The Scholar, the Sphinx, and the Shades of Nyx

Chapter 1-3

David rushed to the window, looking out into the empty expanse of sky. He lowered his dagger, wondering how the animal could have disappeared so fast. His foot bumped into something, and when he looked down, he saw his coin purse on the floor.

He was baffled. He was sure his purse had been in the pocket of his trousers, which were tucked away in his traveling case. Had his assailant been trying to rob him?

As he traced his fingers along the windowpane, noting the scratches that had been left behind in the wood, he found something small caught in one of the gouges. It was a thumbnail-sized gold coin, a decorative piece, much like the ones worn by the girl who had given him the dagger. His attacker must have been wearing a good number of these coins from the jingling sound he had heard. David knew where to go to find that creature, and learn what manner of demon it may be.

The next day, David wasted no time searching out the caravan. The nomads had already packed up and left town before dawn, but he figured they could not have gone too far. He asked around the market if anyone had seen where the caravan had departed to, but no one knew. Eventually, he stumbled upon the grocer’s shop. The caravan folk had purchased a good amount of eggs, bread, flour and milk before heading off towards a grove on the other side of the river. The grocer mentioned that whenever the caravan passed through the area, they tended to stay a few days in a particular grove before moving on. So, it was the place to start. Before he left the grocer, he bought some amenities, including a string of garlic cloves, for good measure.

It was late evening when David left the inn and made his way through the dusk-washed streets of Orléans. He did not want the nomads to hear him approaching by horse or in a carriage, so he decided he would walk to the grove and sneak up on foot under the cloak of night. That way, he could peek in and gauge the situation in the caravan’s camp. He did not fear roadside thieves that could be lurking nearby; he had his dagger with him, although he predicted his most effective weapons that night were going to be the garlic clove necklace around his neck and the makeshift wooden cross in his pocket. He also had a few other small items that he had collected throughout the day, secured in a leather pouch on his belt. He thought they would be helpful against demons and undead adversaries: a sample of herbs, a silver spoon, small corks, an iron horseshoe, and a shaker of salt. The walk was a good distance, but eventually David arrived at the river and crossed the bridge, and night’s shadow settled with sudden swiftness around him.

He soon caught a glimpse of ghostly light emitting from an opening in the trees not far away. Standing up and advancing cautiously, David approached the clearing. The light flickered from a bonfire, flashes of orange, scarlet and yellow dancing on the trees. There was a collection of caravan wagons, placed here and there around the grove like a small town, their painted sides taking on demonic images in the coating of red from the fire.

All around the grove were snoozing nomads. Scattered among them were sleeping dogs, cats, and a handful of small goats. The forest floor they lay upon was covered in soft cushions and rugs, giving the appearance of a room in a palace. One wagon in the middle of a large, nestled group had one of its sides pulled down into a theatrical stage, standing about a foot above the ground. The walls of the wagon’s interior room were adorned in dozens of long colorful drapes, and in the center was a smooth bronze bowl, ten feet in diameter and about four feet deep.

David tiptoed around the sleeping people. He looked up towards the massive bronze bowl, with the edges of satin pillows spilling over the edge of it. David pulled his dagger from his belt and cautiously ascended into the wagon.

Thoughts of concern entered his mind. Why was he doing this? He wasn’t really sure what he was up against, and he might do himself more harm than good. Besides, if these nomads were already set on leaving the area, why not just let them go, along with whatever strange creature they were hiding? David told himself, because that creature could have killed me—possibly. Wherever this caravan goes, the beast might continue searching for victims, and may be more successful in killing one next time. He felt in his gut that this needed to be done.

because that creature could have killed me—possiblyPlus, it all was rather exciting. David the Monster Slayer—it had a nice ring to it.

He raised his dagger over his head as he peered over the edge of the bowl. He halted, every muscle in his body tensing into stillness, except for his eyes that widened and his jaw that went slack. It was no vampire or hell beast, but a young woman. At least, from what he could see—except for her head and shoulders, she was mostly buried beneath her nest of pillows and fur blankets. Her dark cascading hair and her throat were adorned with strands of gold, silver, and jewels, and a light scarf of white wrapped around her chest, looping up around her neck. Her skin was golden tan, close to the color of sun-drenched sand, and it was smooth like glass. What caught David the most was her face; it was unlike any he had ever seen. It was a face that was feral, yet at the same time so delicate, that David was filled with both trepidation and fascination.

He stared bewildered at the sleeping woman, and then cast his gaze around the caravan. He wondered, for a moment, if he had been completely mistaken about his theory. Granted, this woman could be of the netherworld, and he had not ruled out the possibility of vampirism. Vampires, according to his readings, were noticeably of the undead—pale, ghostly, and reeked to high heaven of decay. They were also supposed to sleep in coffins, not out in the open like this. Still, she could be some kind of demon. He removed the cross from his pocket and held it up to the woman, preparing for any volatile reaction she might make to its presence. She did not awaken. He leaned over the bowl’s rim and held the cross a little closer, almost an inch from her serene face, but nothing happened, so he shoved the cross back into his pocket. He tried the same thing with the horseshoe and silver spoon, holding each item an inch from her, but still, no response. He even flicked some salt from his saltshaker at her—nothing, although she twitched a little. He pulled away and secured his items back in his pouch, admitting to himself that he was a little disappointed. Maybe the creature he was looking for was not even here. David began to think perhaps more research was in order, and was ready to turn around and sneak away, when he glanced back at the sleeping woman and saw that she was wide awake, staring at him. With large, golden eyes.

David felt something fuzzy and warm enter his head. Everything around him was melting into the fluffiness of a watercolor painting. He quickly shut his eyes and covered them with his arm, staggering back in a flash of panic. He tripped and plummeted off the platform of the wagon, landing with a thud on the ground. David shook his aching head and looked up.

The woman had risen from her bed and was walking towards him, on all fours. She did not walk on human hands and feet, but great lioness paws, and a long fur-tipped tail swished out behind her. Two violet-black wings opened from her back, as if made from pure midnight. The great cascade of hair draped around her, like a shroud, and those glowing golden eyes bore into him like hot branding irons. Her lips pulled back unnaturally towards her ears, baring a predator’s teeth, sharp for tearing flesh.

David opened his mouth, but instead of the scream of terror one might expect, he said in a hushed but triumphant tone, “I knew it!”

The woman-beast’s menacing expression faltered. She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

David stood up, dusting off his trousers as he spoke in a low voice so as not to wake the others. “I’ve read about things like you before. Everyone always says my stories are just silly nonsense, but I knew deep down there was truth to them. If only I could see the looks on my Mama and Papa’s faces if I showed them this! A real live…hmm, you’re not a vampire. Let’s see, a monster with the body of a lion and the head of a woman. That makes you…a sphinx! Like the one in the ancient Greek stories.”

The sphinx, for that was indeed what she was, pursed her lips in thought.

David felt his blood run cold as he recalled all he knew about sphinxes. They were described as man-eaters, who would either strangle their victims with their jaws or simply rip them to pieces and devour them. They were also cunning and deceiving, although sometimes benevolent and noble if they were in the mood. David was hoping this one could be coerced into being the latter. He had never read about sphinxes having a hypnotic power, but it was her teeth and claws that he was focusing on at the moment.

David’s shock was trumped by his sense of self-preservation. He drew out his dagger, pointing it at the sphinx’s face, and cleared his throat. “I know exactly how to conquer you, sphinx. The answer…is Man!”

The sphinx c****d her head questioningly at him.

“Your old riddle,” David said, keeping his dagger pointed towards the sphinx. “It’s from the story of Oedipus. King Oedipus meets the sphinx on the road to Thebes, and she asks, ‘what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three in the evening?’ The answer is Man. And since I answered the riddle correctly, you have to throw yourself off a cliff in despair.”

The sphinx did not seem threatened by this. In fact, she gave him an amused grin, and a soft chuckle in the back of her throat. As if to say, How adorable.

How adorable.David could feel sweat beading on his forehead. “Unless…that is not how this works at all. I…should probably go.”

Yet, he could not will his legs to move. Her gaze held him, trapped by those two glowing golden eyes. She shook her hair and inhaled deeply, her chest expanding, and then whispered forth a sweet-smelling scent, a mist of lavender, vanilla and rose that clouded David’s face. The scent invaded David’s nose and throat, commanding his body and brain to relax, making him feel woozy and happy at the same time. David snapped himself out of it, reaching back into his pouch and pulling out the two small, thin corks. He shoved the corks up his nostrils and breathed through his mouth. He had thought to acquire the corks after the night the creature had broken into his room at the inn, remembering the enchanting aroma that had lulled him into false repose.

The sphinx looked at the corks in his nose, and gave him a skeptical look that said, Really? Then a smile spread across her face. David wrinkled his brow, wondering what the sphinx was smiling about, until he heard a chorus of growls behind him. Turning, David saw the nomad men and the dogs, all staring at him. The men frowned at him, a few of them cracking their knuckles. The dogs bared their teeth and snarled.

Really?Before David could run, the men pounced at him, taking hold of his arms and pinning him to the ground. When he tried to break free, the dogs bit at his trouser legs. The weight of the men made him immobile, and his dagger was wrenched from his hands and his pouch of items taken. In the tussle, the corks fell from David’s nostrils. He could only wriggle madly as his hands and ankles were tied tightly with a coarse rope. Then they raised their fists in preparation to knock him out.

The sphinx made a soft coo, and the men and dogs immediately stepped away from David. The creature approached the bound boy, her expression gentle but keen. David thrashed about, pulling with all his might to free his hands from the rope, but the men had tied him down superbly. The sphinx looked up at the others, her eyes glowing. The men became drowsy, and they lay down one by one and returned to snoring contentedly.

David held his breath and shut his eyes, refusing to be taken in by the sphinx’s spells. He felt one of her strong arms wrap around his waist, her claws digging into his side, and he was dragged along the ground. He was lifted and set down on something soft. He opened an eye, and found himself inside the sphinx’s bowl, with the monstrosity settled next to him. The sphinx gazed at him fixedly, but made no sign of her intentions. David continued to struggle against his bindings, even though she spread one feathered wing over him to hold him still.

“You’re making a big mistake,” David barked. “Nothing you do will make me your slave. The instant I’m out of these ropes, I’ll destroy you and free all these people from your spell. Do you understand me?”

The sphinx merely blew a soothing aroma into his nose. David gagged on the scent but could not prevent it from taking effect and caressing him into the most blissful sleep he had had in a long time.