Free The Woman Inside by Autumn Dawn

immediately went to the front window and took the silver hair sticks there. She
handed the long, crystal topped sticks to the shop girl. “I’ll take these,
please.”
    The girl smiled. “Madam is decisive. Is there anything else you would like
today?”
    “A locket. Something inexpensive, if you have it.”
    “Like this?” The girl opened an unseen drawer and removed a simple silver
locket on pretty ribbon.
    “Just like that.” Ceylon smiled and handed her the money.
    She opened the door and stepped outside just in time to hear, “Who let the
dogs out?” Instantly she was transported back to her childhood.
    “Who let the dogs out?” Eville called as she walked by. The other boys
snickered.
    Ceylon quickened her step and pretended she hadn’t heard as they followed
her.
    “Hey, dung face! I’m talking to you!”
    “Woof, woof!”
    The sound of boyish laughter, different but no less cruel, returned her to
the present. She saw a girl, her head down and steps quick, scurry past. Worse,
she realized that Raven was laughing with the others.
    “Raven!” she snapped.
    He whipped around, surprised to see her. “Mistress Ceylon! I--”
    Her cold words were for him, but she directed her gaze to the overgrown bully
boys haunting the saddle maker’s next door. “Only a child with a small heart
mocks those weaker than himself.”
    The laughter stopped as the boys directed uncertain looks at their leader, a
large youth with an evil pinch between his eyes.
    “Who are you, his mother?” The youth spat on the ground. His followers nudged
each other as they followed the exchange.
    Her carriage at its most regal, for she refused to cowed by this insolent
boy, she told him with chill calm, “He doesn’t need one, for he’ll grow to be
more of a man than you will ever be.”
    The lad stood rooted to the ground, an incredulous expression on his face as
she turned on her heel and walked away.
    “Mistress--” Raven began as he hurried after her.
    She didn’t want to hear it, was far too upset to listen to his excuses.
Without looking at him, she said, “Her face will clear, she’ll learn to tame
that hair and curves will replace her lack. She’ll grow up to be a beauty, and
all she’ll remember of you is a rude lad who hurt her feelings.”
    Raven seemed to be struggling for words, but he didn’t think of what to say
before they’d entered the inn and reached her room. No longer caring how much
noise she made, Ceylon slammed her door and tossed her purchases on the bed. The
pulse in her temples throbbing, she retrieved her herb kit and unrolled it while
the fury in her mind kept her too animated to think.
    Once it was open, she selected a very special vial and carefully uncapped it,
mixing it with a little liquid from another vial, just enough to make a dough.
This she quickly rolled into a ball, pinching it to flatten it. When it was done
she placed it in the locket and quickly washed her hands, tossing the water out
the window. With hands that hardly trembled, she lifted the locket and fastened
the ribbon around her neck. The metal nestled chill between her breasts.
    No matter what happened, she would never suffer another thing at Eville’s
hands.

    “What is this?” Uric held up a tiny blue vial to the light. Ceylon had given
one to each of them.
    Ceylon pushed her dinner plate away and took a large swallow of wine. She had
her hair up tonight, and her crystal tipped hair sticks winked at him. There was
nothing flirtatious in her manner, however, as she told him, “I have a
substance, that when swallowed, will make a body seem as if it is dead. If the
antidote is not given in time, the subject will, in fact, die. That is the
antidote.”
    His eyes narrowed. “Why would you give this to us?”
    She exhaled heavily. “Accidents happen. In the remote chance that I should be
captured by Eville, I would rather he thought I was dead and leave my body by
the road than ... the