Free All Hallow's Eve by Wendi Sotis Page A

craftsman .
    H is conflicting emotions caused him to speak more forcefully than he had intended , “ Miss Elizabeth, you may be correct in assess ing your level of skill , but I must forbid that you walk alone! ” Seeing anger spark in her eyes, he took a deep breath and purposely softened his tone. “ I am in possession of information that you do not yet have which underlies my violent reaction to your s tating that you would walk alone on the morrow. Please listen to all that I must tell you.
    “ M y parents enlightened me of this news during their visit, and it is the same subject th at I had asked to speak to you about before this day is through. Your grandmother did not feel it wise to tell you the night of the Sanun , fearing that it would overtax your strength . R egrettably, th is duty falls to me. Although I do not wish to alarm you, Miss Elizabeth, you must be told , and the information is most definitely frightening.
    “ It is unclear to me whether it is by design or by chance — or if it is possible that you r identity is already suspect ed — but the Otherworlders have discovered that a man who is Olc will be in the area within a fortnight, in the guise of a l ieutenant in the militia. I grew up with this man, and though h e was never one to be trusted, somehow he has found a way to identify you as the High Priestess . It is feared that t he Olc leader will unleash heinous plan s against you — though no one knows the particulars. ” William paused as he saw Elizabeth’s comp lexion pale . He led her to the tree stump that they had made use of the night of the Sanun .
    Once she reco vered a little, Elizabeth asked, “ Who is it , this leader of the Olc ? ”
    “ T he Otherworlders cannot identify him , but they do know of one who is working with him . His name is George Wickham. ” He almost spat out the name.
    “This is the very reason my family has not outwardly displayed our wealth or connexion . Since the time of Great Evil that we spoke of earlier today, we have been aware that t he living Olc are able to communicate with the wicked souls through rituals of their own, though never in the way that we can during the Sanun . With the help of the dead, t hey have been searching the first circles of society for the High Priestess, assuming the individual most important to our culture would wish all the comforts money could buy. ” She hesitated, her breathing rapid. Her tone was grim as she said . “ I hope you know that I would not cooperate with any of their plans ! I would never … ” unable to finish her thought, she only shook her head and shuddered.
    “ I do not doubt your words , but Miss Elizabeth, ” his tone became very gentle, “ you must understand that if they have you in their possession, they would stop at nothing to convince you to do as they wish . Not one of your acquaintances would be safe , and perhaps others would be in danger as well. No one w ould be free from the threat of harm . ”
    He felt within hi s own breast all of the many emotions that pass ed over Elizabeth’s lovely features before she spoke again. “ Well then, i f they took me, I would not survive very long, Mr. Darcy. ”
    “ No, t hey would undoubtedly keep you safe… ”
    Elizabeth stood and placed her hand on his arm to gain his full attention. “ I do not mean that I would die by the hands of an Olc , sir. If there were no High Priestess , they would have no reason to harm anyone —at least not until the next Destined One was born and grown . ”
    William understood instantly and stiffened . After s tar ing into her eye s for a few tense moments , he nodded. It was necessary to fight back the bile that rose in his throat at her declaration before being able to speak again. “ If something were to happen, I would never forgive myself for not being there to protect you. Please, I beg of you, allow me to meet you at Longbourn and walk with you? Until this threat has passed, you must never be alone