The General Who Took My Lantern and Broke My Heart Chapter 06

The General Who Took My Lantern and Broke My Heart Chapter 06

Bram had the mud washed from her skin and the blood cleaned from her torn bandages. Then he led her to the old family chapel with a wool blanket and a covered tin of food.

“You’ve been through enough, Aveline,” he said gently. “Copy the penitential verses, and this will be finished.”

“I still have to deal with the rebuilding. Stay here and rest. I’ll come see you later.”

His voice was as gentle as ever, as if he had never stopped loving her.

At first, Aveline had not loved Bram. He had worn her down slowly, patiently, with a tenderness that looked real.

He kept the stove lit on cold nights, sat beside her while she learned to read, and brought back books, maps, and good wool from Vesper City as if he had been thinking of her the whole time he was gone.

When a woman was treasured like something priceless, how could she not fall?

Aveline watched him leave and gave a faint, bitter smile.

Then she heard voices outside.

Her chest tightened. She moved closer to the door and listened.

It was Thorne.

“How is she?”

“Fine,” Bram said, his voice lower than before. “But all you had to do was have her apologize for Cressida. Why make her walk through town for three days and copy prayers? She was already hurt. This only made the wound worse.”

Thorne gave a cold laugh.

“You didn’t protect her when it mattered. Don’t act devoted now.”

“I grew up with Aveline. I know her. She would rather break than bow. She would never agree to apologize for Cressida, so I had to do it this way.”

His voice dropped.

“And today is Lantern Night. If she hadn’t been kept busy with the penance, who knows whether she would have shown up and caused trouble? The next few days matter. Cressida’s engagement can’t go wrong.”

Bram let out a hard, mocking breath.

“What, Keeper Bellwether? Afraid my wife still loves you and might ruin Cressida’s lantern?”

Thorne did not answer right away.

After a moment, he said flatly, “I’m preventing problems before they happen.”

Bram’s voice turned cold too.

“Then come tomorrow and make the proposal formal. Once you and Cressida are engaged, I’ll bring Aveline out.”

So that was all.

For Cressida’s Lantern Night, they had branded Aveline cursed, dragged her through town, and locked her in a chapel.

How ridiculous.

How completely ridiculous, Aveline Rook.

Her mouth curved, but her eyes burned red. A thick, metallic taste rose in her throat. Before she could swallow it back, blood spilled from her lips and hit the floor.

The world went black.

When Aveline woke again, the chapel was dark.

She tried to push herself up, but her palm landed on something cold and moving. She jerked her hand back and saw a centipede crawling between her fingers.

Every hair on her body stood up.

She scrambled backward and hit the leg of the altar table. When she looked up, her breath stopped.

The floor was crawling with snakes, centipedes, and scorpions. She did not know when they had gotten in. She did not know how many more were hiding in the dark.

Aveline could not keep looking.

She stumbled to her feet and pounded on the door.

“Open the door! Open it!”

No one answered.

The snakes lifted their heads. The centipedes and scorpions closed in. The rustling grew louder from every side, thick and endless, surrounding her in the dark.

Aveline’s hands shook as she clawed at the lock. The nearest snake drew itself back, ready to strike.

Then footsteps sounded outside.

The door flew open.

“Ma’am!”

Sorrel stood in the doorway with a camping lantern in her hand. When she saw the chapel floor, the color drained from her face.

She froze for half a second, then rushed in and swung the lantern at the things crawling toward Aveline.

“Get back! Get away from her!”

The light forced the snakes and insects to shrink away.

Sorrel grabbed Aveline’s arm and dragged her out.

Night air hit Aveline’s face. Her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

Sorrel pulled a small bundle from inside her coat and shoved it into Aveline’s hands. Her eyes were red, and her voice shook.

“Ma’am, I know you arranged to leave with the trading boat tomorrow morning. Go now.”

Aveline gripped the bundle and looked at her.

“You’re not going to stop me?”

“No.” Sorrel wiped her eyes and forced a smile. “Ma’am… no. Aveline, you’re good. Captain Caulfield doesn’t deserve you.”

Aveline opened her mouth, but her throat closed around the words.

Sorrel gave her a push.

“Go. Dawn’s not far off.”

Aveline tightened her hand around the bundle and looked at Sorrel one last time.

Then she turned toward the back wall.

She left Caulfield House.

She left Brindleford.

She did not look back.

Bram Caulfield, we will never see each other again.