The Solstice Pact (Candicorn & LiveAmmunition)

[Candicorn]

The Solstice Pact

(@Candicorn & @LiveAmmunition)​

 

[Candicorn]

Eirwen Lovak stood stoically at the outskirts of Alderwood, looking out into the dark forest ahead. The bonfire before her gave just enough light to illuminate the snow covered field that separated the safe, civilized village at her back and the blackness of the woods to the south. The denizens of Alderwood rarely entered that ill-fated forest, but tonight Eirwen would have no choice. Just like the four women to her left, standing before identical bonfires, Eirwen was to be sacrificed.

It’d been 15 years since the tiefling men who dwelled in the forest first made contact with Alderwood. Eirwen had only been 10 or so years old at the time, but she remembered the impact on the village. The panic. The anger. The solemn resignation. While she had no firsthand knowledge of the threats, arguing, and fierce negotiations that led to the current arrangement between the two groups, she did know what she could glean from the ranting of the village men and whispers of the village women.

The first sacrifice of Alderwood went alone and performed her duty with solemn grace. She followed the tieflings into the forest and three weeks later returned to the village with child. Late that autumn, the tieflings returned to collect the healthy baby boy who, much like a changeling, appeared human. That was until the babe was placed in the tiefling matron’s arms. With a plume of flame, her touch revealed the child’s bright red skin and infernal features.

Such a grotesque display of magic was surely too much for the villagers, for when next the tieflings came they found that the young women of the town had all hastily married in hopes of avoiding being sacrificed. There was an assumption among the villager that the tieflings would only take virgin maidens, but this proved not to be the case. They were, however, quite offended at the villagers’ feeble attempt to weasel out of the deal. That year the tieflings took ten women into the forest, including the wife of the village leader. No such trickery had been attempted since.

Now, years later, both sides had ceremony and tradition to help the exchange move smoothly and without incident. Each woman stood at their designated place, wearing ceremonial white gowns and shawls. According to what Eirwen had been told, now that the moon was high in the sky, the tiefling men would soon arrive to claim the village’s sacrifices. There would be one tiefling for each woman. Each woman would be “claimed” with the simple gesture of a tiefling wrapping his cloak around her. After that she would follow him into the forest to perform her duty.

Eirwen grumbled as the details of the duty came to mind, preferring to think about the step with the cloak instead. Gods, what she wouldn’t give to be warm even if it came from cursed monsters.

Movement caught Eirwen's eye and she glanced over to see the young woman nearest her shivering deeply. She was just younger than Eirwen with hair in neat golden ringlets. It was hard to tell if the girl was shivering from the cold or the fear. Eirwen sighed a cloud of vapor into the bitterly cold air, pulling the shawl from her own shoulders. She shivered as a cold wind blew through her long silvery hair and ruffled her dress, then walked over to her quivering neighbor. She wrapped the garment around the other girl's shoulders and smiled at her "You are brave enough to do this duty and protect our village.. but let's make sure you don't freeze to death in the meantime" After exchanging smiles, Eirwen returned to her place.

Eirwen's sandy brown eyes narrowed, peering into the dark woods. The expression on her face wasn't quite a scowl, but she let her irritation about the cold overtake fear and anxiety as her primary emotion. Yes, she dreaded the next few nights to come, but there was no need to draw this out any longer than needed. Where were those damned tieflings?