She heard panting behind her from a horse, Siddgeir coming to her side and they were silent, staring into the woods. He didn’t look happy. “I’ve never been this way before.”
She looked at him and he didn’t look pleased, his hands tight on the horse’s reins and she heard a sound; paws on the earth. He heard as well, instinctively reaching for his bow and there was movement all around them, whimpering and crying from beasts.
It was the hounds, racing back from the darkness and the horses reared as they rushed past, not looking back as they did. Siddgeir yelled at his men to get them, Kjersti shocked as she watched them emerge from the fog and within it she saw a shape. On the path ahead, laying still there was a shape motionless.
“Damned hounds!” Siddgeir spat, his stallion snorting with stress as the dogs tried to avoid being caught, their ears back and tails down. Kjersti moved forward, eyes on the lump. Something was there, not natural of the earth and her Jarl finally noticed. He called to her.
“What is it?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“I do not know.”
The dogs whimpered and shook, the two frantic soldiers rushing to leash them and keep them to their sides and Kjersti felt their fear as she moved closer. Her mare stopped and its own ears went back, its body tense.
“Kjersti!”
She did not listen. She had no choice but to dismount, her curiosity driving her and Siddgeir kept his distance, his stallion refusing to move further. She carefully tread on the earth, stepping lightly as she did until she made her way to the lump of furs on the ground. It was a human.
It was a human once.
The face was missing and she staggered back, covering her mouth. The eyes were still there, the teeth and holes for the nose but the skin was missing on the face. She found herself coughing, curling over in disgust and her Jarl dismounted, ready to come over but she stopped him.
“Don’t.”
“What is it?!” he demanded and she shook her head, pulling at his sleeves so he would not see.
“It’s a man without a face.”
He stared at her as if she was a lunatic but he did not move forward. Her pale face and fear made him accept her words and he pulled her back with him, nodding to one of the soldiers who stood nearby looking himself.
“Bury that,” he commanded and the soldier hesitated but nodded. He did not have a shovel, only a sword and he was forced to dig into the earth and marsh, his eyes not looking to the body behind him. Siddgeir mounted his horse, Kjersti hers and they turned them, leading them away a few meters where the other soldier held the leashes of the frightened hounds, waiting in the silence of the forest. The fog still rolled through the trees.
They returned without a kill, the dogs restless and Kjersti quiet. Her Jarl took to his longhouse after giving his horse back to the soldiers of his hold, his weapon taken to be stored once more and she followed him, disturbed. She remained by his side for the rest of the day, quiet and watching the door and the court became unsettled by the tension coming from her.
Finally her Jarl spoke. “It was probably a vampire.”
“That was not done by a vampire.”
He stared at her and she fidgeted, her mind going to the whispers she heard, the hushed talk amongst the guards and the inquiries made to Runil. It was made by something, something she seemed to have forgotten. No more was spoken on the matter, her Jarl in a mood from the poor hunt and she finally was commanded to return to her abode, making the journey back alone causing her nerves to be on edge as she did.
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timeasmymeasure
Black Mirror [4/?]
Date: 2014-01-25 09:42 pm (UTC)She looked at him and he didn’t look pleased, his hands tight on the horse’s reins and she heard a sound; paws on the earth. He heard as well, instinctively reaching for his bow and there was movement all around them, whimpering and crying from beasts.
It was the hounds, racing back from the darkness and the horses reared as they rushed past, not looking back as they did. Siddgeir yelled at his men to get them, Kjersti shocked as she watched them emerge from the fog and within it she saw a shape. On the path ahead, laying still there was a shape motionless.
“Damned hounds!” Siddgeir spat, his stallion snorting with stress as the dogs tried to avoid being caught, their ears back and tails down. Kjersti moved forward, eyes on the lump. Something was there, not natural of the earth and her Jarl finally noticed. He called to her.
“What is it?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“I do not know.”
The dogs whimpered and shook, the two frantic soldiers rushing to leash them and keep them to their sides and Kjersti felt their fear as she moved closer. Her mare stopped and its own ears went back, its body tense.
“Kjersti!”
She did not listen. She had no choice but to dismount, her curiosity driving her and Siddgeir kept his distance, his stallion refusing to move further. She carefully tread on the earth, stepping lightly as she did until she made her way to the lump of furs on the ground. It was a human.
It was a human once.
The face was missing and she staggered back, covering her mouth. The eyes were still there, the teeth and holes for the nose but the skin was missing on the face. She found herself coughing, curling over in disgust and her Jarl dismounted, ready to come over but she stopped him.
“Don’t.”
“What is it?!” he demanded and she shook her head, pulling at his sleeves so he would not see.
“It’s a man without a face.”
He stared at her as if she was a lunatic but he did not move forward. Her pale face and fear made him accept her words and he pulled her back with him, nodding to one of the soldiers who stood nearby looking himself.
“Bury that,” he commanded and the soldier hesitated but nodded. He did not have a shovel, only a sword and he was forced to dig into the earth and marsh, his eyes not looking to the body behind him. Siddgeir mounted his horse, Kjersti hers and they turned them, leading them away a few meters where the other soldier held the leashes of the frightened hounds, waiting in the silence of the forest. The fog still rolled through the trees.
They returned without a kill, the dogs restless and Kjersti quiet. Her Jarl took to his longhouse after giving his horse back to the soldiers of his hold, his weapon taken to be stored once more and she followed him, disturbed. She remained by his side for the rest of the day, quiet and watching the door and the court became unsettled by the tension coming from her.
Finally her Jarl spoke. “It was probably a vampire.”
“That was not done by a vampire.”
He stared at her and she fidgeted, her mind going to the whispers she heard, the hushed talk amongst the guards and the inquiries made to Runil. It was made by something, something she seemed to have forgotten. No more was spoken on the matter, her Jarl in a mood from the poor hunt and she finally was commanded to return to her abode, making the journey back alone causing her nerves to be on edge as she did.
The next day, there was another body.
--