The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) (14 page)

“Jak, what are you doing?” Gin asked a little breathlessly. “Why did you take off without us? How can you even see where you are going it’s so dark in here?”

“I-I just remembered the way,” Jak said sheepishly. “Besides, I couldn’t go any further, I had to stop and wait for you……and the light.”

Nicoldani gave Jak a sidelong look. It was apparent the big man wasn’t buying into the lie. Jak had gone too far into the dark tunnel too quickly, without stumbling or faltering, to escape suspicion. But all Nicoldani said was, “Lead the way.”

It was further down the passageway than Jak remembered, but they finally emerged into the small cavern where the woman had been chained. It looked different in the light of the lantern than it had that night. Jak noticed there were bricks at the entrance of this chamber that seemed to have blocked the way out at some time. Perhaps the earth shaking had knocked them loose as well.

The skeleton lying in the middle of the cavern was just where Jak remembered it, but it looked ghastly now in the lantern light. It was extremely
old, and many of the bones had almost rotted and crumbled away entirely. Where Jak had fallen on top of the corpse that day, he had crushed some of the bones to dust.

Nicoldani looked closely at the corpse for many long moments. It seemed as if he was inspecting every detail of the dead body. Finally, he asked, “Did you take anything from this place?”

Reflexively Jak touched the dagger at his belt as he answered, “No” but he couldn’t meet the big man’s eyes.

Nicoldani gave him a disbelieving look, and actually grinned a bit as he said, “It’s alright Jak, as you can see he doesn’t need it any longer. I just need to know if you took … something.” He said as he eyed the dagger at Jak’s belt.

Jak couldn’t withstand the scrutiny any longer and burst out, “Yes, I took this,” he said, as he reluctantly drew the dagger from his belt and handed it to Nicoldani.

“I don’t
want
it,” Nicoldani said holding up his hands. “I just need to know exactly where you found it. Was it just lying about on the ground? Or…..”

“Well it was dark, and I stumbled and fell on top of ……this,” Jak looked down at the corpse. “The handle jabbed me in the ribs. As near as I can tell, it being dark and all, the knife had been stabbed in the skeleton’s chest.”

Nicoldani crouched down to inspect the corpse more closely. He reached down and gently touched the partially decayed bones of the skeleton’s hands. Its hands met together at the place where the knife had been inserted. It was hard for Jak to tell if the dead man had been stabbed and clutched the dagger as he died, or if he had pierced his own chest with the dagger to end his own life, and his hands were still around the hilt. Nicoldani muttered something under his breath; rose and then nodded with a self-satisfied look on his face.

Jak, having his fill of dead corpses, stood and walked over to the chains, which hung limply from the wall where the woman had been bound. He noticed now that they were not fastened to the rock wall, but rather seemed to grow out of the stone like a vine.

Even now, there was a strange sense of pulling on Jak. It was the same as when the woman had called him here that first night. It almost seemed as if she was still here calling… beckoning…….…. Jak started to feel light headed and distant.
No, it wasn’t coming from here….she seemed to be calling now from somewhere else …… somewhere off to the south?

Nicoldani walked to Jak’s side and placed his hand on Jak’s shoulder, “Well, is it?” the big man asked, sounding a little perturbed.

“Is it what?” Jak asked, not knowing what the man had said.

Nicoldani gave him an impatient look. “Is this where you found the woman you spoke of?”

“Oh, yes, this is the place. She was chained here to the wall,” Jak said pointing to the strange chains that seemed to have been grown out of the rock wall.

Nicoldani hefted one of the chains to inspect it more closely. Jak was surprised to see the corded muscles in the big man’s arm straining from the weight of the chain.

“What woman?” Gin asked curiously. “Why was there a woman chained here? Who was she? Where did she go?”

Jak moved away from the chains, since they were becoming eerily unsettling to him. “Don’t you worry about it Gin. It’s nothing.” Jak had all but forgotten Gin was even with them. He realized that she had not been frightened by the corpse on the floor. She was such a strong little girl, Jak admired her courage. But all of this had to be taking a toll on her; he knew it was taking one on him.

Gin placed her tiny hands on her hips, attempting to mimic the look their mother would give father when he didn’t give her the answer she wanted. “Jak, who was chained up here, and why?” she demanded.

“I’ll tell you about it later when we get back home.” But the thought of home pained Jak, since there wasn’t much of home left there.

“You promise?” Gin said, cocking her head to one side and giving him a stern look.

“Yes, I promise.” Jak answered, rolling his eyes and nodding his head in assurance.

“Okay, just don’t forget. You prooomiiised,” Gin said as she shook her finger at Jak in mock admonition.

Jak couldn’t help but smile; she at least, was the same old, strong willed Gineara.

Nicoldani walked back to where the two were standing in the middle of the cavern, “This
is
it,” he exclaimed with the most expression Jak had seen from the man yet.

“This is what?” Jak asked, at the same time Gin said. “It is?”

“Yes, this is where the Blood Witch was imprisoned,” Nicoldani said with enthusiasm. There even seemed to be a little … excitement? … in his voice.

“Blood Witch!” Gin whispered as she sidled closer to Jak and grasped his hand, “what is a blood witch?” That was enough to frighten the little girl.

Nicoldani realizing he had disturbed Gin, regained his former composure. “It’s nothing little one, only a story. I’ll tell you about it once we get out of here,” he said soothingly in an attempt to ease the fears of the small girl.

After that, they were all eager to get out now, and began to make their way back to the surface quickly. When they once again emerged into the cool mountain air, Jak felt a small sense of relief, but he could still feel the pulling, calling him somewhere off to the south.

It was a just past midday when they mounted up and started back towards Elsdon. Jak wondered if it was still called Elsdon since no one really lived there anymore. It didn’t matter he supposed, since it would always be home to him.

As they began riding, Nicoldani, true to his word, began to unfold the terrible story. He told of the Blood Witch’s reign of terror, and her subsequent imprisonment at the hands of King Erlandas and the twelve Arch-Mordji. It was a shock to Jak that the witch had been here! She had been imprisoned beneath this mountain his entire life, his father’s lifetime, even his grandfather, and great grandfather’s lifetimes. Who knows how far back she had been there without anyone knowing? It was an eerie and unsettling prospect, made even worse by the fact that
he
had been the one who found her, and apparently unleashed her on the world again. It wasn’t really his fault after all, how was he supposed to know who or what she was. His grandfather had never told him that part of the story. Jak didn’t even know there had been a Blood Witch until now.

The dagger Jak carried at his belt began to make him a little anxious, once Nicoldani told him that the Arch-Mordji had used it to kill himself after imprisoning the witch. All and all, Jak was beginning to feel quite ill, when Nicoldani abruptly fell silent and stopped.

Jak walked his horse up beside the big man and asked, “What is it?”

Nicoldani’s hand shot up, demanding silence, while his other hand slid back to rest on the pommel of his sword. Jak looked around uneasily, not knowing what had agitated the man. Sensing there might be danger Jak fumbled for his bow, which was slung over his back, but with Gin close behind him on the horse it made the task difficult.

Frog had been off chasing a rabbit or some other critter, and was just catching back up to the party. The dog’s playful bounding abruptly halted as he approached, becoming a slow walk. His ears pulled back in agitation, his nostrils flared and he bared his teeth unleashing a low threatening growl.

Jak was still fumbling to get the bow free, when seemingly out of the ground ahead a large mound began to slowly rise. It almost looked as if the earth itself was heaving upwards. As it ascended, Jak noticed the thing was covered with long matted shaggy hair, and stood much taller than Jak even though he was on horseback.

The light breeze suddenly shifted to put them downwind of the creature, and Jak nearly lost his breakfast. The horrid stench that emanated from the beast was overpowering. It smelled like a wet dog had rolled in the remains of a dead putrid animal, left to rot for several days. The smell turned his stomach and made him want to vomit. Gin could be heard behind him trying to choke back a gag as well. Nicoldani on the other hand, seemed to not be affected by it in the least. Thankfully, it was only a momentary shift in the breeze, and as it shifted again it carried the awful smell away from them.

Jak looked to Nicoldani for guidance but the big man just sat there on his horse, staring intently at the creature, almost as if it was a book or puzzle he was studying. Gandur began to stamp his hoof and dance nervously away from the creature. Nicoldani’s horse was agitated by the presence of the beast, but his horse was obviously well trained, and sensing its rider’s mood almost seemed eager to charge the beast, but the stallion held its ground patiently.

Jak finally got his bow loose, nocked an arrow, and began to draw. Nicoldani’s upraised hand stopped Jak with the bow half drawn.

The creature stood twenty paces ahead blocking the path entirely with its bulk. Jak noticed for the first time that the long hair that covered the beast was probably white, if not for all the mud, leaves, and dirt covering it. It looked as if the creature had fallen into a mud puddle, or perhaps intentionally rolled in the mud to camouflage itself. If not for the mud and dirt, its white hair would have been like a beacon in this forest, since it was summer and most everything was green and brown. If the creature possessed the intelligence to camouflage itself, then it was a disturbing and dangerous prospect. Jak hoped this was not the case, but his hopes were shattered when a large toothy crack split the beasts face, and choppy barely intelligible words began to exude from its gaping maw.

“Why you on Yeshada land?” The creature said.

Nicoldani spoke up then, “Isn’t Yeshada land north of the Saibani Mountains?” As he spoke, Nicoldani began to ease his horse away from Jak. Jak understood immediately that the man was trying to separate himself from them so if the beast did attack, it would have to choose its target between the two. Jak just hoped it did not choose him and Gin.

“Not now. We take back. Sysyllus say not any, or just small number huumon left here. Easy to take. Good place for Yeshada.

“This is OUR home!” Gin said defiantly.

Jak tried to quiet her but it was difficult enough trying to hold a half drawn bow, keep the horse steady, and an eye on the beast, let alone trying to turn to quiet her.

The sound that came from the beast in response was enough to quiet her though. Jak supposed that it was….laughing. He had thought the scream of the ridge cat was terrifying, but the
laugh
that emanated from this creature made the cry of the ridge cat seem like sweet music.

“Yeshada land now, we take” the beast said with a wide smile that exposed many jagged, sharp yellow teeth. Its arms were the size of large logs, and its hands were tipped by long sharp claws that flexed and retracted anxiously. The beast was unlike anything that Jak had ever seen before. It was almost as if this creature had crawled right out of one of Jak’s nightmares.

Nicoldani spoke again and his voice sounded casual enough, but he looked taught, like a trap on the verge of snapping shut. “Just let us pass and we’ll be on our way and leave your land.”

Jak gave the big man an incredulous look. What did he mean we would leave
their
land? This was Jak’s home.

“That way no one will get hurt,” Nicoldani finished, ignoring Jak’s glare.

The blood curdling laughter emanated once again from the beast. “No think so. You no hurt me. Long walk, no good food. Me hungry. I eat you.” With the last word, the beast lunged forward faster than Jak thought possible for such a large beast, thankfully towards Nicoldani.

Jak raised his bow, drew the fletching to his cheek, and let fly in the same smooth motion that he had done so many times before when hunting deer and elk here in these mountains. Unfortunately, the rushing beast startled Gandur making him flinch, and he danced to the side at that exact moment.

Jak’s intended target was one of the creature’s fist sized eyes, which normally would be an easy shot, but the arrow caught the beast in the neck instead. It was still a good shot, but the arrow in its neck didn’t even slow the rushing beast a little.

Nicoldani slid from his horse in a motion that Jak could only describe as fluid. He was off his horse, rolling under the grasping claw of the monster to come up smoothly behind it, and slash the back of its knee.