Thanks to psycho elf, BrittanyLS, midheaven, justawriter, meesh26, LanaJoy, Kennedy Leigh Morgan, Severis, and Moonlightrosegoddess for reviewing!
Sorry again for the delay in posting – I didn't think getting this much real life work was possible, lol.
It seems like I may have some free time coming up though, so I will try to update as soon as I can!
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Chapter 6 – Wicked
"A witch, Mulder? Please tell me you are kidding."
"I jest not, madam. I mean, uh, Sir."
"Shut up."
He grinned and cocked his head, waiting for her to request more info. She struggled for a moment before finally giving in. "Okay, Mulder, I'll play your game. What gives? I woke up this morning and you were long gone. Then, as I walked over here to our new… Hmm, would you even call this room an office?"
He shrugged noncommittally. "We're stuck in the basement, again, Scully. Just, well, this one actually looks like an old basement."
"Right." Sighing, she continued, "Anyway, I was stopped by Sir Farleigh, who said something to the effect that you 'had caught ye a fearsome hag who, aye, be-eth a witch'."
Mulder chuckled. "How I do love your Scottish brogue, Scully."
"All accents aside, care to explain?"
"Sure. If I could draw your attention to the wall…"
Scully bit her lip to hold in a guffaw. He had tacked a series of reports, drawings, graphs, and other images to the wall. Poor, slideshow-deprived Mulder.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. Just go ahead."
"Okay, Sir Dan," he retorted. "Anyway, here's the story. About a month ago, a Madam Kerrilyn Wolf moved into a small cabin on the outskirts of the Corcke Township. Shortly afterward, her neighbors began noticing strange occurrences. These here are five eyewitness accounts of diseased livestock, mysterious hovering lights above her cabin, strange herbal smells wafting through the town… - all the classic signs of witchcraft. And, right here, we have the statements, the proof."
"Um, Mulder? Hate to burst your bubble, but we're in fifteenth century England, now. Peasants can barely read the Bible, forget about being able to write."
"Well…" He shifted uncomfortably. "They were transcribed by the local priest."
"Right, who would have absolutely nothing against a single woman who lived apart from his congregation? Come on, Mulder, you're stretching. A witch?"
"But what if it's true, Scully? I mean, we are in 'Merrie Olde England', after all."
"Huh, you're British accent nearly equals my Scottish one. Really, though. Why would there be any more witches alive back then, um, now, then there are today? Uh… will be?"
"Scarily, I understand your question. And the answer is that there aren't. In the future, however, innovative technology is so widespread and so many various cultures are accepted that it is quite easy for someone to just blend in with the crowd. Nowadays, here, any non-conformist stands out like a sore thumb. So, yes, in all likelihood this is just some poor spinster who's trying to make her living selling herbs. But I put this to you, Scully: what if she isn't? Are you willing to take that chance? 'Cause I'm not."
"I…" She paused and looked up into his eyes, her resolve lost.
"Hey, we're in this together, aren't we? I, per usual, am more than a little skeptical of your crazy theory. But, you know what? If you go to Corcke Township to ask Kerrilyn Wolf to her face if she is an evil witch, I'll be right behind you."
Mulder smiled and looked away, laughing a little to cover how much that declaration really meant to him. "Well, then. I guess it's a-knocking we will go."
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Corcke Township proved to be little more than a small cluster for houses around a dirty, hay-filled main square. Men hurried by with carts and pigs and goats, while women called to their children to hurry up and bring in the water before it froze. Winter was beginning to set in more quickly up north, and the townspeople had little time to prepare for it.
"So." Mulder winced at the view. "This is… not such a sight for sore eyes, I have to say."
Scully turned to him and grimaced. They had just spent the past day riding hard to get here.
"No, Mulder, it's not. Look, let's just find the lady and get out of here."
"May I be of service, Sirs?" A pleasant-looking woman pushing a wheelbarrow full of squash smiled up at them.
Mulder nodded and smiled back. "Yes, actually. We are looking for Kerrilyn Wolfe, we have some questions…"
He paused as the look on the woman's face turned to disgust. "Kerrilyn? What do you want with her?"
By this point, a group of women had stopped to look. At the mention of Kerrilyn, they scowled and turned to each other, whispering. "What ya be wantin' with Kerrilyn?" one snarled. "ye could get it just as easy from any one of us, and ya wouldn't have to have no fear of not wakin' up come morningtime."
"What?" Scully looked at her in confusion.
At that point, a man came up and walked over to the first woman, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Come now, Macey, hurry along. The kids be needing feeding. What'cha waitin' on and gawkin' at?"
"These here knights are lookin' for Kerrilyn Wolfe," she replied coldly.
Her husband's face lit up. "Ah, Kerrilyn. A right saucy lass, if I do say so myself. Can't say I mind her livin' next door now, though, if ya know what I mean…"
Scully couldn't take it anymore. Whirling on Mulder, she hissed, "I thought we were looking for a witch! Not some sort of…"
"A witch ya say?" another woman chimed in, laughing. "Well, that's most definitely what you'll find with her. She lives right up there, that cabin over yonder, just at the border of the woods."
"Thank you." Mulder sighed as he and Scully made their way up the hill. "Maybe she makes love potions or something…"
"Love?" Scully snorted, then jumped down from her horse and began tying him to a branch outside the cabin. Mulder followed suit, then walked with her to the door and knocked.
When Kerrilyn Wolfe opened the door, Scully could suddenly see why all the women of the town hated her. She was absolutely stunning, in a cruel and captivating way. Her long black hair curled gently over her exotic features and toned body. The sheath of black that she wore did not make her pale skin appear washed out, as would be expected. Rather, it seemed to shine with an almost unearthly glow.
Kerrilyn was taking in Mulder's surprised stare with relish. "Why, hello, Sir," she drawled. "How may I be of service?"
"I… Uh…"
Scully cleared her throat impatiently.
"Oh, hello to you too," Kerrilyn said, far less magnanimously. She gave a fake smile, then turned back to Mulder. "Would you like to come in?"
"Um, yeah, that would be great. We just have a couple of questions…"
"We? Oh, oh. Of course, your partner can come in as well."
She laughed lightly. Scully wanted to strangle her. Mulder smiled vaguely and followed her inside. Scully now considered double homicide.
I am not jealous, she told herself. I am just upset with his lack of professionalism. Right.
"So, where are you from?" Kerrilyn was asking when she entered the cottage's main room. "You don't sound like you're from around here."
"We come from pretty far away. Actually, we didn't properly introduce ourselves. I am Sir Mulder, and this is my partner, Sir Scully."
"Ah. Hello."
"What about you, though? Your accent sounds different as well."
"I come from Hell," she said with a fiendish smile and a seductive wink.
Mulder coughed and looked away. Scully snorted. "Figures."
"Hell, Port's Grove. It's a small community in southern England. We're a little removed from the rest of the populace."
"Oh." Mulder looked disappointed. "So, you are not in fact from Hell? Like, you know…"
"Are you asking me if I am an enchantress, Sir Mulder?"
"Well… yes."
"Quite an interesting proposition. I would love to been one, to tell the truth. However, I find that I do just as well without magical powers."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Scully asked. Kerrilyn shot a disgruntled look.
"Well, what do you think it means, Sir?"
"I couldn't guess."
Kerrilyn snorted. "Well, anyway… Would you like some tea, Sir Mulder?"
"Actually, do you have root beer?"
Scully rolled her eyes as Kerrilyn grinned. "Why, yes, I do. It's home-brewed, if you don't mind."
"That's fine."
She began to leave, then paused and said over her shoulder to Scully, "You?"
"I'm good, thanks."
Kerrilyn walked out happily into the kitchen. Scully turned towards Mulder, shocked to find him smiling at her.
"What?"
"That was just a little ungracious, Scully." He looked as if he were about to start laughing.
"She's just… intolerable, Mulder. Intolerable. What is so funny?"
"I haven't seen you this ruffled in awhile. Come on, Scully, you're not jealous, are you?"
She mocked disgust. "Are you kidding me?"
He sobered a moment. "Probably. But, just in case, Scully, you have no reason to be. How many other women could pull off wearing a full suit of armor that hides pretty much everything and still look good, right?"
The joking smile was back now. Scully shrugged. "Whatever, Mulder. If you want to believe that…"
"Hey, come one. Sure, she's beautiful, but there's just something… I don't know, I can't put my finger on it, but something's just not right with Kerrilyn Wolfe. I mean, there are plenty of slutty women around, even in this time, yet she inspires that much loathing throughout the village. It doesn't make sense."
"Maybe we should just leave it alone, Mulder. Go home."
"No. Sorry, Scully, but I don't think we can do that. I mean, not only is she highly suspicious, but she may be in danger here if those townspeople get too rowdy. I think we should take her back with us."
"What?"
"I mean, she'd fit in better in the city than here, anyway, and we can find out more about her and keep her safe simultaneously…"
"But Mulder, really. Bring her back with us? That bit… I mean, um, witch?"
He gave her an amused grin. "Now, Scully, be reasonable. She's not a witch."
She glared and muttered, "Hmm, what option does that leave?"
Mulder raised an eyebrow, then turned abruptly as Kerrilyn reentered the room.
"Well, I'm all packed, Sir Mulder," she announced cheerily.
Scully's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"
"I couldn't help but overhear you… I put the drinks in a canteen for the road. We don't want to be stuck out at night, so we should get moving right away."
"How long were you standing there for?"
"Oh, long enough." She waved vaguely with her arm, then picked up her bag and walked out the door. "I'm going to go saddle my horse, Nightwolf."
"She's trouble, Mulder. And, no, I'm not saying that I think she has any magical powers or whatever to speak of. She just… is."
"Don't worry, Scully. We're together; we'll be back before nightfall... I think we'll be fine. I mean, come on, how much trouble could this one woman be?"
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Next Chapter: Dealing with Kerrilyn and looking for a way home.
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