Free Before by Keeley Smith Page A

You wish she could, just so your precious mother could come
back home. No, Anne hasn’t said anything, in fact she won’t talk to
us about it. Whenever we ask what happened, if she was questioned
or tortured, she drops her head in shame. She could only be shamed
because your mother turned against us, we trusted your family and
you let us down. Your mother has done that to her! Anne is nothing
like the woman she was!”
    She could only shake her head, he couldn’t think this way, she
refused to believe he thought her family would stoop to this.
Without a thought, she lifted her hand to touch his arm and watched
as he stepped back, disgusted by her.
    “ If anything happens to my family because of you and yours,”
his voice became a harsh whisper as he stepped towards her. She
could smell the fresh dirt and the warmth of his body but the
hatred on his face made her quiver with fear. His hand grabbed her
arm and squeezed, hurting her.
    “ I will kill you myself,” he spat.
    She gasped and reared back from him. What had happened to him?
Where was the charming, sensitive Jack she knew and
loved?
    Something snapped inside Cora. All the events that had
happened, Jack’s anger, her mother’s imprisonment, the damage to
her cottage, everything exploded inside her. Her element surged
forward bashing up against Jack.
    “ Oh, you want it this way?” Jack snarled.
    She didn’t reply, she could feel his energy mix with hers but
this time they didn’t sync together, they pushed against the other
in a power struggle. If Jack had questioned her family then she had
every right to question his.
    “ My mother didn’t do anything! I would like to know why your
sister is out of prison. If they found her innocent, why isn’t your
mother with your sister?” She was shouting above the roar of the
wind.
    “ They haven’t figured out how the blood line works yet,” he
snapped.
    “ Has your sister said something which made sure she was free?
Made sure the others were convicted, my mother, your
mother!”
    She realised that what she was saying in the heat of the
moment made more sense than it really should. Was this the
truth?
    “ She wouldn’t do that to my mother!”
    “ Then why is she out!?”
    “ Cora, one day it will come out that your mother is to blame
for our situation and then you will be sorry.”
    She threw the wind at him and watched it punch his stomach,
winding him. “Don’t say that!” she yelled.
    “ I wouldn’t do that again,” Jack whispered, the undertones of
his voice dripping with a heated anger. “You could get
hurt.”
    She let the wind go and watched as it hit Jack in his
shoulder. The impact made him wince but he remained standing, their
powers were equally matched. She knew he could take what she gave
him.
    As she lifted her hands to throw another burst of power at
him, her feet were lifted from the ground. She flew back with her
hands flailing in the air before she hit the dirt, hard. Her back
screamed in pain, the bones jarring as they hit.
    She quickly stood up, ignoring the throbbing pain. Gathering
her breath, she stalked towards Jack.
    “ You will be sorry you ever crossed me!” she snapped
angrily.
    “ I’m sorry that I ever knew you!”
    With those words, Jack stormed back into the cottage. This was
the second time he’d walked away from her, but this time she wanted
him to. She clenched her fists and stomped back home.

10
    25 th December 1611
     
     
    She’d heard no word from Jack. She hadn’t expected to, but
she’d hoped. Hope was such a deadly thing, over the course of
recent months it had been her constant companion. She knew what had
happened between them was bad, the words spoken in anger, the use
of their powers, but they hadn’t been used to intentionally hurt
each other. Again, she hoped this was the case. Although, she
couldn’t deny that at the time she had wanted to punch him. How
could he be so pig headed? So sure that her family were to blame
for this entire mess?