by Jill Cooper
“Abby,” George took a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine again as they took in the sight of me. “You’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now.”
“George,” I cried and wrapped my arms around him and his wrapped around me. It was like returning to a warm bed on a cold night. I had forgotten how much I missed him and to now finally have him back fulfilled a craving deep in my very soul.
Chapter: Dark Lord Creighton
As all of Rottenwood slept, Creighton floated from room to room in the minister’s hall. He watched the one named Evelyn as she slept beside her husband. They may have been married, but now Evelyn belonged to him, the amulet she wore would see to that. Creighton reveled in how her breasts rose and fell with each breath, how her lips parted. If Creighton had been a man, he would’ve kept her close.
Very close.
The smoke in the amulet swayed back and forth. Evelyn’s brow crinkled and she moaned, her head tossing to the side. The hand curled by her head tightened into a fist and Creighton let out a long, gurgling laugh. She had some humanity after all, but not much. It wouldn’t take long for it to be driven from her.
Soon enough, she’d be nothing more than a servant to him, doing his bidding, whatever that may be. For now, Creighton stroked his hand over Evelyn’s face and watched her settle down again into a serene sleep.
“Listen and remember,” Creighton whispered into her ear. “Learn what you must do.”
He moved away from the bed as Mitchell began to stir awake. Creighton had no use for him and wanted to be free of him. Evelyn wouldn’t care much if Creighton killed her husband, but he wasn’t ready yet.
As he made his way over to the window, a deep scream deep inside of the Dark Lord Creighton hushed. Like a burning fire, the scream had raged for six centuries and in all that time he never had peace. There never had been quiet. Now the piercing scream was drowned out by something he hadn’t heard in those six same centuries.
Calm. Peace.
The Dark Lord Creighton rushed to the window overlooking Rottenwood. All the light’s in the homes were dim. All of those that worshipped him slept so there was no need for his talisman to shine brightly except it was. So bright, it burned his chest.
He held it in his skeletal hand and his inner sight saw things that weren’t directly in front of him. His vision flashed to a cavern and a long trail covered with sparkling magic and dancing pixies. Hungry trolls at every turn instead turned studious and strong. Cultivating the very thing that the dark lord had outlawed from the very beginning.
Art, sheets of music, the written word.
Imagination was its name. It was the place the dark lord had been searching for. Now he knew it’s location, he would seize it—and destroy all that lived there who couldn’t fight. Those who could, would serve him.
Serve him and his war.
Beyond that, the Unforgiving Lands. Now Creighton saw how vast it stretched and how many there were that lived there. Homesteads, happiness, people living free instead of under his rule. They were his to conquer, but why? What had changed?
Then her face flashed into his mind. The Temptress, the first curator who stood before him, her mind was free. No longer held prisoner by the ancient spirit holding Creighton at bay. It was gone, defeated, scrubbed from the world.
The way was open. Victory would be his.
It was time to take the Unforgiving lands and turn all those that were free into his servants and slaves. Like those of the civilized world, it was time to make them kneel or slaughter them where they stood.
Haven had fallen and now Creighton set his sights on the McGee homestead and all those that lived there. They would be the first to fall, but they wouldn’t be the last.
Creighton floated outside and up to the tower where the other death hunters flew out on patrol. He let out a piercing screech of victory and in that scream orders and instructions.
It was time to mass his arms and get his followers to worship him. He needed to be at full strength if he was going to defeat Tarnish Rose and seal the fate of the curators forever.
Chapter: Dani
Time passed and Dani’s new maternity clothes were getting a workout. She liked a particular brown one the best. It had white stripes around the collar and the hem fell to her ankles. Life in Beantown wasn’t getting easier, but they had fallen into a natural rhythm with farm life. The chickens were happy and producing more eggs and the goats were producing more milk now that Dani had experimented with their feed.
She had an abundance of milk and eggs for the ministers, which meant they were eating better, and each week, Dani added more of the allowance money they were paid to her savings jar.
Timothy, though, wasn’t up yet by the time Dani had returned from feeding the pigs and that worried her. Glancing outside at the blowing wind, she wrapped her sweater tighter around herself, poking the fire to keep the house warmer. The air felt so chilled, even inside.
Winter had arrived and the first snow fall wouldn’t be long. It was more important than ever to finish the farm maintenance before things got really bad.
Dani opened the bedroom door to check on her husband and saw he was rising from bed. Holding onto the bed post, Timothy coughed into his fist and his face appeared moist. “Tim? Are you all right?”
He nodded he was, but he couldn’t stop coughing. She heard the congestion as he sputtered to catch his breath and Dani rushed to him. As she got to him, he collapsed forward and she barely caught him, helping him back over to the bed.
Hot to the touch, Dani realized he had a fever. Oh Lord, he was so sick. The plague… Dani tried not to think about it, but it was obvious it was here. In their home. She probably had it already and that meant the baby…
“How long have you been sick?” Dani asked as she yanked on Timothy by his under arms to get him back in the bed.
“I’m… not…” Timothy wheezed and started coughing again. “Have to… the fence and the chicken coop…”
“You aren’t doing anything until you get better. You’ll die if you push yourself too hard and then what will happen to us?” Dani sighed and bit her lip, watching Timothy’s chest rise and fall as he rasped for breath.
“Got worse overnight,” Timothy groaned, his mouth falling open. He grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and covered his mouth as he coughed. When he pulled it away, it was covered in blood.
Dani’s chest tightened, she was so scared. “I’ll make you some chicken broth. Something to warm you. Help with that cough.”
Timothy shook his head. “Leave me. Don’t come too close. You… and the baby…”
Dani feared it was too late for any of that. She rushed into the kitchen to grab a pot to put over the fire and spotted the paper bag wrapped brick that Alessa had given her. She thought of burning it in the fire then, but decided to wait. She didn’t want to risk her friend’s life. She had been sick many times before and if she could get Timothy’s fever down… well, maybe there would be hope.
She put the water and chicken bones in the pot and placed it over the fire. After she added a few carrot and onion tops, Timothy’s cough started up again something fierce.
Oh Timmy, please hold on.
With the soup boiling, she took a wash cloth and some cold water into the bedroom. Dani placed a cold compress to his forehead and he moaned, rolling his head back and forth. “Please,” he murmured, “don’t get sick on my account.”
“Hush now,” Dani said sternly. “Your wife will take care of you. For better or worse, our fates are linked together.”
She dabbed at his dry lips and Timothy sucked on some of the water. She was happy to see he was still willing to drink—it meant all hope wasn’t lost. Timothy touched her hand. Horrified, Dani saw the size of the fever blisters on the back of his hand. She’d need a treatment for that, too, or they might become infected.
She found a salve given to her by Alessa’s friend Georgia for stretch marks and hoped that would help. As she grabbed it
from the cabinet, she found the tonic that helped her feel better throughout her pregnancy. If it made Dani feel better, maybe it would make Timothy feel better, too.
Grabbing the bottle, Dani rushed to be by his side.
****
The first snow storm of the season had arrived and it was a doozy. Alessa watched it from the window with her afghan drawn tight around her body. The fire burned in the fireplace, but still she shivered. Outside, the wind blew the snow sideways until all she could see was a white blur. She hoped the animals would be all right. With a sigh, she moved away from the door and went to check on Ben, so quiet in his sleep space. Right off the kitchen he lay in his crib, smiling up with a coo.
She checked his cheeks and his forehead, disheartened that he was cool to the touch. “Oh, Benny.” Picking him up, Alessa placed him against her chest and wrapped him tightly in her blanket. “Guess you’ll be spending the night with us by the fire, won’t you?”
Ben tossed his arms up and down and gave a laugh. Such a happy boy. Alessa could never regret taking him, no matter what trouble it caused in town. Still, it was hard to think about poor Lucy Tanger and what had happened, but she asked too many questions. She wouldn’t accept the simple answers Alessa had tried to feed her.
When the front door slammed, Alessa gasped to see Scott had returned. He leaned against the door with his full body weight, finally latching it shut. His scarf and hat were covered in snow, his pants and boots thick with it. “You better change before you catch a chill, Scotty. By the workmen—.”
Alessa stopped herself. She wouldn’t speak their names here, in their home.
Scotty tossed his boots off. “Animals are secure and warm, but for how long, I don’t know. Snow is over six inches already and no end in sight.”
“Any signs from our neighbors?”
“None,” Scott said as he went into the bedroom to change. Alessa followed him and watched as he changed his clothes. While naked, Scott’s feminine shape was apparent but he took great precautions in hiding it when dressed.
Alessa turned away so she wouldn’t have to see too much. “I’m worried that we haven’t seen them much these past weeks. Since the events that happened in town—.”
“Tim doesn’t suspect, I told you that. Dani doesn’t either, far as you can tell. You need to relax, Ally honey. They don’t know what we’ve done. There’s no reason for them to suspect us.” Scott buttoned up his new shirt, pausing to kiss her and tickle Ben’s little chin.
When the baby laughed, it just cemented even more what Alessa would do to protect her family. So much more than she had already done.
“When this snow stops, maybe I should visit them. Make sure they’re all right.”
Scotty nodded. “I’m sure they know what to do, but they might need help. Dani’s condition won’t make life out here any easier. Last time I saw her… I fear she’s further along than she thinks, or maybe they lied about the conception date.”
“Why would they lie?” Alessa asked.
Scott turned serious as he took the baby from her. “We all have our reasons. Pretty sure we both know that, darling. Don’t we?” He kissed his wife as he bounced the baby in the air, causing fits and giggles.
His answer didn’t make Alessa feel any better. If there was a reason for Dani and Timothy to lie to them, Alessa just wished she knew what the answer was.
****
After two days of intense snow, it finally stopped. The house grew cold and Dani needed to head outside and grab more wood for the fire. It’d take time to dry out, but she couldn’t open the front door very far—it was blocked with snow and the push shovel was all the way in the barn up the steep hill, now covered in over a foot of snow.
Dani wouldn’t get there without killing herself, but she needed to get outside. Tend to the animals and make sure they were all right. She worried about the chickens but the other animals would require feeding, as well.
She grabbed the winter boots by the fireplace and slipped them on. Tying the shoes was more troublesome. When she bent over these days, she couldn’t breathe and it felt like a race to finish. Putting on her hat and home knit sweater, Dani forced the front door open and nearly screamed when she saw Alessa on the other side.
Her hand up in the air as if she was just about to knock. “Thank the workmen. I was so worried about you.”
“Alessa,” Dani said breathlessly. “I wasn’t expecting—.”
“Timothy hasn’t been out to make a path for you? You can’t do that in your condition or at the very least shouldn’t.” Alessa scowled. “If he needs assistance, Scott and I—.”
“I appreciate all of that, but I’m afraid you can’t be here. Timothy’s very sick. Down and out for the last three days. The cough started before that but he hid it from me.”
“Sick?” Alessa’s eyebrows narrowed and then she gasped. “The plague? Your home has it?”
Dani nodded. “From the size of the boils on his hands, I say yes. The fever isn’t as bad and the boils are reducing in size. I’ve been making chicken broth and feeding him bits when he wakes. Also that drink you made me—.”
“Tell no one he has it, do you hear me?” Alessa whispered. “You shouldn’t even have told me. But if what you say is true, if the boils are reducing in size and redness, he might be one of the lucky few who survive.”
Dani nodded. “I’ll do everything you suggested. Thank you, Alessa.”
“Keep doing what you’re doing. More drink if necessary. I’m afraid I can’t stay. I’m sorry.” Alessa backed up. “If there’s such a thing as God, may it protect you and your child from the plague. It’s worse in pregnant woman. Protect yourself, if you can.” Alessa headed back to the horse waiting for her outside the farmhouse.
Dani rubbed her arms and watched her friend go, feeling more isolated and alone than before.
“If the plague leaves him, wait two days, then light that brick I gave you. Then we will come help. We’ll do whatever we can, but until that happens… I’m afraid you’ll have to survive on your own.”
Alessa gripped her horses reigns and pulled herself up onto the saddle. She didn’t wait for a response as she hurried back around the bend, making her trek home.
Dani truly was on her own. She only hoped she could survive.
Chapter: Tarnish Rose
George cleaned up in a private bedroom in the tower and I fitted him with an eyepatch that would keep his missing eye from sight. “Does it hurt much?” I asked, slipping my hands down his chest and taking both his hands. The scars on his left cheek and a gouge over his right eye were deep.
I doubted all the magic in the world could heal them.
George afforded me a small grin. “Only when I’m awake. A dull throbbing where my eye used to be. Looking at you heals me in ways that medicine can’t. Fear not, Abby. Or should I call you Tarnish?”
I smiled at him, unable to stop myself from tracing the lines of his forehead with my fingers. “Call me whichever you like. It doesn’t matter anymore. Everything I wanted to protect—mother and father—they’re both dead.” I paused to swallow and watched the disbelief wash over his face. “Margaret, too. All by Creighton’s hand and the ministers.”
“I’m sorry, Abby. So terribly sorry. I wish there was something I could’ve done. Something I should’ve done.”
“Soon it’ll come to an end. I have the complete remnant, Temptress has been freed from her curse, and I have the staff. Now all I have to do is use them to find the library and then we can end all of this.” I gritted my teeth, unable to keep the anger out of my voice.
“You’ve grown so strong. I don’t know what my place will be at your side or if I should stay behind. What use can a one-eyed peasant be to someone as mighty as you?” George looked away, his lips cast down in a pained scowl and I imagined all of the demons he had faced inside of the Temptress’s tower for the last few months.
“You’re not a peasant. You have more value than you know to yourself and to me.
I’d fight every day to be by your side, regardless of your social class. I love you, George, and that will never change, no matter how many times the world does.”
George’s hands trembled as he slid them against my face, angling me to him. Desperately he kissed me, and I clung to him, feeling everything we used to be. I hoped we could walk into the coming battle united and strong. Now that we were together, nothing would tear us apart.
****
Hand in hand, George and I walked into the dining chamber where everyone was gathered standing around a stone table. Sebastian glanced at us and I tried to read his face, but his expression was so neutral, I took it as a bad sign. Could he still be harboring negative thoughts about George joining us on our mission?
Robbie and Beatrice nodded to us while Ana stayed her usual quiet and shy self. Ella was missing and still sleeping upstairs, but I hoped that soon, she’d awaken and I wished to be by her side when she did.
“Robbie, Beatrice, and Ana,” I said gesturing to each of them. “This is George.” I squeezed his hand tighter and he gave me a half smile.
“Hello,” he said with a nod of his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
“The pleasure is all ours,” Robbie said with a bow.
“Will you be okay?” Beatrice asked. “Looks like you’ve been through the ringer. Well, I don’t mean you look bad.” She glanced around the group. “Someone help me out here.”
Everyone quietly chuckled and George’s smile grew wider. “I’ll be all right now.” He slipped his hand onto my shoulder and it rested beneath my hair. It felt surreal as his thumb stroked the skin of my neck.
Sebastian cleared his throat. “Glad to see you again, George, and that you survived.”
George nodded his thanks. “Glad to see you, too. You’ve been with Abby all this way. Thank you for looking out for her.”