Awakenings (A Witch's Coven Novel Book 1) (2 page)

“I should be thanking you. I almost did not come with you.”

He put his hand out to me and helped me out of the water. “What made you change your mind?”

“Honestly?”

He looked around. “It is only us. You can be honest with me.”

“When you screamed and hit the water, you sounded like a little girl and reminded me of my little brother when we used to play together.” I wrung the water out of my hair and glanced down at my wet underclothes. My nipples could be seen through my drenched clothes, but I did not mind.

Stephen leaned back into a sunbeam that peeked through the forest trees and smiled. “I always wanted a sister, but only had two brothers who beat me mercilessly.”

I used a band I carried on my wrist to tie up my hair. “I was the oldest so I did much of the beatings.” I did not let him see my face.

“You miss him, don’t you?” Stephen lowered his voice and asked with true concern.

Feelings rose up within me, and I did not answer for a few moments. I turned fully away and pretended to mess with my hair. “Yes.”

He took my answer in and asked, “Yellow fever?”

I nodded but would say no more. The hurt welled up inside and I buried it back down. The wound still had not healed after so much time had passed.

Stephen sighed and took in a deep breath and wiggled his toes in the sun. “All this dark talk will not help us on such a glorious day. But I have a secret that I can share with you. Do you want to know what it is?”

His singsong voice and playful manner did much to cheer me up. “Yes, I would like to know. What secret does a knight in training have that he wishes to share with me?”

I turned back around and flashed him my best smile. Innocent though I was, I was not that naïve. Leaning forward, I allowed a bit of my cleavage to show and did my best to entice him.

He leaned closer to me and whispered, “We are both in love with the same boy!” He giggled and pulled away, watching my reaction.

His words rattled around inside my head for a bit, and I did not, at first, catch his meaning. Was he so conceited that he loved himself so much that he thought that I fancied him too and that both of us loved his own very self? And then he winked at me and I knew.

“You like boys?” I asked.

“Sometimes. And not just any boy, but our own knight in training Charles.” With his secret out, Stephen leaned back and nodded, having cleaned his mind of all worry.

“But …” I could not find the right words to say. All my thoughts blurred in confusion. The best I could muster was to ask, “Does he know?”

“Know?” Stephen shook his head. “Only you know.” He grabbed my hand in his. “You are to be my true sister, and we will tell each other secrets. I have told you mine. Now you tell me yours.”

I smiled. “Yes, I do like Charles. He is kind and strong and honest.”

“He is all of that.” Stephen pulled me close and hugged me. “And today is your lucky day because as your older brother, I will do all within my power to ensure that the two of you get together and that he sees your beauty as I do.”

“You would do that for me?” I asked, and the unsaid words hung heavy in the air.

He became serious and all his joking fell away from his voice. “I am not a fool. Charles will never love me as I would want. The best that I can hope is for us to be friends. And I see through you. I see your pain and the loss you have encountered. You do not see it yourself, but there is someone beautiful inside.” I allowed him to take my hand in his. “You must trust me. I am a good judge of character.”

“But I am a serving girl taken in by my house lord because I had nowhere else to go. Charles is to be a knight!”

“And you one day will be a lady of great renown.” He kissed my hand and twinkled his smile at me.

“A lady of the rags, more like.” I frowned and pulled my hand from his.

“If you think that way, yes, then that’s all you’ll ever be.” He stood up and pulled me into the sunlight. “But I see something greater there.”

“You are a funny one, aren’t you?” I glanced at him askance to see if he tried to fool me.

He walked over to his dry clothes and put them on. “My grandmother reminds me every day of that.” When he finished dressing, he bowed. “I have my own errands to complete today, but we will see each other again soon now that we are sworn brother and sister to help each other till the end.”

I laughed at his overly dramatic turn of phrase. “But I have sworn nothing to you yet!”

He rushed over to me and skidded down onto his knee in the sand. “Then we must swear it now at the beginning of our friendship.” He put his hand out to me.

I stood beside him and took his hand.

“No, no, that will not do.” He pulled me down onto my knees and clasped my hands in his. “There, that is better.”

“What shall we swear on?” I asked, feeling a bit foolish.

“To each other. We will swear to help the other and be a true friend no matter our need.” He kissed my hand and looked me right in the eyes. “I swear, on my life, that I will be true to you and help you in all things. And that I will be your brother, confidant, and friend, no matter what the cost. I so swear.” He stopped kissing my hand and waited.

I watched him and saw only truth there. No part of my heart thought that he deceived me. “And I swear, on my life, that I will be your true sister, confidant, and bosom friend, no matter the cost. I so swear to be true to you and help you in all things—especially in finding another boy to love.”

He laughed and let go of my hands. “There, we are now so sworn. I will see you tomorrow in the square.”

“But won’t the others make fun of you for talking to me?”

He tightened his belt and fixed his leather jerkin. “You are my sworn sister now. I have given my word.” He turned away and then ran up the embankment, and I heard him whistling as he went away.

I gathered the rest of my clothes and put my dress back on. When I left the forest, the day’s heat had nearly dried me. I walked the rest of the way to the village, delivered my message, and was given a letter as a reply. But before making the return journey, the kitchen staff gave me some food and water. I ate out back in the shade, but even there, the sun’s heat beat down heavy. Still, it was cooler than in the kitchen by the fire. Work for the night’s dinner kept the servants busy, and I was left much to my own. I finished my meal, thanked the cook, and then headed back on my way.

If I walked hard and fast, I could be home by late afternoon. I followed the trail through the fields and walked far out past the village and its fields. Up ahead I saw the forest and fond memories of Stephen came to mind. The sun beat down on me and the path turned away from the forest. I headed off the trail and went into the forest, and although still humid, the sun did not shine there. I began to sing and headed on my way when I heard footsteps behind me. I laughed and spun around. “Stephen, you are such a giddy fool!”

“My name is not Stephen, but I can pretend, if you’d like.” A man dirty and worn from travel popped out from behind a bush.

I could see from the way that he looked at me that I would be in trouble. “I am so sorry, sir. I will just be on my way.”

He rested his hand on his sword. “No, you do not need to run so quickly from me. Come over here and give me a little kiss on my chin.”

His scraggly chin did not pose itself to be worth kissing. “I carry a message for my house lord and must go.”

I turned to run and felt rough hands grab me from behind. Startled, I cried out but could not break away from a second man behind me. “We will take a long drink of you first before you head off on your way.”

I went to scream, but the man who held me turned me roughly around and punched me in the stomach. The air flew out of me and I doubled over in pain. “Gristle, don’t you hurt her.”

Gristle pulled a dagger from his belt. “Don’t you call me that!” He kicked me in the stomach, and I rolled over in the dirt.

“I saw her first, and you’ll go second.” The first man with the scraggly chin rushed over and threw himself on top of me. He pinned my one arm to the ground and put his other over my mouth. “See, she won’t struggle now. Right?”

I fought back tears and nodded.

“He’ll gut you if you scream.” He took his hand away from my mouth but held it close just in case. “We’re going to dip our wicks into you to cool ourselves from the day’s heat, and then we’ll be on our way. No one need know, and you’ll never see us again.”

Gristle dropped to his knees and flashed his dagger at my eye. “But if you don’t let us cool off a bit, we’ll have our bit of fun and then drown you in the creek.” He put his two hands together in prayer. “What a shame it would be that a servant girl took her own life by drowning herself in the creek.”

The scraggly-chinned man breathed heavy on me, and I could smell the stink and wine on his breath. “That is good. I like that.” He fiddled with his belt and turned to Gristle. “Now look away while I have my way with her.”

Gristle turned around but kept the dagger in his hand at the ready.

I lay there on the ground and my heart pounded fast. I tried to relax but was afraid. The scraggly-chinned man pulled his breeches down, and I could feel his manhood on my leg. I struggled and kicked and he slapped me across the face. “No problems or we’ll do this the hard way.” He lifted himself off of me and pulled up my dress and then ripped away my underclothes.

He spit into his hand and then rubbed his spittle on his cock.

I could see the crazed look in his eye, the drool pooling at the side of his mouth that dripped onto my chest, and his foul breath wafted over me. With my right arm pinned and his weight on me, I tried to be quiet and to not fight him. I tried. But could not.

I cried out in anguish and fear. “Stephen!” My voice echoed in the empty forest.

Gristle spun around, ready with his dagger, but the scraggly-chinned man came up on his knees and then punched me hard in the stomach. I cried out and then he forced me back down to the ground and threw his whole weight on me. He took his cock in his hand and lined it up against me and thrust himself hard. But he missed and slid up onto my belly. Spitting again into his hand, he wet his cock, and I could see Gristle watching in enjoyment.

I took a deep breath and could smell the sky before a thunderstorm. Gristle had one hand down his pants and he leaned forward with his dagger pointed at me. The scraggly-chinned man lined himself up again and spit onto my face. “You’re going to like this, you little bitch.” He thrust himself at me, and with my left hand in front of my face, desperately I tried to block out his face.

The sound of thunder crashed all around us, and I closed my eyes tight as the noise deafened me. The ground pulsed with energy, and I held my breath and could smell burning skin. In fear, I opened my eyes and saw my left hand glowing still. Flickers of lightning coursed down my fingers, around my wrist, and disappeared beneath my skin.

Gristle fell to the side, burned beyond recognition, and the scraggly-chinned man’s hair smoked and sizzled. A hole had been blown through his body, searing the flesh. His eyes held mine for a moment of recognition and his dying word streamed out of his mouth in both a curse and an accusation. “Witch!”

He collapsed on me, and I cried. No one heard. I rolled the scraggly-chinned man off of me and crawled to my knees. Another bolt of lightning, this one in the sky, signaled the start of the thunderstorm. Where only moments before the sky had been clear, now a freak afternoon storm appeared out of nowhere, and heavy drops of rain began to fall. I pulled myself up and turned away from the burned and dead bodies. I did the only thing I knew to do. I ran.

Chapter 2

The rain came down in fat drops at first. I could see the raindrops hit the dust on the trail and walked on, holding my stomach. With each step, the pain shot through me, and I fought the urge to drop onto my knees. I had to get back to the city. I would not be safe out here on my own. If there were two men willing to attack me, there could be more. I walked on, and behind me the dark clouds filled in and the skies opened up. The rain came down in sheets and washed me clean. I picked my head up and felt the rain hit my face, and I screamed in anger when the next bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. The sound of my voice was drowned out by the thunder, but I screamed louder and let out my hate, fear, and shame.

For nearly an hour I trudged on through the storm, and when I saw the city before me, I started to run. By then the rain had slowed and the sun had come out again, making a beautiful rainbow off to the west. I passed through the city gates and a few people did look at me strangely, but I expected that the mud on my legs and boots, along with my drenched dress, made me appear disheveled. The pain in my belly had subsided somewhat, and it only hurt now when I touched my side. I expected tomorrow I would be bruised and sore. But a thought crossed my mind, and it came unhindered. The scraggly-chinned man had not penetrated me. Somehow the gods had bestowed upon me a boon to protect me when I needed it most. In my need, the two men were struck down by lightning from the sky. As for my hand, glowing and the lightning I saw in it, I explained it all away. The shock and fear from such an event disrupts the mind. There were many things swirling through my head when I came back into the city, but most of what I thought was buried deep down under the realization that I had barely survived.

I hurried through the streets and made for my house to give the master servant the response I had been asked to bring back from the village. But as luck would have it, I came across Stephen and Charles. They walked together, carrying their gear back in from the fields outside the city gates. Stephen saw me first and called out to me. “Greetings, fair maiden!”

He ran up to me and went to give me a hug, but I shied away from him. He then noticed my state, saw the mud on my legs and how wet I was and made way for me as I walked passed him. I bit my tongue and fought back tears. I wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms, but I needed to be strong now. Many people watched us. A knight in training speaking to a servant girl brought unwanted attention to both of us.