Free The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) by D. S. Nielsen Page A

suddenly felt a pang of guilt as he spoke those words, after all, his father might not be proud of what he had become now. Jak wasn’t really sure what he had become, or was becoming, so he revised his eulogy. “I owe all of what is good in me to you father.” Then he tossed the box on the flames to be consumed with the bodies.
    Once Jak was finished, Gin stepped forward again, and they continued taking turns until they had completed the makeshift ritual for all their family members. Once it was all done with, they moved on to the other houses in Elsdon. After he and Gin had taken care of all the dead bodies in the village, Jak stepped back and sighed.
    “It’s just you and I now Gin….but don’t worry…..I’ll keep you safe….I promise.” However, the words might have little meaning since he had no idea how to accomplish this.
    Gin looked up at him with her best “big girl” expression and said. “I know you will Jak. We will be alright” Jak was surprised that she seemed to be more confident than he was, but tears were still leaking from the corners of her eyes. This all must have taken a tremendous toll on the small girl, but Jak had to admire the little girl for her courage.
    After a few moments, they moved over to the large apple tree by the barn, the one Jak had happily climbed and played in many times before. The pair sat at the base of the trunk and dejectedly watched their whole life, everything they loved; go up in smoke, as it slowly drifted towards the heavens and out of sight. Everything was gone.
    As Jak sat there in despair, with his arm around his baby sister, a strange nagging hunger arose inside him. He became conscious of the fact that he could smell Gin, feel her blood flowing through her veins, and acutely sense the beating of her heart. With a great effort he forced the hunger down, stomped it out with sheer force of will, until it was a distant feeling far away. The horror of the moment left him shaking and sweating. The real problem now, was that Jak didn’t know how long he could hold that voracious hunger at bay.
     

Chapter 3
    Nicoldani sat atop his large black warhorse on a low rise overlooking the wide expanse that stretched all the way to the mountains far to the east. From what he could remember of the maps he had seen, these mountains on the horizon were the furthest mountains to the east. Beyond them lay the flat lands of the forsaken, or as some people called them, the Endless Plains, which stretched all the way to the eastern sea. His newest destination; a small village at the foot of these mountains, was still at least four days ride.
    The sun was at his back and was just beginning to sink below the western horizon. He was travel stained and weary from his long trek. What made matters even worse was the fact that he was out here in the middle of nowhere, leagues from civilization without really knowing exactly where he was going. Nicoldani did know what he was seeking, just no solid knowledge of exactly where to look, and even less knowledge of what he was supposed to do if he did actually find it. The village that lay ahead was just another in a series of seemingly unending dead-ends.
    Nicoldani had been traveling for months now, unable to find what it was he sought. The old priest had sent him away with only bits and pieces of a puzzle. Nicoldani had gleaned little more on his long journey, and was beginning to think the old priest had lost his wits sending him off on the impossible mission.
    Even though it had been several months since he set off on this trek, the shame and frustration was still razor sharp. It was like a sharp blade had been inserted into his gut then left to fester and rot. He should have stayed at Gethseena even if it had meant his certain death. So many of Nicoldani’s brothers had lost their lives that night in the attack, that he feared all of them were likely to be dead now.
    The men weren’t really his blood brothers, but they were sworn