Love in Strange Places

I throw my bag down next to Mackenzie's. He looks about as tired as I feel.

"You look like shit," I tell him bluntly which gets the intended reaction of a forced chuckle out of him.

He takes a moment to scope out how everyone else seems to be setting up camp for the night before replying, "Well not all of us can match your charm and good looks."

For all things have changed in the last year it felt good to still have Mackenzie. He began setting up our makeshift tent as I rooted around our bags to see if we had anything left to put together for a halfway decent meal.

"What would people say if they could see Rossfield's most eligible bachelor trying to ingratiate himself to the village black sheep with empty flattery?" I ask him in the most dramatically scandalized voice I could muster in my exhausted state.

He huffs in response, "They'd probably roll their eyes and say business as usual."

He finishes his task and looks down at me and my sad selection of cornmeal and hardtack.

"And I wish you'd stop calling yourself that, you know nobody really thought of you like that," he told me as he sat down next to the fire I was starting.

I snort and hand him some hardtack, deciding against attempting alchemy on the cornmeal to change it into something more appealing.

"Caleb did, Francesca did, I got into more than one fight with half a dozen others-" I began to argue but was cut off.

"Caleb was a drunk and an idiot, Francesca's mother was a drunk that beat her and until you finally stood up to her she was just looking to find a way to feel big," he sighed at the repeated argument, "Besides, you use big words like 'ingratiate' have you ever stopped to consider that you intimidated people because you made them feel stupid?"

"Mostly I figure they were more intimidated by me being taller than my father at 13 and ready to lay anybody out flat by 17," I say with half a smirk.

When it came down to it I was still a fighter. The same could be said for anybody left in our camp at this point. When this ill fated campaign had began there were over 200 of us. Now, only a year later there were 26.

When the war had been lost and the land we lived on was officially occupied by the invading forces of our neighboring kingdom we had stupidly assumed nothing would really change. We were only farmers after all, in a small village. There would be no point to bothering us and none among us really cared who our taxes were going to. It made no difference who leached off of us.

But then the proclamations began. The Blue Hordes as we called our new dictators had a different way of worship than we did. Ours was a more personal way. We had no specific "holy people" and weddings and funerals were the only true ceremonies we preformed. We prayed not to one god of the full pantheon but any a situation could call for.

The Blue Hordes made illegal worship of any deity but their two favored; Many Winged Mother and He Who Tends the Hearth of All. They claimed that they were the only purely good gods and the only worthy of prayer.

We ignored this. We who had no gathering of prayer outside maybe the immediate family anyway, nobody would ever know. But then began a list of new rules to go into effect. That only men and women were allowed to marry was the first. A proclamation that disobedience was punishable by death. We had gravely misunderstood, we had thought the distinction was that no marriage was to be allowed until both parties came of age. Some parents looking to get rid of extra mouths to feed were displeased but offered no real argument.

It was only when a wedding was interrupted by the enforcers that the true meaning was made clear. By end of the night the meeting house was set ablaze and one of the young grooms was hanged. That was the only catalyst Rossfield needed to take up arms against our oppressors. I was told later of many other barbaric laws put into effect in the region but only after being driven from my home.

We had attempted to continue fighting and offering support in villages that hadn't yet been destroyed after ours was razed but it had soon become clear we were fighting a losing battle. Our land was given to the upstanding citizens who fell in line and land we'd worked for generations was lost to the traitors.

"What are you thinking about with such a serious expression?" Mackenzie asked after finishing his share of our pitiful meal.

"Nothing that matters now," I tell him simply.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing, "Have you thought about what we're going to do after all this?"

I blinked at him, "I didn't think there was going to be an after for us."

"I was talking to Julian, he said him and his husband were going to make for the border in a week after we pass through these ruins," he told me in a whisper that was unnecessary. It wasn't as if we were in the army, there was no punishment for desertion.

"Well I wish them luck but you know as well as I do that even if the Hordes don't kill them, there's no way they'll be granted entrance to the city and they'll just be stuck eating their boots with the rest of the refugees," I tell him.

He looked more conflicted before continuing, "Ethan and Tia said they're going to go back and live with her uncle's family."

I can't stop the ugly judgmental expression that crosses my face.

"Yeah, I guess it's not like they'll be strung up as deterrent for their neighbors just for being together," I limit myself to saying despite feeling hatred coiling in my gut.

Mackenzie looked like he would say more but the voice of our defacto leader cut across the clearing, "Does anyone here have any practice with Old Common?"

I raise an eyebrow in question to Mackenzie who matches my confusion and shrugs. Most of us barely had any schooling, I used to read for entertainment and bartered for books but mostly just fiction or recipe books. It made me one of the most "scholarly" people here but I by no means understood the near dead language.

Ruby surprised us by raising a hand, "My aunt used to teach me a little of what she learned from when she was a sailor."

Our leader put a hand over his face and groaned, "Fine, Anya, come and give us a hand, we'll need someone who can read to help with what we're trying to translate."

I dust off my hands of crumbs and get back up despite my feet protesting.

Matt brings Ruby and I to one of the ruins near the edge of the crumbling city. The building was probably extravagant a hundred years ago, built into the side of the mountain the valley was cradled in. Now it was ominous, it had partially broken statues of deities I didn't recognize guarding the entrance. I didn't like the look of them, too many sharp-teethed mouthes on one and too many eyes on the other.

We entered the building regardless and once our eyes adjusted to the low light I understood immediately why Matt wanted to investigate. He lit a lantern and walked closer to the object of curiosity. Built into the wall of the mountain was a stairway, magical lit with eternal burning torches. Along the outside of the wall seemed to be some sort of text.

"I figure if it's a warning I want to know what's down there before anyone tries to sleep here. And if it's some sort of old safe house, maybe for whoever lived in this temple, we should go down and see if there's anything useful," Matt explained to us as he tried to decipher where the text began.

He seemed to make his educated guess and held the lantern out in front of it. I instead gesture for him to pass it to me. So began a long session of me sounding out what sounded like nonsense while Ruby did her best to translate.

"Before you leads to a demon. To be bound by way of ritual. Ongoing. To fail is to die. To succeed is to have his strength. We have sent 36 temple priestesses to complete this task. All have failed. Any challenger coming after be warned. You must outlast him until-" Ruby threw one hand up in exasperation, "I don't know!"

"It's either midnight or sunrise... Maybe twilight?" She tapped her fingers against the carved letters impatiently, "I'm doing the best I can here, alright?"

Matt held a hand out placatingly, "I know, you're doing great."

He sighed and finished the reconstruction from the past attempts to decipher the words, "Outlast him until sunrise and he will be bound to your will."

"There can be only one challenger at a time, no one but challengers can enter." He finishes.

"So no one but challengers can enter or should?" I ask but Ruby just shrugs.

"I'll challenge him," I tell Matt.

"What?" Ruby says incredulous.

Matt looked at me thoughtfully, "The writing said they sent priestesses."

"Well they all died, let's try an actual trained fighter this time," I say.

Matt wasn't from my village and I didn't know him well but he still fixed a look of tired concern at me, "You know you'll probably die."

"Same as if we don't try at all then," I answer with a shrug.

"Get some sleep first, you can try tomorrow," Matt tells me as he stares down as far as we can see into the passageway.

"You're planning on what?" Mackenzie said as he sat up to stare at me.

"I'm going to fight a demon and I'm going to win, when I do it'll bind it to me," I say plainly as I sit down next to him in the tent, "Then I'll use it to fight the Horde."

Mackenzie stares at me in open bafflement before continuing, "Oh. Of course, that's what I thought you said."

"No, that's insane, you can't win a fight against a demon that's already killed 36 people at least!" Mackenzie declares as he grabs my hand.

"You don't have to get yourself killed, we can just leave!" He's got both of my hands now and he stares at me with a strange expression.

"You're all I have left now, I don't want you to die too, just because you feel obligated to-"

"I know we could leave, I want to keep fighting for as long as possible," I slip my hands out of his grasp, "I thought that was what you wanted too."

He looks devastated, his bright blue eyes held back tears only barely. I feel bad for blindsiding him with this but with how things were going we'd probably be found and killed or starve when the winter came anyway.

"I would keep fighting if I still thought we had any chance of changing things," he admits to me in a defeated tone.

"Well, this is some sort of a chance," I try to tell him but he's already turning away from me.

It's my turn to grab his hand as I try to make him understand my point. As I do his attention snaps back to me, preemptively jarring him out of his woeful expression.

"You've been my best friend my entire life, you know I was the best fighter in our whole village, and you know I'm the strongest woman here," I tighten my grip on his hand, "The stone carving just says outlast, I don't even have to be able to kill it, I survive for a few more hours and we get a weapon that can actually fight these bastards."

"Do you trust me?" I ask him.

"That's not fair," he pulls me into an embrace, "You know I trust you."

"So let me try."

The next morning after I eat the last of the hardtack and finish sharping my sword I walk with Mackenzie to the ruins of the temple. Matt is already waiting for me.

"We could use some time to rest anyway, plus maybe do a bit of foraging. Nobody is going to go after you but we'll wait here until the day after tomorrow, since we had such a debate about time," Matt tell us as we approach.

He was leaning against the statue with too many eyes. He looked at us both seriously and offered me a hand to shake.

"Bring us back a demon alright?" He says as I accept it.

"I intend to," I answer.

He simply nods at Mackenzie and walks back towards the others. We enter the temple in silence. I see the same torches burning away in the otherwise dark building. Mackenzie puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll be waiting right here for you, and if you think that it's too strong and you have the chance to escape with your life, please take it," he tells me with a squeeze of my shoulder.

"I know," I don't know what else to say so pull him into a hug.

He reluctantly lets me go and I turn away from him. I begin to make my decent. The moment I step over the threshold I feel a change. The air is cooler, all sound from the outside seems to have stopped. I don't look back for fear of loosing my nerve and continue down.

It's a long straight stairway and I find myself straining to hear any noise at all. Before long I feel the unease that comes with knowing you are far underground. I draw my sword and tense at the noise unsheathing it causes.

I can't have been walking for more than 10 minutes when I begin to hear a new noise. The light dripping of water. I cringe at the possibility of having to fight in freezing cave water. But I don't have long to worry.

The torches and stairway end at another entrance. Only a faint light from an unknown source emanating. I take a deep breath and ready myself before entering. It's a large chamber, a pool of water surrounding some sort of small island. On the island is a faintly glowing magical circle. Its runes are completely unfamiliar to me. In the center is a naked man, presumably the demon, sitting and not even looking up as I came in. His hair is the only distinguishing feature I can see, long and dirty, obscuring my view of his face entirely.

"I had begun to hope nobody else was coming," he said, breaking the silence with a deep voice, gravelly from disuse.

"That I would waste away in peace and stupid interlopers wouldn't keep showing up to die," he continued as I walked closer to the circle.

As I got closer I saw that he was pale, if he'd been down here at least since the temple was abandoned that would mean a hundred years at least. A hundred years without sunlight.

"I need you to fight the enemy of my people, you'll do that if I can outlast you and the ritual will be completed right?" I ask him warily.

He slowly raises a hand to brush his hair out of his face as he finally looks at me. I'm shocked by how beautiful a face he has.

He seems to take my measure and has the audacity to roll his eyes and lie back against the stone.

"I can't stop you if you choose to enter the circle but I suspect I'll be forced to kill you just like the last 15 fools who had come to take my power for themselves," he tells me and then closes his eyes, "And with your stolen life force I'll continue survive, trapped down here for another handful of decades."

"What do you mean be forced to kill me?" I ask hesitantly.

"Do I look like I undertook this ritual willingly?" He snapped, "The dark disciples found a way to forcibly bind a demon, I'm magically compelled to complete the ritual, the only ones I killed with intent were the priestesses who knew exactly what they were trying to do."

He paused before adding, "The ones who had come later to try their luck after hearing rumors I wouldn't have killed if I had a choice."

"And you can't physically leave?" I ask despite knowing the answer.

"Obviously, stupid foolish women," he snaps once again, "Leave."

"I can't, if I fail, the rebellion and my friends will die," I tell him and take another step to plant myself just outside the circle.

"Then they'll die. Go die with them instead of down here!" he yells at me in exasperation.

I look at him and can't help but feel pity. Certainly misplaced, but if he's really been trapped down here and forced to kill against his will it was hard not to see the suffering plain on his face.

"Don't you want to get out of here?" I yell as I take a fighting stance and step into the circle.

The light emanating from it brightens slightly and the demon is on his feet looking furious.

I take a run at him and bring my sword down across his chest. It doesn't even leave a mark and he looks almost surprised at me.

"Are you trying to kill me or are you here to complete the ritual?" He asks while beginning to advance upon me.

I tried to back up but felt my back hit a wall that hadn't been there, the edge of the circle was now a force field trapping me with the demon.

"The ritual, I told you!" I answer before he grabs my wrist and wrestles the sword out of my grasp, chucking it out of the ring.

I can only think of Mackenzie who will sit waiting for me. Of my family home that was burned and even now being replaced by traitors. Of my friends in the rebellion who will be killed or starve. I wrestle back against him but his strength is inhuman. He forces me to the ground and gets on top of me. I stare at his dirty beautiful face and wait for him to unhinge his jaw and bite my throat out or use clawed fingers to rip out my heart.

"Unconsecrated weaponry can't hurt demons," he says and waits for my response.

"Then just do it," I tell him.

He has a nearly panicked expression before he releases my hands and steps away from me.

"I thought you said you'll be forced to kill?" I ask in confusion of being spared and I scramble to my feet.

"I will, if you can't outlast me," he says and searches my face for understanding.

He must have found none as I glance at my sword, thrown out of the circle.

He collapses to the ground once more, refusing to look at me, "You thought this would be a fight."

I feel a shiver go down my spine, "What does it mean if not a fight?"

He snaps his head back towards me barring his sharp teeth, "I'm an incubus, you stupid death-seeking little rebel!"

I back towards the door again but am still blocked by the invisible walls of the circle.

"So when you said that you'd be forced to-"

"Yes, I'm going to fuck you into the floor and drain the life out of you," he says bitterly.

"But you don't want to, and you haven't yet?" I ask.

"The time is very important for this ritual, it begins at twilight, if you can last until midnight I'll be free and we can go slaughter all the enemies you'd like," he lies back down before continuing, "But you won't."

"What does it mean exactly," I ask him while taking an unsure step closer, "What do I actually have to do?"

He laughs at me miserably, "Now you ask for specifics?"

"Yeah, now I'm asking," I tell him as I cautiously sit down a few feet away from him.

He considers me for a moment before responding, "The circle will force me to use my abilities as an incubus to suppress your ability to climax until you ask for it."

I wait for him to elaborate further to no avail, "And then what?"

"I'll be forced to shift into whatever you find most attractive and," he rolls onto his side into a mockery of a seductive pose, "then I'll have my wicked way with you, my poor valiant maiden."

I feel an involuntarily smile crack onto my face and force down a hysteric laugh, "That's it? I just have to shut up and take it for a few hours?"

He literally growls at me and shoots me a poisonous look, "51 women have already failed and their lives now fuel what's left of mine, do not assume this will be easy."

Despite the situation and obviously not wanting to sleep with a demon I couldn't quell the feeling of hope rising in my chest. He scrutinized my expression and sniffed in disbelief.

"What makes you think you'll have no trouble 'shutting up and taking it' as you put it," he asked some of the anger melting away.

"I actually have no interest in sex, not just the way some of the Hordes women like to pretend they're too pure for it, I planned to live as a spinster by choice," I tell him despite feeling a bit embarrassed, I knew if what he said was true this was nothing compared to how violated I'd feel by morning.

One night of probably at least slightly painful defloration despite the demon's bragging was a laughably small price to pay for a real opportunity to fight back against the Horde. Hell, it wasn't like Mackenzie and I hadn't both discussed if we would be willing to exchange sexual favors just for food if it came down to it. Since nobody had food to spare it had yet to actually come up.