The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1)

by Nielsen, D. S.

  The big man eyed Jak uncertainly, seeming to know that some of the details he had given him didn’t add up. “You must show me where this cave is,” Nicoldani demanded with a fierce determination in his eyes.

  “NO!” Jak said more vehemently than he intended. “No, I don’t want to go back there.

  Nicoldani’s expression softened a bit as he spoke, “I understand you don’t want to go back, but you must take me to the place where you saw the woman. I have to see it for myself. It is more important that you can begin to imagine.”

  After a few moments of arguing with the big man, Jak found himself reluctantly agreeing to take the man to the cave where he had first seen the old woman. After all, Nicoldani was an intimidating man, and could be surprisingly persuasive.

  Once Jak finally agreed, Nicoldani immediately turned and walked to his horse and began to mount.

  “What are you doing?” Jak asked.

  “You said you would take me to the cave,” Nicoldani responded with a puzzled look on his stern face.

  “We can’t go now, it’s almost dark. We can’t go there in the dark!”

  Nicoldani sat there on his large horse hesitantly, seeming to mull it over in his head. Was the man actually considering going now? The sun was already down and it was nearly full dark. Abruptly, a howl pierced the silence, quickly followed by several more from different directions. Nicoldani’s horse stamped nervously as the big man tried to sooth the animal, and at the same time he scanned the trees expectantly. The big man didn’t seem to be scared, just alert and eager.

  Gin piped up then, “It’s okay, it’s just the wolves, and they come every night. Jak says they have come to sing to us to make us feel better because we lost all our family. Isn’t the sound pretty?”

  At the little girl’s words, Nicoldani relaxed a bit, but the wolves turned out to be the deciding factor. “Very well, we will go first thing in the morning,” he announced with impatience and frustration in his voice.

  The next morning Jak awoke early, only to discover Nicoldani was already awake. It seemed as if the man had been up for some time. The big man had been busy it appeared, since two horses were tethered next to Nicoldani’s stallion. Nicoldani’s saddle was lying next to his saddlebags and bedroll. The bedroll was already tied up in a bundle, or perhaps he had not even used it that night. Jak had not actually seen the man go to sleep the night before.

  As Jak approached, Nicoldani said, “I found these two in the stables,” motioning to the tethered horses. “They seem like fine enough animals, but I couldn’t find the saddles anywhere. Do you know where they are kept?”

  One of the horses Nicoldani “found” was Jak’s father’s best gelding named Gandur. His father rarely let Jak ride the horse. Normally, Jak was only allowed to ride the old mare most of the time unless he was working. But even then, more often than not, his father or older brothers would ride Gandur rather than letting Jak ride him.

  The other horse that was tethered next to Gandur was Master Kollsvein’s prized stallion. No one but Master Kollsvein was ever allowed to ride this one. Even Master Kollsvein himself very seldom rode it, since the stallion was much too spirited, and didn’t really like to be ridden. This stallion was mainly used for breeding stock, and was lent out for that purpose to the others in the village when then needed it.

  “We don’t have any saddles,” Jak answered. “Father always said they cost too much money, and you could ride just as well without one if you were any good.

  “Really?” The big man said with a crooked smile. “But you do know how to ride don’t you?”

  “Of course I know how to ride,” Jak answered indignantly. “I’ve been riding since I was five years old.”

  That was stretching the truth a bit, because when Jak was five his father would set him on one of the horses and lead it around a bit, just to make him feel like he was riding. Jak didn’t actually ride the horse by himself until a few years later. But Jak didn’t want the stranger to know that.

  “But why are there three horses?” Jak asked.

  Nicoldani’s brow furrowed and his head cocked to one side as he looked at Jak with a puzzled expression, “There are three of us, unless the girl is riding double with you.”

  Jak hadn’t thought of Gin, at least he hadn’t thought of taking her with them to the cave. But now it occurred to him that he couldn’t just leave her alone either. “She can just ride with me,” Jak said after a moment.

  “I don’t suppose you country folk have any weapons, do you?” Nicoldani asked with one eyebrow raised, and what looked like a tight lipped smirk.

  “No, not really, we don’t have swords or anything fancy like that…. I do have my bow, but why do we need weapons?” Jak gibed, trying his best to mimic the big man’s sarcastic expression.

  “It never hurts to be prepared. A bow can be an effective weapon in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. You do know how to use it, don’t you?” Nicoldani wore the same smirk, but his eyes held amusement.

  Jak gave the big man the most indignant look he could muster, and Nicoldani actually smiled a little, but it was so slight that Jak almost missed it.

  “Well you’d better bring your bow along, with all those wolves about it might come in handy. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”

  Nicoldani was anxious to leave right away, but Jak was able to talk the big man into letting them at least eat breakfast before they left. It wasn’t much of a meal, only some cracked wheat porridge and dried up bread. They hadn’t really had any decent food since…..well they hadn’t had any good home cooked meals in several days.

  After they had eaten breakfast and gathered their things, they mounted the horses and Jak led the way to the east where he had spent that last night with Brigette.

  As they set out towards that same spot, Jak realized how much he missed Brigette. Over the last several days he had tried not to think of her too much, even though it was difficult. But heading back out here, the last place where he had seen or talked to her was kindling his pain that he had tried to bury. Jak missed Brigette almost as much as he missed his family, even more in some ways. She had been his best friend all his life. He still would not let himself believe that she was really dead….. or even worse.

  It took a little more than three hours on horseback to get to the spot where the cave entrance was located. When they arrived, Jak dismounted and then helped Gin down from Gandur’s back, before tying the horse to a nearby low hanging tree branch. Nicoldani tethered his horse and was shuffling determinedly through his saddlebags, apparently looking for something in particular.

  After a few moments, the big man’s face lit up like a child finding a treat and he produced a small oil lantern from his bags. Despite the man’s imposing size and hard exterior, there were times he almost seemed like a big kid, even with his graying hair.

  They made their way cautiously over the loose stones, up the embankment to the entrance of the cave where Nicoldani stopped to examine the square cut stones lining the entrance. The big man seemed to be puzzled by their presence around the mouth of the cave, until after a few moments of careful study, satisfaction came over his face.

  Finally, after inspecting the stones thoroughly Nicoldani hunched down and advanced through the dark porthole. Jak really didn’t want Gin going inside the cave, but the alternative was to leave her out here by herself, and he didn’t want that either, so the two of them followed the big man into the cave.

  Nicoldani lit the small lantern which gave out a surprising amount of light. Once inside, he began to inspect the inside of the opening where the stones had been placed. Running his finger thoughtfully over the edge of the stones that were still in place he nodded, seemingly satisfied with something. Jak had no idea what the man found so interesting about the stones, but then Jak recalled that night when he first saw them, and at the time he had thought their placement here was a little odd too.

  Jak didn’t feel quite righ
t about being back inside the cave again. There was something wrong but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Maybe it was just the bad memories this place held for him, but something still seemed to be calling to him. It was just a faint echo, more of a feeling, but all the same he was eager to get this unpleasant task over with and be gone from here. He was in such a hurry to be done and get out of here that he started purposefully for the passageway at the back of the chamber. As he began to make his way further down the path he called over his shoulder to Nicoldani, “It’s this way.”

  Jak was nearly thirty paces down the dark corridor when he realized what he had done. How could he be so stupid? It won’t raise anyone’s suspicions just because you are walking down a pitch-black passageway with no light, will it? He thought sarcastically to himself. He stopped and waited patiently for Nicoldani to catch up with the lantern, followed closely by Gin.

  “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 unleashe
d 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.