The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1)

by Nielsen, D. S.

  Jak noticed Nicoldani slowly regaining his feet as well, and as the big man stood, he unsheathed his sword and held it out in front of him uncertainly. It was amazing indeed, that Nicoldani had not even been able to draw his sword before the attack.

  The sword in Nicoldani’s hand was wobbling back and forth, and the big man seemed barely able to hold it and remain on his feet. Jak felt totally drained and exhausted himself, and in desperate need of sitting, or better yet, lying down.

  His hands were numb and cold from holding on to the creature so he rubbed them together in an attempt to get the circulation going. It wasn’t enough, so he placed them under his arms for added warmth.

  Benjim examined Jak, making sure he had not taken any serious wounds. “Get close to the fire,” the old man commanded, before he made his way to Nicoldani. Benjim took hold of the big man’s arm and began to lead him towards the fire as quickly as the big man could walk at the moment.

  Jak noticed Gin huddled near the fire with her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth, but at least she was safe. There was fear in the little girl’s eyes, but not nearly as much as he would have thought. She wasn’t even crying. Jak thought that Gin was much braver than he, considering he was terrified. These creatures were enough to frighten anyone. Even Nicoldani looked extremely shaken from his encounter with them.

  Benjim returned to stand next to the fire, and after peering intently into the flames for a few moments, he began to murmur something in a low tone. Jak could still feel the eyes on him, even more strongly now that they had ever been.

  There was rustling in the trees close by, and Jak could see movement as well. If there were more of these creatures out there, he didn’t think the four of them would survive if the beasts attacked again.

  His strength was slowly returning but he had only barely been able to hold one of them off, and it was only for a short time. If there were more…..

  Jak called to Frog, not knowing if the creatures would attack the dog or not, but he wasn’t going to leave Frog out there to find out. The dog quickly ran to Jak’s side with his tail between his legs, and crouched near the fire whimpering softly.

  Slowly the fire seemed to increase in brightness and intensity, and Jak supposed it was something Benjim was doing. It continued to get brighter and brighter, until it shown with an intense white light that illuminated the surroundings all the way to the tree line.

  Jak glanced around in horror, as hundreds of the creatures seemed to appear out of nowhere, all around them, made visible by the intense light.

  The hoards of terrifying creatures surrounded them on every side. When the light from the unnaturally bright fire hit them, they seemed to turn a milky white color. The ones closest to the fire, within several paces, seemed to solidify before dissipating into a hazy mist. The remaining creatures further away, fled deeper into the darkness and disappeared.

  Jak understood that it was the light that was somehow holding them back. He noticed Benjim with sweat beginning to bead on his nearly bald head, and could tell whatever it was the old man was doing with the fire was taking a great effort. There was no telling how long the old man could keep it up. There was still at least three hours before daybreak, the way Jak figured it, and he didn’t think the old man could hold out that long.

  Jak exchanged glances with Nicoldani, “More wood” they chimed in unison.

  They quickly began to gather as much firewood as they could find nearby and heap it onto the fire. It took some time, since they dared not enter the forest, or venture too far from the light of the fire that Benjim was maintaining.

  In order to gather enough wood to get the fire blazing, as well as enough to maintain it until dawn, ended up taking quite a bit of time. Especially since neither Jak, nor Nicoldani was recover fully from their encounter with the creatures.

  It wasn’t long after that, the fire was raging and the flames leaped skyward, so much so, that the old man had to take several steps back to avoid the intense heat it was giving off now.

  After a few moments, the brighter, unnatural light winked out, and Benjim slumped as his legs gave way from exhaustion and he sat hard on the ground.

  The darkness seemed to close in on them again and panic began to rise in Jak, until he realized that the light from the huge fire they had built was substantial. It only seemed dim compared to what the old man had done.

  Hopefully, it would be enough light to hold the creatures off. Jak knew they were still out there because he could feel them, just beyond the edge of the light given off by the raging fire. But the ferocious monsters, unable, or unwilling to enter the light, seemed to be keeping their distance, at least for the time being.

  “Stay close to the fire, and keep it burning,” Benjim said, his voice trembling with strain.

  Apparently, whatever it was the old man had done had taken an even greater effort than Jak thought. The old man sat there shaking slightly and wobbling back and forth unsteadily.

  Gin then made her way around the fire to sit next to the old man. She placed her small arm around him, saying, “It’s okay Ben, we are safe now.”

  The old man smiled and allowed her to continue comforting him even though he knew Gin was gaining more comfort herself. Jak was still amazed at the strength and courage of the little girl.

  “What were those things?” Gin asked after a few moments, “they were scary and … yucky! They looked like they were made from clotted milk or something, and just popped up from nowhere.”

  Benjim sat there for several moments before answering. “I have heard tales of such creatures long ago. As is often the case with many old stories, people do not believe them just thinking they are myths or tales. I have to admit, I did not even think they existed, at least not any longer. I have never seen one myself…before tonight. I believe they are called graywraiths, or more commonly referred to as soul stealers.

  The name made shivers run down Jak’s spine, he had never even heard of such a thing. “What are they?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.

  “They are creatures of dark, and cannot exist in light. No one knows for sure, but they seem to almost evaporate in the light, but only to materialize once again when darkness comes. There is no way to kill or destroy them, since they are not truly alive. But light will stop them.

  They cannot enter the light, at least not without being undone. They are not living creatures, not really, but they feed on the living in a way. “Benjim said, shaking his head almost as if he didn’t believe it himself.

  “There were tales long ago, of fiends coming at night when people would be asleep and unaware. The dark creatures would lull the unsuspecting, and suck the life from the unwary. The next morning, the unlucky people were just dead. There would be no marks on the body to indicate they had been injured. Hence, the tales spread of soul stealers, who would come in the night and steal your soul while you slept.

  The graywraiths abhor the light, and usually stay as far from it as possible. They hate the light more than they hunger for the living. That is the reason they are not found near cities or towns. They prefer the blackness of night far from civilization. Only the unfortunate ones who wonder into the graywraith’s territory fall prey to them.

  Rumor has it, that those killed by a graywraith, will eventually rise up to become one of them. Once a person has been slain by a graywraith, and their body has decomposed, they rise up as a graywraith themselves. Although that is only a rumor, and there is no proof to support it, but perhaps they do. No one really knows where they came from in the first place.

  This I do know, that they are evil, and extremely dangerous. We will need to maintain the fire until daylight. The light from the fire should at least keep them at a safe distance, as long as we keep it burning brightly,” the old man said still breathing heavily.

  A thought occurred to Jak, “Wait, if they supposedly just lull you, and then steal your soul, then why were they attacking us so fiercely? Why was that thing trying to tear me to shreds?�
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  “I do not know,” Benjim conceded. “I was not even sure they existed before now. I do not know if these have always been here in this valley, or if they are awakening as a product of the witch’s freeing. Perhaps they have lain dormant for so long they are starving in a way. Or perhaps, they have been corrupted even further over the long centuries. Who is to say? The stories themselves may be wrong, but that is the best explanation I can give, with the knowledge I have.”

  The remaining hours before sunrise were tense and extraordinarily unsettling. No one slept a wink, unwilling to let the fire subside for even a moment. Jak could still hear the graywraiths, or whatever they were, in the darkness watching them, stalking them.

  After what seemed an eternity, the sky started to lighten in anticipation of the coming sun. Jak had never been so glad for daybreak in all his life. The others seemed just as relieved, and even Nicoldani seemed to be comforted.

  Once the sun started to peek over the horizon, they gathered camp quickly and got on their way without even eating breakfast. They wanted to be as far away from this place as they could possibly get before night fell again.

  Chapter 11

  Things were not progressing nearly as quickly in Yilavo City as Allysix had hoped. It had been nearly seven days since she had taken over the Black Brotherhood, as they called it. Humph, that was a joke. It was just a black mage and a bunch of mostly worthless fanatics. There was Baalnar, who had apparently been a captain in the City Watch at one time, and reputedly one of the finest swordsmen around. But some matter involving Magistrate Jaren’s daughter had gotten him into bad odor with the Magistrate. Baalnar had vehemently denied all the charges, and had even challenged the Magistrate to a duel to prove his innocence. Magistrate Jaren, who had touted his own prowess with the blade as having no equal, refused the duel. Instead, he had Baalnar relieved of command and cast out of the guard. Unable to find work anywhere else, Baalnar had taken up with Maggas as his personal bodyguard of sorts. Needless to say, there was no love lost between Baalnar and the Magistrate.

  Allysix would have to do something about the pious name of Black Brotherhood. She suspected it was at least partly to blame for her having not gained any women followers in the city as of yet. What woman would want to be part of a Black Brotherhood?

  With the revelation that the Blood Witch was free, along with the promise of rewards, Allysix had nearly doubled the number of devotees that she had started with. This meant she was now up to almost fifty followers now. Allysix scoffed at that, and the absence of women among the numbers troubled her as well.

  Women in general were better than men, since in most cases they could go places that men could not go. Not to mention, women could be much more persuasive and compelling than men could be. Women, in truth were the real power, even though many men thought it the other way around. Even the strongest, most powerful man would fall to the temptations and charms of a pretty woman. A woman’s power was much more formidable than any man could hope for. Sure, there were men in positions of supposed power, but in Allysix’s experience, a woman with the right ….skills, could influence and guide any of the men. A woman’s power was born into her, whereas the power men thought they possessed was just an illusion.

  The other troubling thing was that Yilavo City was far more …organized, than Allysix had first thought. There were guilds in the city for just about everything. There was a seamstress’ guild, an innkeeper’s guild; there were even guilds for the street sweepers and stable boys. If by chance, someone from the farrier’s guild at an inn tried to take your horse to the stables, they would be relieved of their duties and would have an extremely difficult time ever finding employment again anywhere in the city. According to the rules that governed the guilds, as well as the city for the most part, you simply did not cross guild boundaries.

  The members of the various guilds answered to the head of their respective guild. The guild heads, in turn, sat in council with Magistrate Jaren and basically ran the whole city. It was difficult to even function in the city without being a member of some guild. You would be constantly grilled as to which guild you belonged to, because people seemed to be very suspicious of those not affiliated with any guild.

  There were so many guilds that there was even an ice harvester’s guild, where ships would travel far to the north and cut blocks of ice from the mountains to bring back for the fishermen. This way, the fishermen could pack their fish or whatever they caught, in ice for transport to other cities to sell, without the fish spoiling.

  Of course, the dockworkers and fisherman’s guild were the two largest and most powerful guilds in Yilavo City. Actually, the fisherman’s guild was so large it was divided into two factions.

  Allysix was beginning to think she had picked the wrong place to try and revive her power. She did best when things were chaotic and unorganized, and she thrived on the confusion and turmoil that resulted from it. Yilavo City was much too organized and structured with all the guilds. But then again, there were always people of weak character willing to sell their souls, Allysix just needed to find them.

  As it turned out, the two factions within the fisherman’s guild were somewhat at odds with each other over a matter of territory or some such petty trifle. Allysix didn’t know for sure the details of it, and didn’t really care either. It was the unrest and potential for conflict that interested her. She needed some way to infiltrate the guild, and plant seeds to make the dissension between the two factions grow.

  Surprisingly enough, there were tensions between many of the guilds, as well as between some guilds and the magistrate. All they needed were some well placed nudges to get the beehive buzzing.

  The city itself was nice enough, Allysix supposed, but even it was uniform and structured, laid out in a precise grid of cobblestone streets. The street sweeper’s guild made sure the streets were clean and tidy, which was a refreshing change from many cities she remembered. Carts and vendors were not allowed to setup on streets or corners. In order to sell any goods in Yilavo City, a person must have a shop and belong to the appropriate guild.

  The City Watch patrolled the streets regularly and kept strict order. The only exception was the area southwest of the Sanchi River. Once you crossed the river and entered the Carp District it was almost like a different city. The seedier less reputable people lived here. It was a maze of alley’s and warrens with little or no semblance of order or uniformity. Even the City Watch didn’t cross the river, but left the denizens to fend for themselves. The Carp District is where Allysix had found Maggas, and of course, it was also where the thief’s guild did its business.

  Allysix had to revise her earlier estimate of the size of the city. It actually sprawled several leagues northeast along the coast. With that, and the Carp District, she supposed Yilavo City was three or four times bigger than she originally thought it to be.

  Now that she had established a seat of power of sorts among the Black Brotherhood in the Carp District, and gotten them in line with her plans, Allysix decided it was time to pay a visit to a seamstress. She was tired of the plain garb she had been forced to put up with. She deserved something a little more befitting her power and station.

  Allysix had queried around seeking the best seamstress, but because of the guilds influence, it seemed that everyone was equally as good as another. It was somewhat infuriating. No one would come out and commit to an opinion as to who was best, or even better than someone else. After countless inquiries, and eventually resorting to some small persuasions, Allysix was finally able to get a few people to concur that Mistress Issanya was a little better than the others.

  Mistress Issanya’s shop was tidy and well kept, with bolts of fabric lining the walls in neat rows. There were tables to each side with fabric laid across them in what seemed at first to be a haphazard way, and out of countenance with the orderliness of her shop. However, on second look, you could see they had been placed with care and precision to complement each other with their colors and
patterns, and even the way they draped across one another. There was a partial wall towards the rear of the building where Allysix knew from experience, the pinning and fitting would take place once the fabrics were chosen.

  The seamstress was a stern-faced, motherly looking woman of middle years. The perpetual expression she wore seamed to say, she would brook no nonsense. Her light brown hair, which was tinged with just a touch of grey, was pinned in a tight bun at the back of her head. She was of average build and stature, not slender, but just bordering on portly. Everything about her was precise and meticulous, from the straight seams in her dress, to the fact that not a single wisp of hair escaped her bun.

  Mistress Issanya was indeed proficient in her craft, and had been more than helpful in choosing fabrics that would not only work well with each other, but would favor Allysix’s complexion, as well as her frame.

  Once the fabrics were chosen, they moved behind the partition wall where Allysix would stand on a small pedestal while Mistress Issanya pinned the dress for proper fitting. Allysix attempted several times to strike up a conversation with the woman, but it seemed that the seamstress was not especially talkative.

  After several failed attempts at small talk, Allysix changed her approach to be a little more direct. Perhaps this woman preferred straight talk, but Allysix would still need to be cautious with her words.

  “Have you heard any interesting news lately?” Allysix asked the woman casually.

  “News? What news? Just the same old gossip that there always is. Nothing much changes her in Yilavo City,” Issanya said a little impatiently, not taking her eyes from her work.

  After a several moments of silence, Allysix was surprised when the seamstress spoke again. “You aren’t from around here, are you?” Issanya asked, glancing up at Allysix from the corner of her eye as she continued pinning.

  “As a matter of fact, I’m not. I arrived here only a short time ago, having traveled down from the north,” Allysix answered without really thinking. She was just happy the woman had actually asked her a question.