Page 3 of Curse of the Healer
"Aye, she'll do," Teague responded. “Get her up and let's go. The watchers have gone quiet, now's our moment to move before the Dark Queen notices us."
My kidnapper sniffed, weeping. "The Dark Queen is dead. The new Queen of the Wildwood is unpredictable—“
"All the more reason we should move. Go. Get her up."
My fingers moved frantically within my bounds as thoughts careened through my mind. The Dark Queen was dead? There was a new Queen of the Wildwood? I gasped against the gag, my breath suddenly coming short and fast. For as long as I'd been alive, stories of the Queen who ruled the enchanted wildwood circulated. Children were told stories as babes that the forest held horrors, monsters who would come eat us alive, and the Queen protected the surrounding villages from the monsters, provided we granted her an annual sacrifice, filled with magic to make her strong. Strong enough to protect us. But if she was so strong, how could she be dead?
Anxiety bloomed in my chest. Now I knew, my wine inspired visions were not dreams at all. The wildwood was alive with monsters, and this new Queen of the Wildwood wasn't holding them back. They'd watched me from my home, and it must be these same monsters who had captured me, luring me out and stealing me away in the dark of night. Rumor had it the forest came alive as festivals drew near, but each of villages that surrounded the wood had a responsibility to protect their people. I'd heard of the Sisters of the Light who were the strongest during Mabon—a pivotal festival when the year turned from light to darkness. What if they had failed and allowed this new queen to rise?
Goosebumps snaked up my arms as footsteps drew nearer. I tried to scream through my gag and thrashed, but it was useless. Meaty hands gripped my arms and hauled me to my feet, which were also bound. I almost fell over.
"Eh," grunted the man, or perhaps beast. "She's a lively one."
"The point is to capture her, not kill her yet,” Teague replied. “Hurry. It will soon be midnight, and the feast of Yule will begin. Now's our time."
Time for what? I wiggled my shoulders and tried to kick my feet, but my bounds were secure. The man lifted me up and tossed me over his shoulder with no more ceremony than if I'd been a sack of wheat. We moved. The creaking door clanged shut, and the key once again turned in a lock. I had the nasty sensation that I hadn't been alone in that prison, and a shiver went up my spine. Who were these people? What did they want with me? Why was time of the essence? Oh why, oh why hadn't I taken up the woodcutter’s suggestion and stayed with him? I belonged to no man, and yet the safety of his house would be preferable to this. At least he wouldn't have let anyone take me in the middle of the night. I assumed my home near the enchanted woods was safe. What a fool I was, to lock myself away in grief.
Blood rushed to my head as we moved at a fair gait. Cold air bit through my wool dress, the only detail that told me we’d moved outside, and then came a long trek. My captors did not try to stay quiet but huffed and puffed, rustling through the underbrush, and often sticks and branches poked at me. I knew I should save my strength, but I couldn't help but thrash and hiss through my gag, letting my abductors know I was very unhappy with their treatment of me.
It was useless.
Time passed as slowly as a stone being mined from a quarry, and I gave up my futile attempts. The blood in my head made me woozy, and the lack of food and water left me sick and achy. On top of all that, my bones were cold, my dress doing nothing to shield my body from the unforgiving cold of winter.
At last we came to a stop and with a hiss of "Careful" I was set down on my numb feet. My body leaned up against rough wood. A tree? But before I could regain my senses, there was a rustling and a length of rope was wound around my stomach and chest—restricting my breath even further. I was secured to what I assumed was the trunk of a tree. With my hands pinned behind my back and ankles tied together, I was useless to resist. Now they would do what they intended to do. Bile filled my throat, although with the gag it had nowhere to go. I trembled, but not simply from the cold.
Hands came up around my head and untied the blindfold. It fell off, settling around my neck, and I blinked against the low light of night. I was in a wood, that much I could tell among the shadows. The fresh scent of pine and fir along with fresh snow filled my nose. It took my eyes a moment to grow used to the darkness, for aside from the moon, there were no other lights. Trees surrounded me on all sides in a circle, leaving a small opening for moonlight to pour through. I looked at my two captors and a bolt of fear shot through me. Panic rose up in my throat to choke me. Tears came to my eyes, and I wished they'd left me blindfolded.
Chapter 5
“There, there, girly,” the smaller one—who seemed to be in charge—said. He was a small, squat man with a thick beard and shoes that curled up at the end. He only stood as high as my waist, and in the moonlight, it was difficult to tell whether he was a gnome or a dwarf. His head was rather large on his short body, but he was hideous to boot.
"See Dak,” the dwarf scolded. "I told you we should have left the blindfold on."
Dak grunted, and my attention went to him. A cry died in my throat. He was an ogre, albeit a stunted one, for I'd heard rumor that they were big beasts, as tall as trees in the forest. Or perhaps those tales were lies. He was bald with skin the color of gray stones, covered in wrinkles and sunspots. He had an upturned nose, rather dull looking eyes and thick fingers. He stood a head taller than me and a foul scent emanated from him. I shuddered to think that I'd been on his back, being bumped along while he carried me with those thick hands. At least he hadn't tried to grope me, and yet still, fear made me sag in my bounds.
He scratched his head. "Eh, should we do it here?"
"Of course," the dwarf—Teague—grumbled. "Here is the best place. Get the stones, I need to sharpen my knife."
My eyes bulged as the ogre pulled a sack of stones off his belt and adjusted his loin cloth, inadvertently showing me an unwanted view of his hairy testicles.
I blanched and my throat constricted.
Teague walked closer. "Now girly, if we take out the gag you must promise not to scream. There are beasts in the wood who would like to eat you."
I nodded frantically as my spit threatened to choke me.
The dwarf held out his hand to the ogre. "I'll do the stones. Take off her gag."
Dak moved toward me, tilted my head back and yanked out the gag. Instantly I leaned over as far as my bounds would let me, choking and spiting as vomit poured out of my mouth and splashed around my feet. Now my throat was raw, and I was desperate for something, anything to drink. What I wouldn't give for more spiced wine to put me out of my misery.
"Stop," I begged, my words coming out hoarse. "You don't have to sacrifice me. Just...tell me what you want."
"She speaks," Teague giggled as he lay out stones in a circle around me.
My eyes went wide and hysteria rose. An old chant came to mind, a chant I wasn't supposed to know.
A circle of stones
