Doctor Abbott

Untitled Part 12

A damp mist hung in the air, as if it wanted to rain but just couldn't find the strength. Lúta made her way through the market with her basket, looking over the vendors' carts. She hadn't had much to barter with since she moved up to the palace with Ben. She had managed to negotiate a stipend from Erica for goods and supplies for Ben's work and it was nice that she had a little extra to buy a novelty here and there.

She had just pocketed a beautiful, old book when someone grabbed her arm. When she realized it was Bjorn her heart stopped for a second and she could barely catch her breath. She flinched to free herself from him, but his grip was firm and his claws dug into her arm.

He leaned in to whisper into her ear. "The human is dead and you are coming with me."

She shook her head in disbelief, "No." At first it came out as a whisper and then she was screaming it as he dragged her out of the market square. "No Bjorn, I loved him! Why?" Finally, as he pulled her into the open meadow she was able to yank her arm free from his grip. She backed up slowly, keeping him in her sights for the opportune time to make a break for it. "I will not go anywhere with you. I am property of the palace."

Bjorn stormed back over to her, "Maybe while the human was alive you were, but he is dead now and you belong to me. You were already betrothed, you were already PAID FOR!" He snatched her arm again to drag her with him and she swatted at him in self-defense. The drizzle the skies had been threatening now clung to her hair and fur making it easy to slip from his grasp.

She took off across the field towards the palace, hoping that if she could make it there that the guards would give her refuge. Pierce stood in front of the gates with his arms crossed over his chest. She tried to go around him and he moved to block her. Lúta pried at his arm and begged, "Let me in, please?" He stood staring at her coldly, silently. "Bjorn is coming for me, I need to get in."

Finally the young warrior spoke. "Well then, your traitorous husband should have thought harder on your safety before he denounced his king. Why should I let you in on the chance that you are a traitor as well?"

"But I am not a traitor, nor was Ben! Why would you say that?" She didn't have time to wait for his answer. Bjorn had a fist full of her hair in one hand and her arm in the other and was spinning her towards his cottage. She screamed in agony while he dragged her off, with the freezing rain finally letting go.

She slipped on the ice and struggled to free her hair from his grip as she lay on her back. He released her arm and belted her in the face until she stopped fighting back. "There, now perhaps you will remember your place!"

Lúta tried to choke out a sob and reply to him, as she squirmed and writhed on the ground. Before her mouth could form any words, Bjorn was plowed off her by the broad side of Mâvis's axe. She was still in too much pain to move but felt the void in the sleet and rain as Mâvis's figure passed over her to ready another blow.

It felt like it was all moving so slowly as she managed to roll onto her stomach and watch helplessly as Mâvis took out an unmerciful rage on Bjorn. Mâvis could have easily killed him with any one of those blows but it was clear that he wanted him to suffer. Lúta made it to her knees now feeling sorry for her brother.

The anger over what he had just done to her quickly forgotten and replaced by the fear that he was about to die. The rain was so thick now that all she could see was Bjorn's silhouette, while Mâvis's white hair seemed to take on a ghostly hue.

Mâvis hauled Bjorn's nearly lifeless body to his knees, her brother slumped there on his own weight. Then Mâvis walked over to Lúta and pulled an arrow from his quiver, "Lúta, you belong to me now." He drew it through his longbow and released it into Bjorn's head.