Authors: Connie C. Scharon
“Why did you not tell me this before?” Jared asked.
“Morven would have killed me.”
“But you must have known he was the one behind Osred
and Glenna's scheme,” Jared accused.
“I did not think of it. I thought his sins rested in
the past.”
“Pack your things. You will travel with us to Edinburgh in case I need you as a witness against him,” Jared ordered.
Liam turned and walked out into the hallway banging
his fist hard into the stone wall. Jared came out to stand beside him. “I'm
sorry, Liam, I did not know. If you believed Morven, how the hell did you keep
from killing me? I would not have had your control.”
“I thought she had gone willingly to your bed and you
had shamed her by not offering marriage. It is I who am sorry, for not
confronting you sooner and bringing this out in the open. Lady Asilinn would
not be in danger now if Morven had been discovered years ago.”
A terrible fear rose in Jared. What if Morven lusted
after Asilinn as well? He spent a restless night waiting for the dawn.
They headed out as the sun rose and Jared pressed
them at a relentless pace, not camping for the night until darkness forced a
halt. By pushing his men to their limit, he was able to cut two whole days off
the regular length of the trip. Not a single man complained.
***
Asilinn stiffened her spine when she walked up
through the throng of observers.
“Burn the witch!” one old woman cried. Others joined
in the chant, but Asilinn refused to let them see her fear.
When she entered the great hall, she saw Morven
sitting beside the robed priests and bishops who would pass judgment on
her—test her to see if they believed she was a witch, and most certainly burn
her at the stake to purify her if they decided she was. Osred’s cousin, the
bishop, sat on the dais as the head of her accusers.
Asilinn scanned the room for Jared and her heart
skipped a beat. No one was here to defend her, not even her father or Ian. She
knew Morven had moved her trial up after the incident in her cell—she would be
dead when they arrived to save her.
The guards led her up and tied her to a tall post set
in the masonry. A gallery of onlookers whistled and jeered as she stood before
them trying to keep from retching up her breakfast.
The center figure on the bench rose and banged his
gavel to quiet the chanting crowd. “Silence,” he ordered. Pointing to the man
at the end of the table, he motioned for him to stand. “Read the charges.”
The short man got up and cleared his throat. “Lady
Asilinn Innes MacLean, you are charged with practicing the black arts, raising
one small boy from the dead….” The crowd interrupted him with a collective
gasp. “Using poisons and other herbs to enchant members of the MacLean clan,
including Laird Jared MacLean himself,” the man continued. There was another
shocked outcry. “Of consorting with the devil so he would allow you the gift to
see into the future, and using this power to overcome your enemies,” he
finished.
“Purify her with fire,” a man in the crowd screamed.
“Burn the witch!” The chant began again.
The bishop banged his gavel again. “Silence!” He
turned to look at Asilinn. “Do you confess to these crimes?” he asked, eager
for a speedy verdict.
Asilinn fought to keep the tremor out of her voice.
“Nay, Milord,” she said. “I am innocent.”
The bishop shot a sidelong glance down to the
emissary sent by Robert the Bruce to preside over the fairness of the trial.
Lord Barlow stood up and addressed the panel. “You will have to prove her
guilty. Present your witnesses,” he said. “Lady Asilinn, rest assured you will
have a fair trial.”
“How can that be, Milord, when I have no one to
defend me?” Asilinn asked.
“You must defend yourself of these charges,” Lord
Barlow told her. “If you are innocent, you must prove it.” He sat back in his
seat. “Who is the first witness?”
The first witness was one of the peasants from the
village near Dunbocan who had seen the incident with Toby. Asilinn stood erect
while she listened to the damning tale. “And then she took the dead boy and
rolled him on his stomach,” the woman was saying, “and pressed on his back. The
water from the lake came out of him. He rose up and was back to life.”
Asilinn let out a deep breath at the horrified
response of the onlookers. Next, a man stepped forth to tell how one of her
cures had worked magic on his son and restored his injured leg to health.
A portly man with greasy hair came to the front and
told of her public announcement of her dream. “She is a witch for sure,” he
accused. “Less than a week later her dream came to pass.” He wiped his hair
with his sweaty palms and pointed his finger at Asilinn. “And she caused it all
to enchant Laird Jared with her magic!”
Asilinn took the full weight of the shocked outcries
which broke the quiet of the hall. She shook her head tearfully. The day she
sought to keep Jared from riding to her father, she had carelessly revealed her
gift of foresight to all assembled.
The guards who brought Wynne to the cell the night
Morven tried to rape her were next. “Her own maid told me she was a witch,” one
said.
At length Morven was called upon to testify. He stood
and looked Asilinn in the eye.
“This woman,” he said, pointing at Asilinn, “is a
sorceress of great magnitude. I have seen her enchant my cousin, Laird Jared
MacLean, until he sells out his own people to their enemies. She has used her
dark power to poison his heart. I have seen her using her spells and
incantations and calling forth Satan to aid her in her quest.”
“That is a lie,” Asilinn cried. Her defense was cut
short by the pounding gavel.
***
When they reached the outskirts of Edinburgh, Jared
told the men to show their plaid. All the citizens stood in stunned silence
when the huge troop of Innes and MacLeans thundered through town, heading up
the hill to Edinburgh Castle. Jared dismounted and headed for the commander's
quarters followed closely by Liam, Angus, and Ian.
“He's not here,” the servant told them. “They are all
at the witch trial in the great hall.”
“Whose trial?” Jared asked.
“Lady Asilinn Innes MacLean,” the man replied.
Jared flew into the hall banging the doors back with
such force they almost ripped from their hinges. A hush fell over the crowd
when he walked to the center table.
“Jared,” Asilinn gasped. He walked over and gave her
a hug and kiss then resumed his position in front of the dais.
“I am Laird Jared MacLean of the clan MacLean,” he
announced. “I have come to prove the innocence of my wife. Gathered behind me
you see my witnesses.”
Morven's face lost its color when his eyes scanned
over the people with Jared. “I shall prove this man,” he said, indicating
Morven, “has schemed and plotted for years to steal my birthright. Furthermore,
he has conducted magical ceremonies to convince his fellow traitors of his
power. He seeks to destroy my wife because our alliance has brought about peace
between the Innes and MacLeans and because she carries my child and heir.”
“That’s a lie. This powerful sorceress has turned my
own kin against me,” Morven railed.
The bishop stood. “If you are finished, Morven, I
will allow Laird Jared to proceed.”
Morven bolted from the table but Jared threw him roughly
to the ground. He stared up into the furious faces of Jared, Liam, Angus, and
Ian. They jerked him to his feet and shoved him toward the guards to be
restrained while each of Jared's witnesses delivered their rebuttals.
The red-haired whore began with her tale of Glenna's
resurrection. The assembly sat in stunned silence. Ivy took the stand and told
what Morven had done to Sarah. Flanna explained how Asilinn had saved Toby by
simply ridding his lungs of water.
Morven's fate was sealed when Osred stepped forward
and told of the entire plot with all its intricacies.
The emissary from Robert the Bruce rose to address
Asilinn. “There is but one question I would ask you, Lady Asilinn. How do you
explain your ability to see into the future?”
Angus came forward. “She has had this gift since she
was a child. God has given it to her, not the devil.”
Lord Barlow smiled. “I pronounce Lady Asilinn Innes
MacLean innocent of the charges brought against her,” he announced. A cheer
rose from the assembly. He held up his hand. “I further proclaim Morven MacLean
shall be burned at the stake for his crimes against the Laird of Dunbocan and
almighty God.”
Jared rushed to free Asilinn from her bonds, holding
her to his chest while the throng closed in around them. Oblivious to the
crowd, he gathered her in his arms capturing her lips with a kiss which
obliterated all the fear and pain they had suffered.
When he finally pulled away, Asilinn grinned up at
him through tears of joy. “Now that milord has accomplished his goal of uniting
the clans of Innes and MacLean in peace, what is left?”
“Now I shall feel free to give you all the children
you desire,” he teased. “And you will have no concerns about their future.”
“I love you, my Dragon Lord,” she whispered, reaching
up to find his lips in another searing kiss.
“Must I sit still forever, my enchantress?” Jared
complained.
The artist cleared his throat and Asilinn laughed a
musical laugh. “Jared, he is almost done,” she told him. “Please be patient a
little longer.”
The door burst open and two dark-haired boys ran to
their father giggling. “Asilinn, I promised our sons a swim in the loch. We'll
have to finish this another time.”
Asilinn tapped her toe in anger. “We'll do it now,
Milord, for tomorrow you will just find another excuse not to sit for your
portrait.” She leaned close and caressed his face. “Please, Milord, I wish to
have this painting of the two of us together for eternity.”
He grinned and kissed her. “Boys, go and find your
sister. We'll have our swimming lesson tomorrow. I'm yours, Milady,” he said,
turning back to Asilinn. He arched his dark brow. “Are you sure this is
necessary?”
“Aye,” she responded with a soft pout. “Everyone who
sees this portrait in years to come will look at it and ask to hear our story.
And someone will tell them how you kidnapped me, made me your wife, and brought
peace to our clans. They will tell of the drama of my trial at Edinburgh Castle and how our love endured all these things and brought forth three lovely
children.”
He gave her a soft smile. “No,” he said.
Asilinn's forehead wrinkled in a frown. “What's wrong
with my story?”
“There will be more than three children,” he replied
with a rakish grin. His eyes gleamed with desire when he took her hand and
resumed his pose. “We shall work on that tonight.”
Dear Reader,
If you liked Jared and Asilinn’s story, watch for more
of my books. Go to
https://www.facebook.com/ConnieCScharonAuthor
to read some excerpts of upcoming releases.
PHANTOM BRIDE continues the MacLean saga. Liam MacLean
enters a web of intrigue when Laird Malcolm Dunsmore asks Liam to fight for his
widowed daughter’s hand in marriage. Indebted to Malcolm for saving his life
years earlier, and brokenhearted over the suicide of his own true love, Liam
agrees. The black-veiled widow reminds him of his beloved Sarah in her final
days. Did his new bride murder her abusive first husband? Is she scarred from
the fire that took his life? Rumors surround her and even their marriage fails
to bring her face to the light of day.
FIRE ANGEL is another chapter or the MacLean saga.
Spurned by the man she wants to marry, Skye MacLean runs farther from home than
she ever anticipated. A near death experience sends her to meet the Archangel
Gabriel, or so it seems. Is she in heaven, or has some wrinkle in time sent her
into the future as her savior claims? She doesn’t know. And when her angel
follows her back to her own time, it only confounds the issue more.
EVIL SAVIOR is a suspense thriller with a medical
twist. Convinced her vivid dream about her mother’s murder was a peek into the
future, Sasha Valenska tries to unravel the truth about her mother’s death.
Everyone around her believes her mother died from cancer, but some strange
evidence at the scene suggests otherwise. The only person who seems to take
Sasha seriously is the tall, dark stranger she hit with her car the night her
mother died. Can she trust Devlin or is he the murderer?
VICTORIAN LACE is a paranormal adventure. Vintage
clothier Nola Ryan tries on an antique wedding dress and catapults back in time
to a murder scene. She seems to have become the 1890’s bride she knows was hung
for murdering her bridegroom on the night of their wedding. Accused of the murder,
Nola struggles to prove her innocence and discover the truth about the century
old murder.
BLOOD NEVER WASHES OUT is a taut thriller set against
the backdrop of the drug trade. Shanghaied in Mexico, FBI agent Nick Mendenhall
finds himself home two weeks later with no memory and missing a kidney. Against
Bureau directives, he involves himself in the case of his missing organ while
investigating a series of blatant murders ordered by his long-time nemesis,
drug kingpin Cristos Silvano. Nick tracks down the mysterious woman who lured
him into the trap and gets the surprise of his life.
Hope you enjoyed the read.
Connie