Page 17 of Headless Over You
“Come with you where?”
“To the Underworld. My home.”
“I’d give up everything here . . .”
“Not even a bit, my love.” Her brow furrows, and I explain, “There are portals. Mine only allows me to come to Sleepy Hollow because of the curse. We are free to roam wherever you wish after I have the talisman.”
“Tell me what happens, please.”
“I understand your hesitation, little bird. There’s nothing I won’t do if it means providing you with a full life.” I take herhand in mine and walk her toward the stallion. He’s sleek and all black, a powerhouse. I rest her hand on his side, and she strokes him with care. “This is Death.” He gives a snort and bob of his head.
“Death as in . . .”
“The fourth Horseman. Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. I will take over and fulfill my duties once I am freed of this curse.”
“Why?”
“I do not know. It was bestowed upon me after my murder. I imagine it is for just and righteous revenge, but I cannot speak for the gods.” She turns to me and her hand falls to her side.
“I thought the horse of Death was pale in the stories?”
“Mere tales. Our horses come in all breeds and colors as the Horsemen are chosen. Death was my warhorse when I was alive. He was with me when I died and came to me in the afterlife. The bond is unbreakable.”
“They killed your horse?” She’s appalled, rightfully so.
“They were evil people. Some still are and carry that hatred with them into the next generations.” She reaches up and takes a necklace off from around her neck, but before giving it to me, she opens it up.
“You really did love her,” she notes, but not with bitter jealousy or negative emotion.
“I did.” I let her admire it. The shiny silver calls to me to take it, but I don’t rush her.
“I’m sorry for all that you’ve endured for the sake of love.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been given a second chance it seems.”
“Katrina doesn’t walk with you in the afterlife?”
“Little bird,” I say, not wanting to voice the absurdity but needing to explain. “I loved her in many ways, but she didn’t reciprocate all of them. She chose family over me and with that, she lived a long life. I watched over her still, kept my word and followed through on my curse. But she found love in herarrangement, and I don’t hold it against her. I simply want to rest. I want this to be over.”
“The papers . . .”
“Show me the journal.” She reaches into her bag and pulls it out, handing it to me in a swift motion. I flip through the pages, knowing exactly which Van Tassel this belonged to. “This was Katrina’s.”
“Katrina? But I thought it was . . .”
“Many do, but no, this is her delicate penmanship.” I recall the letters we wrote to each other when we couldn’t see each other for days on end. This exact script filled pages and pages with supposed love for me. “What’s missing details our love for each other. One of the bases for my beheading was that it was nonconsensual, coercion that I forced upon her. All lies, but I couldn’t defend that. She chose to side with them and let them do their bidding for the sake of protection and inheritance. She wouldn’t run away with me even after her father discovered the letters and journal. Those pages are long lost, I fear.”
“Why would they treat you this way?”
“Why would bad men treat anyone the way that they do?”
She nods in understanding and stands on her tiptoes to place the talisman around my neck. It thrums against my chest and my eyes close. I’m at peace. A ripple of wind pushes around us and out across the town. It’s finally over. My reach is far and wide. I can feel my soul stepping into its position as the fourth Horseman.
I capture her face in my hands and kiss her slow and deep. She tastes like the stars. She is my freedom.
“You won’t fall, but I need you. Now.” I lift the bag from her shoulders and throw it to the ground. Picking her up, I place her over my saddle and lay her back. I’ve been dying to taste her again.
With her legs spread open for me, she holds onto the saddle, and I lick through her center. She’s warm, wet, and delicious. She tastes sweet and salty.
