At the Mercy of Monsters

By Sophy L Ryser

Deep beneath the surface of the Algeia sea lies Haegan, a clan of Nhieohym to which Omarosa Rashiid is Heiress. She and all of her kind were born for one purpose: serve their god as the living torment of mankind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophy Ryser
• Release date: Dec 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781737630425

Book preview

1

OUTSIDER

OMAROSA

4th Era, 974th Year

72 years before present

"I sense a strong spirit in this one," the Seer’s grave white eyes drifted over my mother’s belly along with her careful hand.

Margotha, whom I had the honor of calling my mother, dismissed her with a wave as she sat up on her bed cloth. I’d been sleeping without mine for the time being, but no amount of cushioning would ease her discomfort. She carried considerable weight in both mind and body.

I stood on the other side of the room by the archway entrance, watching with concern and awe, unable to imagine how it must have felt.

And what will it be? Do you know? I asked in a hush, doing my best not to disturb my mother’s peace. Dagrun must have known the gender already — she knew a great many things others could only wish to know. Such wisdom had earned her the title of Seer, as well as advisor.

I feel a young and lively Heir of Haegan. I see him as King, ruling with a strength we have not seen for generations.

A brother. I’ll have a baby brother.

Margotha’s pale blue gaze lightened and drifted over to me. I stepped out of the shadows cast by the erymite and placed my hand on her belly, feeling the life beating softly within.

As Heiress, it will be your responsibility to guide him towards being a dutiful servant of Haegan, she spoke to me softly. I fear your own advisor grows old and soft.

Dagrun cleared her throat loudly from her position at the far wall.

Careful, mother, I laughed. She’s delivering your child.

And I do plenty of other important things, mind you, Dagrun snapped.

After a discreet fit of laughter, trying not to invoke too much of the Seer’s wrath, I bowed my head.

It would be my honor to advise him. Thank you.

She grinned, which seemed to brighten her immensely despite her lack of energy. I was warmed by the sight of her proud, beaming eyes.

I can always rely on you, Omarosa. Her attention returned to Dagrun, smile fading. Take her to the Gathering. She must continue to see the King at work.

And you?

I will remain here. Return when you have finished.

Dagrun can stay with you, I asserted. I think I’m ready to attend a Gathering alone.

I’d reached my one-hundred twenty-sixth year. I hadn’t yet hunted, instead being urged to focus my attention on learning our history and helping my father with matters of the Gathering. There was enough embarrassment in this without the need for a chaperone to attend.

Margotha studied me carefully as Dagrun displayed unwavering doubt. I held my stare.

My mother nodded once in approval, and I hastily dismissed myself from the room. I pranced down the stairs of the east spire, passing my own bed-chamber and stopping suddenly as I reached the archway to my future brother’s.

Workers were laboring inside, clearing the dust and chipping symbols of Anahem’s blessings into the stone walls. He wouldn’t be sleeping in that room until he was past infancy, but it was good to begin such work in anticipation of the future, as the symbols were a form of prayer for the child’s health.

They must have heard my hurried steps come to a halt at the door, for they turned to watch me disapprovingly just before I left.

Two hallways met at the bottom of the spiraling staircase, lined with scattered shards of erymite in the dark stone walls.

Erymite was one of the few resources we obtained besides the rough linen rags we managed to scrounge from sailing ships to wear as clothing. It was because of these resources that Northern and the workers existed, housing the erymite mines and the rations of whatever valuable materials could be salvaged from sailors we preyed upon. It lit the cavern with a faint blue glow, mined for some to wear for guidance or place in their hives and for the workers to light the halls of my home.

Fraelindas was once a palace carved out of the mass of rock separating the Hedrun from the rest of the clan. Since Ethelmet’s downfall, most of the side structures had crumbled along with her human blood’s influence on the Rashiid line. Her children and their children prided themselves in never allowing extravagance in Fraelindas and worshiping the sight of its walls cracking and its wings crumbling. With every sign of age and wear, it seemed our distance from the half-blood Queen grew.

Since our home was a cavern of the deep sea, luxury and structural integrity was quite impossible despite Ethelmet’s efforts to maintain Fraelindas as a palace long ago.

I was ashamed to be her descendant, even four generations after her rule. But as I ran my fingers along the walls of my decrepit home, I was grateful for the test of time. It was as it should’ve been, and the bleak and crumbling palace was a peculiar sign of hope.

Contemplating something?

It was a familiar sly voice, and I quickly turned to meet it.

A tall, white-haired figure leaned against the wall nearer to the spiral stairs I’d descended. A cunning grin and pair of black eyes greeted me.

Vandil, I sighed, catching my breath and returning his small, mischievous smile.

Did I scare you? He chuckled. You must have been deep in thought.

He pushed away from his resting place and mimicked my movements, running his fingers along the wall as he approached me.

Not that deep, my face twisted as it heated. I thought I saw a new crack in the wall, that’s all.

Vandil brushed a long strand of white hair from his face.

What does an Heiress think about, anyway? He looked around me at the Gathering entrance. Everything is laid out for you. You don’t even have to think.

I was thinking about this place, I gestured to the space around me, then crossed my arms. It was created by an ancestor I despise. I was only glad to feel the crumbling pieces of stone.

How poetic, Vandil drawled.

My body tensed as he came nearer to my side.

"And what does a lead hunter have to think about?" I asked in return.

Not a lot. Being a hunter is straightforward, Vandil shrugged. Not that you’d know anything about it, late bloomer.

You had your first hunt when you were seventy-four. You were early — that doesn’t make me a late bloomer.

He cocked his head to the side. "A normal youngblood attends their first hunt in their hundredth year. You are late."

I huffed and turned away from him, continuing my path to the Gathering.

I’m all taunts and lighthearted ridicule, his voice softened. I stopped again and faced him. I know. But I mean well. I only want to offer my help.

My fingers tapped methodically on my arm as I stared back at him. He’d morphed from a cunning brat to a genuine heart in seconds.

Help with what?

I could get you out there sooner, Vandil gestured back down the hallway, the path that led to the Hedrun pool. Margotha thinks you’re too weak, but you just need a trainer.

If you didn’t need a trainer, then I don’t.

I did need a trainer, just like every other youngblood. My father taught me.

I gazed at the floor, listening to my own father’s soothed voice as he addressed the Council. I thought of my mother, who’d given me an old advisor rather than her own advice.

Vandil studied me, lowering his head to see into my eyes.

You are the Heiress, he reassured me. You’re meant to lead us, here and out there. But they can’t expect the old Seer to train you.

I looked back up at him. I don’t want your help. They’ll think I’m weak. Weaker than they think I am already.

Vandil darted his eyes down the hall that beckoned me.

You’d better get going. Looks like you’re late, he gently turned me by the shoulders and nudged me towards the Gathering. My father might spread more dirt on the Rashiid bloodline if that’s the case.

Only a traitor is late! I imitated his father with a stern frown that quickly cracked into a grin.

I ran on my toes and stopped at the edge of the wall, peering around it in hopes of catching the right moment to enter. As always, I felt insignificant compared to the Gathering’s grandeur.

It was the treasure of Fraelindas. Being the first room seen upon crossing the bridge that stretched over the canal, it was always immaculate. All agreements, plans, and actions were made in that grand hall, and there was no better place to be than at the stone table of the King and his Council.

Small canals streamed down either side of the Gathering, with bridges carving a path from the halls. The ceiling’s supportive pillars were decorated with elaborate prayer carvings in praise of Anahem. The room held most of the simplistic yet mysterious beauty of Haegan, an essence of tranquility within the waters echoing softly throughout the room. I could close my eyes and listen to the calming rush and lose myself in the world it created.

I waited in the doorway, watching the King, hoping he’d finally notice me. It would spare me the attention of walking in unannounced.

King Askel was my father and the son of Tallek, though many would rather forget the latter.

The Rashiid bloodline had its curses, as it had begun when the first Rashiid King, Ariand, took a human as his mate. Because of this betrayal, we were different. We were vulnerable to the same baneful greed and malice that had plagued the heart of his hybrid descendant.

Cautious as the clan was, Tallek’s son had shown no such betrayal in all the years of his life or reign, even choosing the safety of his clan when it meant the death of his own father. He was a King who did whatever was necessary to keep us alive, following the wisdom of a simple phrase often repeated.

One body. One mind.

I can only pray that I might be so honorable.

I could only pray that he’d finally look my way, too, as his discussion was far too critical for his eyes to stray from the Gathering. I took a sharp breath and pulled my red waves away from my face, reforming my composure.

We will have to take precautions. Digging deeper will always take— The King’s gaze followed the turning heads of the Council members and watched as his daughter glided across the stonework. Ah, Omarosa.

The Council stood for me, and the horrible silence stretched until I took my seat at the far end of the table, facing my father directly.

We’ve been expecting your presence, Heiress, my grandfather Gultop had a voice sharp with wit, and as soon as he uttered the words, I smiled in his direction. But my seat was far from his, unfortunately. With our tendency to distract one another, it was probably for the best.

Any word on the newest Heir? King Askel asked me, and the simple question put my restless heart at ease.

A male, my King. Dagrun ‘sees him as King, with a strength we haven’t seen for generations.’

Ah, yes. Dagrun would say so, whether she sensed it or not, he smirked and gestured to the Council. This Gathering was called to address the overpopulation dilemma. Do you wish to join the Gathering?

I do, if the Council deems me worthy.

Councilor Pyne stirred in his seat. He was the spitting image of his son, with long white hair draping down his back, black eyes cautiously inspecting the room and its three Rashiid occupants.

The Councilor beside me, Oden, leaned forward and crossed his long, wrinkled fingers over the table. We were discussing the continuing process of digging deeper into the cavern.

You mean creating more levels for the hives?

The hives of Haegan were holes in the stone lining the walls of great pits. As we added more levels to the pits, the narrow path continued to spiral downward. The hives ensured safety and privacy to a steadily growing population.

The birth rate is increasing, Gultop said. And as Anahem gifted us with long life and good health, the mortality rate is low. The cavern can only shelter so many.

Digging hives is always a risk, I added. Accidents occur, and to lose even a single life would be tragic.

I felt silly speaking at a Gathering and hearing my childish voice echoing back at me, but the sight of my father beaming gave me a gentle lift in courage.

The safety of the clan must always be the highest priority, and with the tools we have, creating hives takes time that we may not have if the mortality rate is low. I feel there must be more ways to address the problem than simply expanding the hives.

We could expand the hives in the other districts as well, Oden suggested. Though all four districts had specific purposes, all had hives but Western, the smallest district that was home to Anahem’s temple. But keeping Western vacant is also a priority, in honor of Anahem.

The other Councilors nodded in approval and gazed at their King with expectation.

Askel had submerged himself deep into thought, most likely visualizing the process. He sighed, expression dimming to its usual severity, and addressed the Gathering.

Expand all hives in each district, starting a new cluster in Northern. But I propose that we also begin exercising a reproduction law.

"Reproduction law? Councilor Pyne looked at the others with uncertainty. Surely, that isn’t necessary. Haegan is a clan of continuous growth and prosperity. To limit—"

To limit it is to keep it stable. To protect it. I’m not suggesting we cut reproduction altogether. Caution is necessary for a long-living species such as ours.

The Gathering grew quiet, and all that could be heard was the soft rush of water down past the main door. I suppressed the cough that threatened in my throat.

After hearing no other objections and receiving reluctant, silent approval from Pyne, the King rose from his seat. Everyone else followed suit, and he continued.

We will exercise a reproduction law. All Nhieohym companions of Haegan will be limited to two offspring, in the hope that this may keep the population steady.

Pyne bowed briefly and hurried from the hall. I remained standing as Councilors retreated back to their duties both inside and outside Fraelindas. I curiously watched my father’s gaze follow each of them out of the room, then move down to his hands.

With every decade that passed, our bodies remained full of energy, but something in the spirit began to deteriorate and age more rapidly than the others. Being a half-blood came with its curses, and I wasn’t yet aware of any blessings. We’d been accepted, but they still doubted we were fit to rule. Tallek was a perfect example. Falling in love alone would have been reason for execution, even without him falling for Gultop’s companion.

Every day was a test for those continually watching. It was one reason I wasn’t sure if I wished to be first in line for the throne. If I’d been born pure-blooded, the weight on my shoulders would’ve been far lighter.

Gultop remained behind while my father rested in his contemplation, and the others retreated to their pressing matters. He looked at me, taking a quick, cautious glance towards the King before rushing from his seat to my side.

I smiled as he drew near.

We haven’t spoken in quite a while, have we? he asked.

I soaked in his long grey hair and warm eyes. Such dark eyes would’ve easily been seen as intimidating, or perhaps a window to the soul, but Gultop’s soul was far from black.

Small creases formed at his eyes and at the corners of his lips. He must’ve been nearing five hundred and fifty years, but he hardly looked a day over four hundred.

No, we haven’t. How was your latest adventure?

Gultop pressed a finger to his lips, looking behind him at the Council members who hadn’t yet reached the bridge, then at the King that paced far in front of him.

Don’t let them hear, he whispered. Those days are behind me, dear child.

I faintly sensed his mind swirling, his face heating just a touch. He was lying. Curiosity sparked through my eyes as I leaned forward. Not one story?

Gultop’s grave expression lingered, but my determination managed to crack a smile.

"I have one thing to tell. But you must not repeat it to anyone."

The very thought of a secret to hold was exhilarating and unimaginable. There was no such thing in Haegan.

I once embarked on a spectacular adventure. I explored the seafloor, discovering hundreds of sunken ships from every era, he paused, grinning as my jaw dropped. Sea life swarmed along the side of these structures, and objects glimmered inside and around them. I had to investigate.

What did you find?

A human artifact.

I gawked at him; not only was the image of wrecked ships being left to my naive imagination, but the idea of anything human was unfathomable. The closest I'd been to the outside world was the cold waters of the Hedrun wetting the bottom of my feet.

I explored one of these ships with bones littering the deck. I found meatless human remains stripped bare, clothes torn to shreds. It was remarkable to see. But on one particular human…

The world stood still at his pause.

Yes? I pressed.

Close your eyes.

I did immediately, and held out my hands before me, waiting eagerly for the unfamiliar touch of a foreign object.

I flinched slightly as I felt something small, round, and rough land in my palm.

Open, now.

The object was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Thin and round, with worn engravings on either side. It could’ve been a tracing of a man’s profile, but otherwise far too old to read.

"What is it?

I have no idea. But that’s the beauty of it, yes? It’s a mystery.

Fascinating, I held the object close to my face, studying it intensely and trying to make out anything new. Such a thing could keep many secrets — it was a beautiful mystery.

I held it out for Gultop to take, but he shook his head and grinned at me. No. This is my gift to you.

Thank you.

But take heed, Omarosa, he carefully covered the artifact with his hand in mine, grave dark eyes burrowing into mine. No one can know what I have told you, or find what you possess. I pass my knowledge to you, knowing you will use it well.

My face grew hot as if I’d been caught misbehaving.

What do you mean?

You must know, dear one, that there is more to humanity than you are likely to find. But do not seek it.

I blinked at him in bewilderment before I finally broke, laughing in my throat and tilting my head to the side, testing him. When his face remained relentlessly solemn, my smile faded once again.

Why did you tell me if none of this can be shared?

You already knew of my history, Gultop let my hand go, and I slipped the coin under a bit of string that fastened my robes to my body. You show great promise, Heiress. My daughter carries a young Heir, and I expect you will play your part in that child’s future. You may pass my knowledge onto him, though hopefully as non-incriminating as possible.

And the artifact?

Gultop loosened, shrugging his shoulders. That was to make you smile, he beamed at me. "And, perhaps with a piece of the outside world, your curiosity is eased, and you won’t repeat my mistakes. And they are mistakes, mind you. But I may also be an old fool in thinking that. Youngbloods are wreckless creatures."

That we are, I chuckled.

Well, he slapped his knees and slowly rose to his feet, rolling his sore shoulders. I will attend to my daughter. She is weakened and burdened, is she not?

But still strong, nonetheless, I added. Thank you.

Gultop flashed a crooked grin back at me and left the Gathering hall. His cryptic words still echoed in my head, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of them, but I supposed that it hardly mattered. Gultop was often cryptic and sincere, and I wouldn’t dwell on it.

The reality of his mistakes was grave, indeed. After every story he told me, he added that fact. But it was embedded into my curious mind, and he was unfortunately mistaken; with a taste of one mystery, I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d solved another.

With my grandfather gone, I found myself alone in the hall. I’d expected to see the King silently pacing behind his seat, but he had left the Gathering with the rest.

Knowing I had only a moment of freedom before Dagrun hunted me down for a lesson, I leapt from my stone seat and trotted to the archway leading to the bridge. My walls were finally behind me as I entered the open cavern, all of our great city visible to the eye.

Rough stone roads split at the end of the bridge and wound away, with more bridges leaping over canals and leading to their districts. Far ahead of me, the bustling Northern district had separate small caves dug into the walls, forming mines of erymite and storehouses where salvaged linen and rope was kept for beds and clothing.

Far to my left, the imposing statue of Anahem glowed with blue ore shining all around it. Several bodies were on their knees as they mumbled their prayers near its base.

Between these districts were spiraling pits, gaping wide with workers coming and going with their small makeshift picks in hand. The hives were spread throughout Haegan, with roads forming around them, most connected by narrow tunnels. It was an achievement of our race, creating something out of nothing.

The waters of Haegan ran in several small canals flowing under bridges and echoed in an enchanting melody throughout the cavern. It was the only music I knew and all I ever wanted to know. The water sparkled as it navigated through Haegan, lit by the erymite scattering the cave ceiling like stars.

It was Haegan. My home.

I watched my father’s tall figure walk steadily across the stone path past the bridge. I expected him to either continue towards the statue of Anahem or ahead to one of the pits. Instead, he turned sharply and disappeared somewhere below.

I strode across the bridge, looking over the edge at my father. He began walking in the opposite direction, eyes on the water that ran alongside him.

I reached the path and halted, watching him for a moment.

I had the urge to say something, anything, but I couldn’t find the words.

Hello?

Too simple.

What are you doing?

Too intrusive.

My mouth hung open slightly as nothing came, and my body tightened awkwardly as I slowly turned away, resorting instead to simply leaving my father be.

Have you forgotten, Omarosa? Or are you too young for that lesson?

I froze halfway through the movement as my face heated. I knew nothing about what he spoke of — but he must’ve known that.

What lesson? I knew the response he wished for.

As I turned towards him, I was astonished to find that he hadn’t seen me. He faced the creek, gaze transfixed upon the flowing waters.

We are kin, King Askel said calmly. Upon reaching maturity, those who share blood can sense each other.

Isn’t this an ability shared by all? It takes great focus without practice, but any Nhieohym can sense another in some way.

He shook his head. "It is