Chasing Shadows

by Ashley Townsend

  “Your parents,” she whispered against his chest. He had vowed to avenge their deaths by bringing down their murderer, but it appeared someone else had already taken that into their own hands.

  Will hesitated for a second too long for her to believe his words. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Someone got to him first.”

  They were by the window cattycorner to Gabriel’s makeshift coffin. Sarah turned her head, needing to breathe the fresh air. Although she hadn’t picked up the scent of his decomposing body for more than a few seconds, she could still smell it, burrowing into her senses until the cloying stench was nearly overwhelming. “But why?” She barely managed to choke the words past her trembling lips, staring out at the rooftops of the village with wide, unfocused eyes.

  “I-I don’t know.” But it sounded like he wished he did.

  The latch clicked as someone turned a key in the lock outside. Sarah pulled her head back in time to see the door open slowly, her rapid pulse sensing the danger before she did. But Will was quicker than she, and he had both of them behind the drape by the time the door opened wide enough to admit two hunched forms. That was all she saw before Will pulled the covering back into place, steadying the fabric with his hand.

  There was hardly space enough for two, even with their backs pressed flat against the stones, and Sarah tucked herself into the corner to give Will more room. But he slid along the wall, matching her retreat, until the right side of his body half covered hers. His back rose and fell against her shoulder in rapid movements, and she knew he was alarmed by their presence. She swallowed.

  Eyes wide with fear, Sarah frantically scanned the drape for the shifting forms she imagined would appear, but she couldn’t make out a thing as the men entered the room and closed the door. She heard their light steps as they moved across the floor toward them, and she shrank a little deeper into the corner, feeling Will stiffen beside her.

  “It’s in here?” one of them asked lowly.

  “The body was stashed for safekeeping,” the other replied. His voice triggered a memory, but it took her a moment to place his features. She wondered if Damien knew of this, or if Timmons was going behind his back, doing someone else’s dirty work. Sarah wasn’t sure how medieval alliances worked, but she had the sense that he wasn’t as loyal to Damien as he should be.

  “Here?” the first man asked. Sarah heard the lid of the chest tap the wall quietly. Something thunked against the wood, a hollow sound. The man grunted. “Help me with this, will you?”

  They hefted Gabriel’s body from the chest, groaning and grunting as they did. Sarah grimaced at the thump Grabriel’s body made when it was dropped carelessly on the floor. Will shifted, moving the curtains just enough to see what was going on. But she squeezed her eyes tight, not wanting to glimpse the corpse again.

  “What about the blood?”

  “We’ll take care of it later.”

  She heard the two shuffling around, toying with some kind of fabric—burlap?—and then she thought they might have rolled Gabriel’s body over.

  A sudden breeze caught the drape, circling around her and Will and catching in a bubble against the fabric. Her eyes widened in alarm as the edge of the drape curled and fanned, forming to the wind’s movement. Will pressed closer to her, trying to keep from being spotted and to shield her body from view, though she knew the effort would be for naught if he was discovered.

  But the men kept working quietly over Gabriel’s body, none the wiser. The breeze died down, the drape settling into place—there was never a pause in the twosome’s work that hinted at them having spotted the concealed trespassers, and Will exhaled beside her.

  “Our window’s closing,” Timmons whispered. “We need to get him to the tunnels now. Everything is already set.” The men groaned again, and it sounded like they were sliding the body across the floor. Sarah hadn’t realized that she was holding her breath until the hall door closed behind them and she released it in a gusty sigh.

  Will’s muscles seemed to move one at a time as he leaned out to see if they had really gone. Panicked, she reached for his arm, clutching his bicep. He looked at her and caught the slight shake of her head, eyes wide.

  Pressing a finger to his lips, he gave her a reassuring nod before leaning his head out. “They’re gone,” he breathed, barely above a whisper—he was still on edge, even in the grave robbers’ absence.

  Then he took her hand, gently coaxing her from their hiding place. Sarah moved slowly, her tense muscles unfurling painfully as the blood returned in a rush to her legs. She was half expecting the two men to hear their breathing and come back to investigate, but the room was empty. The lid of the chest was closed again, and there was no sign that either man had been there.

  Will released her to open the chest, swearing softly under his breath at the vacant depths.

  “They stole his body,” Sarah whispered in shock and confusion. She met his pinched gaze. “We can’t just let them get away with him. What should we do?”

  His eyes focused on the door, and he frowned, expression grim. “Follow.”

  ****

  It didn’t take her as long as she’d expected to convince Will to take her along. Though she suspected that it was in part because he knew she would persist: The two men had more of an edge on them each moment that they wasted arguing.

  They were only a few minutes behind Gabriel’s body, and Will’s keen eyes quickly picked up the drag marks left in his wake; scattered stones, upset dust, and a crooked chair—all leading them downward into dimly lit passages.

  Sarah was sure they had lost their trail, but it wasn’t long before Will heard the familiar scratching and grunting sounds again and quickened his pace, urging her on with him. They spotted the men as they passed under a torch a ways down the long corridor, and Sarah caught a flash of the bulky sack encasing Gabriel’s body before it disappeared around a corner. Seeing them made her feel too eager, and Will had to gently tug her back to slow her steps to match his.

  He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “We have them, but we need to remain unseen.” She nodded in agreement, tamping down the desire to sprint after them.

  They came to the same crossroads the men had taken, and she could feel Will’s tension build as his hand tightened around hers. “What are they doing down here?” he whispered. His pace became clipped, and she wondered at his sudden edginess.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked under her breath. The tunnel was void of life ahead of them, and she wondered if they’d made a wrong turn.

  “They’re going outside,” he returned lowly. He sounded confused. “I assumed they would want to examine the body, but it looks as though they’re going to dispose of it, instead.”

  A burial. Of course. They wanted to destroy the evidence, but evidence of what? And who’d had Gabriel murdered?

  Sarah swallowed, sickened.

  The floor began to slope upward, the ceiling shrinking until even Sarah had to duck her head to avoid the stones. They had no choice but to walk shoulder to shoulder as the passage narrowed, not that it mattered, since Sarah was already pressed against his side. But then the tunnel dead-ended abruptly. She was about to ask him where they should go next when Will released her hand to grip the thin rope dangling against the left wall. Then he reached up to shove open the overhead door, flooding the passage with light and blinding them both after their prolonged trip through the darkness.

  Will was able to stretch himself to his full height through the opening, and he used the rope to soundlessly set the square of wood on the ground above. In the afternoon light, Sarah could see the trees overhead and the moss that had grown over the secret entrance.

  Hoisting himself from the small opening, Will crouched on the ground, eyes shifting over their surroundings. Sarah held up her hands, and her feet dangled in the air as he pulled her out of the hole. She naturally landed in a crouch beside him, and he didn’t release her hand as he tensely examined the trees.

  “We must b
e near the river,” he muttered to himself.

  “But where are they?” she panted quietly, still wary of the unseen presence lurking in the woods. The frigid air blew her hair back from her shoulders, instantly chilling her face and neck.

  “Let’s find out.” Will helped her to her feet, though they both kept low as they moved slowly through the trees, where the closely tangled limbs caused the sun to be all but shrouded from view. It must have been midday, but she could tell from the placement of the shadows that dusk was not far off. So soon? Surely they would lose the two men in the dark.

  Her eyes scanned the snow-capped trees and the bit of the horizon that she could make out along the ridges and hills. She narrowed her gaze, fixing it on a point above the next rise. “Is that smoke?”

  Will looked just as baffled. He pointed out the toboggan-sized drag marks leading up the slope, and they stepped from the path they were following to move quietly up the incline, which was slow going—Sarah’s shoes kept losing traction on the slick, icy snow, and Will repeatedly paused to help her find her footing. Eventually, she found that it was easiest to plant her fingers in the snow and use the point of her feet to hoist herself up a foot at a time, which saved them precious seconds.

  As they reached the crest of the rise, Sarah saw that the smoke was extremely thick here, moving in their direction in gusts of choking heat. She tried not to wheeze and focused on taking shallow breaths.

  A flash of color and muted voices drew her attention to the small clearing. The men had their backs to them not twenty feet away, and the body sack laid at their feet, now doused with a thick, greasy black film. A smoky bed of fire burned hotly a few feet away, the flames reaching high and sending out plumes of charcoal-colored smoke that stained the pristine snow a dull gray.

  Will caught her attention and mouthed the word there, pointing to a large boulder a few feet to her left. She nodded, and they shuffled that way, planting themselves behind the rock for cover. He leaned out to watch the men, and Sarah scooted into the small space between the boulder and his chest, craning her neck to see.

  “One, two, three!” Timmons cried. Together, the men tossed Gabriel’s inert form onto the pyre.

  Sarah gasped in horror, but the sound was covered by the fire’s hungry crackling as it leapt over the body, quickly consuming the thin casing surrounding it. The flames reached high, dancing dangerously close to the limbs above when the final chords of the sack snapped. Gabriel’s gray features were visible for the brief instant that the fire subsided. Then it burst suddenly, finding new strength as it consumed his body, snapping wildly.

  Unable to look away from the sickening scene playing out before her, Sarah could only watch with gaping eyes as Gabriel’s body disappeared from view, replaced by a shifting wall of orange and gold. She wouldn’t have been able to move at all if not for Will’s hands on her shoulders, gently but firmly pulling her back from the macabre sight. He folded her into his arm, leaning his side against the boulder for support. They would risk drawing attention to themselves if they ran, so the two were temporarily trapped.

  Sarah closed her eyes so tightly that spots danced behind her lids, resembling the flames that presently consumed Gabriel’s corpse.

  Her eyelids snapped open wide, and she clutched Will’s shirt to keep her hands from trembling. She had wished bad thoughts on the evil man for all that he had done to Will and to Karen, but did he deserve a second death as awful as this?

  Will pressed his lips against the side of her head to keep from being heard. “Close your eyes; it will be over soon. Close your eyes,” he urged more insistently when her lids remained glued open in horror. Sarah tried to comply, forcing her eyes to close and burying her face in his shoulder when they refused.

  It will be over soon, he’d promised. Oh, God, let it be over soon.

  Something soft and delicate brushed her cheek, and she thought it might have been Will’s breathing. But then the miniscule sensation appeared on her exposed knuckles. Was it snowing?

  Will hunched over her, his arms tightening around her shoulders. She instinctively leaned back to see what was landing on her, but the hand at the base of her scull held tight, which only made her push harder in panic. What was he protecting her from?

  She jerked back enough to see the snowfall. No, not snowflakes. Ash, from the fire. Dark, discolored ash falling from the sky. It speckled Will’s dark hair and clung to the back of his sleeves and shoulders. Some of the ash landed on his cheek, and he wiped at it in revulsion. She watched a few lazy flakes fall from the trail of smoke overhead, the smoke coming from Gabriel’s body. . . .

  Sarah shrieked without thought, swatting at the dusting of ash that had collected on her head since she’d pulled back from Will’s embrace. She imagined the gray color of the ash matched the pallor Gabriel’s skin had held. And it was all over her!

  Will grabbed her hands, shushing her, trying to calm her. She realized her mistake and bit her lip, tasting blood as she tensed.

  The men in the clearing had gone silent, the only sound the dull crackle and hiss of the fire as it consumed what was left of its fuel.

  “Did you hear that?” one of them whispered. She couldn’t tell which one; her heart was beating too loudly, though she heard perfectly the sound of a dagger being drawn from its sheath. Their feet crunched over the snow, moving toward the boulder.

  Sarah looked to Will, searching his face for the answer. Fight or flight? her mind screamed. He was staring at the boulder, chest rising and falling quickly, and she knew what he wanted. But then his gaze landed on her face, and his jaw tightened.

  Will jerked his head down the hill, and she knew he planned to run. Pulling her head close, he breathed into her ear, “Can you make it?”

  She nodded. That seemed the only confirmation he needed. Taking her hand, he waited only until she had her feet planted before hurrying her down the hill. It was harder this trip, and Sarah slid more than anything. Stopping to face her as he helped her over a rough patch, Will spotted them coming around the boulder. Then he gripped her arm and took off down the hill, practically holding her upright as they both slid and stumbled downward.

  The men shouted for them to halt when they had them in their sights, tripping down the hill after them. But Sarah and Will had reached the bottom well before their pursuers, and they took off along the path of the ditch, panting and gasping for breath.

  Sarah could hear the men shouting commands to each other, telling the other to move or watch his step. Then another voice, one she didn’t recognize, calling out to them, “You there! Stop!”

  Sarah shot a quick look over her shoulder, barely catching sight of the man mounted on his horse as he galloped after the estranged foursome. The look on the two grave robbers’ faces was pure alarm as they sliced through the trees, abandoning their pursuit to cut a new path through the woods.

  “Guard. Don’t stop!” Will panted, dragging her along with him. She wanted to tell him that a guard could help, but then she saw how this must look from the man’s perspective—four people running from the scene of a flaming corpse. They probably looked as guilty as the men who’d done the deed.

  Will’s hand slipped from her arm, needing to pump both arms at his sides to keep moving. He was breathing hard and barely managed to gasp, “The lake! We’ll lose him in the trees.” She followed him, choking on frozen clouds of air that pained her lungs when she swallowed.

  The two baddies were long gone by now, but the sound of pounding hooves and the guard’s shouts of warning were still clear. Dodging in and out of the thicket, she followed Will into a dense copse of trees, feet pounding over the snow. They ran until Sarah thought she would collapse and it was only pure adrenaline that kept her moving.

  Will slowed behind her, and she looked over her shoulder in alarm. But he was striding backward, watching the trees behind them. She suddenly realized that they could no longer hear the guard’s pursuit and jogged a few yards more into the shadowed clearing, almost
unable to stop her wobbly legs from running. Her feet slipped on the icy snow and she slowed, gripping her aching side, choking and gasping for breath. Had they lost the guard in the trees? He’d surely be on foot now if he wanted to follow through the thicket, which would buy them time.

  The clouds shifted, and a small sliver of waning sunlight broke through the thick tangle of limbs nearby. Reaching up to shield her eyes from the light coming off the snow beneath her feet, Sarah called out, “Did we lose him?” Then she went into a coughing fit, doubling over to catch her breath.

  Will turned to her, mid-nod. He froze in alarm, wide eyes dropping to the reflective ground she stood on. A single crack echoed through the forest, startling her. Was that a rifle shot?

  Waving his arms, Will motioned for her to come back to him. She had never seen him so terrified, and his fear was contagious, rooting her to the spot. “Sarah, no!” he shouted, running toward her.

  Her mouth opened in confusion, and then it hit her. The lake! Her body reacted before she could think, and Sarah lurched forward a step, knowing she had to reach the other side. She froze at the deadening crack that filled her ears, realizing her mistake too late.

  The ice she had thought was solid ground splintered and shattered beneath her weight. She shrieked as her right foot slipped through the sheet of frost that was too thin to hold her weight. Needles of pain shot up her leg as it slid into the freezing water, and icy fingers below seemed to grab hold of her foot, pulling her further down. She planted her hands on the ice and tried to jerk herself free, but her frantic movements only caused the surrounding ice to crack and splinter further.

  Sarah froze, panic slicing through her as she realized that there was no way out—her thrashing was only forcing her deeper into the water. Her eyes snapped to Will in desperation, but he was still running toward her, toward the shattering lake, and she knew he would never make it in time. She locked onto his panicked gaze, screaming out his name just as the fragile sheet of glass shattered beneath her weight, plunging her into the dark, icy abyss.