Split Blood: The Ancient Codex - Part One (Book #1 ) - COMPLETE

CHAPTER ONE - THE SATUS (Part 2)

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CHAPTER ONE – THE SATUS

(Part 2)

The light pierced my eyes and the warmth of the sun gave me an instant feeling of security as I woke up from my deep slumber, to see Raven sitting on her bed with mum. ‘What are you doing?!’ I shrieked as I jumped to my feet and headed for the door, without waiting for an answer.

‘Wait! You need to listen to this, Faith!’ Raven shouted after me, but I was already through the cabin door. Without having a clue where I was going, I’d just burst past the other children playing in the central area where we usually ate, and out of the campsite.

I had no extra clothes or provisions, but I knew I was in danger. With one glance over my shoulder, I ran down the dust path and hoped I would be lucky and find the ever-friendly camp warden.

However, that look back (to ensure I was not being chased) was my downfall - I crashed into a burly figure and fell straight to the floor.

It was my father.

The men and women usually get separated at these retreats; however, the male camps were only usually a few minutes’ walk away, so we could always see dad when we needed to.

He picked me up from the ground and assessed my shaking disposition. ‘I have to go dad, let me go! They’re trying to kill me!’ I shrieked as I fought to shake myself loose from his powerful grip.

‘What are you talking about, Faith?’ my father questioned, becoming increasingly apprehensive at my wild temperament.

After a few calming words, he was finally able to sit me down so I could explain the bizarre goings-on of the night before. ‘Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?’ he asked, as though just humouring my story to avoid another episode.

‘I’m telling you the truth dad. Why do you think I need to go now?’ I begged as I began to get anxious again. He vowed to find out what was going on and escorted me back to the camp, whilst promising not to let me leave his side.

Within moments, we got back to the camp to find the group of women (from the previous night) assembled once again, this time around a large wooden table in the centre of the campsite. ‘Dad, it’s the women from last night! They’ve come to kill me!’ I screamed as I tried to run again, only to be stopped by my father’s mighty hand on my shoulder.

With my kicks and screams draining his patience, he fought to carry me to the table, as his words of reasoning were drowned out by my determination to wriggle free from his tight hold. ‘Listen!’ he shouted, as he sat me down at the table. My mother came to my side and tried to soothe me with a loving embrace, which was unsurprisingly not reciprocated - visions of her from the previous night tainted my mind.

I realised my time had come to stop fighting to escape and conserve my energy; the woman they called ‘Mim’ came to the head of the table and addressed me coolly. ‘We’re not trying to kill you, Faith. We’re here to help you,’ she stated as the others nodded in agreement.