Stone Sacrifice ✔️Chronicles of Grey BOOK ONE [COMPLETED]

Chapter Sixteen

I shivered violently as a ghost past through me. Most ghosts of man could not cause harm as they did not possess the anger required to activate the spell, so they were left wandering, desperately trying to steal the heat of those who still lived.

But for the living, these ghosts of man were a warning, because where there was a ghost of man, there was something living already near.

My hand gripped my sword as the darkness of the wood swallowed me, I did not wish to use the light crystal that I had taken from the throne room just yet, because the light would only draw more predators, especially ghosts, to me, but if it continued to darken, I would be forced to so that I could see anything at all.

Help me.

I winced at the sound in my head. This was from a ghost of man. One strong enough to communicate, and probably recently killed if it could attempt to draw me to it. More then likely it would try and get me to move its body outside the woods so it could be free of the spell.

Please, help me.

I ignored it and moved away from the sound, heading north. I pulled my hood down so I could see better around me, very aware that I was being watched by something that was not a ghost.

The tree branches moved down toward me slowly, trying to snag at my hair and slow me down. I snapped those branches with my free hand and moved further. Behind me, I knew, was the way out. I could turn around and go back right now, I could, but I knew that I could not.

I needed to see the dragons.

As I moved further, the air sounded of howls that mourned and hungered; the trees whispered to each other, the branches always stretching; the ground tried to swallow me as I moved past pools of black water, and the twigs upon the ground snapped as something stalked me. Ghosts flowed through me, bringing violent shivers. A fog, thick and unnatural, began to creep toward me with reaching fingers from the north.

I walked into it, my heart pounding, sweat beading down my face despite the heavy chills.

Please help me.

"No." I whispered. "Find someone else."

There is no one else. Scattered. Buried.

"Then suffer in silence, ghost."

Please...

The branches snapped with a different sound, one larger and closer.

It comes for you.

"What does?"

Help me.

"No."

Then I won't help you.

I grimaced, but there was no way I was helping a ghost. I kept going, my eyes searching the fog, waiting for something to jump out at me. My foot tangled in something and I looked down to see roots had begun raising from the soil to try and grasp me, try and drag me down into the soil and feed from me.

The trees were hungry too.

I sliced the root away and the others shied back, hiding beneath the soil once again.

I moved on.

Another snap, close now, just to my left and slightly behind me. I could reach out and touch it if I so chose, but I didn't dare. No, they - whatever creature - were surrounding me, but if they were docile enough to try and circle me and herd me quietly, then they were only animals and I could handle animals so long as they were not ghosts.