SEVERED (A Tale of Sleepy Hollow) (31 page)

But he tugged
Brom’s hair and dug his knee in harder. There was more for Brom to tell.

“The wire had cut
so deep, he dangled from it. He thrashed and finally fell. Katrina, there was
so much blood. Garritt pressed his coat to Nikolass’ neck, but it was useless.
He pitched and croaked. There was nothing we could do.”

Brom lolled his
head back, but Nikolass jerked it forward, urging him on.

“After he died, we
panicked. It wasn’t the first time we’d pulled this prank. The village would
know it was us. We had to do something to cover out tracks.” Brom’s eyes closed
as he openly wept. “We found a scythe and cut off his head. Then we burned the
grass . He made it to look like he’d fallen victim to the Hessian.”

I shivered within
Ichabod’s grasp, imagining their alarm and despair.

Nikolass released
Brom, kicking him to the ground. Brom pulled himself up on hands and knees,
weeping. It was done. He’d gotten his confession.

Ichabod dropped
his arms, setting me free. I was never so weak and exhausted. “Nikolass,” I
moaned, stepping softly toward them.

But my sympathy
meant nothing. With a savage thrust, Nikolass brought his blade down, severing
Brom’s head from his shoulders.

“No!”

Ichabod grabbed
me, yanking me back.

I froze with
shock, my eyes locked on Brom’s body, a corona of blood spreading around his
neck.

Nikolass stepped
forward and kicked Brom’s head, sending it rolling across the dried grass. Then
he placed his scythe upon his shoulder as though satisfied.

Ichabod slowly
stepped backward, inching us away, though I wondered if there was a need.
Nikolass had his revenge. His three slayers were dead. He could now rest in
peace.

But instead of
riding off, he strode toward us with a determination that spiked my blood.

“Nikolass…”

He continued
marching our way.

“Nikolass, what
are you doing?”

Ichabod grabbed my
hand. “Run, now.” We turned and fled.

I glanced over my
shoulder. Nikolass still advanced at a hurried pace.
Ichabod tugged me along. “The cellar,” he said. It was just ahead.

We can make it.

He opened one of
the doors and shoved me inside. I lost my footing on the steps and stumbled to
the bottom. Ichabod barred the doors and ran to me.

He encircled his
arms around me, holding me tight. We stood, blind in the darkness.

“What is unfinished?”
I whispered.

I felt him shake
his head.

We waited,
apprehensive, our breathing thick. Then the first blow struck the doors.

I yelped as we
cringed back. Nikolass struck it again.

We inched into a
corner as he axed the doors with his scythe, smashing and splintering the wood.

“We’re trapped,” I
uttered.

With one final
strike, the doors exploded and moonlight revealed us.

Nikolass kicked
aside the remaining wood, then tramped down the stairs, scythe raised.

My mouth tasted of
ash as the blood drained from my face.
Heaven, help us.
We waited,
pinned in the corner with no means of escape. Ichabod moved in front of me,
attempting to shield me from Devenpeck’s wrath.

“Ichabod,” I wept
as this Horseman raised his weapon high. But instead of thrusting it down upon
Ichabod’s neck, he dug it into the dirt just a few feet from where we stood.

He brought it down
again and again, kicking up plumes of dust all around us. I gripped Ichabod’s
waist, peering over his shoulder as Nikolass continued pounding the earth.

When he’d made a
hole about a foot deep, he knelt to his knees and burrowed with his hands. And
though his body cast a darkened shadow, I could still make out the strings of
hair he’d uncovered. This drove him to dig faster, flinging the soil in
handfuls. And when finally he reached it, he carefully placed both hands on the
jaws, and lifted his head from its grave.

I barely blinked,
my heart thumping. He cradled the filthy withered thing in his arms. Then
leaving his scythe lying there, he turned, facing us. Facing
me
.

“Nikolass,” I
whispered.

He stood for a
moment, his stature relaxed…weary. Then he shifted back and ascended the
stairs.

“Ahh,” I gasped,
sinking against Ichabod. He spun, gathering me into his arms.

After a couple of
minutes, Ichabod said, “He’s gone by now. Let’s hurry.” He helped me up the
steps and into the moonlight.

Once outside, my
eyes fell upon Brom’s body, soaking in its blood. His horse stood near him,
braying and nickering in distress.

The ache inside me
was heart-wrenching. “I am free because of him.”

“Not yet,” Ichabod
reminded. “We must go.”

I rushed to
Daredevil, gathering his reins. “Here. This horse is faster than yours.”

Leading him along,
we brushed through the woods to where Dewdrop was hidden. Quickly mounting, we
sprinted away.

Without
interference, we raced off. Away from the school. Away from the village. Away
from my home. When we reached the hilltop some distance away, I slowed, turning
my horse. I gazed upon Sleepy Hollow one last time – now just misty shadows
dwarfed by the rolling Hudson. Through all the years I’d dreamed of escaping, I
never imagined it would be like this.

My breath
quivered.

“Katrina,” Ichabod
urged. “We must hurry.”

I nodded through
tearful eyes.

We spurred our
horses and fled into the night, not knowing where dawn would take us.

But as we rode
away, a chill embraced me and a question came to my mind.

If it was
Nikolass rising, who was that outside my window, beckoning to me?

For
a lighter read…

SPELLBOUND
AND DETERMINED

By Dax
Varley

Welcome to
Mimi's Charms &
Enchantments
- a New Age shop filled with magical merchandise and colorful
customers. Cam couldn't ask for a better afterschool job.

When a shady man
in gray slinks in one afternoon, Cam is
thisclose
to calling 911. To her
relief, he hurries away, leaving behind the nauseating odor of his cologne and a
curious spell he's dropped on the floor. But this spell is not your average
hocus-pocus. It's ancient, odd and promises
Power Supreme
- something
Cam could definitely use to keep up her 3.9 grade point average.

But the spell
requires more than what's stocked on Mimi's shelves. And acquiring each item
will take some heavy teamwork. With the help of her best friend, Reade, and
Zach, the high school's resident genius/nerd, Cam can't lose...unless the Gray
man returns.

Click
here
to buy on Amazon.

When Dax Varley
isn't reading, she's slinging words onto a page. She lives in Richmond, Texas
with her husband and a half-dozen imaginary friends.

Real or imaginary,
you can find her at the following locations:

http://www.daxvarley.com
Twitter:
@daxvarley
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/DaxVarley

SEVERED by Dax Varley

Copyright 2013