Escape from the Witch Hunters
Chapter 25

“Morning.” Ryia yawned and got up. Kate and Ben had given them the extra room to sleep in, it had one bed, and Gillian insisted upon sleeping on the floor with his lone blanket.

“Uh-huh.” Gillian stretched, stood up, and folded his blanket, setting it on the bed. “I smell breakfast.”

“Yep.” she nodded and ran her hands down her dress, trying to smooth out the wrinkles. “I think this dress has seen better days.”

“Probably.” Gillian agreed. “But it doesn’t matter. It didn’t cost much anyway.”

Ryia sighed. She wished she didn’t have to be gallivanting off into the woods, sleeping in the dirt, getting stains on it and all of that.

“Ready to make a show?” Gillian offered Ryia his hand with a playful smile.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” she held onto his arm. “How many more days till we hit Carenthia?”

“Probably two or so. Possibly more.” he opened the door and all sorts of smells wafted into the room.

Only a few more days till he goes back to his home, she thought remorsefully. She almost wished that it would take longer to get to Carenthia.

“Good morning!” Caroline hopped off of her chair, ran to Ryia, and wrapped her arms around Ryia’s knees.

“Good morning.” Ryia patted Caroline’s head and the three of them walked back to the table.

Kate and Ben each exchanged “good mornings” and they sat down to eat breakfast.

“So after this you’ll be going?” Ben asked Gillian.

“Yep.” he answered.

“You’re welcome to stay longer if you need to. I’m sure that Caroline wouldn’t mind.” he ruffled her hair.

“Daddy! You’re messing up my hair.” she batted his hand away.

“You’re rubbing off on her, Kate.” Ben shook his head and smiled at his wife.

“Good.” Kate grinned. “Better that I rub off on her than you.”

“Could be true.” Ben noded in agreement.

Ryia smiled at the couple and their playful bickering. She wondered what her mother would have been like if she had a husband.

“We’d love to stay longer,” Gillian told them, “but we’ve got to get going.”

“Where are you going?” Kate asked. “If I may be so bold.”

“We’re headed to Carenthia.” Gillian informed her. “Starting our new life in Carenthia.”

He looked at Ryia and gave her hand a squeeze. “Isn’t that right, Darling?”

She looked at him and nodded. “Starting fresh in a new land.”

My heart can’t skip that many beats. It’s not healthy, she took deep breaths, trying to keep her heart from beating erratically.

They continued eating breakfast, occasionally making polite conversation about this, that, and the other thing.

“Well Ryia and I should really get going.” Gillian stood up from the table.

Ryia wiped her mouth with the cloth provided her and stood up next to Gillian.

“I don’t want you to go!” Caroline latched onto Ryia’s legs.

Ryia smiled at the darling little girl. “Maybe I can visit you sometime.”

“Promise?” Caroline kept her hold on Ryia.

Ryia looked at Gillian. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to visit you. If it’s alright with Kate and Ben anyway.”

Kate and Ben nodded enthusiastically. “You’re welcome here anytime. If you can’t replace a place in Carenthia, just come back here and Kate and Ben will take care of you.”

“Thank you.” Ryia smiled.

“Thanks for everything.” Gillian said and handed Ben some coins. “Will that cover it?”

Ben’s eyes went wide. “Of course it will. With this, you’re welcome here anytime!” he laughed.

Gillian grinned. “Thank you. We’ll have to take you up on your offer.”

Ryia mentally scoffed. They weren’t coming back here anytime soon.

“I’ll escort you to the door.” Ben walked in front of them and led them out the door and onto the porch. “I’ll get your horse.”

He hopped down the steps and went to his barn. After a minute he reappeared with Red. “Here you are.”

He handed the reigns to Gillian.

“Goodbye.” Gillian started to walk down the steps.

“Wait!” Caroline came out the front door. “Will you do something for me?”

“Sure.” he waited on the step.

“Do you promise?” she inquired.

He wrinkled his forehead. “I promise.”

“Kiss Ryia.” she giggled evilly. “On the lips.”

Gillian’s eyes went wide and his smile dropped.

Ryia almost fell over and she grabbed onto the railing on the steps to keep her balance.

“Well? Do it!” Caroline crossed her arms.

Ryia’s heart pounded in her ears.

Gillian grabbed Ryia’s arm, pulled her close to him and closed the space between them.

Ryia was stunned for a moment, but not wanting to feel awkward she closed her eyes.

She was paralyzed where she was. Weak in the knees and very uncomfortable.

This isn’t right, Ryia thought but she couldn’t do anything about it even if she had wanted to.

Gillian did not seem to be affected with the same dizzy spell that Ryia had seemed to have caught.

Ryia held onto his arms, as her legs felt like jelly.

He pulled away, giving her an apologetic, sheepish smile; his cheeks very pink, looking almost like an overripe strawberry.

Caroline giggled.

“Caroline.” Kate scolded. “You and I are going to have a talk later.”

“But they’re married!” she told Kate exasperatedly. “They’ve already kissed before.”

Gillian didn’t bother to correct her.

Kate sighed. “Well, it was wonderful having you both! Have a safe journey.”

“Thank you.” Gillian coughed awkwardly.

He helped Ryia onto Red and hopped on after her.

“Goodbye!” the family waved.

Ryia didn’t trust her voice and just waved goodbye.

You’re a horrible person, Gillian, he scolded himself.

They had ridden all day and hadn’t come across any farmhouses and so they were forced to battle the elements.

Ryia barely talks to you anymore. She feels awkward, he sighed, but it was probably the only chance I’d ever get to kiss her. Is it so wrong to kiss my own wife?

When you’re going to be abandoning her in a day or two, then yes.

He knew that it would complicate things. But it had been his only chance. And he took it. He didn’t regret kissing her. He only regretted that he would have to leave her.

Admit it, you know you’ve fallen for her charm, her wit, her entrancing eyes, he lay on his back, looking up at the stars. You’ve fallen in love with her. And there isn’t a thing you can do about it.

He looked over at her sleeping form. There was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.

“Well this is it.” they both sat on Red, right before the bridge that separated Norcliffe and Carenthia.

Another day had passed between them and now they had come to Carenthia. It was only a little bit longer until they would part.

“It looks...big.” she noted. “And scary.”

“You’ll be fine.” he urged Red forward and they crossed the bridge. When they reached the end of the bridge, there stood a man in a knight’s armor, taking the toll from the travelers. “Who goes there?”

“Peaceful travelers.” Gillian answered and grabbed some coins out of his money bag, tossing them at the man.

Two of the guards blocking the way off of the bridge pulled up their lances so that Gillian and Ryia could pass.

“You’re safe.” Gillian said quietly. “The witch hunters can’t get reach you here.”

Ryia was relieved, and yet she wasn’t glad. She knew that she should have been. But being safe, meant that Gillian would leave her. And she wasn’t ready for that yet.

They kept riding, and before long they made it to a small village. There, Gillian asked around, seeing if anyone was looking for a girl like Ryia.

They both asked around for the better part of the day, and finally, when the sun was about to go down, they found what they were looking for.

“Here we go.” Gillian held out a poster. “This might work. It says: Mr. and Mrs. Nolan are looking for a replacement daughter. As their own daughter, Daisy, died from pneumonia last winter. Payment is housing and food. Must be willing to work. Cannot be a cranky person. Cannot be older than twenty.”

He held it up for Ryia to see. “It practically spells your name.”

“I guess I’ll do that, then.” she agreed.

They mounted Red and headed east, where the farmhouse supposedly was.

They were riding for over an hour when Gillian saw a farmhouse come into view. It was fairly big, it had whitewashed walls, a picket fence, and a white, fluffy, and barking dog.

“This looks about right.” he rode into the yard and helped Ryia off of the horse.

“Who’s there?” a voice called out from the house.

“A possible job applicant.” Gillian answered and together they walked to the doorway, Red tailing them.

“Leonora! Come quick! I think we’ve found a daughter.” a man, probably in his sixties, appeared and greeted Ryia and Gillian. “How are you? Won’t you come in? I’m Burtly, and my wife here,” a woman with graying hair appeared beside Burtly, “is Leonora. But I sometimes call her Nora.”

“I’m Gillian, and this is Ryia.” he introduced himself.

“Ahh, well we were only looking for a daughter. Not a son as well.” Burtly scratched the back of his neck. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine,” Gillian assured him, “I wasn’t looking for a job anyway. So will Ryia be alright?”

Burtly looked at Leonora. “What do you think dear?”

“I think she’s a lovely girl.” she looked at Ryia almost as if she were her own daughter. “We’ll take her.”

“Alright.” Gillian nodded.

“We’ll give you two a few moments.” Burtly sensed the tension between the two youngsters and he and Leonora retreated to the front door.

“I guess this is it.” Gillian turned to Ryia.

She nodded, afraid that if she spoke, she would start crying..

“I’ll be going back to Norcliffe then.” he trailed off. “Goodbye Ryia.”

“Goodbye, Gillian.” she looked up into his piercing blue eyes.

They stood there for a minute, neither one saying anything.

“I’ll miss you.” Ryia wrapped her arms around Gillian. The dam broke and her tears fell. “I can’t do this, Gillian. I can’t do it by myself. I want to go back with you.”

It almost broke Gillian to have to leave her by herself. “I have a curse, and you’re wanted.” he held her tightly before letting go. “I have to go.”

Gillian was glad it was dark out so she couldn’t see his eyes get wet.

Ryia watched him get onto Red and ride away, back to the neighboring village.

She turned back to the house.

“Was that your brother?” Leonora asked.

Ryia shook her head. He was much more than just her brother.