Page 24 of Sins of the Stone

Ursulette

T he blur of exhaustion was glossed across Ursulette’s eyes as she rolled out of bed. Ramuz was snoring lowly beside her. She gave his sleeping form a soft smile, patting his muscular arm before her feet hit the floor. He sucked in a low breath, but he didn’t stir.

Over the past few weeks or so and since abandoning her people, she actually thought she was starting to feel better—dare she say normal? The pangs of worry and the acidic, boiling feeling in her stomach were fading more as the days went on.

She hoped that in a few more weeks, she would return to who she was before the village was returned to the earth. Then, she and Ramuz could move on. The trauma would take a backseat, and they could live a happy life free of persecution. That was all she really wanted. She saw that now.

Her feet dragged along the floor as she exited their bedroom, giving Ramuz one last glance before crossing the threshold. He looked so peaceful while he slept. One day, she wished to achieve such tranquility.

After that, she pressed her knuckles to her eyes and yawned as she made her way to the kitchen, ready to relight the fire. Ursulette thought about how much she missed the summer, and she hoped the warm few months they experienced would return this year. It would be nice not to shiver when going outside for once.

As she made her way to the living room, a strange noise caught her attention, and she pulled her hands away from her face. Just then, a startling chill crawled down her spine as the sharp feeling of a knife to her throat and a presence behind her ripped her from her groggy state. It was a feeling she hoped never to experience, but it was all too familiar. Her heart skipped as she felt a warm body press against her.

“Don’t scream.”

She recognized that voice. It was a sound that tormented her for so many years. One she hoped never to hear again—if only life was such a blissful dream. But this world was not so kind as it had proved before, and this was no storybook. Happy endings didn’t always happen in real life—she knew that well enough already.

Omar’s mouth pressed to the side of her face, his leer gazing down at her with pure malice. His warmth made her skin crawl as she wanted to separate herself from his grasp, but the silver shine against her pale neck held her in place better than any binds.

“I knew you were up to something,” he spat. “I just didn’t realize it was so… disgusting. ” There was one burning question on her mind, and she decided to speak it, praying that it would not be the last words that came from her lips.

“How did you find me?”

“Strange footprints in the mud and a bit of wandering,” he said. “I knew you weren’t as smart as you claimed to be.” The knife never moved from its place against her. “You chose a monster over me?”

Ursulette’s fists curled. She wondered if breaking the law was his real motivation. Or perhaps it was love, romance, or a choice. Would jealousy instead of sin cause her death? Now was not the time to be shy. She knew the consequences of his desperation.

“I would choose anyone over you,” she hissed.

“You’re fucking it, aren’t you?”

No words came from her lips, but the bright pink coloring of her face said it all. His eyes lowered in an expression of pure hate.

“I should execute you right here and now for your unlawful, filthy behavior, monster lover,” he said. Just as he spoke, the blade pressed harder against her flesh, making her cry out .

“Don’t—” Before she could scream more, he slapped a hand over her mouth and forced the edge to her cheek, opening her skin and exposing the red flesh below. Beads of crimson dripped down as her muffled cries turned to whimpers. A tear fell down her face, and a drop of blood followed.

“If you wake it, you’ll never take another breath,” he hissed. “There are people outside who will come slaughter the two of you if you scream.” Defeated, Ursulette nodded, and he reluctantly removed his hand from her mouth. The only sound she could hear was Ramuz’s low snore, indicating that he was not coming to her rescue. Her heart shattered, terrified and pondering what horrors he had planned.

Before she could ask, Omar stuffed the blade into his pocket and pulled out a coil of rope. Without a sound, he seized her wrists before binding her hands. Never before had Ursulette felt so hollow. Once he was done, he pointed to a chair in the kitchen, and she obeyed his command.

While she sat with her eyes on the ground, Omar began to rifle through their home. He made it to a side table, scooped up the extra paper and quills they had taken from the village, and brought them to her so that she could see what he was writing.

Come to the village if you want to save your woman.

The words were poignant, sharp, and to the point. There was nothing left to interpret, and she dreaded to think about the journey back and what would happen when each of them arrived. And then, once they were together, they would be reunited until death ripped them away and joined them again. Her stomach fluttered.

With that, Omar pinned the paper to the table with a dagger and then pulled her to the door. Once it was open, he shoved her through it, pushing her to the ground in front of a crowd of people. A group that she once lived among. She fell to the earth as a cloud of dirt plumed around her. One man with a milky eye looked up at her assailant.

“What’s going on?” he questioned. Omar pointed down at her as she pulled herself to her knees.

“She is unclean and must be punished for her sins,” he said, stepping down from the porch. A whisper flew through the crowd as Ursulette felt her throat tighten.

“We will lure the monster back so he can be bound in chains and easier to manage,” he said. “It probably led the siege against our village. And she—” he pointed to Ursulette as she brought herself to her feet, “—has been fraternizing with it .”

“That’s not true!” she exclaimed. “We had nothing to do with it! We have just been living our lives—”

“The monster lover speaks only lies.” Omar cut her off. “Do not believe a word that comes out of her defiled mouth.” Ursulette clamped her jaw shut as tears welled in her eyes. Dread filled her body. Truly, this was a nightmare. The thing she feared most of all was finally coming true. No, not the return of the demons or the desolation of the village. It was her and Ramuz’s death at the hands of the people she once called her own.

* * *

Because of their slow pace, it took them a handful of days to return. Ursulette felt her body trembling with the weakness of starvation. She never realized how rotten hunger made you feel until she was drowning in it.

Finally, they approached the ruins of the village. She felt the memories of her first visit after the carnage creep up, and she bit down on her tongue to suppress tears. The image of the cradled child and mother was seared into her memory like a brand, puckering and scarring the inside of her eyes like a festering wound. And Omar was so cruelly ripping open the scab like the heartless monster he was. But Ursulette knew better than to assume he lacked a heart. His heart was the reason all of this was happening.

They passed the broken gargoyle statue before continuing on. She was disappointed to see that none of the corpses had been buried. They were still there, without a proper resting place and rotting in the warming sun. Her throat closed up again like another round of tears was coming as the thick stench of death clouded the air, along with a swarm of buzzing insects. She stepped over a charred, blackened body and suppressed a scream.

They finally reached the village’s center and stopped in front of the gallows, making Ursulette’s heart skip. She hoped that she would have a chance to talk them out of it, but she feared that they were more interested in seeing her swing from a rope than hearing the desperate pleas of someone Omar deemed a sinner.

A familiar tapping noise and uneven footsteps caught her attention as she pulled her head up, seeing Giles wobbling over hastily on his injured leg. His face held a concerned expression on it.

“Ursulette, what is going on?” he said with an ache in his voice. His furry brow was pinched as his eyes scanned the group. Ursulette opened her mouth to speak, but Omar cut her off before the words left her lips.

“She is associating with a creature in a sinful manner. It contributed to the destruction of our village. It’s best to let me handle this,” he said sternly. Giles looked at her, almost looking more hurt than anything. Knowing that he may have felt betrayed by her actions broke her heart. She hoped he did not believe Omar’s lies over her own words.

“Is this true, Ursulette? That he contributed to our demise?”

Her face burned. She was slightly grateful that he did not mention the sinning aspect. Even so, this was not a pleasant conversation, especially with the nooses swinging in the wind just over his shoulder, taunting her.

“That’s not true. I promise you that. I—”

“Do not listen to what she says, Giles,” he said. “You are na?ve if you do. She had relations with it. That should tell you the nature of her character.” Omar stepped between them, his eyes dark, like his gaze would control everyone around him. It was only because he was the only one uninjured. If others were healthy, they could overthrow him.

“Ursulette…” Giles couldn’t seem to find the words to speak. She felt her misery flare into rage, thinking of how they had done nothing wrong. Despite that, the threat of death hung over their heads.

“That doesn’t matter! I swear to you, he saved me, and he had nothing to do with the siege.” Giles’ eyes were burning into hers, and she only hoped he would hear her heart. “He is only angry because of jealousy! Please believe me, Giles…”

Omar spun around, balling his fist and striking her in the face. Ursulette cried out and stumbled backward, unable to defend herself with her bound hands. A tear fell into the slice on her cheek and made it burn with her sadness.

“Shut up, whore!” Omar roared. Giles looked at him with a stern expression.

“I think this level of violence is unnecessary, Omar,” he said. Ursulette’s heart skipped as she saw Omar wrap his hand around the hilt of his sword and draw it from its sheath. She gasped as he held it out in front of him, pointing it directly at Giles.

“Do you hear her lying tongue? She does not speak the truth!” he snarled. “Perhaps I shall strike you down for aiding her.” Ursulette’s heart jumped again, and without thinking, she stepped between.

“Stop it!” she cried. “I don’t want all this trouble because of me. Just get it over with if you think you can.” In all honesty, she wasn’t sure Omar had the guts. How could he slaughter a helpless woman? It was just another layer added to his cowardice. But madness sometimes drove people to do rash things, like killing those perceived as sinners.

“No, not yet. Not until he realizes his human is missing and comes to rescue her,” he said, a sinister smile creeping across his face. “If you can atone for your sins, you will be spared.” Ursulette lowered her eyes at him.

“And my gargoyle? Will you spare him?”

“I wouldn’t even consider it.”

“I will not!” she snapped, feeling her anger bubbling again. Omar sheathed his sword, returning her steely expression.

“Fine, have it your way. Sit in jail and rot until we are ready to execute you.” Once again, the storm of emotion she was holding inside unleashed, and she felt her vision blur with anguish. She saw Giles watching in awe and horror when she attempted to wipe them away on her shoulder.

With that, Omar dragged her away. Her shoe caught on a raised stone on the ground, and she stumbled. He used the opportunity to push her further until they reached the previously unoccupied jail. The far half was crumbled and burned, but a cell or two was still fully functioning and ready to contain her. The sun was poking through various holes in the roof and walls, many of them there well before the siege. It had been a long time since using it was necessary.

Omar pried open one cell as the door screamed on its hinges. Scraps of rust flaked off into the ground as he shoved her through the opening, making her stumble over the uneven, hay-covered ground. Once she regained her footing, she whipped around with rage creased in her expression.

“Maybe you will change your mind, Ursulette. I still believe you can be saved, even if you refuse,” he said, wandering behind her and pressing a blade through the ties keeping her bound. She pulled her wrists free and rubbed them, realizing how raw they were from the bite of the rope.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes,” he said, stepping in front of her and brushing a stray hair behind her ear. All she wanted to do was beat him to a bloody pulp, but she couldn’t find the strength between the grumbling in her stomach and her reeling emotions. “If you get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness in front of everyone, perhaps I will spare you for your sins.” She raised her arm and flicked his hand away.

“Burn in hell.”