Author's note: Sorry for the delay in posting my writing lately; soul-sucking work projects selfishly stole away so much of my time! On the plus side, Angry Sales Guy had to eat his words about one of the proposals I wrote and project-managed after it secured a huge contract for the organization. Karma can be such a petty (but wonderful) ally. :)
So, this is the much-requested sequel to Chapter 17 in this series. Caroline has spent much of her young life in her Colonial American village rescuing innocents accused of witchcraft. When she gets caught, she needs her curly-haired, dimpled demon to do the rescuing...
Warning: Some violence.
"People shouldn't call for demons unless they really mean what they say."
― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
The harsh copper scent upon the night air made Caroline realize she was clenching the small bronze coin in her palm until the roughened edges began to cut into her skin. She released her tight grip, wiping away the small streak of blood with grim determination. She vowed that what she had just learned of the world would not break her. Demons roamed her world. And Niklaus Mikaelson was one of them. His same gentle smile, suddenly framed by curved fangs along with his beautiful blue eyes turning demon gold had made her heart race; yet she did not sense wickedness.
'Twas a curious thing, to be faced with the most dangerous creature she had ever encountered, and yet not be consumed by the fear the church elders had preached to her village all her life. Was it because he had captured her heart? She often had watched him from afar, modesty preventing her from approaching him too often lest it sent village busybodies' tongues wagging. She always had been drawn to the handsome governor's son, but his elevated station, not to mention her own family's reputation was in tatters after her mother had been executed for witchcraft, stayed her hand. Instead, she had taken to visiting his apothecary shop with tales of fantastic illnesses that had befallen her father and herself, lingering in Niklaus' presence just a bit longer each time.
It nearly broke Caroline's heart when the vile Governor Mikaelson, Niklaus' own father, hurled accusations at him, calling him a demon, and rallying the council elders to his wretched cause. She couldn't bear to watch poor Niklaus tied to the whipping post in the center of the village, the pale skin of his back cruelly split open by the braided leather of the whip. The darkness upon Governor Mikaelson's face as he witnessed his son's torture made her shiver — the delight he took in seeing innocent blood spilled was a terrifying sight to behold.
Although, perhaps not so innocent blood, she thought. She had made it her mission after her mother's unjust execution to save as many as she could from the hangman's noose, and believed the governor and council elders' talk of witchcraft to be mere foolishness. However, tonight Niklaus had shown her such wonders and she had learned that the world was a far more mysterious place that she could ever imagine.
Caroline traced the coin's peculiar symbol of a crescent moon sitting upon a circle, recalling how Niklaus had told her 'twas his talisman and that if she held it in her hand while calling his name, he would be summoned to her. He had boasted, "One day, when thou hath finished thy quest to save everyone around thee, thou shall summon me."
She shook her head, muttering as she recalled his smug grin. She should toss the token in the nearest river for his impertinence, but she also recognized that her work was dangerous, and it would be foolish not to hold onto such an unexpected boon. She secreted it within a hidden seam upon her linen shift, the weight of it a strange comfort. She detected the faint hint of an exotic fragrance emanating from the coin, and with a pang of regret, she wished she'd had the presence of mind to inquire about Niklaus' mysterious world. Regrets and wishes shall serve thee no good, she admonished herself as she carefully slipped through the shadows of the oak and hickory trees, quietly making her way back to her village.
The gnarled limbs overhead choked the night sky, hiding the stars from her view. A sharp cry from a crow startled Caroline, and an inexplicable sense of dread washed over her even as she saw the familiar torchlights of the village guard posts in the distance. The toe of her cracked leather shoe had barely grazed the frost-tipped grass of the field that led to her village when she felt a presence.
Heart thudding in her chest, Caroline whirled around, suddenly finding herself face-to-face with Governor Mikaelson. His lips curled into a mocking smile as his cold, malevolent voice pierced the stillness. "Out cavorting with demons, Mistress Forbes? Thou hath brought shame upon thy kinsmen; just like thy wretched witch mother."
The sun blinded her as she stood upon the splintered platform in the market square. She squinted, wishing she also could somehow shut her ears to the vicious mutterings of the people that surrounded her. She spied her father, William, at the edge of the crowd, his eyes downcast as he refused to look upon her. Coward, she thought contemptuously. He refused to speak out in defense of her mother; she had no reason to assume his guilty conscience would urge him to do so now.
Reverend Atticus Shane, Johnathan Gilbert, and the rest of the council elders flanked Governor Mikaelson as he walked toward her with a predatory gleam in his eyes. The stone-faced council, with their grim expressions, already revealed her fate — but first, they wished to engage in this farcical ceremony, to appease the villagers with their false promises of fairness and truth. Even though Caroline had borne witness to what was to come, she still felt the icy hand of fear grip her heart as it beat rapidly within her chest.
Governor Mikaelson's cold, calculating voice called out, "Mistress Forbes has been caught my own hand, fleeing the woods where she hath been cavorting with demons. She conspired with Niklaus, a demon convicted by this most holy council, to escape God's punishment. 'Tis evident that she also conspired with witches who plagued this village, aiding in their escape from God's wrath. 'Tis God's will that the wicked shall be put to death!"
At the villagers' rallying cries, Caroline shook her head, catching the gleeful expression upon the governor's face. She fervently hoped that he choked upon his false righteousness. Trying to ignore the absurd accusations that the villagers began hurling at her, she focused on one small corner of the market square, where this past planting season Niklaus had visited with her while she sold her needlepoint.
"Good day, Mistress Forbes. How fare thee?" She always fought a shiver whenever he spoke to her; his voice affecting her far more than was deemed acceptable.
"I am well, Master Mikaelson." She winced, fervently hoping he hadn't noticed how unnaturally high-pitched her words were. She did her best to fight down the crimson that threatened to stain her cheeks as she realized his gaze was lingering upon her. "Can I interest thee in something," she asked hopefully, gesturing to her stacks of embroidered bed linens.
His blue gaze darkened as he lightly traced the delicate, swirled pattern she had embroidered along one edge of the material. "Yes, these seem to hath caught my fancy, among other things."
Caroline was rudely pulled from her memories of Niklaus by Master Lockwood unexpectedly shouting, "Mistress Forbes hath used her witchcraft to force unclean thoughts upon me! I imagined all manner of lustful, sinful deeds with her!" His brown eyes flickered to her momentarily, and she scoffed when she noticed the way he took pleasure in her discomfort.
"The foul witch hath laid her hands upon me in my dreams; beckoning me to engage in wanton acts against our Lord," Master Donovan cried out, his nonsensical accusations mingling with the others as the villagers glared at Caroline.
Nodding enthusiastically, Master Saltzman condemned her with, "Upon my oath, Mistress Forbes hath bedeviled me; charging me to trade my soul for the filthy pleasures of her flesh!"
She grimaced as the drink-addled old man looked upon her lecherously, and she marveled at a society that would allow a man nearly thrice her age to follow her about the village, barely keeping a modest distance as he stared at her with open lust. She even had taken to altering her schedule of chores on a daily basis, just to avoid his vile presence.
"Enough!" Governor Mikaelson's commanding tone brooked no argument as it cut through the angry crowd. "The dire charges against Mistress Forbes hath been read. She shall endure the trial by our council elders and then judgement shall be rendered."
Caroline didn't miss the way his empty eyes seemed to spark to life at the prospect of her suffering. Whatever fate had in store for her, she prayed for strength to see it through.
The cold might kill me before Governor Mikaelson, Caroline thought bitterly as she shivered in her thin linen shift. Lead by Governor Mikaelson, the council elders had dragged her to the nearby river and pushed her into the churning, icy water after cruelly binding her wrists and ankles. While she had never witnessed the trial by water, she knew of its deadly purpose — an innocent is said to sink like a stone while witches, who spurned the sacrament of baptism, would be rejected by the water and forced to the surface.
Her memory was hazy after she had plunged into the cold, terrified as she swallowed a burning lungful of water and thrashing uselessly against the current. She doubted the governor had bothered to wait for her head to break the surface before he and the rest of the council tugged on the rope haphazardly tied around her waist and yanked her to the muddy shore. The men had forced her to walk barefoot back to the village, wet and shivering as they condemned her as a witch and sentenced her to hang on the morrow.
Caroline angrily banged her head against the stone wall of the jail, pitifully rubbing her hands and feet as she tried to return feeling to them. She could see her breath, and she trembled as her wet linen shift clung to her. She could feel Niklaus' bronze coin against her skin, and she wondered again why she'd been unable to summon him. She'd held the coin in her hand and called his name until her voice was hoarse, but he hadn't appeared. Her heart broke at the thought that he had abandoned her.
Before she could wallow in her pity, the small door creaked open, and in the dim torchlight, she saw the vicious smile of Governor Mikaelson. "I sincerely hope the accommodations are to thy exacting standards, Mistress Forbes." He leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially, "I've heard thy wretched witch mother once stayed here. Worry not, for soon she shall keep thy company in eternal hellfire."
Her blue eyes widened as she tried to inch away from him, her movements stifled by the cold iron shackling her wrists to the stone wall. He chuckled darkly at her discomfort, removing a curved knife from his leather belt. A flaying knife. Terror flooded her body as she lunged against her chains, desperate to escape before the governor could use the iron blade upon her.
"Ah, I see thou is familiar with my righteous blade." He lightly ran his thumb across the edge, adding in a nostalgic tone, "It hath tasted the blood of many a witch. Tell me, Mistress Forbes, did thy wretched mother feel the burn of a just blade before she faced her eternal punishment?"
Caroline felt tears prick her eyes at the mention of her mother's horrendous torture before her execution, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her affected by his callous words. Instead, she simply glared at him, clenching her jaw in anger. He would not break her.
Governor Mikaelson nodded as though she had spoken, telling her, "Very well, if thou hath no interest in speaking of thy cursed mother, mayhap we instead discuss my wretched son. Did thou know of his wickedness? How long did it take him to tempt thee, foul witch?" He ran the flat of his blade across the damp linen covering her belly, causing her to tremble in fear. "Unbeknownst to me, my wife, Esther, was barren and forged an alliance with dark forces to fill her womb. I unwittingly raised her demon spawn, but once his unnatural condition began to manifest, I struck Esther soundly for her sins against God."
Caroline couldn't hold back her gasp as she said bitterly, "Thy wife didn't pass on from illness as thou claim; she was slain by thy own hand!"
"Clever witch, did thou conjure that truth from spells my demon son taught thee?! 'Tis no crime to perform our Lord's work and snuff out evil," he exclaimed, a wild glint in his eyes that made her heart race in alarm.
"I am no more witch than thee," she spat, wincing as he dug the sharp tip of the flaying knife into her skin, placing just enough pressure on the iron to cause a tiny drop of blood to spot her linen shift.
A cruel smile spread across his face as he told her, "Ah, but thou hath been crying out for him, attempting to summon thy demon lover as a witch would do." Dark eyes glittering, he slyly added, "But thy attempts hath fallen upon deaf ears; thou fear thy demon lover hath abandoned thee? Fear not, wretched thing, for Niklaus is unable to attend thee as I hath warded the village against his unnatural presence. He shall only appear to thee once I remove the protections from our boundaries."
Despite her growing fear of the deranged man, her heart fluttered at the realization that Niklaus hadn't cast her aside; even now, he could be prowling outside the village, trying to break through the barrier. She was wrenched from her racing thoughts by his rough hand grabbing her throat while he used his blade to slice open the thin fabric covering her from collar to sternum.
Ignoring her cries of indignation, he explained, "I shall bind the demon to thee, thus removing his power which is an affront to God. Then, thou sinners shall face judgment before the village council." Without waiting for her reply, he began making shallow, painful cuts into her exposed belly, the blood welling up to the surface before her horrified eyes. She bit her lips until they bled, doing her best to hold in her cries.
Governor Mikaelson took his time, delighting in slowly drawing out his carvings upon her flesh, the oddly-shaped symbols similar to the etchings she once spied around the shackles that had bound Niklaus. She retched as bile gathered at the base of her throat, the sickening stench of copper-laced blood mingling with the sour earth of the floor.
His mocking laughter at her distress caused her blue eyes to flare in anger and she lashed out, the small length of chain affording her enough movement to soundly claw at the governor's forearm, drawing a thick line of blood that dripped onto the cold, earthen floor. He reared back, snarling at her, "Filthy wench!" He slapped her harshly, the force of the blow causing her nose to bleed as pain exploded along her cheek. "Remember thy place. Now, I must remove the protection symbols from our village boundaries. Upon my return, thou shall summon Niklaus to me."
"Never," she hissed, clenching her teeth to keep from moaning at the pain of the open wounds on her belly.
Caroline swore his dark eyes were soulless, empty vessels as he swept over her huddled form with a sinister gaze, leaving the tiny cell with a flutter of his black cape.
She could feel the mocking weight of the bronze coin next to her skin, but she refused to give into the temptation of calling for Niklaus. She would not willingly put him in danger. Whatever his true nature, he could not begin to touch the evil that existed within his cursed father. Shivering from the cold and her growing terror in equal measure, the iron chains clanked against her wrists as she struggled to wipe away the blood from her wounds with the tattered remains of her linen shift. Fortunately, the crudely rendered cuts were shallow, and she already had stopped bleeding. She briefly worried about scarring, but admonished herself for such beetle-headed thoughts of vanity when she was to be hanged on the morrow.
Suddenly, her weary gaze was drawn to a corner of her cell, where the dim torchlight flickered briefly as the long shadows seemed to twist and curl until a distinct shape began to form. She gasped as she immediately recognized the dark blonde curls and merry blue eyes. "Niklaus! Thou must flee; 'tis a trap and I cannot bear witness thee fall to thy father's wrath," she cried out worriedly.
He knelt beside her, his voice a comfort to her as he swore, "My brave little bird, what hath that vile fiend done to thee?" He shook his head, telling her regretfully, "I've been attempting to reach thee ever since thee first spoke my name in terror, but I knew of my father's plot and his barrier blocked my way. Unfortunately, his protections hath rendered my powers useless at the moment, or else I would heal thee."
"Yet thee appeared before me anyway, despite the loss of thy power," she whispered in a surprised tone.
Niklaus gently took her hand in his, confessing, "Of course, dear Caroline. I shall always protect thee."
Caroline fought down a blush that threatened to stain her cheeks as she marveled at his bold words. "Well, I'm not so delicate a maiden that I cannot defend myself," she boasted as she told him, "I delivered a stinging rebuke with my nails upon thy wretched father's arm, and the moment he releases my bonds, I shall deliver more!"
Niklaus laughed heartily, his dimples framing his impish grin as he said, "There is that fire I first glimpsed when thee tarried in my shop. 'Tis still a marvelous sight to behold." As though a thought just struck him, he studied her intently as he asked, "Thou hath spilt my father's blood, little bird?" At her hesitant nod, he smiled gleefully, exclaiming, "Then thou hath unwittingly saved us both!"
"Whatever does thou mean, Niklaus," Caroline asked in confusion, a small grunt of pain escaping her as her slight movements caused her skin to pull at the edges of her fresh wounds.
His blue eyes reflected his distress at the sight of her suffering as he explained, "Being what I am, ingesting only a drop of my enemy's blood can break the protections in place. My can be power freed once more and I shall heal thee, little bird."
Her hand trembled slightly as she allowed him to lift it to his mouth, and she felt herself flush with shame at the overwhelming feeling of lust that swept through her body at the first hint of his tongue upon her fingers. Now is neither the time nor the place, she scolded herself as she fought to get her emotions under control once more.
Gold bled into his gaze as Niklaus' demon came out to play, and he seemed to sense her attraction as he took his time savoring the blood upon her skin. Finally pulling away with obvious reluctance, he told her huskily, "I promise we shall explore this further, little bird." Placing his hands lightly upon her damaged skin, a faint glow appeared in the dancing torchlight, and a sudden warmth seemed to envelop her entire frame as she gave herself over to his healing touch.
"I thank thee," she whispered, watching in awe as her ruined flesh knitted itself together before her startled gaze.
Niklaus leaned forward until their foreheads rested against each other, seeming to drink in the sight of her whole once more. "Dear Caroline, thou are under my protection now. I swear that no further harm shall come to thee." He easily broke her shackles, allowing her to lean upon him as they made their way toward the door to her cell.
However, before they could make their escape, the door flew open; Governor Mikaelson cutting an imposing figure as he blocked the threshold. "Abomination," he hissed at them both, "I knew thee would return to defend thy worthless witch, demon." With his lips curved in triumph, he boasted, "And now thou hath foolishly fallen into my trap."
Caroline shrank from his cutting gaze, and Niklaus quickly swept her behind him as he fearlessly looked upon the governor. "Thy laughable trap makes thee the foolish one, father." As he took a menacing step toward the governor, his sharp fangs unsheathed and his fingers suddenly were tipped in claws.
Governor Mikaelson paled, but his voice still thundered with judgement as he proclaimed, "Cower before me, powerless demon! 'Tis God's will that thou punishment is swift and true!"
Niklaus let out a soft laugh as he answered, "Thou always were a shameful braggart; overestimating thy abilities and measure as a man. Behold my true power." He raised a clawed fist, his magic sending the governor flying to the furthest wall, pinning him there helplessly.
Caroline couldn't help the small thread of satisfaction that wound its way through her at the sight of her assailant suddenly fearful. She watched in fascination as Niklaus gripped the wretched man by his throat, choking off the foul vitriol he had begun to spew. His gaze flickered momentarily to her, his blue eyes reflecting their demonic golden flare once more as he urged her, "Look away, little bird. I do not wish for thee to witness what must be done."
"No," she said firmly, surprising them both, "That cursed soul owes a blood debt for all the evil he hath put upon our village. I intend to see him pay it." She moved until she was standing beside Niklaus, never taking her eyes off of the governor as he continued to squirm underneath the iron grip of his son.
A pleased grin spread across Niklaus' handsome face as he returned his attention to the foul man before him. "I hath dreamed of thy destruction at my hands for ages, father." A surge of power seemed to go through him, and a curious heat could be felt within the small cell. Bright orange and red flames erupted across Governor Mikaelson's pale skin, and soon he was engulfed in a raging fire that ceased to affect Niklaus as he continued to grip him by his throat.
The sights and smells of her enemy's charred flesh turned her stomach, but she refused to look away as she wanted to witness the retribution firsthand. Thou suffers for all the women thy poisonous words sent to the gallows. For all those poor souls I could not save. As the governor's burnt corpse fell to the earthen floor, relief washed over her as she could all but taste her freedom.
Niklaus pulled her to him, gently stroking her tangled mess of blonde curls as he rumbled, "I shall lay waste to this entire wretched village for betraying thee, dear Caroline."
Shaking her head in protest, she answered, "No, these are good people led astray by the governor and the council of elders. I do not wish them harm."
He let out a long-suffering sigh, a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he reasoned, "Very well. Then I shall only do away with the council."
"Good." Caroline thought of Reverend Atticus Shane, Johnathan Gilbert, and the rest of the council who had watched stone-faced as innocent women just like her had been judged and unfairly put to death. These men who were so swift to pass on God's judgement deserve for Him to weigh their souls as well.
Niklaus looked positively delighted by her response, murmuring, "I believe I hath been a dreadful influence on thee." Cocking his curly head to the side, he asked hopefully, "Are thou ready for me to show thee the wonders of this earth?"
Caroline was immediately reminded of their previous encounter, when he had promised to show her a world she had never imagined. Her curiosity had been piqued, and as she tried to summon logical reasons for remaining in her village, she found none. Whatever loyalty she had once felt for her father ceased the moment he failed to speak for her when she was brought before their people.
But Niklaus would be loyal to her. "Yes, Niklaus. After all, someone needs to keep thee out of trouble." She rendered him speechless as she reached upon her tiptoes and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. She didn't know what the future held, but she could sense that with his dreadful influence, it would be a marvelous adventure.
