The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) (2 page)

Benjim scrambled down to the lake and fished the king’s body from the water. Carefully he pried the king’s charred fingers, or what was left of them, from around the staff, making certain not to touch the staff himself. He then wove a complex ward around the dangerous staff to conceal it and protect it from unwary hands. Once he finished with the protective ward, Benjim set off to find a safe hiding place for such a malignant and treacherous artifact.

Chapter 1

Abruptly, the serenity of the chilly night in the mountains of Hlifglynn was pierced by a beastly scream. The hair on the back of Jak’s neck stood up and shivers ran down his spine like icy fingers prickling his skin. Unfortunately, he knew all too well what had made the terrible sound. It was a ridge cat, and from the sound of its cry it was a particularly large cat which was not very far away. What was even more troubling, was the question of what the cat doing down here in the valley? The cats usually did their hunting in the high country far from people.

Jak’s head swung back and forth as he desperately tried to discern from which direction the cry had come. However, in the crisp cold air of the mountains, the sound echoed and rang, making it seem as if it was coming from every direction at once. Anxious moments of silence stretched by and the tension began to release from between Jak’s shoulder blades, but then the scream came again, this time it sounded a little closer but it was difficult to tell for sure.

Jak’s father always told him that the scream of a ridge cat could make even the bravest man’s blood run cold. Jak had never been a coward, but the sound of the scream made the blood in his veins feel like ice. It was a bone chilling sound, especially in the dark.

Jak had tried to puzzle out that particular mystery many times before. Why did things seem more frightening or dangerous when it was dark? In the blackness of night, the world would begin to shrink in on him. What he could see in the short distance around him was his entire world, and anything that was beyond sight was swallowed up in the abyss of the darkness. It seemed like a strange different world, full of unknown creatures ready to leap from the darkness and consume him. In the dark, his imagination began to play tricks on him with every sound that emanated from the eerie strange world outside. This scream however, was definitely not his imagination playing tricks on him. The ridge cat was a serious threat, made even more ominous by the darkness of night.

Jak hadn’t brought his bow or any weapon except his belt knife with him today; not that the weapons would be of much good even if he had brought them. Even heavily armed, just he alone against a ridge cat would be a pretty poor fight. He wouldn’t stand much of a chance against the ferocious cat. Frantically he searched for a way out of the peril. If he didn’t think of something quickly both he and Brigette might end up as dinner for the large cat.

Their outing today was supposed to be a short day trip, but Brigette had talked him into going all the way to the Endless Falls and they lost track of time. Since they hadn’t been able to make it all the way back to Elsdon before the sun set, they were stuck in the woods, miles from home after dark. Even worse was the fact that now it seemed that they were being hunted by a dangerous predator; one that usually stayed away from these parts of the woods.

“Was that what I think it was?” Brigette asked quietly as she reached up to grasp Jak’s arm.

“Yes,” Jak whispered curtly.

“What are we going to do? Will it go away? Father said ridge cats don’t usually attack people.” Brigette’s voice trembled slightly, but she was holding her composure well.

“Usually they don’t, but we aren’t in Elsdon. Besides, all the animals have been acting very strangely today,” Jak whispered, as he scanned the surroundings for any signs of the cat.

Elsdon was a tiny farming village in the mountains of Hlifglynn where Jak and Brigette had grown up together. Having been born within a month of each other, they had lived the entire sixteen years of their lives never having traveled beyond the mountains that surrounded Elsdon. Jak’s father and older brothers, along with other men of the village, would travel once a year down the Jagmerain pass to Kragston to trade for supplies, but Jak had never made the trip with them.

Jak was tall and lean with short-cropped dirty blond hair and blue eyes. He had been best friends with Brigette his entire life. Brigette had long, deep flame red hair and dark eyes, but she was rather short and small-framed for an Elsdoner. Jak and Brigette had spent the day together just hiking and enjoying each others company but lost track of time, so now they were still hours away from Elsdon traveling in daylight. If they were to try now that it was dark, the journey would take much longer.

“I’m scared Jak. What are we going to do?” Brigette asked as she turned to Jak for assurance. Her long flame-red hair was partially covering her face, as if she was attempting to hide behind it. In the dark however, her hair looked almost black instead of red.

Jak wished she would just keep quiet. If the cat wasn’t hunting them, the noise of their talking might attract its unwanted attention. Besides, he was trying to think of something to get them out of this, but her talking was distracting and making it difficult for him to think clearly. He glanced around again, desperately looking for some way out, or at least some type of cover or protection.

“This way,” Jak whispered, as he started up the slope towards a stone outcrop a few paces away.

“What?” Brigette exclaimed in a loud hiss, “How am I supposed to get up there? I can’t make it up on my own! It’s too steep.”

“Yes you can,” Jak said, trying to sound confident, “you have to, it’s our only chance. Just try to get up to that ledge,” he said as he hoisted her up first.

Brigette slipped several times trying to get foot and handholds up the slippery rock ledge. Being short and petite she was not really accustomed to climbing rock ledges. Jak wasn’t faring much better but he had climbed cliffs around Elsdon many times, and was fairly adept at it. His tall lean build and long arms made it easier for him. Even so, not being able to see in the dark, along with the dampness from the thunderstorm earlier in the day, made the climb that much more difficult.

The small ledge was at least twenty feet up the rock cliff and the progress was painfully slow, especially with the dirt and pebbles pelting him that Brigette was knocking loose above him. Jak could not spare any effort to even glance over his shoulder to see if they were being followed by the cat, for fear he would lose his grip and fall.

Suddenly, Jak’s answer came all the same when the cat’s shrill cry pierced the night, and this time it was much closer. It was fairly certain now, that the cat had caught their scent and was stalking them. The small stone ledge they were scrambling to reach wasn’t going to offer much protection, but it was the most defensible position available at the moment, for that matter the only one available. Jak figured if they could reach it, then they could crowd the edge and swing branches or something which might keep the cat from coming up after them. The cat couldn’t climb up the way they had come, but it could probably leap that high without too much trouble. If they made it seem to the predator that there was no place for it to land on the ledge, then maybe it would look elsewhere for an easier meal. It was a pretty flimsy plan, but it was the best he could come up with at the moment.

Finally, they were able to reach the stone ledge, but only to find there were no sticks or branches within reach. Jak chanced a glance down and could now see the cat stalking threateningly towards them as it crossed the small clearing. Its eyes glowed with a pale blue hue in the moonlight, and its long razor sharp teeth gleamed. The moon had just topped the horizon and now bathed the forest in eerie blue-black shadows. It was like a terrible nightmare that Jak couldn’t seem to wake up from. He didn’t want to die here and now, he was only sixteen. They were both too young to die, but if the cat really wanted them there would be little they could do to stop it. The ridge cat would surely kill them and devour their bodies. The thought of being eaten by the ridge cat was actually worse than the thought of dying. Jak had seen the way wild animals fed, the image came to him unbidden of the cat tearing messy bloody chunks of him and Brigette apart and devouring their bodies. He shuddered at the prospect and pushed the thought from his mind, since dwelling on the gruesome image wasn’t really helping matters.

Jak was at a loss as to how they were going to get out of this impossible dilemma. It was almost certain that they were about to die tonight. He looked to Brigette to see her beautiful face framed by her fiery red hair, but now in the moonlight, her hair had more of a deep violet hue. Her face was a mask of worry and distress, but there was no fear in her dark eyes. Jak was surprised to discover calmness inside of him as well. Even more perplexing was that his-own death was a distant thought. What he really feared was for Brigette’s safety. The thought of any harm coming to her pained Jak more than anything else. He would not let that happen to her. He loved her and he would protect her……….
He loved her?
What an odd thought at a time like this, but at that moment he realized he did indeed love Brigette. He didn’t want to admit it to himself before now, but the strange feelings he was having for her lately, their constant companionship, it all hit him at once. He had always loved her the way you love your best friend, but lately the feelings had become much deeper than just friendship. This day they had spent together had made his feelings even stronger. The thought of loosing her now was unimaginable to Jak.

Suddenly, Jak stood up at the brink of the rock ledge and began to shout as loudly as he could. One time he had seen his father and brothers chase a pack of hungry wolves away from the herd by shouting and banging on pots and pans. When Jak had asked him about it afterwards, his father had told him that the trick was to make the wolves think you are bigger than they are. One way to accomplish this was to make a lot of noise and commotion to distress the animals. Jak’s elevated position on the ledge, along with the all the noise he was making might serve to dissuade the large cat from attacking them now.

After a moment, Brigette realized what Jak was up to and began yelling and waving her arms alongside him. The large cat below seemed to hesitate and become agitated at all the commotion, and eventually stopped its sinister advance toward them. The beast stood there, menacingly lashing its tail and shifting its weight between its front paws, sniffing the air as if to identify the source of the strange noises. Slowly it began pacing back and forth, screaming angrily as it stalked its prey. The big cat eyed his potential meal on the ledge intently with a hungry vicious grin. It seemed to be weighing the pair, judging them to see if they were worth the effort it would require to reach them. The predator continued its tense pacing for many long moments.

Jak’s voice was beginning to get hoarse from all his yelling and screaming, when finally the cat turned and walked a few paces in the opposite direction towards the forest. Relief flooded over Jak, as it seemed the cat had finally given up on them and was going to seek a meal elsewhere. Apparently all their noise making and commotion had worked in deterring the animal, when abruptly the ridge cat let out a piercing cry, swung back around and began to lope malevolently towards them, gaining speed as it ran. Jak’s heart sank into the pit of his stomach and despair began to consume him, as the realization set in that they were going to die here after all.

As a last resort, Jak grabbed Brigette and pushed her back against the rock wall, placing himself between her and the rushing cat. She was all that mattered and he had to protect her somehow, but he had no way to defend either of them. He was out of options and there was nothing else he could think of to do. The thought flashed into his mind that if he died, the cat might engorge itself on his body and leave Brigette safe. It all happened so fast without time to think anything through. With no more time to waste, Jak stepped toward the edge, preparing himself for the certain death that awaited below, and was oddly calm inside, being resigned to his fate. The cat was converging quickly and was nearly within striking distance. Jak confidently extended his foot over the rim of the ledge that would plunge him to the ground and make his ultimate sacrifice for Brigette…..…..

Without warning, the entire ground began trembling and shaking violently beneath Jak’s feet. The tall trees of the forest flailed about as helpless as blades of grass in a strong wind, and the cracking and splitting of heavy timbers could be heard all around. There was a deep rumbling noise like gigantic boulders rolling down an endless mountain. Everything shook so much, that Jak was about to lose his precarious footing at the edge of the drop. It was like trying to stand up on one of their small makeshift rafts they would use in the lake during the summer. It was hard enough for Jak to keep his balance in calm water, but when the waves were large it was all but impossible to keep his footing. This immense shaking felt much like trying to stand on that raft while large waves were crashing all around him. The entire ground heaved and rolled violently as if everything was falling apart.

The rushing ridge cat slid to an abrupt stop at the foot of the ledge just below where Jak and Brigette were trying to keep from toppling over. The beast stood wild-eyed and confused, not knowing what was happening either. The ground shaking continued for endless moments as if it would never be stable again, when suddenly the ledge that they were standing on gave way from the rest of the cliff and Jak began to fall. The whole world turned end over end and he felt rocks and dirt pelting him from every side. It felt to him as if he was falling down a bottomless pit until suddenly he slammed into the ground knocking all the breath from his lungs.