This was not at all how this trip was supposed to go, Ketis thought as she was roughly tossed into what appeared to be a prison of sorts carved into the cavernous hole she had been swept up into. To many, such logical and rational thoughts during a time of distress such as this would seem strange. To Ketis, this was natural, and in some ways, distanced herself from the danger she was really in. Her captor had hardly said a word, and worse still, she had no idea what her captor looked like. It had all been such a blur. One minute she was checking her map, and the next, some sharp claws had snatched her up and carried her into the darkness before she could utter a scream.
Her eyes were still adjusting to the darkness as she scanned her surroundings. She had been traveling through the canyons on her way to Adinah. She had heard of a rare scroll she wanted to get her hands on, and the canyons seemed like the most logical route to take. It was much shorter and less dangerous than the jungles, she had thought. From what she could guess, looking around, she was still somewhere in the canyons, just within the walls of them. Ketis had seen several little holes pocketed along the high rock walls. She wondered what they were for. She supposed now, she would find out.
Ketis heard something shift in the darkness, and she pulled herself back as far in the cage as she could to avoid whatever it was. She tried to calm herself with rational thoughts. If her captor had intended to kill her, they would've done it already. They would not keep her prisoner. Again she heard more scuttling, but with the added screech of claws scrapping against the stone walls and ground. She almost screamed when she saw two pale faces peek in at her.
They were humanoid in appearance, with feminine features, so she assumed them to be female. One was significantly older than the other, and she assumed from their traits that they were related. Perhaps a mother and daughter, or two sisters, she reasoned. Their faces were pale and angular. She could just barely make out claws on their fingers and she thought she saw a hint of scales below their waists. Their black hair was strewn about their faces, and their beady eyes never stopped looking at her.
"She'll do," the older one said. "You are getting lazy in your hunting."
The other one groaned. "It's fine," she said. "Look, she's already a little-"
"A little," the older one said in a mocking tone. "The key word is 'little.' Do you see how much work it's going to take? We'll be wasting away before she's ready."
The younger one huffed. "Well, if she won't do, then why don't you go out and hunt? You've got legs, and you seem to be such an expert."
Her eyes narrowed. "Next time, maybe I will, and I won't share with you. You, come here."
The command was directed at Ketis. It seemed their argument had not distracted them enough from their prisoner. Shivering slightly, Ketis crawled over to where the older creature was waiting. "W-what are you?" she stammered.
"Shut up!" the creature screeched, and proceeded to grab Ketis through the stalagmites forming her cage and yanked her closer.
She proceeded to inspect every inch of Ketis with her sharp claws. She felt her arms, pulled her closer to examine her face, and definitely took her sweet time pinching her rather soft sides. Ketis felt very uneasy even after the creature released her. "Like I said, she'll do," she scoffed to the other. "She's your catch. You take care of her. Just see how long it takes. And you call yourself a lamia."
"Lamia," so that's what they were, Ketis realized. She had only heard of them from a few scant writings here or there, but no one had ever seen them or their culture up close. Probably because no one lived to. If she remembered right, they drank the blood of their victims, but that was all anyone really knew. So what did they mean about getting her "ready?" Surely by now they would have drained her and left her body to rot without a care.
The younger one returned shortly, opening the one door to the cell, made out of a large stone that had to be rolled away. She slid a large wooden bowl in the cage. Ketis pulled it towards her and sniffed. It was some sort of grainy mixture, but it seemed edible. The lamia had shuffled away before she could ask any other questions. Reluctantly, she took a bite of the mealy substance. Again, it did not seem poisonous, so she ate a little bit more of it. It soon became apparent that this stuff was rather filling, and they had given her much more than she actually needed.
Wait, that was it! Of course, why hadn't she put it together before. Yes, they drank the blood of their victims, but why just keep hunting? The bigger the prey, the more blood they had. It was so simple. Capture unsuspecting travelers, fatten them up until they were "feast ready," and then they ate their victims.
Ketis paused for a moment to think this over. There was no way she was going to be able to avoid eating while she was here. Likely, the lamia would be checking up on her to make sure she ate her rations, and she hated to think what would happen if she didn't. There was no immediate escape either. Then again, these lamia did not seem like the brightest of creatures. She wondered. Maybe she could find a way to outsmart them and then escape. Yes, that was it. She'd have to observe them more to figure out their weaknesses.
But why rush? This was a rare and unusual opportunity. She was going to see and be a part of lamia culture. She could document it all. The lamia had still left her with her bag of scrolls, ink, and quill. She would be the first to document how the lamia lived. All she had to do was stall for time. Again, these creatures weren't all that smart. She could make that work to her favor.
Stomach full and hard as a rock as she barely managed to polish off her first meal among the lamia, Ketis realized this wasn't at all how she planned this trip, but she would make the most of it. Maybe she could even fool them into giving her something better to eat than that mealy stuff. Hm, the possibilities.
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