Three soldiers ran toward him, swords drawn. With a flick of a hand, he sent a wave of fire at them. Their screams pierced the night, as their uniforms went up in flames.
Kenrick shoved me to the side, out of the way of the battle.
The soldier beside us grabbed his bow and shot an arrow. This time, Raul didn’t have time to react. I watched in horror as the wooden shaft hit him in the shoulder, dropping him to the ground. All at once, soldiers were upon him.
“Raul, no!” I attempted to go to him, but Kenrick held me tight.
Raul’s grandmother knelt beside him. She sprinkled some herbs on his wound from the pouch that was secured at her neck.
“Look out,” I screeched. But it was too late. One of the men raised the hilt of his sword and brought it down against the back of her head, knocking her out. They bound both Raul’s and his grandmother’s hands, then secured them atop horses.
“Chain her,” Kenrick ordered one of his men. I realized that with the other men here, he didn’t have a choice but to take command and have us imprisoned. But for now it was better than death or so I thought.
My body shook, and I found it hard to breathe as one of the men brought over heavy iron shackles and clamped my ankles then my wrists. I struggled against my captor, trying to break free from his hold. He raised his hand and struck me across the face. I staggered backward, my cheek stinging.
“Do not hit her.” Kenrick grabbed him by the back of his tunic, jerking him to the ground, where he held a blade to his throat. “You will not harm her; she has a right to a trial. Do you understand me? That goes for all of you. These people will not be beaten or battered by our hand. That is not who we are. We need to get to the truth. Now hold her still,” Kenrick ordered as he wrapped a rope around my wrists as well then tied it to one of the horses. With a glance, he said, “I will stay my hand, and let the church determine your guilt. I will at least give you that courtesy.” When he made sure I was secured he turned to his men and shouted, “Move out.”
The horse wrenched forward, tugging me along with it. Twigs, rocks, and rough terrain tore at the soles of my bare feet. I sobbed. Why did things always end this way? I stumbled to the ground, and the steed dragged me several feet before Kenrick and another one of the soldiers rushed to get me to my feet. I glanced at Raul, who was slumped in an awkward position over the horse. From here, I couldn’t tell if he was breathing. His grandmother was also limp, her body hanging haphazardly over her mount.
I prayed that they would wake up and get away, that they wouldn’t do anything foolish.
If only things could’ve been different.
Kenrick walked ahead of me, making sure that his men didn’t drag me again. But as I stared at Kenrick’s back a sense of betrayal washed over me. How could he claim to love me one moment and in the next be ready to kill me, century after century after century?
Our caravan rolled into town, kicking up a cloud of dust. The horses led me to the monastery. Oh God. My stomach knotted as terror wrapped around me like a heavy cloak. Gram’s words swam through my mind—Kenrick was truly handing me over to the church.
We approached the front stairs and Father Reynaldo appeared in the entryway. His mouth twisted into a sneer, a pleased look upon his face. He clapped his hands together as his rotund frame maneuvered the stone steps.
“You caught the demon and the Wanderers, just as I knew you would.”
“I’m not a demon. You’ve got to believe me.” Tremors raked through my body.
Kenrick moved forward and stood beside Father Reynaldo.
“By the end she’ll admit her guilt.” The priest patted his arm. “You’ve done a godly deed bringing her here.”
Kenrick cut the rope loose from the horse then placed a hand on my lower back. “Where do you want her, Father?”
“Just follow me. I have a special room where I deal with witches and demons.”
“You promised Brielle would get a trial.”
“And she will, my young friend. But first we need to ask her some questions.”
“And what of her companions?”
“I think it’s best we keep them contained, don’t you?”
We’re going to die. But if I did, I’d come back and kill more innocents. I had to stop this now. No one believed more than I did that I deserved death. I yearned for it. But I couldn’t go yet.
Kenrick had asked for them to give me a trial. But I didn’t doubt that he would follow through on his mission to slay the Beast. Could I fault him for wanting to do the right thing? For wanting to protect the people? If I was wrong and I couldn’t break the curse, he couldn’t let me live, and I wouldn’t stop him.
The decorative gargoyles seemed to mock me as I trudged under the arch. The stones were swathed in bleakness, ghostly silhouettes plunging the hall into darkness.
Torchlight bounced off the walls as we descended into the bowels of the church. My skin prickled as if someone had dowsed the lower levels in magic. Moisture dripped from the ceiling and down my cheek like cool teardrops. We passed several cells, the scent of mildew and urine heavy in the air. Uneven stones beneath my feet made me trip, but Kenrick righted me with a gentle tug to my arm.
At last, we came to the end of the corridor and stood in front of an archaic, heavy wooden door. Father Reynaldo produced a ring of keys and the barrier groaned open. Nausea bubbled in my gut as my gaze flickered across the room.
My breathing came in gasps. Shackles hung from the far wall. In the corner loomed a rack used to stretch people. At the center of the room stood an iron coffin, and next to that a table with arm and leg restraints.
Kenrick released his hold on me and I heard him gasp. Under his breath, I heard him utter the word, “No.”
I stopped moving as I took in all the horrific devices. Then my eyes fell to Father Reynaldo who wore a wide grin. Evil. He’s completely evil.
“Bring her here.” Father Reynaldo stood next to a chair attached to a large wooden arm. Below it was a deep stone tub built right into the floor, filled with water. “We can forego this whole process if you confess right now. Admit that you’re a witch or a demon.”
“I’m neither. Let me explain.”
One of Kenrick’s men gripped hold of me, dragging me forward. I tried to fight.
“I thought you said she’d get a trial?” Kenrick attempted to intervene.
“Patience, Lord Kenrick. I have to question her, these proceedings are delicate in nature—You don’t think I like doing this, do you?”
Yes, that’s exactly what I thought. No matter what I said, I knew he’d find me guilty or twist my words to suit him.
Even as I fought, the soldier shoved me into the chair. Heavy clamps fell across me as they restrained my chest, my legs, and then my arms. I couldn’t move. Sobs erupted from my throat as Father Reynaldo lifted the lever, lowering me to the water.
Ice cold water took my breath away as he dunked me under. I struggled beneath the sloshing waves, panic erupting as darkness surrounded me. I heard nothing but the thrashing of my heart against my ribs. My lungs burned. I needed air. Bubbles rose above my head and wisps of my hair floated around my head, like strands of seaweed.
I struggled to keep my mouth shut. To not breathe in the water. I tried to rock back and forth, but I couldn’t move. He was going to kill me, but perhaps it was better this way. I could let go, let the water claim me. Death is what I wanted, what I begged for, was it not? The image of Raul and his grandmother saving me pulsed through my mind. Memories of Rhyne, whose life I’d ended. They’d all sacrificed themselves for me.
No. I had to fight. If not for me, then for all my future victims. For the people I’d already killed—I needed to end this for good, not just for the time being. I had to stay strong. They deserved an end to this curse just as much as I did. This burden was mine to bear. My atonement for all I’d done. I’d have to survive it.
At last, the chair lifted and I gasped fo
r air like a hungry babe at her mother’s breast.
My skin broke out in gooseflesh as the frigid air touched me. My hair clung to my face, my clothes heavy.
“When did you pledge your soul to the devil?”
“Never. My soul belongs to God.”
“Liar!” Father Reynaldo shouted. “You’ve used dark magic to hide amongst us, murdering villagers and feasting upon their flesh. Confess, demon.”
“I’m not a demon. I’ve been cursed.”
“I see you want to make this hard. Very well. But in the end, you will tell us the truth.”
“Perhaps she’s telling the truth,” Kenrick said, his face pale as his gaze met mine. A spark of tenderness enveloped him. Did he believe me?
“And perhaps she’s bewitched you with her power.” Father Reynaldo glowered.
I sucked in a deep breath. Once again he dunked me into the tub. My jaw clenched as I attempted to keep from sucking in the water. I squeezed my eyes tight against the pain in my chest. Moments ticked slowly. My body pled for air as dizziness washed over me. This was my punishment for falling in love. My trial for wrongs that had not been my choice.
God. Please make it stop. Let me live.
Father Reynaldo swung me from the depths, hoisting me above the water and I gulped for air. Droplets ran along my forehead, down my nose, and off my chin to the stone floor beneath me.
“Let’s try this again.” Father Reynaldo secured the lever then moved to my side. “What witch do you serve?”
“None,” I croaked.
His gaze fell to the bare flesh below my shoulder, where my dress had come down.
“What is this?” He pulled it back to reveal the scar above my heart. “The mark of the devil?”
I turned to look at Kenrick. He reached for the back wall as if to steady himself when he saw the scar, as if now he remembered something. “I’m sorry, Father, but I think you’re mistaken. That is a sword wound,” he said.
“I know the mark of the devil when I see it, Lord Kenrick. Maybe I should have you escorted out of the room until we’ve finished questioning her.”
Father Reynaldo’s fat fingers pressed against my body, grazing my breast. I whimpered, trying to jerk away from him. The pleased look on his face made me sick. He moved away, then grasped for the wooden handle once more.
I dropped into the sloshing water, and this time my feet touched the stone floor of the tub. Something brushed my leg. A bloated, distorted face came into view. A corpse, chained beneath the water. I opened my mouth to scream, letting water seep down my throat.
I’m going to die.
The chair jerked and I felt myself being lifted up once more. I sputtered, vomiting water down the front of me. My throat felt raw.
“Tell me why you’ve come to Fire Ridge, monster.”
“I. Have. Been. Cursed.” My teeth chattered. A part of me wanted to tell him it was so I could kill him. So I could tear his fat fingers from his obese body. But I didn’t dare taunt him. Not if I wanted to leave this room alive. To be able to fight one more day.
“The demon is strong. Let us move her to the dungeon. We will try to extract more information tomorrow.”
They loosened my restraints and I fell to the floor in a heap.
Kenrick dropped to my side and gripped hold of my arm, helping me to my feet. His fingers loosened as his gaze riveted on the blood seeping through my clothing from my earlier wound. Father Reynaldo ushered us from the torture chamber and to a cell. He unlocked the door and Kenrick led me inside.
“I’m sorry,” Kenrick whispered.
Did he finally understand that I’d really been researching to find a way to break the curse?
When he released me, I was so weak that I fell. My knees hit the rocky floor and I cried out in pain. The door slammed shut behind me. Coldness nipped at me as I sat shivering in my wet clothing. Lines of moonlight filtered in through the small barred window above, which were nothing but mere slits. It teased me with glimpses of freedom I’d never find. I stood and crossed the small confine and peered into the cell next to mine. Empty, as was the one next to that. I was alone.
At last, I cowered against the wall, pulling my knees to my chest. My body ached, my wound still trickling blood. The skittering of tiny feet sounded across the cell and I cringed. Rats. My fingers gripped my damp skirts. All I envisioned was their teeth piercing my skin.
Sobs shook me. My life hinged upon the crazed priest, and the man destined to forsake me. For the second time this night, I prayed Raul and his grandmother would survive, because they’d try them as witches.
From down the hall, I heard voices, followed by female screams. I rocked back and forth, plugging my ears. But I couldn’t muffle the shrieks. I could only imagine what kinds of tortures were being dealt.
I hefted myself to my feet, and leaned against the wall. If I called on the Beast now, I could break out of this place. Like I had when I was confined in the church in Dark Pines. But if I did, I knew I’d only kill more people. But to lose a few now and be able to finally put an end to it might be worth the risk. Yet, visions of Rhyne’s last breaths sobered me. Could I truly do this again? Force the change? Tears blurred my vision. Shite. I didn’t know what to do. Yes you do.
Taking a deep breath, I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on changing into the Beast. Nothing happened. No urges to rip out flesh. No hunger for human bones and blood. I tried again. But to no avail. Why couldn’t I change? Something was wrong. Something stopped me.
As more screams echoed through the prison, I sank back to my knees.
I’d find no sleep this night.
I sat propped against the stone wall. The hard surface did little to help the tenderness of my bruised flesh. My shoulder pulsed with pain, but it’d stopped bleeding. I glanced at the barred window as beams of daylight penetrated the drab cell.
Two rats scurried through a crack in the wall.
Father Reynaldo pressed his face against the iron bars in the door, his sadistic smile made me shiver. “I see you’re awake bright and early.”
I scooted farther away as the bolts slid back. The hinges gave a high-pitched groan.
“I’d think your duties to the church would take precedence. It is Sabbath.” I glared. No matter how scared I was, I wouldn’t let him think me weak.
His robust form filled the entryway. “I’ll have plenty of time for the sermon, when I’ve finished questioning you. Lord Kenrick, would you be so kind as to bring our prisoner along?”
Kenrick appeared from behind him. His jaw clenched as he stepped inside. Even from here, I sensed his distaste for Father Reynaldo. Did that mean he might help me?
I cowered in the corner wondering what I’d be forced to endure today. “God please give me strength,” I whispered.
Strong hands gripped my arms and I yelped as they squeezed my wound. Kenrick loosened his grasp “Sorry, I didn’t know he’d do all this,” he whispered then ushered me toward the door and down the hall.
“This isn’t what a Knight of the Crowhurst Order represents. Please, Kenrick, you have to stop this.” I glanced at him over my shoulder. “The curse is real. I really was researching for a cure here in Fire Ridge.”
“I believe that you’re trying to break the curse, but you murdered innocents, Brielle. I-I had no choice but to hand you over.” Regret filled his eyes.
“I know, and I have to live with the nightmares every day. Don’t think that I don’t know that I deserve to be punished, but not in this manner.” It was hard to fathom that such a short time ago, he’d pledged his love for me. I twisted so I could talk to him. “If you’d just give me a chance to explain what I know of the curse. Don’t you see, if you kill me, I’ll come back again—I’ll kill more people. If we can find a cure, we might be able to end this now. Please—I haven’t lied to you, Kenrick.”
Father Reynaldo put a heavy hand on his shoulder, his voice urgent. “Do not listen to her, Lord Kenr
ick, lest she put you under her spell.”
“Under my spell? Don’t you think if I was a demon or a witch I would’ve broken out of your dungeon? Why would I lend myself to your tortures?”
Father Reynaldo spun to face me, his beady eyes lingering on my ripped dress. I wanted nothing more than to cover my bared flesh, but Kenrick held tight to me. However, his hand snaked around to pull my dress back into place for me, as if that would deter Father Reynaldo in anyway.
“You cannot use witchcraft because you’re in the House of the Lord. Our building blocks are constructed of God’s magic—so you cannot use yours.”
He unlocked the torture chamber and my body stiffened.
Be strong. Do not show them weakness.
Two other soldiers took me from Kenrick.
But I threw my body backward, struggling to get free of my captors as tears streamed down my face.
“Secure her here.” Father Reynaldo gestured to the long wooden table. “Perhaps today, she’ll give us the answers we seek.”
“No. Please. Don’t do this!” I screamed, shaking my head back and forth.
Two more men caught hold of my legs and lifted me onto the slab. The coldness seeped through my thin dress as my body pressed against the table. Metal clamps tightened around my ankles, while my arms were lifted above my head and belted into place.
Father Reynaldo waddled to the fireplace, to adjust the iron pokers in the flames, pushing their tips further into the coals.
“Have you ever been burned? Heard the sizzle of flesh as it’s melted from the bone?” A malicious grin pulled at his lips. “The smell is wretched.”
My pulse pounded in my ears as he picked an iron rod from the fire. The sharpened end glowed crimson. He brought it eye-level. I whimpered.
“There are so many places we can put this. Like here, for instance.” He touched the smoldering rod against the pad of my foot.
My body jerked and I yelped in agony. The skin on my sole burned but I couldn’t move away from him. I couldn’t get away from the pain.
Legend of Me Page 22
