Chapter 21
Chapleton, England, 1508 ( Renaissance )
" Gee James, you know, it was just so beautiful and my birthday's coming up in a few months anyway, I thought maybe it could be an early birthday present from you to me. Yes, now you won't have to get me anything. And we can start a lovely garden with these beets and prunes. Everything else was so high-priced anyway; you'd have to be royalty to afford it."
The garnet ring perched happily on Veronica's right ring finger as she strolled up a hillside towards home. The matter at hand was a serious one. She was practicing on her inevitable little speech to James, and just how she was going to justify spending almost a week's worth of his hard-earned money on a garnet ring that was financially as practical as blowing the amount on a bunch of pretty rocks to set out in the yard. Worse, the only veggies she'd been able to afford afterwards were beets and prunes.
Personally, she could barely stand either.
James liked them, but only on a so-so level. They definitely were not a family favorite. As one of James's popular sayings went, 'They're okay, but I wouldn't slay a dragon for them.'
Perfect. James was going to completely understand.
Veronica's eyes shifted to the little packages of seeds tucked gently among the cloth inside her basket. Hey honey! Guess what? I brought you beets and prunes! Aren't you proud of me? And I spent so little on myself...nonsense. He's going to mind.
She was halfway up the hill overlooking the valley, and now she began to panic. What can I do? What was I thinking?! Maybe I'll hide the ring and tell him someone robbed me. Yes, he'll have to believe that. People get robbed all the time....
A shift in the wind brought a strange smell, interrupting her thoughts. What's that? It smelled musty, like old boots. Ew. The petite redhead wrinkled her nose in disgust. Must be time to clean out the stable. Poor Arthur. I'm always forgetting to do that.
When she reached the top of the hill she froze. Down below, not more than five hundred feet away, stood the Stilling family's home. Just beside it was a large pen where they kept a few chickens and goats along with Arthur, the mule. Beyond that, an ominous shadow looming in the background, was the dreaded Forbidden Woods.
Actually, that was the very reason they'd gotten the land so cheaply. Nobody wanted to live within five miles of the Forbidden Woods.
Save James.
He insisted that such legends as Valerian and a cursed woods were nonsense, just like hanging lonely women for witchcraft.
Veronica didn't consider herself superstitious, but she'd never liked those woods. It always felt like someone or something within was always watching her, no matter what the time of day or night.
Now, looking, looking down on the quiet scene below, she couldn't shake the feeling of wrongess. Around this time, James would usually be outside playing in the yard with the kids.
He wasn't.
The front door to the house should be shut.
It wasn't.
Now Veronica was getting worried. She started down the hill at a brisk pace, steps quickening the closer she got to her destination. For all her quirks, one thing Veronica had never been lacking on was speed. She covered the ground between herself and the house in barely any time at all. When at last she reached the ajar door and burst in with the force of a small rocket, she dropped her basket.
If she'd only known ahead of time what awaited inside, she wouldn't have been in such a hurry.
The main room, for the most part, was in shambles. Broken dishes, knicknacks, furniture, and paraphernalia of all sorts lay in ruins on the floor and shelves. It looked like an entire raiding party had decimated the area. A complete mess. A disaster. But that was not the worst of it, not by far.
A few spatters of blood marked the scene of a violent struggle. Following these to their source near the center of the room, Veronica saw there laying amidst all the rubble and debris, the broken, beaten, bloodied bodies of her three children. James was nowhere in sight.
" Oh, my..." That was all she could manage. How could she finish? Words failed her.
They were dead. All of them. Her babies. Her little kids.
Her heart disintegrated before it's next beat. For a moment, the whole world stopped on it's axis.
Run. She should run. She should run far away and leave this house while she still had the chance--Lord only knew what had happened to James--but her heart drove her those few painful steps to the side of her slain children. There, next to the mangled bodies of her twin daughters, Veronica fell to her to knees, forcing herself to look at the graphic scene that was too horrid to be real.
All the color drained from her cheeks. Her delicate mouth hung open slightly, ever so slightly, but no noise could be made to come out.
This couldn't be happening. There had to be some mistake. Things like this couldn't happen to her. She'd already lost her mother, that was the guarantee...the promise that nothing bad would ever happen again. Fate had robbed her of her family once before, why would it give her another just to have this one taken as well? It didn't make sense.
They were all dead....
No. It didn't feel real. Veronica was experiencing it all as if from afar, as if she were in a dream world. That's what it felt like: a bad dream. Any moment now she'd wake up, and James would be there, cuddling her and kissing her, telling her everything was going to be alright. Then she'd sit up and they'd both have a good laugh at how ridiculous the nightmare she'd just had was; how it was never going to happen, and how pointless it was to worry.
James. Where was James? Had he let this happen?
No. Of course not.
James had always been a caring father, and a dear husband. He loved his family. He would never let something like this happen. How could she even think that way? He had probably been the first to die. Surely the kids would not be in their present state if he were still alive.
Who had done this? Just as importantly, why? They had never done anything to hurt anyone! Certainly her children hadn't. James was equally as innocent. All he had ever done was help people. Veronica herself was a wiccan, but she harbored no hate in her heart towards her fellow neighbor. She had never used her magics to hurt anyone, even the people whose her opinion of weighed less than sunlight. So what was she paying for?
And while she was at it, exactly what kind of heartless, evil person would kill children? Even most criminals would never dream of murdering babies!
" Ver...Veronica? " A muffled voice choked from off to the side.
Veronica recognized it instantly--James!
Snapped out of her stupor, she shot up and dashed frantically around the room like a chicken with it's head cut off, very nearly tripping over almost everything humanly possible, looking for the source. " James? James?! " She couldn't see him! Where was he?
" H...here." His voice was weak, fading.
The bedroom. For a moment she'd almost forgotten they even had one. With a sense of urgency, she dashed in to find the bed collapsed and a very unhappy, very hurt James protruding halfway from under it. His legs and abdomen were both trapped beneath the frame, and there was an insane amount of blood coloring the floor.
Veronica rushed to his aid, and only then did she realize the true magnitude of his injuries. James wasn't hurt just a little, he was hurt a lot. Being crushed by the bed was the least of his problems. Veronica counted three huge gashes decorating his body, and that was just the part of him she could see. Sword marks. Nothing else cut like that. The worst of them slashed right through the upper half of his chest, a thick red line gushing blood.
Now all semblance of color was completely gone from Veronica's face, leaving her all pale and ghost-like. That wound was mortal. It was amazing James had made it this long. He would die any minute.
James knew this, too, and he held no illusions of surviving to see the moonlight. There was not a second to lose. " Veronica." He reached up with a feeble hand and gently caressed the smooth skin of his wife's cheek. She seemed so lovely right then, so radiant. He was going to miss her.
God, he was going to miss her.
Veronica kissed his hand tenderly and held it to her face. Already she could feel the warmth slipping away from him. No! No don't go...don't leave me to face this cruel world alone! I need you! I can't survive without you!
James struggled for the strength he needed. Many times in life he'd had to say goodbye to people he loved for one reason or another. It always hurt. Things like that never came easy. But this...this goodbye was going to be the hardest. He loved Veronica very dearly. Cruel that he should be taken from her life so suddenly.
" This...barbarians, riders from the east did this. There were...at least a dozen." It was practically a speech for a dying man. The words were painful and sentences took all the strength he could muster just to speak. Already he could feel his heartbeat slowing, the blood in his veins freezing, stiffening, and dying. He gazed up into Veronica's eyes, and she could see the spark within fading.
" Barbarians! " Veronica seethed, her eyes flashing a dangerous shade of red.
James noticed the change, but said nothing. He'd long sensed there was something special about the girl he'd saved that stormy Stratford day that seemed like decades ago. Sure, at times she could be pretty clumsy and forgetful. Pretty normal. Veronica was always burning the food, dropping the dishes, and bumping into/breaking things. She'd ended up ruining his laundry on more than one occasion, and---this was a secret he'd take to the grave--her cakes were way too salty.
But underneath all those faults hid a truly amazing woman. Veronica's love seemed to know no bounds. And not just for the family, but for nature, mankind, and all of creation as well. Whenever she wasn't tending to the family, she was helping the wildlife. James had always envied her oneness with nature. Veronica had been so kind to the animals that the birds and squirrels around these parts were almost tame. The finches would even feed out of her hand.
Amazing. That kind of trust was sacred.
Never before had he encountered someone who shone as brightly as his Veronica. She was quick to anger, but also quick to forgive. A little loopy, true. But never in a malicious way. And even if some of her actions suggested otherwise, he believed her to be smarter than most women.
Yet even deeper under all that there was something...different about her. Mysterious. Though she'd denied it numerous times, James couldn't shake the feeling that there was a secret about herself she hadn't been telling. Sometimes, if the lighting was just right, and just as she was turning her head after conversation, he thought he'd catch a glint of something magical sparkling in her eye. But then he'd look and it'd be gone, and Veronica would be left staring at him weirdly and wondering what in the world had gotten into him.
Though she wouldn't say, James strongly suspected this to be reminiscent of her childhood. Perhaps her mother truly was a wiccan. Perhaps Veronica herself still carried a bit of magic. It wasn't beyond the realms of possibility. There were many things in this world than mankind couldn't even begin to fathom, let alone explain.
Rather than fear, this was a thought that filled him with awe. Having things that were unexplained and unknown made him strangely happy. There would always be something new. There would always be things that people just wouldn't be able to fully understand. It didn't change his opinion on things.
Veronica could be a true witch for all he cared; it didn't matter. He loved who he loved. And he more than felt that love in return. Short as their life had been together, it had been happy, and he would die with no regrets.
For this very reason, he'd been holding out. His injuries were painful, and each second he lived felt like an eternity in Hell. Nothing was more appealing right now than the thought of just dying. But Veronica needed to know. She needed to be warned.
" They're..." He coughed up some blood and his hand fell away from Veronica's face. His eyes were glassing over, his brain preparing to shut down. The Reaper hovered nearby, ready to take him. Each moment it was becoming harder and harder to fight back the inevitable death.
" James? " Veronica squeaked, clenching his hand tightly and trying her best to transfer her heat into the rapidly cooling flesh.
James coughed up some more blood, and went limp. For a terrifying instant Veronica feared he was dead. His arm slipped from her hand like a heavy wet noodle.
" James? Please...don't leave me! " Tears spilled from her cheeks; twin rivers of misery.
" Coming back." James' eyes were shut now, and his voice was soft and far away, like a person talking in their sleep.
" Coming back? " Veronica barely cared. Her world was gone. The people she loved were all dead, and there was no coming back from it. What was the point of living anymore? How could she go on when her heart was as dead as her family? Why live in such misery? " Then they can take me too. Without you and the kids, I have no reason to live."
Let the barbarians kill her. She didn't care. A life in constant pain was a life of the damned. Her soul cried for peace, for an end to all this madness.
Was it too much to ask?
She didn't need to be rich. She didn't need to be famous. Hell, she didn't even need to be coordinated. All she wanted was to be loved, to share the warmth and joy of a family. In what twisted, sick reality was that a crime deserving of punishment? If she couldn't have that in life, perhaps she could in death.
Yes, she would die here this night, right alongside the bodies of her husband and kids. Life was all just a big cruel joke anyway. Well Veronica Stilling was through being the butt of it! Soon she'd be running through the Elysian fields with her family. Perhaps I'll see Mother there.
" No." James's simple, sudden reply startled her. She was sure he'd died just a moment ago. But no, the man was more resilient than the wild horses which populated these parts.
" I don't want that. Live...you must live. Don't let them destroy you like this. My life...was good. I have no regrets. The pain you feel won't last...forever. Tomorrow the sun will rise." His speech was getting even quieter now, and Veronica really had to strain hard to catch and make sense of each syllable, " Promise me you won't give up." His heart ached terribly, and these few simple words were spoken with the greatest of difficulty.
Death was already trying to claim him. He couldn't fight it off any longer. Through the haze of pain, approaching hoof-beats. The barbarians were almost upon them. The barbarians...
" I promise." Veronica agreed, unsure why she was taking such an oath that required her to do the very thing she didn't want to do. But it was important to James, so she went along with it.
A faint smile crossed James's lips. " Thank you. I die in peace." And with these last words, he did just that. His chest fell one final, painful time, and Veronica knew the Reaper had at last won.
" James." Veronica was beside herself with grief. It was all sinking in. Her heart was effectively destroyed, and probably most her soul along with it. Tears spilled in abundance from her cheeks, soaking the shirt and mixing with the blood of the limp man beneath her. The man whose love she could still feel lingering in the air.
Outside, the harsh beat of hooves drew nearer, and now the noisy banter of the barbarians could be heard--each arguing over whose spoils were greater.
Barbarians. Veronica stood and straightened, eyes lighting with a fierce fire. A new passion washed over her, a sensation which, until now, she'd never experienced in full magnitude.
Hate.
She hated these lowly, bloodthirsty, heartless dogs! She wanted them dead. She wanted them to die slowly, suffering, ruing the day they murdered her family. Pigs! Fiends! Do not worry James, I shall avenge you. The read-haired wiccan silently swore, heading for the back entrance. She was careful to avoid looking at her kids again. Didn't have the stomach for it. But how?
This did present a problem. The barbarians were strong, tough men wielding swords and skilled in the ways of battle. She didn't stand a chance against them one-on-one. All she had was her magic. And that wasn't saying much. The worst she'd be able to do was possibly levitate a dagger. Other than that, she might be able to put on a convincing lightshow, but it'd all be just a bluff. Much too risky to take a gamble on.
There! Now she was outside. Sprinting across the yard, her eye caught the stable. Arthur was still in there, snorting loudly and pawing the earth with his hoof. He knew something was amiss. Perfect.
Veronica reached the building with a speed she'd never guessed she had and was quick to unlatch the door.
" Hey! There is a woman! She must be the wife that was missing last time! " A gritty voice boomed.
Uh-oh. Veronica threw herself over her favorite pet, and she wasn't graceful about it either.
Arthur snorted in surprise. Never before had he been so roughly treated. It wasn't to end there. Now his mistress pulled his mane.
" Go! Go! " She commanded urgently. To drive the point home she smacked him in the butt. That was all it took. Arthur dashed out of his stall, trotting across the pasture at a brisk pace.
Had the barbarians noticed?
Against her better instincts, Veronica turned back to see a swarm of angry barbarians riding up on horseback. Their powerful steeds leapt the wooden fence as if it weren't even there. Veronica screamed.
Why'd I do that? Did I need to see that? Was that good for morale?
" Where are you off to, Little Miss." One barbarian laughed.
" What is wrong? Ye didn't like our lovely welcoming gifts? " Another jeered.
" Faster! " Veronica screeched, slapping Arthur's rear-end until her hand ached with the effort. She'd never make it. They were too close! Too frighteningly, frighteningly close!
Arthur galloped on, partly from his mistress's command and partly out of natural fear of being chased by a herd of strange horses. There was loud bleating from the goats nearby as the beast of burden plowed through the center of a gathering, sending the animals into flight in every which direction. The furthest reaches of the fence rushed up in Veronica's field of vision. Oh damn! Her heart galloped faster than the pursuing horses.
The gate was latched!
She felt like kicking herself.
Of course. They almost always left the back gate latched. It would do no good to have the livestock roaming around the hillside whenever they pleased. Just beyond the fence loomed the tall and oppressing Forbidden Woods. It was these very woods--the very woods she'd feared ever since moving here--that she now sought shelter in. If she could just make it there, she stood some chance of losing her enemies amidst the abundant trees and plants. Call it a deadly game of Hide-And-Seek.
Too bad there was no way a short-legged donkey like Arthur would be able to leap the fence. They were doomed. Unless...
Summoning up all of her magical reserves, and gripping Arthur's mane more tightly than the animal would have liked, the terrified wiccan struggled to concentrate. She formed a mental picture of the latch: small, metal device easily manipulated. Now she pictured the latch moving, nudged in the right direction by her magics...yes...now the gate would open...
They were there! Arthur nearly collided with the gate when it suddenly swung open. Yes! Veronica cheered silently. She'd done it! When it had counted most she'd been skilled enough to rely on her magic! It was a very satisfactory feeling.
His way now cleared, Arthur galloped towards the woods, some primal instinct driving him there.
The barbarians thundered after them.
Feeling well-pleased with herself, Veronica dared a glance back once more. The enemies had almost reached the gate. Interesting. How sad would it be for them if something...unexpected...happened?
With a triumphant smirk, Veronica swiped a finger through the air. " Sadej! " She commanded, using the ancient wiccan word for 'close' and swiping a finger through the air.
Instantly the gate swung back, striking the lead stallion full in the knees. Both horse and rider crumpled to the ground.
" Hey! How did...the gate was...? " There was much chaos as the remaining barbarians learned why it was not a good idea to follow their leader so closely behind. Men cursed while the horses whinnied and struggled to come to a screeching halt before sliding into their fallen comrades.
A few of the barbarians, the ones farthest to the back, were able to avoid this fate. They charged on--diving around the horse/man pileup and leaping the fence in hot pursuit. But the holdup had cost them precious moments. Both woman and donkey had already slipped into the evil Forbidden Woods.
" Whoa! " The men yanked their reigns, bringing their horses to a swift, if not a bit unorthodox, stop.
One guy, a gruff ruffian with a graying dirty beard and long sideburns, turned to his partner. " Ye Forbidden Woods! " He babbled excitedly, obviously nervous, " Lord Valerian tolerates no visitors. Cursed is the man who enters his realm! " He shivered, a sudden chill taking his spine.
" But what about the woman? " Gray Beard's sidekick asked.
The first man shook his head, all but ignoring the shouting and general noises of discomfort relayed by his friends caught up in the accident. " She is as good as dead in there." He chuckled cruelly, amused by the thought that any woman--no matter how desperate--would be foolish enough to enter that unholy place. " Forget her. Lord Valerian will deal with her. We have spoils to divide! "
---
The inside of the Forbidden Woods was even more gloomy than Veronica had imagined. Despite the fact that it was a beautiful sunny day, very little sunlight at all penetrated the leafy canopy above. Dark shadows spilled across the forest floor, and an eerie white mist drifted lazily between the ground and the lowest branches of the trees.
A deathly quiet enveloped the wilderness as Arthur stumbled through the foliage. Atop his back, the new widow shivered.
Only a few minutes in and already she was hopelessly, hopelessly lost. The forest was like a clever maze with every direction possessing the uncanny ability to look the like next. Every direction she looked she caught corner-of-the-eye glimpses of strange creatures beating a hasty retreat into the safety of the trees and ferns. Weird, furry squirrel-like things with eyes and ears that were too big. Giant bugs. Once, twice, she thought she caught sight of some hideous abomination that looked like a freakish cross between a lion and a bat.
Fortunately--if the creature wasn't indeed a trick of the eye--it didn't show any interest in attacking.
Not all the animals were spooky or ugly though. A beautiful white dove glowing with an unworldly golden aura swooped overhead from time to time, vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared.
Once she was completely certain the barbarians were not following, Veronica gave the signal for Arthur to stop. " Whoa. Easy boy. We'll rest here for awhile. Not like we have much choice anyway." She patted the donkey gently on the sides of his oversized muzzle in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture.
It was just as well with Arthur. He felt uneasy in the woods, but at the same time his legs were getting tired from all the running he was unaccustomed to doing. After all, his life up until this point had been quite lazy. Sniffing around the ground, he found a few wild ferns with an agreeable taste and helped himself.
Veronica slid off his back and sighed, wondering what on earth she was going to do next. She could never return home again. Scratch that. Even if there wasn't a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians waiting to murder her the second she arrived, there were just too many memories there.
Strong-willed James.
Clownish but enduring Kit.
And, of course, the terrible two--Meg and Ann, her darling babies.
And some butt-ugly barbarians just couldn't stand that.
Veronica couldn't understand it. Why would they want to rob us anyway? Did we really look like we were that well off? Why not rob an important city official or something? The memories rushed back at her with the force of a Tsunami and she broke into tears once more, sinking to her knees.
It wasn't fair!
It wasn't right!
People she loved were always dying, and there wasn't anything she could do about it!
Or was there?
A flutter of wings close by alerted her to a curious thrush perched on a slender twig overhead; watching her intently, bobbing it's head this way and that.
Stifling back tears, Veronica stood up. Tilting her head to one side, she studied the animal with growing curiosity. Something about this bird was...different. It seemed more attentive somehow, and the flicker of intelligence in it's eyes made it unlike any other wild thrush Veronica had ever encountered. Weird.
" Hello there, my little friend of the woods." Veronica greeted with forced cheer. It wasn't easy. Her throat felt like it was full of broken glass, and her words cracked with a barely controlled melancholy. " Have you come to listen to my woes? "
The bird nodded, sending shivers racing up and down the wiccan's spine. She had never been famous for her mental stability, true--in fact many people around town considered the reclusive redhead to be more than just a tad 'off '--but even Veronica was not so far over the edge that she didn't recognize a thrush nodding in response to a question to be odd.
Alarms went off in her head: this was the Forbidden Woods, and it was named so for a reason. She should jump back on Arthur right away and get out while she still had the chance.
And go where?
The creepy thrush jumped down a few twigs, as if to be closer to this strange young woman who invaded it's territory.
A lump rose in Veronica's throat. In some odd way the prospect of a super-intelligent thrush was even scarier than the barbarians. What to do? Well, she had sparked the question, it would be awfully rude not to tell.
" I...I..." She shivered, biting her lip in a frown, " I went to the faire today and...and when I came back..." she shook her head, collapsing to the ground on her knees, " They were dead. My family was dead. Brutally slain by the barbarians."
The thrush offered no response, and Veronica didn't bother to look up at it.
The horrible events of the day were etched in her mind forever. And it didn't matter what happened from here on out; nothing was ever going to change that. Nobody could undo what had been done. Almost by chance, her eyes wandered to her right ring finger where the precious garnet ring shone more brightly than ever before. Piercing crimson, like the evil eye of a demon. It's vibrant glow reminded her of fresh blood. The blood of James and the children...no! Couldn't start thinking about them!
The ring ...the ring was said to belong to Lady Depruét slain by the hand of Lord Valerian, the wicked sorcerer. These were his woods. This was his domain which no mortal dared enter...But am I a true mortal?
Veronica couldn't help but wonder. Her magics, though largely unimpressive, were already beyond all her mother had been able to conjure. Ten, twenty years' time, who knew? She may very well end up the most powerful wiccan in Europe. Maybe even the entire world! Yes, and they say Lord Valerian can control the elements, turn into animals, even cause the strings of time itself to dance and bend to his will. If I had even a fraction of that power I could easily dispatch those horrible barbarians. And I'd be untouchable. Nobody could ever hurt me again!
Yes! A brilliant plan. Magic was the only weapon she had, the only thing she'd been halfway good at her entire life. Lord Valerian...was there really such a man?
There was only one way to find out.
The fire of determination set in, and Veronica rose from the twigs and dried leaves carpeting the forest floor. Must be strong...the weak exist only as meat for the beasts. Swallowing back her tears, Veronica glanced upward to see if the thrush was still watching.
It was. Cocking it's head curiously from side to side, the little brown bird seemed more interested than ever before in the events that were about to unfold.
Satisfied, the distressed wiccan threw up her head and screamed; a loud, piercing shriek ripe with anguish and despair. " Lord Valerian! " Her eyes welled with tears, " If you exist at all, appear before me! " In an act of boldness she balled her ring-bearing hand into a fist and shook it at the sky, watching in awe as the blood-red garnet grew brighter and brighter, " Come to me! " Now the garnet wasn't just glowing, it was radiating, " Come before me and reveal yourself, Lord of the Forbidden Woods! "
Without warning, the thrush leapt off it's perch and began beating wing deeper into the mysterious woods. An unsettling silence befell as an eerie cloud of white mist rolled in through the trees. Gulp. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.
The mist puffed up and grew thicker; like the frothy rich cream topping fresh cow's milk. It raced for Veronica's feet, gaining speed and consistency.
There was no point in denying it--Veronica was scared. She backed up into Arthur's side. Invoking the wrath of Lord Valerian. Not one of my better ideas, not at all. How do I survive being this stupid? Maybe I should tell him to go away, that I didn't really mean it. No, wait, that's lame. Maybe I could...
She had no time to rethink her decision, however, as the rising mass of white mist exploded into a geyser not more than five feet away.
Veronica screamed.
Arthur was spooked. He reared up on two legs, black eyes wide with fear, and kicked at something his mistress couldn't see.
" Arthur! Wait! We..."
Arthur didn't wait. No amount of coaxing was going to keep him near a creepy fountain of white mist when his instincts screamed 'Run'! He tore off into the forest, disappearing almost instantly from Veronica's sight and leaving her to stare off in the direction he'd gone.
Suddenly, " You have some nerve summoning me here." A cool, quiet voice proclaimed.
Yipes! Heart racing, Veronica spun on her heel to face this new speaker.
Where the mist had gathered a man now stood. Dressed entirely in black with a dark cape hanging about his lanky form, a sword at his knee, powder-white skin, and haunting pale blue eyes, he wasn't exactly how Veronica had pictured someone with the name Lord Valerian to look.
What was more was he appeared relatively young...about James's age, perhaps? Thin black lips parted in a sinister smile when she looked his way.
" L...Lord Valerian? "
The man bowed politely for show. " That is correct." He answered, speaking in fluent French. A hard expression overtook his decidedly handsome face. He crossed his arms, taking the stance of an angry father about to discipline a naughty child. " I should kill you where you stand, Veronica Stilling."
Veronica swallowed nervously. What had she been thinking, incurring the wrath of the legendary Lord Valerian? The man was infamous for murdering fair young maidens.
But not wiccans. Her mind argued, Just remember, this guy really appreciates the power. To tremble before him would be a sign of weakness and surely nothing he probably hasn't seen a million times in the past. I have to be brave. No matter what he says, I can't let him think I'm weak. She scrambled to come up with something witty, something to show she was not just another victim waiting for the slaughter.
" So you know my name." She laughed dryly, her expression as phony as they came. Oh God, that is not what I should have said!
Lord Valerian was unmoved. " You waste my time, wiccan. Your kind are no better than the lowly witch--even worse in fact. I already know what ills you and why you have sought me out. But the matters of peasants are such trivial affairs. All who are born die. That your pathetic family was slaughtered by barbarians doesn't faze me. Perhaps you ought to blame yourself. A true witch with true magic would have never allowed that to happen."
" I have true magic! " Veronica threw, extending both palms out into what was hopefully a threatening gesture. She made her eyes glow red, red as garnets. " Perhaps you misjudge me. Lord Valerian. Perhaps my aim is to take these woods! " Sparks of magic licked the tips of her fingers, " Beware my power! It's a really big power. If I chose I could turn you into a rat." She began slashing the air in front of her with her fingers in cat-like fashion.
Lord Valerian actually laughed; a cold, grating sound. " The kitten spitting at the tiger." A flick of his wrist and Veronica crumpled to the ground like a sack of bricks. He began pacing around her, amused. " If you're so powerful then why is it the barbarians were able to murder your family and chase you from your home? They, " this snicker was particularly harsh, " magic barbarians? The sons of witches and warlocks? Or perhaps..." his hand shot down and snagged a lock of red. Veronica made a sharp yelp as she was pulled up to eye-level by her hair. " they weren't barbarians at all, but a band of vicious demons? "
Veronica's eyes turned violet, and he released his hold, allowing her, once again, to stand. Doing her best not to show her fear or discomfort, the lesser magic-user straightened.
" Perhaps I didn't feel like saving them. Perhaps I have finally come to realize that love is for the weak. The weak cannot survive in this world." She raised her right hand slowly and stared at it as if looking at something only she could see. Tiny tendrils of green and blue leapt back and forth between the fingers, and she forced a smile. " Only a glamour, true. You are right my lord, I am not as powerful as I previously stated. Your woods are in no danger." Have to stay calm, have to make him think it's his idea.
Lord Valerian snorted. " You take me as a fool? This information is stale." He reached to draw his sword, stopped. That garnet ring...he knew that garnet ring. Lady Depruét. That stirred up a whirlwind of emotions and memories.
" That...ring. Where did you get that ring? " A twitch of his finger and the bloodred garnet ring was sitting on his right ring finger rather than Veronica's.
Veronica was impressed. Wow. Teleportation. Haven't gotten that far yet. She watched the sorcerer study it, his expression softening, as she played with what to say. How tough was too tough? Answers that came too easily might give off the impression she was weak. " I thought you saw all and knew all."
A flash of white. That was all the young wiccan had time to register before she was laying on the ground, her cheek turning red in the place Lord Valerian's hand had hit.
" Mockery is the surest way to send your soul to Hell! " He spat, enraged, " Now tell me! "
Alright. That's enough tough-girl talk for now. " I bought it for one sovereign from a mean old hag at the faire today." Veronica winced, touching her hand to her cheek and rubbing at the spot she'd been struck. Definitely time to ease off. I keep this up, he really will kill me.
" A sovereign?! " Lord Valerian sounded offended, " This ring is worth way more than that! "
Great, Veronica thought sarcastically, someone else who agrees with Hag-Tooth. She pulled herself up, and the evil lord flashed the ring in her face, " Do you know the story behind this ring? "
His tone was calmer now, almost casual.
" They say it was worn by Lady Depruét the day you murdered her in these very woods."
Lord Valerian scowled at the ring. " Lady Depruét, Lady Depruét, what do they know of Lady Depruét? " His voice cracked slightly, and Veronica could sense the pain within him. Obviously there was more to this story than met the eye.
Aha! So the mighty Lord Valerian did have a soft spot after all!
Veronica pinned his gaze. " They say you murdered her." She said softly, as if talking to Kit or her daughters, " That's not true, is it? "
Lord Valerian grunted and looked away. " It's entirely true." Then, catching himself, he turned back to Veronica, " Very daring of you to enter my wood after hearing things like that. I take this to mean the barbarians scared you more than I did? "
The question caught Veronica off-guard. " Yes! I mean no...I mean..." She cleared her throat, mustering up her best talking-to-evil-sorcerers voice, " You are so widely feared I knew they would not follow me here. Truly you are some powerful sorcerer to strike fear into the hearts of so many. I meant you no ill will. And..." she backed away slightly, her nerves getting the better of her, " That's obviously your ring, so you have every right to it...and I..."
Lord Valerian looked up. Veronica was bluffing, he knew. She was just as afraid of him as the others had been. Unlike the others, however, this one had a spunk to her. And her level of power, while laughable, was quite a feat for a mere wiccan. It would be such a shame to let such potential go to waste. He reached out with his senses and probed her emotions.
There was fear there, yes, but also an admirable amount of respect and hope. Barbarians had slighted this young wiccan, and now she was looking for a painful retribution. There was a lot of potential there. He just wasn't going to get many chances if he let this one slip through his fingers. Circumstances had molded her into the perfect subject.
Confidently, the sorcerer inclined his head slightly to the left, a wane smile spreading over his pale face. " You wish to be an apprentice of mine, don't you? "
For a moment, Veronica seemed shocked. She wasn't quite sure if the sorcerer was testing her or not. He'd probably sense a lie...better play it safe. Besides, it is what I want.
" Yes." She kneeled quickly, then rose up again. " If you'll have me, my lord. I would be delighted to follow in your footsteps and become your most faithful companion."
Lord Valerian's pale blue eyes sparked with interest. " Are you prepared to pay the cost? "
" What is the cost? " Veronica's face fell. If it was money in any amount, she didn't have it. Somehow she had a feeling the price was far more sinister though.
Lord Valerian's black lips turned up in a cruel smirk. " Your innocence. Your sanity. Maybe even your soul. Are these terms acceptable to you? " He fingered his sword. He needn't have bothered. Even without a weapon he was more than deadly.
They'd better be or else you're going to murder me! Veronica nodded, closed her eyes, and sank to her knees.
" I have already lost my innocence, my lord." She opened her eyes and laughed, " And many have questioned my sanity." She shook her head, " You may have what is left of it. And, if it would help, my soul." Her eyes once again flared red with anger, " Anything just so I can have my revenge. I accept."
Lord Valerian smiled, revealing several pearl-white teeth. " Excellent. Come with me then, Veronica. You have much to learn."
