A Dark Night

Chapter II

Chapter 2 

Red tinted robes

The icy cries of the wind chilled at my soul freezing my once fiery passion of the expedition. The knights in our company had been appointed by the church to investigate strange events in a snowy, mountainous region of Eastern Europe. Villagers had reported mass killings and cult worship to the good church official of the god forsaken area. Thanks to our Lord for ensuring his life, had he not survived these beasts would not be clawing at more innocents in these lands.

However, most of the people in the area remain slain regardless. The red that once carried their life had now been splattered upon the ground leaving a trail of gorey desolation. The company of knights followed this path through a narrow mountain passage leading straight into an aged white forest. Snowflakes fell from the sky upon the trees like icy tears of the moon. It's beautiful frozen tears splashed upon the faces of us and our horses greeting us in exploding delight. It often got in the way of our vision as the chilling winds made it hard enough to navigate.

Finally we made it to a cliff and stopped our horses to gaze upon a view high above the frozen waters of below. The sky towered high above the cold lands below filled with dead forests only kept lit by the shining moon in a seemingly eternal night. The bright moon hid behind a curtain of cloudy grey in a fashion reminiscent of a queen dressed in fine draping robes, however to some it could have seemed like a beast of a shining eye and outstretched wings. To me however it was the sort of beauty one would capture and savor for the long nights to pass by in a harsh and forgotten snowy mountain. We made camp here laying our horses to rest and covering ourselves with what clothes we had. Only so few were carried by a handful of men and horses stranded on a snowing cliff.

"Aye milord, what say you we make camp here for the next couple of days? It seems a rather nice spot."  Spoke Sir Wilhem, another knight in service to the church as I. He had a long, skinny face and rather small eyes that made his nose seem like a large beak. One could see his crooked teeth dressed upon a lanky but tall frame. Like all knights among us he wore the same armor and tabard. Unlike other knights in our company he was without family at home due to victim of illness and raid. One could say that is what drove this man to knighthood: to prevent such evils from happening to others again.

"T'would be wise, save a group of beasts were to strike once again. Or again a group of heathen raiders." I answered calmly.

"Milord, did thou notice the odd garb the enemies wore upon themselves? I could not recognize it's crest, it seemed even desecrated."

"Perhaps then our foe has allegiance to a new power."

The rest of the night was spent in silence and attempted comfort. No doubt the men were avoiding me after awe of my feats from yesterday. The beast that I had slain was clearly not human, yet seemingly a man. But the sort of man of myth of mighty stature and power, such a titan only existed in the ancient lore of the ancestors that once roamed these lands. No doubt horrors were going on in this abandoned land devoid of faith from the true God. I swear to whomever is causing this; I will hunt you down. The lives of my men are my in my hands and with that hand I will grip the blade of vengeance once carried upon the good people of this land and strike you down. The wicked are to be purged, such is the will of God! The night had been tiring and soon I too, purged myself, of the awake to a comforting sleep upon a torn blanket. My eyes slowly closed drifting into a black nothingness lulling me into a void of needed warmth however cold it was.

 

Amidst a growing darkness my eyes rose to a beautiful maiden in red drapery reminiscent of a queen of old. Her piercing blue eyes penetrated my tired mind into that of awe of such a sight. Her pale milky skin wore upon itself full scarlet rose lips beside light golden locks. Her complexion was pure and her graceful body laying to the side of myself. I looked at her in astonishment; did the others not see her? I attempted to make a sound, but couldn’t. Something about her presence made the hairs on the back of my head stand up.. and my heart beat even faster.

“Don’t make a sound, warrior.” She spoke softly as she put a finger on my lips. I froze in place, silently nodding in a slight shake. She was so beautiful, yet something about her made me fear my own mortality. Then she rest her body on top of mine and her lips gently on my ear.

“I-I-I” Was all I managed to say to the girl. Beside her, reality itself seemed nothing but a shade of color.

“It was you who defeated the giant. I can sense your power.. your bloodlust.” Then she looked upon my neck and saw the blessed cross I carried. She looked at it in disgust with a grimace and a slight snarl. “S-such idolatries are not of custom here warrior. M-mind your manners and remove yourself of it.” I then gazed at her, her beauteous face and red tinted robes. The drapery rested on her body comfortably and complimented her feminine form in a manner that my breath turn heavy.

“Wh-who are you..?”

“I am the lady dressed in red, watcher over these lands.”

“Was it you who sent the beast after us?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not.” She giggled. Her smile invited me into her mesmerizing gaze like a tunnel leading to a void of colors. The color of her eyes seemed to change from a piercing red to a hungry shade of red, and in an instant the whole world seemed to grow heavy and haunting. The air thickened and my heart beat faster my whole being shaking and struggling to move back but all was lost. My eyes grew big and my face shocked as I felt a sharp sudden pain at my neck eating away at my very soul. The haunting feeling shook my very spirit as it struggled to keep still during a stampede of madness and horror, eating and eating away. All sense had been lost in my body and the air thickened, heavier and heavier like the madness tearing at my very existence!

 

“Sir!”

My eyes opened and I was greeted by the white air filled with the snowy tears of the sky. I was horrified by what was the most strange phenomena ever to have happened to me thus far in my life. “S-sir you look like you’ve seen a spirit! What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing, just a bad dream.”

Everyone else was asleep besides Gatrie, whom earlier we agreed to keep watch shift during this hour early in the morning. The bodies lay dormant in a ragged bed of torn old blankets comforting me that my men were indeed alright and no lady in red was around.

Then I felt it. A sharp pain in my neck. My hand searched it and felt what seemed like two holes like a bite mark. Then I felt something again. The uneasy feeling of a warm but faint liquid in my mouth. I moved my finger and licked it in hopes to see what was in my mouth. Dropping my mouth in horror I couldn’t believe my eyes.

It was a dark shade of blood red.