**This is my first attempt, so any and all feedback is much appreciated. Many thanks to Karen_bi_uk for the editing, all mistakes are mine, not hers.**
Smoke rose in choking columns from the fallen city in the valley below. The charred scent of burning buildings mixed with the disgustingly sweet odor of roasting flesh as the flames raced over the bodies of the fallen defenders and citizens.
The flames were a steady roar, offset occasionally by the rumble as a building collapsed, or the hoarse screams of inhabitants who hadn't been lucky enough to escape or die in the fighting. The demon's army was busy enjoying pillaging Sil Hideen, the City in the Clouds. The scene blurred before my eyes as fresh tears rolled down my face.
There were only a dozen of us left of the fifty who'd volunteered as rearguard - the last seven members of the Cloudfolk elite warriors, the Skyguard; Renhir, mightiest wizard of the Ao, four other Ao warriors, and myself, Renhir's niece.
The remains of the allied armies and the lucky few refugees were hopefully five miles past us by now, limping down the mountain trails as quickly as they could go. I'd lost track of the number of vicious melees we'd fought against the fragments of the demon's army who'd broken off from the looting to pursue us.
The discipline of the horde had been shattered by the opportunity to slake their violent lusts on the remains of Sil Hideen, so no truly organized attack had overwhelmed our small force. Even so, most of the original fifty lay dead around us, and all of us but Renhir bore wounds by now. My left arm was broken and hung useless by my side, and silver blood dripped from half a dozen small cuts on my body.
I rested my spear against my shoulder and scrubbed the tears from my eyes with the heel of my good hand. Taking a few deep breaths, I picked up my spear and moved back to my place in the now perilously thin line, at the left hand of our chief in the center.
Below, a new sound rose from the chaos of the dying city. Low, rhythmic beating. The great drums of the horde; too soon, too soon. They would roll over our meager dozen, even in this narrow ravine, and destroy the retreating armies. My parent's deaths, the bravery and might of the allied southern armies, it would all mean nothing in the end. I thought I would begin sobbing again, but it seemed I had no more tears left. The end of our world had come, and Bright Mother had abandoned us.
Far too quickly, black banners began to move through the trees below us, snaking up the pass. Scouts appeared, out of arrow range, and then melted back into the trees. Then the vanguard of the horde cleared the trees and advanced. I took a deep breath and prepared to die, but then the drums suddenly ceased and the enemy halted.
Their ranks parted down the middle, and the demon himself, the self-titled Scourge of the World, mounted on a white horse, rode towards us between his ranks. He wore no armor, just leggings and a black silk tunic, soaked to the elbows with red and silver gore. His face was hidden by a black headscarf, all except his glowing golden eyes. I felt myself growing weak with terror as those eyes swept over our dozen.
Renhir spoke a soft word in the private language of the Ao, and the aura retreated. I caught my breath and straightened myself. Bright Mother might have abandoned us, we were all going to die in a few minutes, and civilization would vanish beneath the dark wave of the horde, but I was Ao and the light lived within me. I would die on my feet with my spear in my hand.
The Scourge rode closer, halting halfway between his army and our dozen.
"Greetings, Renhir. I'd hoped to find you at the Queen's side, but this is as good a place as any to finally see you die."
As he spoke, he lifted his blood-stained right hand, the fingers each with an extra joint a human wouldn't have. He was holding a slim loop of silver, with a brilliant red ruby set in it. We all recognized it. As recently as this morning, that circlet had rested in the golden hair of the Queen, serving as the Cloudfolk's crown.
I knew she had to be dead when our lines broke before the demon's sorcery and only a fragment of the Skyguard rallied to the retreat, but it still pierced my heart to see that noble symbol hanging from those wicked fingers, an obscene trophy.
"Quite a bauble, don't you agree Renhir? I wonder if the Cloudfolk knew what a rare treasure they used as their token of authority. You must have known, Renhir. Did you tell her?"
I did not understand the demon's reference, so I glanced at our chief. His face was drawn in grief, head bowed, lips mouthing the words of a prayer. Then suddenly his eyes lit up, silver light pouring from them, and he straightened to his full height.
My mother had told me she'd seen that light beam out of the eyes of a seer many years before. He took a deep breath and smiled at me, a radiant smile full of peace and sadness.
"Bright Mother has not abandoned us, Sahi" he whispered. "She only calls on us for greater courage. That is what makes us Ao."
"Dark one!" he called out.
"I do know the power of what you hold. As you know, only one who accepts the bondage willingly may wear it around their neck. If you bind yourself to return to the north and leash your power, I will wear it for you. I will give myself, a champion of the light, to be under your power completely, in exchange for Sil Hideen. Is that a bargain?"
The Scourge sat staring at Renhir for a long moment, and then he laughed. It was a strange and beautiful sound, rich, perfect, and deep, ringing off the sides of the narrow pass, even stranger for being so perfect and beautiful from a figure of darkness and terror. It went on for a long moment, and then faded into a rich chuckle.
"Ah, Renhir. Such nobility. You only offer this because I have defeated you so completely, but I admit the thought is tempting. However, I refuse."
The silver light in my chief's eyes dimmed, and he gave a deep sigh and began to draw in power from around him. We all knew now after the battle that morning that none of us could kill the demon, truly not even delay him long enough to save the armies, but whatever last desperate gamble Mother had shown to Renhir had failed.
"Wait, calm yourself Renhir. I have a counter-offer." The rich deep voice still sounded amused.
"I will not give back Sil Hideen. The Cloud Kingdom is mine by right of conquest. Neither will I take you to wear this bauble. You are too prepared for this sacrifice; you would consider even this a triumph and bear your conquest with the nobility of one who has conquered. I will offer you a version of what you desire though."
"I will bind my power at this pass for seven years. The land south of the mountains will not be scourged like the north and the Cloud Kingdom during that time. In return, another will make the sacrifice you wish to make. That one."
One long finger uncurled from the hand holding the crown of the Cloudfolk, and my breath left me. The demon was pointing directly at me.
My breath caught in my throat and I froze. The only thing that broke my terror was the sound of a pained grunt from Renhir.
"Yes, I thought so. That one is precious to you, is she not? I know you have no children Renhir, but she is a blood relative of some sort, isn't she? I see a resemblance. A niece, perhaps? Ah, yes, I've guessed correctly, I can tell from your face. This will hurt you far more than sacrificing yourself. Give up one of your young, one of your own, and you will buy peace, time to prepare, time to build your defenses. Who knows, perhaps the seven years her pain and suffering buys will give you enough time to build a force that can withstand my power? How can you not take this bargain, Ao? It is the last chance for your people, for all the kingdoms of the south."
My uncle stood before the demon like a broken man. I could see him considering selling me into some mysterious torment he understood far better than I did, but then he shook his head.
"I cannot ask another to make this sacrifice. I will not ask for Sil Hideen, or for you to be bound forever. But my suffering is surely worth the seven years you offer. Take me and let your victory be complete this day."
I couldn't see a face beneath the headscarf, but something in his stance told me that the demon would refuse. Also, somehow, I knew with a bone deep certainty that there was no power in the south now or seven years from now that could stop the sorcery which had shattered the walls Sil Hideen and the armies of the south.
"Wait!" a voice called out in the stillness, and I was shocked to hear it was my own.
"You cannot ask, uncle, but I can offer. If this sacrifice is one the chief of the Ao can make, then surely I, one of the least of us, can make it as well. And Scourge, I offer you this challenge – as long as the Ao can make this sacrifice, the binding will continue. After seven years are done, if another youth of the Ao finds the courage within herself to make this sacrifice, the binding will repeat. We will sacrifice ourselves at this border for eternity if necessary to hold the southlands free of your power."
I walked forward until I stood twenty paces before our thin line, directly beneath the golden leaves of the border tree. I gently rested my spear against the trunk of the tree. A weapon could not help me here.
"Will you gamble, Scourge? I wager there will be no shortage of Ao who will sacrifice themselves to stop you. You may be immortal, but so is the courage of the Ao. For generations we have defended the weak and helpless, spending our lives if necessary. Future generations will continue that courage. Every seven years, we will sacrifice our youth and innocence before your terror. You will have a new champion of the light to torment each cycle, and we shall not fail."
