Sky trudged on down the dirt road, the sun beating down on her back. Behind her, eighty other innocents suffered the same. Mere hours before, she had gone to bed like every other day, unsuspecting the dangers that awaited her. Since she had been captured, they had wrecked and raided the sanctuary, taken her town's citizens as slaves and set fire to the entire island.
Now, with their memories the only indication of the island's existence, they were hundreds of miles away walking through a burning wasteland that was once Scotland.
"Halt!" one of the black cloaked figures shouted. The townspeople obeyed. "I assume you are familiar with wyverns?" He asked, his cruel voice echoing off of the rubble. The people murmured angrily. "I will take that as a yes. Do not attempt escape, it will not end well I assure you. "
Sky was revolted. She was being asked to ride on the back of the very creature that destroyed her town, her life? She clenched and unclenched her fists, exercising every ounce of restraint she had in her to not punch the nearest guard out.
Another black figure behind her whistled, queuing a faint thunder of wing beats, which rapidly grew louder as they neared.
Eventually, hideous dark grey shapes descended, their wing beats sending dust and dirt flying. The crunch of talons against ground sent a tremor through the crowd, everyone shrinking back from them.
"Good. I see that you will obey." the same black figure that had spoken earlier droned.
Sky and the other people in line were shoved forward into a wyvern, sending it thrashing and growling, ready to attack them at any moment.
"Careful!" the figure jeered, making the others of it's kind laugh tauntingly. She approached the animal, hand extended. At her touch, it recoiled but crouched to let her on. She clambered onto the rough, scaly back and motioned for the others to do likewise.
Two others mounted behind her, while the other people sat on wyverns of their own. A figure at the front climbed on one of his own, then kicked it's side. It launched into the air, already hundreds of feet up at a few wing beats. The other wyverns roared, then followed in suit.
A rush of adrenaline rushed through Sky as the ground disappeared and the sky swallowed her. Behind her, two dozen other creatures rose out of the clouds, quickly catching up to her. One pulled up beside her, two adults and a small child riding. Before she could offer words of reassurance, they were whipped away into a thick cloud, any words they might have said lost in the wind.
Her wyvern lurched forward, accelerating, then let out a screeching roar.
This was going to be a long ride.
- < ~ > -
By the time the warning horn sounded that announced their arrival, the sky was gold and red, the bright sun dipping below the clouds. It had been a long day, full of seemingly endless flying. She had lost all sense of direction hours before, the only sight for hours the sky.
Without warning, her wyvern dove towards the ground, shooting through grey clouds. When at last the ground could be seen, it was a sight to behold.
Before them was a sprawling palace, black spires brushing the clouds. From every window, an eerie scarlet glow washed the entire area in light, casting unnatural shadows.
The sound of claws landing on the ground reminded Sky of her situation, replacing her awe by terror.
"Dismount!" the leading figure yelled. With the palace in front of them, the citizens obeyed wordlessly.
Once all were on the ground, they were herded like sheep towards the sharp iron gates, guards flanking every side.
When at last they were at the foot of the expanse, the gates swung open revealing an impressive landscape of black rock, at the end a dark staircase up to the palace.
"Hold." A guard yelled, stopping in his tracks. He glanced at Sky, his dark skin and eyes barely distinguishable in the shadow of his hood. Then he turned and walked away around the palace with the other guards.
Feeling a strange sense of being watched, they stayed where they were.
They waited there for a long while, everyone silent, when the iron doors opened. Subjects clad in black and gold paraded out, followed by a larger figure, an elaborate golden crown set with glittering rubies resting on his head.
He descended the steps, grey eyes cold.
"Welcome to your new home, Imnus Myrkur, slaves." he said, emphasizing the last word cruelly. "As many of you may know, my name is King Malachi, leader of the Shadowhawk Society. I ordered an attack on your town years ago in search of a relic named the Sword of Souls. My attempt was thwarted the first time, but this time... not so. Do you realize what your leader has done to you? She has drawn the eye of the greatest force in the world and killed hundreds for her own selfish reasons."
The crowd murmured in various sounds of anger, confusion and displeasure. Sky stepped forward fiercely.
"Did it ever occur to you that this man wants to get his hands on the sword for his own vain and selfish reasons? Or that, oh, I don't know, my father fought with that sword to forge the town that all of you lived in? Or that he entrusted it to me as his dying wish and I would never go against that?" there was a moment of silence, then in front of her the King turned and looked at her almost amused.
"I really would have expected more from you, Sky. Don't you see that you can't lie anymore? No one entrusted you with anything. He fought, he died, and then you ratted it away claiming to be its owner and protector while it was a stolen relic, meant to be returned to its righteous place in the hands of my father? It was all a scam, something for him to gain status and power."
Sky trembled with rage. She would let no one, let alone someone this cruel to disrespect her father.
"How would you know, exactly? As I recall, you were back at your palace wiping the blood of my people off of your boots while I was grieving the loss of my father! How DARE you accuse an innocent man of crimes YOU committed yourself! He was honorable and I did all I could to keep his legacy safe as he SPECIFICALLY told me to do!"
And with that she lunged at him, fists curled. Moments before the impact a guard leapt out, catching her wrists painfully and restraining her against him.
"Lock her up." the King said coldly, turning around to face the crowd.
The guard holding her pulled a vial out of his pocket and held it under her nose. White plumes of powder billowed out.
Sky fought against the drowsiness over taking her until she could no longer.
She gasped.
Then the world went black.