Blood Sacrifice_A Blackham City Urban Fantasy Novel_August Creed Paranormal Suspense Series by N. P. Martin

Author:N. P. Martin [Martin, N. P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Martin Publications
Published: 2016-12-28T16:00:00+00:00

29

The Leap

IT HAD BEEN a while since I was outside of the city, so it was a pleasant change to see green fields and rolling hills set against an expansive sky, instead of buildings like skeletal fingers reaching up into the gloomy Blackham skyline. It was late afternoon by the time I drove the Lincoln off the expressway and started taking the back roads that headed towards the coast. On the two hour journey from Blackham to Morgan County, Leona and I discussed, amongst other things, our impending clandestine assault on the Devil's Playground (the gist of which was: get in, get out as quickly as possible), her opinions on her boss, Brentwood (good soldier, pain in the ass boss), her hatred for modern pop music (which I shared) and the fact that she was hungry by the time we got off the expressway, so we ended up stopping at a roadside diner so she could munch on a burger while I watched and drank coffee. Then we were off again, driving along winding roads, the smell of the sea air filling up the car as we got closer to the coast. Finally, we made it to Birkenhead Cliffs, driving the car over the wide stretch of grass to within several feet of the cliff edge.

When we got out of the car and walked to the edge of the cliffs, the wind was brisk and had a sharp bite to it thanks to the cold air blowing off the sea. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said as I gazed out over the vast sheet of dark water a few hundred feet below, the sun just starting to sink towards the horizon. "These cliffs are known as Maggie's Leap, did you know that?"

“No,” Leona said, as she stared hard at the island in the distance. “No doubt you’ve told me that before though, right?”

I suppressed a smile. "I might have. About a hundred years ago, a woman named Maggie Gilpenstein threw herself off the top of here, falling to the rocks below."

Leona looked down at the waves crashing against the rocks. “Some fall. Why’d she do it then?”

“She was an infamous child murderer. Apparently kidnapped and killed scores of local children before people realized it was her.”

"What was she? A witch or something?"

“Some say she was. She was apparently obsessed with the story of Countess Bathory, thought it a good idea to follow in the Countess’s footsteps and bathe in the blood of virgins to keep herself looking young. When the local townspeople found out, a lynch mob marched to Gilpenstein's house so they could burn her as a witch."

“But she did a runner before they got to her.”

“Yes. Killed herself rather than give the people the satisfaction of burning her at the stake. Henceforth, these cliffs have come to be known as Maggie's Leap. Her ghost apparently still haunts the town."

We fell silent for a moment as if listening for signs of ghostly activity, then Leona said, “Was there a reason for that story, Creed?”

I shook my head.

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