But thankfully, after what seemed an eternity, Zerran and the other man rose to leave with a few last words to Benjim and Luxarn. With the two strangers departure, Jak’s thirst began to subside a bit and he was finally able to bring it under control.
“Are you feeling alright lad?” Benjim asked after the other men had left. “You look pale, and almost as if you are going to sick up.”
Jak swallowed hard, and tried to compose himself before answering, “I’m okay, I think I just need to lie down for a little while.”
That night, Jak’s dreams were haunted once again by visions of Brigette with blood streaming down her face and chest. Sometimes he was killing her, other times it was Benjim or Nicoldani, or even Gin doing the killing. His mother was in his dreams once again, holding her severed head in one hand and chasing him down endless dark corridors. He awoke in a cold sweat, trying desperately to chase the terrible images out of his head. However, dread gripped the pit of his stomach when he realized that tonight was the night they would carry out their plan.
The rest of that day was spent making final preparations. The closer to nightfall it became, the more restless and sick to his stomach Jak felt. He felt lightheaded and out of sorts. All too quickly for Jak, the time came for them to be about their ominous task.
As they were preparing to leave, Nicoldani hesitated a moment at the foot of the stairs before returning to his saddlebags. The big man reached in and pulled out a rolled-up black bundle. It was the one that Jak had found for him at the Vashi camp. When Nicoldani unrolled it, Jak noticed it was actually a tabard and cloak. They were black with some sort of insignia embroidered on the left breast in silver and gold thread.
The big man said nothing as he somberly, almost ceremonially donned them. But when he did, a spark seemed to ignite in the man’s eyes as the garments surrounded him. Jak didn’t know what it meant, but Nicoldani looked even more dignified and dangerous than Jak ever remembered him being.
Nicoldani gave Benjim a questioning glance. The old man smiled warmly as he nodded his head in approval. With the old man’s blessing, Nicoldani’s eyes seemed to turn to blue steel. Pride and confidence appeared to emanate from the giant of a man as he turned and led the way up the stairs and out into the night.
Jak and the two older men made their way stealthily down the dark street. There was still rioting in many sections of town even at this late hour and the City Watch was patrolling the streets. The small party had to be careful to avoid both as they made their way towards the magistrate’s manor where the witch was supposed to be staying. It was late and the streets were dark, except for an occasional light shining through a window here or there. Sometimes torches could be seen far down a street, carried by mobbing people or the City Watch.
Their plan had been a painfully simple one. Jak and the other two men were to sneak into the building, preferably without being noticed, and locate the witch. They were counting on the confusion of the rioting to distract most of the city officials and Watch away from the manor.
Allysix had not had time yet to staff the manor, since all of Magistrate Jaren’s people refused to work for her and had left to find work elsewhere. Most of the City Watch that was loyal to Allysix was occupied patrolling the streets trying to keep order.
Jak was hopeful that the manor would be fairly empty of any guards or staff. Nicoldani and Jak would handle any armed men they encountered, with Benjim focusing on the Blood Witch once they found her. The old man was confident that in her weakened state he would be able to at least capture and hold her, if not kill her.
It was still unclear to Jak exactly what he was supposed to do about the witch. Benjim told him that he would know when the time came, but the thought still tied Jak’s stomach into knots. He had to find a way to show the others that Brigette was not the witch. Hopefully the witch was really here and had not just left Brigette as a decoy. If they were able to find the witch first, then Brigette would be safe. Jak was sure he could recognize the witch even if she were disguised as Brigette.
Benjim had given instructions to Zerran and Luxarn to tell the men they had gathered to watch the manor, but not move in until they saw trouble. They would need to place a few men around the place to watch, and inform the others when the time came. The rest of the men would be out walking in smaller groups around the streets trying to be inconspicuous and not raise suspicions.
As it turned out there was at least half of the City Watch who were not happy with their new captain. He was a man named Baalnar who had been appointed to the position with the help of the witch. Many in the Watch were in support of the rebellion against the witch. When they found out the truth of the matter, they had to be persuaded not to just barge in and try and kill her on the spot.
The men took up positions around the city and some were even disguised as rioters. They placed their watchers around the manor to notify the others of signs of trouble. Undoubtedly, some of the groups of mobbing people that Jak had seen in the streets were part of Zerran’s men.
Jak was now leading the way down the dark street since his night vision was better than the other two men. They had narrowly averted disaster on more than one occasion. They had actually been spotted by a patrol once, but before the patrol could overtake them a group of rebels came from a side street and engaged the patrol. It allowed the three enough time to slip down an alley and away from the melee.
They were nearly to the manor now and it was only a couple more streets away, when Jak spotted a patrol of the City Watch coming down the street in their direction. Quickly they ducked into a dark alley before they could be spotted and hid behind some stacked wooden crates. Luckily, none of the men in the patrol even glanced in their direction. Once the patrol was passed and at a safe distance, Jak and the other two men were able to continue the short distance to the manor.
The magistrate’s manor was a very large sprawling building. It covered an entire block of the city and was many stories high. Tall spires rose even higher into the dark sky. There was light coming from several of the windows, but no one could be seen moving about inside the building.
There appeared to be only one way in or out of the building, and that was through the front doors. Nicoldani explained that most likely it was designed in this way for safety, so there would be only one entrance to guard. Anyone wishing an audience with the magistrate would have to pass through these doors.
As fortune would have it, there were no guards outside the doors at this time. Entering through windows and the like was out of the question for Benjim, he was too old to be climbing in widows or up to balconies so they decided to chance the front door since it was their only real option anyway.
Cautiously they approached the large entry doors and Nicoldani pressed his ear against it, listening for a time. The big man motioned that it was clear and then tested the handle; thankfully the door was not locked or barred. Slipping quietly through the doors, they entered a large reception area with tall ceilings and ornate tiles on the floor. There were sculptures of various people and animals lining the walls, along with paintings of people that Jak supposed were former magistrates or other important officials of Yilavo City. The large room was empty of occupants, which was a relief to Jak. At least they would not have to try and fight their way into the manor and raise an alarm.
Jak didn’t relish the thought of killing any more people, since whenever he did, the thirst would creep up and threaten to overpower him. He was afraid if he killed anyone else the thirst might take him over completely, and he would be able to stop it this time. The thought of that terrified him.
From this foyer, there were doors and hallways leading in almost every direction. There were even two large ornate staircases with meticulously carved banisters and spindles, which led up to higher levels of the mansion. There were no other options than for the three of them to split up and go in different directions. There wasn’t much time and they had to act quickly since they would never be able to cover the entire manor
in time if they stayed together.
Nicoldani would take the upper levels, while Benjim and Jak took opposite wings on the ground floor. Each one of the three was to scout the way until they found something, before coming back for the others. If by chance they were discovered, or if there was no other choice, they would call out and raise an alarm which hopefully the others would hear and come to aid.
Each of them set off in their appointed directions and cautiously proceeded to search the large building. Jak ended up with the large doors to the right of the foyer. Following Nicoldani’s example, Jak pressed his ear to the door first before opening it. When he could hear no sounds coming from the other side he cracked the door slightly to peer through the slit. It seemed there was no movement on the other side so he opened the door further and crept silently through. As he did, a strange feeling of excitement and anticipation rushed over him.
The hallway led for many paces before turning to the left around a corner. There were two doors on opposite walls in the hallway but both were closed. Jak made his way as silently as he could down the hallway, checking each door as he passed. Both rooms were dark and empty except for furniture, most of which was dusty. Cobwebs hung on some of the chandeliers and in the corners of the ceiling. It appeared as if the rooms had not been used in some time.
Jak realized there were no lanterns or torches to light the way in the dark hallway. His vision had become so good in the dark; he hadn’t even noticed the lack of light until now. This would be a great advantage to him since he doubted anyone else could see as well in the dark as he could.
Then a disturbing thought came to him…that the witch probably could. It made shivers run down his spine. That’s all he needed, was to round a corner in the dark and end up face to face with the witch. He was still scared out of his wits at the thought of seeing the witch again. All he really wanted was just to find Brigette and get out of here quickly. Let Benjim capture the witch and do whatever he wanted with her. Jak just wanted the others to see that Brigette was not the witch.
Jak continued down hallways and intersections, many times having to backtrack and choose a different path after coming to a dead end. Most of the rooms in this section of the manor seemed much the same, as if they had not been used recently. This part of the manor at least, seemed to be pretty much empty. The longer he wandered through the empty building, not seeing a single soul, or even any evidence of recent activity, the less cautious he became. He thought that possibly they had been wrong and the witch was not here at all since there didn’t seem to be anyone here.
Jak wasn’t sure where he was now in relation to the rest of the manor. There had been so many turns and backtracks that he had gotten turned around. The hallway he was in now at least, seemed to have been used more recently than the other parts that he had been through. It also had lanterns burning at sparse intervals along the walls. It made it more difficult for him than when it had been dark. His eyes would just get used to the dark when he would come upon another burning lantern. The contrast was starting to make his eyes feel funny. The light from the lanterns would leave purple white splotches across his vision and his eyes would have to adjust all over again.
Another split in the hallway and by chance he chose to go right this time. After rounding another corner, he followed the hallway to a single doorway at the end. Based on the previous doorways that he had examined and this section of the house he was in, he figured he had come to another dead end.
After all this wasted time he would need to go back and check with the others to see if they had better luck than he was having. Most of the rooms he had checked so far seemed to be reception rooms or guest bedrooms. He doubted they were used for anything important. It was unlikely that he would find anyone here.
Before he turned to leave he opened the last door, and to his surprise there were people inside. From what seemed like hours of fruitless searching without seeing a single soul, he had gotten careless and the people inside had noticed the door opening.
Without warning a large black mass hurled across the room slamming into the partially open door in Jak's hand. The force of the blow knocked him to the floor and swung the door wide, ripping it almost off the hinges. He lay in the hallway stunned and struggling to regain his feet.
“Stop!” Jak heard a familiar voice command, “Stop that now Maggas. I want him unharmed.”
Jak was able to struggle to his knees, and then finally he stood on wobbly legs. The room before him was not large, with only a table in the center and four people surrounding it. One of the men dressed in black robes was standing with his hand outstretched towards Jak, and a wild madness in his eyes. A woman of middling years sat with her back to the door, but was looking over her shoulder to see what the commotion was about. A wiry lean man sat opposite the man in black. The wiry man wore a sword at his hip and an arrogant look on his face. Obviously, this man thought Jak was no threat, or at least not a threat that he couldn’t dismiss with the swat of his hand. The lean man wasn’t even concerned enough to set his wine glass down.
Jak suddenly noticed the source of the familiar voice. It was Brigette standing across the table from the sitting woman. She was facing Jak and there was a mix of concern and irritation on her face, but she wore a smile for him. Jak stood there in shock and dismay as a flood of questions poured through his mind. What was Brigette doing here? Why was she apparently commanding these people at the table? Could it be that she was really the Blood Witch? If not, where was the witch? Why wasn’t she here? Jak needed to find her to prove to the others that Brigette was not the same person as the witch.
“Come Jak,” Bridgette said invitingly, “come and join us. I’ve been waiting for you.” There was a look of expectation on her face and her eyes held……love? Love for him? It was Brigette after all, and she did love him. The thought made his heart race.
There was something oddly familiar that he could not put his finger on. Suddenly he began to feel a pulling on him, drawing him to Brigette. Something wasn’t right here. Realizing where he remembered the feeling from, he began to struggle against it. It had been in the cave that night when the witch had called to him.
He tried to resist but the beckoning was far too strong to resist. As he looked deeply into her eyes, everything else faded from his vision. All he could see was Brigette’s face, so beautiful, smiling at him, calling him to her. Nothing else mattered in the world, only her. Jak’s head felt cloudy and his thoughts distant. But her eyes were clear and she was calling to him, beckoning to him……singing to him. A voice deep inside the recesses of his mind cried out, No, Run! But it was so soft and distant that he could barely hear it and paid it no mind.
Jak had taken several steps into the room and was half way to the table when he finally realized there were other people in the room. Who where they? What were they doing here with Brigette? Somewhere off in the distance, what seemed very far away He could here footsteps running across a wooden floor. But the sounds were too far away and didn’t really matter to him anyway.
He approached within a pace or two of the table and stood directly behind the older woman who was still sitting. For some reason the woman was smiling up at him, albeit her smile was tinged with mischief, but Jak returned her smile all the same.
The woman reminded him of his mother. His mother? But his mother was dead! He had killed her himself, chopping her head off with an axe and then burning her body. Or had that just been a bad dream? What was his mother doing here with these other people, and with Brigitte? Jak couldn’t think clearly. What was happening? Thoughts would not come clearly to him and it felt as if he were in a dream now. Was he dreaming?
Jak felt a little dizzy and light headed but the three other people sat at the table smiling at him. Who were they and why were they smiling at him? Then he looked up and saw Brigette’s beautiful face again and wanted to go to her. He wanted to throw his arms around her and hold her tight. He wanted to kiss her. Brigette was all that mattered to him. Sh
e was calling to him and that was all that mattered in the world right now.
Abruptly he saw the lean man stand and begin making his way around the table, with a predatory look in his eyes. The man in black robes also rose and stepped away from the table a few paces, with an equally alert and deadly look on his face. Who were these people and what were they doing? Were they trying to hurt Brigette? If they hurt her Jak would kill them. He would kill anyone who tried to harm her. But he realized that the two men were peering towards the door that Jak had entered through.
It was then Jak noticed two other men entering the door from the hallway outside. Who were they? They looked oddly familiar and he felt as if he might know them. One of them was an old man clad in a brown robe which was tied at the waist with a silver cord. The other was a huge man who had to duck his head slightly to enter the door. The big man was wearing a black cloak and tabard with an odd insignia on the left breast. A large sword was in his hand and he looked very menacing. Jak thought to himself that he should know these men, but the thought slipped away into mist.
The lean man from the table faced off against the big man that had just come through the door. The two men circled and danced a graceful dance as their swords rang in counter time to their movements. They danced and swung their swords, and moved with such grace and precision. It was almost pleasant to watch, if not for them trying desperately to kill each other. Their deadly elegance and flowing movements were contradicted by the hungry animosity in their eyes. The two men seemed to be equally skilled in their art form with neither gaining the upper hand.
Jak turned and saw the brown robed man raising his hands and murmur something that was unintelligible to Jak, before flames shot from the old man’s hands and struck just short of the man all in black. Jak could feel the heat from the flames wash over him in waves as the flames struggled against an unseen barrier to reach the black robed man. The force was so great it knocked the man back several paces but the flames could not reach him. Suddenly what looked like pitch black flames shot towards the brown robed man from the black mage's hands, almost like black vines seeking to entangle and strangle. But they too seemed to strike an invisible wall before they could reach their target. They crackled and sparked just short of the old man forcing him back a pace.
The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) Page 36
