angel who drank
men’s blood.
The man waved to Jarvis, asking him to keep
their tankards full.
By the time Liam downed more than a few
tankards of ale, he became boastful about his bravery to fight off
evil.
“Are you not afraid to die?” One man braved
to ask.
“I served with the Knights Templar. If I
should die during a battle, my passage to heaven is secured.” His
plans to go home seemed a distance memory as his declaration to
destroy the fiend took precedence.
He withdrew his sword and held it high above
his head. “No fiend shall terrorize Dunnloch this day forward.”
Cheers and stomping of feet greeted his pledge. He glanced at
Cormac who looked unsure, but his squire raised his tankard to him
as the men ushered him to the door.
Chapter Two
“A superstitious tale is all this is.” Or so
Liam believed until he stood at the entrance of the forest with
only a lantern for light. The cool night had sobered him enough to
realize what a fool he was for venturing out in the dead of night
to slay an imaginary fiend. He slowed Loucetios to a stop. With a
snort, his mount’s nostrils flared as if he picked up an unpleasant
scent. He shook his mane, pinning his ears to the sides of his
head.
Liam held his lantern high, hoping to shed
some light within the dark void. “Go, Loucetios,” he encouraged his
mount to move forward with a swift kick of his heels, but Loucetios
refused to budge.
The oak and birch trees stood before them
like an ominous wall of limbs, swaying in the wind as if to lean
down and capture them within their grasps. He murmured a curse,
refusing to be intimidated by trees. He jabbed his heals into
Loucetios’ flank again. “Go now, trusty companion, and I’ll have an
apple brought to you on a daily basis for a full moon cycle.”
Loucetios snorted and stomped his foot on the
ground as if to convey his thoughts on the matter of stupidity, but
in the end he obeyed and trotted forward.
Instead of the trees supplying shelter from
the wind, it blew cold around them like icy fingers trying to grab
hold. The trees loomed toward them the farther they ventured forth,
becoming thicker and taller as if they stood centuries in the earth
and didn’t appreciate the intrusion. Perhaps he should turn around.
He pulled back on Loucetios’ reins and turned in his seat. The path
they’d taken looked nonexistent with a wall of tree trunks lined
like a fortified wall of defense.
He turned around again and leaned forward,
patting the side of Loucetios’ neck. “It’s all right, my friend.
We’ll find our way out.” Loucetios stomped his right front hoof and
lifted his head with a whinny, but Liam ignored his protests and
pushed him forward.
The wind wailed like a banshee and was cold
like frost and as pesky as a fly as it whipped his long strands in
his eyes.
Gooooooo back… A ghostly whisper
tickled his ear.
He pulled on the reins again. “ Who goes
there?”
Turn baaaa…ck.
The hairs on his arms stood up on end. “Tis a
ghost warning us, Loucetios.”
Loucetios nickered, nodding his head in
agreement as if to say, “Finally, you have come to your
senses.”
Gooooo. Goooooo, the unearthly voice’s
urgent pleas grew stronger.
At this point, he didn’t care if the whole
village thought him a coward, he would no longer stay in the
forest. The sprits wished him gone, and so, he would honor their
request.
He whirled Loucetios around, only to have his
mount thrash in fright, rising up on his hind legs and unseating
him. He fell hard, hitting his head on a rock or something just as
unyielding. Loucetios galloped away, leaving him behind in the
dark, now that the candle in the lantern had blown out. Never had
his mount acted in such a manner. He’d fought wars, slashing his
sword at the enemy and never had Loucetios run away in fright. Yet
here he sat, abandoned within the haunted forest.
He sat up and regretted the movement as his
eyesight wavered in and out. His vision caught
men’s blood.
The man waved to Jarvis, asking him to keep
their tankards full.
By the time Liam downed more than a few
tankards of ale, he became boastful about his bravery to fight off
evil.
“Are you not afraid to die?” One man braved
to ask.
“I served with the Knights Templar. If I
should die during a battle, my passage to heaven is secured.” His
plans to go home seemed a distance memory as his declaration to
destroy the fiend took precedence.
He withdrew his sword and held it high above
his head. “No fiend shall terrorize Dunnloch this day forward.”
Cheers and stomping of feet greeted his pledge. He glanced at
Cormac who looked unsure, but his squire raised his tankard to him
as the men ushered him to the door.
Chapter Two
“A superstitious tale is all this is.” Or so
Liam believed until he stood at the entrance of the forest with
only a lantern for light. The cool night had sobered him enough to
realize what a fool he was for venturing out in the dead of night
to slay an imaginary fiend. He slowed Loucetios to a stop. With a
snort, his mount’s nostrils flared as if he picked up an unpleasant
scent. He shook his mane, pinning his ears to the sides of his
head.
Liam held his lantern high, hoping to shed
some light within the dark void. “Go, Loucetios,” he encouraged his
mount to move forward with a swift kick of his heels, but Loucetios
refused to budge.
The oak and birch trees stood before them
like an ominous wall of limbs, swaying in the wind as if to lean
down and capture them within their grasps. He murmured a curse,
refusing to be intimidated by trees. He jabbed his heals into
Loucetios’ flank again. “Go now, trusty companion, and I’ll have an
apple brought to you on a daily basis for a full moon cycle.”
Loucetios snorted and stomped his foot on the
ground as if to convey his thoughts on the matter of stupidity, but
in the end he obeyed and trotted forward.
Instead of the trees supplying shelter from
the wind, it blew cold around them like icy fingers trying to grab
hold. The trees loomed toward them the farther they ventured forth,
becoming thicker and taller as if they stood centuries in the earth
and didn’t appreciate the intrusion. Perhaps he should turn around.
He pulled back on Loucetios’ reins and turned in his seat. The path
they’d taken looked nonexistent with a wall of tree trunks lined
like a fortified wall of defense.
He turned around again and leaned forward,
patting the side of Loucetios’ neck. “It’s all right, my friend.
We’ll find our way out.” Loucetios stomped his right front hoof and
lifted his head with a whinny, but Liam ignored his protests and
pushed him forward.
The wind wailed like a banshee and was cold
like frost and as pesky as a fly as it whipped his long strands in
his eyes.
Gooooooo back… A ghostly whisper
tickled his ear.
He pulled on the reins again. “ Who goes
there?”
Turn baaaa…ck.
The hairs on his arms stood up on end. “Tis a
ghost warning us, Loucetios.”
Loucetios nickered, nodding his head in
agreement as if to say, “Finally, you have come to your
senses.”
Gooooo. Goooooo, the unearthly voice’s
urgent pleas grew stronger.
At this point, he didn’t care if the whole
village thought him a coward, he would no longer stay in the
forest. The sprits wished him gone, and so, he would honor their
request.
He whirled Loucetios around, only to have his
mount thrash in fright, rising up on his hind legs and unseating
him. He fell hard, hitting his head on a rock or something just as
unyielding. Loucetios galloped away, leaving him behind in the
dark, now that the candle in the lantern had blown out. Never had
his mount acted in such a manner. He’d fought wars, slashing his
sword at the enemy and never had Loucetios run away in fright. Yet
here he sat, abandoned within the haunted forest.
He sat up and regretted the movement as his
eyesight wavered in and out. His vision caught
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