Beyond The Veil

Chapter 11

~Micha~

"You keep losing these daggers, but you keep me in business, so I'll still make more for you," Ana said as she snatched my coins away. I smirked as she began to tie her hair up in a messy blonde bun. 

"Can't promise I won't lose more," I said as I took the last of my Daggers out of my pocket. Since I found that Fae girl, I used more of them trying to pierce the Veil. Sometimes one wasn't enough.

"Don't let your father find out what you're doing with these...by the way, what are you doing with these? Target practice? Oh! Better yet, did you find a prisoner to torture?" Ana turned to me with a gleam in her hazel eyes. I rolled my eyes at her. I wasn't too fond of torture like she was; I never got why it was so "Intriguing" I had better stuff to do, new things to see.

"Don't want to tell, huh? Well, when you're done, tell me what happened, okay?" Ana said with a wink as she turned around and heated the fire to start making my daggers. 

"I'll be back later; make sure you have them finished by then." I put the leftover daggers in my pocket and headed towards home. The smell of copper filled the air; I covered my nose, walking fast. The smell made my stomach turn...

As I walked out of the village, I headed to the lone mountain on a bare hill. Nothing really grew here, just some trees here and there but other than that, this place was barren. Kiri greeted me as I came towards her; I gently stroked her pitch-black snout. "Hi, beautiful," I whispered to her as she bobbed her head up and down, making a snorting sound. I smiled; my father never approved of me having a so-called "pet." He saw it as a weakness. Something someone could use against you, but I finally got him to agree when I told him it was just an easier way for me to get around; of course, it was a lie.

The truth was, I had a soft spot for these creatures, and I had not seen one in a long while. So I jumped at the opportunity to have her. "What better way to live your life, huh? Better than getting tossed in the pit of ghouls." I shuttered at the thought of those nasty creatures my father kept in the dungeon. I will never understand my father's need for such things. As I tried to shake the thought from my mind, I put one foot, threw the stirrup, and lifted myself over, placing my other foot on the other side. Kiri already knew where we were going, and she headed there immediately. Once we got up the mountain, I slid off Kiri and led her into the dark cave by her reins. As you walked further in, it became a dark and gloomy-looking castle. I could hear my father's booming voice bouncing off the walls.

I sighed, letting Kiri go. "Gone on, wander as you will. Better father does not see you now." Kiri started to walk away, sifting her lips through the dirt on her way out. I followed my father's voice to the main hall; as I came in, I saw a woman with red hair kneeled in front of him.

"Where did you get this?" My father asked as he crushed what looked like a crumpled-up piece of paper in his hand. The woman was bond by black chains, chains we used for Fae. As I stood by my father's side, I could see the Fae woman's face. Delicate features, pointed ears, she looked like something from a fairy tale.

"Answer me!" He roared; his voice echoed off the damp walls. The Fae woman's hair fell in her face as she lowered her head and said nothing. My father growled low in his throat; he kicked the Fae woman in the stomach. The woman's breath staggered; she looked up at me, her eyes showed unexpected warmth. Who was this woman? Feeling unsettled, I turned away from her; it was stupid of her to come here. She ultimately chose her own fate. I guess she wasn't so smart.

"Micha." 

I turned to my father. He stood ridged and taunt. He looked like a buffed-up Elk, and his muscles bulged all over his body. He was barely able to wear armor half the time when he battled. "I want you to scope out the Veil. See if where she came in is a weakness in the wall." He glared at the Fae woman and continued. "She may have provided us away in..." He said as his lips curved into an ugly crooked tooth smiled.

I rolled my eyes; I did not care much about getting through the Veil. Frankly, I thought it was nothing more than stuck-up pretty little Fae. I glanced at the Fae woman, who still gazed at me.

"Before you took your first breath, I knew your laugh, and I knew your smile..." The woman said under her breath to me. My father had started to walk away but stopped. 

"What was that?" He growled.

I quickly shoved a cloth in the woman's mouth. "Nothing father, I will let you know what I find when I get back." 

He grunted then walked away. I sharply exhaled and took the cloth out of the woman's mouth. "If you want to stay alive, do not speak out of turn," I whispered harshly. The woman sat up, and her eyes explored my face. "Stop that; you act as if you've never seen a Demon before," The woman frowned, and her eyes glistened. Her face was smudged with dirt, her dress ripped, leaving strips of fabric dragging on the ground. She slowly lifted her hands to my face as if she would hold it between them; she started to sob; I was taken back by her sudden reaction. I quickly looked side to side to make sure I was not being watched.

"I'm so sorry, I never-I never should of-"

"Shh!" I shushed her as I heard the echo of footsteps come toward us. "Keep your voice down!" I whispered harshly. I stuck the cloth back in the woman's mouth and stood up like I was guarding her. One of the guards came trudging around the corner.

"Ugh, I thought I smelled something foul!" He exclaimed while holding his nose. "Why haven't they fed this one to the ghouls!?"

"I think you smell yourself, Greden." I snarked; teasing him was a good way to get rid of him. Greden's upper lip curled up; he pointed his finger at me.

"You watch yourself boy, they all may be fooled by you, but I'm not. I know who you really are." He said with a gruesome smile. I rolled my eyes, then flashed a smile of my own.

I c****d my head, "I hope you don't smile at your mother like that; she might take offense to it." 

Greden's eye twitched; he started to stomp around like a child throwing a tantrum. "How dare you! I will end you!" He exclaimed; he looked like a ghoul himself with his lumpy green skin and snarled white tusks. His little tuff of black hair on top of his head almost made me laugh; it looked ridiculous.

"Greden!" My father's voice boomed behind him; he jumped as my father rounded the corner. He laughed nervously as my father glared at me. "What did I tell you about threatening my son." He said through his teeth. Greden looked down at his feet but shot me an evil look. 

"Whoever threatens your son will be thrown to the ghouls..." He said with hatred in his voice. I smiled at him cause I knew it pissed him off. 

"Get out of my sight." My father growled; Greden trudged away, leering at me.

 "What have I told you about talking to him like that?" My father asked, crossing his arms over his chest. I noticed the paper he had taken from the Fae woman was gone.

"That he's a pathetic excuse for a demon and should be hauled off to the ghouls?" I shrugged. My father's glare turned into a smile; then, a burst of hearty laughter spilled out of him. "Oh, son, you're going to make an enemy of my men. You better watch it." He said, slapping me on the shoulder.

"Eh, think I already have." I chuckled; my father looked at the Fae woman than me, the laughter stopped. 

"Why hasn't she been killed yet?" He asked me. I turned to look at him; his gaze was piercing. I clenched my jaw, looking away from him. He then shoved a knife at my chest. "I thought I taught you better than this. Lose that humanity, boy; it will be the death of you. , You're not a Fae; you're a Demon. Act like it." He hissed through his teeth. "When I come back, she better not be breathing," With that, he left me alone with the Fae woman. My stomach turned as I looked at the knife; what was wrong with me? I should be able to do this; I shouldn't feel anything...but I feel everything. I swallowed hard; looking at the Fae woman, I removed the cloth from her mouth. I looked at the knife once more then threw it to the ground.

"You would be better of doing it yourself," I said, then started to walk away.

"You can't." She stated. I stopped, slightly turning towards her. The Fae woman's eyes were wide, staring at me. She was nudging at something inside of me...something I had tried so hard to fight off for my father. I clenched my teeth together. I marched back towards her, grabbed the knife, and held it to her throat. Just one fluid motion, and it would be over, but the way the Fae woman looked at me just wasn't right.

"Who are you? Why did you come here, of all places?" My voice was strained, and I didn't even know why; this was an ordinary Fae woman, yet she made me feel uneasy...

She held her hand over mine. "It's okay; I know what will happen if you don't obey him..." She said with a slight c***k in her voice. My subconscious reminded me of the stinging burns on my back, suddenly coming to life again. "I'm just glad I got to see you...Micha." The Fae woman stroked the side of my face, her touch...it felt familiar.

"Do not feel bad for this; I will always forgive you." She said, my brows furrowed, confused at the feelings surfacing through me, and in one swift motion, the Fae woman took her own life by both our hands. I ripped my hand away and tried to hold her wound, but she pushed me away. "It's okay," Was the last thing she said before breathing her last breath. I back away, confused as to who this Fae woman truly was and why she came here to see me, but in the end, she helped both of us, somehow she knew what killing would do to me, and she took it upon herself to help me...A Demon she knew nothing about. I walked away feeling sick to my stomach...

What was wrong with me?