The Kresnik Stories

ONE

Živa tightened her grip around Vit when the horse jumped over the tree roots yet again. She felt Vit's pulsating heart beneath her arms beating faster as the stamp of the other horses' hoofs closed in on them. A sudden turn into the left shifted Vit's body, and Živa's face crashed into his sweat-slicked neck. Tiny droplets fell onto her lips and she could taste the salty terror.

She turned her head, a few strains of long amber hair covering her eyes. Živa tucked the escaped hair behind her ears, searching for the figure that was chasing them.

For a split second, she saw it.

It didn't seem like a person, more like a shadow. The creature was riding a horse almost twice the size of theirs. Its face was nowhere to be found.

It was like staring into nothing and nothing staring right back at her.

Darkness-stained creature wasn't an ordinary pursuer; he was a nightmare and he was coming for her, cutting through the pools of light.

She shivered with dread and her fingers curled around Vit's cotton shirt. The cold breeze hit her bare skin, making the tiny hairs stand up all along the back of her thigh.

Every now and then, the sunlight found its way in-between the treetops, creating luminous shades throughout the forest. The trees no longer looked inviting; their branches reminded of a division of limbs or rather yet – skeletons crouching over them like guardians of the purgatory. The terrain was getting more steep and impassable the further into the forest they went. Giant grey rocks were making it impossible for them to ride across them.

The horse made a sudden turn upwards a very steep hill. Živa hit the ground, falling flat on her back, all the air knocked out of her. Disoriented she looked around. Her foot caught into one of the saddle strings.

She tried to stand up, her body aching, her hands trembling so fiercely that she couldn't untie the leather rope wrapped around her ankle. Vit jumped off the horse and took a small blade strapped to the side of his belt. Frantically, he began to cut the strong rope. Živa couldn't tell if the loud thumping sound in her ears was her heart or the stamp of horses' hoofs.

The sharp blade fell out of Vit's hands, hitting the dirt.

Živa looked up, noticing something much like a metal chain wrapped around Vit's neck. His eyes were consumed by fear, his fingers curling around the iron clutching his throat, desperately trying to breathe. Abruptly, something pulled him back, into the darkness of the forest.

"Vit!" Živa fell to her knees, a hopeless plea escaping her lips, echoing through the emptiness.

She dragged herself forward with her arms, grabbing Vit's blade. Her hand clamped down on the ankle, ferociously cutting through the leather. As she finally ripped off the string, the horse broke into a gallop. The all-consuming animal fear had its clutch on her, but she forced herself back on her knees, pulling upwards with the help of a nearby oak trunk.

Živa ran across the slippery stone, her body shaking, her mind still in a state of daze. Like a fleeing animal she leaped from one massive rock to another, and onto the ground. The dirt beneath her feet was covered in greasy leafs which made her totter from time to time. As she picked up the speed she no longer saw the forest but mere shapes, disappearing faster and faster.

Behind her, there was a roaring cry of pain and agony.

Živa's breath caught by surprise and a short gasp broke through her lips. She stopped at a cave entrance. Her hand grabbed the wooden handle of the torch strapped to her belt.

The smell of death filled the air.

Author's note: This is a series of events happening in the world of Slavic mythology. The team that created an award winning short fantasy film "Kresnik: The Lore of Fire", has now decided on a feature film "The Awakening: A Kresnik Story" – in this chapter I have also included the trailer for the film.

I hope you guys enjoy it, please give the story or the trailer for the film some thoughts in the comments below, it is very much appreciated. Thank you!

Katarina