Page 10 of Saved By the Headless Horseman
I finger the worn hem of my wedding dress.I had torn the large train off during the night to cover myself.The gauzy material wasn’t the best at keeping out the cold, but it was better than nothing.I shivered beneath the once-brilliant fabric now gray with dirt and dust.
If the Headless Horseman never returns, I will surely perish down here.Maybe that is what he wants for me—to wallow until I meet my end, for the rats to get to me and die by a thousand tiny bites.I could make peace with that.
Dying at the hands of someone else’s torment would surely reunite my soul with his.Our ends would be similar in that way.If I were to take my own life, I could not be certain of our reunion.Would I have been damned for seeking my end?Would I be bound to that infernal manor home with my soul never knowing peace?
The Headless Horseman seeks my death.That much I know for sure.
Whatever torment he wishes to subject me to, I will withstand—fight against—until the inevitable happens.I’ve been living in hell for so long, I hardly know where to rank my current discomfort at being trapped here.
I wish he were with me.
It is unwise to think of him—the memories only intensify my agony, but I cannot help myself.Here in the quiet dark, there is only me and the rats.Had I not been a fool that night and run away with him as he suggested, we would be together.
Our breathing had been heavy after our lovemaking, and the promises of a tangible future were on our lips.Green and blue eyes wide with hope as we vowed never to be separated and to bide our time.It was doomed from the start, no matter how hard I tried to craft a suitable fate for us both.
I, of all people, should know nothing in this world comes for free.Good, honest people always suffer at the hands of greedy men.Andhewas the best man I ever knew.There were dozens of opportunities for the two of us to flee.If I had left with him at eighteen, the night of both of our first times, we would have a family by now.
Instead, I made us sneak around.Arrogantly thinking that we could have it all.If only I were perfect and remained obedient to my father, he would reward both of us.He had no male heirs of his own.It would take nothing more than a signed piece of paper to appoint my love the heir to his earldom.Our marriage would cement it.
My love had been with our family since he was a boy.Having been the son of our cook.She had died during the sweating sickness, and my father kept him as a babe in his employ.Even raised him under the same roof as me until he mastered the craft of a stable boy.To my father, he was a worker.
To me, he was everything—my first friend, my first kiss, and most importantly, my first and only love.
The pounding in my chest stumbles as the moth-bitten organ gives a painful squeeze.Memories flood me, each one more heartbreakingly beautiful than the last.I can still feel him atop me.His warm, smooth skin against mine.The solid weight of him holding me close.Our mingling breaths and whispered confessions during those stolen nights have more happiness than some people get in a lifetime.
Ice solidifies in my blood.A shiver wracks my body.Memories of him are all I have now.I will carry them with me in my heart until it stops beating.
The creatures around me have stopped stirring.Apprehension tickles the back of my neck.Pale light trickles down the stairs, and I wait to hear the Headless Horseman’s heavy footsteps—the torch above my cell flickers.
Through my bleary eyes, I can make out a thick fog rolling down the steps.It spreads out along the floor in a dense cloud.The damp air tickles the bare skin of my calves.Something about this doesn’t feel right.I fear whatever he has hidden in the mist.No doubt it is another way to torment me.
A sharp squeak breaks through the chilling silence.Rushing footsteps echo on the stairs, but they are far too light to belong to the Headless Horseman.I push back against the stone wall.The only weapon I have won’t do me much good when he wields magic.
Through the thick fog, a sound echoes.It is a short word, one I’ve heard before.I can barely make it out over the rushing wind.The fog grows denser, completely concealing the bottom half of my body as I sit on the floor.The sound gets closer and closer until it’s finally clear.
It’s a name.My name.
My mouth goes dry, and goosebumps erupt over my skin.It’s my name being said by the one voice I’d never thought to hear again.I would not mistake it.There is nothing about him that I would ever forget.
It can't be—I was wrong, whatever cruelty this is, I’m not sure I’ll be able to withstand.My breathing is already ragged as I stare into the fog.A voice echoes from within the mist, and a broken sob leaves me.It’s him.The one I’d die for if only to see him again.
There he is coming through the fog.I can see the familiar outline of his body.Long arms and legs stop just beyond my cage.I stagger forward to grip the bars of my cell.
The cold metal stings my palms as I shove myself against them to try and get as close to him as I can.
Krane.I haven’t thought of his name in a long time.Now, it is all I can think of as fresh sobs leave me.Moisture trails down my cheeks and collects at the white ribbon around my throat.My skin burns as I push against the hard metal, my fingers itching to brush against him.
The fog grows thicker, obscuring my outstretched hand.Groaning echoes from the iron as it presses into my chest, but they hold firm.I strain with all my strength to slip through.
“Scarlett!”Krane calls.“Where are you?Your father said you shouldn’t be out here.”
My heart breaks at his words.No, this cannot be.It makes no sense, and yet nothing has for the past month.The Headless Horseman seeks to torture me, and his magic has found the perfect way to do it.I cannot look away from the sight before me, but nor do I wish to see it.
“Krane!”I scream, stretching myself against the bars.“I’m here!Krane!”
The fog devours my words.Pushing against the bars, I feel my shoulder nearly dislocate.My fingers graze the scratchy fabric of a coat.I gasp and hook my hand around the object.A familiar forearm rests against my palm as I drag him forward.
The fog dissipates just enough for me to make him out.Worn leather work boots are laced around his feet.Dark pants give way to a long dark coat with frayed edges and missing brass buttons.I pull him closer, heart pounding at the glimpse of his bare chest.
