Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
The immense pull on my body when I wake up is so strong that it instantly has me on my feet and ignoring my morning routine.
I can't resist this. I get pulled to the wash tub, hot water already in it—could this be Gray’s doing?
I strip off my clothing and get in, relishing in the heat.
My head is urged under the water, something silently demanding that I wash my hair; it has been a while since I did some true self care, and I need it after the past few days.
The pull ceases for a while, letting me enjoy this unusual bathing routine.
I like this.
Once I’m clean, I get out, dry and dress for the day.
I have no plans nor work, I just need to make some horseshoes for the stableboy at some point, but not today.
The pull comes back and makes me go to the table where I grab my mask and hat and pull them on.
Where am I going? My cottage door swings open, and Ada is there, neighing and dragging a hoof through the mud impatiently.
She is restless, her coat of brown fading quickly to grey and it worries me. How old is she now?
I put on my cloak and go to settle her, but she nudges me to get on her back, so I do.
“Okay girl, what's wrong? Show me,” I say to her, rubbing her neck and giving her as much attention as I can.
She gallops and I hold on tight to her mane and she takes me to wherever she is now being pulled.
This is so very unlike her and it's got me concerned, but the thrill of bare back and travelling at this speed excites my blood.
We arrive in town and there is a big commotion. Screaming, shouting and crying.
‘He didn't?’
‘He did! What an idiot!’
‘He should have succeeded. He had the chance and he fucking blew it’
Shit. What's happened? Ada moves forward towards the crowd. There must be hundreds of people here, pushing each other to get to whatever is going on. Fights start to break out, and guards are yelling, their weapons raised in the air.
I like this.
I get off Ada and she neighs wildly at me, but I ignore her for the moment and climb up onto a stall so I can see better. A man is fighting the guards with his bare fists and then pulls out something from his trousers.
Bang!
What was that? Smoke goes up in the air and a guard yells, dropping to the floor. Chaos ensues. More guards come running, the crowd gets louder and a crow circles the sky above.
‘He tried to kill the King!’
‘He stole a horse to run!’
‘Get him! Don’t let him get away!’
‘Long live the King!’
‘Hang him! Chop off his head for treason!’
Oh, I love this.
I climb back onto Ada, and she takes me around the crowd and towards some more guards. I spot Bernie talking to three of them. Ada stops near him and neighs loudly, catching his attention. Bernie spots me and his eyes go wide. He quickly dismisses his guards and looks around before coming up to me.
“You’re here!” he exclaims.
I nod, tilting my head to the crowd. “Bernie, what's going on?” Both our eyes scan the crowd.
“The fella fighting my guards tried to kill the King. He’s as good as dead now.
The King personally requested for him to be hung, drawn and quartered.
” My eyebrows raise up in shock, my heart pounding hard enough against my ribs that it might just explode.
We haven't had one of these in years; no one has done anything to warrant it.
Until now.
“When is he to die?”
“Today.” I shift on Ada, I’m so excited. I feel like I'm going to burst. “I need you to be ready. You’re already dressed up ready for work, and because of all these changes and witch trials, I'm going to let you have this one. Especially since you have your horse.”
The crow circling above caws and settles down onto a nearby rooftop.
Watching. Waiting.
“What must I do?” Ada chuffs and whinnies, restless, and I struggle to keep her still.
The crowd parts, the crow caws, the guards drag over the guilty man, his hands and legs bound.
It’s the drunk from yesterday. Such a scrawny man, nothing to him but bone and flesh, no hair and no shirt.
He wriggles his body, trying to get out the guards hold and the other surrounding guards push back the crowd to give us more space.
“You are going to drag this filth back to the Tower. Make it hurt. Make him bleed. Do not kill him. We’ll meet you there and sort out the rest.” My heart… I can’t take much more of this. It feels like a dream.
A tease.
A gift.
The guards hear Bernie’s instructions as I wander off into my own thoughts and before I know it, the man has been tied to Ada's tail and is pulling on her. I look behind me at the man tied up to us. He’s angry, spitting and shouting and trying to break free.
He is mine.
A pair of eyes meet mine, so close and belonging to the last person I want to see. Richard. He comes to check the bindings from the man to my horse, slowly walking around me and Ada, inspecting closely. Too close.
I don't like this.
Richard goes to stroke Ada, and I pull her away slightly from his touch. He smirks, giving a soft laugh, and his arms loop behind his back as he continues to walk around us. Ada is itching to ride and I'm itching to leave.
“Masked man, what is your name?” Richard asks me.
“He’s a mute!” Bernie steps in between us and speaks for me. Richard raises a brow. “Lost his tongue in a knife fight.”
“What… is his name?” Richard steps closer to Bernie.
Bernie's eyes widen and he stumbles on his words, fiddling his hands together.
Get it together, Bernie, for god's sake. The man tied up to us is screaming and still trying to get loose, yelling profanities towards Richard, spitting at him and all over Ada’s tail.
He will pay for that.
Richard quickly gets his baton out of the holder, whacks this man's head and it gets him quiet for a little while. Richard then points the end of the baton towards Bernie. “Don’t make me ask a third time, Bernard.”
A threat.
“Frankie! His name is Frankie!” Bernie holds his arms up in the air in surrender.
Richard looks me in my eyes with a tight-lipped frown on his face, his head cocked.
I need to get out of here. The guards around us are struggling to keep the growing crowd from getting closer to us and the man tied up to us is regaining consciousness.
“Bernard, we need a chat. I’ll meet you back in your office.” Richard turns on his heel towards his own horse and rides off. Bernie blows out a breath and runs his hands through his hair.
“Bernie, you don’t tell that fucker anything about me. You hear me?” I growl at him. Bernie cowers a little, shaken up and not thinking straight. He gives a dismissive wave of his hand to me and grunts and mumbles as he walks away.
“Get him to the tower, I’ll see you there.
Don't kill him,” Bernie says as he climbs on and kicks his own horse, galloping away.
The man tied up is fully awake and protesting now, giving me his pleas but they fall on deaf ears.
I look around and see the guards struggling to fight off the crowd, so I need to move.
I hesitate. Richard must have heard me talk to Bernie. How could I have been so careless? I shake my head, reassuring myself everything will be fine once I get there. I have a man to drag and hurt now, and I refuse to let Richard get in my head and fuck this up for me.
“I’m sorry, girl, this may hurt for a while, but I promise I will look after you and help you when we get home.” I stroke Ada’s neck and she nods in agreement.
“Ready, Ada? Let’s give this guy what he deserves. Ha!” I nudge my heels into her side, and she stands on her strong hind legs, front legs in the air, a powerful neigh escaping her as she bolts forwards towards the Tower.
With my head down, holding onto her mane, we speed through the streets of London.
We detour and go the long way, letting Ada run as wild as she wants and letting all the people on the streets watch as I torture this man.
He’s yelling, screaming, crying as his body bounces off rocks and smashes into the mud.
Bits of wood and other debris slice him open, the human and animal filth scattered everywhere forcing its way into his cuts.
Red.
The crow flies above me, staying with me. I look into the crowds that line the streets and I see him.
Gray.
He is there, to my right, then to my left.
He stands in the middle of the street and we pass him by.
I turn around and his shape has gone. More, and more crows fill the sky, making the clouds grow darker and the noise of them cawing has everyone growing anxious and looking up, instead of at me.
I glance around me, letting Ada take control of our ride.
She swerves in and out of line, making sure this fucker is getting hurt as badly as she can.
Good girl.
I continue to look around for Him. As Ada gallops forward, my time slows down, so slow I can see everyone's faces, their shouts and pleas distorted to my ears. I see Him in the crowd, he smiles at me with that delicious smile and his eyes are completely black. I see him so clearly now.
He’s right there.
My Evelyn.
I reach out a hand to try and touch him as he walks closer to me. So close.
My love.
His hand reaches out to mine. Our fingertips almost touch.
Almost.
Look up.
The world snaps back to normal, Ada still running and swerving around people in the streets.
The Tower of London is so close now and the dark sky has filled with hundreds of crows, circling above the tower itself.
The caws are deafening and people nearby have their hands over their ears, the guards included, but the noise doesn't bother me.
We ride up to the open entrance of the tower and into the grounds with the man’s body dragging along quietly.
Shit. I hope he's still alive.