Read Online Dangerous Magic by Sullivan Clarke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sullivan Clarke
Ads: Link
the goings-on, so he started back, deliberately taking a path by the church and casting glances towards both the parsonage and the church windows. The wind was blowing now, and he heard something and stopped. Had it been a cry? He looked around. It sounded like someone had been moaning from inside the church. Atop the steeple the weathervane creaked and turned on its rusty pivot. Colin shook his head. It was probably just the wind playing tricks on him. Then he heard the moan again and something else, the distinct sound of crying coming from the graveyard.
Moving towards the cemetery gates, he looked around scanning the wooden crosses and headstones for the source of the noise he knew he heard. Then he saw her. Sitting with her back against a rickety wooden cross sat Millicent Salter, sobbing uncontrollably into the hem of her dirty apron. Putting his sack of purchases down against the back of a nearby tombstone, he walked over to the young washerwoman and knelt down beside her.
"There, there, lass," he soothed "Why are you crying so?"
The girl looked up at him, her eyes swollen and puffy in her red, tear-stained face.
"Oh," she said, barely able to speak. "Oh God, what have I done?"
"Whatever it is, surely it cannot be that bad," he replied.
"It is," she said. "It is, and even though they say he's only here to help I don't believe it. They say he is a man of God, but if that is true, how can a man of God cause such pain ---"
The moaning sound returned and this time Colin knew that he'd not imagined it, and it had not been made by the girl. Someone inside the church had cried out.
His head began to swim.
"No," he thought. "No. Not here."
"Millicent," he said. "That I your name, right? Millicent?"
The girl nodded.
"What is going on in there? Who is in there?"
The girl began to rock back and forth and Colin shook her, not hard, but just enough to get her to focus. "I need to know! Who is in there?"
"That man," she said. "That Reverend Fordham. And the preacher. And ---" she began to sob anew. "and the poor Widow Bright. He - Fordham - he says Lark used witchcraft to cure her of the cough. Oh why? Why didn't I just let her say I'd stolen?"
"Stolen? Colin had no idea what she was talking about but didn't stop to ask her.
"What has Lark got to do with this?" he asked her instead. "Tell me! If she needs help I need to know! She is my friend."
"You're a friend of Lark's?" the girl asked, turning her face up to him now and clutching him madly. "Then you must go to her. Go to her!"
Her voice was shrill, keening in contrast to yet another moan coming from the church. "Warn her, please! Warn her before..."
"ENOUGH!!"
They both turned now, startled at the sound of the deep angry voice. And there, standing on the church steps was the tall, dark man that Colin knew could only be the visiting preacher. The man was dressed in black and holding Bible and a piece of white cloth stained with what appeared to be blood. Upon seeing him, Millicent Salter pulled away from Colin and ran screaming from the churchyard.
Colin stood and for a moment the two men faced each other across the stone strewn patch of ground. Colin started to take a step in his direction but at that instant a gust of wind blew across the churchyard, and the sky began to darken overhead. And Colin knew then that this dark man was the personification of his fears. The witch hunter had come to his village. If he didn't hurry, the next cries to come from the church might be those of his beloved Lark. As much as he wanted to confront this man and challenge him to state his purpose, Colin knew it would be the wrong thing to do. The church was the most powerful entity in the village; one wrong move could bring every able village man down on his head. If that happened, he would not be able to warn Lark. So reluctantly, Colin Magregor backed away, turned and did something he had never done before. He retreated from a definite threat.
Chapter Six
Despite his
Moving towards the cemetery gates, he looked around scanning the wooden crosses and headstones for the source of the noise he knew he heard. Then he saw her. Sitting with her back against a rickety wooden cross sat Millicent Salter, sobbing uncontrollably into the hem of her dirty apron. Putting his sack of purchases down against the back of a nearby tombstone, he walked over to the young washerwoman and knelt down beside her.
"There, there, lass," he soothed "Why are you crying so?"
The girl looked up at him, her eyes swollen and puffy in her red, tear-stained face.
"Oh," she said, barely able to speak. "Oh God, what have I done?"
"Whatever it is, surely it cannot be that bad," he replied.
"It is," she said. "It is, and even though they say he's only here to help I don't believe it. They say he is a man of God, but if that is true, how can a man of God cause such pain ---"
The moaning sound returned and this time Colin knew that he'd not imagined it, and it had not been made by the girl. Someone inside the church had cried out.
His head began to swim.
"No," he thought. "No. Not here."
"Millicent," he said. "That I your name, right? Millicent?"
The girl nodded.
"What is going on in there? Who is in there?"
The girl began to rock back and forth and Colin shook her, not hard, but just enough to get her to focus. "I need to know! Who is in there?"
"That man," she said. "That Reverend Fordham. And the preacher. And ---" she began to sob anew. "and the poor Widow Bright. He - Fordham - he says Lark used witchcraft to cure her of the cough. Oh why? Why didn't I just let her say I'd stolen?"
"Stolen? Colin had no idea what she was talking about but didn't stop to ask her.
"What has Lark got to do with this?" he asked her instead. "Tell me! If she needs help I need to know! She is my friend."
"You're a friend of Lark's?" the girl asked, turning her face up to him now and clutching him madly. "Then you must go to her. Go to her!"
Her voice was shrill, keening in contrast to yet another moan coming from the church. "Warn her, please! Warn her before..."
"ENOUGH!!"
They both turned now, startled at the sound of the deep angry voice. And there, standing on the church steps was the tall, dark man that Colin knew could only be the visiting preacher. The man was dressed in black and holding Bible and a piece of white cloth stained with what appeared to be blood. Upon seeing him, Millicent Salter pulled away from Colin and ran screaming from the churchyard.
Colin stood and for a moment the two men faced each other across the stone strewn patch of ground. Colin started to take a step in his direction but at that instant a gust of wind blew across the churchyard, and the sky began to darken overhead. And Colin knew then that this dark man was the personification of his fears. The witch hunter had come to his village. If he didn't hurry, the next cries to come from the church might be those of his beloved Lark. As much as he wanted to confront this man and challenge him to state his purpose, Colin knew it would be the wrong thing to do. The church was the most powerful entity in the village; one wrong move could bring every able village man down on his head. If that happened, he would not be able to warn Lark. So reluctantly, Colin Magregor backed away, turned and did something he had never done before. He retreated from a definite threat.
Chapter Six
Despite his
Similar Books
A.D. After Disclosure: When the Government Finally Reveals the Truth About Alien Contact
Jim Marrs, Richard Dolan, Bryce Zabel
