The Necromancer's apprentice

“Do you think those creatures saw us?” I asked, my eyes not leaving the mouth of the cave.

“They probably have …” She suddenly fell silent and stared down at her hands. “They … They killed Father….”

I frowned. “You needn't remind me.” I could not get Father's screams out of my head. My blood boiled with rage, fear and sadness. With so many conflicting emotions swirling through my mind, the events that had transpired did not completely sink in, just yet.

“I saw him! And those creatures! They —!” Violet shut her eyes and covered her mouth, sobbing.

I swallowed, finding the strength to keep my composure in front of her. I felt a small knot in my stomach as I continued listening to her soft cries.

“Why, Jasmine?!” she whined.

I reached out to place my hand over hers, but retracted it slowly. “There will be time to mourn his death later, Sister,” I finally said. “For now, we must save ourselves and Mother — like he told us to.”

After her grief was spent, Violet wiped away her tears and raised her head to me. Slowly, she nodded in agreement, though the pain in her eyes remained.

The creatures' wails could be heard again outside the cave and soon their silhouettes loomed from the light of the Blood Moon. They poked their heads inside, sniffing the air, before shrieking in confirmation of our presence. The sounds were so deafening, it made the walls of the cave vibrate. With their bodies far too large to fit through the entrance, they began chipping away at the mouth of the cave with their sharp claws, attempting to widen it. Accompanied with the creatures' continuous, high-pitched screeches, the cave structure was soon becoming unsafe.

I felt Mother's body stir weakly as the ear-piercing screams resounded.

Watching the creatures work tirelessly, Violet finally let go of Mother and looked at me. “We are trapped in this cave,” she said somberly. “You must get out of here. I will distract them. Please, save yourself and Mother if I do not make it out alive.”

“Violet…” My eyes widened slightly at her request. She had been right about the cave not being the safest place at the moment, but the thought of her sacrificing herself was just out of the question — even for me. “No, you can't do this. I will not go on without you! There must be another way!”

A small, wistful smile spread over Violet's face as her gentle, sienna eyes looked at me. “If it is my time to die, Dearest Sister, then I shall embrace it knowing I will die protecting those that I love. However, if Celestra deems my life worthy to see another day, then I shall rejoin you soon.”

Even with death so near, Violet remained calm and carefree. I sighed, feeling flustered. Arguing with her at this point would be futile. Her mind was already made up and time was running out.

She leaned over to kiss Mother's forehead and then my own before standing up and walking towards the group of ravenous creatures. Her body became but a blur of blackness only seconds after she attempted to sprint past the group.

Like the hungry predators they were, the creatures chased Violet for several meters before pouncing on her and tearing into her flesh. My eyes and ears burned from what I witnessed. Mother's body was getting heavier in my arms, but I pushed myself forward out of the cave, hoping the creatures would still be preoccupied.

I suddenly felt Mother's body get ripped from my arms. Before I knew it, the sounds of shrill cries and more flesh ripping surrounded me. Mother was too weak to scream, but I knew what had happened. My mind felt too stunned to truly comprehend the devastation. In blinded desperation, I retreated back into the cave and collapsed to the rocky ground, my body shaking uncontrollably from the traumatizing experience.

One of the creatures prodded its head back into the mouth of the cave in an attempt to snap at my foot which was dangerously close to its reach. Out of frustration, the creature howled mercilessly, causing the cave to shake once more.

I covered my ears quickly in the pathetic attempt to drown out the horrific sounds. Suddenly, I felt a small pebble hit my forehead from above, followed by another, larger rock.

The remaining creatures shrieked in unison once they had finished feasting on Mother's corpse. The sounds were enough to cause the ground to quake and more rocks to fall, making the cave slowly crumble and become further unstable.

Another larger rock fell and landed on my midsection, making me gasp for air, afterwards. Suddenly, I felt the ground beneath me collapse and I fell through an endless pit of darkness. The screams of the creatures above quickly faded into nothingness.

Chapter 5

I was unsure of how much time had passed, for I felt the shadows of death encompass me. The cool, rocky ground my face laid upon was a welcoming relief.

So, this is what it's like to die, I heard my subconscious say. I wondered if I would ever find Violet again — or Mother — or Father …

There was a great weight upon my back, inflicting me with excruciating pain as a result. My body stirred from the shock but I was unable to move it any further. Instead, I was only able to listen to the sounds around me. The afterlife was so uncomfortably silent. The faintest, ominous sounds of howling winds traversing through narrow caverns could be heard in the distance. My nose suddenly picked up the pungent scent of rotting vegetation and old, fetid water. Gradually, my eyes opened upon being roused by the putrid smell, but only blackness remained around me. As I attempted to move one of my arms, I heard the crackling sounds of small rocks falling from a pile and landing on the ground nearby. Apparently, I had been buried beneath a mass of rocks and was rendered helpless. I was too shocked to even scream for help and the more I shifted underneath the pile, the heavier the load became. I was suddenly struck in the head by another falling rock, which caused the back of my skull to hit hard against the floor. For the moment, I was dazed and the warm, coppery taste of my own blood tickled my tongue. I closed my eyes and tried to recall all that transpired, which led me to this impending fate.

The flashbacks presented in my mind were filled with screams of despair and death. The horrific, screeching sounds of those repulsive, winged creatures never escaped my ears. I recalled the disturbing images vividly, watching my father, mother and sister fall one by one to those ravenous creatures and being consumed alive until only bones and scraps of torn flesh remained. I wanted to believe that Violet got away, at least, but my black, emotionless heart was telling me otherwise. My eyes burned from the missing tears I was unable to shed for my lost family.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I sensed another presence nearby. I wanted to call out to whomever or whatever was there, regardless of the consequences.

The musty air of the dank caverns shifted as I noticed from my peripheral vision, the silhouette of a large figure moving around my fallen form swiftly as though assessing the situation. A snake-like hiss was heard moments later and I began feeling the weight of the rocks being heaved off of my broken body. When the last stone was hefted away, I felt my body get lifted and carried. I was convinced it was a humanoid creature; though, curiosity rose in my mind as to what sort of creature it was. The same putrid scent from earlier was also emanating more strongly from the stranger as my limp body was cradled in its arms. My eyes were barely open as I watched the darkness of the caverns transition into a natural, dim light that some of the cave's minerals emitted.

The creature walked with hastened steps to its destination, which appeared to be somewhat civilized. Several wooden cabinets and tables lined the walls of the small cavern I was carried into. Upon some of the tables were various types of potions and bottles that were haphazardly scattered about. I felt my body being placed upon a cool surface with my arms and legs spread apart and firmly secured in shackles.

Moments later, once my eyes were fully opened, I found myself staring up at the stalactites above. Briefly, I stirred, attempting to move my body once more. The noise from the shackles inadvertently drew the creature's attention, as well.

The sounds of the creature's hissing grew louder as it finally approached the light and stood over me wearing a calculating expression. The ‘creature’ was actually an aged, human male of tall stature. Lengthy, black strands of ebony hair cascaded over his weathered, pale face that defined his skeletal features. He adorned himself in a long,