Dark Maiden

By Ian Conner

Haunting and horrifying, the tale keeps readers engaged all the way to the shocking end. Intertwined with Native American lore Dark Maiden weaves a seducing chilling tale. Dark Maiden grabs you at the first page the story sets us up in 16th century Maine, Onata Village. Conner gave readers a tale of a bewitching beautiful Maiden seen by the lake by four sisters under the moonlight. Dark Maiden takes you from past to present to past to tell this horrifying curse tale. Readers need to pay attention during the time transitions, but readers engrossed with fantastic writing you cannot put down.
Dark Maiden has taken a Native American legend and created the most intense story of ghosts and horror and things that go bump in the night.
Although a somber tone permeates the book, there is a recurring theme of loyalty and resilience. Each character exhibits self-determination, fortitude, and resourcefulness until the conclusion. You grow to love each person as if you belong to the fight against evil forces. Full of surprises and character growth readers will love the tale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Raptor Books
• Release date: Dec 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798986480084

Ian Conner

Ian Conner is retired military and spent most of his adult life as a Marine and Army Infantry Sergeant. Now living near San Diego, California, with his wife Bonnie, a cellist, and their two dogs, Cookie and Isabella. Conner spends his days fostering kittens, gardening, crafting beautiful stained glass, and creating worlds on the page. Conner has authored other novels The Price of Partisanship * Political Thriller The Long Game * Political thriller Griffins Perch *  Epic Fantasy Coopers Ridge  *  Science Fiction Skadegamutc   *   Horror After a lifetime of destruction, the thought of creating something tangible and lasting holds great appeal.  He found art cathartic and a way to redefine himself both in his eyes and the eyes of others. Conner can be reached at [e-mail].

Book preview

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 1

VILLAGE OF ONATA

PEQUABUCK LAKE, MAINE

16TH CENTURY

THE MAIDEN IN THE LAKE SWAM LAZILY through the water. her skin shined in the light, highlighting her nude body. Flawlessly proportioned, full-figured, beautiful beyond belief. Her long black hair billowed out behind her, giving the appearance of angel’s wings as she broke the surface. The toned skin of her back and shoulders glistened as the water ran off her body. She swam in the shallows, gliding through the lake’s clear waters. Slowly stroking.

She pretended not to notice the girls watching her as she swam. There was something erotic about her movements that left the girls entranced. They watched, enthralled by the woman in the water. Finally, she swam to the bank where the four girls were standing.

The four of them were, in a word, homely. Each knew it and wished with all her heart she were as beautiful as the maiden. She was enchanting, and they were immediately under her spell. They felt a desire for her in addition to the envy they felt for her appearance.

The maiden watched the youngest girl as she floated in the water, then found her footing on the lake bottom. The girl sighed as the maiden emerged from the water, exposing her nude body to the night air. The maiden kept eye contact as she gracefully approached. She reached out and cupped the girl’s cheek. The maiden pulled the girl close and stared deeply into her eyes.

The young girl became lost in desire for the maiden. The others cautiously approached their sister and the maiden. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed deeply, still looking at the youngest. Her wet skin gleamed in the moonlight. The maiden’s sensuality filled the four girls with longing; all four stared at her until she finally spoke.

I know your deepest desires and can fulfill them all, the maiden said.

You are so beautiful. How can we be like you? the youngest girl asked.

The maiden gracefully finished wading ashore until she was in ankle-deep water. She took the hand of the youngest girl. An image of herself filled the girl’s mind, except she was as beautiful as the maiden, more so. She was no longer homely.

I can change you all to be even more beautiful than I—for a price, the maiden told them.

A small thing really. Simple for you, I am sure.

She stared at them with her pale blue eyes, blue eyes, oddly out of place for a L’nu’k maiden. She blinked and her eyes again were suddenly dark brown, almost black. They stared at her, still mesmerized by her beauty.

What can we do? We will do anything, the youngest said.

The maiden embraced the girl, giving her another glimpse of the beauty that could be hers. It was a lengthy embrace—passionate, wanting. She did the same for each girl, giving them multiple reasons to do as the maiden asked.

What do you want us to do? the girls asked in unison.

They would do anything, anything to be the women the maiden had shown each of them in their minds. She took two of the girls’ hands. The others looked at the maiden with inescapable longing. She reached out and touched the other two girls, giving them all a last look at what was possible, and then she broke the connection with them. The loss was palpable when the ecstasy from her touch abruptly stopped.

It is a small thing I ask. On this night, there will be twins born in your village. Bring them to me, here, at the lake, then swim in the waters with me and I will change you into the woman I showed you. Your ugliness will fade. Your beauty will rival my own.

She reconnected to the girls mentally, restoring the images and the feelings she provoked in them. The sisters all closed their eyes, lost in their feeling of adoration for the maiden and the longing for what they could be. They opened their eyes and looked at one another, then to the maiden. They drank in her beautiful body as she stood in front of them. They could neither look away nor deny their desires.

Do as I ask, and you will be beautiful like me. Do as I ask, the maiden repeated.

The girls cried out as she broke the connection.

The maiden waded back into the waters, then turned and gave the girls a last long look at her lush body. The maiden swam out into the lake then disappeared beneath the surface.

The youngest girl, the one the maiden first touched, burst into tears as the maiden vanished.

Distraught, the girls lingered at the water’s edge, looking, hoping for another glimpse of the beautiful maiden. Eventually, reluctantly, they returned to the village.

Back in the tent the four met to discuss what the maiden had asked of them.

How could we do such a thing? the eldest sister asked.

Do what? She only wants to see the babies, the youngest replied.

She told herself that lie and it influenced the others. The younger two could only remember the beauty they had seen, the feelings the maiden made them feel—passion, ecstasy, and the ability to feel…beautiful. The maiden offered a way to get what they desired.

As the maiden had predicted, twins arrived in the village. The word spread quickly about the birth of twins, a set of beautiful baby girls. The sisters all spoke among each other. They were amazed by her prediction, even more so that it came true. It reinforced their belief that the maiden could do what she said.

How could she have known of this? Perhaps she really can grant us beauty like hers. All we have to do is swim in the lake with the babies, the elder sister reminded the others.

They were convinced, and so each of the sisters introduced themselves to the family that had the twins, offering to help care for the infants and the new mother. The families gladly accepted the offers of help.

The youngest girl had returned to the lake each night to consult with the maiden and to explain their plan. The maiden hugged and praised the girl, encouraging her to continue their efforts to bring the children to the lake. The maiden instructed the girl to bring the twins to her at the lake at the height of the moon in two nights.

Two evenings later, the youngest sister quietly took the twins in her care to the lake. The maiden was waiting. The youngest of the sisters, seeing that the maiden was pleased, was quite excited that she was nearing her reward. She set the babies down on the bank, stripped off her clothing, then waded into the lake. She stood in the shallows, nude, trembling with fear and anticipation. She looked back at the twins who were sitting on the bank, wrapped in blankets, sleeping, then she looked out in the water as the maiden disappeared beneath the surface. Her desire for the maiden’s promise to come true peaked and she lost all self-control.

She dove into the water and sank to the bottom of the lake, where she sat looking through the crystal-clear waters for her love. She closed her eyes and imagined herself as the maiden had shown her. She attempted to calm her desire unsuccessfully. Her excitement rose to a fever pitch as she imagined what it might be like to become like the maiden.

It startled her when she felt a hand on top of her head. She opened her eyes as the maiden grabbed her in an embrace, holding her down beneath the surface. The girl’s excitement turned to panic as she felt her air run out. The maiden was much stronger than her petite beauty belied. She held the girl in a tight, impassioned embrace and continued to press their bodies together to keep her under the water.

Finally, the maiden released her, and they rose to the surface. The maiden pulled the girl toward her, pressing her body against her own, and kissed her deeply.

The girl’s figure had changed. Her breasts were larger, her hips curvier, her lips fuller. The girl felt her face as she pulled back from the maiden. Her features were less coarse, her cheekbones higher, her nose more petite. She kissed the maiden again, deeply. It filled the girl with desire, a sudden unquenchable and erotic desire for the woman holding her—the woman who had in fact granted her wishes to be beautiful.

Now she granted her desire for her. They made love in the water for hours until she fell asleep in the maiden’s arms.

She awoke at first light. There was no sign of the maiden or the babies, so the girl found her clothes, dressed, and returned to the village.

The beautiful stranger entered the tent, startling the sisters awake. They did not believe her when she initially claimed to be their sister. They insisted that they would know their sister, despite any changes. She was unbelievably beautiful, whoever this stranger was.

The youngest sister struggled to think of a way to convince her sisters she was who she said she was. Then she remembered her birthmark. She pulled up her dress and revealed the heart-shaped stain of a birthmark on her upper, inner thigh. The sisters all looked at the mark and touched it. It was only then that they believe it was her.

You are more beautiful than the maiden! the three exclaimed.

The youngest stripped off her clothing so they could see the extent of the transformation. The three began jabbering, talking quickly, peppering her with questions.

Did it hurt?

How did the changes happen?

Did you make love with the maiden?

Are you in love with the maiden?

How long did it take to change?

What did the maiden do?

The youngest sister held up her hands and put her clothing back on. She explained it did not hurt. She was not sure how the maiden had managed the changes, but frankly did not care. She told them of how she swam with the maiden, kissed her passionately and awoke in the morning with her newfound body.

Oh, yes, she added, We also made love in the lake all night. She described how wonderful she felt before, during, and after. I will love her forever, the girl proclaimed. She can change you too, just as she promised."

They looked at their sister again, touching her face and body in amazement. The sisters needed no more convincing.

For the next few nights, each sister delivered a set of twins to the maiden. Each followed exactly what the youngest sister did on the first night. The maiden gave each of them the same sensual underwater embrace. They made love with the maiden in the lake under the moonlight for the entire night. They each awoke to a new face and body. They each rejoiced in their new beauty with the maiden and each other.

After they delivered the sets of twins, they returned to the lake each night for the week after the full moon. The girls made love with the maiden and each other in the lake night after night.

They loved the maiden with all their hearts and pledged themselves to her. This was the maiden’s goal all along. The power the twins provided her, and some loyal servants. She referred to them as familiars.

The joy in the village over the birth of all the twins was replaced with despair over their disappearance. Suspicions soon fell upon the four strangers living in the homely sisters’ tent, coming and going at odd hours in the night. The disappearance of the babies coinciding with the beautiful stranger’s arrival was too much of happenstance and the women in the village distrusted them. They found it strange that the girls who were caring for the infants had also disappeared, to be replaced by beautiful strangers. They were even more jealous of the attention the men in the village paid the sisters. Rumors swirled around the four sisters and eventually several women covertly followed them. Witnesses exposed their activities with the maiden in the lake to the elders.

After the maiden got the four sisters’ allegiance, she cajoled them to perform various tasks to ensure they kept her tomb and body safe. The maiden was far older than her twenty-year-old body appeared—far older. She was an ancient evil. She moved through time with the help of servants like the girls she had corrupted into her service. The human heart was easily corruptible, and the maiden could always find those who would assist her for a false price.

The elders had the four sisters brought before them, putting the sisters’ loyalty to the test. It did not matter they were devoted to the maiden. She had given them their beauty and love.

We will not betray her, the youngest cried.

The eldest of elders stepped forward.

We offer you a last chance for mercy, child, he said.

The youngest of the sisters stood defiantly and spit at the elder’s feet. The elder nodded to two braves who grabbed the woman.

The elder’s great grandfather had passed down the story of how to deal with this terrible evil—mercy was not among the ways. The four sisters’ fate was decided the moment they stole the children. All that remained was to determine the manner of their death.

The remaining sisters’ reluctance to talk disappeared when the youngest had her head removed in front of them. After witnessing that, they explained fully about the maiden and the location of her tomb.

The tomb was well disguised but hidden in plain sight. The trees had grown up, including two fallen logs and a natural blanket of moss that made the vault almost invisible to the naked eye. The elders forced the three sisters to lead them to the tomb and the braves quickly stripped away the camouflage.

The eldest sister cried out to warn her maiden of her impending doom. The warning was cut short by the blade held at her throat. Her voice ended in a guttural sound as she bled out at the base of the maiden’s tomb.

The elder of the group motioned across his throat, pointing to the last two sisters. They were no longer of any use—and in fact, keeping them alive was a liability. The braves quickly dispatched the women. Death came eventually to all that served this evil. They had sacrificed the miracles for narcissism and conceit. They had brought the evil curse to the tribe. That kind of betrayal had but one punishment.

The elder warned the braves of the evil’s tricks and deceit.

Focus on your tasks. Do not let her fool you with what you see with your eyes. Your eyes will deceive you! he shouted the warning at the warriors turning the stones on the vault.

What had protected the maiden now confined her to the vault—she was trapped.

The warriors finished turning the spell stones, and what they saw astounded them. A maiden in her twenties lay in the vault. Her perfect body and beautiful features entranced them as she sat up. The soft leather of her clothing followed the sensual curves of her body. She locked eyes with the young warrior kneeled closest to the vault. He reached out and touched her face. The eldest warrior threw his knife, penetrating the boy’s palm and the maiden’s cheek. It broke the trance the boy had fallen into, and the maiden and the warrior screamed in pain. The brave rolled away, and another took his place. Another elder threw a spear, pinning the creature to the ground. The creature revealed her true haggish form to all who could see her, and the warriors nearest her recoiled in horror.

Finish turning the stones, you fools, before she kills us all! the elder yelled. The stones kept the maiden within the confines of the vault as if it were a concrete bunker.

The evil raged against the invisible walls now enclosing it. She fought against the binding spells. Sisters! she called out to her acolytes. Help me!

She then she saw the bodies of the girls at the foot of the vault.

How dare you kill my servants?

She spat a string of ancient curses at the eldest warrior, but the spell stones rendered the curses useless. The elder grabbed a spear from the warrior nearest him; he threw the spear, impaling her a second time. The elder knew it would do nothing to destroy her or the evil her haggish form concealed, but it helped dissipate the anger he felt building up at the situation. The tragic loss of the children, the deaths of the sisters, and the shame it had brought to his tribe were frustrating. The warriors were at a breaking point.

The spear passed through her chest with a wet, sickening, thunk sound. It pinned her to the ground. She struggled against it for a while, and then began