Chapter 9
It was a cool, crisp, sunny fall day. The sun was shining high above the snow-capped Mount Morningstar.
The snow from the previous week’s cold snap had melted away.
The leaves on the trees were various shades of yellow, orange, and red.
Birds flitted about, noisily calling to one another.
Children ran around playing with their friends in the fallen leaves.
We couldn’t have picked a more picturesque day to leave the cottage and walk to the village.
“When all you deal with is the worst parts of everyone’s life, their illnesses, their sadness, their anger, their loss of hope, it can be easy to forget to take the time necessary to pause and look around, reminding yourself just how breathtaking this place can be,” I said as we rounded the corner to the village square.
“It isn’t all just a never-ending pit of despair. ”
Forrest reached down and intertwined his fingers with mine. “It is lovely, but it’s not as breathtaking as you are,” he said with a genuine smile, a single dimple appearing on his cheek.
“You need to take it easy on the romance books, Forrest. They’re turning you into a walking, talking trope.”
He pulled me close so we were nose to nose. “You say it’s the romance books. I say a very alluring muse has inspired me.” Then he gave me a soft kiss on the lips, and we carried on.
I couldn’t help the silly grin that spread across my face and the flush that rushed to my cheeks. Who was this fae man, and why did he have this effect on me? It was almost enough to make me forget about the unsettling feeling I had regarding Violet and Fiona. Almost.
The village square was as busy and lively as ever.
The smell of baked goods floated through the air while the sounds of haggling and bartering rang out from all directions.
At the top of the village square stood the ominous, imposing sanctuary.
Before I realized what I was doing, I instinctively looked over and made contact with the beady eyes of Maxx.
He had been standing on the steps of the sanctuary, watching over the people of the village like a hawk.
If looks could kill, I would have been dead on the spot.
Hatred, loathing, and rage were rolling off him in waves.
His piercing stare was unsettling. My body had a visceral reaction to it.
I immediately dropped my gaze and looked away while dragging Forrest toward Violet’s shop.
Forrest tugged on my hand, pulling me closer to him, and whispered, “Is that him? Is that Maxx?”
I kept my eyes down and my body moving, afraid that his stare would draw unwanted attention to us.
“Yes. That’s Maxx. It’s hypocrisy of the highest order that someone so hateful and evil has the nerve to stand up there on those steps and spew nonsense about piety and purity to the rest of us.
I hope the Eternal Night does exist, solely for him.
When his miserable existence is over, and the realm is rid of his rotten soul, I hope he festers in the Night’s lowest levels, never knowing another second of peace for all eternity. ”
The sight of that monster had sent me into a spiralling rage.
I had to get my emotions under control before I said or did something that I would deeply regret.
It was one thing to run my mouth off when I had no one to worry about but myself, but it was another thing entirely when I ran the risk of endangering Forrest’s life as well.
I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to him because of my lack of impulse control.
We entered Violet’s store, and it was uncharacteristically quiet. Violet was one of three tailors available in the village and was easily the best of all three. It wasn’t uncommon to see several people at once crammed into the tiny store, buying clothing or bringing in items for mending.
I turned to Forrest. “Something is not right. It’s never this quiet here.”
We made our way up to the main counter and rang the bell for service. Seconds later Violet made her way out from the back of the shop, carrying swaths of fabric. She dropped them on the counter and sighed at the sight of us.
“You really shouldn’t have come here, Aurelia,” she said, tone flat.
“I’m sorry, Violet. I didn’t come here to upset you. Forrest wanted to get out and see the village, and I wanted to pop in and check on you. Is everything all right?”
She motioned for us to come around the counter. “Follow me. We’ll go talk in the storeroom so no one walks by and sees you here.”
Something was really off, and it was starting to scare me.
Violet motioned for us to sit on a couple of stools in the back.
She leaned in, voice low. “Everything we discussed went according to plan. I was able to get Fiona to come over to the store the next day—I sent word to her about having clothes for her kids. It was the only thing I could think of that wouldn’t create suspicion with her husband.
” Violet paused, taking a breath. “She came back here into the storeroom and drank it. Four days later her husband barged into the store and started yelling and screaming at me, convinced that Fiona’s miscarriage had something to do with me.
He scared all my customers away, telling them I was a murderer.
I tried to talk to him, but he would not listen to reason.
I swore that I had nothing to do with my sister’s loss and told him that sometimes these things happened.
It was the will of the goddesses, after all, that had caused this, but he wouldn’t hear any of it.
Apparently, it is only the goddesses will when it comes to women being told what they can’t do with their bodies.
He then reported Fiona to Maxx under suspicion that she had forced the loss.
Now the Children of the Celestial Mothers are investigating her, and if she’s found guilty, they will sentence her to death. ”
I felt like I was going to be sick. Everything I had been worried about happening had come to fruition. “Is Fiona all right? Where is she now?”
“She tolerated the tea as well as she could. She’s currently being kept at the sanctuary under the watchful eye of her husband and Maxx,” Violet replied with vicious disdain in her voice.
“Has Maxx or any of the Children come to question you yet?”
“No. So far it’s just been her husband, but I suspect it’s only a matter of time before they barge in here to interrogate me. Don’t worry, Aurelia. I’m not going to give you up. I did this fully aware of the consequences. I’ll take them on for my sister if I need to.”
“But, Violet, it’s not just going to be you.
It’s going to be you and Fiona. The Children are not stupid.
If they suspect you had something to do with it, they will know that you and Fiona both didn’t do this on your own.
You would have had help, and who else in this village has that kind of knowledge? ”
Oh, Mothers Above! This was bad. Like, really fucking bad.
“Oh no,” I gasped as the sudden realization of the severity of our situation sank in.
“What?” Violet demanded.
“When Forrest and I entered the village square, Maxx spotted me, and he looked like evil incarnate. To say he was furious would be an understatement.” I took a breath. “Then Forrest and I came to your shop. If he saw us come in here, that’s all the reason he needs to have us all executed.”
My pulse quickened; my palms became clammy, and the room started to spin.
A large, warm arm wrapped around my waist. Forrest’s comforting voice followed the touch soon after.
“Don’t worry, Aurelia. He didn’t see us come in here. From where the sanctuary is situated, it would be impossible for him to see us entering the shop. But to be safe, we should probably leave out the back. You have a back door, right, Violet?”
Violet nodded.
“But how do you know?” I cried. “You can’t know for sure that he didn’t see us. What good is leaving out the back door if we’ve already been found out?” My chest tightened. My breaths became shallower. I was on the verge of a panic attack.
Forrest was in front of me, his hands cradling my face. “Aurelia, breathe.” His sparkling blue eyes bored into mine. “I promise you that he did not see us. You just have to trust me on this.”
I wanted to trust him. I really did, but my entire nervous system was screaming at me to run and hide.
“We need to go,” I said. “Now. I don’t want to cause you any more trouble than I already have, Violet.
” I got up and went over to her, wrapping my arms around her in a suffocating hug.
“Please, please be careful. Do as they ask, and answer their questions as best you can. Don’t aggravate them more than they already have been.
” I leaned back, looking Violet in the eyes.
“Make sure you’ve gotten rid of the bottles that the tea and pain medication came in, if you haven’t already.
They can’t do anything to you or Fiona if they have no proof of any wrongdoing. ”
Forrest and Violet quickly said their goodbyes, and then we were on our way out the back door of the store.
As we stood alone in the alley, Forrest turned to me. “So, what now?”
I looked up at him, willing the tears forming in the corners of my eyes to go away.
This had all gone so badly so quickly. I don’t know how I had deluded myself into thinking that there was any way we could have gotten away with this when it involved a senior member of the cult.
Despite what I had told Violet, the Cult of Children did not need proof of wrongdoing to punish someone.
They implemented their will without common sense.
They definitely didn’t need to rely on the burden of proof before condemning a woman to death for what they perceived to be the ultimate sin.