I raced home and threw my clothes into a bag, gathering everything I could. The night was still early, and with luck, the children haven't told any of the adults the story yet. My father wasn't home yet, still engaged in a meeting with the other men of the village. I still had a little time.
Once I had my clothes gathered, I threw my bag over my shoulder and shot out the door, my breath raspy in my ears. This whole thing had been a mistake. I should have never told her story, I should never have fallen in love with her, I should have never...
The houses and trees flashed by as I passed by nieghbor's houses, my pulse pounding in my ears. If only we could have made it one more night...then Katherine would be able to have everything she wanted. All the talent, all the love she wanted in the world. She was too beautiful to be unhappy. Just one more night...and this nightmare would've been over.
Now, we were going to be hunted like animals, burned at the stake. But I knew I could buy her a little time. I glanced at the moon, judging the hour. Just a little while until midnight. Maybe my father would get out of the meeting early...maybe none of the children would tell.
My heart clenched as I realized Thomson would have to be in the hunt. He would have to hunt me down like an animal, someone who he loved. I still had the shawl that he found for me, wrapped around my body to ward off the chill. But my eyes were dry. I could leave him. He still had a chance for a happy life. Katherine too. My father...the children...everyone still had a chance if I could just get out of her in time.
But then the scent of smoke drifted towards my way. I stopped running, turned my head around and saw the flickering flames, my heart thudding loud in my ears. Oh no.
I started running back towards home, everything in my soul screaming. Please be alive, please be well, oh heaven's above, please hear my plea. I reached my mouse in double-time, almost tripping in a hole that was dug right in front of it. I slammed the door open, ignoring the heat coming from above, and search my house, noting the holes in the walls, the bottles knocked over, everything ripped up and torn apart. But no bodies. M heart breathed a sigh for a moment, but then I raced outside, tripping over the hole yet again. Wait a second.
I stopped and searched the grass near the hole, gasping when I found a shovel. This was Katherine's, her initials marked on the side of it, just like everything she owed.
'I'm not used to having my own stuff.' Short laugh. 'I'm so used to stealing for what I want. At least this way I can find my stuff if someone takes it.' She was fingering the initials engraved on the side of the picnic basket.
I took her hand and held it, smiling. 'You don't have to worry about that anymore. Just a few short months left, then you can have everything you ever wanted.'
'Will I?' For a brief second, her near-constant fidgeting stopped. 'I'm worried I really won't, after this.' She sighed.
'What do you mean?'
'I mean, how are we supposed to be in love after he comes?' She said. 'We're more likely to be hunted like animals than to be allowed to live the way we want.'
'Then we will go somewhere else.' I said brightly.
'No.'' Her voice was blunt. 'You can't leave your father. We need to call this off, after all, I love you so much more than he ever loved my music. The deal is done.'
My chest felt like I'd been punched. 'Oh.' I breathed out, standing up. 'I see.'
I left without seeing the hurt in her eyes.
With her shovel in my hand, I could finally see the trail in the grass marking where she'd been. I followed it, gasping when I saw it open up wider. They found her. My Katherine was going to be burned...No. I stood up straighter. I will not let them lay a hand on her.
I started jogging, following the blindingly obvious trail. And why wouldn't it be? It was well-known that if you break the rules, you're punished, so why hide it? Why hide the fact that you are going to tear someone's heart into a hundred thousand pieces, why hide the fact that you are punching a hole in someone's soul?
I could see another distant flame, bobbing and weaving along the trail ahead. I pushed myself faster, hoping they didn't hurt her yet. My body was screaming in agony, but I held on to Kaherine's shovel and wrapped the shawl tighter around me and went on, following the erratic light.
When the trail was about to open up into a clearing, I stopped and hid behind a tree, watching as they lit up a bonfire higher than my head. A dark shape was outlined against it, holding up a box. Three more shapes were outlined, two standing and holding on to a third, kneeling, one. Katherine. Even from here I could recognize her profile, sharp cheeks and deep eyes, the profile of a true artist. Her hair was tossed about by the wind, dark wispy strands creating a black halo around her.
I crouched, breathing lightly so they would not hear me. A deep voice boomed out, the dark tones of the Establishment leader echoing around me until I thought I was going to suffocate.
"Katherine Heiress, you kneel here convicted of treason." He said, holding the box up like some kind of holy object. "You have disobeyed the laws of natural love, and have committed an atrocity. Do you dare deny this?"
She raised her head high. "No." Her voice rung like silver bells.
"Do you have any objections to me opening the box?"
"No."
"Very well then." He passed the box to someone behind him, the edges of his shape blurry enough for me to not get a good look at him. I squinted anyways, but gave up. He worked his way through the locks on the box, and then handed it back the to Establishment leader. He started reading the letters inside.
Dear my love, I could see the letter in my mind's eye, I must confess I love you to the ends of the Earth and back. I've written a song for you, one that I'll play in the village square tonight. The men will think it's for them, but you know better, don't you? I miss you, even though it's only been a few hours since we last saw each other. I'll see you tonight, my sweet, and we will revel in decadence with our little secret. Good bye, my love.
My body was frozen as he read the letter out-loud, the first of a dozen that we wrote between us. After we broke up,I stuffed every single one of them in that box and sent it to Katherine.She must have kept it all this time, maybe even rereading each one over and over again the way I did for three days after she left me, memorizing each swirl and dash in each written confession.
"It is clear to us all here, that she has broken the law." The leader boomed out again. "So what shall we do now?" He paced in front of the fire, his shoulders crossing in front of Katherine, blocking my view of her, and then going back and forth. Blocking, distracting. What was he doing?
My breath stopped as I realized, and I turned around right before a pair of hands grabbed me roughly and forced me up. Another pair wrapped a shirt around my eyes, and I recognized the scent. Thomson. His voice whispered in my ear, "I'm so sorry." before he pushed me into the clearing. Blind, I stumbled, my world disoriented.
"Maybe we should punish both guilty parties." His voice, so loud, said. "Or maybe we should punish just one and let the other suffer." I tried to shove Thomson off, leaning into his voice, desperate to say something, save someone, but what could I say? Leave my love alone, she didn't do anything wrong?
"It's not her fault." I heard Katherine say. "I-I seduced her."
"Do not lie!" The leader boomed out yet again, his voice making my ears hurt. "Do not break another law, or she will suffer."
I could hear Katherine's intake of breath all the way to where I was, and my heart gave a little flutter. She cared...a little bit.
I heard a shuffling, a whisper. "Take the blindfold off." The leader said.
The world was bright again, flickering in the flames of the fire, red sparks bouncing into the night. I could see the leader clearly now, no more shadowy outlines. His eyes were dark and fierce, black hair tousled in the wind. He looked younger than I expected, for having so much power over our lives, but he was tall and confident, black eyes flickering in the flames. Katherine was still kneeling on the ground beside him, while I was standing, held up by Thomson.
"Scary, isn't he?" Thomson said, his humour breaking through even in this situation. I nodded, keeping my eyes fixed ahead.
"Anna Byrne, daughter of Ross Byrne, you stand before us here as an affiliate of this crime."The leader said. "You have disappointed us in so many ways, but your father has been the most affected. Ross Byrne departed when he heard about your crime, his heart broke and he fell to the ground screaming." His tone was level, too level and cold.
I held my head high, narrowing my eyes. "Those are lies." I said, my voice steady and strong despite my fear. The leader smirked.
"Yes, yes they are." He glanced at his followers. "By her ability to sense when a natural law is broken, her innocence is proven despite her affiliation."
What? The leader was still smirking.
"As such, let us burn the other." Time seemed to freeze for a second.
No.
I will not let them.
I glanced up at the moon and realized something. There was still a chance to save her.
I elbow Thomson in the ribs, slipped out of his grasp and faced the leader, ignoring Thomson's moan of pain. "I am not innocent. I love her with all my might, and you cannot take that away from me. Not even the devil could take this love."
A sudden roar of cold whooshed through the clearing, and I shivered. Everyone froze, except for Katherine and I. She shook off the men's hands and stood up, ready to face her fate. Shadows gathered out of the treeline and formed a shape, blurry and indistinct until it reached the clearing than solidifying into a man with dark hair, dark than the leader's, and eyes the color of blood splattered on trees. He was here.
"Hey, Katherine, I've come to take your soul." He said, his voice flippant.
"Long time no see." She said, holding my hand.
"Well, as hard as it is to resist your charms, I've managed to stay away."
"Have you managed to swindle any more girls?"
"No, as you very well know, you are my one true and only." He said, smirking.
"Too bad, because she's mine." She said, squeezing my hand.
I broke in between their seemingly casual conversation. "I want to make a deal with you." I said. His eyes flashed with interest. "Take my soul and happiness, and in return she gets to keep hers."
"Hmm." He said. "I don't think so. I'd rather have her as my wife." A flash of silver appeared in his hands. "Besides, I don't think you only love Katherine. I think you have another." The silver dashed across the clearing and sunk into Thomson, his blood slowly dripping onto the ground, his face expressionless and so was mine. Although my insides were reeling, I knew expressing my sadness would only lead to more unhappiness that I couldn't afford. Katherine squeezed my hands.
"Well." The devil said. "Time's up." Another flash, and a stone was in his hands. "Let's go, my sweet."
Time started moving again, and the men began blinking, Katherine's soul began to move out of her body. My body flooded with adrenaline, and I made the most impulsive decision of my life. I grabbed the stone out of his hands and jumped towards the fire.
"That stone was made in the pits of Hell, do you really think a little fire will hurt it?" He smirked out.
"It's not the fire that'll hurt it, it's the sacrifice." I turned to see his face, an expression of shock transforming his hard eyes into innocent auburn, and then looked at Katherine, wanting her face to be the last thing I'll see. The heat was echoing all around me, and I breathed out my last breath.
"I love you."
And then it was dark.