Obsidian Scales

Chapter 2

Of course, they went into the forest.

It was already becoming night, the last of the daylight slipping away, and having nothing but a lantern to guide her. Any other farmer would've left them, finding it not worth it to go into such a dangerous place for two cows. But Lily had to, cows were expensive and they provided good quality milk for her. So, straightening her back and lifting the lantern up slightly, she marched into the woods. There was no path, so she had to step over rocks and branches, and move around bushes with prickly thorns. She tried to follow the tracks as best as she could, but the foliage made it hard to see. Still she continued to press onward. They couldn't have gotten that far into the forest...she hoped. The tracks ended as she came to a small clearing with an old tree stump in the middle. She looked around, but her cows weren't in sight. "Great, just great." she huffed, dropping her hands to her side.

"Well hello there sweeting."

Lily jumped as a man suddenly appeared at her side. Her eyes widened as he slowly approached, like a cat stalking a mouse. "Now where did you come from, hm? What could a lonely girl like you be doing out here alone?" The man was covered in dirt and grime, wearing clothes from the skins of animals around his chest and legs. At his side hung a dagger, which he eagerly pulled out from it's leather sheathe. The wickedly curved blade glinted in the warm lantern's light. "Are you lost?" he questioned, grinning and revealing blackened teeth that made her want to gag. "No, I'm not lost, I'm...looking for someone." Lily said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. The man - no, bandit, didn't seem to believe her. "Why don't we look for them together?" he offered. The bushes rustled and then a second man appeared, the same fur-covered appearance and terrifying dagger at his side. Lily began to back away, looking between them, her blood going cold, her heart beating in her ears. One word, just one word, came to her then.

Run.

So she did.

She ran between them and kept going, over the stump and past that. They shouted, and then a loud sound erupted from behind her. She neglected to see the hunting horn one had around his neck, which he used to call the others. To her left she saw the faint glow of torches, but she didn't stop running, even after hearing the other bandits yell. She had nowhere to go but forward, she didn't dare try to turn to run back to her home, no matter how much her legs hurt, or how scared she was.

~/~

They sounded so close, but she didn't want to look behind her. Her gaze dropped to her lantern, and when she did one of the bandits pounced on her. She screamed while he grinned madly, raising his knife above his head. She took the opportunity, lifting her hand and swinging the lantern onto his face. He screamed and dropped his knife, jumping off of her as the glass broke, and the flames moved onto his body. Lily grabbed his knife and continued to run. Her legs shook as she run, and her sides hurt. Branches, briar, thorns, and other prickly objects scratched her legs, arms, and cheek. She needed a place to hide. Whether some god heard her or not, she found a cave, and immediately ran inside, not caring to know if it had an owner.

She pressed herself against the wall of the cave, panting softly and clutching the knife to her chest. She could still hear the men outside, but they were farther away. From the sounds of it, they didn't seem to be giving up their search anytime soon. She moved a little farther into the cave, only to step on something that made a sickening crunch. She gulped and looked down...

...to find the cave littered with bones.

A scream welled up in her throat, but she swallowed it down. Instead, she stayed where she was, shaking as she pressed her back against the wall, and praying that she wouldn't be found. She froze completely though as she heard a sound, like a loud hiss in the cave. The bones shifted slightly, though began to move and roll off as something moved underneath them. The bones revealed a massive coil, like the body of a snakes, with black scales as dark as obsidian. The coil moved, revealing more of the massive snake. With this size, the creature could wrap around her house at least once.

Her thoughts were cut off as a chuckle resounded throughout the cave. The sound made her own bones rattle. "Well, well. I never expected to have a pretty flower wander into my cave." The bones shifted more, and a masculine figure seemed to appear from a mound of bones, hidden in the darkness. Crimson eyes shone in the shadows, boring into hers. "And what brings such a pretty thing here anyway?" There was a slight hiss to his voice, and an alluring tone. The bones crunched and rolled as the figure seemed to be moving closer to her. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Lily spoke. "I'm hiding...from bandits. I don't mean any harm." She said, a whimper coming out with the word "harm." The man chuckled again, still moving closer. "Oh? Bandits you say?" Ever closer he moved. "And you think that will protect you from them?" His gaze dropped down to the dagger she was holding. She thrusted it in front of her threateningly, though she shook so much that she couldn't even hold the blade straight.

"From me?"

~/~

A black tail suddenly whipped forward and smacked the dagger out of her hands. It flew across the cave and hit the wall with a metallic ring, followed by a sound like shards of glass falling to the ground as the blade broke into many pieces. "That's just unfortunate indeed." he chuckled, while Lily practically crumpled to the ground, sobbing. "Please, please they're coming. I just want to hide." she sobbed.

As if to confirm that he froze as he heard the sounds of the men shouting outside. He looked to the entrance, and back to her as if assessing the situation. "I see. Well, even though you came here brandishing a weapon, who am I to deny a beautiful woman protection?" he asked in a voice as smooth as honey." Lily shakily looked up to him in surprise, and was about to start babbling her thanks when he spoke again.

"But."

He began. "I need something in return. After all what do I get out of this?" he asked. "Surely you didn't expect this out of the kindness of my heart?" he chuckled, his voice a little more sinister. Lily stuttered. "I-I-I have nothing to give. I have some coppers..."

"Money does not interest me."

"I have nothing else to give. I'm just a farm girl!"

The man grumbled, but he halted. "Wait, did you say a farm?" he asked. She nodded softly, though looked to the entrance as she heard the bandits get closer. He seemed to hum in thought. "Very well, for my protection you will offer your home to me. Does that sound fair?" he asked, the honey in his voice once again. "Yes, yes! That's fine just please help me!" Lily hurriedly said. The sound of more bones moving. "Very well, the deal is struck, wait here." The only light in the cave was the moonlight shining on the entrance.

The red gaze turned away from her, and began to move into the light. It was then Lily saw who, or rather, what, she made a deal with. A handsome man stood underneath the moonlight, illuminated by it's glow. Long black hair came down in lengths behind him, tied back somehow, she couldn't tell. His red eyes seemed to glow more. He could've been mistaken for a human...save for the fact that the area below his waist, where his legs should've been, was a long, black, snake tail. The scales on top were solid black, while the belly underneath shifted to white. Not to mention his hands had elongated nails like claws. He wore leather armor, stained black, that covered almost the entirety of his torso. Emblems and symbols of snakes were engraved and carved onto the bracers and collar of the armor, making him look fearsome indead. If that weren't enough to convince someone, the two blades strapped across his back were. Sheathed, and unable to see the blade, each sword was roughly the size of her arm, and could probably do a lot more damage than the tiny dagger she took from the bandit.

The snake-man looked back to her and smirked, flexing one of his arms across his chest. "Like what you see, my dear?" he practically purred, flicking out a forked tongue as he did, and revealing some sharp canines. She gasped, her hands flying over her mouth as she stared at him wide eyed. He simply laughed, and began to slither out of the cave. "I'll be back soon, my dear." She fell to her knees, staring at the darkness, one question repeating in her mind.

What have I done?