My blood ran cold and terror overwhelmed me as the men holding my arms marched me toward the edge.
This couldn’t possibly be happening.
“Please! Please don’t do this!” I screamed, my cries echoing down into the pit below us.
“Iris Browne, you are sentenced to death for your crimes. May the Lord take pity on your soul,” Father Aldous said from behind me.
Was this the end?
Condemned by men for doing what I must to survive?
In perfect synchrony, the men gripped my arms and tossed me into the cavern.
I screamed as my body flew through the abyss, knowing that with each passing moment, I was careening closer to the rocky cavern floor below. I braced myself for impact, but was shocked when I collided with a spongy bed of what felt like moss and leaves.
“Oof,” I groaned as my breath left my chest.
Even with the soft landing pad, it was still a long fall.
The scent of damp earth and decay was heavy in the air, and a tiny pinprick of light filtered down from the mouth of the cave. I could just barely make out two silhouettes staring down at me, but after a few moments, they disappeared and I was alone.
I sat up and gathered my thoughts, trying desperately to understand how human beings could do this to one another.
Prostitution, theft, and witchcraft.
There were rumors of witchcraft and magic being practiced in the lands beyond the mountain, but I’d never practiced witchcraft a day in my life. After the death of my parents, I did what I had to in order to survive.
I stood on shaky legs and traced the walls of the cave with my fingers. It was surprisingly smooth, almost as if someone had removed all the rough edges.
It was probably the demon, making sure his meals couldn’t scale their way out of the pit.
The demon.
He had to know I was here.
A shiver ran down my spine at the very thought.
The way I saw it, I had two choices. I could stay and wait for him to find me, or I could head further into the cave and at least attempt to get away.
There was no way I’d let him take me without a fight.
I blinked several times, trying to get my eyes adjusted to the darkness, but it was no use. I’d have to feel my way around the cavern.
Placing my hands out in front of me, I ran them along the cave walls in search of an opening. Stones dug into my feet with each slow step, but I continued to explore until a warm breeze caressed the tips of my fingers.
A tunnel.
For a moment, I hesitated.
What if the tunnel led me straight to the demon?
I shuffled around blindly, my fingers skimming along the wall for another way out, but it was no use. There was one route and one route only.
I followed the tepid air wafting from the tunnel, journeying into the depths and likely closer to the demon himself.
Chapter2
The pointed tips of my ears perked up when I heard a faint thud resonate from the bottom of the pit. The moss and leaves I’d laid there had softened their fall, but it was still a long way down. It had been a long time since the last sacrifice–easily ten or so years–but I still kept the area padded just in case.
