Chapter Eight
Sitting cross-legged on his bed and looking around the camp, Aaron was haunted by the overwhelming sight of Bethan’s home without her. This was his first night alone since his parents had been taken and he felt lost without the friend that he had been so lucky to make; she had helped him achieve so much and yet he had simply let her be taken from him like his mother and father were.
It was strange how close he felt to Bethan, despite only knowing her for around a week. Now that he was sat without her in her camp, Aaron felt as if someone had taken away a huge piece of his heart – he hadn’t realised how much she meant to him.
He held Linchester’s diary tightly in his arms and tried to remind himself of how it was going to set his parents free and rid the area of the cheating liar that he had discover the Lord to be. But even that thought wouldn’t repair the one that kept screaming in his brain: there’s a chance that he would never get to see Bethan again.
Not allowing the tears that clouded his eyes to fall, Aaron lay on his bed to try to fall asleep and wait for the next day, but it was hard when all he wanted was to go back to the day before and stop what happened from happening again. He stroked the diary with his fingertips and made a clear decision to return to the town the next day and do what he knew Bethan would tell him to do if she was there with him, attempt to gather as much information as he could as to the best time to reveal the diary’s secrets to the world.
*
Morning broke and, as per usual, the forest’s birds began to chirrup and sing as though nothing was wrong. When Aaron had first woken had almost believed them… until he remembered what had happened the day before and why he felt so miserable.
As he had woken so much earlier than the rest of the town, the streets were extremely quiet and almost deserted as he walked through them looking for any useful information. Glancing over the town records, Aaron was surprised to see around half a dozen names before his mother and father’s on the list of future executions. There was even one trial of witchcraft scheduled for that very day.
“What are you looking for, kid?” Came the voice of a middle-aged man stood behind him, setting up his market stall.
“I- I was just looking at the list of the future executions,” replied Aaron, deciding to tell the truth to the man in the hope of finding the information that he needed, “I thought that there weren’t any government officials available to oversee an execution for the next month, that’s why Lord Linchester is having to delay the hanging of that farmer and his wife who committed treason?”
“No, he’s only got to postpone their execution because there isn’t a government official qualified to witness an execution on charges of treason,” the man told him, looking surprised as to the fact that such a small boy was wondering about such dark matters as execution, “All the other charges require different government officials, like Sir Edward Wick from London is coming down today to witness that trial for witchcraft.”
Aaron’s heart skipped a beat: there was to be an execution that day that would give him the opportunity to show Linchester’s diary to a government official and save his parents from being murdered and his friend from a sentence in the dungeons; he might even be able to rescue all of the other people on the list for execution as well.
Thanking the man who had helped him and checking the times of the witch’s trial, he began to run back to Bethan’s camp and pick up the diary. In only a couple of hours, his family would be free.
*
The crowd that had gathered for the witch’s trial was growing thick and fast; despite arriving on time, Aaron found himself stood at the back and was struggling to spot anyone who looked like they could be a highly powerful government official.
The people around him began to cheer as the witch was led out of the dungeons and led towards the lake that they were going to force her into. He was unable to see her face but knew that it was more important for him to worry about where he was going to find Sir Edward Wick to show him the secrets of Linchester’s diary.
“Ladies, Gentlemen and Children,” came the voice of this Lord, hushing the crowd, “You have been gathered here today to witness the trial of one who I believe owns and uses the ancient powers of witchcraft.”
A second cheer erupted from the crowd, “The trial will be witnessed by Sir Edward Wick of London and shall take place in precisely one minute,” continued Lord Linchester, “This witch shall have her hands and feet bound together and her body forced into the water of this holy lake. If the accused survives the dunking, she shall be confirmed as a witch and will be sentence to death by burning.”
“I, Sir Edward Wick of London,” came the less harsh voice of a second man that Aaron didn’t recognise, “Do hereby give authorisation for this trial to commence.”
With a jolt, Aaron looked towards the origin of the voice and saw the man that he had been looking for. Men and women stood in his way as he attempted to move towards Linchester and Wick.
“Therefore, on this day, the 13th of October,” Linchester said clearly as he walked away from Wick and towards the edge of the lake, “This child, who explains herself to be nameless, shall be drowned on charges of witchcraft and possession of the spirit of the devil. Only God can cleanse her of the wicked ideas that she possesses.” He spoke with a tone of glee and triumph as an almighty splash told the crowd that the witch had been thrust into the deep water.
“BETHAN!” Aaron screamed, recognising at once the flowing auburn locks that glistened in the sunlight before they disappeared beneath the surface. The crowd cheered as they watched her struggle and she was forced underwater.
“NO!” He ran as fast as he could towards the lake, pushing members of the crowd out of his way as he came to the edge. Guards held him back as he prepared to jump in after the best friend he had ever had.
Aaron’s tears fell as the minutes rolled by and they didn’t pull poor Bethan from the water. He had had no idea that this trial was hers.
“What’s going on here?” Came a voice, the question directed at Aaron though he didn’t want to answer. The owner of that voice placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Who is that girl?” The voice continued in a calming and friendly tone that told Aaron that he could trust him.
“She’s my friend,” Aaron sobbed, still staring into the depths of the water, “She’s my friend who’s being killed by a two-faced fraud and I don’t understand why.”
“A two-faced fraud?” Asked the man comforting him, “What are you talking about, boy?”
Aaron turned to face the man, suddenly recognising who it was, “Wick? Are you Sir Edward Wick?” He asked, feeling that despite his worries for Bethan, he might still be able to save his parents.
“Yes,” replied the man, confused as to why the small boy looked so excited to see him.
Aaron held Linchester’s diary in his trembling hands and passed it to the man crouched down beside him, “This- this is the diary of Lord Linchester; it is full proof of how he is a fraud and a liar, look.”
Wick glanced down at the page that Aaron had pointed to in disgust, “Timothy Smith?” He whispered, “How did you get hold of this?”
Aaron bowed his head, knowing that what he was about to say was very likely to get him into trouble, “I stole it from his castle,” he admitted, “Bethan and I had broken in there to find something that we could use to stop him continuing treating the people that he has power over in the way that he does.”
Wick flipped the diary over and checked the signature on the front page, knowing it to be Linchester’s real handwriting. “I cannot believe this,” he whispered.
“Linchester took my parents.” Aaron told him, still trembling and unable to stop staring at and worrying over Bethan, “They found out about this and now he’s trying to have them killed.”
“I can’t let this happen,” Wick stood up, saying the one thing that Aaron had been waiting to hear, “STOP THE TRIAL! THAT GIRL MUST BE SAVED IMMEDIATELY!”
Linchester looked round in shock and confusion, protesting against the guard’s efforts to do as Wick said.
“Bring that girl to the surface, now.” Ordered Wick, speaking to the leader of the guards, “And tie that man’s hands together so that he cannot escape.”
The guards immediately began to do as Wick had told them and Bethan’s limp and lifeless body was dragged from the water.
“BETHAN!” Aaron ran to her side as guards and the castle doctor gathered around her.
“She’s not breathing.” Worried the doctor, feeling the pulse on her soaking wrist.
“No, no,” Aaron whispered, “Don’t let this happen, this can’t be happening.”
He raked his fingers through Bethan’s auburn hair, stroking her cheek with shaking hands. The doctor looked round to the boy who sat by the unconscious girl and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. A single look into his eyes and Aaron knew; he knew that she was gone and yet he refused to believe it.
“No, she can’t be.” A lump caught in his throat and tears stung in his eyes. Time slowed down and the voices of the people around him seemed as though they were many mils away; he looked to the doctor and prayed for him to tell him that he was mistaken and Bethan was going to be all right.
“I’m so sorry,” came Wick’s voice from behind him but Aaron refused to look away from Bethan’s body. She looked so peaceful and innocent, so graceful and beautiful; he couldn’t let her be dead.
“But she’s not-“ He stammered, holding onto her hand as the crowd began to gather around them, “I won’t let her be-“
The doctor kept his hand on his shoulder and began to try and pull him away from her. Bethan was the only real friend that he had ever had; he wasn’t simply going to walk away from her as she lay here. He pulled his top off and tucked it thoughtfully around her shoulders as if all she needed was drying.
He didn’t care about what was going on around him. He didn’t care that Linchester had been caught and was going to be charged with the same punishment that he had tried to charge Aaron’s parents with. He didn’t care that the people of Godwick would no longer be haunted by his ridiculous taxes. He didn’t care that the woman who sat beside him, hugging him tightly and wiping the tears that fell down his face was the woman who had brought him to this earth - the woman who had looked after him for his whole life.
Bethan was gone, her dazzling smile had disappeared, her colourful cheeks were pale and her beautiful, sparkling eyes were closed as if she was sleeping.
“None of this is fair,” he turned to face his mother as she placed her hand in his.
“I know,” she whispered, knowing her son too well to not tell him to move away from the girl that lay by his side.
“She had no one,” he said, “I’ve had you to turn to for my entire life, who did she have?”
Veronica bowed her head, stroking his palm and allowing a tear of her own to fall for the girl that she never knew but worked so hard to set her free.
“Aaron, son,” Andrew’s hand replaced the doctor’s on his shoulder, “We have to move her away from the crowds.”
Aaron nodded, wiping his own tears and watching as his own father lifted Bethan’s lifeless body onto his shoulder, allowing his son to continue holding her limp hand.
Veronica put her weak and tired arm around him and they began to walk away from the crowds, Aaron still waiting for Bethan to open her eyes and smile at him.
“Wait!” Called a voice as they began walk through the town, “I have something for you.”
Aaron turned around to see the friendly sight of Sir Edward Wick running towards him, he wiped his eyes and looked to the man who had given the authorisation for Bethan’s trial.
“I’m so sorry,” Wick said, unable to look the boy in his eye, “I’m so sorry that all of this happened.”
Andrew gave him a solemn nod of thanks for helping him and his wife getting the freedom. “I have something that we want your son to keep,” Wick placed something in Aaron’s hand, gave him an apologetic pat on the arm and walked away to allow them to be by themselves.
“Where do you want us to take her, son?” Andrew asked as Aaron looked down at the diamond necklace that he held in his hand.
“To her home,” he replied, drying his tears and looking to his father, “I’ll show you the way.”
