(This story served as inspiration for “The Concerto for Asp and the Creali Orchestra”)

A bearded man suddenly rose from behind the bushes, just like a jack-in-the-box.

“Hello there, beautiful,” he said loudly in a deep voice, blocking my way.

“How come you are wandering around the forest all alone?” a second voice came from behind me, making me startle.

A short, stocky, young man, who looked more like a boy than a man, cut off my only way of escape.

“Are you lost?” The third, a lanky old man with a slump and long rakes for hands, gave me a toothless grin.

He cast a glance behind my back, trying to see if there was anyone following me.

“She’s here all by herself, indeed,” he told the bearded man.

“I can tell,” the goon added, his eyes roaming over my body in an unpleasant way. “Not from around here, this one.”

It was easy to tell from his crumpled-looking face what kind of primal thoughts were flooding into his shaggy head.

“What luck! This young girl’s in her prime and has fallen right into our hands. Of course, there’s not much to take off of her aside from a dozen coins. And even that’s a stretch. But she has a lovely figure and her skin is so smooth. No one around here looks like this. Everyone’s lopsided and pockmarked.”

“I’m not lost,” I said in a flat voice. “And I’m not alone.”

At first, my heart started racing, but then I managed to calm down. I had already forgotten what real fear felt like.

There was a reason for that.

“Ha-ha, not alone? Then who’s there with you?” The young one gave a smirk, casting a look at the direction I had come from. If only that thick skull of his had ever possessed any brains, my calm demeanor would’ve given him a clue that something was wrong. But the boy’s eyes were already sparkling with that oily look of a person who was not really ready to think with his own mind. The old man and the goon had a bit more experience, and my odd calm started to slightly disturb them. However, once they decided that I was simply dazed from fright, they went right to business.

“You know, if you behave, you might as well stay alive,” the old man mumbled into my ear, his putrid breath hitting me right in the face. “We’ll pass you around once, and that’ll be it. We’ll just trim your tongue a little bit, of course, so you won’t go tattling. He-he.”

“What do you mean by ‘once’?” The young one bristled. “Should be at least twice; just look at her!” he reached out a hand and ran a dry palm across my cheek and neck.

At that moment, a sound came from somewhere, like a dry thin twig snapping. My red hair ran down my shoulders as the leather hair band that had been keeping it in place slipped down and disappeared in the grass.

If there had been an observant bystander nearby, he would have noticed how, for a split second, the grass above the fallen ribbon stopped swaying and how I froze, staring blankly ahead of me.

But whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, there was no one around to see what was happening.

“Oh, look! She’s already let her hair down. Good girl.” The goon grinned, baring his uneven yellow teeth and taking a confident step towards me.

At that same moment, an enormous serpent sprung out from the grass and knocked the man off his feet. The serpent wrapped himself around the goon for a split second and tossed him up like a large, grotesque doll.

His bones snapped.

The goon’s body hadn’t even reached the ground before the serpent rushed at the old man and sliced at him from top to bottom with his wide tail. The old man stood frozen for a second, and then started falling slowly forward, his head cracked down to his chin.

The young man, finally coming to his senses, threw his cleaver to the side and rushed toward the forest. The serpent soared up above the trees and spread his webbed wings. He went still for a second, searching for his prey. Then he rushed to the ground, landed on the grass, and started chasing after the runner.

The boy’s hair was barely visible behind the trees as the monster covered him with his wide wings and plunged his knife-sharp fangs into the back of the boy’s head.

Soon, the grass rustled by me again. It was the serpent. I threw my head back and put my hair up in a ponytail, feeling something cold making its way up my back. The next moment, a scaled, leather hairband snaked around my red hair, just as before.

The sun was setting.

Cicadas were buzzing.

The sweet aroma of death was spreading in the hot, still air. Green flies were circling above the site of the massacre amidst the disquieting sounds of the cicadas.

I looked into the old man’s clouded eyes, set unnaturally far apart in the cracked face. My gaze then went to his tongue hanging out from his open mouth. I muttered, barely loud enough to be heard, trying to mimic him, “We’ll just trim your tongue a little bit, of course, so you won’t go tattling. He-he.”

It didn’t come out very similar, though.

I've been losing my ability to make chit-chat these days.

I went around the goon’s body, which was lying on the ground with his head bent at an unnatural angle, and continued on my way.

***

When did it all begin? It’s hard to say. I’ve long lost track of time, roaming the world in search of a way back home.

I used to live with my mom, growing up as a lively city child who had never even dreamed of going on adventures. When I turned fourteen, a demon started coming to me in my dreams. He was calling to me and every day his call grew stronger. I used to wake up in the middle of the night screaming and waking my mom up, and then I couldn't fall back asleep until early in the morning. The demon promised to come after me in the real world soon. When my mom learned about it, she went to either a mage or psychic, I don't really know for sure. When she returned, she told me to not ask any questions. So I never did. Besides, I was completely exhausted after all the nightmares. Then, at midnight, demons opened a portal right in our apartment, and creatures of hellfire began pouring through.

I was sitting on my bed, legs pulled up under my chin, staring at my mom. I wasn’t able to ask her anything, I couldn’t even open my mouth. Mom let down her mane of golden hair. She was holding a dark hairband in her hand, one I hadn’t seen before. She took a step towards me, put my hair up in a ponytail and secured it in place with the band. Then she took my hand, helped me get up from my bed, and led me to the middle of the room. I obediently followed her lead. She took my face in her hands, looked me in the eyes and said, “He came for you. Run. Leave your fear there. Then come back – and prevail.”

Then she whispered something at the back of my head, “Keep her safe, Asp.”

Stunned, I was staring straight ahead, knowing that if reality didn’t slow down, my thoughts would never catch up with what was happening. Maybe that’s how people go crazy?

Mom gave me a kiss on the forehead and stepped back.

There came a loud clap, and something flared blindingly bright, heat stinging my face.

When I regained my sight, I found myself standing in a ring of crimson fire. Soon my eyes got used to the bright light and I was able to see a seashore beyond the flames. My room and my mom were gone.

The flames started to slowly die down, and soon all that remained was a ring on the sand with smoke coming from it. Without giving it a second thought, I stepped over it, my bare feet feeling the wet coolness of sand. As if waking up from a dream, I looked down and then rushed back into the circle. In despair, I tried to get it burning again.

In vain.

The rushing waves kissed my footprints in the sand away, leaving barely visible dark spots that served as a reminder of the extinguished fire.

There was no way back.

I sank down, exhausted, on the sand and sobbed. I was shaking again, wondering why this was happening to me.

How badly I wanted to be back in our cozy kitchen, drinking tea with cookies and chatting with Mom. Our quarrels now seemed so small and insignificant…

I don’t know how long I sat there. Maybe five minutes. Maybe an hour. Gradually, the sense of hopelessness began to recede.

The cool breeze played with the waves, causing goosebumps to form on my arms from the cold. I was still only wearing a nightgown.

I looked up at the horizon, witnessing the golden disc of the sun rising above the sea. So weird. If it was night where I used to be, then it would be day on the other side of the world. That means if it’s morning here, I wasn’t at the edge of the world, but I was quite far from home, considering it had been eleven at night half an hour ago.

It looked like I was a long way from home…

But what else was I supposed to do? Look for another kind of circle? Or for some people? Where was I anyway?

It looked like the coast of the Black Sea or the Sea of Azov. I really didn’t know much about geography.

But what if this wasn’t Earth at all? I turned my head to look around.

The shore was just a shore: the sea, sand, shells, and thorny bushes. However, there was no trash, no papers, no cigarette butts, and no plastic bottles.

Well, just sitting here wouldn’t solve anything.

I stood up, dusted the sand off my nightgown, and walked along the sandy beach towards the darkening grassy hills, all the while trying not to step on any thorns.

But no sooner had I taken a dozen steps, when I heard a growl.

I looked up and, one by one, shaggy, red dogs were racing down the hill towards me, their paws striking the ground hard and their snouts lowered to the sand. Meeting my gaze, the dogs grinned, baring their fangs and growling hoarsely. I froze in place, trying not to move, and for some reason, I began to count them.

Eight.

Within an instant, all my senses were sharpened with fear. Colors became extremely vibrant, the waves were buzzing right inside my head, making it impossible to tell the sound of my blood pumping from the crash of the waves. And the dog smell was starting to hit my nose.

The creatures were getting closer.

Their wet mouths with bared teeth.

Their pulsating necks.

Their fur, covered with sand.

From time to time, the dogs looked to their leader – the only one who had his eyes glued on me.

Their leader stopped only about five steps away from me, as if there was an invisible line in the sand holding him back.

Jumping distance, I thought absently.

The pack began to fan out, creating a circle around me.

The band on my hair came off and… at that moment something happened to my perception. I suddenly saw myself from above and behind. Time stopped, the sounds died away, and some visions started to flash through my head. Sand dust, dogs’ teeth, pieces of a bloody polka dot nightie, my wild hair, and a torn hand in the sticky dark sand.

I became numb.

The images started to run through my head faster and I was beginning to stir.

Soon, broad, membraned wings and large, crimson scales began to appear among the images dancing in the head of my mutilated body. They gradually pushed the bloody images away, but the pictures wouldn’t stop going through my mind. Unable to tolerate this insane carousel any longer, I cried out inside. Eno-o-o-o-ough!

At that very moment, the visions disappeared. I was able to see the world again with my own eyes, as time reverted back to normal.

The leader of the pack smirked, readying to pounce, then launched itself through the air, kicking up a cloud of sand. I could see every grain of sand on his wavy fur.

“Grrrrrr…,” the lead dog growled, breaking the silence.

The other seven dogs followed their leader’s example, leaping after him.

Slowly, still unbearably slowly, I stumbled backwards and, unable to keep my balance, I fell with my hands flying in front of me.

“…rrrr!”

Everything went black.

There was an endless roar that lasted forever

Nearer…

And nearer…

Suddenly, something whistled over my head, flying through the air. Time had been completely unfrozen, and grains of sand flew against my face and hands.

There was a dull thump above me, as if two heavy bodies had collided, and the roar gave way to an abbreviated yelp. Something heavy fell beside me, spraying me with some warm substance. I removed my hands from my face and saw the leader’s corpse. His lifeless grin. His glassy amber eyes…

A different roar was now coming from the sea. I slowly turned my head in its direction, and I saw a cloud of dust and the mutilation of dogs’ backs and tails… A crimson streak from a huge, winged serpent covered with large crimson-tinted scales was dancing above them… His gaping mouth, his razor-sharp teeth, his swinging tail with a wide tip. The monster would soar over the pack to freeze for a moment, spreading his wings and bending into a figure resembling a question mark.

The dogs were torn up as they growled and snapped at their assailant.

The endless howling turned into a rumble, which then calmed down before crescendoing again, as if obeying a conductor. Having chosen the next victim, the serpent shot downwards like a seagull after a fish, issuing a shrill sound to accompany the roaring chorus, breaking off on a ringing note. Another body was left lying in the sand.

For some unknown reason, in my head I heard the words my mother had said less than an hour ago. "Keep her safe, Asp."

An hour ago? It can’t have been an hour! It felt like an eternity! Without thinking, my hand went to my hair, feeling for the band, but it wasn’t there.

Another prolonged yelp made me look back at the sea. The pack had been thinned out, and the serpent’s wide wings were flapping slowly above them. Crimson scales flashed, and the harpoon-like tail sliced downwards through the air, striking a dog and lifting it upwards. The dog helplessly pawed at the serpent, but its captor held on, pulling it away from its fellow pack members. The body arched through the air, landing near me in a mess of purple entrails.

The world melted in front of my eyes and warm acid floated up, causing me to vomit. I fell on all fours, spasming as I coughed and hacked. I felt my pulse hammering away at my head, like nails into a wall. No, no, no, no, no!

Suddenly everything became quiet. I struggled to my feet and looked around only to see the slaughter was over. Dog corpses were scattered all over the beach and the wind rustled through the fur on their red backs. They lay near and atop each other, on prickly bushes, on the sand, and near the surf line. Waves rolled in, lifting their lifeless bodies as if trying to breathe, or rather pour life into their mouths. But each time the surf failed, and the blood-darkened waves rolled back in annoyance.

But where was the serpent? Behind my back, I heard a rustling sound that made me spin around sharply. The flying monster had landed on the sand, folding his wings so that he looked like two huge umbrellas, and shrank rapidly as it transformed into a maroon leather hairband at my feet.

“Keep her safe, Asp.”

“Keep her safe…”

Asp.

Still trying to feel the new word, I squatted in front of my tiny savior, extending my hand towards it before gazing over the shore strewn with dog corpses.

I remembered the leader’s cold and intelligent eyes…

If it hadn’t been for Asp, it would be my eyes glazed over staring up into the sky and not the dog’s. The pack of predators would be dragging my bloodied remains along the shore, just like in the vision that struck me before the massacre.

Picking up the band, I gently shook the sand off and wrapped it into my hair, feeling the sensation. Shouldn’t a tiny leather body tremble in my hand?

But the snake didn’t show signs of life. Is that his teeth, which deftly snapped at the tip of the ponytail, seemingly without my help?

Apathy washed over me. Suddenly I was indifferent to everything, I ceased to care whether the snake was alive or not, whether I was alive, or where I was, how I got here, and whether there were any people nearby. If they were as friendly as the local dogs, then it would be better to stay away from them.

I spat out the gritty sand before starting to wander along the edge of the surf.

***

A lot of time has passed since then.

It was an alien world, with completely different beings that were subject to other laws. Alone, I would not have survived even a day. But a crimson leather band hiding in my hair was my savior. I was gradually getting used to this world, getting to know its inhabitants and its laws.

Now, I realize how merciful fate had been to us. Starting with a pack of sandy dogs, she had not led me to suffer immediately the lightning of Plasmor or the cudgel of the Stone Troll – challenges my inexperienced defender could never have beaten. Like a wise mentor, she gradually increased the strength of my enemies along the way, and with every victory, Asp fostered a calm, cold confidence that grew stronger in my soul. My serpent was a diligent student that seemed to collect the souls of his defeated opponents and, after each battle, their rage, agility, and power became his. I was surprised to see the paralyzing blow of the Frosthawk and the fiery burning breath of the Dragon, both enemies he defeated previously, in his arsenal.

And now… Now I'm not even sure if there's a power somewhere in this world capable of stopping this nondescript, scaly hairband I wear.

During my wanderings, I never had nightmares and now my past life seemed half-forgotten. Too much strength was required to survive in these lands, leaving no room for memories and nostalgia. But today, after the attack of the three wanderers, I somehow remembered the Demon…and Mom. There was no fear in my soul. Just a calm realization that I was ready, and that Mom was okay.

The forest along my path began to thin out as a leaden surface shaded by a gray pre-dawn sky could be seen through the trees…

The sea.

This place was familiar. Going down to the water, I found half a dozen bones sticking up out of the sand, and several grinning dog skulls nearby, illuminated by the rising sun. It was the same place and it seemed like the same time…

Suddenly, there was a dull clap and a familiar ring of flame surrounded me. At the same moment, the coast disappeared and I found myself in the room where I had left my mother.

I could now perfectly recall everything that happened that night.

I walked out of the steaming circle.

Mom.

Mommy.

She was standing there in her nightgown with her hair down, looking at me with her eyes wide open, unable to utter a word.

A loud roar behind the door brought me back to reality. Fiery creatures easily broke down the door, bursting into the space.

My hair fell free and flowed over my shoulders. I stepped back, not taking my eyes off the beasts, and felt for my mother’s warm hand. The demon stood in the doorway and his creatures, like the sandy dogs on the shore, began to close in.

The demon located me with his scarlet eyes. Drawing a flaming sword, he rushed forward. Asp shot out from under my foot, scattering the fiery creatures with a bang, before splitting the Demon’s mirror shield. Momentarily taken aback, he grabbed his sword with both hands and grinned, lunging at Asp. They whirled around in a dance of death. A Demon with the surviving fiends of Hell against Asp, who had absorbed countless souls of his defeated predators, non-humans, and murderers. Our unlucky guest expected to pick up a little girl, but he hadn’t planned on encountering Asp.

The creatures were plastered against the walls while the Demon limped from a wound in his side which he covered with a clawed hand. Asp continued his deadly dance, getting closer and closer to the enemy. The scarlet gleam of the fiery sword caught the silhouette of the snake against the darkness, and the shadow of his wings fell over the walls like a bat.

Well, my nightmare, it’s time.

The serpent coiled back before springing forward, whistling through the air as he drove through the Demon, knocking the horned head from the Demon’s shoulders. The Demon immediately crumbled into a pile of glowing embers that quickly darkened, turned into ash, and disappeared completely, as if nothing had been there.

I pulled my hair back into its normal ponytail, catching my mother’s surprised look out of the corner of my eye, as she watched my dexterous movements with the hairband.

“How long have I been gone, Mom?”

“A couple of hours. You look like you’ve aged three years, Ann…”

“Could be. Is there anything to eat?”

“There are some cakes left, don’t you remember?”

“Oh, I completely forgot. How about some meat?”

“We can find something. Let’s go have a snack and then off to bed. There’s still about three hours before dawn. I promised to return this hairband to the sorcerer in the morning. You didn’t break it, did you?”