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Cole raced up the stairs ignoring the maid’s and Pierre’s yells. He could feel that Arlana was upstairs and he knew he had to reach her. She was all he could think of, all he could see. He couldn’t contain his excitement. She was mere steps away and then they would be free. Free to be together forever. He began to allow himself to feel hope. A feeling that he had been holding at bay since Italy. This time he knew there was no chance he would miss her. He slammed into the door of the suite and ran into the room calling out Arlana’s name. “Arlana! I am here….” His voice faltered as he realized no one was in the room. As he looked around the empty space he saw a door off to the side that was wide open. He could here footsteps coming from that way. Behind him he could hear people running up towards the suite. He fled across the room out the side door and came upon a set of winding stairs. Looking down to the bottom he could see two people running. “Arlana! Stop! It’s me!” he called out as he ran down the stairs. He thought he saw the second person pause for a moment and he started to run faster. It had to be her. She must know that he was here! He thought.
The figures began running again. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he saw that they had run outside. He followed them into the cold night. It was a dark and quiet night behind the house. It was the complete opposite of what he had experienced when he first arrived. He glimpsed movement ahead of him and ran towards it. He reached a building that smelled of horses and he flung the doors open and ran inside just as he heard horses galloping away from him. “Arlana! No! Don’t run! I am here for you!” He called out but the sound of the horses moved further away from him. He saw a horse tied to one of the stalls and ran to it. The horse made a nervous whinnying sound and then bucked. Cole quietly whispered to the horse in Gaelic and it calmed down. He untied the rope and went around to the horse’s side and mounted it. He hadn’t ridden bare back in centuries but he knew it was the only way he could reach Arlana in time. He urged the horse forward into a gallop and led it towards the direction the other horses had ridden away.
He could see the horses ahead of him but it was difficult. The night was dark as pitch and his horse was skittish. When his eyes finally adapted to the night he saw figures ahead of the fleeing horses. At first he thought they were trees but then realized they were moving. When he realized what they were his heart stopped. The witch hunters had snuck around the back. For all he knew they had planned on sneaking in the manor but luck was on their side and their so called witch was flying into their hands. Cole urged the horse to gallop faster. How could he have been so stupid? No wonder she had fled. With all the noise he made she must have thought he was a witch hunter. He had to reach her.
He heard someone scream and then he saw one of the figures fly off their horse and the witch hunters pounced on her. He pushed his horse to go faster. He reached the hunters in the back of the crowd and shoved them out of the way with the horse. He felt hands grab his legs trying to pull him off. “Grab him! He is with the witch!” he heard people yelling.
He leapt off his horse and landed on the crowd. He kicked and punched everyone that got in his way. He felt hands pulling on him, scratching him. He even thought someone bit him but he pushed forward. He had to save Arlana. He couldn’t hear her and he worried that she was hurt. Each step he took forward grew more and more difficult. He then felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down. He saw something sharp, a sword point, protruding from his chest. He fell for a moment and cried out in anguish. All he could think was he had to save Arlana. He pulled himself up and slowly took a step forward. He heard someone shout out “Kill him!” He felt pain in his arms and legs as people began to stab him with unknown objects. He heard a loud sound like a rock smashing into a tree and felt something wet trickle down his forehead and then everything went black.
“Arlana? Is that you?” Cole cried out to the woman in front of him. She was wearing men’s clothes that were much too big for her. She turned and looked at him. “It is you!” He cried out in relief. He thought he had lost her but here she was safe and sound.
“Who is Arlana?” The woman asked him.
“Who is…right, the curse. You are my Arlana. You have been lost for a long time and I am here to save you my darling.” Cole responded tenderly.
The woman looked at him intensely. “No Monsieur, I am Fifi.” She stared at him. She frowned and cocked her head to the side. “Those eyes…Have we met before?” She asked tentatively.
Cole took a step towards her and she stepped back. He froze, afraid of scaring her again. “You don’t recognize me?” he asked. She started to shake her head ‘no’ but then paused and looked directly into his eyes. She slowly lifted her hand and touched his face. “I don’t know. You seem so familiar but I do not remember ever meeting you.” Her hand froze as she gasped. “I am dreaming! You are the man that visits me in my dreams.” She sighed and laughed. “If only you were more than just a dream. I know I would never feel unhappy marrying you. Why am I burdened with marrying Monsieur Seraphim?” She asked sadly.
Cole blinked. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? He looked at her and couldn’t help but smile. He took her hands and pulled her into an embrace and laughed. “Then we shall marry and you shall never see him again!”
She went rigid at first but then slowly relaxed. She pulled back from his embrace and looked at him. The man was grinning widely. She did not remember him ever smiling or grinning in her dreams before. It made her laugh. “Yes that would be nice. Please take me away from here. I can’t bear it. I went from a happy carefree life to being forced to marry a stranger and running for my life being accused of being a witch. I need the escape that your arms bring.” She said. Cole gasped. Arlana had never been so bold in her life. He pulled her to him and as he brought his lips to hers she disappeared. “NOOOO!!!” he cried out in despair.
Cole opened his eyes and felt disoriented. The sun was shining brightly on him. He looked around and saw that he was lying on the ground in a field. He felt like death and then understood that he once again cheated his demise. He slowly sat up and looked around. No one was around. Arlana was gone. A sense of despair began to envelop him and he let it. Was it only a dream? It felt so real. He shook himself out of it and slowly stood up. His clothes and skin were bloodied from last night’s wounds. As he took stock of himself he is not surprised to find that he is completely healed. Being immortal has its good and bad points. Unfortunately they are tied together.
“Cole” He heard someone say his name tentatively. He turned and saw Pierre walking towards him. “I thought you were dead! What happened? Did you know they were coming for her? Is that why you were so impatient to check on her? Whose blood is that?”
Cole blinked and looked at Pierre. He took a moment and realized he needed to go along with what Pierre was asking. “Pierre, I am sorry I didn’t clue you in. It was a gut feeling. I, um, had this weird feeling since our race yesterday. I didn’t know why until we got here. The mob pulled me off my horse and knocked me out. I think they used a rock.” He responded touching the back of his head to reinforce what he said.
Pierre stared at Cole for a long moment. As though he was trying to decide if he believed Cole. He then smiled and said, “I am glad you are ok. What happened to Josefina?”
“Who is Josefina?” Cole asked confused.
“My brother’s fiancé. The one you were trying to save.”
Cole blinked. “Oh, sorry I didn’t know her name. I think they have her. I tried to get to her but I think I scared her. I am such an idiot. If I hadn’t rushed up to check on her she would have been safe in the house.” Cole felt a rush of anger flow through him. He has never been so impulsive. If she is in pain or agony it is his fault. If he had been patient they would be together right now and the curse would have been broken. Cole fell to his knees letting the pain and anguish take over.
“You couldn’t know that that would happen. You were trying to help. Come we must head to Loudon. The tow
n has burned witches before. We might still be able to save her.” Pierre said holding his hand out to Cole. Cole looked up at him and stared at the outstretched hand. He grabbed it, stood and followed Pierre back to the manor.