Of Swine and Beasts My bones shivered as something stepped into my domain, landing with a carelessness that only men could possess. Every breath I took was another hard crunch of dirt beneath their sandals as they forged scars in my land. One was different. His steps were faint and danced among the weeds with a taunting stealth. The lion beside me growled in response, shaking his mane out as I ran my hand through the golden tassels. All my beasts were agitated, restless as the men grew closer. The scrape of claw against stone shrieked through my hall as they paced. I slid back in my throne, the cool stone a comforting weight upon my back. Closing my eyes, I searched for their pulse in the soil. They were here. The golden gates glided open with but a sliver of noise as a breath from the Northwind devoured its words of warning. The scent of the night spilled upon my floor but with it came the sigh of the ocean. I clicked my nails in response to the scream of steel on stone. My beast’s growl rumbled through me as the soft padding of sandals grew louder. The scent of 8 Pillars of Salt
salt quickly overtaking me as the sound came to a halt. “My lady, I’m afraid I must ask you to return some of my men. For while they are indeed foul of mouth and body, they do not deserve to be beasts of such.” The voice was smooth, a strange, still ocean. My eyes slid open, and a wicked grin cut my face. The man was tall and stood as if he believed the world sighed upon his shoulders. I stood, tilted my head and whispered, my soft voice winding its way through the stone arches, “Ah, but strange man, you forget yourself. For you are not the one to decide whether or not your men shall become beasts, but rather if they shall become beasts for my collection or for my dinner table.” I closed my eyes and a shriek of steel greeted me. I snapped backward, a whip of air slicing my cheek. My eyes opened and I grinned at the sight before me. The strange man, a devilish smile upon his face and a sword in his right hand. A sword that happened to be a few inches from my
