Chapter 4

A sudden noise woke Chadwick from his rest. Rolling to his knees, he instinctively he reached for his longsword for defense. His hands brushed its smooth handle; he gripped it tightly as he held it in from of his kneeling figure. The fire had long died and now the bitter cold of the forest bit into every muscle of his fatigued body.

Cautiously he stood, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim light. All his senses were heightened. But now, what he sensed was silence. It seemed deadly. The Whispering Woods was thought to be a haunted place where no traveler returns alive. Stories of Old, tell of nights when weary travelers hear soft whispers, promising dreaded torment. Words that were only heard at the gates of Hell's entrance. What evil could roam the woods that would stop the whispering? It was as though the woods itself was afraid.

The moon was descending in the frigid sky. Chadwick threw his blanket over his shoulder and proceeded with caution. With every step his feet sank into the moist rotted earth, and the soft gurgling sound it made echoed off the trees. The further into the woods he walked, the more he began to smell an aroma on the moist fragrant air. An aroma he had never smelled before. It was like scent of sweet nectar calling to a bee. He followed the scent to what looked like a clearing in the woods.

As he stepped through, he saw that lights were penetrating through the ground, and within this circle of lights was a woman on grassy green moss. She laid a few strides in front of him, on her side, leaning toward him, dangerously close to exposing her bosom through her thin gown. Her eyes were of golden green and they seemed to glow in the night; tempting him to explore further. Chadwick stepped back and she seemed to notice his hesitation.

She gracefully stood up and walked toward him. Her long brown robe and blonde hair was blowing in a breeze, a breeze that surrounded only her. The breeze teased Chadwick as it lifted up the hem of her thin dress showing hints of her thighs. As she came near him, he was hypnotized and unable to move. His sword dropped from his hands and onto the ground. Her fingertips gently played with his dark brown hair, then lowered to trace every line around his face, and stopping as she reached the bottom of his angular chin.

All he was able to do was staring into the depths of her green eyes. Oh how they enchanted him. He was aware of every move she made and how every touch felt. A trail of heat followed her fingers, causing a shiver to roll down his body. He reached to her, his numb hands brushing her face. At that moment she vanished from his sight and reappeared within her circle of lights.

He moved toward her to embrace her beauty. He reached his hand into the wall of lights, and recoiled as he felt a burning sensation in his fingers. He stepped back from the lights as he peered down at his scalded fingers. He felt the presence of a breeze near him and looked up to see her ivory hand reaching toward him, beckoning him closer. He paused as her hand reached and gently touched short dark hair, sliding down the back of his neck. The feeling of her warmth flowed throughout his body. Her hand fell to his chest, gently tugging and pulling at his tunic, sliding the thin blanket off his shoulder and onto the ground.

Slowly she unlaced the top of his tunic, as a sudden chill entered his body and threw his gaze from her eyes. In an instant, the moon reflected off the teardrop pendant tied around his neck. The amethyst stone, shielded the diamond in the center, as though it shielded the center of the man's soul, repelled the woman and sent her to the ground cursing devilish words.

He was instantly released from the spell she had cast upon him. He then knew that this was not a kind tree spirit, but a demon. As he moved near to her; holding his amethyst in front of him, she started to change. The once beautiful seductive woman now turned into a hideous monster with two long snaked for hair, and claws for hands. Her brown robe was now torn to shreds; her once milky white complexion now turned a stale grey, and now her lovely green eyes turned to a hellish mixture of green and ash black.

The grotesque monster was no longer a woman but Jaliston, the sister of the ancient creature Medusa. A brief moment passed when she looked up, and caught his horrid glance. She spat a brown substance at Chadwick, missing him, but burning the mossy covered ground. She hissed as she disappeared from sight, leaving Chadwick in blackness as her circle of lights evaporated in the mist.