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Great Writing - Home > SF > Deadly Nightshade - Chapter One
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Science Fiction and Fantasy
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| Deadly Nightshade - Chapter One | |
| By Goddess | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 June 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The next chapter of Nightshade. I hope you like it. Chapter One Nightshade had always been isolated from everyone she had known. The curse made sure of that. Nightshade was punished for the mistakes of her father. Her father who was a great womaniser and killer. Phillip and Nightshade had only shared the same mother. Her father was a half-breed from the Dragon tribe. He had kidnapped Nightshade’s mother – Elizabeth - from her former husband and raped her. Nine months later, Elizabeth gave birth to Nightshade. When Nightshade was taken to her birthing ritual in Elizabeth’s tribe, the Priestess proclaimed her a demon child and placed a curse upon her. Nightshade could not love; she could not be intimate with anyone. If she did… When Nightshade was sixteen, she had attracted a young Chieftain of one of the Southern Tribes. He tried to seduce her. She began to fall for him as she did, her thoughts turned to murder and hate. Phillip had to drag the girl from the half-ravaged village. She had murdered thirty men in the space of an hour. The pain that it caused her when Phillip calmed her had drove Nightshade to starve herself for weeks until Phillip force-fed her to keep her alive. That was the advantage of her being descended from the Dragon tribe. Her body could withstand a lot more torture than pure-blooded powered-beings. Phillip was five years Nightshade’s senior at twenty-five and was very protective over his half-sister. They had been travelling to find a cure for the curse since Nightshade was nine years old, just after her mother had died. Nightshade’s quest was two-fold. Find a cure. Find her father. Phillip had always refused to let Nightshade take action towards the Half-breeds lands. Nightshade was also a powered-being and this would not put her in their favour. Nightshade didn’t care. She wasn’t travelling to gain anyone’s favour. She was travelling for purpose. She pulled her gloves right up to her elbows and pulled her cloak tighter around her. Nightshade had been travelling for days. She had not stopped and she had not slept. This was beginning to wear her down but if she stopped then there was a chance that the half-breeds would catch her, especially now it was getting dark. They fed from the darkness. The Vampyre, Dragon and Werewolf Clans particularly. Nightshade had never come across a vampyre and didn’t think she would ever want too and as a powered-being they would usually sense her from a long distance. They would either avoid her or they would gather more before they hunted for her. Phillip – being a pure blooded powered-being – could always sense them when they were close. Their world was split into three. This was made up of the Half-breeds, the Pure-breeds and the Dead. Although they weren’t actually Dead, it was a land of cannibals. It was named as such because anyone who entered was often lucky to escape alive. Along the boarder into the Land of the Dead was a Gate of bones. Literally made up of bones from the victims they had eaten, it stood metres in the air, tall and imposing. Nightshade had only been there once. She wasn’t desperate to go back there any time soon. It was five days until Nightshade reached the next village. A pure-breed village if she’d ever seen one. Full to the brim of powered-beings and that is just what Nightshade needed tonight. She knocked on the entrance gates three times and a small pigeonhole opened, a gnarled man glared down at her. ‘It’s past the curfew, missy.’ He snarled, his face distorting into a disgusting little frown. ‘Hardly. The sun has just set behind the mountains. Don’t play me a fool, sir. I am not in the mood.’ ‘Are you a Half-breed?’ He questioned, his dark eyes squinting at Nightshade suspiciously. Nightshade clicked her tongue irritably and drew out her mother’s circular pendant with a swirl engraved into the gold. The man looked impressed. ‘A high class powered-being.’ He opened the door, standing aside to let Nightshade past. ‘I seek Morana. I heard she was in this village.’ ‘That stone tower. You will find Morana there. I hope you find her in a better mood than the man earlier.’ The porter smirked. ‘He was a pile of ashes before he even entered. So I’d watch your step, little miss high class powered-being.’ ‘Thanks for the advice.’ Nightshade replied dryly, tucking her pendant back underneath her cloak then striding purposely away. The stone tower looked gothic in the clouded, gruesome night sky. It was slightly crooked and very slender; Nightshade imagined it was also very cold inside. Morana was known for her bad temper so Nightshade would have to step very carefully not to upset the powered-being tonight. When Nightshade closed in on the tower she could already see the high powered-being’s warning signs – skulls on pikes, a body encased in a body cage which had been left for the crows and various curses which Nightshade could easily disable. She had enough of curses as it was. The door was open so after she entered she pushed it so it slammed closed. ‘Morana!’ Nightshade ascends up the narrow spiralling corridor; the steps were steep and they ached the woman’s already weary body but she didn’t give it too much thought. She needed to see Morana. Her heart was pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement and as she reached the top of the stairs Nightshade stopped to get her breath back. Then she knocked. ‘What do you want?’ Although the voice was sharp and hostile, it had a beautiful womanly lilt that eased Nightshade’s fears. But only slightly. Nightshade opened the door a little. She could already sense the webs of magick that covered the room’s interior and froze. ‘I would prefer it if you disabled your precautions.’ Nightshade whispered gently. ‘Very well. You are an observant one.’ The magick drained away and Nightshade opened the door fully. Morana was reclined on her seat, her striking ice-blue eyes fixed upon Nightshade with a judgemental glare. ‘You are skinner then I thought you would be.’ Morana snapped, rising from her seat to look closer at Nightshade. ‘And you are prettier than I thought you would be.’ Nightshade retorted. Although it wasn’t much of a retort, it was true and Morana knew it because she smiled gently. ‘Expecting an old hag were you?’ Morana was definitely not an old hag. She had long tresses of white-blonde hair that reached her waist and was plaited into a long braid, which hung over her left shoulder. Her skin was deadly white, regal, ghostly but very beautiful. Her figure was deliciously curved and slender like Nightshade’s body. This was a trait of the powered-beings. ‘I... I don’t know what I was expecting.’ Morana watched Nightshade for what felt like an eternity and managed to make the usually strong stonehearted woman feel like a child in that gaze then she turned slowly. ‘Come. Sit, Nightshade.’ ‘How did you know I was coming?’ ‘I knew you would seek me out about your curse one day, child. I just didn’t know when. It took you a very long time.’ Morana offered Nightshade a seat and the younger woman sat gratefully. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t sought out the Half-Breeds yet...’ Nightshade must have looked slightly guilty because Morana gave a deep rich laugh. ‘What do you want from me?’ ‘I need supplies and help.’ Nightshade began, choosing her words carefully. ‘I’m willing to pay handsomely for both.’ ‘How much?’ Morana asked, sounding uninterested and unconvinced. This worried Nightshade so she mentally pushed up the price. ‘Five thousand dracnimas.’ ‘You have that much?’ ‘Yes.’ Nightshade replied, pushing her hair behind her ears nervously, hoping that this was a sign that Morana would take the deal. ‘I need more. Not money. More to your deal so... no deal. Good evening, Nightshade.’ Nightshade felt her anger flame and she clenched her fists. She could taste her magick on her lips and she scowled at Morana, trying to control herself. She wondered what else the woman could want. Her soul? Her heart? Nightshade had neither. Her first unborn child? That was definitely unlikely. What would she want? ‘I need to free myself of my curse. I suspect that the death of my father will begin this. He’s the leader of the Dragon-Claw Clan. Please, Morana.’ Morana looked thoughtful for a moment. The death of the Dragon-Claw leader would certainly mean something to the woman. It would be a hard hit on the Half-Breeds and the one thing that Nightshade did know about the woman was that she hated Half-Breeds. Morana took her seat again, pouring Nightshade a cup full of blood-red wine. ‘You have my undivided attention, Nightshade.’ She lifted her glass up to her lips with a smile. ‘That is a start. If I help you, child, then you will owe me something in return.’ ‘Anything.’ ‘Good. Then let’s continue.’
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