Chapter 2
Forbidden Stains
It was the middle of the night and the young man was sitting on the bank of a stream, washing blood out of his jerkin.
Normally he should not have worried about the brown marks. His clothes were stained all the time when he hunted; it was part of life. But this blood was different. It was illicit. Prohibited. It was human blood.
The children from whom it had come watched him with wide, terrified eyes.
The young man looked up, met the frightened brown gazes, and gave a lopsided grin. The girl gave a whimper and began struggling violently, while the boy blinked and closed his eyes. Two tears leaked out from the corners of his lids.
They could do nothing. They were bound. Their attacker gave a contemptuous sneer, rubbed his closely cropped beard, and returned to his washing, rubbing the flat of his knife against the reindeer skin to speed the process. The blood was fast disappearing. S oon it would be gone and no one would have any proof that he had been away for anything more than a quick drink.
First, though, he had to hide the workings of his plan.
The children would be easy. The cave where he would begin the final work could serve in the creation as well. There was no light, no warmth. No way out without an intimate knowledge of the many winding tunnels the led to the cavern. It was perfect.
The other item, though... that would be harder. Not just an item, though, he reminded himself. It was pure beauty, raw power, vast oceans of energy compressed into a space the size of his fist. Such a concentration made it very potent indeed.
He could feel its warmth through the leather as he touched the pouch hanging at his waist. In his mind's eye he could see again its blazing fires, sparkling flames. It was his. All his. His power; his tool. With such a weapon he could do anything.
His jerkin was dry. He slipped it back over his head and stood up, grabbing the sinew bindings of the children in his control. He heard their faint whimpers as they were dragged over the ground, but he ignored them and moved them to the mouth of the cave yawning behind him. A maze of tunnels twisted in front of him, but he made his way through them with a sure foot, relying on touch to guide him through these passages he had trodden many times before.
Outside, the moon he had left behind shone coldly down, indifferent.
So, do you like it? It's not as good as the first one, but I was tired. Take a guess at what he's going to do with those children. It should be pretty obvious. Tell me what you think in the reviews! (And please review or else I'll think no one's read this.) I need help or else I'll get a big writer's block! Any ideas?
- TribalGirl