Wow, this chapter took a long time, but it's for my readers so I had to do it. You guys know the drill though, read and reveiw and
I'll be happy and do more chapters!:D
Thank you guys!
"Halt and turn I have a pistol aimed!"
Clara rolled her eyes momentarily and then turned to face the constable, eyes obviously board. However, Ichabod was surprised.
"Clara! What are you doing here I might have killed you!" he said, making his way to her side, well her horse's side, but it really didn't matter.
"Because…no one would go with you." She said, thinking of an excuse quickly.
Ichabod smiled slightly. "Well then I am twice the man." He said and took Clara's gloved hand. The raven-haired girl smiled and blinked her ice blue eyes at his gentleness towards her.
"It is your white magic." He said and Clara's smile grew a little brighter. She slowly tilted her head towards him and he did the same. Clara's lips were a few inches from his and nothing could spoil this moment…
"Pardon my intrusion, but I think you had better have a look at this." Jacob said, blushing at seeing the two about to kiss. Ichabod hid his embarrassment by walking in front of young Masbeth, while Clara gave him a playful glare.
Clara rode Luna over to where Jacob was talking about and tided her reins to the nearest tree, only to be faced with a sight that startled her. The tree in front of her was twisted and gnarled, bent into every shape possible. Clara looked at it in horror before Ichabod walked over to it and wiped his finger on a piece of bark.
"Blood." He said hoarsely, before grabbing an axe and shakily motioning for them to stay behind him.
"Stay where you are."
He began hacking at the tree, red liquid spurting all over him making Clara step back with her hands around Jacob's shoulders. Ichabod then dropped the axe and, with great disgust, started pulling off pieces of bark, covered in the liquid.
"What is it?" Clara asked, stepping forward a bit.
"Just stay where you are and don't move." Ichabod repeated his command. After some time and a pile of bark and branches of the ground, Ichabod sighed heavily and pulled off another piece of the tree only to be faced with a horrifying sight.
Dozens of head, bloody and without any body rolled out, making Ichabod's eyes widen. Jacob turned his eyes away when he saw the head of his father, burying his face in Clara's shoulder. She held him comfortingly.
"He tries to take the head back with him to the Netherworld, but they will not pass." Ichabod murmured.
Clara tried hard not to gag at the sight. She gently stroked Jacob's short hair and murmured to him softly.
"This tree is a gateway between two worlds." Ichabod began again and started to climb up the tree.
Clara watched him reach the top.
Upon reaching the top, Ichabod found sticking out of the ground a sword. He remembered the story Baltus had told him about how the sword was the horseman's grave marker.
"This ground is disturbed. The soil is loose." Ichabod said, examining the ground below him.
"Bring the shovel." He commanded towards Jacob, who broke away from Clara's grasp and clutched the two shovels in both hands. Reaching the top, he helped Ichabod dig through the soft ground.
Once reaching the bottom, they found a skeleton, a headless skeleton. Vines and old twigs covered it. Jacob narrowed his eyes before sliding down the tree and getting the rifle, standing close to Clara. The young girl smiled warmly at him. She looked up towards Ichabod again as he was still shoveling out dirt from the ground. However, sometime later, he threw the shovel down and spoke again.
"The head…it's missing." He whispered, but it was loud enough for Clara and Jacob to hear him.
"That is where the horseman returns to the grave, to take heads so his own will restore to him." Ichabod said looking up as lightning spilt the air.
Clara's eyes grew sad. A stab of pity pierced her heart towards the horseman's position. All he wanted was his own head back, like a child looking for a lost dog. But if that all he wanted, then why was he killing innocent people?
Her thoughts were interrupted when the heads in the hole Ichabod had made earlier started to make a strange noise. Well, maybe not the heads, but then again, trees don't make sounds either. However, is frightened her a bit.
"Ichabod…" she called to him, an edge on her voice. Before any of them could react though, the heads were falling back into the tree, like they were being sucked in. As if by some sort of magic, the lean muscular body of Daredevil sprang from the tree and landed in front of them, the Hessian himself seated on him. The horseman then drew his sword and angled his body so if he had his head, he would be looking straight at Clara. She stepped back a bit, only to have Jacob, gun in hand, lower the weapon as the horseman rode off quickly.
Ichabod seemed to waste no time as he jumped from the top of the tree and made his way over to Gunpowder. Clara did also and right before Ichabod was about to protest her going, she replied. "I have to come."
Ichabod didn't wait a heartbeat before he positioned himself on his horse, pulled Clara up and rode off, Jacob a little less quickly getting ready to ride back to town.
Ichabod followed the loud sounds of Daredevil's hooves hitting the ground only for a short time before he couldn't hear them anymore. Frustrated, he sighed.
"It's not your fault." Clara said."
Ichabod looked behind him at her and gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"
Clara removed her slim arms from around his middle and sat up, sighing deeply. "It's not your fault. I know my father says it is, but…" she trailed off the mention of her father.
Ichabod narrowed her eyes. "Clara, is something wrong?"
The young girl looked up. "Well, you know the old crone in the forest?"
Ichabod twitched slightly at the mention of the old witch. "Yes, I do."
"Well, today I went to see her to see if James…you know…but she said something about my father speaking of me to her. Baltus has not left the town since I was brought on his doorstep."
Ichabod looked at her, his chocolate orbs burning into her ice blue ones and he could see worry and fear in them. Whatever was going through her mind right now seemed to be taking her over.
Obviously wanted to change the subject, Ichabod cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke up. "Well, you have helped me greatly with this case."
Clara smiled slightly at him. "Yeah, but I still don't know why the horseman is killing people. He seemed so gentle when…" she then clamped her mouth shut.
Ichabod instantly turned to look at her. "What did you say Clara?"
She shook her head. She could not tell Ichabod about her accounts with the Hessian. However Ichabod narrowed his eyes.
"Clara, what did you say?"
"Nothing." she said a little too quickly. She was not going to tell no matter what.
Ichabod's narrowed eyes softened a bit but still kept the serious look. "Clara…"
She groaned. "Please don't give me the guilt trip."
"I'll keep doing it until you tell me." He said a mischievous glint in his eyes now.
Clara narrowed her eyes playfully before she sighed and shook her head. "Fine, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."
Ichabod nodded. She then sighed before she spoke again.
"I…I've seen the horseman before…a couple times before."
Ichabod looked puzzled.
"I've seen him…up close."
Ichabod still looked confused. "Is that bad? I'm sure people in town have too."
"He touched me." She said and Ichabod's eyes widened.
"He what? Did he hurt you?" he asked, frantically. Clara stropped him as she touched his cheek softly.
"No. That's the weird part. He didn't." she said, before looking down. She must look stupid in front of him, but knew she would have to tell someone. She didn't even tell Katrina or Jacob, her closest friends.
Ichabod didn't speak for sometime but then raised her chin slowly to make her look at him. "Clara…your adopted right?"
She nodded but then saw where he was going and her eyes widened with fear. "No Ichabod, no. There…it just can't be."
He sighed but looked at her again. "You have to consider that circumstance Clara."
"But both my parents are dead!" she cried, as if almost trying to believe it herself. She then looked at Ichabod square in the eyes to see he was serious.
"But…"
"Clara, it's just a guess." He reassured, even though privately he knew this was a theory he should look into without poor Clara knowing.
All of a sudden, both of them turned their heads sharply to hear a shriek of a young boy back towards town. Ichabod quickly pulled Gunpowder's reins and the horse shot off, towards Sleepy Hollow.
"Oh my God." Clara whispered as she saw her adopted sister's love, Brom and the horseman engaging in combat. However, Brom was bleeding from a knife in his leg, obviously weakened. He was ticking the Hessian off though, like digging himself deeper in a hole.
"Stay here." Ichabod said to her before he ran towards Brom, who was now reaching for some oddly shaped knives. Clara moved Gunpowder close enough so she could hear them.
"Wait, he's not after you." Ichabod protested, but Brom pushed him away stubbornly.
"I'll get him." He growled and launched after the Hessian again, even though he was clearly outmatched. Ichabod joined in too with a long scythe like tool. He swung until the blade hit its mark; right in the middle of the Hessian's back.
Pulling Brom away, he spoke sharply. "We cannot win this!" Brom seemed to agree with him and they both ran away from the still confused ghost. However, the horseman pulled the knife from him and made his way to the roof of the overhanging bridge making Clara's eyes widen. She almost called out to Ichabod and Brom, but all of a sudden, the horseman's body faced her from the roof and as if by a magic spell, he was telling her to be silent. Her crimson red amulet was glowing too and her eyes widened even more. She could not speak.
She stiffened when she saw the horseman jumped behind the two and stick his sword right through Ichabod, throwing him over his shoulder. Clara's eyes widened with horror.
"Ichabod!" she screamed, running to his side. She didn't care if the horseman killed her now. She wanted Ichabod.
He looked up at her and then towards the horseman and Brom, still fighting. But soon, the sound Clara hated so much pierced her ears and she saw Brom, well the two haves of him, fall to the ground. She gasped loudly and the horseman faced her and Ichabod. She clutched his arm tightly, her eyes narrowed at the ghost.
The Hessian was rather surprised that Clara was here, but hid it by twirling his weapons and turning away. Ichabod however fainted, making Clara cry out.
"Ichabod! Come on, not again!" She cried.