The Ferrymans Daughter

THE ANCIENT TOME

CHAPTER TWO

THE ANCIENT TOME

The figures gathered inside the courtyard under cover of darkness. Their robes were long and their hoods gave them disguise. They formed into a circle and one of the group stepped forward pulling a book from under their garment, a girls hand reached fourth opening the sacred book and she began to read from the ancient tome. The young woman sang in an enchanting voice and ancient language poured fourth from her mouth. With the flicker of a lighter a candle was lit. They passed the flame from one to another until all of them were shining.

The words became louder as they flowed from her lips and it blew back her hood as the others joined in. After some time within the space of the yard, their ritual abruptly came to a close.

As the rest took down their hoods the group closed in, surrounding her.

"You said it would work, What the fuck?" A girls voice yelled

"You stupid little bitch, your book is nothing but a piece of shit, nothing happened!" Screamed one of the sisters.

“We have it all right here, this is it, I know it. We just need to chant a little longer to bring our voices into tune." Katherine explained as one of them knocked the tome from her hand.

"Wrong loser, show her girls!" Spat the woman as she pointed at Katherine .

All of them laughed as she stood there, alone and ridiculed.

"It was supposed to be your fucking initiation to the sisterhood!" Said the girl.

"You are a fucking failure!" Yelled another

The sorority pushed and shoved Katherine hitting her repeatedly and she was knocked the ground. Suddenly, a light came on in a window atop the stairwell. Upon the wall, its brilliance broke the darkness and a door began to open. It lit up the area as Katherine tried to pick herself up off the ground and the sisters abandoned their cause. In the dark, some of them tripped over their robes as they ran across the courtyard entering the universities dorm through a side entrance.

She knelt there upon the grass battered, then she stood to her feet. Quickly the girl made her way to the shadows and into its concealment. Out of sight, something far more sinister was at hand. Hiding in the shadows with her back against the wall, a fear grew inside. It crept in from all ways as she stood there frightened, avoiding the beam. The janitor with his flashlight scanned the courtyard. Seeing nothing he went back inside, turning off the light.

Far away, upon the rocky cliff a portal emerged among the rocks upon the side of the mountain. As
the dark gate appeared, sand and stones flew away from the hillside. It was a spectacular scene as the opening poured forth a black spray of misty fog. Unknown to the young woman in the robe, within the darkness the Hound of Hell was at last, free. Katherine had no idea what she had done.

Called to duty, the vile abomination traveled to the place which it had been called. Finally it was released from its prison. The fiend could not wait to run swiftly upon the earth, it was free to roam the darkness once more. The beast of hell remembered his final moments before his imprisonment. He was glad to be free of his chains and his mind immediately turned to revenge. Descending upon the courtyard the deity took its mortal form.

The huge wolf like creature stalked in the shadows. It listened to the young woman’s cries and fed off her sorrowed emotions. The beast lifted its jowls, exposing his enormous fangs as it sniffed the air.

"Mmmmm so sweet mmmmm so soft and tasty." whispered the ghastly creature.

The hound was always starving for a meal. As it gained its strength, the deity’s eyes burned with an eerie orange haze. Its long black hair flowed as the beast crept about the darkness and finally ending up beside the girl.

"Soon I will invade you, harvest you and you will be mine." uttered the beast as it took long whiffs of her scent.

It reached out with a sharpened claw and bound an evil spell, in the darkness she was branded with the mark of the deity. Ever so small it was burned into her skin and the young woman fell to the ground.

Katherine awoke and got up off the ground, stunned after the event. The ancient book lay on the grass. It called out to her. Feeling its power, hearing its faint call she picked it up off the ground. In terror and fear she stood, clutching the book.

With a few short steps she began to walk, the rain came down and Katherine quickened her pace to stay ahead of it while she crossed the courtyard. The creature could feel the power radiating from the tome, the key to the ancient portal. It realized that as she carried the old relic, Katherine could not be touched. The very thing that summoned him now became her protection.

"Her demise will have to wait!" sneered the beast as he turned up his head and looked away.

She looked back one last time before going inside, closing the door behind her. The Hound of Hell was warded off and left to explore the darker places of the world. It was at point that the beast faded into the night, and he left her with a shadowy thought.

“Until we meet again in your, dream!" The girl heard while she stood in the hallway behind the door causing her to run to her room in fright.