Bezpłatny fragment - Ashley and the Book of Darkness: part one

Prologue

An average girl, extraordinary adventure, you can say. And the whole story started over a few years ago. Who is Ashley Bloomer? Her mother was an extremely beautiful woman and object of desire for many men. Soon the woman was associated with an archaeologist and botanist of British descent. Shortly after, the newly-married couple settled in a small town in South America and their daughter was born. Shortly after this incident, the man’s fiance died. From then on, the girl brought up her father, up to that one unfortunate day.

The evening was approaching and it was dark. Ashley then sat on the floor, buried in her thoughts, drawing some awkward paths on a piece of paper.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The disoriented girl raised her head and looked around.

„No, that could not be dad” — she thought. — „If it were to open the door itself, it would have keys.”

Then the door opened wide, and at the entrance stood a welded policeman. The four year old Ashley was frightened and stood up at this point, ready to run.

— Wait — stranger man spoke.

— What am I supposed to wait for? — The soft voice, the thin voice answered.

„I have something important to tell you” — he began. — It’s about your father …

„Dad!” — The child looked at the officer with a terrified look. — What about him?

— That’s why I’m here. Your father died on the last mission.

The little girl could not make a word out of herself. The man expected some violent reaction — he was crying. But she took a deep breath, spread her arms wide and said only:

— I can not decide for this.

The man remained amazed for a moment.

— So you know what that means, do not you? You will be transferred under the care of a woman from…

And he did not have time to finish talking, because the child, using the situation, slipped out the door.

— Hey! Come back! -The officer screamed as he followed the footsteps of the small stalls.

„Now I have a chance,” thought Ashley, hiding under the crippled tree.

She knew she had only one chance. She could not waste it. She ran down the path along one of the passersby.

— Carefully! — The stranger cried.

„Of course.” — Ashley said with a wry smile.

Her little heart went up to her larynx. As for her age she was extremely mature, which at times might seem very bizarre. She did not want to hit the orphanage, no…

Since then, she has been running away, she has grown up to a strong and independent girl. Confident and distrustful, she dressed up in the old fashioned outfit of an archaeologist she stole during one of the walks in one of the city’s bazaars. She had a machete and a dagger on her neck. Her long, silky, coal-colored hair hung to her waist, and her head was decorated with a peaked hat. However, in order to survive, she had to go to terrible acts — she robbed and even attacked one seller. The police were still looking for her, but to no avail. She was on the list of wanted and became the youngest criminal in the country’s history since she was only 10 years old.

On that day, she marched on sandy ground bravely with pain and soreness. Suddenly she felt the smell of smoke and burning. She has yet to see that this is the beginning of an adventure that will change her life.

Chapter 1

Ashley wiped the sweat from her forehead, took a deep breath, and began to observe the area with her piercing gaze.

„Damn, whence comes this stink?” She thought, looking around.

Everywhere the smell of burning was floating, when suddenly the girl noticed a bunch of smoke in the distance. Her inborn curiosity was no longer asking to see what happened there, even though she knew it was dangerous. For a moment she stood, staring at her boots as though she was struggling inward with her thoughts.

— Will be what will be! — Ashley shouted, running quickly toward the mysterious phenomenon.

„What the hell?” — She spat, trying to brake violently.

The fragment of the hull was still burning, and human remains were buried among the broken sheets. It seemed like the remnants of a catastrophe. Did the plane crash here? If that was the case, then the television would probably have been talking about an accident long ago …

„Suspects” — thought Ashley, looking closely at the find. Suddenly something struck her near the ear. The confused immediately grabbed the weapon, ready to attack. Then, from behind the corner, she saw a mysterious figure. She could not see the face, only a dark, blurry stain. The ten-year-old girl rubbed her eyes with the impression that she had some dangers.

„Do I see a fatamorgan?” — But something was not right here.

„I have to focus!” — the girl repeated.

The mysterious shape began to move, young adventurer did not stop looking for a moment.

„Whoever you are, come out!” — he shouted. — The end of this masquerade!

Ashley could not make out any sound. „That something” was just approaching her at incredible speed!

„Maybe it’s better” — she thought with her prying smile. — Oh, he’s coming!

She was eye to eye with her mysterious persecutor. Although she had seen this man for the first time, she had the impression that she had known him ever since. But something was disturbing in him. Probably came from some dark tribes.

„That would explain the plume and those strange faces” — Ashley tried to analyze the information.

„We meet again, miss” — he said in a hoarse voice. It was not even a second, and the figure was already behind the girl’s back.

Without hesitation she reached for her dagger as if she wanted to challenge her opponent to a duel. The man did the same.

— You have no chance with me, my dear — he growled, jumping up.

He was doing strange signs now, speaking some Latin words. He swung his wooden stick, and the multicolored smoke enveloped the hands of the mysterious stranger.

— What the hell is that?

„The spirits of my ancestors” — he explained. — „For centuries they have been watching over me, I am the chosen one. Like … You” -he whispered into her ear.

Ashley had the impression that she was weak, wanted to go fight but she could not move.

— What are you fucking? — she screamed, irritated. — Finish this childish and stand up for the fight!

She tried to catch her balance, but she felt that the ground was moving beneath her feet.

„I only have one chance, only one!” She thought. Everything depended on this one move! He grabbed his dagger and tied it with a string. She took a deep breath.

„Now … now!” She threw a gun at the nearby boulders. It seemed that the whole was a stable structure. — Adios! — she screamed, ready to jump.

But she did not foresee that the opponent would rush to her. She made a straight overhead over his head, landing safely on the other side.

„You think I’ll let you go, Miss?” -The shaman smirked. — The spirits of my ancestors decided that we would have a war here. It’s your destiny.

The air around them created a dense atmosphere. No one made the first move.

„What should I do now? "- The girl was worried. — „The guy looks strong…”

— My destiny? What are you talking about?

— Because you see the lady, our meeting is not accidental at all. Our fate has decided that this is the moment.

— Finish! Taste better half a kilogram of pure steel! — Ashley screamed, pulling her arms out. — I will kill you, no matter who you are. Here and now!

***

The mysterious man was watching the girl closely. He did not know exactly what he should do now.

„Just like her daddy before” — he thought.

Ashley immediately noticed his dreamy face and frowned. For a moment she had the feeling that all this was one bizarre dream and that this meeting never took place. But the girl realized it was not an illusion — it was reality. The young traveler was still unaware of the danger she was in. There was a silent silence.

„I have to tell you, lady, that you are very deceiving” the shaman finally said.

— What? Whom?

The man snapped his fingers and in just a few seconds found himself in front of the daughter of an archaeologist who, as you can see, probably knew personally.

„Your father” — he whispered in her ear.

The frightened girl stared at the sky now, releasing a weapon that fell to the ground.

„No, it’s impossible. How could he know Dad?”

Thousands of thoughts swirled in Ashley’s head. Loaded with luggage of her memories she lost feeling in her legs, she felt she was weakening. Emotions began to take over her — she staggered slightly and … she fell.

— Are you kidding me?! — She snapped, rising from the ground. — I told you to finish this dumb talk!

— And hyperactive like Luke.

The black adventurer, unlike Ashley, looked at everything with great calm.

„Never…” — The girl struggled to hold back the tears she had thrown at her eyes. — Never… Do not say my father’s name in my presence!

She rubbed her sand outfit and reached for her machete. Nothing else mattered. Only overcome this, in her opinion, a madman.

„It’s sick.” — she thought.

She swung her blade, but the opponent swiftly dodged.

„It will not be that easy” — Ashley tried to come up with a meaningful plan. „Perhaps a surprise attack?”

She let herself run over and over again, creating a sandstorm. At the last moment she jumped on a high rock, using a previously dropped rope. Satisfied she was thinking about her next move. Suddenly she heard a cough coming from behind her back. She turned and saw a shaman behind her.

— How could he have seen my moves? — she did not understand anything.

— I know what you’re thinking now, miss. The ghosts of my ancestors can read from your mind as if from a book. They provide me all the information.

„Then let the dead keep silent!” — the girl screamed, jumping off the rock. — Who are you to a hundred lightning bolts?

— Oh, I’m sorry — the shaman bowed. — I did not introduce myself. I forgot about good upbringing?

— Talk! — Ashley pointed the dagger straight at his throat. Pot began to flood the man’s forehead.

— But why these nerves, calm down. My name is Safron, the leader of the Black Hawks tribe, to your service. I came here for something that belongs to me. Or maybe two things. You see, miss, this plane crash was not accidental at all. My ancestors did because we have to recover what we lost.

— Namely …? — Ashley did not hide her lack of interest. It was only up to it to end this nightmare. She turned around, but Safron was gone. She looked at the area in search of the newcomer.

— He is there! — Indeed, near the stone mountain stood a shaman.

— The Book of Darkness … — suddenly the voice died down. For a moment she looked around but there was no one in the desert.

The figure seemed to have melted into the air, collapsed under the ground.

„But what do I have to do with that?” — The girl brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and sat on the stone. Ashley did not understand that.

— Daddy, give me a sign! — She cried out.

The only thing she thought was a friend of her late father. On the day Luke was killed, Albert had seen him for the last time. He was also an archaeologist and in addition he was investigating the mysterious death of a British. The brunette threw a hat over her head and ran ahead.

Ashley took a deep breath, wiping sweat from her forehead with her hand. She had the impression that her knees were made of cotton wool. She no longer had the strength to run, but she knew she could not stop. Looking around, she wondered what would happen next. When she was sure she was not around, she decided to take a break.

„Only five minutes, no second longer,” she said in a spirit.

Now it was time to put everything that had happened so far in the head. She still had no idea what the mysterious man might want from her. But it certainly had something to do with the dead father. It hurt her most…

Chapter 2

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming from somewhere. Disoriented, she grabbed her dagger and frowned.

„Safron could come back here anytime” — thought the girl.

— Ashley! — young adventurer felt someone’s hand on his shoulder. She blinked and turned her head away.

— Mr. Albert! — She said.

She expected everything but not her father’s friend. She managed to smile, in a spirit of rejoicing that it was the end of her search.

Albert Mafray often helps Ashley after the death of his colleague and accepted her at home. Although he knew he should tell the police that the runaway girl was never there, he never got the chance. He had no heart to do it. The man took a bottle of water out of his briefcase and handed it to her with a black hair.

— Please have a drink — he said with a bright smile. She started drinking greedily as if she had had nothing in her mouth for at least a few days. She wiped her face with a sleeve and sighed deeply.

— What are you doing here, dear child?

— I should first ask that question — said the young traveler.

„I was walking down the stairs to investigate the circumstances of the plane crash” — Ashley looked horrified at Albert.

— So, however…

„You look like you saw the ghost” — the archeologist said. — Do you know anything about it?

The girl thought.

— You know a guy named Safron?

— S-safron? Did you say… Safron!? Now the man looked at Ashley with a piercing gaze.

— Mhym. I was hoping you could help me.

„I thought it would never come that day. But… you must know the truth…”

— Truth? So you know something! — The girl crossed her arms and reproached her leg with reproach.

— Yes, I know more than I look. Sit better because it’s.. a longer story.

Ashley sat down on the ground.

— Please enlighten me. Is it… — She swallowed. — Is this something related to my dad?

— Not only Dad, but your mother too.

Albert stared at the sky, not knowing where he should start.

„Since you already know Safron, I will not hide it any longer. Namely, he is behind your parents death.”

Ashley felt a wave of heat. She felt her hands shake. The archaeologist, however, continued.

„It’s old times"he said. — We were no more than a dozen years old. Then your father visited the head of the Black Hawk tribe … He offered wealth, strength and fame in return. As you may think, Luke agreed. He just did not know what to pack. Safron made him his right hand — taught him to imprison ancestral spirits and control inner energy. This is where the strength of Safron comes from. According to the legend, one hundred years ago, one of the descendants of the Bloomer’s blood will inherit the power of the tribe and marry a shaman’s child. Do you realize who was to be next?

— Dad? — she replied uncertainly.

— No, Ashley, you. But your father did not want to agree to this arrangement. You know why?

The girl nodded her head.

— Because he loved you. You were all for him and the only memory of his beloved.