Orenda 1 - Curse of Immortality by Elin Peer & Pearl Beacon

Author:Elin Peer & Pearl Beacon [Peer, Elin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Beheaded and Buried

Maeve’s first attempt at ending her life had failed. Unwilling to give up and accept that her body would heal itself no matter how she died, she was forced to think of an alternative.

Rose had spoken of Abingdon where they grew up enough times that Maeve remembered the name of the village. Asking tradespeople on her way, they led her in the right direction until she arrived one early evening as the sun was about to set.

Memories from when she was five brought her down Bakers’ Street where she had once lived. Both Rose and Zosia had pointed out how similar she was to her mother and seeking out her family might bring her answers. Maeve longed to understand why she was so different from her sister who never strayed far.

The smell of baked goods brought back early childhood memories, but once again it was as if every straw Maeve grabbed for disappeared before she could hold on. Her family had moved away more than seven years ago. From the hushed voices of the people she asked, she gathered that the circumstances hadn’t been good.

“Ah, Anne was never herself after that awful fire. She blamed John for the death of their two young daughters. Never regained her joyful nature after that,” an older woman told Maeve. For hours, she walked around remembering things from her past while trying to decide what to do with herself now that her hope of reuniting with her family had burst.

That’s when she spotted a man she would never forget. He was aged, but she would have recognized Ellen’s executioner anywhere.

His large back was a bit hunched now and his strong arms looked veined, but his crooked nose and close-set eyes remained the same. Maeve kept close enough to follow his steps and noticed that no one greeted him as he walked through the streets.

When he entered a house with a cracked window, Maeve considered the crazy idea that had entered her mind for about ten minutes before she knocked on the door. Swinging the door open, the man had an annoyed expression on his face as he looked down at Maeve. “What do you need?”

“You are the executioner, yes?” she asked.

He grunted and nodded.

“Good, then you can help me.”

The large man looked over his shoulder. Peeking around his large frame, Maeve saw his family eating supper inside. “Sorry, ma’am, I’m off duty, can’t help ya.” He began to close the door when Maeve stopped it abruptly and dropped the small bag of money in his hands. She wasn’t sure how much money the coins were worth, but she had stolen them and hoped it was enough.

The large man stepped out of his humble home and closed the door behind him. “What do you want?” he asked with impatience.

“I want you to murder me,” Maeve informed him with a straight face.

“You?” he asked with a frown. “Why would ya want that?”

“That’s my business,” she replied dryly.

“Alright, but couldn’t ya just do it yourself?” The large man looked down at Maeve, struggling to read her cold attitude.

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