Desire For The Forbidden Fruit

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Jessie soon arrives back at the cabin and comes in threw the doors, walking into the kitchen and putting a pot of water into the clay oven and lighting the logs in it getting ready to brew some tea with the freshly picked flowers and a couple of other supplies she has stashed in her pockets.

"Veronica?" Jessie says quietly pushing the bedroom door open just a bit. "I'm back."

Jessie looks around the bedroom and her heart skips a beat as she sees the empty bed with the rustled covers.

"Veronica!" She screams and walks around the tiny cabin and then outside screaming for her again. Jessie knows Veronica was too weak to move let alone get out of bed and leave without telling her. She screams for Veronica once more as loud as she can then she looks outside and notices the carriage wheel marks in the damp soil she studies them for a moment and then hops on the horse and rides towards the carriage.

Veronica

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Veronica glares at her capture and studies his face, the dark black goatee, the pointy nose, and the almost silver looking eyes.

"Who are you?" She says still staring at him as the carriage rocks her head side to side a bit from the bumpy dirt path.

The boss studies a map in his hands and ignores her questions running his finger back and forth over it.

"Who are you!?" Veronica says louder.

"You're so use to using your rank to command people aren't you princess?" The man in black says not removing his eyes from the map.

"Pardon me for my less than graceful approach to a bounty man such as yourself." Veronica says sarcastically and turns her head to look out the window of the carriage.

"If you must know my name is Stephano." He says folding his map and stashing it away in his long overcoat.

"We're almost there boss" Greg mutters over the loud thuds of the horse's hooves.

"Now where in town did she say she would be?" Stephano asks Veronica.

"She didn't say..." Veronica says and stares out the carriage window at a festival being thrown in the middle of town.

It was a festival of good fortune. The people of this town always threw one around this time of year. They dressed as hideous monsters to scare away the bad sprits and ward away any bad luck.

"Then I guess I will just have to search for her now wont I?" Stephano says with a growl and swings the carriage door open pulling Veronica out by her arm and pushing her against the side of the carriage. "Any disobedience from you and you will be sorry." He stares glaring in her eyes then he pulls away and hands her over to Greg.

Stephano heads off into the crowd of dancing people in masks and various side shows to grab the attention and money of any spectator.

Veronica Stares at Greg as he picks his scabs off his arms. She cringes at the sight of it and turns her head to look at the dancers in the crowd.

"Greg..." She says quietly smirking and thinking up a plan as she turns her head to him.

"Aye, princess?" He says flicking his scab off his fingers and smiling with his rotting teeth pressing out over his cracked lips.

Veronica shakes away her disgust and continues to smile.

"Is there any way that I could... No... That would be too much to ask..." She says turning her head back away from him and frowning.

"Well get out with it." He says motioning for her to talk.

"I don't know... It's just too much..." She says smirking as she looks away from him.

"It is not." Greg says his mental capacity reaching his peak.

"Do you give me your word on that? It really isn't too much?" She looks back and stares at him with a look of concern on her face.

"Yes, Anything for you princess!" He mutters.

"Okay then I would like to use the bathroom now. Please untie me so I can?"

"But boss says..." He shakes his head no.

Veronica frowns and tilts her head to stare at the ground.

"You gave me your word..." She acts disappointed and feels Greg quickly untie her hands.

"Hurry back before he see's" He whispers.

Veronica darts off to the wooden restroom stalls beside the festival staring back at him to see if he looks and notices he's too distracted by the flame eating performance artists. She runs into the crowd and stares out the edge of it noticing a familiar face. Suddenly a large horn blows and Veronica shakes. She Grabs her ribs and closes her eyes grunting a bit and then swallows down her pain. Drums begin to play and the crowd tightens up all around her. They all take partners as the tribal like music plays. She looks around the people with handmade masks and costumes harder and then spots her again, its Jessie. She takes off running and halfway through the crowd her arm is jerked back and she's pulled skin tight to a man with a black wolf mask on who glares in her eyes and grabs her hands forcing her to dance with him.

"How foolish of you to think you can outrun the wolf." He says spinning her around gracefully.

"Let go of me!" She struggles and feels her hands being crushed under his grip.

Stephano throws his wolf mask off and Veronica looks away from him. He dips her and Veronica breaths deeply looking through the crowds pattering feet as her long hair touches the floor. Her ribs feel shattered as her back bends back and she grits her teeth harder. She stares through dancer's feet a bit then she sees her again.

"Jessie..." She whispers.

Stephano runs his fingers threw Veronica's cleavage and pulls her back up grabbing around her neck and then turning her back to him and tying her hands tighter.

"Back to the king we go" He whispers and pulls her away from the crowd.

Veronica watches as Jessie disappears into the crowd and she can't help but to wonder if she was really there at all, What did she see, and if she could save her from this fate. She closes her eyes feeling dizzy and throbs of the pain in her chest. She starts to shake and goest limp falling to the floor hard and watching her vision go black and start to fade away.