The Sirens' Feast

 

 

 

The Dark Hunter

Mr Daniel Blood is the Dark Hunter. People call him to fight evil demons, vampires and ghosts.

Edgar and Mary help Mr Blood with his work.

The three hunters need to be strong and clever to survive…

 

Contents

 

Chapter 1

A Summer Meeting

Mr Blood, Mary and Edgar were high on a hill. They could see for miles all around. It was summer, and the sun was hot. But they could see storm clouds were coming towards them.

 

 

“We must find somewhere to stay tonight,” said Mr Blood. He led the way down into a valley. The fields on either side of the path were just brown earth.

Edgar was surprised. “It's summer,” he said. “The crops should be ready for harvest. But look, everything is dead.” He was right. The crops had failed.

“Someone is coming,” said Mary. A skinny boy was running towards them across the field.

“Do you have any food?” begged the boy. “We haven't eaten for days.”

“Take this,” said Mr Blood, handing over an apple and a loaf of bread from his pack. The boy put the bread under his arm and ran back across the field, eating the apple as he went.

They saw more empty fields and then came to a small village. More hungry people came to beg for food, just as the boy had done.

“We shouldn't stay here,” Edgar whispered.

“You're right,” said Mr Blood, “we haven't enough to feed them all and they could get nasty.”

They handed over all the food they could spare and kept walking. Everywhere they looked the crops had failed.

“Poor people,” Mr Blood said, shaking his head.

They came round a bend in the lane and saw a young woman. She was dressed all in white. She was humming softly to herself. As soon as Edgar and Mr Blood saw the woman they stopped and stared at her. They could not stop staring at her.

 

 

Mary spoke to the young woman. “Could you help us?” she asked. “There's a storm coming and we need somewhere to stay for the night.”

“You can stay at my father's farm if you like,” the young woman said. “We let guests stay with us all the time. Some of them stay for a long time.” As she said this, she gave a strange smile.

Edgar and Mr Blood stood still, staring at the woman.

“Sorry about them,” said Mary. “The boy is called Edgar, the man's name is Mr Blood and I'm Mary.”

“Follow me,” said the woman, turning away.

Mr Blood and Edgar both blinked and shook their heads. It was as if they had been in a dream and had just woken up.

 

Chapter 2

The Farm

The young woman led them across a field towards a large farmhouse. A big man stood next to the house.

“Have you found some more guests for us?” he shouted. The woman in white nodded. The man seemed pleased and he hurried across the field to meet them.

“You must stay with us until the storm has passed,” he said. “You have met my daughter, June. Now come inside and meet her sisters and my wife.”

Mary saw that the farmer was carrying a bow.

The farmhouse door opened and a fat woman with red cheeks waved to them.