For Love of a Vampire

Chapter 13

The sun was setting.

Elizabeth and I sat huddled together in one of the oh-so-familiar cages they placed their witch trial victims in to await hanging. It was dark when Vivian captured me the first time and tossed me into the confines of death. I'd had little opportunity to really inspect the cell's composition and structure.

This one appeared pretty much like the other. The bars were made of iron and spaced eight to ten inches apart. It was fortunate that none of the captive's height exceeded six feet or they wouldn't have been able to stand upright. The cage was slightly more crowded than my previous prison, making it difficult to tolerate the stench of dirt and sweat that was inevitable on such poor mistreated creatures as we.

The one difference I noted in the construction of the iron cell block was a major one and probably sealed our fate. Elizabeth managed to rescue me by slicing through the leather hinges on the door. The hinges on this door were made of the same iron as the bar. We were locked in tight with no way out even if someone did know where to find us. Since we'd left the castle on the pretense of taking a picnic on the edge of the estate grounds, I seriously doubted anyone would look for us here. By the time they realized we were gone, it would be too late.

I mentioned my fears to Elizabeth and, with tear filled eyes that clearly relayed her fear, she nodded her agreement.

It will never cease to be amazed at how I somehow lacked the common sense to be afraid. I wasn't afraid when I was attacked by the vampires. I wasn't afraid when I learned Duncan was a vampire. I wasn't afraid the first time Vivian captured me and I still couldn't muster the appropriate fear that the very real probability of being hanged at first light should produce.

What was wrong with me?

Although the moaning and tears of my cellmates never totally ceased, things calmed down to a tolerable degree as the day turned to night when my companions in misery eventually drifted into an exhausted sleep. I was once again able to hear myself think. I leaned back against the bars and laid Elizabeth's head in my lap. She'd mercifully fallen asleep about an hour earlier. My heart ached for her. It was bad enough to actually be a person of magic and be hanged for it, but to be innocent was frustratingly horrible. I looked around the cell at the dirty, forlorn faces and tried to pick out the true witches amongst the victims.

I found only one.

She looked back at me through the eerie star lit darkness with knowing eyes, but said nothing. Not wanting to disturb Elizabeth, I willed the woman to come to me.

She did.

"Cannot you do something to be free of this?" I whispered. "Surely there is a way..."

"Anna. My name is Anna," she whispered, "There is a way, but it takes more power than I possess."

"I am Jane," I said with a chagrinned smile over my lack of manners before asking hesitantly, "What if we worked it together?"

I hadn't tried to use magic since I'd arrived and I wasn't sure I'd be able to, but it was worth a try.

Anna looked at me long and hard before saying, "Only you and I shall be freed."

My heart flew up into my throat. What was she saying? Was she expecting me to abandon Elizabeth to the fate that awaited her? That couldn't be. I must have misunderstood.

"No, we shall do the spell for all of us," I said nervously.

I was finally afraid.

"It will only work for witches. Your friend is not a witch," she replied bluntly.