A Kiss in the Night by Jennifer Horsman Read Free Book Online Page A

in her mind. As Mary's servant, what were her obligations to the slain party? Should she bury the bodies? There were no villages nearby that might offer help, as they had all been torn asunder by the archpriest and the avenging army, but it seemed possible she could drag the bodies to the river and let the water carry them out to the sea. Should she attempt this for mercy's sake?
    The vision was swift, lasting no more than a second. She saw men with strong backs lifting the slain bodies into coffins, the coffins lowered to the ground, a humble priest singing their burial mass, and she need not worry over this but for one.
    The slain lady. She saw herself dragging her body into the river...
    The slain girl emerged in her mind. She was bending over her trunk, opening it for her. There were no words, but she understood the lady was giving her the things in her trunk, and somehow this offering meant much to this lady.
    The kindness overwhelmed Linness; tears sprang to her eyes, and as her heart opened with an outpouring of gratitude, there came a warning. Not a warning but an order, a demand of a favor in return for her trunk, and it was as clear as if she had spoken the words. "Be you kind to my mother as I never was; give that good woman the daughter she never had and take great care with her love…"
    Linness awoke from this meditation and found she was staring into the forest. 'Twas so strange, these revelations! She was relieved the bodies would be properly buried. And she assumed the mother was Mary in heaven. She knew well to obey; the slain lady need not have warned her to take care with her love. For she loved Mary with all her heart. And Mary had once again answered her prayers and sent her the slain woman s trunk, along with a blessing.
    She rose shakily to her feet. She turned toward the direction of the river, where the slain bodies lay. She genuflected and drew a deep breath. They were but flesh now; their souls had transcended. They would be buried soon.
    She was offered the finery in the trunk.
    A gift, she knew, that could save her from starving ...
    She slowly made her way back.
    The sun hung in the still afternoon sky. The barest whisper of a breeze blew through the trees. Her senses pricked, she was prepared for the gruesome sight as she stepped through the trees.
    All was the same.
    She tried hard not to let her gaze rest on the bodies as she neared the coach. She was conscious of the deep silence and stillness that surrounded the dead and of her own deep breaths, the soft steps of her bare feet, the rush of the river behind her.
    Only the very wealthy had a coach. She approached it in wonder; she could not help it. She had never seen one up close before. The velvet curtains had been ripped and slashed. The door opened with a creak. Red velvet seats; the girl must have been a very wealthy noblewoman. The slain knights must have been her failed guards.
    She carefully lifted up the seat to find a three foot hand-carved wooden trunk. It was beautiful. She spent several minutes attempting to pull the trunk out from the seat, without success. A metal lock kept it shut. She struggled in vain for several minutes before she realized the lady herself would have had the key on her person.
    She turned slowly to the lady, her eyes searching.
    A gold chain hung about the dead girl's neck.
    She approached with great trepidation and a prayer in her mind. She gently lifted it from beneath her bodice to see a lovely diamond cross and the precious gold key. How strange that the madmen did not take it! As if the cross of Christ had been a bad omen for them, one they would not take even for its riches.
    "God have mercy… " a tortured voice whispered.
    Linness froze in her tracks. A chill raced up her spine. She turned slowly around, her wary gaze searching the area. A gentle breeze rattled the trees, blowing over her hot skin to make her shiver. A rustle came from behind her. She swung toward it. The sound came from the river.