Dark Hunger

For the next two days, the eagle fed on Caleb and he was wounded beyond recognition. Auril had become numb to this kind of torture and had cursed and cursed the king. 

Caleb was given food to eat, but he was not even in a position to eat. Flesh hung over his body. Blood seeped on the floor and he didn't even have the power to groan in pain. They had said that they would get Elize and had tortured him to reveal where she was, but he had stayed quiet. He preferred to bear the torture than to expose his wife's location, all the while wishing that she was safe. 

Every day the eagle seemed to grow in size. It would feed on him with leisure and then go back. They had stopped hearing it screech like it used to earlier. Arryn had stopped coming to the cave where they were held. Vadin would come with the eagle. The cave reeked of disgusting smells and Auril knew that if they were not rescued sooner, they both would die. He had tried to negotiate with Arryn to stop this horror, but she would give them a blank stare and then leave the place. After two days of accompanying her father, she stopped coming. 

It was on the fourth day that when the door of the cave creaked open, instead of Vadin, another man walked in. His skin was appearing alabaster pink, his eyes a pine green and his horns, ivory white. Wearing just breeches, the man looked daunting. He entered with Vadin on heels. His chest muscles were nicely formed and he looked lean, but fit. 

Icy bolt of shock spread through the druid prince when he saw the man standing in front of him. 

"Auril." The man's voice boomed in the small room. 

"Edyrm?" Auril's voice came out as a whisper. His mind became numb. The demon's feral form was cannibal. How many men must he have fed upon to regain his human form? 

"That's king Edyrm for you!" growled Vadin. 

Edyrm's gaze went to Caleb who was lying motionless in his place on his side. He walked to him and then turned him over. Caleb rolled over limply. He was unconscious. Edyrm pressed his finger against his pulse point and chuckled. "There sorcerer lives." Edyrm got up and then stepped away.

Auril clenched his teeth as pure rage filled his heart. "Now that you have regained your human form, free us," he demanded. 

Edyrm, who was staring at Caleb, turned his eyes to Auril and in a cold voice said, "No." 

"But Caleb has suffered a lot. If you don't leave him, he will die of infection. Look at him. He is already in so much pain, and his condition is deteriorating. You have already got what you wanted. Why do you need him?" Auril retorted.

"He got what he deserved," said Edyrm in a hoarse and dangerous voice. "And is going to die such a painful death that no one would ever think of taking me down. Because of him, I was not able to shift, but now that I have recovered, I will make him experience the torture with his eyes open for a long time." He tipped his head up and then let out a sadistic laughter. "Now that I have got my human form, the next is to recover my magic, which is wife has. My demons have gone to get her. The moment she is here, she will meet the same fate as him!" 

"Gods above!" Auril said, stunned. "Do you mean that you eat her too and drink her blood?" 

"Only blood," replied Edyrm. "Not the flesh. It's her blood that has my magic. And the vampire is going to lose some blood." He laughed again. "The blood sucker will be sucked." 

"Edyrm, you have gone mad!" 

The demon cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "I have waited so long to get back in my human form that you can't think of the agony I was in. The demon king of Galahar who had ruled his kingdom for thousands of years, was defeated by a mere sorcerer? I will never forget that day, when Caleb emulated my magic only to overthrow me. He tricked me." His gaze swept over Caleb. "But trust me, I won't trick him when I torture him. I will make him suffer and let him see how I do that." 

"You can't be serious!" 

Edyrm raised his eyebrow. "Then you don't me. I have been the demon king for thousands of years, endured torture and tortured men. You see, I can be very creative." As Auril watched him totally stunned, he walked to the door. Then he turned and said, "As for you, you will continue to stay with him, druid prince. As long as you are with me, your mother is going to stay in my control, and I need space for my demons to live." He smirked and then walked out of the door. Behind him Vadin closed the door. 

--- 

Elize had entered the Whiteclaw pack. She pulled her hood up as she walked the streets of the Whiteclaw pack's territory that were close to the Northern Mountains. Despite the hour of the night, the streets were teeming with people. One of the men who passed her, slouched over and gripped her tunic and spewed a slur of drunken sultry words. But Elize caught hold of the man's hand and shoved her elbow hard in his chest. The man doubled over and before he could shout, she was out of sight. 

She was looking for places where she could find any lead for her missing husband. There were shouts from soldiers and women from the taverns and inns that boomed in the street. Elize wanted to use the night to her advantage and for that she wanted to find a place where she would get concrete information. At the end of the street was an opium den. Elize reached the den and when she opened the door, a sick smell of sweat mingled with sweet smoke and brew hit her nostrils. She coughed, waving the thick smoke in front of her. Through the haze she saw a man coming towards her. 

He greeted her, wiping his hands on his dirty, stained tunic. "What would you like to have?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. There were too many young men and women who had wasted themselves in his den and a new client was always welcome. He looked behind her and signaled a burly man to keep an eye on her. If she felt scared, the man would force the opium down the throat. "Would you like to go to a more private place?" he asked. She nodded and then he ushered her into a small private space that had a wood panel which covered it entirely from the prying eyes. There was a round table in the center and three cushioned chairs around it. The man started prattling with her over the price. 

"Get me something mild," she stated and from the corner of her eye watched the man who was keeping an eye over her. 

"Yes, of course!" the owner said. 

"But you have to show me how to have it."