Wolfbane (Historical Fiction Action Adventure Book, set in Dark Age post Roman Britain) Read Free Page B

ruin after all, realised Dominic, and less work to do than anticipated. Roman built, so well built , he thought. Apart from the wooden roof, which had collapsed into its interior, the building was sound. A slow trickle of water wormed its way down a small bluff to the side of the hut, before running across the ground to join a small ditch nearby. Dominic walked over to the flow, placed his hand under the cool shower and tasted the stony but drinkable water. He felt pleased with himself. The site could be made habitable in no time at all. If he worked long and hard, he would be comfortable within days.
    He entered the building and removed old rotted sections of roof, throwing them outside for later use as firewood. A soggy rope-pull attached to a rotting door was uncovered on the floor, and he guessed he had found the entrance to the storage cellar. He knew he must enter it. It would give him shelter until he had fixed the roof of the upper building.
    The cellar door opened with stiff reluctance, revealing dusty stone steps. As Dominic descended, the steps wound into utter blackness. He walked cautiously with his bow held outright before him as a makeshift probe. He continued down a short passage before the bow hit a flat surface. He groped in the dark until his hand touched rough timber. His hand explored until finding an iron ring. He realised he had found a door.
    With both hands and with little optimism, he twisted the ring, and was surprised when both ring and door moved . Not knowing what to expect, he peered through the widening crack between door and frame. Nothing, neither sound nor movement could he detect. All was still; all was black. He pushed the door further until he could squeeze through sideways. He entered a level passageway, and that was when they hit him.
    The quiet air exploded into a fit of whirling, rushing madness. He lashed about him in the darkness, impotent now with only an empty bow in his hand. He expected a deathblow to follow the whirling blasts of air that seemed to alight all over his body. In desperation, he managed to stumble into the door. He placed both of his hands against its rough edge and heaved it open.
    He fell to his knees in the passage, his heart hammering as he watched the last of the bats leave. He was furious with himself. He didn’t deserve to live. What a ham head. What a fool. Ambushed by flying rats and brandishing a weapon that could not hurt a child. He regained his feet, still cursing to himself. Then he placed his bow over his shoulder and drew his sword.
    A line of faint light at floor level caught his eye. He edged toward it, again using his sword as a probe until he struck wood. He had found another door . At his feet, daylight spilled from a gap between door and stone floor. Another iron ring, and again success as it turned and the door moved. He knew he must enter, but now he was equipped and ready. He slid through the ingress and adopted a crouching, defensive stance, his sword held in both hands before him.
    Immediately, he saw the source of the light. The cellar was huge and its domed and fluted roof had several slits built into it which were open to the leafy woodland floor above, and which allowed shafts of diffused light to illuminate a huge area below. Used for storage, a wide, stone square (now completely empty) formed the centre of the cellar. Nothing now remained except leaf litter and a number of weightless bird skeletons. Dominic’s entry evoked an air change, causing some of the dry leaves and bones to skitter across the floor. Looking around, he could see stone vaults recessed into the sides of the cellar.
    He observed no movement as he shimmied, crouched and ready, around the cellar, approaching the vaults and turning quickly and purposefully into them. This he did until he was sure he was alone. He now saw that the cellar would offer good shelter and with its one entrance would be easy to defend. He had found his new home.

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