Page 139 of A Curse On Black Lake
“Eliana?” Killian yells, running to my side.
“What’s—”
I point to it and force deep breaths into my lungs. But a painful sob rips from my throat.
“Shit,” he mutters and steps outside.
“He found me,” I mumble. I sob, staring at one of my babies hanging upside down like he was sent for slaughter.
My goat, Conrad, is strung up by his hooves with his throat slit and blood still dripping from the cut. He’s been there for a while, based on the blood drying on the deck.
Killian comes back inside, closing the door. His large hand swipes over my cheeks, and a serious look on his face. “I’m sorry, Eliana.”
“What does this mean? Why didn’t we hear this?” I ask him, wringing my hands together.
“I have no idea, truly. I’m surprised we didn’t hear him. It also means he definitely knows where you are and he’s escalating like we thought. Stay inside. I’ll grab Tiny, and you can sit with him while I clean this up.”
I shake my head and get to my feet. “I want to bury Conrad. He —”
My eyes well, and I lean into Killian, crying into his shoulder. Everything dies. That’s a fact of life, but why come after my animals? They are innocent in all of this.
“This was a statement, wasn’t it?” I ask Killian.
“Yes,” he grunts.
“Go sit in the kitchen,” he says, spinning me around. He puts the kettle on the stove and sticks his head out the door through the kitchen, whistling for Tiny.
He’s out with his herd. Killian gets a fresh mug and pulls out some of my homemade tea from the cabinet.
A few minutes later, nails click on the boards, and Killian opens the door, letting Tiny in.
He comes right up to me and plops down in front of my knees. He stares at me with an assessing look and pokes my knee. I lift my hand to pet him, and he inspects me while I rub his soft ears. “You smell, bud,” I mumble.
“Well, he’s surrounded by cattle and other animals most of the time, darlin’,” Killian says with his back still to me. He scoops a spoonful of honey from the jar into my mug and brings it to me.
“Drink this, stay here, and I’ll let you know when it’s time, and Eliana?”
I take a sip and meet his eyes.
“Let me bury him, okay? Let me do that for you.”
Tears prick my eyes, and I nod, petting Tiny.
“Keep watch while I’m gone, boy,” he says to Tiny, and rubs his head before leaving the kitchen.
Dutifully sipping my tea and petting Tiny with my other hand, I try not to think of anything else.
The Spirits are calm at the moment, whispering to each other. It’s low enough, like a hum I’m able to ignore them.
“Thanks for the warning,” I mumble to them.
The Spirits don’t respond.
My hand pauses on Tiny, and he whines. “Sorry, sorry,” I mutter, going back to petting him. “I need to give you and your siblings a bath. But your daddy will probably roll his eyes because y’all will simply get dirty again ten minutes after I let you back out.”
He makes a funny noise, and I kiss his forehead. “I love you too, buddy.”
Time ticks like molasses, and yet I can’t count the minutes, the hours that pass. Then again, I’m not sure I care. What’s the point?
