“And you, you deceitful, conniving little wench will watch them meet their end. You shall witness them both hung, drawn and quartered. You will go to the stake soon after for purposely bewitching me, but not before I take pleasure in having you in a far more brutal fashion a time or two.”
“But Your Majesty!” Brendan O’Leary pitifully attempted to speak in their defense.
“Get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind and see you dead as well!” he charged furiously at the man and bellowed harshly as he again pointed at the door. O’Leary listened without question, and obediently scurried out of the room like a lowly rodent.
The king drew nearer to Alainn and then pulled her to him forcefully. This time she wildly fought him and screamed and slapped his face when he tried to touch her.
“What will you offer to do for me now in hopes of saving your gallant husband?”
She did not answer.
“And the young comely fair-haired physician, he is important to you as well. I see that. Is he your lover? What depraved acts of perversity might you be driven to commit on the possibility of saving the two of them?” he snickered as he viciously pulled her hair. She fought him furiously. She managed to pull away from him and tried to run, but he threw her hard against the wall and tore roughly at her skirts.
Her hand touched the wall, and her eyes searched for the sconce so that she might strike the man and prevent further debauchery from happening without resorting to magic, for if he truly had proof of her witchcraft, she was doomed. She kicked out at his afflicted leg. He winced and his face grew redder. Alainn then swiftly pulled up her knee and soundly drove him directly in the ballocks. While he was bent over in obvious pain, he called out.
“Guards, guards!” he managed in a strangled voice wracked with pain.
Alainn knew she must prevent the guards from coming to his aid. She held her hand out and glared at him and soon his voice was entirely silenced. His lips moved frantically, but no sound was heard. This clearly disturbed him and his eyes grew wilder and round with fear.
She had previously steered away from using potent physical magic lest she be found out or suspected of anything unusual or unexplainable, especially since those suspected of such were being accused of witchcraft. Now that the king had already threatened her with a witch’s death, she was loathe to be connected to anything that could not be explained. She reasoned if she should come to her end by fire, she would be of no assistance to Killian or Danhoul. Yet in her heart, she knew there was no other choice but to call to her powers. She had already lowered herself in allowing the king to violate her and now she was heartsick and ashamed in knowing it was all for naught. But, Lily was safe, and she did have the signed decrees in her pocket...if she could get them to Killian and Danhoul, they could perhaps still flee the castle.
Alainn heard the hurried footsteps outside the door and knew if the guards entered the chamber she would surely be carried away to meet an unimaginably painful death. She surmised her magic was their only hope now. She stilled time and the footsteps beyond the door were silenced. She moved further away from the lewd king’s grasp. She was shivering and shaking and uncertain what to do about any of the dilemmas she now faced.
She wouldn’t simply be permitted to charge down the corridors unattended to get to Killian and Danhoul even bearing the decrees. The guards would not release them if a suspicious woman carried the decrees. She would need to keep the entire castle and the guards outside of the castle under her spell of stilling time. That would take much effort, but perhaps she would be capable. If she was able to get to them by way of her magic and then see them beyond the castle’s gate, they would possess the decrees and surely be allowed passage to the docks to board a ship to Ireland. But, she couldn’t simply leave the king like this, but also wouldn’t dare actually kill him. She’d need to somehow erase his memory of her and of Killian or go back in time to undo events. But that would take time and she wasn’t certain she could still time so the castle and its inhabitants were frozen and rendered silent, and move through time herself. In truth, she wanted to weep. She glanced at the king and emitted a sob. She longed to be in Killian’s arms, to feel his warmth and protectiveness. Although she’d always prided herself in being independent and she sometimes preferred to fight her own battles, at this precise moment she simply wanted to be rescued.
When she looked toward the door as it suddenly opened, she was fearful that in her aggrieved state she hadn’t been able to still time after all. She was relieved to see Danhoul rushing in. He came to her immediately.
“Alainn, has he harmed you?”
“I am not injured, Danhoul. But what are we to do, Danhoul, for he intends to have you and Killian killed on the morrow and me sent to the stake soon after?”
“Aye, I heard his words in my mind and decided to attempt to still time in order to get to you. I was finally able to manage it successfully and for the first time ever I was actually capable of movin’ through walls of which I was most thankful.”
Alainn looked up into the fearful eyes of the young man. She could see he was as distressed about the perilous situation as she was.
“I must either go back in time to change events or attempt to capably change his entire way of thinking. Either method is dangerous. The latter I have not been much successful at before, although I have been endlessly attempting it these past days. I had hoped to manipulate his way of thinking, but the demon has placed some type of spell on the castle and my magic is inconsistent. Now the king knows Killian is my husband there is little hope of controlling his thoughts any longer.”
“How did he learn you are Killian’s wife?” Danhoul interrupted her.
“It was the damnable irksome Brendan O’Leary, but he is the least of our concerns at the moment. Sure, I will need to go back in time. Perhaps if you hold time at a standstill here, and I go back...” she mused aloud.
“But how far would you need to go back?”
“Till when your friend, Tristan was here,” she said with some accusation in her tone. “It would have to be then. For Killian became a man of interest because of him.”
“But events have happened since then for a reason, Alainn. I think that is not the best solution. Do you believe you can actually alter the man’s way of thinking? Could you make him forget the vital information that you and Killian are wed?”
“Aye, I could go back only a few moments to before he knew the truth. I had hoped to be able to make him see he should allow you and Killian to be set free and he had even agreed to it until Brendan O’Leary revealed my true name.”
“Do you believe that was O’Leary’s intent from the beginning, or was it an unintentional err?”
Alainn stared at Danhoul considering his question.
“I have never trusted the man entirely, but I always felt my opinion of him was adversely formed by the way he stared at me with unhidden lust even knowing I was barely half his age and already wed. I am not certain he intended for the king to know my identity. I don’t see how that would benefit him in any way, for now the Irish will be under more scrutiny. There will now be greater reason for the English to cause harm and unrest for Ireland.”
“Perhaps he wanted that. He may somehow be secretly connected to the English supporters who hope to gain from unrest and perhaps even war between the two countries.”
“I pray that is not the truth, Danhoul. I must go back in time and find a way to see to it you and Killian are freed, for I do still maintain possession of the decrees stating you will be freed. If I can ensure the conversation between O’Leary and the king never happens then you and Killian will be free to go.”
“And what of you?” Danhoul questioned.
“I think he will not allow me to be released at the moment. Perhaps if I remain I can cause him to become entirely ineffectual as a leader. I could make him appear even more unstable, irresponsible, and dim-witted than he has in recent times. I could cause his people and his advisors to grow t
o question his sanity even more than they do at present.”
“It could take months to accomplish such a difficult feat. Controlling another’s mind is not readily achieved for it is never a certain consideration.”
“Perhaps! And he is entirely on the brink of madness. Sure if Cromwell and many others in this court are affiliated with the dark demon, they would do most anything to see the king cause me harm so the demon may get my powers. It is said if a demon looks into a witch’s eyes as her life ends he can take her powers as his own. If that is true, he will be most pleased to see me dead, but he will also need to be there at the time of my death, or be forced to kill me himself. I sense he does fear me and must need others to assist him. He may not be capable of doin’ the deed himself or he would have attempted it before now.”
“I have heard that said as well, Alainn. Do you think that is his purpose then to simply take your life?”
“Aye, well to take my powers first, but have you heard differently?” she questioned.
Danhoul was not eager to share what information he bore on the subject, but he agreed to it for he knew this was not the time for secrets.
“It is believed the demon also wanted the soul of your firstborn son as an infant for he would have possessed magical powers as well. It is thought he desired to take him to Odhran to instruct him in darkness and use these powers to assist him, but he was not able to accomplish that. The girl-child you carried was different. It seems he wanted her to be allowed to live to grow into a powerful witch herself. He wanted to wait until you aptly schooled her in magic and then he would summon her so he might take her powers and then your own. The gods believed he would have charmed her and she would have gone to him of her own free will!”
“So the gods intervened? They caused me to lose the girl-child?”
“Aye, ’tis what I understand to be truth!”
Alainn breathed a sigh of sadness, yet relief as well.
“Some fates are truly worse than death!” she uttered quietly and then stared at the king.
“It is also possible the demon wishes for you to bear more children with magical abilities so that he might control them as well. The gods believe the demon does Odhran’s bidding and is in his service. Perhaps Odhran searches for a male with powerful dark abilities to father a child or children so that they will be enlisted on the side of evil.”
Alainn shuddered openly at the grim and perilous possibilities.
“Then perhaps it is best we deal with the present situation so that we might one day suitably attend to the demon and Odhran as well. Time runs short. I may need to resort to killing the king. Since your magic appears to have grown much more powerful and effective you could use your powers to set Killian free. I could kill this loathsome man and we could make our way to the docks in time to catch a ship back to Ireland!”
“I sense your emotions run high and you have great loathing for the king. I’m certain you have reason to despise the man, yet how far do you think we would get, Alainn? Even though the king may not be favored by many, if he is found dead and we simply escape the city and leave England, the crime would most likely eventually be connected to us. We would be followed and it’s certain the English would not rest until we were punished. We would be the cause of much loss of life to many we hold dear in Ireland!”
“You go to Killian! The two of you flee by way of your magic and get safely to a ship. I will stay behind and attempt to control and change the king’s thoughts. Here are the decrees stating you and Killian may go free.” She retrieved the two decrees from within her pocket and held them out to Danhoul as she spoke. “But I need to ensure the king remembers he truly signed them of his own accord.”
“Killian will never allow it! You know that full well. He won’t leave without you and neither will I! And how did you manage to get the king to sign those decrees?” His eyes filled with distress as he spoke. “What have you done, Alainn?”
“There’s no time for further discussion. Go now and I will remain until I am assured the king means no further harm to come to the Irish.”
“We will not leave you behind. Not ever!”
“So we will all be killed and our entire country shall be made to suffer because the two of you must be so damnably chivalrous?”
In her fear and despair she felt her magic failing and saw the king had begun to rouse from his frozen state.
“Go now and free Killian, Danhoul.”
“We will need both our magical abilities to hold time at a standstill and to free Killian. Besides he will never leave unless you can ably find a way to convince him to do so.”
“Aye! Sure you’re correct in that regard.”
“Then come now!”
Chapter Fourteen
Danhoul took her hand and they both closed their eyes. They imagined the hallway which led to Killian’s tower chamber and they soon found themselves there within the corridor. They were both taken aback when they saw two English guards who had been carrying something down the passageway. The guards were both now frozen still as statues as was the person they carried. But as Alainn and Danhoul drew nearer it became obvious the person they hauled was not simply frozen by magic, but clearly dead. The guards carried the body of a large man.
Alainn began to grow frantic when she noticed the lifeless body had been badly beaten, surely bludgeoned to death for his face was now entirely unrecognizable. She glanced at Danhoul with panic rising within her and an expression of terror in her blue eyes. The size matched Killian’s form and his hair was the same shade as Killian’s thick dark brown hair. Alainn was further sickened to see the corpse wore Killian’s garments. She felt her knees go weak and she threatened to collapse. Danhoul held tight to her hand, but Alainn hastily pulled away needing to know for certain. She ventured more closely to observe the body. When she touched the hand she discovered it was cold and rigidity had already set in. She would not allow herself to believe this was Killian, even though she could think of no other explanation. When she tore open the bloody tunic on the corpse she cried out in relief to find no lengthy scar down his chest.
Now, though certainly relieved, she was also entirely confused. It was then they noticed an English guard lying dead on the floor. Danhoul’s eyes grew wide and they both were startled when they saw a large tall man bearing the uniform of an English guard step out from within the chamber beside them. Alainn momentarily wondered, even in her deep confusion, why this guard was unaffected by her magical spell of stilling time. She was beginning to suspect this man may be in allegiance with the demon and she feared greatly for Killian. She felt herself growing steadily faint when she stared up to look into Killian’s bloodied face. He capably caught her in his arms as she sunk to the floor. He held her tightly to him as she trembled.
“I am well, Lainna. ’Tis not what you suspected.”
She swallowed hard and gasped trying to catch her breath after her fright.
“What the hell is going on, Killian?” Danhoul demanded to know.
“I will inform you soon enough, but you have some explaining to do as well, Danhoul. You and Alainn both risk much coming here, most especially during daylight. I am being assisted by Edward this English guard and his cousin, George. I trust Edward entirely and he trusts his cousin, so therefore I must do so as well. They have both risked their lives in assisting with this elaborate plan. It has taken weeks to concoct this scheme. It was no small task to find a recently deceased body who so closely resembled my size and hair color that we may convince the damnable king that it was me. This poor unfortunate sot was a sailor apparently killed on the docks during a battle of swords. Edward and George had to get the body into the tower and make it appear he was only unconscious and being taken to be imprisoned. We had to sheer his locks to more closely resemble mine, and regrettably cause great harm to the dead body so his face was no longer distinguishable in any manner.”
Killian’s own face revealed his displeasure in being forced to defile a body in order
to execute their plan.
Alainn tenderly reached up to wipe the blood from his face and questioned him with her eyes.
“Edward was required to smash my face for fresh blood was needed to stain my tunic and make it more convincing.”
“Aye, well he seemed to have done a worthy job,” she said as she placed her hands intending to heal him, but he prevented it.
“No, it must appear as though I’ve been in a violent altercation.”
She nodded her understanding though her empathetic nature despaired in seeing him wounded. Killian continued speaking.
“Edward requested that his cousin and this night guard be called for extra duty stating I had been growing more difficult to the point of belligerence. He claimed he feared for his life. I had to act the part of an unsettled and enraged prisoner in order to make this all more believable.”
Alainn stared closer at Killian’s face in the limited light of the castle’s corridor and soon noticed the many scrapes and dark bruises as well as the older wounds that had grown yellow and less angry. She held her hand toward him and fought the urge to hold it to his face and see the bruises magically disappear. His eyes met hers in understanding and he took her hand in his own as he continued with his explanation.
“Edward and his cousin George aptly knocked the night guard unconscious, but it was me who killed him. I tell you plain, I had no reservations about taking his life after witnessing his great delight in his cruelty to me and all the other prisoners he had contact with.
“This was all done with the hope of making the king believe I had met with grave misfortune and that I was dead, that I had killed the guard in an attempt to flee and that it took Edward and George to overtake me, to beat and kill me in order to save their own lives. I deduced it was highly unlikely I would ever leave this damnable place alive, that the only way I would ever be taken from this tower was when I was being carried to my grave. I felt the only way we would ever live in peace was if the king believed me to be dead.”
A Witch's Quest Page 16