Page 7 of Sins of the Stone

Ursulette

U rsulette let out a groan, her head throbbing with a fury unlike any she had felt before. Life wasn’t always easy, but she hadn’t ever struck her head so hard that she lost consciousness. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, especially accompanied by the dull throb that seemed to beat with her heart. Her eyes fluttered open as she viewed a dim light illuminating her vision. The ceiling above was unfamiliar, making her throat constrict with panic.

She had no idea where she was or how she got there. The last thing she remembered was chaos, being attacked, and then nothing but blackness. Someone or something dragged her off. She assumed it was a demon until she sat up, realizing it was an average-looking house.

It wasn’t adorned with tools of torment or decorated with the blood of the innocent. As far as she knew, demons didn’t live in houses, though she was still skeptical. Unfurling the snug blanket around her body, she draped her legs over the edge of the bed, her head still light from the injury.

Demons don’t wrap people in blankets, she thought.

Once she knew she would be steady, she stood up, causing the floor to creak below. She hoped that once she opened the door, she would see another human apologizing for taking her away—she was injured, and they decided to help, they would say.

Then, the two of them could both chuckle about the situation, and she would head back home. It would be tough to pick up the pieces if it had been destroyed, so she hoped someone would be kind enough to help.

She wandered into the short hallway, enveloped by cozy, warm air. A fire was crackling from the living room, making her skin break out in gooseflesh. She ignored the feeling and continued her journey. As she did, the heartbeat in her head did not get any better.

At the end was what appeared to be a living room, and she entered, seeing the fire roaring in the center. The sight increased her morbid chill, reminding her of the turmoil that unfolded back home. She stared into the licking flames, thinking back to the horrors that she had seen shortly before her brief absence of consciousness.

A noise tore her away from her hypnosis, and she turned to greet her rescuer. In her vision was a creature nearly three feet taller than her, with gray, leathery skin. Each muscle was outlined with a boldness that emphasized his powerful body. Atop his head was a crown of silky hair, tinted gray like the rest of his skin, and beside that, a set of curved horns.

And his wings—massive, folded, the tips topped with little talons, just a breath away from caressing the ceiling. He also had a tail that poked out to the side, lengthy and dragging against the wood floor. The sight made her headache increase tenfold. Ursulette felt as if the breath had been ripped from her lungs.

“Hello, little human. Are you feeling alright?” His voice was gentle yet made fear race through her veins and the pulse in her head came to a rhythm, beating repeatedly with her heart. It was so overwhelming that her skull felt like it was filled with clouds. The last thing she remembered thinking as she tumbled to the floor was:

Oh, my gods, he talked!