“Your witch,” he repeated slowly, looking around to make sure everyone was watching. “She must know spells to make her cunt feel like heaven, instead of the cold, vile piece of putrid meat it is.”
Taryn gasped behind me.
“How dare you,” Elizabeth rushed over, stepping between me and my old friend. “The only vile piece of meat in this tavern is you, Mr. Stearne. You are as cold as they come!” She spat in his face and crossed her body defiantly with her fingers.
John smiled at Elizabeth wickedly. “I warned you girl,” he whispered just loud enough for me to hear.
“Oh, Elizabeth,” Taryn sighed. “What have you done?”
John lurched forward and grabbed Elizabeth by her thin arm and held it high to the men in the tavern. “I wasn’t sure until this moment, but I have been watching this girl closely and I can tell you with certainty that she is a witch.”
A collective gasp went through the room. Elizabeth began to weep and tried desperately to pull out of John’s grip.
The heat was rolling off Taryn in waves. I tried to catch her by the arm as she pushed by me, but there was no stopping her. She stepped right up to John and slapped the palm of her hand across his face with enough force to knock him backwards.
“You let her go!” she demanded. He brought his hand up to his face in disbelief, laying his palm on the angry red mark she had left there.
I pulled her small frame back against my body to protect her from his retaliation. But John didn’t look angry. He looked excited.
He let go of Elizabeth who collapsed into a heap and marched towards Taryn menacingly. I struggled to push her behind me, but she wasn’t having it. She glared up at him, full of defiance. “Do we have proof of another?” he asked grinning.
The men in the room began to murmur amongst themselves, pointing fingers. I felt a terror rise up from my belly. This was exactly the thing I had been afraid of. There would be no way to protect her after this. God save John’s soul, because I would end him if harm came to her because of this.
“Harold, my friend has had a very long day and he is out of sorts,” I declared. “Please allow Elizabeth to return to work.”
Elizabeth pushed herself up off the floor and scrambled for the rooms behind the bar and safety from John. Harold watched her, but did not speak.
“She is a witch and must be tried as such,” John demanded.
“She is no such thing and you know it,” I responded. “Go to bed John, before you do something that you cannot take back.”
His mouth made a hard line and his brow lowered in anger, but he did as he was told. He pushed passed the bar haughtily with his head held high and headed for his room above.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said to Taryn while picking up the tray. She all too happily obliged. I let her walk in front of me to the stairs to ensure no one else tried anything. Thankfully, we made it back to our room without any further disturbances.
“Are you alright?” I asked her.
“I’m not a delicate little girl, Matthew. I’m fine. Really,” she said to me. She was already eating and indeed, seemed to be fine. “Let’s just forget about it and eat our dinner.”
I hesitated. I understood the repercussions of this event far better than she did. This coupled with the allegations the old man had made yesterday, put her in the public eye. Opinions would be formed if they hadn’t already been. I feared it could impact her safety in a very negative way. But I didn’t want her to worry. Instead of broaching what was truly on my mind, I sat down and enjoyed my meal with her the best I could. We barely spoke.
We had no common ground tonight. She thought my job was barbaric. She was still reeling from what she had witnessed with Joan Fern. I knew what I did was for God and the greater good. She made me feel like I was doing something wrong. I didn’t understand how she could make me doubt a lifetime of belief.
“Can we go back in the morning and see the child?” she asked. “I’m really worried about her wellbeing. No child should be confined to a dungeon like that. Would I be permitted to take her outside to play?”
“I don’t see why not. But you would have to return her there after your visit concludes.”
She nodded, “Will Elizabeth be safe here tomorrow, with us gone?”
“I did not substantiate John’s claim. No one can legally touch her. John will be with us, so she should be fine.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking a bite of her bread.
“For?”
“For not letting him get away with it,” she smiled at me. “Elizabeth doesn’t deserve that.”
“I know the girl is innocent. I wouldn’t let anyone harm an innocent person.” I ran my hand down the side of her face and she leaned into me affectionately. “I’ll make sure John stays far away from her.”
“I’ll hurt him myself if he hurts her.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that you mean that,” I laughed as she crawled up onto the bed on her hands and knees like a wild animal.
“I mean it with every fiber of my being,” she said. She rolled onto her back and spread her legs wide inviting me to crawl between them.
I took her mouth and kissed her deeply. Her body relaxed under mine and she moaned sweetly into my mouth.
Chapter Twenty-Five
John
I awoke with the worst headache I could remember having in a very long time, and not much of a memory of what had transpired over the course of the evening. I had a very big need to piss and vomit, and not necessarily in that order. I rolled myself out of the bed onto all fours on the floor and argued with my retching stomach.
After scrambling around for what seemed like forever looking for clean trousers on the floor, I finally located a pair that didn’t smell like a stable boy’s ass.
The birds were incessantly chirping right outside my window and the normally calming sound reverberated through my ears like the hammer of the blacksmith striking steel. “Shut up, will you?” I screamed at the rude little beasts, to no avail. They kept right on with their happy little tune.
“Damn you bloody little beasts to Hell,” I said, as if they could hear me. I placed my hands on my temples and pushed against the veins that pulsated beneath my fingertips. I pulled the heavy drape aside and the sunlight spilled in through the window, hitting my eyes like scalding hot water. I recoiled instantly hissing like a vampire that would turn to ash.
I sat on the edge of the bed and put my face between my knees. Maybe I should tell Matthew I am indisposed for the day and sleep this off? But no, very important things were happening today, most importantly, if the guard had done what I paid him to do, there was a body to discover. I definitely did not want to miss that. I hoped that Taryn was the one to find the girl. How sweet would that be? The way she spoke about meeting the girl and finding a place for her yesterday, it wouldn’t have surprised me if she had tried to convince Matthew to adopt the little brat. One big happy family. Not on my watch. I hoped he made the scene gruesome and bloody and upon seeing the child's remains, Taryn would lose her breakfast. That would make my day.
Yes. I absolutely had to venture out in the heinous sunlight to catch that sight. Maybe she would decide to leave then? With any luck it would be too much for her to bear and she would run away never to be seen again and I would have Matthew all to myself again. But I would never get that lucky. A man could hope, though right?
After I composed myself, I headed outside to get the day started.
Outside, Henry had the coach attached to our horses and was petting their noses, whispering to them in a kindly voice.
“They can’t understand you friend. They are just daft animals.”
“Oh no,l Sir, they are very wise. They understand everything I say to them.”
Agreeing with the man, the black horse I generally choose for myself shook her head up and down, shaking her soft mane. Henry laughed and gave her an extra pat. The horse whinnied appreciatively.
Matthew and Taryn c
ame outside shortly after that. Rubbing their eyes in the sunlight and yawning.
“John,” Matthew nodded at me solemnly. “I do hope you got everything out of your system last night, because I will not be dealing with that brand of distractions today. I have far too much to do to worry about what will be coming out of your mouth.”
I grimaced, “I’m hung over. If that makes you feel any better.”
Taryn shook her head at me and turned away. She couldn’t disguise the disgust on her face. I wanted to tell her the feeling was mutual.
“Your clothes look like you took them from the floor,” Matthew turned his nose up at my disheveled state.
“You caught me. I most certainly did find these on the floor.”
“You are representing Matthew with the way you dress, and you look like you have no care in the world for how people see you. How shameful,” she got into the carriage without another glance at me.
“Look at Miss Prim and Proper. As I recall, the first time we met, you were bare-arsed on a shit covered road. My lack of pristine garments is less contemptible than that.” She stuck her head out and glared at me. If looks could kill, I would have fallen dead where I stood. Wasn’t she in just a fantastic mood this morning? My head was pounding far too hard to give a shit for how she felt about anything presently.
“That’s enough, both of you,” Matthew said. “Get in the carriage, John. Let’s go.” He slid in beside Taryn and left the small door open for me. I sighed in contempt and followed him inside. This was going to be a very long day.
The ride to the castle was unnervingly quiet. Taryn refused to look at, or speak to me and resigned herself to looking out the window for the duration of the trip. Matthew, feeling her unwillingness to engage in idle chatter, just looked out his window instead of inciting an argument. I looked back and forth between the two of them trying to come up with something to get her going again, but couldn’t come up with anything witty enough that wouldn’t completely piss off Matthew so I remained silent as well.
Taryn all but crawled over us both to get out of the carriage as soon as Henry called for the horses to halt. I don’t even think we had fully stopped yet before her feet were on the ground. Whatever, I didn’t care to be near her either.
Three guards blocked our way from entering the compound. One was the guard that I had paid yesterday to take care of my problem. The man looked greener than the day prior and he had a solemn expression on his face. “What’s going on?” Matthew asked apprehensively.
“Sir, there has been a death in the cells,” the first man said.
“Was it old lady Fern? I knew we left her under the water the last time far too long. She wasn’t herself the last time she was brought up.”
“No, Sir. Miss Fern is back to herself this morning.”
“Well, who then?” Taryn asked, stepping forward.
I tried to hide the smile on my face. But I couldn’t help it as I watched Taryn’s face while they delivered the news to her. She blanched and threw herself into Matthew’s arms, sobbing.
“How could this have happened? Did you see anyone come or go from her cell?” Matthew asked.
“No Sir, I delivered dinner to her last night and she was perfectly fine. Upon delivering breakfast this morning, we found her poorly body in a right terrible state,” the guard I paid explained. “Her blood is all over the cell. There is no way she could have done it to herself. She would have bled out before she completed what was done in there.”
Taryn lurched from Matthew’s arms and threw up next to the guards. I concealed my glee not wanting anyone to notice I was not upset by the news. I had made quite the spectacle of myself at the tavern last night, I would need to be more careful than ever, it would not do well to cast more suspicion onto myself.
“Who found her?” Matthew asked, holding a sobbing Taryn in his arms.
“I did, Sir,” my guard responded.
“There was nothing in her cell to implicate anyone?” Matthew asked him pointedly.
“Only the writing, Sir. There were strange markings all over the walls painted in the child’s own blood. None of us could read it though,” Taryn looked as if she might heave again.
Matthew rubbed circles on her back trying to calm her. “Take us to her,” he said solemnly.
The guards protested, “Are you sure, Sir, the lady….”
“The lady is upset, but she would never forgive me if I did not let her see the child before she is taken away for burial.” He said looking down at Taryn. She looked back up at him, green but with appreciation.
“As you wish, Sir.” The guards turned and began to head towards the cells below and Matthew and Taryn took up step behind them. I trailed the rear so I wouldn’t miss a single glorious moment of it. I had doubted the guard would actually go through with the task, but I guess the gold was just too good to say no to. As we passed him by, I discreetly placed a second bag of gold in his clammy hand, twice as heavy as the one I had given him previously. He dropped the bag into his pocket and did not make eye contact with me or utter a word as thanks. Just as well. Didn’t matter to me if he was happy about the arrangement or not.
“What is going to happen to her little body?” Taryn asked quietly.
“She will be buried on the castle grounds in a pauper grave,” Matthew told her. “They will remove her body after we have had the opportunity to see where she was killed to try to discern who could have done this to her and why.”
I hoped we wouldn’t have to pay for her burial. Surely the mother had something we could sell off to pay for it. It was her bastard; she should pay for it. A child size box and a hole in the ground can’t be worth that much. I don’t even think they would put a marker on her grave since it would be a pauper grave. Once the foliage grew back, no one would even remember she was there. A waste of breath anyways. A mother should drown a child when it has impairments such as hers.
The guards led us down the stone stairs at an agonizingly slow pace, like they were in no rush to see the scene again. There was a guard posted on each side of the open cell door making sure no one entered or exited before we could look it over for ourselves. Though we are not the law, she was in our charge, since she had no other family that we were aware of besides the witch we had in custody, we were essentially the guardians for the little brat.
Taryn stopped a few paces from the open door and took a deep breath. Her face looked sour again. The smell of death and drying blood was heavy in the air and it made even my stomach tighten and threaten to expel the contents. “Does her mother know what has become of her?” Taryn asked.
“We did not tell her,” the guard said. “Most of the men here believe her to be guilty and didn’t want to chance her cursing us or our kin.”
“But the sigils?” I asked, planting my seeds. “Does it not look as if she were killed by a witch? Perhaps her mother had her killed to prevent her from telling us her secrets. Perhaps she knew something that could have condemned them all.”
All four guards crossed themselves and nodded their heads in agreement.
“Her mother has a right to know she is gone.” Taryn said. “What if she didn’t have anything to do with it at all?”
Matthew grabbed both of her hands as she swung them wildly while using them to emphasize her words.
“We will tell her, love. We will make sure she knows.”
Taryn laid her head against Matthew’s chest. He enfolded her into his arms, letting her sob softly against him.
“Do you want to go inside, Sir?” the guard asked Matthew, seemingly anxious to have the ordeal over with.
Matthew nodded his head yes and Taryn pulled herself away from his embrace. “Are you coming, John?” Matthew asked me.
“I’m right here,” I responded.
We stepped forward together. The girl was laying on the floor, flat on her back with her arms and legs laid straight out. There was a deep laceration running from ear to ear, cut so deep into her flesh that her esophagu
s was severed and the bone was visible. Her eyes were wide open, but unseeing, trapped forever in a last moment of terror. Her skin was white as parchment, contrasted heavily against the ruddy color of the pool of drying blood beneath her body.
Her tongue was protruding from between her teeth and swollen. It was nearly double the size it should have been. There were strange glyph-like letters covering the walls and ceiling of the cell, written in blood with the guard’s fingertips. Oh, how he outdid himself. There wasn’t a clear spot on the walls that didn’t have blood. It must have taken him hours to do. How no one walked in on him and caught him was beyond me. But I couldn’t have done it better myself.
I wanted to clap and dance like a jester whilst saying, ‘Bravo!’ but I could not give the game away. I was far too invested in this now. “Witchcraft.” I said instead. Loud enough for the rest of the group to hear.
Taryn could take no more of it and ran for the stairs. Matthew turned to follow but seemed to change his mind mid-step. “Who is in charge of cleaning this up?” he asked the guards. His voice was broken. The scene was affecting him but he was fighting to look strong and unmoved.
“We are, Sir,” the two guards keeping post outside her room stood at attention awaiting his orders.
“I don’t see anything I can use to identify the murderer and I don’t recognize the writing. Let’s get the girl wrapped up and the blood washed away, shall we? This has been a very difficult experience for all of us.” He walked off in the direction that Taryn had run to.
“I’ll stay and help. I don’t have a woman to attend to,” I told the guards.
“You don’t have to, Sir, it is our job.”
I stood close to the wall and inspected the strange writing intently. “Taryn seemed to be in a very big hurry to leave this room, didn’t she?” I asked the guards who were placing the girl’s arms across her body and closing her unsealing eyes.
“I don’t know a woman who would have been able to last long in here. It’s quite the gruesome sight, Sir.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right. But I can’t help but wonder if she didn’t have something to do with this. She could have easily left the inn in the middle of the night with no one noticing to do it. And it would take suspicions off her and that serving girl.”
The Witch Hunter Page 20