Soul Snatcher (5 page)

“
Annie, I will place you at the door then I must go,”
he said quietly as he approached the manor.

“
You are welcome in this home,” she assured, still hazy
from the pain.

“
I am not quite as sure as you are,” he remarked. She
didn’t understand his comment but she couldn’t concentrate enough
to ask him about it. At the moment all she could think was that she
didn’t want him to go. The pain in her chest was a mere
afterthought.

When he
reached the back door he gently placed her on her feet. She managed
to restrain the whimper trying to escape but not the pain that came
across her face. With careful ease he helped her lean against the
stone wall
of the manor and
didn’t let her go until she seemed steady. He went to knock on the
door.

“
Just a moment, Baden,” she said as she wrapped her
arms around her waist. He paused and looked to her. “Will you come
back?” Her voice seemed to have a different kind of pain amongst it
with her question. A pain not caused by physical wounds but as if
there was somewhere in her soul that hurt to keep him
near.

He could feel
that she almost needed him to come back and it made him feel
guilty.
Why on earth would
she want him to come back? She didn’t even know him. It concerned
him that she seemed to be so careless when it came to her own
safety and who she trusted. He just watched her as she stood there,
waiting…hoping for him to say yes.

The faint
light coming from the manor reached only part of his face and she
tried
desperately to take in
as much as she could.

“
I…” Before he could finish his answer he heard someone
coming towards the door. “I must go.” Then he was gone.

Annie blinked
trying to see if she could see him off in the night but it was too
dark. Before sorrow from his absence could set in Rosemary opened
the door and the light flooded onto Annie. She squinted her eyes
from the bright contrast and winced from the now agony in her
chest.

“
Heavens above, Annie!” Rosemary’s voice conveyed her
horror at the state her friend was in. She grabbed Annie as she
fell through the doorway, trying to hold her up as best she could.
“Micah!” Rosemary screamed into the room.

Micah was
quick to respond and took Annie in his arms. Somehow they didn’t
feel as comforting to Annie as Baden’s arms had. He took her to her
room, which was just off the kitchen. There was a little corridor
with a few rooms which was where the help slept and lived.
Rosemary opened the door for them
and lit a few candles as Micah laid Annie on the bed. It was a
small bed with just one white quilt. The rest of the room was bare
except for a set of small draws, a reading chair and a small
window.

“
I will get some warm water and a wash cloth,” Rosemary
said on her way out. Annie just tried not to focus on the pain as
Micah knelt next to her bed and held her hand.

“
Annie, what happened?” He asked, tears filling his
eyes. She looked over to him feeling guilty for causing his
sorrow.

“
I became impatient waiting for you to come back. I
decided to take a quicker way by going through the graveyard but
someone was there…he attacked me.” She took a moment for a
breath.

“
How did you get away?” Micah asked, disturbed by what
had happened.

“
There was another man who came along and helped me,”
she answered. A lovely man, she thought hazily.

“
Who was he?” Micah asked but she had already passed
out from her pain and exertion.

CHAPTER
3

Annie woke in
her bed. Her ribs were still sore but she was able to breathe more
easily. She heard a noise from the corner of the room and looked to
see what it was.

“
Micah,” she whispered when she saw him. He looked up
from where he sat on the reading chair and closed the book he was
reading. He quickly set it down and rushed to her side, kneeling
beside her bed.

“
How are you feeling?” He asked searching her face for
any signs of pain.

“
Much better than how you found me. How long have I
been asleep?” She asked still trying to wake up.

“
You have slept for almost two days,” Micah sounded
alarmed.

“
What has Miss Danes said?” Annie was concerned about
her reaction, never mind the fact that she was almost
killed.

“
Nothing, just to let you rest,” he assured. Annie felt
relieved and frankly, a little shocked by her compassion. It was so
out of character for Miss Danes. “The physician said you were quite
bruised but nothing was broken. Rosemary has been taking care of
you and I have been minding you.”

“
You both are too kind,” she thanked him.

“
Annie, the man that attacked you was found…” Micah
waited for her reaction. She was a little stunned by what he
said.

“
Where is he?” Annie asked.

“
He is dead.” His words came out rather
blunt.

“
What do you mean? What is going on?” She asked
confused as she tried to think back.

“
He was found it the graveyard…” Micah hesitated on the
next words. He knew Annie was a strong person but he felt the need
to protect her.

“
What, Micah?” She prompted him.

“
He was murdered,” he said in disbelief. Annie’s eyes
narrowed as she tried to remember what she had seen. “Do you
remember anything of the man that helped you?”

“
Uh…” Annie hesitated.

Baden…t
hey thought
Baden did this? She tried to think back to the night in question.
Maybe Baden had killed her attacker? She felt unnerved by the
thought but if he was a murderer then why had he been so kind with
her? She thought the best thing for her to do was tell Micah what
happened. After all, she always told him everything and this now
seemed to be a police matter.

But there was
something insi
de her that
didn’t want to tell so, for reasons she didn’t know, she kept it to
herself.

“I cannot
remember,” she lied. She felt guilty for lying to him but it wasn’t
enough to change her mind. “It was dark and I was in too much
pain.”

Micah’s
eyes
narrowed, in what she thought was suspicion, but he simply nodded
and took her at her word. This made her feel even more guilt but it
didn’t stop her from keeping the information a secret. Rosemary
hurried into the room and closed the door quickly.

“
Annie, are you feeling well enough at the present
time?” She asked standing against the door as if she was blocking
someone from opening it.

“
Yes, I do. Why?” Annie answered with half a smile on
her face at Rosemary’s peculiar stance.

“
Well, Mr. Brighton is here. He sometimes works with
the authorities on investigations and he is here to question you
about the attack.” Rosemary sounded as surprised as she
looked.

“
Well…if he must then he must. Can you help me get
dressed?” Annie asked her. She began to try and sit up but
struggled and Rosemary quickly waved her back down.

“
He said it would be fine if you needed to stay resting
in bed. He can question you in here.” Rosemary walked over and
started helping her sit up against the plain, wooden
bedhead.

“
Alone?” Micah asked sounding utterly
appalled.

“
Yes, Micah! He is working for the police. It will be
fine,” Rosemary assured. She pulled the blankets up around Annie’s
chest and smoothed her hair back to make her a little more
presentable. Annie was internally panicking as she silently
prepared herself for the interrogation.

“
Then why can we not remain in the room?” Micah stood
as if he was ready for battle. Rosemary took him by the arm and
fluttered her other hand about in the air.

“
Stop being so unreasonable, Micah,” Rosemary said as
she pushed him out of the room. She closed the door as if this
would confine him. As she turned to go back to Annie Micah
defiantly stuck his head back in the room.

“
Then I will be outside this door for every moment of
the interview,” Micah announced. Rosemary swept him back out the
door and closed it again, this time it remained closed. She went
and sat on the bed beside Annie.

“
Do no fret. Everything will be fine. After the
interview is over you will be able to go back to your everyday
life,” Rosemary promised her. Annie simply nodded, hoping she would
be able to keep herself together.

As Eli
approached Annie’s room he stopped when he saw Micah waiting
impatiently outside the door.

“
Is Annie fine to take the interview?” Eli
asked.

“
Apparently so,” Micah responded harshly. “I will be
right outside this door if she needs me,” he warned.

Micah seemed
to forget who he was speaking to but Eli wasn’t offended. It
appeared that Micah was just trying to protect Annie and he
couldn’t fault him for that, as long as it was sincere. Eli’s mouth
turned up in a crooked smile suggesting something unspoken and
obscure between them. Rosemary came out of the room and stopped
abruptly when she saw Eli, surprised that he was already
there.

“
She is ready for you now, Mr. Brighton.” Rosemary
moved away from the door to let him past.

“
Thank you,” he said respectfully as he walked into the
room. She closed the door behind him.

“
Why did you close the door?” Micah whispered
agitatedly.

“
Micah, you are simply impossible. Do not interrupt
them,” she warned as she made her way back to the kitchen. He
turned back to the door and stared at it, as if by doing so he
would be able to see through it. Needless to say, it didn’t
work.

Inside the
room Eli stood inspecting Annie from across the space. He pulled
out a little leather notebook from his jacket and a small metal
writing utensil.

“
What is that?” Annie asked curiously, straining to get
a better look. It was hard to see the detail from across the
room.

“
This?” Eli lifted the pen like design for her to see.
She nodded. “I use it to write.”

“
Do you not use a quill?” She wondered, fascinated by
the object.

“
Ink and quill I found tiresome to carry. I based this
off the designs of
a
caliph of the Maghreb, he ruled in
the tenth century. He requested a device to write with in which he
‘could not stain his hands or clothes’. He was given a device where
the ink was in a reservoir residing in the shaft and did not leak
when upside down. Or so the records say.” He pointed to the length
of the pen. “I just refined the design a little.”

“
And what is it made from?” Annie had never seen
anything like it, she was surprised at the detail and research of
the information she was told. She loved learning and she liked how
he was so thorough. The metal was lustrous and reflective like a
mirror but with a shiny, steely-grey colour. Eli smiled a little at
her perceptiveness.

“
It is called Chromium. A type of metal that is strong
but malleable. It is quite a recent discovery, 1797 actually. It
has a few unique uses,” he explained, admiring the
metal.

“
Such as?” Annie was riveted, she took in knowledge
like a sponge soaked up water. He looked to her a little
suspiciously, as if she knew more than she should.

“
Anyone would think I was the one being interviewed.”
He changed the subject smoothly and she became nervous. He pulled
the chair over that Micah had been sitting on and sat close to her
near the bed. He smiled before he spoke. “So tell me what happened,
Annie,” he asked. She swallowed hard from the nerves.

“
Well, I was meant to wait for Micah to come back to
the markets to retrieve me. I became impatient and decided to walk
home. I decided to take the faster way through the graveyard. I
heard someone following me so I ran but they caught up to me. That
is when they attacked me,” she recounted. She tried to list what
happened so she wouldn’t have to give much detail.

“
And what did they do?” Eli asked. So far he hadn’t
written anything but he had his pen poised, ready to
write.

“
He…” Annie paused. She thought it would sound crazy if
she said what the attacker did. Who could throw someone that
far?

“
You can tell me, Annie.” Something in his voice
spurred her on.