Death Sleeps

He wasn't sure what time he awoke, nor the day, but Daiya felt a thousand times better than he had before he'd passed out. His body was a little numb, but as he flexed his fingers and toes, feeling began to return with little pinpricks of sensation that drew a smile to his face.

"Looks like you've finally returned to us, lad." An old but gentle voice said somewhere to his left.

Daiya took a few more moments to relax before he let his eyelids slowly lift, taking the darkness away from his vision. After a few blinks, the straw roof a small distance above him became clear, reminding him that Kovash was supposed to have taken him to a doctor back in the town he'd previously run from while being chased by Fin.

"Your large bat friend gave me quite a fright when he suddenly appeared behind my small home while I was tending to the garden, then let your prone body slip from his back." The man said as he hunched over, clearly having a little trouble due to his age. He pressed a damp cloth against Daiya's forward for a few seconds before leaning back with a nod of approval.

"You are very lucky, lad. Another day or two without medicine and you would have been lucky if you ever managed to open your eyes again."

Daiya slowly sat up as he returned the man's nod, glad for his help when he reached forward to assist him. When he was finally leaning comfortably against the headboard of the small bed, two old pillows between him and the wood for slight padding, he turned his attention fully to the old man.

"I apologize if Kovash startled you... but was there not another creature with him?" He asked, wondering what had happened to the fox, to... god.

I cannot believe that such a creature was the god everyone reveres. He thought that it must have been a trick of some sort, but there was no question that his bones had been healed by the small animal, and it had definitely spit fire back at Fin's keep.

"No, lad. Just your scary bat friend arrived with you. He is likely still lying just behind my home. I could not get him to move on, no matter how much I badgered him." The man said right before Kovash spoke into Daiya's mind.

I am here, master. Are you feeling better?

Daiya felt his smile grow a little wider as he replied. Yes, and yes. Thank you for looking after me, Kovash.

It was my pleasure, master. Kovash replied before Daiya returned his focus to the old man before him.

"Thank you for helping me, sir. Would I be able to ask you a few questions, by chance?" He asked as the man offered him a glass of warm water.

"Of course, lad."

After taking a few moments to nurse his drink, Daiya reluctantly lowered the half-empty glass so that he could speak clearly.

"Do you know Fin, the master of the keep far upon the hill in the distance?"

The man nodded his head before speaking. "I do. You see, lad, he owns this town in a dark, twisted way."

That idea didn't sit well with Daiya at all.

"Do you mean to tell me that he terrorizes these people?" He asked, sitting up a little straighter.

The man sighed out a quiet breath, seemingly unsure of how to respond for a few moments. When he finally did, Daiya's heart sank.

"Yes, and no. You see, this town is nothing more than emergency meals for him and his horde."

But what about those people that had been brought here with me? Does that mean that they are in this town, too, and not at the keep?

"What of the people that are brought here? There were others that came with me that seemed to be on some sort of contract or list..." Daiya said, unsure of how to phrase how the people had literally been taken away much like cattle at a stockyard.

The man seemed to understand right away, because his expression changed to one of grim unease. "Ah, yes. The list from god."

What on Earth is he talking about?

"That list contains the names of those who have done things so heinous in their lifetimes that they no longer deserve to live... thus, they are signed over by the one and only, to be used as food for master Fin and his few demons that require such diets." The man said grimly.

Daiya couldn't wrap his mind around what the man had said. The little fox... the crocodile, and the bird. They had all helped me. They had all been god. Yet she actually sentenced other people to be murdered by Fin?

He knew that some people did terrible things, and even could somewhat understand the death penalty for such actions... but to allow them to sit in that frigid, dirty dungeon infested by giant undead rats, only to be eaten by demons when they needed a meal?

"God!" He yelled toward the straw ceiling as he forced himself to his feet upon the bed.

His balance swayed, but he refused to fall as he screamed again, dizzy with anger.

"Show yourself! You call yourself god? Yet you do such terrible things to those who praise you!"

His fingers curled into fists as he felt the old man gently grasp his left arm with his own bony fingers, but Daiya was too angry. "You helped me, but sacrificed others! What do you know of me that I will never be like one of them?" He yelled, finally dropping to his knees on the worn blankets when his stamina gave out, leaving him shaking and panting.

"Lad, I know that it seems harsh, but would you  not have horrible people taken instead of innocents?" The man asked, making Daiya grind his teeth together in frustration. He wanted to ask why anyone must be taken, but forced his mouth to remain closed as he slid from the bed and headed for the door.

"Please be cautious in your actions. There is little we can do against such demons." The man warned, making Daiya stop in his tracks and turn around abruptly.

"Perhaps so, but if the people on the list cannot be acquired, then humans from this town are taken, are they not?" He asked, his voice barely above a growled whisper.

The old man slowly nodded, wringing his leathery hands together as he looked down at them, unwilling to meet Daiya's eyes.

He looks guilty.

"Why do you look like you are the one who sends those people to their demise?" He questioned, taking a step closer to the man, who quickly backed up, hunching against the dry mud wall of the home.

"I do as I am commanded, lad. Lord Fin and the heavenly one above have struck a deal that has lasted years." Daiya squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment, trying to stem his fury.

"Heavenly? There is nothing of the sort going on in such a deal!" He yelled before storming out of the home.

Daiya was not surprised when Kovash appeared before him a moment later, scaring the few townsfolk that were walking about doing their daily tasks.

"Kovash, can you take me back to Fin's keep?" He asked as he climbed up onto his back.

He was starving for some food and still quite thirsty, but if what the old man had said was true, then perhaps he could find a way to break the deal that was made. People, no matter their dead, deserved to rot in a dungeon before being eaten by demons.

"Lad! You cannot change the contract! It is signed in lord Fin's blood!" The man said as he stumbled from his home, clearly out of breath from his hurry.

"Did god sign it in such a way as well?" He asked, making the man's brow crinkle with uncertainty. "How is it that you know such details about their situation, anyway?" He continued, narrowing his eyes on the old doctor.

The man hesitated until Kovash lurched forward, snapping his needle-like teeth inches from his face.

"I am the maker of this town's list when there are not enough humans gathered from the outside!" He rasped, staggering backwards until he was beneath the straw roof of his tiny home.

Kovash started for him again, but Daiya reluctantly halted the creature with a single thought. It was not his place to harm the man for doing what he was instructed. For all he knew, the doctor was threatened, and would lose his life if he refused.

"Lad, I did not wish for such a task, but if I quit, my life is forfeit and the task is handed to another." The man said as he twisted his hands together nervously.

At that moment, Daiya realized something he was shocked that he'd missed.

"You are a demon."

The man bowed his head as he replied. "Yes, lad. I was killed many years ago testing a new medication I created to try and help a young girl who had come into my care. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated the dosage and my system just couldn't handle it. I am grateful that someone else picked up my work after I had passed, and completed the process, saving the lass before she could be taken away by death, too."

His words gave Daiya pause, making him reconsider exactly how terrible the man truly was.

"Does it not bother you to send humans to their death? Is there not a way to stop it?" He asked.

The doctor slowly shook his head. "Every single soul I send up that horrid, twisting road haunts my thoughts, but I know no other way. I was given my life back in return for handling this terrible task when needed and have been allowed to help those who seek me out in this town, yet when the time comes, I must select those who have the weakest health, whether due to age or sickness, and send them away. I wish I could say that it was a blessing to end the suffering of those who cannot be healed, but I know that is not true."

He paused for a moment before lifting his tired eyes to Daiya's.

"There is one way to stop it, lad."

Daiya leaned forward on Kovash's back, eager for an answer.

"If Fin were to be put to rest, there would be no more need to sacrifice lives for his hunger." The man said quietly.

The idea of killing Fin did not sit well with his stomach at all, but the man did have a point. Fin was no longer the person he'd known. He's killed many people, deserving or not.

"How, exactly, can he be killed? He was nearly completely dissolved by rain previously, yet he still managed fine after a short recovery period."

The man nodded solemnly, his eyes turning sad.

"A demon of his strength, from what I am aware of, can only pass on when their contract of resurrection is completed."

Those words repeated in Daiya's head as he road Kovash back toward Fin's keep. It would take a good while to get there, but this time he was free to do as he wished and happily munched on baked bread he'd bought with the few coins the old man had spared him. He'd spent just about all of it on the couple loaves, but that was fine with him. He knew that it was unlikely he'd ever return to the small town alive.

It was approaching evening when they finally stopped just before the drawbridge leading into the castle. Beyond it, Daiya could see little flickering red eyes in the darkness ahead of them.

"I'd like to speak with your master." He shouted across the long wooden bridge, his voice echoing into the keep, bouncing off its walls as it decreased in volume with each repetition. The squeaking of thousands of rats met his ears moments later, but Fin remained absent.

"Please. I don't expect to walk away from this situation with my life, but I would like to speak with Fin at least one more time." He shouted toward the rats, who only increased the volume of their hissing as a few stepped away from the darkness of the building and clicked their teeth at him in warning.

Kovash was just beginning to back away as more of the rats appeared when they both heard a snort from only a few feet behind them. A shiver ran down his spine as Kovash slowly turned toward the sound. A giant black horse stood not but a few feet away as it snorted again, stamping its foot on the damp soil beneath it as its large head bobbed. Upon its back sat Fin, his cold eyes completely focused on him.

"Fin, I won't try to run away again... but could we possibly talk before I am killed?"

The question seemed to take him by surprise, because his eyes widened a fraction and he had no words to speak for several moments. When he did finally react, it was to spur his horse forward with a slight nudge to its middle. The giant beast snorted, then jerked toward Kovash, snapping two rows of very unhorse-like sharp teeth at him. The gesture spooked them both, making Kovash hesitantly stumble back onto the drawbridge.

He recovered quickly and crouched, half turned toward Fin as he bared his own needle-like teeth in warning. The horse shook out its mostly-intact mane and gave a snarl in response, though didn't try to bite again.

"Move." Came Fin's calm order.

Daiya looked up from the horse's face to Fin's and licked his lips nervously. He was letting them walk in instead of being attacked where they stood, but  Daiya knew that he would undoubtedly block their escape if they tried to leave.

They walked slowly into the large castle, Kovash's claws clicking loudly among the tiny patter of the rats as they scattered to make way. I wonder how amazing this place would look if it were brought back to its former glory. He thought as his eyes roamed around the dusty, dilapidated interior of the main hall. It had long since been ransacked. Most of the tapestries that had been hanging upon the walls were torn to shreds, swaying in the faint breeze brought in by the two large double doors that apparently remained open behind them.

A large spiral staircase was partially collapsed toward the back of the large room they entered. Dust moats danced playfully around it in the minimal moonlight coming in from cracked windows high above their heads.

The carpet, which had once been a deep shade of maroon was stained from many years of misuse and several portions of the runners that branched off toward different halls were chewed nearly to shreds.

I wonder who had lived here before Fin?

The sound of heavy boots dropping to the dirty floor brought his attention back to him. Fin had dismounted his demonic horse by the spiral stairs and was watching him silently.

"Coming." Daiya said as he quickly pressed his leg against Kovash's side, spurring him to move forward, though he could tell that he was reluctant to get any closer.

When Fin turned and easily traversed the partially destroyed stairs, Daiya raised an eyebrow. Kovash simply snorted, following with a bit more effort and more than a few slips of his clawed hands.

Fin was already at the far top of the stairs by the time Kovash had clambered through the broken area. Daiya tried to hide his smile as he slid from the bat creature's back, then turned to pat his head a few times.

"It's alright. You did great. Thank you for getting me past there, I would have likely hurt myself."

Kovash had seemed frustrated, but once he was praised he gave out a quiet rumbling grumble and leaned into Daiya's hand. "Alright, just a quick scratch." He said, letting his smile widen as he ran his nails against the skin behind Kovash's ear for just a few moments.

When he had finished, Kovash shook his large head and sneezed, earning a chuckle from Daiya as he finally turned back to Fin and started walking, Kovash glued to his side.

Fin began moving again when they were within feet of him, keeping himself just far enough out of reach in case either of them tried to do anything. Not that it would be of much use. Even with Kovash's size and strength, as far as either of them knew, Fin was immortal.

His attention began to wander again as they followed. The hall they were in was less damaged, but still showed its age and had clearly not been cared for in a long time. Spider webs, some larger than himself, draped over almost every possible surface. A couple of them, woven in thick patterns, even had several zombified rats trapped within them.

Daiya was so focused on his surroundings that he hadn't noticed Fin had stopped until he ran right into his back. Before he could even react, he was pinned up against the wall beside a thick wooden door. Dust rained around them, drawing several abrupt sneezes from Daiya. When he could finally breathe again without a tickle in his nose, he looked up into narrowed, angry eyes. That was about the time he realized that Fin's gloved hand was at his throat, firmly holding him against the wall with little effort.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you." He rasped, feeling Fin add pressure as he spoke.

Thankfully, Kovash didn't hesitate to intervene right then, his teeth snapping air right where Fin's arm had been not a second earlier. Daiya took in a grateful breath of stale air once he was released, but was surprised when he looked up to meet Fin's eyes once more, only to see an emotion flicker across their empty black depths.

He... almost looked happy? No. Perhaps, reassured.

It was a shock, one which Daiya wasn't able to recover from fast enough before the door beside him was jerked open and he was shoved inside. He stumbled backward, landing on a rectangular gold and red carpet that was far less dusty than he expected. In fact, as the door shut before him and he glanced around the dimly lit room, he realized that it was the first area in the entire keep that was actually very clean and well cared for.

The floors were swept free of dirt and dust. The window only had a slim crack going from the top left corner down a few inches, disappearing into the side. The bed... well, it called to him like nothing else. He'd been asleep for days on that doctor's old bed, but the one before him was covered in thick down blankets with pitch black silk-covered pillows.

"I will return when I am able. If you choose to leave this room, you forfeit your life. Even Kovash will do you no good."

Daiya stood as he received Fin's warning, but when no other words met his ears and he heard the sound of his heavy footsteps disappear down the hall, he realized that he was actually being left alive.

Until later.

I will do my best to keep you safe, master. Kovash thought to him as he settled just beyond the closed door.

Pursing his lips, Daiya took one more quick glance around the room before deciding that the bed was just far too tempting an offer to pass up. Kicking off his dirty shoes, he eagerly slipped beneath the blankets and settled his head upon one of the soft pillows.

I might be in hell right now, but this bed feels like heaven. He thought as he let his mind begin to drift. Before he fell asleep, he noted one more thing that made him a little uneasy, though he couldn't figure out why.

The down blankets and pillows, while clearly well maintained and cleaned, smelled just like fresh soil that had been dug up from right beneath the Earth's surface...