Banshee Angel Of Judgement (4 page)

Unsatisfied at
finding nothing the three turned to a needle, ignoring Helen’s
pleas not hurt her any more two of the ladies held her down as the
third repeatedly stuck the young woman with the sharpened metal in
search of some area to call the mark. Small beads of blood formed
where the needle was used to forcefully, to the scolding looks of
the other ladies and cries of surprised pain from Helen.

Helen
whimpered in the
corner,
pulling herself into a ball once the three had finished their
unpleasant business. They left her in the room to pull on some
clothing to cover her shame. The three fine women were not happy as
this could mean they may not get paid.

“
Well,” the
impatient sheriff demanded as the women appeared from the
room.

“
We could
find nothing but that does not mean she is not consorting with dark
forces,” the thin pointy nosed woman said primly.

“
Yes if she is a witch though she must be a very
powerful
one and should be put
on trial as soon as possible in our experience,” the large woman
said hearing the clink of money as the man reached inside his long
coat.

“
I see,” the
sheriff said as he held out a bag full of coin to one of the
examiners. “I will see to it as quickly as is possible.”

“
Then we
shall be on our way as soon as we have signed the writ to say of
our findings,” the pointy nosed woman said, pleased at being paid
so easily.

Helen was
taken from the room
to the
cells beneath the tolbooth as the three signed their names to the
main evidence against her. For Helen the time dragged as the word
spread about her arrest and the charges brought against
her.

The laird
hadn’t gone with the sheriff to the tollbooth but set
of
f to his manor house still
known as the castle by the locals. He had to make sure the case was
solid against the deceased fey-wife’s daughter. He needed to make
sure the witnesses he had were ready for the trial that was sure to
take place soon and knew what they had to say.

He shouldn’t
have worried as his many plans over the past few weeks had seen
to
all the things needed to
regain the wood and cottage his father had given to the old
fey-wife when she had still been living. Surely that alone was
proof of witchcraft and then there was the sudden birth of her
daughter fourteen years earlier, with no man to provide the seed,
surely a sign of evil doings as well as loose living.

Whilst the
fey-wife was alive he had known he could not make his move for she
was far
too well liked but now
who would come to the aid of this waif. Though he still worried
about the old Minister he was sure the old man’s illness would stop
him from interfering in his business. After all he had done well in
stirring up talk of strange goings on at night near her
house.

Helen spent a
long miserable night on the straw covered floor of the
windowless room that served as the
gaol from the small town. The only light came from a small barred
opening at eye level in the heavy oak door, used to keep an eye on
those unfortunate enough to spend a night or two inside.

Hunger
gnawing at her as she hadn’t eaten
since that morning, thirst making her lips dry and cracked as
no-one was there to offer her something to drink. She felt naked
for they hadn’t given her the chance to dress fully; she had only
managed to get her under gown, which acted as a nightgown, on
before being dragged down to the cellar to be locked away like some
common thief.

The next day the torture
began; at first it was just lots of questions from the sheriff and
his inquisitor, taking turns to try to confuse her.

“
Name the
others in you’re coven, who are they?” Demanded the
sheriff.

“
What coven?”
Confused with hunger she didn’t understand why they were asking
these terrible things.

“
Where in the
woods do you meet your master?”

“
I don’t know
what you mean.”

“
Are there any
men in the coven?”

“
I don’t have
a coven,” she said falling into the trick question designed to trap
her.

“
Ah, so now you admit you’re guilt,” the sheriff looked
eagerly into her eyes
as he
spat the words in her face.

“
Tell us what
is you familiar?”

“
I don’t know
what you mean, please I haven’t done anything,” she
pleaded.

“
Now she
lies!” Exclaimed the indignant court official, his fat face showing
the sweat from the exertion he felt in trying to condemn the young
girl by her own words to make the case against her all the more air
tight.

All morning
the questioning, twisting of words and promises of being allowed
home continued but still Helen wouldn’t confess. As the morning
became midday the sheriff began to think of his empty belly at that
he brought the
war of words to
an end.

“
Well, if you
will not tell us the truth of your evil deeds then we have no other
option left but to extract it from you with force. We shall leave
you to think it over but when we come back you must confess or we
will make you, do you understand?” The sheriff said
firmly.

“
But I have told you I haven’t done anything. I go to
c
hurch every Sabbath ask
Reverend Adams he will tell you,” she hoped at least her old
Minister would speak out for her.

“
We would but it seems he
is deathly ill, you wouldn’t know why that is, would you?”
The question was meant to hurt which it did. At that he left with
the other man, as he did Helen asked for some water, she was
ignored; left to cry dry tears.

They returned
after they had eaten their midday snack, something few but the
better off could indulge in.
Lunch had not been as pleasant as the sheriff would have
liked, for news arrived that the old Minister was on the mend. The
sheriff’s mind whirled as he knew that if the clergyman recovered
before they could send this waif to her death the laird’s plan to
retrieve the land his father had gifted to the girl’s mother would
be undone or at least made a little harder.

As he
re-entered the cell containing Helen he knew that he needed to step
things up, he need this young woman to give him his confession. To
get it
he was prepared to
leave her in the hands of his hired henchman who was well versed,
as well as, highly recommended in how to obtain such information
from the guilty.

“
Now, are you ready to tell us the truth and admit to the
fact that you are a witch?” The large bulbous sheriff
asked hoping Helen would be ready to
give him what he desired.

“
I have been
telling the truth.”

“
Well you
leave me no other options since you continue with these falsehoods.
I will leave you in the capable hands of my learned friend here,”
at this he turned leaving the large muscular inquisitor with Helen
for he didn’t wish to watch as the man did his unpleasant work. He
didn’t escape her screams as she was beaten, raped, and sodomized
through the afternoon then into the evening by the man and his two
helpers that joined him as the fine gentleman left the
cell.

Finally,
feeling tired, the man left Helen, bloodied naked form to seek out
the sheriff. As he left he promised to return if she still refused
to tell the sheriff what he wanted to hear. Helen just lay where
they had left her, empty in her nakedness no longer caring about
what they might do next.

The inquisitor
felt little for what he had done, it didn’t even bother him when he
found that she was a virgin. It had merely
added to the effect that it had on the girl and to his
enjoyment in the pain he had inflicted; he looked forward to
further testing how much it would take to breaking this wench for
he was sure she still had some inner strength left inside so looked
forward to the joy of taking it from her.

“
Has she
confessed yet?” The sheriff hoped the news would be what he
wanted.

“
I am sure
after tonight she shall yield and give you the confession you
wish.”

“
I see,” the
sheriff was unhappy with this news, “well if she doesn’t then we
shall have to proceed to trial without it.”

“
I shall do my best your honour,” the man bowed low
then made off to get some sustenance
for himself and his companions that he had hired locally to help
him in his godly business.

Helen was
continually woken
, though she
in truth was far from asleep. She was even thankful when at one
stage she was dragged from her cell and her head pushed into a
bucket of water for at least she was able to get a sip to ease her
thirst. She didn’t fight when those hired by the inquisitor to keep
her awake whilst he caught forty wink, forced themselves on her
again knowing that to fight as she had earlier would only lead to
more of a beating.

“
Well, are you ready to confess witch?” The fat sheriff
asked not really caring any longer if she did, just wanting the
whole business over with as speedily as he could. When she refused
to answer he turned to his hired thug,
“clean her up and put some clothes on her; we shall
allow fifteen good men of the parish to judge for themselves her
guilt.”

At that she
found herself doused in water then
she found her gown being forced over her head to hide her
bared flesh and dried blood down her legs. As she pulled the
clothing down to cover her naked battered body she felt her inner
strength renew as she thought maybe now she might find justice and
be allowed to return home.

She soon found
out how wrong she was as s
he
wasn’t allowed to speak in her own defence as the evidence was
presented to the court. The sheriff egged the witnesses to say more
damning things about Helen and her mother with little regard for
truth or justice.

Many had
gathering in the small room used for the court proceedings making
it overly hot for the young tired woman standing in the makeshift
dock. She understood little of the things being said but knew that
it was not good. When she tried once too often for the sheriff to
refute the things she did understand, he ordered her gagged. The
two hired hands at her side happily complied with more force than
was needed tearing the corners of her bruised swollen lips in the
process, her broken jagged teeth hurting all the more.

She didn’t
understand why everyone was so ready to say such wrongs against
her; after all they had known her all of her life. She was one of
the
m, wasn’t she? They had
respected her mother, who had always shown kindness to everyone;
ready to help anyone in needed of it.

When the last
of those called to give evidence against her had testified to how
questionable her ways were, the sheriff began summing up before
sending the jury of fifteen men to deliberate on the
verdict.

“
Gentlemen,
” he began,
“you have known this woman for all of her life as you knew her
mother but I must ask that you put this to one side so you shall
come to a fair and impartial decision.” He let them consider this
for a moment before continuing, “You have heard much to my mind
that would suggest to me that this woman has consorted with the
devil and cast spells to the detriment of many of those here
present. Then there is the fact that we have no knowledge of who
her father was, is it possible we have a seed of the dark lord in
our very midst or that her mother was a loose woman of the lowest
demeanour, to my mind this is indeed most likely. After all you
have heard for yourselves that men had been seen on numerous
occasions going to the witches dwelling. To add to this we have the
statement given by the three women hired to examine the accused for
marks commonly known to be of the devil, used to feed the imps and
demons who plague the common folk of the parish with pains as well
as many other ills of the flesh. I say to you good men of the jury
remember these things as you discuss how you should find this
retched excuse of a woman. Now you may retire to the upper floor to
come to you’re verdict.”

The court
broke up for the jury to come to their decision. After they had
left Helen was taken through the mob, hissing spitting their
hat
red towards her to the
cells below. The time past slowly as she sat in the corner,
awaiting her fate.

The jury was
in no rush to come to their decision as the laird had made sure
food had been laid on for all who had come to see the trial, as
well as the jury. Everyone knew that the laird himself had been
wronged by this witch and her mother casting spells on his father
to obtain money and land they had no right to. But the laird in all
his kindness had not wished to come forward to testify about how
his poor family had suffered in fear of this witch.

It was mid
aftern
oon before the court
reconvened, Helen knew from the gloating glances that things were
not as she hoped. The smell of alcohol seemed to be on all those
near and as she looked around she could see it was not just those
nearby but all present who had been enjoying a jug or two of
claret.