Aureole of the Soul
I.
The pheasants fluttered and rose into the air as the horses whinnied and loud screams of jubilation rang out. I walked cautiously by, knowing that if I was even seen near the perimeter I could be killed as a poacher. Any protestations to the contrary would only result in a long drawn out punishment. There was only so much I was willing to do in the name of friendship, and this was pushing it.�Hurry up Paige! We might get to see Lord Ryan�s new hounds!� Bobby called softly from up ahead.
�Why do you want to? They�re just over-priced mongrels.� I said. More pheasants flew out of the underbrush as the beaters started whipping the undergrowth. It sounded like they were getting closer. �And they�ll probably start hunting us instead of the deer.� The clatter of hooves started getting nearer.
�Nah, they�re well-trained. They wouldn�t stray just to chase us!�
Dogs barking in the distance. �Bobby, I really think it would be better if we just went home.�
�Why? Are you scared of Lord Ryan?�
�No...� Bobby smiled smugly as if he knew that I was lying. �I�m scared of that man he brought back from the Crusades.�
�You mean Amir? Yeah, he is pretty off-putting, but he never says anything.�
Then a deer dashed out from the bush in front of us. �Come on, let�s just go.� I whined, pulling on Bobby�s sleeve.
�It was only one deer. I doubt that they�d be...� Galloping, coming this way.
�If you want to stay, you�re welcome to!� I yelled, running in the direction of the village. Soon Bobby followed
�They saw me!� he shrieked. �I�m gonna die!� He stumbled on a tree root and I ran back to get him. Colors among the trees, yellow and black, the colors Amir always wore.
�Get up! We have to keep going!� But the hoof-beats were all around, surrounding us. Amir appeared on his mahogany Arabian mount. His eyes narrowed as he stared at us. I froze, but Bobby started crying hysterically.
�We�re gonna die!� he kept on screaming. I kept my gaze averted from Amir�s face. It was rumored that no smile had ever crossed his lips outside of Lord Ryan�s presence. There was a kind of beauty about him, the kind of beauty that comes from the exotic. No wonder Lord Ryan had no children, legitimate or otherwise. One didn�t have to ask the village priest why...it was pretty obvious. Now his deep brown eyes were centered on us. His hand strayed to his hunting knife and Bobby started crying louder. �Paige, he�s gonna kill us!� he shrieked.
Amir took a long careful look at both of us. Steam smoked out of his horse�s nostrils. I knew he could kill us at anytime, he had done the same to one of the villagers who had killed a deer. His horse�s hooves weren�t just for show.
Minutes passed. Then he gave us one last look and rode off.
In the distance we heard voices, Lord Ryan�s and Amir�s. �Did the stag run that way?� Lord Ryan asked.
�No. I think the tracks lead in the opposite direction.� Amir said in his monotone. The sounds echoed and then dissipated in the distance.
Bobby laid fully down on the ground and started panting. I sat down next to him. �Why didn�t he tell Lord Ryan about us?� he asked haltingly.
�I don�t know. Maybe he�s going to tell him later.� I said, pulling my knees closer to my chest.
The forest receded behind us and Bobby let out a sigh of relief. He patted me on the back. �That�s something to brag about to the other villagers.� he said. I rolled my eyes. Our neighbors would be more likely to turn us in than Amir. Some fields passed by in a flurry of work. Bobby pointed to a hut on the outskirts. �I wonder how the whore and her hell-spawn are getting on?� I followed his finger. The hut was on the outside of the village for a reason. The woman who lived there was renowned for her inclination to part her legs for whoever came to visit, and for the noxious brews that she knew how to make. She also knew a few things about roots and herbs, enough to keep from having more than one child.I saw her son outside patching the thatch on their roof. He was taller than everyone else, which started the rumors that he was a child of the devil. That and the fact that neither of them ever went to church. Their house was generally avoided, except at night. �You honestly believe what the priest says about them? I haven�t seen any evil spirits hovering outside their house.� I said.
Bobby shook his head sadly. �You wouldn�t. Everyone knows that your father is under her sway.� I pushed him off the side of the road.
�He is not! My mother hasn�t been in the grave more than two months, he loved her!�
�My mother says that he should have remarried by now. You two can�t work that land alone forever.� Bobby�s mother was an evil old crone who had an opinion about anything and everything, most of it none of her business. She was on speaking terms with Lord Ryan, which meant that very few crimes went unsolved for long. Of course, Bobby was the apple of her eye and could do no wrong, so he could have gotten away with much more than he actually tried to.
�Let�s go torment her son!� he suggested, �Then you can prove that they have no hold over you!�
I really didn�t want to. Her son, Jay, often glared at me with his piercing hazel eyes when he thought I wasn�t looking. I couldn�t discern what was going on in their depths, and I didn�t want to get on his bad side. But Bobby would probably tell his mother if I didn�t go, and then the whole village would avoid me. �Fine.�
His smile was as evil as his intentions.
�Throw a rock at him!� Bobby whispered. Jay was still oblivious to the fact that we were hiding in the bushes on his left side. Smoke poured out of the chimney as his mother mixed various herbs and vegetation together inside.�No! Why don�t you?!� I hissed. He shrugged and picked up a generous sized rock. I grabbed it out of his hand and replaced it with a smaller one. �You don�t want to hurt him that badly, do you?�
�What�s gotten into you? Has the devil claimed your soul already?� he sneered.
�Aren�t we supposed to be nice to...� I began, but stopped as he threw the rock. It hit Jay in the arm and bounced to the ground. I hadn�t realized that I had given Bobby a sharp rock to throw. Blood started oozing from the wound. But Jay didn�t do anything except turn and look straight at us. He took a step forward, head going down into a demonic slouch, his eyes pinpricks of hatred.
Bobby ran immediately.
I just sat there in dread as he came closer. Closed my eyes as he stood right in front of the bush. Something touched my forehead and I peered up into his face. The frown stayed there a moment, and then dissolved into a slight smile. His hand left my head and then he walked back to his house. I stared after him. Had he just cursed me? My hands went to my forehead, but I could feel nothing except my skin. Stared after him. Before he went inside he smiled at me again. Why did I suddenly feel so naked?