The Witch Stone - Emily Oakes Page 0,15

dying, only her body was. Those words were like a slap to the face. They hurt but they woke her up. Death was natural; it wasn’t something to be feared. Still, it hurts like hell to lose somebody you love.

Brenna had sat in silence with her grandmother for an hour hugging her until Annwyn whispered her last words. Brenna tried to recall them now. “Brenna, just because I am your last living relative does not mean that you are alone. One day you will learn that you belong to a large family who all love you.” Then she had said how a box would be delivered to Brenna, and that when the time was right, she would know what to do with it. The time might have been right, but she had no idea what to do with it.

Brenna turned over and sighed. Her eyelids grew heavy and she could barely keep them open. She slowly drifted off to sleep, wondering what on earth was awaiting her in her dreams tonight.

Chapter Three

Just outside of Oakwoods 1645

Rowena tried to move but was frozen to the spot. It was too dark for her to see the man’s face, but she gleaned he was much larger than she and perfectly capable of overpowering her delicate frame. She tried to keep her teeth from chattering, but it sounded like there was a tiny band of people in her mouth using her teeth as drums. The hooded man held out a lean, well-muscled arm toward her. The big horse snorted, blowing hot air onto Rowena’s cold face. She kicked Buttercup gently and whispered, “Come on, Buttercup, move.” The stubborn old mule stayed put. Running crossed her mind, but she knew the hooded man could move much faster than he could right now; her legs felt about as nimble as rocks.

Suddenly the hooded man leaned forward and grabbed Rowena around her waist. He placed a gloved hand over her mouth and pulled her onto his horse. She tried to wriggle away, but the hooded man kicked his horse into action and sped off through the thick forest, dodging trees and giving her no choice but to hold on to whatever she could. All she managed was a fistful of her abductor’s coat. She hoped Buttercup would find her way home.

They rode for what seemed forever through the dense forest. Rowena screamed as the horse galloped straight for a tree and dodged it at the last second. The hooded man brought the horse to a stop. He petted the horde on the mane and whispered soothingly in its ear.

“What’s going on?” Rowena asked, her voice shaky.

“Don’t say a word, they are right behind us. If they find you, they will surely kill you,” the hooded man said. Although his words terrifying, his voice was warm.

Rowena nodded. She leaned back against the man’s chest, leaned into his warmth. He smelled of leather, musk, and horses. A good combination. The sound of men shouting and horses trotting. Rowena held her breath. She peered in the direction of the noise.

A group of men riding horses slowed and came to a stop near them. One of them was holding a shiny dagger in his hands and was yelling orders to the rest of the group. She placed a shaking hand around the pouch hanging from her neck. She let out her breath then took a deep one. The moonstone pulsed in response, filling Rowena’s chest with warmth. From where they hid in the dark, she thought they would be invisible to the men. Hoped so anyway.

“There’s nothing here. It must have been an animal of some sort,” said a gruff voice.

“Move on then,” replied the man holding the dagger.

The lead rider booted his horse in the side and set off at a canter. Rowena sighed. Waves of relief shook her limbs as the riders disappeared from sight, leaving her and her captor alone in the thick dark woods. He made a clucking noise, setting the horse off. Rowena sat back, allowing herself to relax. If this man meant her harm, surely he would have done so already.

“Who are you?” Rowena asked quietly.

“My name is Jonathon. We need to get to Oakwood before sunrise. Those men are planning to abduct everybody there just like they did to your town.”

“How did you find me?”

“Hawthorn arranged for me to follow you from her cottage.”

“What? She told me to meet you in Oakwood.”

“I came to meet you because I heard they were patrolling the woods