Page 18 of Hollowed

“Imust protect theHollow,Katrina,” he said, and then grimaced as he pulled me to the side of the bridge, just above the rocky embankment leading to the water below.Ifhe threw me down there, it would be too steep to climb back out. “Youmust be the sacrifice.Youcannot leaveSleepyHollow.”

Myheart raced, and blood pounded in my ears.Iwhipped my head back, hoping to call to someone nearby for help.Myeyes landed onIchabod, his lanky figure peeking out from behind a tree as he stood there watching the scene unfold.Hedid not look surprised as he watchedBromdrag me across the grass.

BeforeIcould open my mouth to shout for his help,Brompushed again, andIclung to his arms as one of my feet slipped over the embankment.

“Brom, no.Donot do this.”

“Thereis no choice.Imust sacrifice the life of one for the safety of the town.”Hepried my fingers from his arm. “Youmust be given to theDullahan.Youcannot leave.”

AndthenIwas falling.

Ilanded below on the bank with a rough thud, crying out at the impact of my shoulder slamming against the earth.Panicseized my lungs as the steep embankment tilted me toward the river, rolling side over side.Iscrambled to find purchase on the grass and rocks, desperately trying to cling to anything that would keep me upright and keep me out of the river, butIonly succeeded in pulling a rock down onto my head and coming away with clumps of earth in my fingers.Theblow landed and a sharp pain radiated through my temple as the rock tumbled down beneath me.Myvision blurred, andIlost what little gripIhad.

Alltoo quickly,Ileft the earth and fell into the river’s icy water.Agasp escaped my lips as my body absorbed the shock of the cold.Ipressed my fingers to my head, coming away sticky and dark with blood.Blindlyreaching for the shore to pull myself out of the water,Icould feel my consciousness fading as a thick haze of black moved in from the edges of my vision, consuming everything.Ifought against it, pushing to keep my eyes open despite the stinging pain in my head and the heaviness of my body.

Myfingers wrapped around a log, but it was too late.Myvision blackened further, andIfell back, smothered by the icy hands of the water, pulling me beneath the surface of the current.

TheHorsemanwould surely find me now.Ifthe river did not claim me first.

Nine

Fingertipspressed firmly against the skin of my neck.Thesensation of cool fingers and pressure tugged me back from the brink of unconsciousness, andIjerked back from the startling touch of a stranger.Ipried my eyes open, struggling with the exhaustion that plagued my body.

Iblinked rapidly to clear my blurry vision, trying to focus on the dwindling evening light.Shakingmy head slightly, the fogginess dissipated only some, butIwas able to form a coherent thought.Howlong hadIbeen unconscious?Myhair was damp against my forehead, but it wasn’t dripping, soI’dbeen out of the water, at least for a bit.Ipressed my fingers against my forehead, shaking away the pain again asIlooked up.

“MayIassist you?”Thetall man who’d had his fingers pressed against my neck now had his hand extended toward me, as if to help me to my feet.Hisvoice was like smoke and silk.Itwashed over me with a calm my body fought to embrace.

“Whoare you?”Iasked, carefully sitting up and slowly edging back along the grass.

Stillhovering near me, the fading sun glinted off the man’s short hair, reflecting strands of gold woven through a darker brown.Hisbrow shadowed his eyes when he bent toward me, but the sharp line of his jaw was unmistakable and covered in a light dusting of hair.Heextended a hand toward me, andIstared at it, my eyes quickly scanning our surroundings before returning to him.

Despitemy hair having dried some, the rest of me was still soaking wet, my dress heavy with the touch of the river.Acrisp breeze flowed over me, rustling the grass that tickled against my wrists.

Therewas no one around to help me if this man was not intending to help me.Treesextended in every direction as far asIcould see, and the only soundIheard was my panting breaths in the wind.Wehad to be deep in the forest.Evenif we were closer toSleepyHollowthanIsuspected, no one from town would dare venture into these woods after dark.

Ilicked my lips asIstudied him, waiting for him to answer me.Nervescoiled in my stomach and my hands shook at my sides.Thebreeze rustled a tree branch nearby, andIflinched at the noise, curling in on myself while keeping my eyes fixed on the figure in front of me.Hepeered down at me, his face void of any indications of his intent.Likea statue.

“Ibelieve your people refer to me as theHeadlessHorseman.”Hisvoice was calm, butIstill jerked as he spoke again.Hetilted his head as he looked down at me, studying me with a careful stillnessIknew had to be intentional. “Iam theDullahan.”

Theworld around me froze for a moment as his words washed over me, clinging to the hairs on the back of my neck and gripping my heart as it skipped a beat.Bromhad succeeded in delivering me to the hands of death, after all.

Myeyes closed briefly, squeezing tightly, butIsnapped them back open, remembering who was in front of me.Myescape from death had failed.Iwas here, in front of theDullahan, and though he’d pulled me from the river, my fate had been sealed.

“Butyou have a head.”Assoon as the words left my mouth, my eyes widened, realizing the offenseI’dsurely caused.Thatwas likely not the best thing to say as my first impression, especially to an entity that was rumored to both protect and threaten my home.Anentity that was supposedly waiting for my soul to venture into these very woods.Therewere so many questions that would have been better suited to ensure my survival.

Oneside of his mouth twitched upward slightly.Hisbare hand was still outstretched, the other covered in a thick black leather glove. “Yes,Ido indeed have a head.Itwould prove quite difficult to speak to you ifIdid not.”

Ialmost narrowed my eyes at his jab, but my mind was finally beginning to catch up with the reality in front of me.Despitethe quivering in my gut, my voice was steady asIspoke again. “Thestories say that you only speak to call someone’s name for death.”

“Anddo you believe every story you are told?” he asked.Hisraised eyebrow fell as he finally dropped his hand, and he squatted beside me as his eyes drank me in like he’d been thirsty for far too long.

Orbsof blue swirled as they moved over my face.Theyseemed to be searching.Forwhat,Iwasn’t sure, butIcould only hope that he would find whatever he was looking for in my face.Hisgaze traveled down my neck, skipping over my torso in a flitting movement before focusing in on my hands, which were resting on the grass at my sides.

Clenchingthose hands,Itried to keep from squirming under his gaze.Noone had ever looked at me so intently before, so openly.Itmade my face hot, andIwanted to turn away from him to escape the intensity.Itwas as if he was looking through me, rather than looking at me.Goosebumpsformed on my exposed forearms.

“Ibelieve there is some truth to every story,”Ireplied slowly, weighing the words before letting them escape.Thelast thingIwanted to do was offend theDullahan.Ifhe hadn’t killed me outright, or left me to drown in the river, perhaps there was a chanceIcould convincehimto let me live. “Elsethey wouldn’t have been told to begin with.”

Hehummed, nodding once in tandem with an easy shrug. “Isuppose you are right.Inany case,Ican speak,Ihave a head, andIhave no plans to murder anyone tonight.”

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