Chapter Ten #3
“There she is,” Jeanne cried, pointing at Moira. “Look at her. She kenned we were coming for her and prepares to flee. Ask yourself, how could she ken that unless she is just what I say she is?”
“What goes on here?” demanded Robert, tugging on his jerkin even as he stumbled down from the loft, a pale, wide-eyed Mary at his heels. “Are ye people mad? What makes ye burst into my home in the dead of night?”
“We have come to get the witch,” replied a bulky man standing to the right of Jeanne.
“Witch? What are ye babbling about Geordie?”
“Jeanne says the woman is a witch,” Geordie said, advancing a step toward Moira only to hastily retreat when Tavig raised his sword. “Ye need not fear for your life, sir,” he assured Tavig. “We ken ye have been bewitched into abiding with the lass. Ye, too,” he told a gaping Robert.
“That lass is no witch,” yelled Robert. “Ye are allowing yourselves to be fooled by that whore.” He pointed at Jeanne.
“She is a witch,” screamed Jeanne. “I tried to pull Tomas from her evil grip, and she visited her evil upon me. She has afflicted me with a burning rash, and one of my poor goats died, black blood pouring from its mouth. The poor beast wasnae even ill, and I had no marks upon my skin until after she cursed me in the cow shed earlier today.”
“Ye lying whore,” Tavig snapped.
Moira shivered, fear knotting her stomach as she listened to Tavig curse Jeanne, causing the woman to elaborate upon her accusations.
Several of the men bellowed their support for Jeanne.
There was no escape. Two men kept Robert and Mary captive on the ladder to the loft.
Tavig was armed, but could not fight the half dozen men in the cottage.
Even if he could defeat them, more huddled outside ready to take their places.
It was clear that Tavig intended to fight to protect her, but Moira was coldly certain it would only bring about his death.
It was also clear that none of the men was prepared to listen to reason.
She knew she had to end the confrontation.
She also knew there was only one way to do that, and Tavig was going to be furious.
“I am sorry, Tavig,” she whispered and, swinging the bag he had shoved into her arms just before her accusers had arrived, she knocked the sword from his hands.
Tavig gaped at her then lunged for his sword. Geordie and another man moved faster, quickly pinning him in their hold. Another man rushed forward to grab her. She winced as he roughly yanked her arms behind her back and bound her wrists together.
“What did ye do that for, lass?” Tavig asked, staring at her with a mixture of confusion and fear.
“I ken that ye are a good fighter,” she replied, smiling sadly. “Ye couldnae win against so many, howbeit.”
“Neither can you, dearling.”
“Mayhap not, but ’tis only me they are accusing. They would cut ye down to get to me, and I would still be taken. I decided I didnae really want to see ye die in some fruitless display of gallantry.”
“Which he may still try,” said Jeanne, stepping closer yet being very careful to stay out of a glaring Tavig’s reach. “I think he needs to be secured somewhere so that he doesnae try to set her free. She could yet use her spell to draw him back to her.”
“What are ye going to do with her?” he demanded as his wrists were tied behind his back.
“We will take her to the priest,” replied Geordie. “Father Matthew will ken what to do with her.”
Moira glanced toward Mary and Robert. Robert was frowning, and Mary had gone quite pale.
It did not seem to Moira that they felt her chances of acquittal were very good.
She had the sinking feeling she was about to meet a man who held tightly to superstition.
The ease with which Jeanne had convinced the villagers that her wild accusations were true was also worrisome.
“We had best take her to the priest now,” Jeanne said. “We cannae risk her using her skills to escape.”
“’Tis late,” said Geordie. “The priest will be abed. I dinnae think we ought to wake him.”
“He will be pleased to be roused for this. Doesnae he always warn us about the devil’s allies? Now we can show him how vigilant we are.”
“More like what complete fools ye are,” said Robert, and he glared at Jeanne. “The priest also warns us to beware of whores, yet we havenae dragged ye before him for judgment yet.”
“She has ye all bewitched,” screamed Jeanne. “We will take them all to the priest.”
Jeanne marched to the door, urging everyone to follow.
As Moira was dragged along, she glanced up at the loft.
Robert and Mary’s five children watched in terror as their parents were toted away, but they obeyed their parents’ command to stay put.
She then looked at Tavig. He appeared even more furious than the cursing Robert did.
Moira knew that, whatever happened, Jeanne would pay for her trickery.
She just wished she could find some strength in that knowledge.
She had the feeling she would need all the strength she could muster.