"Not if they were going around burning anyone with an opinion," Aldine said unguardedly.
"Exactly," Elke said with a smile. "Anyone with ambition, with drive. They are always attacked." Was she talking about Wolfgang? She had just now accused him of those very things, although Aldine herself had never observed this ambition Elke was speaking of. He was rude and abrupt, but she had never observed the harsh character that Elke and Wilhelmina obviously saw.
"I suppose that is true."
"The world has always hated women with drive. Still do."
Aldine wasn't entirely sure where Elke was going with this conversation.
"Be demure, accept everyone's opinion around you and never act for yourself."
"Well, I'm not sure—"
"Just accept what everyone wishes to do to you, and never insist on what you truly deserve."
Confused, Aldine didn't understand what Elke was referring to. Maybe Wilhelmina, who had fairly strict views on what women should be and do. Elke had been subject to those opinions for quite a while. "No one can decide the things you are passionate about for you. You simply are, or you are not."
Elke stopped walking. "Not everyone is strong. And not everyone sees strength."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing," she said after a moment. "How are you? You look a bit flushed?"
"Do I?"
"Are the witches coming for you?"
"What?"
Elke's smile didn't falter and Aldine could only stare at her. "They're coming, you know. They're going to get you."
Taking a step back, Aldine's hand went to her neck. Something was wrong. Why was Elke speaking like this? The birds chirping was growing in sound, they squawked as if right by her ear, but she saw nothing. Something was very wrong. Elke only stared at her. It was her—it was her the witches were acting through. "You," Aldine said.
"Yes, me. Are you surprised?"
That distant, floating feeling descended on her as she turned to run. Her mind felt disconnected from her body, but she forced her limbs to move. The ground felt rubbery and soft under her feet, a sea of green around her, glowing like jewels.
"Not that way," Elke called behind her. "You'll never find your way back if you go that way."
The thought stuck in her mind, stoking the panic that had already gripped her. She would get lost if she went that way—lost in the forest where moss people were going to claim her.
"Heinrich," she called.
"Oh, he can't hear you, my dear. He doesn't believe you, you know. Thinks you’re utterly mad. They all do. They're just humoring you, all the while planning to have you carted off to the madhouse. They're coming for you right now."
Changing directions, Aldine ran, but she lost the path and was floating on top of the forest floor, untied to a path and to safety.
"Not that way," Elke called. Aldine couldn't see her anymore. The trees seemed to be moving. Color emanated from them as they reached for her, trying to catch her.
A tug on her arm made her fall. "This way. Come on, walk you dozy cow. The witches want to meet you." Elke laughed.
"You're mad," Aldine managed to say.
"Am I? Do you really think so? Or is it witches coming for you? I can't help it. The witches make me do it."
"You gave something to me. The doctor said—"
"The doctor doesn't understand. No one understands."
An abyss opened up in front of her and it was far down to the ground. "No."
"Yes, I am afraid so," Elke said. "We just can't have you come along and messing things up."
Something in Aldine made her want to jump, to escape the dangers that were chasing her, but she had to think, had to separate the real from the panic. She had been poisoned in some way, a way that took her out of her mind.
"If Heinrich hadn't been so very stubborn, this wouldn't be necessary, but he always was too soft."
"Heinrich," Aldine repeated and she started to cry.
"This is his fault. If he'd only sent you away like he should have, this wouldn't be necessary."
"You killed the others," Aldine stated.
"No, the witches did," Elke laughed. "They know what is necessary."
Pushed and prodded, Aldine was losing her balance. Her fingers reached for something to hold, but everything she grabbed pulled away. Slowly, she was sliding into the abyss, prodded by Elke's foot. Aldine tried to grab the foot, but Elke shook her off.
Moss tore away in her hands as she scrabbled for safety. Elke was trying to kill her—that much she knew. Whatever she had been poisoned with, it was to incapacitate her, to make her stop fighting, but she fought with everything in her.
And then rushing, rock tore at her fingers and hands, her feet and her toes. She fell and hit and fell and hit. It wasn't pain she felt so much as shock. A branch hit into her stomach and for a moment, she thought her insides would burst out. Breathing was impossible, her lungs caught in a vice. Pain seared. Red took over her vision and the rocks whispered around her. It felt as if they moved to cushion her, but she knew that wasn't right. Rocks did not cushion, but at least they had stopped her fall. Above her, all she could see was red sky.
She heard crickets doing their song, ants marching and the leaves rustling above her head. She was no longer in her body; she was floating and she could see herself below, see the entire valley she had fallen into. The world was breaking apart into patterns and it was actually quite beautiful. Colors undulated into colors and as opposed to chasing her, it seemed they welcomed her, were putting on a show. And moss people, she saw them. Little bodies covered entirely with green moss. Large black eyes and tiny mouths. They surrounded her, but she didn't feel afraid.
They told her not to worry, that what was done was done, and there would be no more. They told her she could sleep now, that it was over. No witches descended; someone was protecting her from them, keeping them away from her. Maybe the moss people, maybe God. This beauty had to be God, didn't it? Because it was so beautiful, the world was like a giant jewel sparkling and shining, and peaceful. There was nothing to worry about now. Then all melted into darkness.
Chapter 30
IN THE BLACKNESS, she heard her name being called somewhere far in the distance, but she didn't want to answer. It was nice where she was, this blackness. There was nothing scary here and she could gladly stay. There would be badness if she left—somehow she knew that. Pain and badness.
Jarring scrapes pierced into Aldine's mind. She was still in darkness, but she knew it was close.
"Aldine." Fingers were touching her face—she could feel them. She didn't want to be drawn out of this comfort, but she was being drawn out whether she wanted to be or not. "We found you," he said. Heinrich, he had found her.
Sadness stole into her and she cried. Something awful had happened to her. She had thought she was dead, but she wasn't. Heinrich was here.
"Ludwig, we need something to carry her on," someone called loudly. Wolfgang.
"We've been looking for you," Heinrich said. "You had us worried."
Painful light pierced her eyes as she tried to open them. The colors were gone. The beauty was gone and all she saw was gray.
"We have to follow the stream downhill," Wolfgang said.
"Elke pushed me," Aldine said. "She pushed me off the cliff."
"You've hit your head. You don't know what you're saying." It was Heinrich and disappointed flooded her.
"I know exactly what happened."
"She said you had one of your attacks and ran off. She tried to stop you."
"She's lying," Aldine said, tears streaming from her eyes. They didn't believe her.
"We'll talk more about it later." Aldine didn't want to be dismissed and told to talk about it later. If they refused to believe her, she was going to quit this house and this marriage, she decided.
A stretcher made of a blanket and poles was being lowered and they grabbed her shoulders and legs to lift her on. Sharp pain released throughout her body a
nd she screamed.
"Hush, hush," Heinrich said, stroking her hair. "You are injured, but you are alive. Your body is broken." He looked over at Wolfgang, who started lifting up the stretcher. There was no path down this valley, only wild rockiness.
"We'll come out along the Wyman bridge if we keep going down," Wolfgang said. "Better than going up. Ludwig will come with the cart."
Heinrich nodded and they started traversing the rough terrain, the stones at times shifting under their feet. It was a perilous descent, but Aldine wasn't sure her body—or her heart—could be more beaten. There was so much pain, she couldn't even identify where it was coming from. Every step was jarring, sending pain radiating through her body. She wanted to ask them to stop, but what was the point, the pain wouldn't stop and she would be pausing what had to happen anyway.
The descent down the valley was never-ending bumps and jars, endless pain. Finally she was being placed on the back of a cart, where the constant vibration and strikes of the wheel exacerbated every wound she had. Her leg was broken—that much she knew already. Her fingers were shredded and bloody.
Everyone came outside to meet them including Doctor Hagen, who had been summoned and had arrived in the time it had taken to carry her out of the awkward place she had fallen. Behind him, Wilhelmina stood, as did Elke.
"My poor dear," Elke said stepping forward. "What happened?"
So that was how she was going to play it, Aldine realized, deny she'd had any part in it.
"You just disappeared. I searched for you endlessly," the woman continued. “We are so glad you are safely returned to us. We were so worried."
Aldine couldn't believe the lies spewing out of the woman. Before she could say anything, she was carried into the house and up the stairs. Doctor Hagen fussed over her and finally gave her laudanum to dull the pain.
It made it hard to think as her mind was racing, trying to figure out how to deal with her enemy, an enemy that was trying to kill her. By the look of it, Elke certainly wasn't going to admit it, and most people, if not every person in this house, thought she was mad. Her mad episodes had been witnessed and Elke would use that as much as she could.
"You have a broken leg and a broken arm. The second is easy to set, the first is not. You must relax." Even with the laudanum, it was excruciatingly painful as he pulled on her broken limbs. It took time to set her bones properly, but the pain started to dull as the doctor went through the slow process of heavily bandaging her leg and arm.
Heinrich stayed with her, hovering in the background, ready to help should he be needed.
"Whatever I had ingested before," she said to the doctor, "I was given again, and then she dragged me to the cliff and pushed me over. Elke tried to kill me."
The doctor listened.
"Aldine," Heinrich said with exasperation.
"I might have been under the influence of whatever it was, but I still knew what was happening to me. I could still tell what she was doing."
"It is a grave accusation," Heinrich said.
"I know that," Aldine replied. "It was a grave thing to do."
"Then the police should deal with the matter." Doctor Hagan said.
"But he doesn't believe me," she said, indicating Heinrich.
"I never said that," Heinrich replied. "It's just…" The room was silent for a moment and finally Heinrich sighed.
"Elke will hang if the accusations are true," the doctor said.
"But she has killed two people already, and just tried to kill me," Aldine said.
"I am fairly certain a mind-altering substance has been used on the countess," Doctor Hagen said and it took a few seconds for Aldine to realize he was referring to her. The two men stared at each other for a while. Then he turned back. "With your leg and arm set, you can move around now, with the highest degree of care. Your spine appears unharmed which means you were very, very lucky. A fall like that. The angels were watching over you. The bruises will take some time to go, but you will recover with rest. I think you have a concussion too, but not a bad one.
"A branch slowed your descent," Heinrich said.
"Yes, very lucky," the doctor added. "Otherwise, there would not be this outcome. Now you must rest," he said, packing up his bag and putting on his coat.
Rest was what she needed; her body was beyond exhausted, but she was terrified of sleeping—terrified that Elke would sneak into her room and finish the work that had obviously failed. The women could be none too happy about this. "I don't think I dare sleep in this house," Aldine said.
"I will ensure no one disturbs you," Heinrich said.
"It's not 'disturbing' I worry about. She can't be happy I survived."
Heinrich bit his lips together. "It is a grave accusation," he repeated, "but I believe you, and believing you means I am culpable of letting her kill others too—under my very nose."
It was a perspective Aldine hadn't considered, but it was true.
"She taunted me," Aldine said. "Said the witches were coming for me. Her intent was for you to declare me insane so I would be carted off to a madhouse."
"Why, why would she do this?"
Shaking her head, Aldine admitted she didn't know. "If it is true she killed two of your brides already, then we can assume it has something to do with you marrying."
"Ludwig would know nothing of this," Heinrich said forcefully, again as if this was overwhelming him in its gravity. "Elke has been part of this family for close to four years. How could she do something like this? Why, why would she do something like this? If she wants the title and the estate, why not just kill me?"
"Because you would be much harder to kill and there would be suspicion cast on Ludwig. She could not use a witches' curse to torment you—you would not believe in such things. Too much could go wrong," Aldine said. "I don't know. My mind does not work the way hers does. In the forest, she talked about her ambition and drive, and why she should have the things she wanted."
"If she wanted her husband to have the title, then she would have to kill me."
"It could be next in her plan. Tormented by the loss of three brides, no one would challenge it if you appeared to do something unseemly."
Sharply, Heinrich rose. "I think we must deal with this. I will ask Anna to come sit with you and not let anyone into this room. We have a wheelchair somewhere. It was my father's. I will find it, but rest now."
Aldine didn't have to be convinced. Her eyes would barely stay open, even with pain starting to come back after the laudanum's effects started to taper.
Chapter 31
AS BRUISED AND BATTERED as she was, Aldine grew tired of lying in bed. She felt like a victim just lying there. Her leg was a nuisance, but the wheelchair provided her a means to sit and even be move if she wished. With her broken arm, there was little she could do for herself. Doctor Hagen returned the next morning and said it was fine for her to sit in the wheelchair, so she did. In some ways, she felt safer and more ready to defend herself if Elke came through the door.
"All you can do is mend," the man said. He was quite kind and he seemed to understand her distress, and even that she didn't wish to take any calming pills that made her less aware of her circumstances. It seemed the doctor believed her that this was being done to her, even if many were not convinced. Elke was probably downstairs right then, spinning her lies.
In fact, Doctor Hagen seemed reticent to leave, because he knew there was a real threat to her in the house. Anna also stayed in the room, but there wasn't much for her to do as Aldine wasn't dressing. So now, Aldine sat with a woolen blanket over her legs, her bandaged arm in a sling, making it hard to do anything other than sit.
What she really wanted to know was what was being done. Heinrich had said the police needed to be called for, but so far, they hadn't come. Granted, it would be a long way to the nearest police station. Out in such an isolated place, the community took care of their own needs. This might be beyond their capabilities however.
As she sat, raised voi
ces floated up from downstairs. Well, they were definitely in discussions. It was a large house, so the discussion had to be fiery.
"I had better go see," Doctor Hagen said, who was the only person who could attest to substances being used on her. Quickly, he left the room. They were talking about her, about what had happened to her, and she wanted to be there.
"Anna, please wheel me to the landing," she ordered and the girl looked uncertain. "I need to hear what they say."
Reluctantly, the girl followed the command and the small, brass wheels of her chair squeaked as they rolled down the corridor.
"You cannot lay such accusations against my wife!" It was Ludwig speaking. "There is no proof, and these accusations come from your mad wife. She can hardly be acclaimed a believable witness with her witches' curses and pyromaniac habits."
"Aldine is not mad," Heinrich said. "Something—"
"Always something. Always some excuse. She needs to be carted away."
At the landing, Aldine could look down on them in the foyer below. Ludwig stood in front of Elke as if protecting her. Even Wolfgang was being drawn in from outside. Doctor Hagen stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"She simply ran away. What was I supposed to do? I can't help if she has a turn of insanity and runs off a cliff."
"A substance—" Doctor Hagen started.
"Oh, shut up," Ludwig bit in. "God knows what poisons that woman has been giving herself. She admitted going to see that quack in Gelling Forest."
"She didn't return with any substances," Wolfgang said.
"Oh please, women can hide whatever they want in their skirts," Elke replied tersely.
"But I did see you leave yesterday and dump these in the forest," Wolfgang said, pulling out a couple of pouches from his pockets.
"No, I didn't," Elke responded, but Doctor Hagen moved forward. Aldine couldn't see, so she sat up to see better over the banister. As she did, Elke looked up and Aldine saw pure hatred in her eyes. The mask was slipping, it seemed.
"Pennyroyal, and these are psilocybe. These are powerful hallucinogens," Doctor Hagen said, looking over at Elke. "The pennyroyal to ensure one does not conceive. Over time and at high dosages can induce fever and sweating. Even paralysis and death at high enough doses. It tastes much like mint."
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