by Jewel Dartt
"Make one helluva of a movie of the week," the sheriff muttered to himself.
"What was that, Sheriff?"
Norman looked up. "Nothing, boy, just thinking out loud. You saying that the minister broke out his friend?"
The young man's head bobbed up and down. "You wouldn't have believed it, Sheriff. He came marching in here bold as all get out and pointed a gun in my face. I had no choice but to do what he said."
The sheriff rubbed his chest as yet another pain shafted through his chest. Damn, Martha was going to kill him for not taking it easier. But he had one hell of a situation on his hands, and there was nobody but him to take care of it. Those two damn young fools were going to get themselves killed if he didn't do something to prevent it. The question was, what could he do?
Hadden and Steven already had a head start. Could he make it up to Damaina before those two damn jackasses got Miranda and themselves killed?
Hell, he didn't know, but he had to try.
"Get your gun, deputy," he said as he turned on his heel and strode out of the cellblock.
"Where we going, Sheriff?" the boy asked as he scrambled to catch up.
"Going hunting, boy. Going hunting."
* * *
Shocked cries of outrage rang out. Hadden, his fear for Miranda's safety visible in his eyes, staggered to his feet and made his way to her side. Fear pooled into the pit of her stomach as Steven joined him, and both men took up a defensive stance as the crowd grew louder.
"Silence!"
At once a hush fell over the room. Julian stepped forward. "Enough. This is a council matter…the rest of you go home. We will deal with this…" he shot her a look of contempt, "this half-breed." He turned back to the uneasy onlookers. "I assure you, justice will be done. Now, please, everybody go home."
"What about the outsiders?" somebody yelled. "What will you do to them?"
The man shook his head. "The council will take care of them also. There is nothing to worry about in this matter. The council will take care of it."
There were a few more protests, but eventually the onlookers left, taking Drake's body with them, leaving Miranda and the others to face the six council members.
To her shocked surprise, her own grandfather and Lianne were two of the six that remained.
"This doesn't look good, Hadden, perhaps we should make a run for it before they decide to hang us," Steven said in a low voice.
Miranda hadn't realized he was there until he spoke up, and then she noticed the two women. Why had they come? The witch had said she couldn't help her. Had she changed her mind? For a split second Mirada felt hope, and then she remembered what she'd done to Drake. Dear God. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed quietly.
Hadden put his arm around her and shook his head, his face grim. "We'd never make it," he told Steven. "They'd be on us before we could take one step. They have reflexes way beyond what we could ever dream of having." He stared thoughtfully at the members of the council as they gathered at the front of the room. "No—we have to see this through to the end, it's the only way."
Miranda's head began to throb at his words. God, what a mess. She'd gotten her friends into it, but now how was she to get them out of it? She dashed away her tears and spoke up, desperation making her bold.
"Please let the others go. I'm the one who pulled the trigger. I killed Drake, not any of them. You have no reason to keep them here. Punish me but not them."
Hadden tugged her backwards. "Shh, hush, Miranda. Even if they let me go, I'm not leaving you here alone."
The man with the scarred cheek gave them an angry glare. "Silence, both of you. No one leaves here until the council comes to a decision. Isn't there anyone on the council willing to come to the outsiders' defense in this unfortunate matter?"
Adam stepped forward. "I am. I know what we witnessed here tonight was a terrible tragedy. But let us remember my granddaughter acted in defense of a friend. We all saw what happened. She had no other choice but to do as she did."
Julian snorted. "And of course the fact that she is your granddaughter has nothing to do with your deductions, correct?"
Before he could answer, Lianne spoke up. "That is immaterial. Adam is right, we did all see what happened."
Julian's mouth gaped opened at her words. "How could you, Lianne? He was your brother."
A shadow of pain passed over her elfin features. "Yes, but it's no secret that my brother and I have been fighting for years over the human issue. I did not want him dead, but I'm not surprised. His obsessive hatred for humans is what really killed him, not Miranda. Although she has not said so, I suspect he was somehow manipulating her into this marriage against her will. He claimed it was to benefit us all, but I wonder—"
Julian fingered his scar thoughtfully. "Still, she broke our most sacred law by her actions. She must be punished."
"Did she?" Adam asked. "She is not really one of us, as you yourself argued earlier before the ceremony. So how can our law bind her?"
Julian sighed. "It's going to be a long night. I move that we confine the outsiders until we can reach some kind of decision regarding their fate."
* * *
Dirty gray light filtered through the cracks of the wooden shed that they had forced Hadden and the others into. Two men stood outside, guarding against any attempt at escape—as if he could think of escape, with Miranda so ill.
He sat on the floor holding her against his chest. Her face was white, and her eyes glittered with fever. He'd noticed it when he'd first seen her. He could do nothing but notice it now.
"Sweetheart, everything's going to be all right. That man back there…Adam, your grandfather, is on our side. He's not going to let them do anything to us."
She looked up at him with a weary smile. "Always the optimist. How can you be so sure about the outcome of their meeting? My grandfather and Lianne are only two against the other four, I really doubt if they can persuade them to just let us go without any repercussions from my actions. Someone has to pay for killing Drake, and unfortunately, that someone is me. I just wish I could have kept you and the others from getting involved."
Hadden gave her a little shake. "Don't talk that way. There's still a chance we can get out of this mess, and when we do, you and I are going to put this entire ghastly episode behind us once and for all."
Miranda shook her head. "Even if we do get out, Hadden, this doesn't change anything between us. We have no future together, not now—not ever."
Hadden touched her forehead with a worried frown. Jesus, she was burning up with fever. "Shh, sweetheart, don't talk, save your strength. We'll talk about it later when you're feeling better."
"There won't be a later for your lady friend," Mary Ellen said, stooping down beside Hadden. She studied Miranda carefully. "She ain't long for this world, I'm afraid."
"What are you talking about?" Hadden asked, his throat closing with fear. "She's not dying. As soon as I can get her out of this lunatic place, I'll take care of her. She's going to be fine."
The old woman pulled a stringed bag from the bosom of her dress and thrust it at him. "She doesn't have a chance without this. Now, I'm not saying for sure this stuff will save her, but it's the only chance she's got."
Hadden pushed the bag away. "How do you know that?"
Mary Ellen let out a crackle. "I may be old, but I ain't blind. Your lady isn't coming through the changes the way she is supposed to. She's going to die, and there is nothing your medicine can do to help her."
"And yours can?" he snapped.
Mary Ellen shrugged. "It's better than nothing. At least she will have a chance at living and at shedding her curse once and for all."
Miranda touched his wrist. "Hadden, could it be true? Is there really a chance I might become normal again?"
His chest convulsed at the hope he heard in her thin voice. "We don't know what's in that pouch, Miranda. It could kill you, for all we know."
"A risk I'm willing to take." She c
oughed and then tried to speak. "She's right…you know, I am dying. I…can feel it." Her gaze became distant, her face veiled with a wistful longing. "I would like a chance at living a normal life again—with you by my side."
"Miranda, we just can't chance it."
She focused her gaze on him. "I can. Don't you see? I have nothing to lose by taking her potion."
Steven placed his hand on Hadden's shoulder. "Let her do it, Hadden. It's the only option she has left."
Hadden shook off his hand. "I can't. What if she dies, Steven?"
"What if she dies anyway, without taking the potion?"
Anguish speared through him at Steven's words. He gave Mary Ellen a look of desperation. There had to be something else they could do. "I don't understand any of this. Why is she dying?"
Mary Ellen picked up Miranda's slack wrist. "Her body is rejecting the changes. I don't know why any more than you do; with half-breeds, no one really knows. Sometimes the pain gets so bad it drives them crazy, and they start killing anything that gets in their path. Others simply give up and curl up to die."
"And Miranda?" Hadden asked, holding his breath as he waited for the old woman to answer him.
The look of sorrow on her wrinkled features made him flinch with pain. "One of the others."
"How do you know so much about all of this?" Steven asked. "I didn't think you did."
"Been around a long time, sonny. Known a few of her kind in my lifetime."
Hadden stared down at Miranda. God, but she was so weak. He felt so helpless and powerless. Hell, he'd been feeling that way ever since his nightmare had begun.
Miranda had been right. He couldn't fix this and make it come out right. He had no other choice but to let the witch try her potion.
Epilogue
* * *
Miranda smoothed the bodice of her wedding dress nervously. She heard the first strains of the wedding march begin, and a rush of happiness overwhelmed her. That was not what made her shudder.
Finally the nightmare was over. Her grandfather and Lianne, after much debate, had convinced the council that she was not a threat to other loup-garou, and that she and the others were not bound by the laws of their society.
Nobody in this society would believe us if we did reveal what had happened the night of Drake's death, or who had really committed the murders.
Sheriff Banks had chalked it up as an animal gone rabid and closed the cases. At last, Miranda had the freedom to be herself…to be Miranda McNeal.
The Sheriff smiled and offered her his arm. "Are you ready?"
She nodded and took his proffered arm, blinking back misty tears as he led her down the aisle. At the end, Hadden stood, love for her shining in his eyes as he gazed at her. Somehow they had made it through the nightmare…together. And now her moonlight legacy was behind her. She walked forward without regret toward Hadden. Her love. Her future…her destiny forever.
Jewel Dartt
Jewel Dartt has been writing for many years. She has written numerous short stories for the confession magazines, but writing books was her dream.
She has a FILE full of rejections to show she's paid her dues :)
…And now all the hard work is paying off. (In spades, since Jewel's dark romantic fantasy titles, Enemy Mine and Moonlight Legacy, continue to be two hot sellers.)
She loves to write paranormal (yes, vampire, too), fantasy…all intertwined with a splash of romance.
Jewel lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains where inspiration abounds. She has three beautiful daughters and a wonderful husband who is the gremlin that helps with e-mail, filing, webpage, revisions etc…
You can visit her home site at:
http://www.geocities.com/jkdartt
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