The Raven's Chronicles. Rage of the Wraith

Chapter 25. The Shadows

"They are the Arvers' servants!" the voices erupted in Jules' mind. "Feed on them! Gain strength!"

Ravin jumped to his feet and grabbed his reila in one swift motion. Pushing Jules back, he stood between the boy and the cave's mouth, one hand clenched on the shaft of this weapon, the other on the rod. His eyes burnt with golden light, the runes covering the rod ablaze under his touch.

"Revenge us, sister!" an eerie voice roared. Peeking from under his master's arms, Jules observed the misty bodies swelling by the entry. Their faded faces swirled, taking shape - faces of men and women alike, old and young, all twisted in hate, rawboned with dead shallow eyes. "Revenge us!"

"Stay back!" with a flick of his wrist, Ravin draw a fiery rune in the air. It hovered above the campfire, the flames reaching for it with their tongues, trying to lick the symbol. "Those responsible for your deaths are long gone!"

"Aren't you their servant, hunter?" one of the shadows swam forward but frizzled when she touched the circle of light cast by the fire. Recoiling, she screamed. "She's coming for you! She's here!"

A flash of lightning dazzled Jules' eyes. Blinking rapidly, the boy beheld a dark silhouette hovering in the cave's mouth. The putrid reek made him cough.

It was here, her body hunched, barely standing on the two feet. Long, dark hair covered most of her face. Her eyes, when Jules met their gaze, were empty, just like the ragdolls'.

"Holy hell!" Captain Rogre unsheathed his sword. The wraith's figure merged with the darkness, becoming a blurry shape looming in the night.

"I'm going after her," Ravin was about to step into the darkness when Jules grabbed at the back of his shirt. "Don't let the fire die."

"I'm coming with you!" Jules scrambled, clutching at his master with one hand, the other clenched on his reila's shaft. His bi-colour eyes were pools filled with panic. "No way I'm letting you go alone!"

"Rogre," The hunter glanced at his old friend. "Hold him."

Before the boy understood the meaning behind those words, two strong hands grabbed at his arms and yanked him back. The cloth of Ravin's tunic slid out of his fingers. He watched his master go, the night swallowing him with every step until he became another blurred shape in the darkness.

"Let go of me!" Jules wrenched one arm free from the Captain grasp. The man yanked him back, and the boy fell to his knees, losing his balance. "You don't understand! He can't go alone! It's my duty to help him!"

"Your duty is to do that you're told, boy!" Rogre grasped the apprentice's chin and forced him to look up. "Now pull yourself together and tend to the fire, so I can go out after your master."

Jules bit hard on his bottom lip, giving a small nod. Although the stench of rottenness subdued, his troat remained tightened. Watching the Captain rise and walk away, he forced a breath of air into his lugs. He straightened his pale fingers, letting go of the reila's shaft, grabbed a handful of bark and fed the fire. It swallowed his offering hungrily. New flames burst hight to envelop Ravin's rune in their burning embrace.

A spark of lightning deluged the cave with a sharp light, the darkness that came after it seemed denser than before. Frozen on his knees, Jules stared at the patch of the murky forest, his eyes searching for the figure of his master. How long ago had Ravin left? One minute? Two? A hundred heart-beats? Jules chocked with panic. Deep in his mind, the memory of the rows of bodies resurfaced, and the feeling from years ago crashed into him like a wave of an angry sea.