No one could figure out what had happened
to Kyna—the young girl—but from the wounds on her neck they decided it was the
attack of a rabid wolf that had entered the cottage through an open
window. Many believed this theory,
although some found the incident odd and unsettling.
If only they knew, Antha thought.
Kyna’s father had blamed himself for
forgetting the window open, his sunken face unable to speak or eat since the death of his daughter. A knot formed in Antha’s
throat and more than anything she wanted let him know he
wasn’t to blame. But she couldn’t. If she revealed the truth, her sister Áine would be burned at the stake.
The trouble didn’t
end there. Conn hadn’t died and Antha
had been able to attribute his attack by another violent animal. This fabrication served its purpose for the time being. Conn was found at the verge of death but
surprisingly he persevered. Although he
still remained unconscious for long periods of time, he seemed to regain
strength. As the village healer, Antha had
been monitoring him carefully. Per her
orders he was given a daily dose of liquefied bilberries and burdock weed to
detoxify his body. Secretly, she had cast a healing spell, although in her heart there had been very
little hope that the boy would live. When
he didn’t die his family had rejoiced, attributing Antha’s holistic remedies to
his recovery. Antha wanted to believe
this more than anything but she knew something didn't add up. Not only did the boy survive after tremendous
blood loss but his heartbeat had decreased daily until she could barely make it
out—yet he lived. She didn’t share this
detail with anyone, not fully understanding what it meant.
She did know one thing, however; Áine had something to do with this, and the fact that the boy lived despite impossible odds was trouble.
She did know one thing, however; Áine had something to do with this, and the fact that the boy lived despite impossible odds was trouble.
Blood Ties Book One of From Broken Wings is a work in progress. Please subscribe to my site for regular updates and more excerpts. *All creative work, including the excerpt above, belong to the writer, Tamara Rokicki, and cannot be duplicated without her consent.*
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