Page 6 of The Gilded Ones

It opens its mouth, inhales…

A shriek blasts through my skull, white-hot agony slicing into my body. My teeth grind together; my muscles lock in place. Beside me, Father collapses to the ground as blood begins to pour from his ears and nostrils. More villagers are already writhing there, faces contorted into grimaces of terror and anguish.

Other than me, only the jatu remain standing in the square, their helmets specially soundproofed against deathshriek screams. Even so, their eyes flash white behind their war masks and their hands tremble on their swords. The jatu here are mostly recruits, newly initiated into the ranks, just as Elfriede said. They haven’t yet fought in the borders of the South, where the deathshrieks lay constant siege – haven’t ever even seen a deathshriek before, probably. It’ll be a miracle if any of them survive this.

It’ll be a miracle if any of us survive this.

The thought jolts me from my paralysis, and I whirl to Father. “We must flee!” I shout, pulling him so hard, he nearly jerks off the ground. Fear has powered my muscles, made them unnaturally strong. “We must go!” I glance at the lead deathshriek again, its hair writhing and lashing fitfully around it.

As if it senses me watching, it turns, and its eyes connect to mine from across the distance. There’s a look in them…an intelligence. The breath rips from my lungs. Every muscle in my body suddenly feels weak, frozen under that predatory black gaze. By the time I find the sense to cower, it’s already stalking onwards, as are the others. The many, many others. They’re emerging from the mists, leathery grey forms bristling with menace. Some lope to the ground from the trees, claws scoring the snow as they run on all fours.

“Defend the village!” the jatu commander roars, lifting his sword. “For the Infinite Father!”

“For the Infinite Father!” the jatu repeat, running towards the beasts.

A horrified gasp bursts from my chest as Father staggers up and echoes the call along with the other village men, who are all now hurriedly wrapping kerchiefs or belts around their ears. “Run to the temple, Deka!” he shouts at me.

Before him, the jatu commander is bearing down on the lead deathshriek, but the creature doesn’t retreat. Instead, it stills, cocking its head. For a moment, amusement seems to glitter in its eyes. Deadly amusement. Then it moves, violently backhanding the jatu across the square. His body cracks on impact, blood spewing everywhere.

A signal for the other deathshrieks to attack.

They race into the village, smashing through the jatu’s shields, disembowelling them with fatally sharp claws. Screams echo, blood sprays, the odour of urine rises. The jatu try to fight back, but there are too few of them, and they’re too inexperienced against the deathshrieks’ monstrosity.

I watch, horror choking me, as limbs and bodies are severed with inhuman abandon, heads ripped off with ferocious glee. Within minutes, the entire jatu force is overwhelmed, and then it’s on to the village men.

“Don’t let them get past!” Elder Olam roars, but it’s already too late.

The deathshrieks are ploughing through the villagers, some leaping onto their victims, others slicing into them with claws and teeth. The more the village men scream, the more frenzied the deathshrieks become. Blood splatters the ground, startling crimson across the white of the snow; corpses lie in a tangle of viscera and dried leaves.

It’s a massacre.

Terror knifing my heart, I turn to Father. He and two other villagers are engaged in combat with a deathshriek, pushing the creature back with swords and pitchforks. He doesn’t see the other deathshriek racing towards him, bloodlust in its eyes. He doesn’t see its claws unsheathing, reaching for him.

“NOOOO!” The desperate cry erupts from my chest before I can quiet it, so powerful it seems as if it’s layered with something else. Something deeper. “STOP, PLEASE! Leave my father alone! Please, just leave us alone!”

The deathshrieks whirl towards me, eyes deep black with rage. Time seems suspended as their leader moves forwards. Closer, then closer still, until—

“STOP!” I shout, my voice even more powerful than before.

The deathshriek abruptly stiffens, life draining from its eyes. For a moment, it almost seems a husk – an empty vessel, rather than a living being. The other deathshrieks are the same: frozen statues in the late afternoon light.

Silence descends upon the village. My heart pounds in my ears. Louder. Louder. Then…

Movement.

The lead deathshriek turns and staggers towards the forest, the others following behind it. The mist swiftly withdraws behind them, almost seeming to trail in their footsteps. In less than a minute, they’re gone.

I’m drunk with relief, floating, as if I’m only barely connected to my skin. A hazy feeling is taking over now, making my entire body feel as light as thistledown.

I glide towards Father, a glazed smile on my face. He’s still standing where he was, but he doesn’t seem to feel as relieved as I do. His face is pale, his body slick with sweat. He almost looks…terrified.

“Father?” I ask, reaching for him.

To my surprise, he recoils. “Foul demon!” he shouts. “What have you done with my daughter?”

“Father?” I repeat. I take another step towards him, confused when he once more recoils.

“Don’t you dare call me that, beast!” he hisses.

---