The Inn was a fine establishment, named such because her father (the Innkeeper) could not find anything fine enough to name it after. Ari had spent most of her life there, working as a waitress - she couldn't cook worth beans, literally. It had been a nice life, with limited tea and plenty of sleep. The only thing missing was her mother, but that never bothered Ari during the day. Night was different, though...
Night, night. Night meant sleep. She would be sleeping in a few minutes, Ari thought wistfully to herself as she rounded the last steps of the spiral staircase that led to her room.
A bright-eyed young man with long, dexterous hands passed her on the way up. She nodded at him, and told him sleepily, "Have fun robbing the kitchens, Perkin." Everyone knew the palace was swarming with thieves. Even thieves that were otherwise employed within its very walls...
Perkin nodded back brightly and continued on his way down.
Ari smiled to herself and continued her way up. Almost there - five steps, four steps, three steps, two steps, one more step...! She was there.
Filled with a burning contempt at the Master of Accommodations for putting her room at the very top of the tower, Ari tugged off her waistcoat and outer robe, pulled off her sandals, and collapsed onto her tiny bed. No sooner than the covers were over her head, Ari was fast asleep.
*****
Within a few minutes Ari was awake again. She was, in fact, wide awake. She was actually sitting bolt upright, staring at the far end of the bed. She could have sworn something had trodden on her foot.
She looked around wildly, but there was nothing there. Breathing heavily, she lay back down.
Something touched her leg.
Ari bit her tongue so hard that it bled, and sat up in the bed once more. It's a dream, it's just a dream.
Did dreams have large yellow eyes? This one did.
Ari tried to scream, but the dream was too quick. It grabbed her by the throat and pushed her back down onto the bed. Its grip was harder than iron - it was like the grip of the head cook when she caught you with one of her pies. Ari tried to push the thing away, but it only held on tighter.
Its skin was pale in the night, paler almost than its eyes. In the light that they gave off, Ari could just see the silhouette of two huge wings.
A demon.
As soon as she recognized what the thing was, Ari fell limp against the bed. Perhaps the thing would believe she had fainted - demons were awful, scary beings, but their masters often did not pick them for intelligence. Most couldn't even speak, only emit harsh screeching noises.
The thing smiled a wicked, cunning smile. Ari would have cursed her luck if she were able to talk.
"Thank you," it said in a high, quiet voice. "This will make things so much easier."
Ari shivered violently under its grip. The demon smiled even wider.
.and let go.
Ari made a move to scramble out of the bed, but her muscles wouldn't respond at all to her commands. If anything, she lay more limp than before.
The demon leaned back and let out a howl that wrenched the curtains from their hangings and knocked a chair over on the other side of the room. Then he lunged forward.
Ari found the strength to scream in the last moment, but it was too late. The demon's face was inches away from her own.
It's fingers gripped her already open mouth. Ari's scream was cut short as its face touched her own, pushing farther and farther into her mouth.
Ari had shut her eyes, but the demon was still there.
And so it was that Arienh, daughter of Haldryd, fell into the dark.
*****
"Your mouth is still open," Aayah pointed out dryly. Taife was still staring at the open door.
He blushed a little - though his was a perfectly normal red - and closed both the door and his mouth. "You know," he muttered, "I think I'd drink ten gallons of the Queen's tea before I became a servant."
Aayah looked at him blankly. "Can we leave now?"
"No."
"Ah." She paused, as if awaiting some explanation from Taife's part. When he offered none, she continued. "Why?"
With his insufferable good humor, Rhen gave her what he thought might be the answer. "He's too busy deciding how to ask Ari to dinner."
Taife spun around. "Hey!"
Rhen grinned disarmingly. "You're not the only one around here who can read minds, mate."
They stared at each other a moment. Finally, Taife decided that he better not say anything more to Rhen - at the risk of further humiliation. Instead, he turned back to Aayah.
"I might need your help, if you're willing."
"Hm," she replied venomously, "whether we're willing or not hasn't ever stopped you."
Taife ignored her scathing remark. "I need to help Ari. I think she's in danger."
"No one is in danger in this palace," Rhen observed, "except if they drink too much tea."
"Exactly."
"Oh."
"Yes. Now, will you help me? I'll give you free access to the kitchens," he promised, hand upon heart.
The two thieves looked at each other, then back at Taife. "Alright then." The spoke in unison, but Rhen was particularly loud. "What do you need?"
"Ari may have to leave the castle. Do you have any transports?"
"Yes," They answered immediately. "But she's kind ."
Taife groaned. "A Greatbeast?"
Rhen smiled cheekily back. "A Greatbeast, indeed. She is called Miyah."
Taife's voice grew edgy. He'd tried to read a Greatbeasts' mind once. It hadn't been pretty at all. "What...what sort of Greatbeast?"
"A panther."
"Oh, heavens." His mind reeled, but if worse came to worse, there was no other way.
Just then, Taife heard a roar, magnified in his head a thousand times. It was no ordinary roar, he knew.
It was the roar of a demon.
And it was followed by a scream.