by Ann Cory
He brought his hand up, his jaws looming closer than she found comfortable.
"You are Minna, my precious Minna?"
She cocked her head at him. Had he understood her? Could animals really communicate even when speaking their own language?
"Somehow I can hear you with my heart, but it is a crow's voice you speak with. How can you be my love? Did he capture you too? He always threatened he would."
This time when she spoke, it came out in a lively song. Lovingly, she recounted the time he'd asked her to dance, right in front of all his friends. She told him how he came to be a hostage to Blagden and how he'd been spying on him. Then she told him all about her visit from Lachlan, the kindly wizard.
"It is by the stones he gave me that I have been given wings, and it is why you see me in the form that you do. Without his help, I would still be crying, pining away for you, and hiding myself away until word came that you'd been found."
"How did you find me?"
"Last night I transformed into a blue jay, and as I was flying, I noticed the pendant I had made for you. The silver chain with the chalice. I knew right away it was yours. Tonight I vowed to fly until I found another sign of where you'd been. I had no idea I'd find you, but I wanted to see you so bad."
He reached his claws up and felt around his neck.
"I hadn't realized I'd dropped it. Oh, my sweet angel, I've been lost for so long. I have been asked to do horrific things, and I cannot seem to control myself. My master, I mean…Blagden controls me with the amulet. It is an eye that sees all and commands all. I only remember my unpleasant actions in my nightmares. All those people staring at me, children screaming and looking scared. It tears me up inside. There have been so many horrific nightmares. Sleep has not been a friend to me." Before he finished, fresh tears streaked down his cheeks.
Minna knew he didn't mean to hurt anyone. She wanted to comfort him and continue talking with him through the night, but too much time had passed already.
"It's too late to make it all the way home. It must be a full day's journey to get here by foot, maybe more. I beg you to come away with me. I can watch from above and be your lookout."
"No. Blagden will know I have gone. He keeps a close eye on me."
"I can't leave you here. Once I change back, my body will be too weak to try and outrun a warlock. Please, Derik."
"I will think up a plan so I can leave with you tomorrow, but tonight we must be apart. Will you come for me tomorrow?"
"Of course."
"Then hold tight, my love, for just one more night."
"We belong together."
"Yes, we do. And we have a lifetime to make up for all the moments we have lost. You being here has given me a new sense of strength. When you are close, I remember who I am, and all the warm memories return. This is the first time I have been able to think clearly since my capture and I owe it all to you. Be safe and tomorrow we shall reunite."
Minna's heart had started to heal but now it was being ripped apart again. If she stayed, she risked both of them being captured. She would trust him and return in her owl form. One more night, but that was all.
"Until tomorrow night, my love." She flapped her wings and took to the skies.
Choking back tears, she strained with all her might, flying as fast as her wings would take her. It took all her courage to not look back.
The travel home was rough, emotionally and physically. She was exhausted and wanted to have her feet back on the ground. Minna didn't know what she'd expected when she found him, but she hadn't planned to leave him again. Her chest tightened as she made it over the last few trees near her walkway.
As she flew above her home, she saw a sight that took her breath away.
Chapter Nine
"Minna, are you ill? It is I, Lessier." He paced back and forth in front of the house, shouting at the top of his lungs through the window. "Open up!"
Each night, without her knowledge, he watched her rock herself to sleep in the chair by the fire. Her sensuous silhouette burned images of intimate delights in his mind. With Derik out of the picture, he would finally have the chance he'd waited so long for.
From the first moment he saw her walking through the fields with flowers braided into her hair, he'd been infatuated. Trails of daisies woven between the strands of her hair, a place he wanted to bury himself in. His own secret garden. With her face flush from skipping along the fields and hills, she'd been quite a vision to behold. He wanted her in the worst way and was used to getting what he wanted.
From then on, he'd looked for ways to run into her or be in the same place she was. Most of the time, she would only smile and look away, but then he'd finally gotten her to hold a conversation with him. It had been the most beautiful time he could ever remember. Her melodic voice stayed on his mind and he could hardly think about anything else.
The day he heard her man had vanished, Lessier had rejoiced, as if he'd found bars of gold. He did everything he could think of to gain her trust and make her dependent upon him with his promise of news. Only one person stood in his way.
Derik had never been someone Lessier got along with or considered an ally. Often he tried to get in the middle of them, testing Minna to see if she could easily be swayed. All too often it was his heart that was broken. Lessier couldn't understand what she saw in him. At least he could offer wealth and stability, while Derik had hardly a penny to his name.
Now at least, he was able to reclaim lost time and make her see him in a new light. He could be the friend who would comfort her. He could be the hero to sweep her off her feet and make her love again. But none of it could happen if there was a chance Derik was still alive.
Lessier enjoyed the thought of him dead and rotting somewhere, far away from Minna. Her natural beauty and intelligence were a rare find. She wasn't like the other women who would throw themselves at his feet. Those kinds of women did little to arouse his inner fire, and he used them for sexual gratification when bored. Minna was different and he longed to thrust himself inside her, to taste her wanton lust and to kiss her naked body until his lips were raw. She would have no choice but to fall for his charm and sincerity, and then she would be his to do with as he saw fit.
Calling out her name again, he grew concerned. He knew she hadn't wanted him to come by the following night because her friend would be over, but he needed to see her now. He wanted to give her a chance to redeem herself in his eyes.
Tonight he would tell her one of his men had found Derik's body ravaged and torn apart by some wild animal, left hardly unrecognizable. He would insist she not see him, for fear of replaying the horrific image in her mind each night. Somehow he'd have to resist the urge to smile.
The scenario would play out, all according to plan. She would crumble in his arms, weep uncontrollably, and press her voluptuous body against his. He would stroke her hair and whisper in her ear that he would take care of her, assure her she need not be alone anymore. It would be then he would tilt her face to his and share a sensuous kiss. Soon she would forget all about Derik and the love they had once shared. In her moments of grief, she would willingly give herself to him, fulfilling his fantasies and consummating their relationship. Lessier was even ready to coax her if need be, a gentle persuasion while her head swam in confusion and grief.
He grew hard beneath his trousers to think of her body against his. Such a demure woman as herself was sure to be a fiery vixen in bed. Underneath her petticoats and heavy dresses lay a trove of secrets that were his to find. Lessier knew she would taste sweet as honey, he'd dreamt it night after night. He would take her every way possible and make her swallow his seed. Again and again they would make the most of the night, until he was spent and exhausted.
All he needed was to distract her and then take her in his arms. Then she'd know what it was like to be with a real man. But first he had to talk to her.
He made his way to the back of the house to see if he could get in another way.
; Chapter Ten
The sight of Lessier by her home frightened her. She would need to be swift in her flight and enter the window undetected. Carefully, Minna landed on the window ledge and hopped in. Her tail feathers flicked against the stick and sent the window crashing down. The noise was deafening and she knew Lessier had heard. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She didn't have time to make things appear differently. Minna was at the mercy of the stone.
When the magic finally wore off, she transformed back into herself. Clumsily she fell to the floor when she instinctively tried to get up, her body racked with fatigue and pain. She clawed with her fingernails along the floorboards, getting herself to the table to look less conspicuous. The process of flight was terribly draining and this time she'd flown much farther and longer. Her head swam with a mix of bird thoughts and human thoughts. Minna made it to the table and sat on the chair, her hands holding her up.
She shot a glance toward the window, holding her breath tight. Her worst fear played out before her. Lessier stared at her, wide-eyed. She knew deep in her heart that he had seen everything. A mountain of emotions flooded her body. Of course she could make up a dozen or more excuses that he had been seeing things, but even reciting them to herself, they didn't make sense. Lessier was smart, and she'd never get away with it.
To look in someone's eyes and lie was not an easy task for her. She had been taught to be straightforward and honest. But nothing could have prepared her for the events happening in her life at this point. While she knew he wouldn't believe her, she would try. Otherwise, she was at risk of having him hold her up, and she didn't have that kind of time.
"Minna, you open the door this instant," he bellowed, his fists pounding so hard against the door she was afraid the wood would burst.
She didn't know what else to do but let him in. There was no way to hide what he'd seen and she couldn't pretend she was asleep. It was up to her to explain it carefully. Reluctantly, she opened the door.
He stared at her with an incredulous look, somewhere between fear and utter loathing.
"I can explain…" she started, but he interrupted her with his hands flailing before her face.
"I saw you change from a bird into a woman, Minna. How can you explain that? I'll tell you how. You are a witch. A filthy, disgusting witch, and you will hang for using your dark magic in the village."
"If you would just let me explain, you would understand better. I am not a witch at all," she cried. "You've known me for how long? I consider you a dear friend, and a friend would never make such hasty accusations."
Lessier reached out and grabbed her arms, holding her in an awkward way.
"Keep your hands away from me. I will not let you harm anyone else."
Her arms felt like they were being ripped in two.
"There is nothing to explain, other than the fact that you are not the woman I thought you once were. All my visions of you are now shattered. Here I thought of you as a proper lady, shy and reserved, but you've been hiding secrets from everyone. Well, that changes, starting now."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
Lessier towered over her. Eyes that once held friendship were now fierce. "Enjoy your last night of freedom, for tomorrow I will have the authorities knocking down your door to bring a witchcraft charge against you. By tomorrow afternoon, you will hang for your deceit and treachery!"
"Please, would you just listen to me?"
"No doubt your words would be more wickedness."
"I am not a witch, I swear."
Minna felt around in her pocket and pulled out the pouch. She wanted to show him the remaining stone and try to make him listen. Greedily he snatched the pouch away from her and held it up high.
"Trying to use your powers on me, are you? After all I have done for you. Night after night, I come to you, offering my shoulder to be soaked by your tears. This is the thanks I am rewarded with? I send searchers out and make them report to me every night. I have spent countless nights pacing my floors in worry and concern for you. All for nothing."
She had never seen him in such a rage. "You're not letting me explain. It would make much more sense if you'd only let me speak."
"Words from your mouth would come from a forked tongue. I will no longer share news of your precious Derik with you. I had important news for you tonight, but now, after witnessing you in the middle of your illusory spell, I will keep the news to myself."
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring his anger-ridden features. "If you have news, I deserve to know."
"No. You don't deserve to know anything more. You have only yourself to blame. Deceitful! You are nothing but a lying witch." He seethed and stormed out with the pouch.
Minna sank into the chair, her legs trembling far more than when she'd transformed. She tried to regain her composure and summon a clear thought. What was she supposed to do? If Lessier were serious, the authorities would arrive at first light and shackle her to a wagon. Witchcraft was a serious crime, though most people she knew didn't believe in it.
Those who were once thought to be witches proved their worth in the arts of medicines and elixirs. Because of that, few were ever labeled as anything less than a healer. Lessier's story would be expanded and stretched so ridiculously far from the truth that the authorities would have to believe him. He wasn't the kind of man that went around making up false accusations about witchery.
She would be hanged for sure. Minna ran her fingers along her neck, finding it difficult to swallow at the thought of a noose strangling the very life out of her.
Just as her world was beginning again, it was falling apart. Her life was in jeopardy and she didn't know if Lessier would return or not. She couldn't imagine what his news was about Derik. Perhaps someone had spotted him, though she doubted he had the same knowledge that she did. Did he know something more? Here she thought he was a friend. Why wouldn't a friend allow her the right to explain?
Most distressing was the fact he had her last stone in the pouch and walking would never get her to Derik by the next night as she had promised. The horrors of what Derik might do to the villagers scared her. He was counting on her to come back, to rescue him, and to reunite with him. If she let him down, he might not recover. There was only one thing left to do.
She grabbed a small satchel from beneath her bed. It was large enough to fill it with a few precious mementos along with her fairy figurine. Her stomach was still full from the earlier bowl of stew but she forced herself to eat some bread for fuel. Feeling in her legs returned, but it would make for a hard walk. With her few belongings, she hurried to Lillian's home, the only person she had left to trust.
The dark skies had opened up and released a heavy downpour, complete with a wind that chilled her insides.
Chapter Eleven
By the time she reached the house, Minna was thoroughly soaked, her clothes hugging her body tightly. She knocked gently, hoping Lillian was still awake.
The door opened only a crack as two eyes peered out, glinting against the moonlight. Suddenly the door was thrust open and there stood her friend with a look of alarm on her face.
"Minna, what in the world are you doing out so late? Come in, come in at once."
Shivering, Minna stepped through the door and handed her friend the satchel. It took her several minutes to make her teeth stop chattering so she could properly speak.
"These are precious things of mine, Lillian, please look after them for me. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone I gave them to you. Okay? They must stay hidden."
Her friend looked through the bag, her eyebrows turned up in confusion.
"I don't understand. These are your things."
"Yes. As I said, they are precious and mean a great deal to me. Which is why I am entrusting them to you. I wish I could take the time to fully explain everything, but I must leave immediately for fear of being followed or caught."
"Who would be following you? Minna, you aren't making sense."
"Th
e less you know, the better. One thing I ask of you is to ignore what you may hear about me, I swear to you that none of it is true."
"Why would anyone talk about you? That doesn't make sense. You won't even leave me a hint as to what is being said?"
"No, it's not worth getting into. If you hear it, you will know what I speak of. I must make a trip and I am unable to tell you where I am going. When I return, I will confide everything to you. I promise to be back for my things as soon as I can."
She knew none of it made sense, but time was running out.
Lillian picked up the fairy figurine and shook her head.
"Wait. Is this about Derik? I don't think it wise to run off and look for him alone. I know you mean well, but you won't be able to find him. My dearest friend, I cannot imagine how heartbroken you have been, but you mustn't keep abusing yourself with misguided devotion."
Minna reached for the door, trying to make her way back out. This wasn't what she needed to hear, but she couldn't say anything more until Derik was brought back alive.
"There isn't time to explain. I know what I am doing."
"I will worry about you something fierce."
"If anyone should ask, we did not speak and you never saw me. Please." Minna pleaded with her eyes.
"Of course. Anything you say. You are like a sister to me. And a stubborn one at that. I will tuck these treasures away safely and you come and get them anytime."
"Thank you. I'd hug you but I am drenched."
Lillian laughed and put up her hand. "Wait just one moment, don't go anywhere."
Minna struggled to wait. She had to get back or risk being seen.
When her friend returned, she held out a long, black cape and threw it over her shoulders.
"Here. This might help to keep the draft off you. Would you like to borrow some dry clothes?"
"No, I have no time for that, and I'm sure they will only become soaked as well. I must be on my way. Thank you, Lillian, for everything."
"But I haven't done a thing."
