“What are you looking for?” He followed my gaze into the tree line.
“Nothing” I replied in haste. Crows often brought signs from the Goddess and I knew that this particular call meant something, but I could not interpret the message with Zachariah around.
Our walk continued, and led us deep into the forest. On either side of the path were tall trees that swayed in the wind. The grey hue of dusk caused menacing shadows to jump from the darkest corners of the forest and cast ghoulish images on the dirt road. We both heard the crow’s call again. It was closer this time and alarming in its volume. It sounded angry.
“Bloody bird,” Zachariah growled under his breath.
I felt uneasy as I listened to the crow’s call, and I looked up to watch the magnificent creature gliding high above our heads, squawking loudly as it flew.
“Too bad I don’t have my rifle,” he mumbled.
“It isn’t bothering you,” I snapped.
“You don’t find that noise irritating?” he asked sarcastically.
“No … I think it’s pretty.”
He scoffed as he gave me a look of disapproval, “You would.”
From that moment on, we walked in silence. The crow followed us from a distance, and made just enough noise to keep Zachariah in a state of annoyance.
He winced every once in a while, looking down at his arm in an attempt for sympathy. I realized that between this event and my conversation with Abigail, I must do something to make amends with at least one of them.
“I am sorry I hurt your arm,” I said stiffly.
“It was an accident. I am not mad,” he replied.
You are indeed a dimwitted twit if you think that was an accident. I thought to myself.
“You were startled by my advances. It is to be expected. After all, you are still innocent in the ways between men and women,” he said condescendingly.
“Have you had many girlfriends?” I asked out of complete surprise. Although I knew that many young women desired his family’s wealth and status, I could not imagine why any woman would look lovingly upon Zachariah.
“I am desired by nearly every woman in this town, Aislin. There are also many wenches who lurk around the ports, looking for adventure with merchants and pirates. But their services are not utilized just by the men of the sea.”
I felt my stomach turn at the thought, but I knew he spoke the truth.
“I am not one of those women, Zachariah, so please respect that I plan on waiting until my wedding night.”
“Ah yes, I wanted to discuss that with you,” he said, as his dark brown eyes looked me over.
We were walking slower now. He was too busy thinking of wicked thoughts to be bothered keeping a brisk pace and getting me home safely.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” I replied apprehensively.
“I want to push the wedding date up.”
“That cannot be. My father is struggling to obtain my dowry now. There is no way that he could get it to you any sooner then next year.” I tried to remain calm but my voice was trembling, giving away my internal panic at his words.
He stopped walking and looked down at me, tracing his finger over the latch of my cloak. “I do not care about the dowry. There is nothing your father can give me that I need. In fact, I do not even care about the sanctity of our vows. All I care about is the wedding night,” he said, in a sinister voice.
“My father needs time,” I insisted, as I slapped his hand away from my cloak.
I could not stand his touch upon me anymore. He withdrew his hand back into his coat but he moved in closer to me. His foul breath was unbearable. He stood over me and I stepped back a few paces to put some distance between us.
“Perhaps we do not have to wait,” he said, as I heard a little click come from his pocket. I knew it was his pistol and I knew what he intended.
I immediately bolted. I screamed as I ran but there was no one to hear me. The Marthalers’ owned all the land from their home to the town, and no one else lived in this direction. Although I was fast, Zachariah was faster. He grabbed me by the back of my cloak and dragged me into the thick woods. I kicked and punched but he kept dragging me. The latch of my cloak was choking me as I was being pulled backwards, away from the road, and away from any chance of help. Then my cloak ripped and I dropped to the ground. I scrambled to get to my feet, but he turned quickly and seized me by my hair, still pulling me deeper into the ever-darkening forest. My energy was fading, but I still cried out for help. I received no reply and tears streamed down my face. I realized that he had planned this.
He knew exactly what he was going to do even before he had picked me up this morning and escorted me to his home. I would bet anything that his father also knew, and that was why he had not allowed us use of the carriage. It would have been far too suspicious if the Marthaler carriage were abandoned in the middle of the road. Someone might have spotted that, but no one would think to look for two young people wandering in the woods when everyone had been warned to stay away from the forest.
I clawed at the ground as he dragged me through the woodland, grasping at anything I could find to break his hold on me. We were in a small clearing. It was covered with soft moss and stones. Great trees encircled the area. He threw me to the ground and pulled out his pistol, pointing it toward my chest as he towered over me.
“Now if you are smart Aislin, you will stop fighting me,” he said between shallow breaths.
“Would you kill me Zachariah?” I said in disbelief. I knew many things about this boy and although he was horrible in many ways, I did not believe that he contained the ability to murder another person.
“Shut up!” he screamed at me, “You will do as I say.” He moved in quickly, looming over me, he pulled me by the front of my dress and yanked me to him.
I tried to pry myself free, but he was too strong and too big. He pressed his mouth to mine. His breath was horrible and I found myself gagging. I struggled against him, slapping, clawing, and screaming at him to stop. In response, he wrapped his fingers around my throat to silence me. He was rough and harsh as he pulled at my clothing, and I could hear the fabric ripping as he tried to remove my undergarments. He placed his knee into my stomach to provide himself with leverage and his nails frantically dug into my skin as he attempted to pry my dress off with one hand, the other still tightly gasping my throat and holding me down.
I closed my eyes as not to look at this deplorable creature and I instantly saw myself in my vision. I had fought off the Romans. I had defeated numerous trained soldiers at one time and I could surely defeat this despicable coward.
I waited until he pulled away from me and then I reached back and hit him, just as hard and fast as his father had struck me. He lurched backwards and I once again tried to move, but he recovered quickly and threw himself on top of me.
“You will learn to obey me!” he screamed.
I felt a large stone underneath my right hand and I clutched it. I will strike him in the head, as soon as the opportunity presents itself. As quickly as the thought passed through my mind Zachariah saw the rock and struck me hard in the face.
All hope faded from me. In my vision, I had been so strong and well trained, but in this life, I lacked any form of training in warfare. I realized that I had no hope of escape. He was too strong to defeat and I was far too weak now. I pleaded with him, but he ignored me.
“I have waited for this day for a long time,” he said, as he groped me.
I whimpered and cried but said nothing. He leaned back as to survey me before taking what he wanted. I looked away. I was sobbing now. I could feel him hovering over me, his breathing accelerated by his excitement. I summed up as much strength as I could to repel his next attack but he never came closer. I heard the trees above me crack and groan as though a person with great strength was pulling upon them. I looked up at Zachariah, who had taken a step back and raised his gaze toward the swaying branches. A large white hand then reached
out and clutched his throat. It lifted Zachariah high in the air. It was Greer. He was standing behind Zachariah, his face filled with rage.
“You have made a fatal mistake you ignorant bastard,” he growled at the gasping boy who was turning purple in the face.
He grabbed the hand that Zachariah hand intended to hit me with and squeezed. I heard cracking and popping noises coming from Zachariah’s hand as every bone was being shattered and crushed. Zachariah made a moaning sound, but Greer’s other hand was still clenched around the boy’s throat, keeping him from screaming.
Greer spun Zachariah around so they were eye to eye. His eyes had gone completely black, just as they had in my vision. Zachariah’s eyes grew wide with fear. I watched as Greer effortlessly threw Zachariah backwards and his body slammed hard against a large tree. He fell limp and did not move. Greer moved in to finish him, but I let out a painful moan and he stopped. He rushed to my side and lifted me into his arms, his face now full of worry.
“My love, can you hear me? Oh please Aislin, tell me I came in time?” his voice was cracking as fear and sorrow threatened to reveal his anxiety.
I tried to respond—to tell him that he had saved me, but I could not find my voice. I was numb and unable to move.
He looked over me and then took off his coat. He wrapped it around me and fastened it closed.
“He has ripped your dress to shreds.”
Greer pulled at every one of my limbs and looked at all my skin for cuts, but did not tell me of my injuries. Instead, he retrieved my cloak and wrapped that around me as well. I was shaking now and I felt rather sick.
“You are in shock,” he said in a worried voice.
I could only blink at him. He looked back at Zachariah and started to walk away from me.
“I need to finish him off. Cover your eyes. I do not want you to see this,” he said.
He walked over to the limp body and bent down beside it.
From deep within me, I mustered my last bit of strength. “No!” I exhaled.
Greer was startled by my words and stopped. He was frozen in a crouch position over Zachariah’s body.
“But Aislin, why should he live?” he protested.
“You will be discovered. You can not do this,” I wept. “Please Greer. I need you. Do not do this!”
Greer ran back to me and wiped away my tears, “Alright, but we must do something. His father will be looking for him.”
I nodded and tried to stand. “I will cast a memory spell. But I may need your help getting to him.” My legs were still shaking and I could barely move.
Greer carried me to Zachariah and I sat next to him. He looked like a corpse but I knew he was merely unconscious. Greer handed me my pocket. Zachariah had ripped it off my dress and thrown it, but it was still intact and my herbs were still inside. I grabbed a little bottle of potion that my mother had given to me. It was for emergencies only, and now I could think of no better way to use it. I sprinkled it into his mouth and he moaned. I chanted over him and felt magic moving through my body. I knew my spell would work, but it drained the remaining energy that I had left. I felt extremely weak.
Greer picked up all the pieces of my garments and made sure that not even a strand of my hair remained on the ground. He moved with great speed and I could not understand how Greer could see well enough in the darkness to find everything, but he seemed to be unhindered. I tried to stand on my own, but I was still shaking and found it impossible to move. Greer picked me up and I rested my head upon his shoulder. I felt safe at last.
“What spell did you use?” he asked, as we moved through the woods.
“A memory spell, he will think that he has been attacked by highwaymen.”
Greer laughed, “Very clever. What do these highwaymen look like?” he asked.
“Just like Zachariah, only in silks. He will have no recollection of us. In fact, he will believe that he was attacked after he had seen me to the safety of my home.”
Greer asked me more questions, but I did not have the strength to answer. I closed my eyes and listened to his breathing as he drew me closer to safety.
********************
When we reached the back of my house, my mother flung the door wide open. She knew something was wrong and she had been waiting for me.
“What happened?”
Greer walked passed her into the warm house, “May I take her to her room? She needs to lie down.”
My mother shut the back door and showed Greer the way. Sneachta had followed us inside and stayed close as we walked.
“What happened to her?” my mother asked in an unsteady voice.
“It was Zachariah Marthaler,” Greer replied in a whisper, “He tried to rape her in the woods by his home.”
I heard my mother gasp, “Is she… did he?” she could not ask the question.
“No,” he replied, “I got to her, but barely in time…”
I heard the door to my bedroom open Greer placed me on my bed, but left his coat around me. I was still shaking but it came in waves now, as though my body kept cringing from the thought of Zachariah’s intentions.
My mother placed a hand on my forehead and pulled the covers over me. “I will go and take all the possessions off Zachariah so it looks like a robbery. You stay here and keep her safe,” she told Greer.
Greer looked surprised, but my mother touched his hand, “I know who you are. You are welcome in this home.” She turned and walked out the door.
Greer walked over to the new basin my mother had put in my room and he wet a cloth. He came back and dabbed my forehead with it. I pulled the cloth from his hand and wiped at my lips and cheeks where Zachariah had placed his mouth. I wanted the scent of him off me—I wanted the sensation of his lips to be scrubbed away.
Greer took the rag from me and wet it again, this time gently wiping my face for me.
“You need to get out of these cloths and into something clean. I will step outside so you can change,” he said. He walked out the door and shut it behind him
I slowly got up and undressed myself. I still felt shaky, but being home and knowing that Greer was near me, seemed to calm my nerves
I was alarmed when I started to pay attention to the state of my dress and my body. In the forest, I had not noticed how much damage Zachariah had done to my gown. I had been practically naked from the waist up. My undergarments were destroyed, and the lace bodice of my gown was shredded and hung in great pieces. There were bruises all over my arms and wrists, and scratch marks were strewn across my breasts. The sight of my torn skin brought my lightheadedness back, and I stumbled as I reached for my sleeping gown.
When I had dressed, I opened the door to my room and let Greer back in. He moved toward the bed, pulled the covers back for me, and bade me to lie down. Then he tucked me in tightly as though I was a small child.
“How did you find me in the forest?” I asked, as I stared into his beautiful eyes.
“Sneachta came for me. She is always watching you,” he rubbed his hands briskly over the covers where my feet were and warmed them.
I pulled my hand out from the blanket and started rubbing my face again. I was still haunted by the feeling of Zachariah.
Greer stopped what he was doing and moved up closer on the bed, “What is it my love?”
“I can still feel him,” I shuttered.
Greer leaned close to me and took my face in his hands. He gently kissed me. His lips were soft and full and his touch was gentle, just like in my visions. He placed his forehead upon mine and stroked my hair.
“Is that better?” he asked softly.
I gave a slight nod and he kissed me again, this time longer. Our bodies moved close to one another and as he drew me near to him, we melted into one another. I had never felt like this before, as though I was finally whole. I clung tightly to him and he gently caressed me. I felt all my fear leave as he kissed my forehead and looked intently upon me.
“Your mother is back,” he said.
“Stay with me,” I pleaded.
He moved to the edge of the bed and my mother walked into the room.
“I took all his possessions and I left just in time. I saw the torches of those searching. I am not sure if they were looking for Zachariah or the animal, but they are sure to find him.”
“What did you do with his belongings?” Greer asked.
“I threw them into the water, but I took out all the money first,” she said ruefully. She looked down at me and then back at Greer. “Stay with her as long as you can. Her father has already left to join a hunting party and I will warn you of when he returns.”
Greer looked surprised, but my mother insisted, “I can treat her wounds, but I cannot treat her heart. She needs you.” My mother left and shut the door behind her, leaving Greer to tend to me.
He climbed into the bed and sat beside me, pulling me close as he stroked my hair.
“I am so sorry Aislin. I never would have asked you to go along with the marriage proposal if I had known how foul he was.”
I tried to hide my face so he could not see my pain, but he placed a hand underneath my chin and lifted my face to the light. “You feel that I rejected you?” he asked sadly.
I could not lie to him so I just looked away instead.
“I never wanted anyone to be near you Aislin. It was torturous for me to watch him parading you about town, as though you were some prize. I wanted nothing more than to carry you off and never let him gaze upon you again. You do not know the torment that I have been enduring. But I promise you, it was only for the sake of your protection.”
I understood and my hurt feelings began to fade away. I wrapped my arms around him and snuggled into his side.
“You were watching when Zachariah took me to buy the thread?” I was surprised and a little embarrassed that Greer had seen me with Zachariah. Even though we both knew it was against my will, I still felt as though I was untrue to Greer by allowing Zachariah to strut about town with me on his arm, proclaiming me as his own.
Spellbound: The Awakening of Aislin Collins Page 9