Spellbound: The Awakening of Aislin Collins (14 page)

“Perhaps you have had too much liquor?” I
asked innocently.

He groaned in response and I pushed him back
into bed and then set to clean up his mess. Becky handed me rags to
clean with and I worked fast. The smell in the room was unbearable.
I pulled the cobalt velvet drapes back from all the windows in the
room and stuck my head out for a breath of fresh air.

Outside, I could see large animals’ strewn
across the field that lay between the house and the garden. Men
were gathered around the slain animals, shaking their heads and
talking quietly amongst themselves. It seemed as though every man
from Burlington was on the Marthaler’s property inspecting the
grizzly scene. Young men stood with their fathers and grandfathers,
with their slaves, with free men and even with the Natives. All
were surveying the slaughtered beasts and none looked too
comfortable. Then, as some of the men moved back from where a horse
lay dead… I saw him—the Grey Man, Jamison Lamont. He was leaning
over the carcass of the horse, his long grey hair was shinning in
the early light and it illuminated off the back of his long black
coat. I stood frozen in place, my heart pounding and my ears
ringing as my breath became shallow. My mind was screaming at me to
move away from the window, but my body refused to respond.

He stood slowly, as if some ill wind had
whispered a secret message for him only. He started searching
amongst the crowd. His head snapped around as he tried to hone in
on his prey and I saw his gaze creeping up toward the window. I
willed myself to close the curtains in order to conceal myself from
him, but he started to stalk toward the house. He had sensed me, I
was sure of it. Finally, I regained control of my senses and
quickly withdrew from the window, shutting it tight.

Zachariah lay in bed groaning and crying,
but he was by far the least of my concerns. I felt trapped and
anxious. My heart was pounding so hard that it hurt, and my hands
were shaking so badly that I had to place them under my legs. I sat
in a chair next to Zachariah’s bed and I too now felt as though I
would be physically sick.

Becky saw me swaying, and placed a cold
cloth on my neck and then pushed my head between my knees.

“Deep breaths Miss Aislin,” she said while
rubbing my back.

I tried to listen to her but it felt
impossible to calm myself.

“What is wrong with her?” Zachariah asked
snidely.

“She is very worried about you and it is
taking a toll on her sir,” Becky said calmly.

These words seemed to appeal to his
sensibilities and he settled himself into bed. “Maybe you should
get her some water,” he suggested, and Becky complied.

I gathered my courage and looked out the
window again, this time peeking through a sliver in the curtains. A
whistle blew and all the men started moving towards the woods that
bordered the back of the Marthaler property. The Minister tugged on
the Grey Man’s arm and they, along with everyone else, walked away
from the house and towards the woods. My heart calmed down just a
little and I left the window, flopping back into the chair.

“You poor girl,” Zachariah said, reaching
for my hand, “You are so fragile. It is a good thing I bought her
for you; otherwise you’d never be able to fend for yourself.”

“What?” I said, my head snapping up.

“Becky, she is to be your servant once we
are married. Until then she is mine,” he sighed contently.

I looked at Becky and then back at
Zachariah. “I do not believe in enslaving people Zachariah. It
would be a more fitting wedding present if you granted Becky her
freedom.”

These words were too much for him to handle.
He grabbed me with his free hand and twisted my arm. “You
ungrateful wench. You will learn soon enough that your opinions and
thoughts do not matter! You will do well to keep your mouth shut.
Now apologize to me and thank me for your present, or I shall have
you whipped for your insolence.”

I pulled my arm away from him, “I am not
your wife yet and you have no grounds to punish me.”

“Soon enough,” he laughed, “and just you
wait… I’ll make you a reverent and obedient wife even if it kills
you.”

********************

Hours passed and Zachariah slept. I was not
permitted to leave his side, and Becky was charged with bringing me
meals and any supplies I needed to keep him comfortable. I glanced
out the window as often as I could, but there was no sign of
Lamont.

I did not know where to place my thoughts
anymore. My mind raced to Greer and our love, to my mother and the
way my father had begun to treat her, to Becky and Martha—but
always back to Lamont. I was deep in thought when the door creaked
open. It was the doctor.

I moved from the chair beside Zachariah’s
bed and let the doctor sit. He smiled at me and commented that the
room was very clean and that Zachariah looked to be in good
care.

In actuality, I had not tended to him as I
could have. I learned much about the art of healing by my mother’s
side, and I used none of these skills to comfort Zachariah. My
reasons for withholding treatment were not solely based in
revenge—that was just an added benefit. My mother had warned me
that by using my healing powers, I stood the chance of exposing my
magic and I would have to be very selective when I healed
outsiders.

The doctor tried to bend and straighten
Zachariah’s fingers. The boy wailed in pain, cursing at the doctor
through his screams.

“Well I see you still have the Marthaler
temper so you must not be all that ill,” the doctor laughed.

“Just do your damn job and keep your
thoughts to yourself, you old sorcerer,” Zachariah said through
gritted teeth.

The doctor froze at the young man’s words.
He knew what implications such labels could bring and he understood
all too well that this was not just a curse uttered from a boy in
pain. This was indeed a threat.

He quickly set the broken fingers and
wrapped the mangled hand as best he could. He showed Becky and me
how to do the wrapping, in case it unraveled. Then he made a swift
escape, leaving us once again alone with the wretched boy.

Soon after the doctor left, Zachariah’s
mother and father came into the room. Becky pressed herself into
the corner of the room, and I nervously stood from the chair. To my
utter relief, the Grey Man was not with them.

“It is time for you to go home Aislin,” Mr.
Marthaler said.

“Yes sir,” I replied, while gathering my
cloak and starting to walk away from the bedside.

“Will I take the carriage home?” I
asked.

“No,” I have no horses to pull the carriage.
You will have to walk.” He leaned casually in the doorframe, his
massive shoulders taking up most of the expanse as his green eyes
landed coldly upon me.

Zachariah lifted his head, “She can not walk
back to town alone. What if the men who attacked me are still out
there? What if night falls before she gets home?”

“We have searched for miles and found no one
who meets your description. She will be fine.”

Zachariah did not look convinced, “Leave us
for a while,” he motioned to the door.

Everyone walked out except for me. Once
again, I was alone with him. He gestured for me to sit near him on
the bed and I did so, knowing that all I had to do was hit his hand
and he would pass out.

“Aislin, my memory of yesterday is quiet
blurry. I need help remembering what happened.”

I looked away from him. I did not know what
to say. If I told him even a fraction of the truth, he might have
his memory return completely. Unfortunately, I did not have the
time to create an answer. He reached up and pulled back my cloak,
then pulled the top of my dress down just slightly. I slapped his
hand away but it was too late. He saw his nail marks that had now
scabbed and dried. A smile stretched across his thin, chapped lips.
He looked satisfied. He believed that he had accomplished his
goal.

“Well, well, well. How does it feel to have
your innocence taken?”

I did not answer, but it did not matter. He
reached up to play with my hair and I slapped him.

“You can come back in,” he yelled toward the
door, a smile still suspended on his face.

His mother and father came into the room and
leaned in close, as though getting ready to hear a prophecy from a
great leader.

“She can walk by herself. I think you are
right father, she will be fine.”

Then I knew without a doubt what he meant.
He had never cared if he married me, that was merely a means of
taking what he wanted, and all he desired was to be the one who
took something from me that I could never get back. Now that he
thought he had, Zachariah did not care if I was raped or murdered
when I left his home. I was just bragging rights amongst his
friends and nothing more.

I stood from his bedside and walked from the
room. I did not bother to say goodbye and he did not bother to
obtain any formalities. When I reached the front door, I noticed
that Becky was waiting for me and we walked outside together.

“Did they tell you that you had to walk with
me?” I asked.

Becky shook her head, “No, my mother told me
to.”

We walked out into the dark night. She
carried a lantern and I wrapped my cloak tightly around me. It was
then that I realized I was wearing my mother’s cloak. I did not
have any of my protective charms with me—or my bell.

“Becky, you must go back. There is something
terrible in these woods and it is after me. I cannot endanger you,”
I whispered.

Becky smiled at me and handed me a fabric
pouch from under her grey woolen cloak. She held up the lantern so
I could see in the thick darkness. It was my pocket, the one I had
forgotten to take with me in the haste of the morning. In it were
all my protection talismans, herbs and my bell.

“How did you get this?” I asked in
amazement.

Becky winked at me and smiled deviously,
“Magic,” she whispered, as she
shook her hair
loose from the bun she had been wearing. Her raven hair went wild
as she
walked forward into the night.

We walked on, and could hear every footstep
we took as though it was amplified. The sound of our feet on the
dirt road was deafening and I wished that we could quiet our steps,
but it was impossible in our shoes.

The lamp was bright and helpful, but it
could lead a predator directly to us, and that worried me. The
night had grown far too dark to extinguish the flame. The moon had
not risen yet and even if it had, it would only be a quarter full
and barely help with visibility. Without the lamp, we would not be
able to see our hands waving directly in front of our faces.

In the woods, close to the road, branches
and twigs were cracking under the weight of something large. It was
tracking us, following close by in the shadows.

“It could be animals, wolves perhaps… or it
could be something else,” Becky said in a shaky voice, as we
proceeded toward town.

We kept walking but in silence. We were both
listening to the strange noises, and trying to filter out what was
typical from what was out of the ordinary. Then we smelt
something—something foul, like rotten eggs. The stench was coming
from directly in front of us and we both froze.

“Get out your bell,” Becky whispered.

I did as she said and it gave a little
ring
as I pulled it from its casing.

Then we heard a low growl coming from a mere
few feet in front of us. It sounded unlike any animal I had ever
heard before. It was deep and rattling. It filled up the night and
its sound pounded in our ears. The only sound that competed with
the menacing noise was my own heart, which was beating so fast that
it threatened to fail.

“Be gone Abiku!” Becky screamed at the
invisible beast.

It grunted and hissed at her words, but we
did not feel it leave. I reached into the pouch and grabbed a
handful of salt, I quickly scattered it around us in a circle and
we heard the creature howl in rage. From the beast’s screams, I
knew the charms were working, so I threw more salt in its direction
and it made a noise as though it was injured. We could hear the
gravel and dirt scattering further away from us, as though it was
retreating.

I took a moment to turn my attention to
Becky. She was holding the lamp up high and her face was
terror-stricken. We stared at each other, not knowing what to
do.

“How much further do we have to walk?” I
asked feeling disoriented.

“A long way. We are nowhere near town,” she
answered nervously.

I reached into the bag again and felt that
our supply of herbs and salts were running low. I pulled out the
charmed talismans and placed them all around Becky’s neck. I
remembered Martha saying that my necklace from Greer was powerful
enough, and I hoped she was right.

Suddenly, I could hear the creature moving
toward us with great speed. The sound of its hooves thundered on
the dirt road as it charged in our direction. I grabbed Becky and
threw myself on top of her, forcing her to the ground.

On the far side of the road, I heard
something crashing through the trees. I thought the beast was
rounding upon us again, this time taking a different path of
attack. As I looked up, the light from the lantern caught the
reflection of a large rock flying passed us and I heard it make
contact with the beast.

The monster’s screech of anguish filled the
night. I scrambled to my feet and as I reached for Becky’s hand to
help her to her feet, I heard her cry out in pain. The lantern lay
on the ground next to her, and in its light, I could see Becky’s
body being pulled backward with great speed. I lunged forward and
held tightly onto her outstretched hand. She screamed out again as
I heard the Puca hissing behind her. I had her by the arm now, but
the beast had latched onto her leg and was dragging us both off the
road and into the tree line.