Jak pulled himself back to the moment, since his grandfather’s stories weren’t what was really important right now. Crouching down so he could fit through the partially blocked entrance, he took a few hesitant steps inside with his hands outstretched in front of him, feeling his way through the blackness of the interior of the cave.
After a moment, his eyes began to adjust slightly to the darkness of the cave. There was just enough moonlight coming through the opening to allow him to just barely make out some of the interior walls. There appeared to be a fair size chamber before him.
An uneasy feeling about this place began to creep up on him making shivers run down his spine. The air was dank and musty, and something just didn’t feel right, but he didn’t really have any other choice. This was the best place they were going to find in the dark and Brigette needed to lie down and get some rest. Besides, it was probably just his imagination and unease from all the strange events of the day.
“How does it look?” Brigette asked, with impatience tingeing her voice. “Will it be all right, at least for the night?”
“It seems okay so far, but let me make sure. I think there might be some wood to start a fire too.”
To Jak’s delight he found some broken timbers and wood lying to one side of the cavern that would work nicely to start a fire. They might not sleep cold tonight after all if he could start a fire to keep them warm.
After collecting enough small scraps of the wood together, he pulled out his flint and set to the task of starting the fire. He built the fire close to the entrance of the cave, hoping the smoke would be drawn out the opening.
After just a few attempts striking the flint, the dry tinder began to smolder slightly. With a little coaxing he had the beginnings of a small fire burning, but to his dismay the smoke began to rise upwards to the top of the cavern and not out the opening. This could be devastating, because if the chamber filled with smoke they would have to abandon it and look elsewhere for shelter. It was then he noticed, in the brighter flickering light of the fire, that the smoke continued to drift higher and higher, and finally out another small hole further up the rocky ceiling of the cave. At closer examination, it was as if the cavern had been crafted for this purpose. Being hewn out of solid rock, the top of the cavern seemed to be fashioned in the shape of an upside down funnel and coated in thick inky black soot. If this had been a mine, then the miners must have made this area near the surface for cooking and sleeping.
“What are you doing in there?” Brigette called, with exhaustion and impatience plain in her voice. “Did you forget about me?”
“I’m just making sure it’s all clear,” Jak said, “I’ve started a fire for you too.”
“Well hurry up,” she said irritably. “I’m getting cold out here.”
Jak scrambled out to help Brigette to her feet and they stumbled together into the shelter and warmth of the cave. She was exhausted and could hardly walk, so Jak guided her carefully through the opening and helped her get settled near the fire. Her eyelids were heavy, and she didn’t seem able to keep them open any longer.
“Thank you Jak, I don’t know what I would do without you,” she murmured groggily.
“Thank you? For what?” he asked in confusion. But there was no answer, since she was already fast asleep.
Jak was weary from all the day’s events, but he didn’t think he could sleep just yet since his nerves were not settled from all the excitement. Scouting around a bit, he came upon an old torch that he supposed was left over from the miners. Well, he thought it might have been a torch at some time in the distant past. The rags that had been wrapped around the end were dried up and crumbling into dust, but he thought it might work well enough to explore around a little.
He placed the end of the torch in the coals of the fire for several moments to get it lit, then he set out to explore the interior of the mine or cave or whatever it was. He wasn’t sure how big the cavern actually was, but was hopeful that perhaps he could find a nugget or two of gold left over from the miners. Although Jak was unsure how he would even know if it was gold, since he had never seen any gold in his life.
The cavern was several paces across in both directions and not quite a circle. It narrowed towards the rear as it extended deeper into the mountain, and appeared to curve back on itself out of sight as it continued further into the solid rock of the mountain.
As Jak made his way further into the cavern, he could see there was indeed a narrow passageway that led even deeper still into the mountain. He negotiated his way a few paces into the blackness of the narrow passage, but he didn’t think his makeshift torch would last long enough to explore much further. He did not relish the thought of getting stranded further down the mine in the dark if the torch burned out. Besides, he still had an awfully uneasy feeling, almost as if someone was watching him. The strange feeling grew stronger, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and his skin prickled like tiny needles were digging into him. The feeling intensified as Jak traveled down deeper into the passageway, so he decided to turn back to the comfort of the fire and Brigette’s presence.
When Jak returned to the chamber near the entrance, the fire had burned down to a nice bed of coals and was giving a comfortable amount of heat. He laid a larger piece of wood across the amber glowing coals, hoping it would burn more slowly and last several hours into the night. Before morning would come, he would have to wake up, possibly in just a few hours to add more wood, otherwise the fire would go out and leave them in the cold. The chilly mountain air should wake him before the fire burned out completely and give him time to add more wood to last until morning.
Jak bedded down close to Brigette, but not too close though, since that would not be proper. A thought came to him, and he realized this was the first time he had spent the night away from Elsdon with Brigette. Just being this near to her gave him comfort, so that he forgot all about the uneasy feeling and he began to drift off to sleep.
Just before he was fully asleep Jak began to hear something strange and out of place. At first he tried to ignore it thinking it was his imagination, but it persisted. It almost sounded like music or maybe singing. He listened closer but couldn’t make out any words to a song because it was so faint…..just at the edges of hearing…. but it was almost as if the odd song was somehow calling to him, beckoning him to come.
To his surprise, he realized that he was walking towards the pathway that led deeper into the cave. How had that happened? He didn’t even remember standing up or walking this far. His mind was foggy, and confusion clouded his thoughts. All he could hear was the singing. Somewhere deep inside him a voice cried out in alarm. “NO! – No – no.” But the voice faded away and all he could hear was the sweet melody drawing him purposefully deeper into the bowels of the mountain.
A thought drifted across his mind like feathers on the breeze; how was he able to see where he was walking in the dark? He glanced down and noticed he was carrying a torch. Strange! Where had the torch come from? This was not the torch he had used earlier in his exploring; this one was fresh and blazing brightly in his hand, illuminating the passageway in its yellow-orange flickering light, licking away and consuming the dark shadows up ahead as he walked further into the bowels of the mountain. Of course, he thought, yes I remember …. I remember ……..what?
The voice inside Jak cried again “No!” but it was fainter this time if not more frantic. All he wanted to hear now was the singing that was drawing him, pulling him, beckoning him to come.
Time seemed to slow, so much so, that it was almost as if it was standing still. He wasn’t sure how far he had gone into the depths of the mine, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the singing.
The rough stone walls of the cave became smooth polished stone. The floor was polished marble like the figure Jak’s grandmother kept on her dresser. How could that be? He was in a cave. Wasn’t he? It didn’t really matter. Nothing mattered but the singing. It…. She was singing to him, calli
ng his name.
The polished stone walls opened into a gigantic chamber like the palaces he had seen in books. It was even more magnificent than the ones his grandfather told him stories about, the same stories Jak thought were make believe. He never imagined he would see a sight as marvelous and wondrous as this. He didn’t think that anything so grand even existed, except in stories.
There were massive marble pillars gilded in gold and silver. Crystal-clear stones in the shape of gleaming teardrops were hanging in sparkling cascades from the ceiling. They caught the light and magnified it, casting bright rainbows on the walls and floor. The magnificent sight was enough to take his breath away…….almost enough, if it had not been for the persistent singing. It was so clear now that it filled his head, his heart, and his senses. Everything else, including the impressive grand hall was all but insubstantial and dim in comparison to the seductive sound.
Jak was close enough that he could see her now, the source of the exquisite music, sitting regally in an enormous high backed chair at the far end of the great hall. She called to him. She…was all that really mattered. The voice inside his head warning him was all but gone now as he walked up to meet her.
She was the most beautiful woman Jak had ever seen. Long flowing black hair fell to her hips, and she wore a clinging white dress, fashioned from a kind of soft shiny material Jak had never seen before. The dress clung to the curves of her body so that it was nearly indecent, Jak thought, before his senses fled once again. Ornate rings adorned most of the woman’s long delicate fingers. Bracelets on her wrists and fancy necklaces draped around her neck made her almost seem to glow. Her eyes were the most striking feature of all. They pierced Jak to his very core. He had never seen eyes this color before. The beautiful woman’s eyes were deep, dark, crimson red, the color of fresh blood.
As he approached, the beautiful woman stood - so gracefully, it was as if she floated out of the chair to land gently on her feet directly in front of him. At that moment, he noticed how tall she was, since she could almost look him in the eyes without craning her neck much.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” the beautiful woman’s melodic voice rang in Jak’s ears. Her words poured over him like cool water on a hot day. The sound permeated him and soaked inside him to his core. “You have no idea how long I’ve been here waiting for you,” she intoned softly, with a hint of a smile.
“You have been waiting for…. me?” Jak asked in confusion.
“Of course I have,” the woman’s voice cooed, “I knew you would come to save me. Haven’t you read any stories? The handsome prince always rescues the fair maiden in distress.”
“Prince?!?” The fog in Jak’s brain cleared for a moment. “Save you from what?” he asked, glancing around the grand hall. There didn’t seem to be any source of danger here that the woman needed to be saved from that he could see. Why would this woman, or any woman for that matter be waiting here for him?
“From this awful place of course! I’ve been held as a prisoner here for so long, longer than you can possibly even imagine. Evil men captured and imprisoned me here,” she finished, as her smile widened and her gaze became even more seductive and penetrating.
“But why would they….” Jak attempted to speak, but the ravishing woman’s words poured over him in waves once again. It was like when he had drunk too much wine last year at feast day. It was the first time his parents had ever let him drink wine. It had made his head fuzzy and dulled his senses so that he had a hard time thinking clearly. He could not think clearly now when the woman spoke; her voice was hypnotic and enticing, entwining him in a blanket of warmth and comfort.
“But now you’ve come to free me from my prison at last,” she said alluringly. With her last words, the tips of her fingers stroked the side of Jak’s face and made shivers run down his spine. Deep inside, he knew something was terribly wrong, but her voice was so fully captivating, her touch was so soothing and exhilarating. She was so beautiful that his judgment and senses fled, retreating before his primitive desires. Her penetrating eyes pulled him in closer, and he bent to kiss her. Kiss her!!? Jak thought in alarm. He didn’t even know her. What was he doing? But there was no escape, her lips, as soft as silk, brushed across his cheek before landing on his neck. Her slender arms wound around his neck and her embrace was ecstasy. Jak had never felt anything so exquisite before this moment. It was glorious, but then time slowed to a crawl and suddenly he felt something piercing his neck and he cried out in torment. The pain was so searing that it burned and seeped into his veins, like poisonous venom attacking his very existence. Slowly, agonizingly he could feel it coursing through his whole body. Never had he felt anything so excruciating, so all-consuming in his life. The torturous pain racked his entire body so that even his hair felt the pain and hurt of it. This must be what it felt like to die. He must be dying. Death would be a relief from this pain he was feeling.
Jak was frozen in place unable to move or struggle, until finally, after an eternity of agony, his knees gave out and he fell backwards to the hard floor. His head was swimming and his vision blurry. He could hear something through the fog in his head, but now it wasn’t the melodic voice that had called to him so enticingly. It was a shrill cackling laughter that grew louder and louder until he wanted to cover his ears with his hands, but he didn’t even have the strength for that. Slowly his vision cleared to unveil the horrific scene before him.
Gone were the polished marble walls and floor, the sparkling stones on the ceiling, and the marble pillars gilded in gold. Even the great hall itself was gone. Now Jak was in a small cavern with rough-hewn rock walls and dirt floor.
Most troubling of all, the beautiful woman was gone, leaving him feeling a tremendous sense of loss. In her place was a horrific looking creature. Her skin was pasty white like a maggot and so shriveled that there wasn’t a place on her naked body that wasn’t withered and twisted. She was barely recognizable as a woman. It looked as if an excessive amount of skin had been wrapped around some bones and then set in the sun to scorch and dry, leaving a wrinkled bleached out, leather-covered skeleton. There were only a few wisps of scraggly white hair clinging to her otherwise bald head. She was horrible. There was an iron collar around her boney neck that fastened to the stone wall behind her. Chains as large as Jak’s arm, bound both her hands and feet to the wall.
The hideous woman continued her maniacal laughing, head thrown back, mouth open wide to expose two long fangs instead of teeth. Bright red fresh blood, Jak’s blood, was dripping from the fangs and from the corners of her mouth. Finally, she stopped her cackling and looked down at him.
“I told you boy, you have saved me, and for that I give you a gift, and I grant you life,” there was undoubtedly a special meaning in the word life.
“For that, and the pretty little sacrifice that you brought to me as well,” her voice was grating and dry, no longer melodic and enticing.
Gift….… Sacrifice? What was the old woman saying? Jak couldn’t think straight and his thoughts were hazy. His vision was still a little blurry, and for that, he was thankful. Not being able to see this horrible creature clearly was a blessing.
The veil over his mind drifted and floated like a fog that was thicker for a moment, then thinning to almost understanding. He struggled to break through the fog, to break free. Suddenly, clarity came to him for a moment and Brigette drifted across his thoughts. Did this old woman intend to harm Brigette? The old woman was bound to the wall by the large chains, but Jak was still frightened of her.
“What do you mean the sacrifice I brought you?” Jak asked, unable to meet the old woman’s eyes. “I didn’t bring you anything.”
“Oh but you did,” the hag cackled. “Not only did you free me; you brought me that pretty little thing sleeping above. She will do for me nicely.”
“Brigette?? No!! Leave her alone!” Jak cried in impotence, unable to do much of anything at the moment.
“Don’t worry boy. I’ll take good ca
re of her,” the old woman laughed again, and as the shrill laughter echoed off the walls of the cavern the old woman began to fade away to mist and dust, the manacles clattering loudly as they fell limply against the stone wall.
Jak struggled futilely to get to his feet but only fell back to the hard ground of the cave floor. He needed to get to Brigette to make sure she was safe, but he felt extremely strange and weak, worse than the next morning after he had drunk all the wine at feast day. His head was pounding and his vision cloudy and getting worse. All his strength was gone from him. He tried desperately again to stand, and this time he almost made it to his feet before the world went black and he fell to the damp floor.
Chapter 2
Jak awoke to the musty dank smell of the cavern. His mind was oddly cloudy, and he had no idea how long he had been here. At first he didn’t even know where he was. The last thing he remembered clearly was lying down by the fire next to Brigette, but things were a bit hazy after that. Recalling a horrible nightmare that he had during the night was enough to make his stomach turn.
Shaking off the terrible feeling, he rolled over to see if Brigette was awake yet, but he couldn’t see anything in the total darkness of the cave. Was it still night time? If the sun was up there should have been at least some light coming through the mouth of the cave to illuminate his surroundings.
The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) Page 3
