Redemption, M J Marlow [best way to read ebooks TXT] 📗

made her move. She sent Marit back to the other room and made her lie down on the bed and then enjoyed the pampering she received in her new body.

*
Marit opened her eyes and wondered why she was seeing nothing but a blur over her eyes. Her body felt strangely light and she remembered having the children. Where were they now, she wondered as she tried to sit up and found that she could not move? She raised her arms and heard the rattling of chain. What was wrong? Why would she be shackled after having her children? She opened her mouth to call for help and heard only a muffled noise. She heard someone coming towards her and they removed a gag from her mouth and helped her sit up.
“Where am I?” Marit cried and then froze as she heard another’s voice coming out of her throat. “What’s going on?”
“Quiet, witch!” Berta’s voice sounded in her ear. “You’re not to speak, not to move; until the king is ready to stand judgment on you.”
“Berta, please…” Marit’s protests were stilled as the healer forced the wine down her throat. “Listen to me! Please…”
“Quiet, witch!” Berta snapped and put the gag back into Marit’s mouth. “You won’t be casting any spells on anyone here. Despite your attack, the princess has had her children. You won’t be getting your foul hands on her or them.”
Marit shook her head in denial. This wasn’t happening to her. They thought she was the witch. But she was still herself; she was not the girl claiming to be her sister. A horrifying thought crossed her mind and she went ballistic. If the witch changed bodies with her, then she would be free to hurt the babies, to hurt her family. And no one would know! She had to get free of these bonds, her mind screamed. She fought the sedative but she could feel herself weakening. She heard her tormentor’s mind in hers, laughing in triumph.
“Just enough to keep her docile, Berta,” Margarete’s voice spoke up as the strange numbness settled on Marit. “There is no need to damage her unduly. She is my lord’s bastard daughter, after all.” The woman muttered and the door opened and closed. The blindfold came off and Marit blinked as light struck her eyes. Margarete removed the gag and helped Marit drink some water. “Hello, Reyma.”
“Not…Reyma,” Marit protested. “Please…listen…”
“What is this?” Margarete asked as the door opened again.
“The witch wants us to think she is not herself, my lady,” Berta told Margarete. “She acted all confused and afraid when she last woke.” She shook her head as Margarete looked thoughtful. “It’s a trick, my lady. Meant to lull us into her clutches.”
“She was such a beautiful child, Berta,” Margarete said sadly. She reached out to stroke Marit’s hair and Marit stiffened as she saw silver in her mother’s hands. “She used to spend hours with me, learning how to embroider.” She dropped her hand. “But that was before my sister took her for training. Amabet destroyed this lovely child with her foul ways.”
“Mother….”
“Your mother is dead, Reyma,” Margarete broke in coldly. “She enchanted the north men into attacking Tavin. He nearly died from that foul attack. Tavin killed her before he fell.” She clamped her hand on Marit’s throat. “You are going to tell us where you took him; what you did to Susa and Taryn. And then you are going to follow her.”
“No,” Marit whimpered, refusing to believe her own mother would do something so cold. “Please…”
“You had your chance to be free of her, Reyma,” Margarete broke in, putting the gag back in place. “Why did you have to follow her lead?” She looked at Berta. “I am going to see my daughter now, Berta.” She put the blindfold back on Marit. “You are a brave woman to sit with her.”
“She’s just a little witch,” Berta sniffed. “Nothing I can’t handle.” The door opened and closed and Marit knew her mother was gone. “Now, sweet princess,” Berta’s cold voice sounded in her ear. “You are going to listen and do exactly as I tell you. Or your sister is going to harm your pretty children, and your loving family. Do you understand me?” Marit nodded and the woman smiled. “Then you are not going to try to alert anyone to your true self again. I am going to give you something to keep you mute, and remove the gag.”
Marit nodded and Berta removed the gag. She helped Marit sit up and gave her something to drink. Soup, Marit recognized the taste as one of the Cook’s best broths. Very filling, very nourishing. Her own body was probably receiving much the same. Berta took the empty cup away and wiped her mouth. She helped Marit up onto her feet and took her to the bathing chamber. She was bathed and given new clothing to wear and then left sitting by the balcony. It was a beautiful day and she wished she could be enjoying it, but every eye that came her way quickly glanced away and there were several who signed against evil. There was a knock on the door and Berta blindfolded her and put her in a chair.
“Your lordship? What?”
Marit heard a thud and knew Berta was down from the pain she was feeling. She got to her feet and backed away from a source of intense anger. The next moment a fist struck her jaw and she collapsed to her knees. Then two hands clamped around her throat and she was gasping for air. She tried to fight, but her wrists were bound. She was relegated to kicking at whoever was trying to kill her. And then the attacker was pulled off of her and she fell to the floor, gulping in air and using her talent to heal Berta and then herself. She lost consciousness then and missed the conversation playing out around her.
“What am I doing here?” Edmund’s voice sounded puzzled from nearby. “In here with that!”
“You tried to kill her, Edmund,” Marius’ voice sounded. “You knocked Berta aside and started to strangle the girl.” He put his hand on Edmund’s shoulder. “I know you’re angry at her, Edmund; we all are, but she is the only one who can lead us to Tavin and his father, and Marit’s friend, Susa. We need her alive.”
“I did what?” Edmund shook his head in denial. “I would never… No matter how angry I was.”
“She must not want us to find her prisoners,” Lorenz’ voice chimed in. “So she reached out to the most vulnerable mind and put the compulsion on him. It would appear our little witch is more powerful than we realized. The blindfold and gag are useless.”
“We have to find some way to convince her that she needs to help us,” Marius frowned. “But what could we say. She took them because she wanted to hurt us. She’s not going to give them back simply because we ask nicely.”
“You could remind her that if she doesn’t cooperate,” Edmund said coldly, “she is under an execution order.” He looked over at Marit. “This creature surely would wish to remain alive.”
“You just saw what she had you doing, Edmund,” Lorenz replied. “Why would she change her mind now?”
“Marit is my wife now,” Edmund suggested. “If she cooperates, she can keep Tavin.”
“You would sacrifice your wife’s cousin?”
“To save my wife and children? Damn right!” He rose to his feet. “We would have a chance to get Taryn and Susa back. Then we could go after Taryn.” He looked around the room. “If it were your family, would you not be willing to be a witch’s slave a little longer to get them to safety?”
The men came to some agreement and Marit found herself being wakened and the blindfold removed. She backed away as she saw the anger in their eyes. They were in dead earnest about hurting her if she tried anything. They put a cloak on her and led her out of the room and down into the courtyard. They put her on a horse and tied her ankles to the stirrups of the saddle. Marit grabbed the pommel as they rode off; her, Lorenz, Martyn, and about twenty other of her father’s men. They did not stop until night was beginning to fall. Lorenz yanked her off the horse and staked her chains to the ground.
“Berta has given us drugs to keep you powerless, witch,” he said as he sank down on a fallen log near her, “so you know to behave. Right?” Marit nodded and lowered her head. She had never seen this man so angry, and she was terrified. He thought she was someone else; someone who had harmed someone he cared about. He would hurt her if he thought it necessary. “Good.” He took a cup that Martyn brought over and held it to her lips. “We are going to sedate you at night so you can’t pull anything. During the day, you will be leading us to where you took Tavin and the others. Is that clear?” Marit nodded again and he helped her drink the soup. “You’re such a pretty creature. Why do you have to be so evil?”
Marit sank down on the blankets he tossed down for her and he covered her. She watched him move away, her eyes filling with tears. This was worse than anything she had experienced before. These men would not hesitate to hurt her. All men she loved and admired. How was she supposed to find Tavin for them? She was not Reyma. She had no idea where Reyma had taken her prisoners. She tried to start getting a sense but the sedative worked quickly and she collapsed. Sometime in the middle of the night, she felt a hand on her thigh. She could not wake as her attacker raped her; could not open her eyes to see who her rapist was. When morning came, she could barely stand from the blows he had rained down on her. Lorenz frowned as she winced when he helped her stand and then he took a good look and saw the bruising. He called Martyn over and the man frowned. The rest of the guard was questioned but not one of them could attest to who it might have been. Marit could tell some of them really didn’t care. She was a witch, did that not also mean that she was a slut?
“If any man here so much as touches the girl to help her as she stumbles and it leaves a bruise,” Martyn said in a voice that had them all snapping to attention, “I will beat them bloody. Is that clear?” He turned to Marit and held her by the elbows, searching her eyes. “Were you untouched before this, child?” Marit nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks and he hissed. “Damn! Someone is going to pay for that affront!”
Marit was so battered she could not ride and it slowed them down as they took turns holding her in front of them. No one wanted to touch her for long, or in the wrong way. They were afraid of her, afraid of Martyn. Marit did not blame them. She was not lying when she had told Martyn Reyma was a virgin. Her sister had not had relations with a man yet. And that made her wonder. She had Tavin; so why hadn’t she made him mate with her? She put her mind to finding Tavin, or Taryn, or Susa and a faint trace led them north. The touch grew stronger as they continued north until they came to a farmstead where a farmer was giving a mug to a familiar figure. Taryn