The Blood Witch Chronicles

by L. A. Stinnett

  The revenants were quickly upon them, driven forward by the promise of blood and flesh. Everyone moved into defensive positions. As the revenants got closer, Teek grabbed a couple, throwing them against the stone wall, shattering their bodies in a cloud of dust.

  Fear finally drove Daisy to full-blown panic. He bolted, pulling the caravan over large rocks. The sound of breaking wood carried over the cries of the revenants. The mule barrelled through the dead creatures who reached out, scratching at his hide. The smell of blood made them go into a howling frenzy.

  R.K. ran after Daisy, thrusting his Bo through the skulls of the revenants as he ran after the caravan. Their bodies shattered and fell to dust. Bud reared up and stomped down any revenants before him. Runt ran after R.K. launching himself at the revenants, tearing them to pieces.

  U'ka screamed to draw the attention of the revenants back to her. She positioned herself back to back with Teek, who continued to crush any creatures he could get a hold of. She swung her dirks around, beheading all the ones that got close to her. More and more emerged from the shadows, lurching towards them. They were going to be overwhelmed. The revenants wanted her blood and flesh and nothing would stop them. A large desiccated revenant slashed his hand against her arm, slicing it open. They screeched at the smell of her Daemon tainted blood. Panic set in, the revenants all turned their attention to her now. She was trapped with no way to get out alive.

  'You have to use your Blood Magic now. Destroy them! It's the only way we'll survive,' Bahlmet screamed in her head.

  Abject fear took over. She swung her dirks wildly, but they kept coming, more and more, they weren't going to stop. For the first time, U’ka felt fear in Bahlmet. The revenants would consume his power along with hers. He kept pushing at her to use her Blood Magic, now in a full-blown panic. Heart pounding in her chest, she could no longer deal with the desperation they were both feeling. Neither of them wanted to die here and not in this manner. Without even thinking about it, a Vaporization spell formed in her mind, pulling on her spilled blood to invoke the Blood Magic. Power flared all around them, the revenants screamed out, exploding into a thick dust that swirled all around them.

  'Thank you for this lovely power boost. I soooo needed that,' said Bahlmet in her head. His voice now stronger than it was before. She tried to push him away mentally, but he resisted.

  "Oh, no…" She paled as she looked over at Teek, now locked on her with a cold, hard stare.

  Why did I listen to Bahlmet? Why did I let fear drive me to this costly mistake?

  'To save our lives,' he reminded her.

  She backed away from Teek's menacing look. The remains of the revenants covered his bark with a thick grey dust. "Teek, please, I didn't mean to use Blood Magic. I couldn't let them get to my Daemon tainted blood. I know I violated my Unbreakable vow, but please, it can't end now that we're so close to completing our mission."

  U'ka backed herself against the wall, dreading what was coming next.

  'Defend yourself. You can best the Green Lord.'

  No, the Unbreakable Oath, she thought back at him.

  'Break it!'

  No!

  ‘If you won't defend us. I will.’

  U’ka felt power rising in her. Her eyes glowed bright red as she fought to hold back the power Bahlmet was gathering.

  "Teek, stop! What are you doing?!" R.K. yelled in panic as he came running back towards them.

  Teek rushed forward, grabbing her forehead, forcing his way into her mind where U'ka wrestled Bahlmet for control. The cell she was imprisoned in while he was in control during the war appeared behind them. Teek grabbed Bahlmet by the throat, forcing him into the cell that once imprisoned her and slammed the door. Teek's vines twisted around the bars, sealing it shut. Bahlmet screamed and attacked the door, but could not break the seal.

  'This will not hold me forever, Green Man!'

  Teek pointed at him, shaking his head before disappearing from her mind. He’d resisted invading her psyche like this before, but had to this time to save her soul. He could not destroy her yet; he still needed her to close the Gateway.

  Back in the real world, he stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before pulling his hand away. A low rumble telling her that since she hadn't used Blood Magic against another living thing, he’d forgive her transgression, this time. He would not be so forgiving if it happened again.

  She exhaled in relief. "Thank you, Teek."

  "Can we get out of here now?" said R.K.

  "Yes. Let's go," U'ka said, following R.K. to where the caravan was stuck on a boulder, the spokes of one of the back wheels broken in several places. Daisy was still shaking. She placed her arms around his neck, making calming sounds to reassure the terrified mule, slowly he relaxed against her.

  Teek examined the broken wheel, then walked around the caravan, checking for any other damage.

  "Can you fix it?" U'ka asked.

  He nodded and began his work. Long branches grew out of his arm which he shaped into new spokes for the wheel.

  She retrieved a bottle of alcohol from the caravan and began cleaning the deep scratches on the mule’s hide. He was lucky the revenants hadn't torn him apart. U'ka got some food out for herself and began eating, hungry after the fight for her life.

  "Would Teek really have killed you?"

  "Yes. If I'd gotten out of control. Luckily, he was able to lock my Daemon down."

  'For now…' Bhalmet whispered.

  The sun was starting to sink and the pass darkened even more. She wanted to be out of here before full nightfall.

  "Teek, how much longer?"

  He grumbled that he was almost finished.

  U’ka climbed into Bud’s saddle, ready to continue their journey now that the threat had passed. Her mind far clearer than it’d been in a long time. She felt Bahlmet's anger, but his voice was more of a distant whisper now. She hoped this would last long enough for them to complete their mission.

  They hurried through the rest of the passage until they reached another twisted vine and brush barrier. Teek commanded the plants to part, revealing a bright, golden ocean sunset. They made it.

  16

  Underneath the crumbled roof of an abandoned building U'ka cleaned the deep scratch on her arm. Heavy rain pounded the ancient roof, seeking out tiny cracks to slip down through the stone. Small droplets fell all around her. In a corner of the decayed building where fewer raindrops leaked through, R.K. crouched over a boiling pot of stew. Runt lay in a dry area, dozing contentedly. R.K. motioned her over, handing her a bowl of stew.

  She dipped a piece of bread into the stew, chewing it down quickly.

  "Can I ask you about what happened back there?"

  U'ka nodded as she kept eating.

  "How did we get ambushed? I thought Teek could detect things long before we could see them."

  "Teek can detect all living things around, so I'm guessing with the revenants being dead, he couldn’t sense them until we wandered right into them."

  "What would have happened if they got our blood."

  "Our very essence is tainted by the Daemons we carry. Ingesting our blood would have empowered them to leave the Dragon's Tooth and be free to terrorize the Sleeping Forest, making even more revenants from their attacks. They are normally tied to the place where they died. We too would have risen as revenants and a revenant with Blood Magic power is a terrible thing."

  "Can they rise again after what you did?"

  "No. I destroyed all the ones there. Revenants are occasionally formed when a magic-user dies a horrible death, leaving the area tainted. Teek will call the Green Folk to cleanse the area, so if anyone dies in there again, they won't rise as a revenant."

  R.K. nodded, looking down at his bowl. She could tell he was debating telling her something. "What is it?"

  He closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. "I still hear the Daemon in my head. He's not fully asleep like he was. He tells me to do things, awful things."

 
U’ka was afraid of this happening. "He wants his power back. He got a taste of it in the Sleeping Forest and is pushing you to get it back. You have to resist him."

  He looked up with teary eyes. "I'm trying, but it's getting hard."

  'He's not strong enough to resist Bhaal's influence for long. If he takes over again, you'll have to kill the boy. He won't be put down again,' whispered Bahlmet in her mind.

  I'm not going to let that happen, U'ka thought back at him, pushing him back into the darkness of his cell. She wished she still carried the binding cuffs. They held enough power to contain R.K. 's Daemon.

  "Stay strong," she said, reaching out to touch his arm. "Teek and I will watch over you and make sure nothing bad happens."

  She looked out to Teek, who stood guard in the rain. He nodded, indicating he'd heard their conversation.

  "Try and get some rest. I can give you something for a dreamless sleep. It will keep him from talking to you in your dreams."

  He wiped his eyes. "That would be helpful. Thank you."

  She got the Baku Seed from her saddlebag and handed it to R.K. He chewed it up and laid by the fire, staring into the flames. His eyelids slowly closed and sleep finally overcame him.

  U’ka added a few more branches to the fire to keep it going and laid down herself. Runt came over and snuggled in next to her to help keep her warm through the cold, rainy night. She lay there for a while, listening to the downpour. The rain pounded against the stone roof, running down the outside walls, making rhythmic dripping sounds on the muddy ground. The distraction did not last long before she was back to being anxious about the new revelation of R.K. 's Daemon. Time was of the essence now. He wasn't going to last much longer; he was starting to break under the pressure of the Daemon pushing at his psyche. She didn't want to lose him, especially at her hand. Hopefully, the Shifting Lands weren't too far away and held the answers they were seeking.

  Thunder from a storm far out to sea rolled in on the waves crashing on the shore below. Throughout the night, loud screeches woke her. Teek silently stood guard in the downpour. If he was unbothered by whatever was out there, it must not pose a threat. She didn't want to go out in the pouring rain to check for herself, so she wrapped the blanket tighter around her and tried her best to sleep through the strange sounds.

  By morning the storm broke. U'ka awoke to find that both Teek and Runt were gone. Teek left a basket of gull eggs and a couple of fish for the morning meal. Runt must have gone hunting. U'ka laid there next to the warm embers of the fire, enjoying the calm after last night's storm. Bud and Daisy emerged from the remains of the building they sheltered in last night and were grazing on the long grass. A pair of does emerged from a thicket and cautiously approached Daisy, stretching out their necks to stiff at each other.

  The mule stepped forward as the deer danced around him. U'ka smiled at how easy he made new friends wherever he went. It did her heart good to see wild animals again. She’d been angry at Teek for keeping their animal rehabilitation secret, but now saw the wisdom of it.

  Looking out over the area, U’ka saw the ruins of other buildings like the one they sheltered in. There seemed to be some sort of fortress carved into the high cliff-face wall. The ruins were very ancient, making her wonder what happened to the settlement and why it was abandoned.

  U’ka stretched and got herself ready to make the morning meal. She grabbed a few pieces of wood, adding them to the glowing embers to get the fire going again. She gutted and cleaned the fish on a flat rock, then laid her knife down to crack open the gull eggs into her skillet before placing it over the fire. The bright red yolks began to sizzle. U'ka turned back to finish cutting up the fish to find her knife gone. R.K. had woken while she was busy with breakfast and now held the knife over his palm.

  U'ka's eyes widened, "R.K. don't!"

  His hand shook. "I can't stop him anymore. I have to give him what he wants."

  He lowered the knife to slice it across his hand. U'ka cast a Binding spell, feeling him fighting against it. His Damon wanted blood spilled to be released. Casting another spell, she flung the knife from his grip and ran forward to grab it off the ground before releasing him for the Binding spell. R.K. fell to the ground sobbing. She put the knife away and laid with him, wrapping her arms around his shaking body.

  "I can't do this anymore. I'm not strong enough," he said through shuddering sobs.

  "Yes, you can. We're going to help you," U'ka said in as soothing a voice as she could manage. She was scared but possessed nothing which could really help him.

  'Your Blood Magic can control him,' whispered Bahlmet.

  U'ka pushed him back. She couldn't deal with him right now. Teek walked up and kneeled next to them, waving her away. She released her hold on him and sat back.

  Placing his hand on the boy's head, Teek forced his will into the chaos of his mind. The Daemon was barely awake, but dark energy swirled around him. R.K. sat in the shadows, cowering and swatting at the energies that got too close to him. A look of terror filled his face, knowing he could not escape the horrors going on around him. Teek turned back to the Daemon, sending out his vines to wrap tightly around him, containing him once again. The Daemon screeched and grew quiet. R.K. wrapped his arms around his knees.

  "It still hurts."

  'You will have to deal with the pain. The Daemon should be contained now. Your mind is more clear, fight to keep control. This is your body, not his, ' said Teek, reaching to pull R.K. out of the shadows of his mind.

  “Yes. His voice is more distant. I think I can manage things now.”

  Teek slipped out of R.K. 's mind. He didn’t know how long the binding would hold, but it’d have to do for now. Withdrawing his hand, R.K. opened his eyes and looked over at U'ka.

  "He bound the Daemon. I think I'm going to be okay now."

  "Good. Get yourself cleaned up. I'll finish breakfast."

  U'ka wasn't sure what Teek had done, but was glad he intervened. The smell of burnt eggs brought her attention back to the skillet. After scraping it clean, she cracked another two eggs into the pan and added the cut-up fish and scrambled them together. Heating two cups of tea, she handed R.K. his half of the meal. They ate in silence. U’ka knew he needed some quiet time to process what had happened to him.

  A loud screech like the ones she heard during the night, filled the air.

  "What is that?" said R.K.

  "I don't know. But, I heard the sound several times last night," said U'ka, putting her food down. She went to an old observation platform overhanging the side of the cliff. A small grey tabby cat sunned itself on one of the stone rails. Reaching out, she stroked the cats back. He raised his back end in response, purring loudly.

  The crisp, salty air blew her hair around as she looked over the edge. Below she saw dark figures hanging off the cliff wall like giant bats with their leathery wings wrapped around them like cocoons. Their dark, iridescent scales shimmered in the sunlight. A small creature raised its head as a little bird flew by, snatching it out of the air and swallowing it whole. It scrambled over the cliff face, burrowing under the folded up wing of its mother. She heard a screech above them and looked up to see one of the creatures sailing through the air, chasing after a gull.

  "What are those?" said R.K., stepping up next to her.

  "I think they might be dragons."

  "But they're so small. I thought they were huge creatures."

  "They were according to legend. This must be the remains of the Eyrie. There's not much about the mythical Dragon Riders in the Citadel archives. When the Citadel first formed, they initiated contact with the Eyrie and had a brief meeting with the Dragon Master, but never received any contact afterwards.”

  Feeling like she was being watched, U’ka turned just in time to see a figure releasing an arrow from his bow. Before she could throw up a defensive shield, Teek appeared before her; the arrow shattered into several pieces when it hit his chest. Before the man could nock another arrow, she cast out a
Binding spell, freezing him in place. She couldn't see his face hidden under the dark hood, but something was strangely familiar about him. His dust-covered clothing was ragged, but his weapons and their black leather sheaths gleamed. Standing before him, she pulled back his hood, gasping at what she saw.

  "Vahlyn! You're alive!" U'ka desperately wanted to throw her arms around her former Blade Master and lover but was stopped by his hateful stare. His face was pale, scarred and gaunt-looking; life hadn’t been easy for him these many months.

  "Get away from me, you bitch! You should die for everything you did! Everyone you killed!"

  She took a few steps back, stung by his words. "I deserve all your hate, but you have to understand that I'm trying to make things right."

  "There's no way you can make this right. Millions are dead. You and Bloody Bark are murderers!"

  Teek growled at the mention of the name.

  "We've taken out the last of the Daemon Lords. R.K. and I are the only Daemon held people left. Once we figure out how to get rid of our Daemons, I'm going to seal the Gateway Between Worlds for good."

  "There were still Daemons here?"

  "Yes, in hiding. I need you to understand my mission to close the Gateway is important. After I seal it, the Daemons won't be able to get through ever again."

  "The war ended a long time ago. Why haven't you done it before now?"

  "It took a long time for me to regain my strength from the war. I'm still not fully recovered. Opening the Gateway to pull the Daemons back to the dark realm took everything I had. I'm not sure how to seal it for good. We're looking for answers in the Shifting Lands."

  "Been there, nothing but ruins."

  R.K. 's eyes widened. U'ka put a hand on his arm to calm him. "We still have to try. There are answers there for us both. I can feel it."

  "What are you going to do with me?" demanded Vahlyn.

  "I'll release you if you promise not to try and hurt us."

  "Fine!" He grumbled.

  Taking a few more steps back, she released the Binding spell. Vahlyn slung the bow over his shoulder, still glaring at her. U’ka knew he wasn't happy with his situation, but for now, they had their truce.