Unleashed (Guardians of Anubis - Book 1)

2 Prologue

Otome Kingdom – the land of the slaves.

Sweat trickled down Dage’s back itching as it met the grime that blended with his skin turning it from its normal dark-brown to black.

The colour of the beast, it whispered in the dark.

 Dage’s mind ceased and shied away from the dark voice afraid to prod at it. He concentrated on his surroundings. He closed his eyes, listening to the quiet of the cavernous space. Water trickled sedately down the cracks formed along the wall feeding the stream that ran beneath the concrete floor. Hot steam puffed from the cracks as the lava rose closer to the surface, creating an otherworldliness that was made worse by the thin layer of Magick holding suspended the particles that swirled and crumbled from the roof of the dungeon. Mist formed, thick and cloying, tinting the human-size steel cage that held him prisoner.

Dage’s eyes popped open staring at the one sided bars affording him a view of another cage. Glowing yellow eyes met his in the dark; wary and tired. Nkem.

 Dage strained to hear the sounds of his other sleeping brothers – Micah, Zen and Yeo. The three always managed to forget their present situation when they were allowed back into their cages. Nkem was the exception; he thrived on the torture somehow punishing himself more than their enslavers ever could. Dage dared not reach out to him. This was their life. There was no room for sympathy.

They’d had it tough today. But it was over, for now.

Their wounds will be healed by morning, leaving no trace of the damage done to their skin. Another gift from the beast, the voice came again. It was taunting him, Dage knew. Taking a deep breath Dage ignored it continuing with his musing.

He wondered how Ginga was doing, the only female amongst them. Tonight she was quiet, not screaming and thrashing in her cage, fighting an unseen foe.

He shifted uncomfortably against the wall. His tattered clothes ripped further as they got snared by the rough concrete. The sensation caused by the rough wall rippled along his spine, causing his skin to vibrate. And then he felt it.

 The chains that held him down and secured him to the concrete wall rattled. He felt the beast stir within him. It swirled and scratched at his insides, wanting out. Dage watched his skin turn black. Its forceful and impatient spirit slammed at the walls of the cage he had locked it in. He held it at bay by concentrating on his surroundings.

 Dage numbed his mind, embracing the oppressive heat of his cage. He should be used to it by now; the discomfort and vile conditions of every dungeon and cage he’s been locked up in.  He and his brothers have lived in captivity for a hundred years. Ever since his master turned them over to the slave dungeons of Otome, where they kept creatures like them – half human, half beast.

Dage had been with his master from the moment he was made. No. Murdered and rose up again no longer human. He remembered the very moment of his change; the blood, the pain, the horror, the stench of evil and the moment his soul was ripped in two. He had been a child robbed of his humanity by a dark, evil creature that slaughtered his family and hunted him down.

Black eyes rimmed red, had glared malevolently from a grooved face when it found him. Its body had been massive. Its skin dotted with black hairs that stood erect like porcupine spines. They’d rattled as it reached for his chest with jagged claws. The pain had been searing as his ribs were pried open.

 Dage wasn’t sure what happened after that. His mind must have blacked out, because of the pain. And then he had woken up with something living within him – twisting and scratching as it fought to take over his whole being. It was an on-going battle, one it never let him forget as it occasionally lived on the surface; turning his skin black for days on end, heightening his senses, especially when he slept. Dage dreamt it called out. To what or who, he didn’t know. He’d been avoiding sleep ever since he discovered the low howls emanating from his lips deep in the night. Now, exhaustion settled heavy and enticing in his muscles pulling him into oblivion. Dage resisted. But he knew it won’t be for long. One day the beast will win.

That day wasn’t tonight, Dage thought as he became alert. The beast within stilled, heightening his hearing and sense of smell. His heart beat sped up as he doubted his own senses.

It couldn’t be.

 But Dage knew there was no way he could be mistaken. He would know his master anywhere. Even after one hundred years he would know him anywhere. Feelings of loathing, betrayal rose and died a quick death as he felt his master’s power pull at the beast. There was a whiff of cinnamon, and the heat in his cell increased. The soft, muffled padding of footsteps reached him, long before he appeared in front of his cage.  Mafka Runus stared at him with his odd eyes. They were black and shone with an odd green light that compelled one to stare. Even with his power leashed anyone could tell he was of the Magi, by staring at his eyes. They all had the strange eyes unlike the warlocks whose eyes were red.

Mafka wore black robes that matched his skin. They covered him from shoulder to ankle. Mafka’s face had been the first thing Dage saw when he woke up, and then Nkem’s standing a few paces away. Nkem had been young and kind to him, but he was intense.

 As a newly changed human, Dage had sat chained at Mafka’s feet and ate from his hand like a dog. As a man Mafka had taught him the sword, giving the beast free reign to slaughter demons and enjoy the thrill of war, while Dage learned the skills and ways of the magi, becoming a warrior.

He had collected them one by one, somehow knowing when a new Unborn was made, and how to find it – Micah, Zen, Yeo had followed and lastly Ginga. He had found them and trained them all, giving them purpose and the skills to keep their beasts at bay. And then Mafka had left them to them. The enslavers who sought to rid the world of abominations such as them, and protect their pure race of guardians from them, the ‘Unborn’ – half human, half beast. For the first few years Dage didn’t understand why Mafka had left them. But he had slowly understood as the years went by. As clothes were ripped from his body, his back whipped to shreds as they tried to tame the beast within him, but never really managing to. It was strong, dominant and rebellious at best.

Who would want him? Even he loathed the creature that lived within him. The Unborn were not considered as anything but an anomaly. They were low creatures; lower than the ushabtiu - the guardians’ loyal servants.

Now, what did Mafka want with them?         

“Dage, I’ve come for you,” Mafka said turning to the other steel cages. With the swipe of his hand the chains dropped from Dage’s arms and legs. The door to the cages swung open. Dage stared at his brothers and sister. They all looked to him to make the decision. Any freedom was freedom, Dage thought staring at Mafka, weighing his options. Nkem gave a slight nod of his head and silently they followed their master.