Once Upon a Midnight
 

Aislin was silent as she was led up to the town shrine.The inky blackness of midnight was held at bay by the lighted lanterns that the town priests were carrying. Although it was supposed to be a ritual, the procession consisted of only herself and the priests; the rest of the town was holed up in their homes so as not to contaminate the rite.

Finally, she was stopped in front of the shrine and pushed inside. She knew why she was there. She was the virgin sacrifice to the Snake God, one of the several gods that people worshiped. That didn't mean she had to like it.

Once the priests had retreated some, the snake god moved forward slowly, staying in the shadows and looking at the woman who had been given him. It had happened many times before, and now was no different than any of the other times. The villagers wanted something, so they'd given him something to garner his favor.

"You are from the village?" he asked, a hint of a hiss in his voice. "What is it they wish of me?" He knew how this went. He'd have to do something to make them happy, and he got to keep the girl.

Aislin jumped. She hadn't expected anything to happen so soon. And she certainly hadn't expected to see the god himself. Quickly, she lowered her eyes.

"The--the river," she finally managed to squeak out. "It's--running dry. If it dries up, so will the wells, and the town will suffer."

"I see." His voice hissed out into nothing, and he moved in slow circles around the girl, taking her appearance in. Already he could feel some warmth and life returning to the temple. It had been a long time since the town had felt it necessary to sacrifice a live girl to him.

"Your name, girl?"

"A-Aislin," she squeaked. She could hear him circling her, and she tensed every time he got behind her. She felt very much like prey in the sights of a hungry predator.

"Aislin." He smiled faintly. "They say it is an honor to be brought here. You are the first for many years." He stopped behind her, just to see what she'd do. He always liked to play a little first, get the worst part over with. He'd discovered that if he was almost mean and made them nervous enough the first night, they recovered more quickly and got used to the normal him more easily.

Aislin tensed, her shoulders tightening. The space between her shoulder blades tingled a bit, as if anticipating some sort of attack.

"It is always an honor to help the village," she murmured. The phrase was stiff and rehearsed.

"You don't seem to think so." He started walking again, moving around to her front and pausing there briefly before continuing his route. "Missing a young man, are you?"

"N-no," Aislin replied, staring steadfastly at her feet. She couldn't quite stop trembling. "I don't have a beau."

"And your family?" He'd found it was generally important to find out these kinds of things at the beginning, just in case someone decided to start making trouble. It had happened before, and he'd prefer to avoid that if he could.

"My sister," Aislin replied, managing for once not to stutter. "My parents." That was it, however. She had no other family in the village.

The god nodded. Okay, that he could deal with. Sounded like this one wouldn't be a problem. No young man to fend off, probably not from a rich family, no big family to come pounding on his doors. Very good.

"Go sleep, Aislin," he said, his voice quiet as he stopped somewhere off to her side. "There are rooms farther in that will accomodate you."

"Sleep?" Aislin wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep. Oh no, she was far too wound up to even think about it. She hazarded a glance at the god, not entirely sure if he meant for her to go alone, or if he would 'accompany' her.

"Yes, sleep." Now he just sounded amused. "You may as well make yourself comfortable here."

Aislin still hesitated. He wasn't going to have his way with her? Or kill her? The questions tugged at her, but she had no idea how to phrase them delicately enough not to accidentally anger him. Cautiously, she nodded and started in the direction he had indicated.

The god watched her go, amused. She was probably surprised to be leaving unmolested. He'd never touched a human woman that way, and he doubted he would. But those silly females from the village always seemed to think that would happen.

Surprisingly, once Aislin was settled on the plain cot in the back room of the shrine, it was easier than she thought to fall asleep. It seemed like the moment she closed her eyes, she was sound asleep.

Rolling his shoulders, Saif shook his head. The girl had no idea what was going on, but he didn't blame her for that. After checking to be sure she was really asleep, he went for his nightly walk. He often met up with another of his kind in the area, especially since he knew Aislin couldn't get out now without his permission.

Indeed, Cadr was in the area. He'd seen the procession, and had lingered to see what would happen. So when Saif finally left the shrine, he knew where to find him.

"So, what did they leave for you this time?" he asked. "Silks? Gold?"

Saif shook his head with a faint smile. "A girl," he said quietly. "A human girl. She's sleeping at the moment." He kept his pace slow and leisurely.

Cadr raised an eyebrow as he walked with his friend.

"It's been a while since they left you a girl," he commented.

"Indeed. It's... nice. She's already warming up the place." Saif smiled. "I look forward to when she is more comfortable. That is when it is the most fun. The others I'd gotten used to me, so they didn't fear me and didn't look away, as the rest of the silly humans do. It's... comforting, to have one around. Although I don't think I'd have more than one." He grinned briefly.

"You mean you like having the little warm-blooded females around," Cadr teased. He grinned. "I know how you are, Saif."

Saif just snorted. "As I said, there is some comfort in having another creature living with you. Especially a warm-blooded one. Take my word for it, my feathered friend, a human girl is the best way to fend off cold."

"Mmm, you would appreciate that," Cadr teased. He stretched his arms up a little. "So, what's the deal with this one, then? She to your taste, or can I have her?"