Dark Hunger

Caleb focused on the sound of the wings. Everything else went silent, in slow motion. The wings flapped and he could hear one beat at a time, coming closer… closer… closer… 

"Now!" he said and lunged at the eagle to catch its wings, but all at once he found demons jumping from the top of the peaks and jumping right in front of them. They were soon outnumbered. Almost a dozen demons had jumped. Orbs of yellow lights floated above them and burned brightly. "Fuck!" he growled. From the corner of his eye, he saw a woman with green eyes and horns curled at the back from her temple, approaching them. He had seen her before, but couldn't place her. 

"Hello Caleb," she said, as other demons made a circle around them. 

Caleb and Auril stood back to back with their claws and fangs lengthening. Caleb growled dangerously. Magic dropped from his hands in the form of blue mist. Auril's magic wrapped them both in green lights that coiled around them rapidly. 

The eagle above them screeched restlessly. It flew and attacked the two men once again, but the woman shouted at him, "Not now!" The eagle flew away and perched itself on the entrance of the cave. 

"Who are you?" asked Caleb, in order to keep them engaged in the conversation and at the same time think of a way to escape. He was so sure that the eagle was alone flying in the gap that he didn't notice the demons coming out in the dark. 

The woman came nearer. "I am Arryn Aramaer." 

Caleb narrowed his eyes at her and noticed that she was dressed in a robe that was made from black raven feathers. It was like a second skin on her. He scoffed, "Eydrm's daughter, Arryn." 

"That's right," she replied nonchalantly. 

"So, you followed your father?" 

"I did." 

"No wonder Rolfe was wondering about your absence." 

"Oh, was he then?" Arryn raised an eyebrow. 

"You seem surprised," Caleb added. He looked at the twelve demons who were standing very close. He was thinking of moves on how he was going to slay them. He would throw his magic on the two who were standing in the front, lunge at the two behind them and puncture their necks with his claws.

"I do," said Arryn as she took a step closer. "He knows it all and is just as helpless as I am!" The eagle above them screeched and spread his feathers dangerously. 

Caleb's brows knitted. Helpless? "Or you were too afraid of being thrown into the dungeons of Galahar for the rest of your pathetic life?" 

Arryn tipped her head up and laughed. "I do have a pathetic life. But then there's not a single dungeon that can hold me." She tilted her head and pointed a bony claw at him. "You are an emotional fool! You shouldn't have left the safety of Ixoviya." 

"I don't have to ask you what I had to do!" Caleb snapped. With that he threw his hands towards the first two demons. Strong blue lights flowed out and covered them from top to bottom, freezing them as statues. Auril moved forward. He spun and kicked the frozen demons. Their bodies shattered into a thousand pieces. The other two demons charged at them. Caleb was ready for them. He caught their neck with his claws and dug them in their flesh so deeply that the demons gurgled blood out of their mouths and were down on the ground in a few seconds. Auril charged at those around him, but now they came in a horde and the two were simply outnumbered. 

Caleb and Auril hurled their magic towards the demons, but soon found that their magic was not as effective. Added to the fact that they were attacked from all the sides. It was difficult to hold them. After giving them a tough fight, the two men were knocked down and punched heavily until they were on the ground, bleeding and all swollen up. Caleb passed out and Auril was numb with pain. All he remembered was that they were carried somewhere and then dumped on the ground mercilessly. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Caleb woke up to a splash and cold. It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water at him. He struggled to get up to his feet and attack the man who had dared to throw water at him, when he found that something yanked him right back. He shook the water from his hair and when he opened his eyes, he found that his hands and legs were heavily chained to a wall behind him. Right next to him Auril was slumped on the floor. He was unconscious and bloodied as hell. Pain seared through his body, when he wrung his head to see at the man with one eye, his other eye was swollen and closed. He turned his head to see that they were in a very small cave, the ceiling of which was too low. 

Vadin was standing in front of him with a fierce expression. There was a pail swinging in his hand. Cold water spread all around and struggled against his chains. Why couldn't he break them free? 

"You won't be able to do a thing," came a soft female voice.

"What have you done?" Caleb asked as his beast clamored him from the inside to break free from the captivity. It was as if his magic swirled inside but it couldn't come out. 

"I have coated your magic with mine and it won't be able to flow out," said Arryn as she looked at him from a distance. 

"Then you have invited my wrath!" Caleb growled. 

Arryn let out a soft laughter. "Aren't you one confident werewolf?" 

"Let him go," said Caleb gesturing to Auril. "He has nothing to do with me or you." 

Arryn walked closer. She looked at Auril and tilted her head. After a moment's pause, she said, "Nah, he knows our lair now. He will go down with you." 

Vadin rotated his neck and his bones snapped as if he was ready to kill Auril any moment. 

"Calm down Vadin," said Arryn. "My father would be needing the blood of both these men!" 

"Really?" Caleb smirked. "I thought he needed the blood of my wife." What he meant was her father's magic was all transferred to Elize and that he was of no use to her. 

"Oh! We do need her blood and flesh and everything that the vampire can give us!" Arryn replied. 

"And you will never get her," Caleb replied with a fierce voice. 

"How do you know?" she said as she walked closer to him. "We have our informants everywhere." 

"You mean informants like Laurel?" he smirked. 

Arryn became stiff. 

"Where is she by the way?" Caleb remarked. Then he turned his gaze towards Vadin. "Did you enjoy her?" 

Vadin lunged at him and kicked him in the stomach. Caleb was sent flying to the wall which splintered on impact. But he scrambled back to his knees laughing at the demon and spat blood.. "You would have been a perfect pair bastard!" Vadin was about to lunge again at him when Arryn stopped him.