Once, humans lived in peace with other creatures. That peace no longer exists. The human race has lowered itself to slavery, though not of other humans. With the combination of magic and science, humans created the ultimate slave; a slave who would be able to do more than the average human. From lifting objects far greater than their own weight, to pleasure for those who could pay the price for the use of another man’s slave. Little did they realize, humans created their greatest enemy. They had made a race far superior than their own. They created the Halmon.

At first, trial creatures came about. A gruesome combination of human and animal made by science and magic. One would perhaps be mostly man with the arms of a gorilla. The arms would over-balance the beast, crippling it or killing it. Others would have contradicting parts, such as feathers and gills. The creatures died within moments of coming to life. Those who were not quite that lucky died by the hands of the makers.

Some creatures were a success. Sniggons and Drish (for the makers had no imagination for names) were the first among the successes. Sniggons are the combination of snakes and dragons, having dragon-like heads and the coils of a snake. They are notorious for being evil tempered and cruel, more so than the humans. Drish, on the other hand, are fish and dragon blends. They retain their dragon-like intelligence and compassion. Their upper portion is that of a dragon, with the exception of gills. Their lower half is that of a fish, or merfolk, if you prefer. Neither Drish nor Sniggons retain the wings of their dragon relatives, much to the relief of those who had the misfortune of meeting with the Sniggons.

Humans soon learned that they could not control creatures descending from dragons. The Sniggons killed their captors and escaped, while the Drish were left to their own devises. However, they were kept in small tanks with little room for movement. The Drish would surely have perished if not for a human slave risking her life to get them to water. The slave had some magic talent: enough to levitate the Drish. Unfortunately, she was caught. Her punishment was to be the next “volunteer” for transformation. That was the makers’ biggest mistake. One of many…

Tivan stole quietly and quickly into the water creature’s pen. Only three remained alive: Two females and one male. They looked at Tivan with curiosity and were otherwise unconcerned with her presence. They knew her. Tivan was the slave assigned to clean their pen and feed them. Nothing more.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” Tivan whispered. She didn’t really expect the creatures to respond, and was quite surprised when one did.

We thank you, one said.

Tivan looked about her and then at the creatures. One, the teal female, had moved closer to Tivan.

“Uh… Did you just talk to me?”

The creature shook her scaly head. “No. We need not speak as humans do, with mouth and vocal cords. We have learned to send our thoughts. It is far easier than trying to form words with our own mouths. They were not made for such things.

Tivan nodded at the logic the creature “spoke.” She still didn’t understand, but decided against arguing. She resumed her task of freeing the creatures.

Tivan checked for restraints and other such things. There were none. Next came the problem of air for the creatures. “Do you need water to breathe?” She asked. The creatures shook their heads.

Much like frogs, we have lungs as well as gills, The male said, his voice rumbling through Tivan’s skull.

That made Tivan pause. She had thought that they only had gills. Her master certainly never said anything about the creatures having lungs. Not that he would, given my current status. Well, that alleviated one problem. The second was weight. Before she could ask that question, the male creature spoke first, What is it you plan to do, little one?

Tivan shrugged, her course shift slipping around tiny shoulders, “Levitate you, of course.” She mentally weighed her charges. Their weight would crush her if she weren’t careful.

Then you must do so quickly, if we are to be gone before your master awakens.

How true! If he should catch her before she could get back to her pen, she would either be killed or sent to the dreaded “lab.” Tivan suppressed a shudder. Best not to think those kinds of thoughts until after the deed was done.

Within moments, Tivan was ready to attempt the levitation. She moved out of the pen and called on her sorcerous abilities. Blue fire wound around the creatures and cradled them in its grasp. The creatures slowly rose into the air. For the moment, their weight was slight. Tivan knew she would think otherwise if she dallied.

Though she moved swiftly through the silent halls of her master’s home, fear made her breath come short. She swallowed hard and shoved her fears into the far recesses of her mind. The halls were dark, but Tivan conjured a small, dim light. Her powers were not great; it was all she could do to avoid any more strain.

The light hovered just over her shoulders. She barely had enough to see by. Soon they came to an open square. A stream flowed through the center of it. It had more properties of a small river than a stream. She hoped it would be deep enough for the creatures, and the current swift enough to carry them away from their confinement.

“Stop thief!”

“Curses,” Tivan murmured. She placed the dragon/fish things into the torrent. Before the last female touched the water, she gave Tivan a parting gift; The Drish shall always help your people. Then, she was gone.

Tivan sighed. She wished she could float down and join the odd creatures.

“What have we here.” A voice like oil crawled across her skin, leaving a shiver to crawl up her spine. It called up Tivan’s carefully hid fear, placing it on her face.

He’s here.

Tivan shuddered violently as her master drew closer. She had known this cruel man all her life, and yet had never seen him. He always stood in the shadows, or wore a mask when he felt the need to deal with his slaves personally. It was also rumored within the slave pens that he wore a mask with his mistresses. No one knew the real reasoning behind it. They only knew to fear it.

Tivan turned to face her master, defiance resonating through her very bones. Though she trembled with fear, her face and eyes were fierce. She knew what she had done was right. Her master was just going to let the creatures die. Tivan could never allow that to happen.

Lord J’oust merely smiled. His teeth, white against the darkness of his skin, stood out like bones in the desert night. The smile did not reach his eyes hidden behind a blue mask. “Time for you to come with me.”

Tivan didn’t trust this. Her master was not a very forgiving person. If one were lucky after pulling such a stunt, they would die quickly. This man preferred to let them stuffer. One look at his eyes confirmed her own fears: he was not in the least happy about what she had done.

“Why?” she asked. Her fear intensified. She had a matter of moments to escape. She knew she would die in the attempt, but she had to try.

“Ah, that is my little secret.” He extended his hand to her. “Come.”

The slight girl made as though to grab the hand of her master, but instead fell and rolled out of reach. Stumbling to her feet, Tivan raced across the courtyard. Behind her were the sounds of guards in hard pursuit. But above that sound, she heard chanting. Master J’ oust had begun an incantation to bring her to her death. Tivan grinned. The lab would have to wait for his next victim.

Silence. The pursuit continued, but the chanting had ended. The only other sound was that of her ragged breath and the thunder of leather clad feet on the paved walk. Victory would be hers! Her master could not locate her, and the guards had fallen back and out of sight.

Tivan stopped to catch her breath, hiding behind a pillar of limestone. She was free! For the time being, Tivan rested against the large pillar and closed her eyes and her racing heart calmed.

Silly girl. You know you can never run from me!

Tivan jumped, her heart picking up it fast pace yet again. Surely he could not have found her! But even as she thought she could start the chase anew, heat and light claimed her body and led her mind to darkness.

Hours, perhaps days, later, Tivan woke to find herself in chains in the thrice-cursed lab. Lord J’oust was there with his sorcerers. The grin on his face was sickening and this time her wore no mask. Deep, dark scars marred his face. They pulled at the skin, making it fold in odd and frightening ways.

Within one of the sorcerer’s hands was a struggling bat. The bat bit and fought its captors with all its might, but could not break free. The bat was beautiful in it’s own way. Although Tivan knew that she was going to be meshed with the creature, she could not find fault in it’s own design.

The sorcerers brought the struggling creature to the butcher block.

“No. Use the entire thing,” Lord J’oust snarled. “I want no mistakes.”

The lead sorcerer, a grizzled old thing that looked more like the creatures he helped to produce, rather that human, nodded and plopped the bat into a large metal container.

Lord J’oust towered over her and brought his face close to Tivan’s. His breath was hot and smelled worse than his face looked. “Good night, silly girl,” and Tivan suffered another jolt of fire and lost consciousness again.

Tivan woke again, this time attached to a wall. She felt strange. Her skin felt far thicker than usual. She sneezed, clearing her head. She could feel her ears twitch and swivel to catch little sounds. Instantly she knew where everything was as the echoes of her sneeze came back to her.

She conjured up a light, thankful that her magic was not gone. In the dimness, she looked at her feet and then at her arms. They were slightly furred and leathery and as dark as the bat’s had been. Attached to her waist up to her wrist was a length of leather with very fine bones. Wait, it was a wing. She was winged!

“Great. Well, at least I’m not dead.” She said with nervous laughter. The sound echoed back to her in different pitches and tones. Her large ears registered the information. Again, images of what lay in the room flooded her head. She was frightened. She was no longer human. Tivan let out a piercing screech. Her chains shattered and she was freed. Tivan stared dumbly at her newly freed arms and let them fall at her sides allowing the wings to fold in on themselves.

The Drish shall always help your people. The words flooded back to her. The Drish had said Tivan’s people. Though not humans, more like me. This gave her hope that she would live and there would be more like her. Already she had an ally is the Drish. All she had to do was find them

Tivan ran from the lab and made her way back to the courtyard. She hid whenever her echoes showed her the forms of half sleeping guards walked by on patrol. Soon she would be free to begin her search for the Drish.

As the courtyard loomed in the distance, Tivan had a thought. Might as well see if I can fly. With that she spread her new wings and began to pump them. She lifted silently into the air. She was free!

Tivan was recaptured in little under a month before she had found the Drish. More of her “kind” were bred: Tivan being used as the genetic blue prints to make the ultimate half-breed. The half-breeds became more powerful as their numbers grew. In the end, Tivan rallied her people and made a stand against their captors. They won their freedom. Tivan led her people through the wilderness into an unsettled region. They began to build a city and new lives. The city became known as Y’Dara. From that point on, Y’Dara prospered under the leadership of its Queen. Though that is a story for another time

. Tivan called their kind Halmon: half human. It was a way to always remember that they once were human as they began to breed without the use of magic.