It was as she had feared A dozen English soldiers were swarming over the small cottage like mail clad locusts a Black Plague leaving only death in its wake
'If there's nothing worth saving burn''it one of the soldiers said 'The next village will think twice before offering shelter to rebel's''
Carissa's heart jolted in horror his words leaving no doubt of what they intended It was more than a punishment it was a lesson in what came to those who helped the outlaw king
Fear unlike any she had ever known gripped her Her mother Had to reach her before the soldiers did Although the sounds coming toward her told her it
might already be too late The English were everywhere
Careful to avoid been seen she crept through the trees each step and each cottage she passed confirming her worst fears It was a vicious bloody massacre The soldiers were sparing no one Old women Children Women even babies were cut down before her stricken gaze Twenty Seven That's how many people remained in the once thriving village People she'd known and cared for her whole life
Don't think of that now Her stomach turned
M again her body wanting to rid itself of the horror but she knew she didn't have time She had to reach...
There! Finally, she spotted the small cottage that she had shared with her mother and her stepfather—her second father until he'd been killed last summer if any breath had been left in Carissa's lungs she would have heaved a sigh of relief
Unlike the other wattle and Duab cottages there were no soldiers swarming around it. It was eerily quiet Thank God she had reached her mother in time
A scream pierced the illusion of peace like a dagger Her heart froze in sheer terror Though she'd never heard her mother make a sound like that instinctively she knew it was her