The Prey in the Night

The other world

Still a work in progress! Sorry if there are mistakes! 

As Aeress slept her dreams were plagued with fleeting images so in depth they seemed like an assortment of long lost memories. Snow gently cascaded around a stunning dark haired woman, behind her were a pair of folded black wings.

Snow gently cascaded around her, the white flakes speckled her dark hair. A delightful shiver went down her spine as small snowflakes kissed her webbed wings. It was the first snowfall of the season and she inhaled the earthy and the fresh crispness of the winter air, eagerly welcoming the snow. She reached a hand out, mesmerized by the wild ballet of snowflakes, watching them land on her hand. Their unique glory was preserved for a single moment before melting to small puddles of water in her hand. The snow and outdoors was a welcome change in scenery from the endless diplomatic meetings that she had been a part of for weeks on end. An atmosphere of tension and fear was growing among the human nobility, a discussion between species and finding an agreeable peace and harmony becoming more and more necessary. But our presence at these meetings only seemed to reinforce the fear. Sighing she walked forward. The outrage and anger was starting to become unmanageable. The fae would soon openly blame the mysterious abductions and disappearances upon the humans at which a war would be unpreventable.

Her slow and powerful steps lead her to the outskirts of a village. She watched, smiling, as children came running out of their huts, with wide smiles on their little faces. Their human parents chasing after them with hats and scarves in hand. She heard the small muffled giggles from behind her, and knew a snowball would be hurtling toward her shortly. Feeling an eruption of shivers down her wings she spun around and spied a group of girls giggling, their shoulders shaking with laughter. Grinning, she lunged toward them, gently scooping the girl closest into her arms. Her feet pushed off the ground, and feeling her wings expand of their own accord. Poor things, she though, they must have been cramped this past week. A sigh escaped her lips, feeling the familiar relief of soaring through the air again. Each powerful stroke sending them higher, before sending them into a dizzying spiral. The girl in her arms holding on tightly an excited squeal coming from her lips, looking down she noticed the huge smile plastered on the little girls lips. Strangs of her golden hair whipping around in every which direction as they glided, twisted and swooped in the air.

The image vanished and was replaced by a grand hallways, doors on either side, with guards alertly standing by each closed door. Looking down Aeress recognized her own hands, but had no idea where she was. A horrible screech pierced the otherwise deadly silent air and she walked cautiously down the corridor, the screams getting louder by the minute. The echos of each agonizing scream bouncing off the walls, the sound trapped her in a cage of terror and pain. At the end of the hall stood a solemn door, and Aeress knew that whoever lay behind it was the one screaming. She would have much rather gone in the opposite direction, not ready to see what was behind it, but none of her movements were her own, she seemed to float through the door and beholding the scene in front of her. In front of her was a faerie, his arms splayed above him held with metal shackles that bit into his skin and his feet dangled just off the floor. Silver trickled down his arms and as Aeress' horrified gaze swept down his body she noticed a number of slashes and gashes all leaking the same silver fae blood. A richly dressed man adorned in fine furs and pelts stood to the left and to his left stood another man holding a bloodied knife. The man in the furs turned to the man holding the knife and simply nodded, the man holding the knife barked at the faerie:

"This is your last chance to tell us where your kind is hiding. If you do not choose to cooperate, I will have the pleasure of cutting off your wings" the man said, twirling the knife in his hand a sinister smile appearing on his lips. The faeries golden eyes flickered back and forth between the two men for a moment before his rich eyes rested on Aeress. She could not move, or turn her head, her eyes stayed locked on his. She was fairly certain nothing was behind her, but he couldn't be looking at her. The two other men did not seem to notice her standing there, she had to have been invisible, the guards hadn't stopped her in the corridor. The faeries eyes stayed fixed on Aeress when he spoke: