The Blood Line by Ben Yallop Read Free Book Online

closing.’
    The other patrons were quick to comply. They hurried out the door anxious to be off home to families and keen to bar themselves in. The man who had brought the news followed them out. Sam lingered for a moment and then hurried after him out into the evening air.
    ‘Excuse me,’ he said, laying a hand on the man’s arm. ‘What kind of rogue was he? Good or bad.’
    ‘There’s only one kind of rogue, lad,’ said the man. ‘Dangerous.’
    With that he hurried off leaving Sam standing alone in the middle of the muddy street. A few people hurried past but the crossroads was already nearly deserted. The recent visit from the deadly Riven tax collector was clearly still fresh in the minds of the townsfolk. Making a decision Sam turned towards where the sun had just set and the sky was at its lightest. He hurried out of town and into the grassy plains beyond. The rain had stopped and the skies were clearing.
     
    Darkness came quickly but a half moon gave Sam enough light as he stalked carefully through the long wet grass over the rolling countryside. This was, he knew, a dangerous time to be out. The beasts which inhabited the night would be awake and hungry. He had learnt that those without presence did not last long out here in the dark, not unless they were well armed and able to keep a pack of wild animals or big strange things all at arms-length. Even with presence it was not easy and Sam had once been badly frightened by a pack of feral dog-like creatures with large heads and long teeth and blueish-grey skin instead of fur. A look in his grandfather’s diary later on had seemed to identify them as something known in his own world as chupacabre. If Sam hadn’t been able to use his presence that night he was sure that they would have overwhelmed him. He’d been badly shaken by that. At least tonight the moon was not full. The wolfish garoul were at their worst then.
    No, the night was a time when only magicians dared roam freely. It worked to the advantage of the Riven, effectively sealing off any villages more than a day’s walk away. Unable to survive a journey through the night the people remained isolated and unable to band together.
    Sam crept forward through the long grass, ears pricked for the slightest unnatural sound. A gentle wind pushed the grass backwards and forwards in waves, so that Sam felt like he was walking through a strange sea, the sound of which shushed him with every gust.
    It was full night when he saw the first distant flicker of light. He looked up, the sky was clear, the moon and stars were visible. This was no storm. He moved even more carefully then, ready to drop into the long grass at a moment. More flashes came from the other side of a small hill and as he neared the crest Sam thought he heard a distant voice. Nearing the top he edged forward carefully, moving onto his stomach to wriggle forward in the grass.
    Before long he was able to peer over the top of the hill, finally getting his first view of the source of the flashes. A figure stood on a low rise, still quite distant to Sam. The person seemed to be facing away from Sam and seemed to be hunched over and was, Sam noted with a stab of fear, wearing dark robes the same as those worn by the Riven. As Sam watched the figure straightened and Sam heard him faintly call out strange words in a language he did not recognise as he thrust one out-stretched arm towards the sky. A great flash erupted from his fingers illuminating the figure briefly, but not revealing much more detail. The strange words continued and became more like a chant, or a spell. Sam shivered as the far-off voice rose and fell. Every now and then the chant rose to a shout, the figure stretched out an arm and the lights came again. Lightning danced on his hands.
    Sam watched for a while as white fire flickered in the sky before him and he tried to decide what to do. He had not been able to find any help in Mu. Ordinary people couldn’t help him. Anyone