The Devil's Daughter by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 32

The next day arrived with the warming sun, climbing in the cold mountain air, casting a reddish light on the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains. The scene could have been painted by a great master, but many in the village had come to see the rolling hills and rocky peaks as a source of fear. Even a simple walk to the edge of the village was discouraged, especially as night began to fall. However, it wasn't long before the village came to life and like so many times past, everyone pursued their daily routine.

A day after the burial, the hunters would, once again, meet in the church to discuss their plans to isolate the village from the outside world. Now, Nelu and the others sat in the congressional hall, waiting for the elders to arrive. They talked amongst themselves about how they might, finally, kill the creature. Perhaps they would continue to search the woods, hoping to find tracks or even a few tufts of hair. They had not lost anyone when traveling in groups. Of course, they had also been well-armed and hunting within half a mile of the village. But, the conversation was interrupted when the elders walked in, and with them was a rolled-up map of the village. The hunters knew the village, the road, and the surrounding woods for miles, but the elders, having heard Nelu's suggestion, had come with a plan of their own.

A table was dragged out from in from of the lectern and brought to where everyone could gather. Within the church, it had been used for many things, including a place to set what was needed for communion. Sitting at the table, Ileana motioned the hunters towards her as she rolled out the map. It had been drawn up sometime during the previous century but was still easily readable, and the village had changed little since that time. “Alright,” she began. “First, does anyone have any ideas?” The men were silent. They had, only moments ago, been talking about how they might kill the creature. But this was something completely different, and although blocking off the road would mean isolating the village, everyone involved agreed that it was necessary. Yet, they feared that if others discovered the village, some may return to the outside world, telling others of the mysterious curse on their village, and the last thing they needed were curiosity seekers. Worse than that, they could, even by accident, get someone killed. Perhaps themselves.

It didn't take long to draft a plan and the hunters agreed that the road should be blocked. Large pines would be felled across the road, two or three at a time, cut in a way that they would cross each other. Anyone traveling to the village would quickly find themselves discouraged by the impasse, and perhaps, take it as a warning. Before leaving, axes were sharpened while the wives of those set to the task, packed food for the day. Without fear of an attack by day the hunters, accompanied by some of the village's strongest men, left with a plan to create a barrier, roughly five miles away. They would construct two as they returned. Again, Nelu, leading the group, knew where to stop and which trees to fell. However, they would avoid any trees that might require dragging, as it would require more time and Nelu wanted the job done as quickly as possible. If the day got too late, they would simply continue the next day.

The job went easier than they expected, and by four o'clock, the men returned to the village. Everyone was exhausted. It might have taken longer, perhaps into the next day, had it not been for employing men who knew how to swing an ax. Now, as did the rest of the men, Nelu trudged home for a bit of rest before dinner. As he walked in the front door, he made sure to put his ax out of reach of his daughter's sometimes curious hands. Alina had never been as inquisitive as Nelu and Anca thought she should be. After all, as a rule, children are known to be highly curious and sometimes, at the cost of injury. Occasionally, the most important lessons of life can be painful, but hopefully, recoverable.

After stowing his ax, Nelu turned to see Alina standing in front of him. It seemed the only time she did not bear a sinister grin was when she slept. Nelu, initially startled by this almost constant expression, had become used to it over the last few months. Now, he was able to ignore it most of the time.

“Anca,” he called.

Anca, knowing that when he arrived, would be both tired and hungry, was already assembling what she needed for dinner.

“Has Alina had her dinner?”

Once again, Anca had been with her all day and was continuing to find it difficult to manage her behavior. “Yes,” she said. “Not long ago.”

He sat as Anca removed a pot from the fire. “So, the road is blocked off now?” she asked. As Nelu began eating, he gave a quick nod to her question. “Yes,” he replied. “No more newcomers. No one will get into this village.”

“Or out.”

Both Anca and Nelu were startled by Alina's meek voice. She had been standing only three or so feet from Nelu's side when she whispered what seemed like a prophecy, the deepening of a dark shadow, already looming over the village. They looked at her with fear and shock, having always thought her to be mute.

“What did you say?” Nelu asked. Alina's face turned to a giggling expression, and after jumping in place for a few moments, sprinted away and through the house.

Nelu sat staring into nothing as Alina's whispered words sank in and repeating them in his head, he was struck by a terrifying thought, and jumping from his chair, ran out of the house. Making his way past the burial ground, Nelu ran to Ileana's house and pounded on the door. It was growing dark, and as he continued beating on the door, glanced around in all directions, fearing what he knew would lay in the coming night. Ileana opened the door, and seeing Nelu's face, answered in a confused voice. “Nelu,” she began. “What brings you here? Is the work on the road finished?”

“Yes,” Nelu replied. “That's what I need to talk to you about.”

His voice was urgent, but their conversation was cut short by the barking of a nearby dog.

“Nelu, can this wait until morning? It's getting dark,” Ileana said.

“It's about the roadblocks,” he continued. “We have to take them down. We have to clear the road.” She looked at him with disbelief, knowing how much work had been done in carrying out, what everyone saw as a necessary task.

“Are you out of your mind?” she asked. “Nelu, it's getting dark. You know what that means. Can we talk about this in the morning?”

Nelu glanced over at the mountains, and seeing the sun touching the dusky edge of the horizon, he turned back to Ileana and asked that they meet in secret. “Fine,” she said. “We'll talk here. Now, please go home, while it's still light.”

Nodding his head, Nelu turned and quickly walked back home through the coming night. The darkness, that, at the end of every day, covered the village like a blanket, also filled the air with fear. It was something that was felt by everyone, and the people of Gura Haith had come to fear the night, even more than they feared the creature that haunted it.