The valley and surrounding mountains were eerily calm the night after the storm. Many of the creeks and rivers had swelled in size, leaving the murky bogs and deep forest more treacherous in its aftermath. A thick mist had swelled up that reminded me of the near-constant fog that predominated the land during Dark Lord’s reign.
Quietly I stalked through the forest after my quarry. He was unaware of my presence as he moved about the forest in blissful ignorance. I licked my lips in anticipation for the blood, my fangs already long and eager. Carefully I crouched low and raised the crossbow I had recently acquired. A surprise gift from the riders who had tried to kill me last night that I found attached to the saddle of the horse.
Other surprises included discovering how negligible my wounds were. During the fight, I had assumed they would have been more serious. Instead, on closer examination, I discovered they were superficial, and upon awakening at dusk tonight they were fully healed.
With a deep breath, I aimed and fired. The bolt struck the deer and with a scamper, it took off. I wasn’t sure how clean of a shot it was, but it was bleeding enough that I could follow the scent of its blood easily. After strapping the crossbow to my back I took off after my quarry.
The darkness and shadows of the forest no longer seemed to obscure my vision, and it took away a lot of the fear and uncertainty of traveling by night. Where once I needed torchlight to follow a roadway, I found I could now track a game path in the dim light of the moon. It was, however, another reminder of how much a part of the darkness I had become. Something that still stood at odds with my former self.
Eventually, I tracked the young buck to the edge of an open clearing. With a deep thrust of my sword, I gave it a swift merciful death before I knelt to drink. I was desperate to satisfy my thirst, my hunger. I pulled the bolt free and leaned in to drink from the gushing flow of blood.
The moment the red liquid touched my tongue I immediately spat it back onto the forest floor with disgust as the blood contained a vile taste. I wiped it off my face and stood. It seemed I wasn’t going to be able to sustain myself off of the blood of animals as I had hoped.
With a frustrated scream, I kicked the fallen corpse. I had spent half the night tracking the beast with hopes of satisfying myself on it as an alternative to human blood, only for the dark gods to mock me.
In anger, I stomped my way back to the horse. I unpacked a rag and water bag from the saddle and did my best to clean the blood off before I saddled up for the return to the Dark Lord’s castle. I was still using it as my current base of operations until I could find something more suitable. Not my first choice, nor my second, but I wasn’t going to risk resting in a place where someone could easily drag me out into the sunlight. The castle offered natural protection and its reputation I hoped would turn away all but the most determined of looters and explorers. It was currently a temporary solution. If people learned it was inhabited by a single lone undead creature they would no doubt storm the gates and attempt to put an end to my life. My undead life.
Eventually, I had to make the choice to either find an alternative place to secure myself or make the castle more defensible. In the Dark Lord’s time, when my companions and I had fought him, he had an army of ghouls and skeletons that he could summon. Not to mention his vast array of dark magic he wielded to the detriment of his foes. Unfortunately, I did not have access to those kinds of resources.
The hunter’s trail I was following out of the forest climbed over a shallow hill back onto the main road that cuts through the valley. I turned my horse in the direction of the castle and contemplated my next course of action. I wanted to return to the village to discover more about my companions. Two things stood in my way to returning. First, my increasing hunger for blood, I didn’t want to run the risk of hurting someone or killing them if I had the choice. Second, the inevitable reaction that the people will have once they discover my undead nature.
Maybe it was my paranoia, but it did seem like my attackers from last night had specifically targeted me because of my undead nature. If so, how did they know? Did I give something away? Was it a lucky guess? Did they just pick a random stranger, ambushed them on the road and invoked the power of the Goddess to repel them? Or was it possible I happened to be a victim of highwaymen? If that last possibility was true then I sorely wished I had stayed behind to kill them personally. Their blood could have put off my hunger just a bit longer, maybe even satisfy it for a few nights.
The mist cleared as the road climbed over the switchbacks. Ahead I could make out the tall towers of the castle, standing like twin grim figures of stone overlooking the valley in an eternal vigil. Not too far now until I reached my refuge and start anew my plan to sate my hunger. The road turned again and the castle disappeared out of sight behind the trees.
A few paces down the road I pulled my horse to a sudden stop as the scent of blood hit me on the wind. Human blood no less.
I had my feet on the ground before my mind managed to catch up with me. I bit my lip hard, using the pain to focus my mind. Needed to be stronger than my instinctive desire. The horse nayed and tried to pull the reins loose from my hand as I pulled my sword out.
“You smell it too, girl?” I muttered, “or do you sense something else out there?”
The scent seemed to come from off the road out of sight. I tied the horse down and pushed through the underbrush in its direction with my senses on alert for an ambush or trap. I made it a half dozen paces when I found traces of blood that formed a trail that lead deeper into the woods. Someone must have walked through here recently and appeared to be bleeding pretty badly. In that moment I realized I should have turned back and try to resist the temptation.
The wind changed and with it a stronger taste of blood on the wind. This time it was fresh, I whipped my head around in time to see a man with his sword drawn to strike. I charged him and instinctively bared my fangs with a hiss.
“Monster!”
He stumbled back and tripped. Allowing me to push the advantage with a thrust of my sword to pin him down. He screamed and kicked my feet out from underneath me. There was a mad scramble as he tried to retreat and I grappled to keep him pinned down. The feral part of me was determined not to let him escape.
He tore his leg free from my grip and kicked my face. Savagely I swiped at him with my hand, clawing at him. His pain-filled screams filled the air as fresh blood spilled across my hands. What little self-control I had was lost as I launched myself at his throat to tear it open with my fangs.
Blood was all I can think about as I drank. An all-consuming need that was euphorically being fulfilled after so much delay. Why was I willing to let myself be starved for so long?
It was long after he stopped struggling and I drank my fill that I stood. My hands were stained red from his death, and I could smell another scent of blood on the air of another morsel to kill. Not as fresh as his but enough that I could follow it.
The scent led me only a few yards deeper into the woods to an upturned wagon that seemed to have crashed off the side of the road. The stench of death was thick in the air and I noticed corpses of people strewn about the area. It was plain to see there was a fight that had taken place here.
Someone was still alive. I heard the sound of the heart beating faint and rapidly. I approached the wagon and stopped short when I spotted a young girl struggling to free her leg out from under the wagon. The lure of blood was still fresh on my mind but the sight of the girl made the thought turn sour.
“What happened here?” I spoke aloud.
The girl glanced up at me and screamed in fright.
“Shush now,” I moved to kneel next to her, “It's okay. Look at me it's going to be okay.”
She glanced hesitantly to look at me and our eyes met. Internally I willed her to be calm, to know that I don’t intend to harm her.
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“Are you hurt?”
Her head bobbed up and down.
“Where does it hurt?”
“My leg. It feels broken.”
“Are you bleeding?”
She shook her head, “I don’t know.”
“I’m going to get you out of here. Can you tell me what happened?”
“The wagon fell off the road. My family and I were attacked,” she cried, “It was all so quick and they had swords. They killed papa and my brother.”
She started sobbing and I held her hand in comfort. While she cried I assessed the area for signs that her attackers might return, or where her family had gone.
“Did any of your family make it?”
The girl rubbed her eyes and pointed back the way I came.
“I don't know," she pointed back the way I heard came, "I thought I heard my cousin over there.”
A cold feeling started to dwell in the pit of my stomach as I glanced back towards where I came. Dismissing the worry I turned back towards the wagon and the little girl pinned underneath.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Claudia.”
“Claudia, if I can lift this do you think you can crawl out?”
The girl gave me a weak nod, and said in a quiet voice, “I can try.”
I braced myself and put my hands under the wagon. I wasn’t sure if my undead body had any enhanced strength or ability, or if the gods of light or darkness would be willing to offer the strength I needed. It didn’t hurt to try.
At first, it didn’t seem like the wagon was going to be willing to budge, then it creaked and the wood groaned. For a moment I thought it was going to work when my grip suddenly slipped and the wagon shifted lower. Claudia gave a sudden scream of pain that echoed through the stillness of the night.
I knelt to try lifting the wagon again when I heard the sound of horses approaching up the road. Out of reaction, I spun around and reached for my sword, only to remember I left it behind where I had killed my possible attacker in woods.
"Over there, that's where the wagon fell off the road."
"Is it your family?" I asked. Claudia shook her head, her hand gripping my sleeve apprehensively.
I stood up and faced the direction of the group approaching from the road. Faintly I could make out the light of their torches as they moved through the trees. Their voices carried over the distance.
"Who goes there?" I shouted.
The approaching group went quiet and still. After the breath of a few minutes, I heard the sound of swords being drawn. The Goddess damn them, I thought before crouching low next to Claudia.
"I'll protect you," I whispered, "don't let them hear you."
She nodded and went still. Her scared haggard breathing the only thing to give her away.
Silently I moved away from the wagon, keeping an eye out for a new weapon. The group appeared slowly from trees with torches and swords were drawn. The foremost of them glanced around at the upturned wagon and bodies that were strewn about. They looked rough and dirt covered.
"Is somebody out there?" One of them asked in a hoarse voice.
I debated not saying anything for a while as I wasn't sure of their intentions, and because of a gut feeling, I had. I glanced at the wagon where Claudia was still trapped. If I didn't do anything soon there was a good chance they'll find her.
Stepping forward, I raised my hands to show I was unarmed. I wasn't planning on their goodwill, but it was something I could hope for. On the other hand, I had a chance to catch them off guard if they tried to apprehend either of us.
"I'm right here."
Those closest to me seemed startled by my voice. A few drawn swords were pointed in my direction as I stepped further into the torchlight. I heard a few muttered words of witch and demon, others made gestures to ward off evil.
One of them, who seemed to be in charge approached. He had a stocky build and unlike most of the others, he seemed to have more confidence in how he held his sword.
“Excuse me miss, we didn’t see you there.”
“Sorry, I was frightened and hid. I thought you might be the robbers that attacked us from before,” I bluffed hoping they wouldn’t call me out on it.
“I see,” said the man. He made an effort to look around at the carnage around us, “I’m sorry to hear you were attacked. Come, let us get you some clean clothes and food.”
With a tentative nod, I approached cautiously while keeping an eye where everyone was moving. I noticed one of the men approach the leader.
“Boss, I don’t remember seeing her in the wagon when we attacked,” he whispered in a low voice. I felt my blood go chill but kept moving forward.
The leader turned his head to the man, “I know! Now be quiet!”
When he turned back to face me ours met briefly and for a moment, I wondered if he knew I heard him. He stepped forward with his torch, and I blinked away the blinding light.
“You look covered in blood. Are you bleeding?”
“No, it’s someone else's blood.”
“I see,” said the man uneasily, “how did this happen?”
I glanced apprehensively around me at the other men. A few had moved to outflank me but the rest seemed to have lost interest in my conversation with their leader. One was approaching the wagon and I could see Claudia staring wide-eyed in fear. If I didn’t do something soon to draw everyone’s attention back on me they were going to find her. I looked back at the leader with determination and when our eyes meet he blinked in surprise.
“Are you-?”
He choked on the words as I rushed forward and smashed into him. Not wanting to lose the momentum I moved to attack the next guy I could. My next target raised his sword and swung to fend me off. I ducked low and felt the blade bite into my arm.
With a hiss of anger, I grabbed his offending arm and tossed him into wildly into his friends that were beginning to move in on me. By now the group’s leader was starting to get to his feet. I didn’t pause as I rushed him and swiped his face with a clawed hand.
Ignoring his screams, I picked up his sword and turned to face his companions with an animalist snarl that surprised even me. The group kept their distance as I eyed each one in turn. Any moment now I figured one of them was going to attack. I could try continuing to fight them but I didn’t think it was a good idea to test the limits of my combat abilities and undead endurance.
“Anyone wish to join your friend in death,” I asked. I hoped and prayed I came across as intimidating and not as scared as I felt. Each of the guys in the group glanced nervously towards each other. I wondered if they were sizing each other up to see who brave enough to attack first, or maybe they were thinking, who's this crazy bitch who thinks she can take us on?
The leader tried struggling to his feet again as he cursed me with profanity, in response, I placed the tip of the sword’s blade on his throat. He froze but his eyes glared at me angrily. The thought, if looks can kill crossed my mind.
“I asked, does anyone else wish to die.”
“I ain’t dead, bitch! Can't you tell they're calling your bluff.”
I looked down at my captive. He had a smile like he had won like I was in over my head. In many ways I probably was, I couldn’t take all them if they attacked me and in another sense, I was drowning in darkness because of my curse. I thought of Claudia, to honor who I was when I was alive I needed to help her.
With an angry snarl, I pushed the blade into his throat. Surprise crossed his face as he choked on his blood and I withdrew my sword. In anger, I bore my fangs at the rest of them and watched as most of the group scattered. One of them charged me and I deflected his swing, then grabbed him by the front of his shirt.
“You die next,” I said before biting his throat. He struggled vainly as I drank his blood, then collapsed in a heap when I released him. I was taken by surprise when someone jammed a sword through my back. I turned to see my attacker stare in horror as I pushed the blade out. It was hard to tell who was more surprised between the two of us. I recovered fast enough to shove him against a tree place the blade of my sword against his throat, much like I had done to his leader.
“Why did you attack this wagon?” I asked.
He gulped, letting the adam’s apple bounce on his throat bounce, “It was Fredrick’s idea. They were just gypsies and thieves!” The man started whimpering, “please don’t kill me.”
“You were dead the moment you returned to this wagon,” I replied, “your friends will join your grave after I kill them slowly.”
All a bluff, I honestly had no chance of actually tracking each of them down. I had hoped that I could intimidate him, “However I’m feeling merciful tonight. Help me rescue my new friend and I may let you live.”
Frantically he nodded his head and I released him.
"To the wagon," I ordered. He scampered quickly off while I surveyed the area. All his friends had disappeared and the leader had died while trying to crawl away. I glanced over where the stab wound was and was surprised to see it partially healed already. Had I been alive it would have taken a miracle for me to survive. Morbid curiosity led me to wonder just how much this curse had changed me.
Turning my attention back to Claudia, I walked over to the wagon and directed the man to help lift the wagon. Together we managed to lift it enough for Claudia to crawl out from underneath.
"Leave and pray our paths never cross."
The man took off, almost stumbling as he ran through the dark forest. I turned to Claudia, she looked terrified as she glanced at me.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"No," I said with a shack of my head, "I'm returning you to your family."
I took her hand in mine and led her back to the road.