Reaper (The Dreadhunt Trilogy Book 2)

by Ross Turner

  Reaper

  Book Two of The Dreadhunt Trilogy

  By Ross Turner

  ©Ross Turner

  And perhaps when all seems lost, it may indeed be the case, if we are most fortunate, that the night is darkest before the dawn,

  Only what you choose is what makes you,

  I just want to be wanted,

  Always,

  Ross.

  Chapter One

  Surging across the grasslands and swarming through valleys and over ridges, Tyran’s hunting party descended towards the insignificant copse and down upon their prey.

  “I saw something over here!” One man shouted as he stood ahead of the rest. He raised his flaming torch in one hand whilst his other stretched out and gestured down towards the small patch of trees within which Marcii was concealed.

  The flame from his torch illuminated his fiery red hair and the thick, crooked scar that ran above and around his right eye.

  “Did you see the witch!?” Another voice shouted in reply, though it was not clear who the owner was, for he was lost somewhere amidst the crowd in the dim light.

  “Is she there!?” A second, much deeper voice, concurred.

  The man holding the torch found himself suddenly at the head of the hunt, leading the pack, with no real idea what he’d actually seen. There were no enforcers among them and somehow it seemed that his sighting of a mere shadow had earned him the right to lead.

  He found himself all of a sudden the Alpha of this pack. He saw the judgement call that faced him and the many eyes upon him at such a vital moment.

  Knowing that one way or another he would have to, he made a split decision.

  He lied.

  As is often the way in such situations.

  Nonetheless, he made the right decision.

  As luck would have it, his little white lie not only gained him the compliance of his men, but in fact led them directly to their prey.

  Regrettably, fortune was not favouring Marcii, for although the man with the torch didn’t know it, she was indeed hidden amongst the trees that he and his men were so rapidly descending upon.

  But she wasn’t alone.

  The trees were dense and thick and the copse was too large for the hunting party to surround completely. So instead, at the command of the man with the torch and the scar, he and his men proceeded to march directly through the trees side by side, in one long, single, flat line.

  He planned to flush the small forest out completely, ensuring that there was nothing left undiscovered: ensuring that Marcii could not escape.

  In truth, he didn’t actually expect to find her in there, for he hadn’t really been convinced himself that he’d seen her in the first place.

  Even as they were combing through the trees he was inventing a speech that would rally the men when they reached the other side and had found nothing.

  How wrong he was.

  He was hardly even concentrating when the man beside him grabbed his arm roughly.

  “Do you see that?” Came the man’s hissing question, his voice full of fear.

  The man with the scar peered through the trees by the dim light of the moon and the stars and his flaming torch.

  Scanning the woodland, he stared long and hard through the darkness, but he could see only more trees.

  With the words on the tip of his tongue he was about to reply, when one of the trees seemed to move ever so slightly.

  He looked on even harder.

  The whole line had come to a stop, for they could all sense that something was amiss.

  “What is it?” The man at his side asked, his voice quivering with fear.

  But the man with the torch and the scar was trying to focus and come up with a plan.

  “Quiet!” He whispered harshly in reply, and instantly the man at his side was silenced, fearful of what might be waiting for them amidst the density of the forest.

  Undoubtedly the witch had used her powers to bring the very trees to life to attack them, or she had summoned some sort of foul demon to kill them and devour their souls.

  Either way, whatever it was, a mountain of irrational fear rose before Tyran’s men.

  However, as absurd and ludicrous as their individual fears might have been, their terror as a whole was not misplaced, for indeed there was something waiting for them in the woodlands. And whilst they believed that it was either the witch Marcii, or a creation of hers, they were wrong on both counts.

  It was, in fact, something infinitely worse.

  Finally, it seemed the creature had waited long enough.

  It advanced.

  All of a sudden the blurred outline of the trees up ahead began to shift and move. It was far too late by the time the men eventually realised why.

  They were not trees, they were legs, and the creature that they carried charged towards them with frightening speed. It crashed and burst through the darkness of the forest to the terrifying sound of exploding tree trunks and shattering branches.

  “DEMON!!” Someone screeched.

  But it was too late.

  The creature made not a sound itself, but the vast noise of falling oaks echoed endlessly through the night, splitting some of the ranks of Tyran’s men and almost crushing others.

  Terrified screams echoed all around as chaos ensued.

  Men were thrown in every direction and their shouts and cries of fear and fury were all but futile.

  But, perhaps most chillingly of all, aside from the odd flicker of a shadow against their torchlight, or the sight of the very trees themselves seeming to shift and move, the men saw not a thing.

  Yet they were thrown in every direction, this way and that, and trees were felled between and upon them as if they were made of straw.

  It was witchcraft to be sure.

  There was no other explanation.

  Mayor Tyran was right.

  He had always been right.

  Marcii was evil.

  She had to die.

  But even still the creature made not a sound as it tore havoc through the ranks, which was perhaps only more terrifying.

  Soon enough Tyran’s men were forced to retreat.

  They swept back through the trees the way they had come, fleeing for their lives.

  The creature, once it saw that they were leaving, did not pursue them.

  Instead, when it was satisfied that they would not return, it turned its massive bulk silently in the dark of the night and set its gaze once again upon the young, helpless Marcii Dougherty.

  Chapter Two

  Marcii listened to the sounds of the screams and the cries that echoed all around the copse of trees that night, seemingly amplified by the lack of light.

  Strangely, the more that she listened, the calmer she became, for she was too exhausted to feel the same fear that the men did.

  Something was hunting them through the darkness.

  Something terrifying.

  Marcii was growing more and more used to the awful concept of fear, thanks to them, so she simply lay upon the cold ground, taking in the sound of their cries all but emotionlessly.

  Finally, after hearing several desperate shouts begging for retreat, the sound of their cries faded away somewhere into the distance. Marcii gathered that the creature, whatever it was, had scared Tyran’s men off.

  She was grateful for the quiet and closed her eyes contentedly.

  If she was going to die, she would much rather die by the will of this creature, unseen and all powerful, than at the hands of Tyran’s slaves.

  She didn’t hear movement so much as she felt it.

  Curious, when Marcii opened her eyes the enormous silhouette loomed above her once
more. With legs as thick as tree trunks and a monstrous body that engulfed her in its shadow, the creature was enormous.

  She could still only see its outline: enough to tell that it wasn’t human.

  But that was plenty.

  Marcii sighed and closed her eyes again, waiting for the end.

  She was too terrified to feel fear.

  Too exhausted to move.

  She sensed the creature’s confusion, but still she waited, knowing it wouldn’t be long.

  Sure enough, after a moment its confusion subsided and the vast being reached down to seize her.

  Without a sound the creature’s huge arms stretched out to grasp Marcii, surely to choke her or crush her or pummel her.

  But no.

  Instead, lifting her carefully up off the ground and sliding its arms beneath her body, the creature scooped Marcii up into its massive embrace, laying her gently across its forearms as if she were a delicate new born.

  Marcii’s breath caught and her eyes opened for a brief second, stealing a fleeting glimpse of her captor’s face by the moonlight filtering down through a break in the thick canopy.

  It was a sight she would never forget. Strangely, though it was far from human, the creature’s black gaze filled her with a strange, soothing assurance that she simply could not describe.

  Lifted high up from the ground, Marcii felt the creature rise to its full height and begin through the trees. It avoided branches and canopies silently and effortlessly, seeming to quite simply flow through the forest like water flows to the sea.

  Soon it was free of the confines of the woodland and out upon the valleys and ridges. It stayed always hidden below the skyline, for its enormous bulk would have been unmissable against the now illuminated sky.

  Unbelievable heat radiated from its arms and its body like nothing Marcii had ever experienced. The air was still freezing all around, but the creature’s heat thawed Marcii’s icy, painful body and soon sent her dozing towards sleep.

  She was warm and she was comfortable. The rocking motion of the creature’s pace across the plains, coupled with her exhaustion, made any chance of Marcii fending off her exhaustion futile.

  The few clouds that remained above parted lazily, revealing the millennia of perfect, star spotted galaxies that always enjoy gazing down upon events such as this.

  Through heavy, sleepy eyes Marcii caught fleeting glimpses of the sea of stars above her. The moon floated effortlessly amongst them and was aglow with such radiance against the pitch black blanket of the universe that it seemed most magical.

  Marcii wondered for a minute if, perhaps, it was because of nights like this one that the old man Midnight stared up at the sky every night.

  For a moment she was aware that they had once again passed beneath the canopy of a forest.

  The creature had still not made a sound.

  Her silent saviour passed from fields to forests without so much as a whisper.

  But Marcii didn’t know where they were, nor where they were heading, and to be perfectly honest, she didn’t really care.

  Finally overtaken by her exhaustion, and by the gentle rocking motion of the creature carrying her so smoothly through the night, Marcii fell into a deep, untroubled sleep.

  And there she remained, entirely helpless in the enormous hands of whatever creature it was that had claimed her.

  Chapter Three

  Marcii’s slumber did not release her willingly and for quite some time it held her tightly within its grasp, reluctant to let go.

  It filled her mind with vivid thoughts and dreams and fears and memories all mixed together as one. Tyran’s face flashed in and out of her vision, followed by images of his enforcers, and indeed also her fellow townsfolk of Newmarket. They brandished swords and spears and flaming torches and pitchforks, all seeking her blood alike.

  Then, at the mere thought of the hunt, Marcii was faced with pictures of her family, burned alive and screaming at the stake.

  The fresh, decaying smell of their burning flesh filled her nostrils once again, making her gag and heave even in her dreams.

  Strangely enough though, following that, leaving a vast pit in her stomach, there came two more memories that filled Marcii’s mind.

  One was of Malorie, stood alone in a tower overlooking an abandoned town. Tears streamed from her perfect violet eyes and her chest heaved with every breath.

  And then, looming behind Malorie, casting its enormous shadow over her, stood the creature that had captured Marcii.

  Or, perhaps more accurately, the creature that had saved her.

  As Malorie cried out, distraught and inconsolable, the creature took a single, monstrous step towards her. It reached forward with its huge, black hand, yearning out to her in a way Marcii had never seen.

  It was eventually those unnerving images that pulled the young Dougherty from the depths of her dreams and stirred her to wake, hard as slumber may have tried to wrench her back.

  The first thing Marcii felt when she awoke, before her eyes had even opened, was the incredible warmth that had sent her to sleep in the first place. It seemed to encompass her entirely, not coming from one particular direction, but rather from all around her.

  Then, as she moved to open her eyes, her face brushed again something very soft that tickled her cheek. She suddenly became aware that her fingers were clutching tightly at what felt like thick fur.

  It was the slow rise and fall that finally did it however, as her body lifted and sunk in gentle rhythm to the sound of deep, heavy breaths.

  Startling awake all of a sudden, filled with fear, Marcii’s gaze laid immediately upon the face of the creature, towering above her, cradling her in its arms.

  Horror overtook her entirely, filling her so completely that she couldn’t even muster a scream. She half rolled and half leapt to her feet and within seconds was darting away as fast as she possibly could, looking desperately for the exit of what she quickly realised was a cave.

  The cave was wide and somehow well lit, though she was far too terrified to wonder how.

  Not a moment too soon, as she fled, her escape was in sight.

  Bursting from her confinement Marcii exploded from the cave mouth and out into the dense forest beyond. Fresh, cold air hit her like a brick wall.

  Without a thought her legs carried her off into the trees, wholly prepared to run until once again they could no longer move.

  However, after a few more seconds, slowing to a walk and brushing the bark of the trees and the leaves of the shrubs with her hands, Marcii found herself for some reason having second thoughts.

  She was doubting her natural human instinct to run.

  There was something nagging in the depths of her mind, pulling her back.

  She couldn’t place it, but whatever it was, it was strong enough to halt her petrified flight in its tracks.

  At first she didn’t turn back, for her mind was too filled with flitting thoughts to make a decision. But she couldn’t settle on a single notion, for they whipped in and out of her mind like frantic butterflies, never settling.

  Marcii could see through the canopy of the trees that the sun was just about to clear the horizon. It’s cold, orange glow looked inviting and peaceful, but it reminded her all too keenly of the chills that crept over her skin, for the morning was not blessed with warmth and she had goose bumps crawling all over her.

  All of a sudden, unbelievably, she missed the cave.

  She missed its heat and its security.

  An abrupt, insatiable curiosity swelled and grew inside of her. She longed suddenly to know more of the creature that resided within.

  She wanted to know the creature that had saved her.

  Turning slowly, scanning the dense trees with quick, darting eyes as she went, Marcii could not see the cave. It was so well hidden, down a ditch and right at the base of a tree, that it was virtually impossible to find if you weren’t looking for it. Had she not have known it was there she would likely never h
ave stumbled across it.

  Though wide, the entrance was very low and well concealed. Marcii imagined it was virtually invisible at night.

  The creature had not followed her when she’d fled, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.

  Should it have pursued her?

  Or did it know she would return and was waiting in ambush?

  Stepping around the base of the tree and glancing down the slowly sloping ditch, Marcii took a very deep breath, wondering if she was making the right decision.

  She may as well just take the plunge, she eventually decided. If she didn’t, her burning curiosity would never have been satisfied, and that can be a burden all of its own.

  Besides, what had she got to lose?

  Only Kaylm, she thought immediately. Though he had likely been persuaded, if not forced, to join the hunt for her now too. If Tyran hadn’t managed to turn him, then his family certainly would have.

  Marcii hoped she was wrong, though she knew the odds were slim.

  Still, in the face of everything, there is always hope.

  Chapter Four

  The cave was warm and oddly inviting. The walls were damp, likely from all the rain, and they flickered and danced with orange, glowing light that emanated from deeper towards the back of the cavern, where Marcii had first awoken.

  Her footsteps echoed all around and the sound sang loudly in her ears, but still there was no sign of the creature, or any trap it had set for her return.

  All of a sudden, as she stepped around a steep column of rock that had perhaps at one time been a devoted stalagmite and stalactite couple, there it was.

  The young Dougherty came face to face with the creature that had brought her here in the first place, after it had saved her life of course.

  It was sat at the rear of the cavern with its back pressed against the flat face of the wall.

  Though it was huge as it was, Marcii imagined it would be probably over a dozen feet taller stood at full height. Its legs were thick like tree trunks, as were its arms, and they looked strong and powerful beyond belief.