He clears his throat, bringing my attention back to him, his gaze steady on me.
We will get to the bottom of this, Kat, he says.Trust me.I know you have feelings for Brom and it’s very clear he has feelings for you, but the both of you must understand that until we figure this out, the two of you cannot be together.Certainly not in any way that could result in your pregnancy.
I glance at him, eyes wide.
He gives me an uneasy smile.There’s a chance that they have a sacrifice in mind.Perhaps they promised Goruun your future child with Brom.
I stop and shake my head, feeling sick.“No,” I whisper.“They wouldn’t.”
But the look he gives me in return says that they would.
I know you don’t want to think about it, he says softly, his lips barely moving.You don’t need to think about it.No matter what the truth is, no matter what they hope to happen, they aren’t touching you.They aren’t taking you.They can’t force the two of you to marry and they can’t force Brom to get you pregnant.I’ve discussed this with him too, he knows what might be at stake.
He starts walking off and I follow, the sick feeling not leaving me.I wait until we’re out of earshot of people before I whisper, “But they’re witches.They can force us to do many things.”
“And we are witches too,” he whispers back, eyes blazing.“Don’t you forget that.We aren’t defenseless and we aren’t helpless.The more that you and I work together on your magic, on my magic, the more—”
“How is that going to happen?How are you supposed to teach me?We can barely talk to each other now.”
“I am still your teacher,” he says to me starkly.“You are still my student.In class I will teach you, right in front of their prying eyes.But before we can even begin to tackle what the coven wants from the both of you, we have to focus on getting that spirit out of Brom before…”
He doesn’t need to finish that thought.
Before the horseman takes over him.
Before he becomes a weapon that the coven can control.
Before they make him come after me.
Now I know for sure that the horseman was never meant to kill me.
He was meant to put Brom’s seed in me.
“I think we should leave,” I tell him.“Leave the school.Go beyond Sleepy Hollow.Somewhere, anywhere.”
He exhales and I hear the weight of the world in his breath.“I agree with you.But the best chance of fixing Brom is here.This is a nexus of energy.There’s a reason the school is built here, why so many ghosts are drawn here.This place gives us the extra power we need to make the ritual work.Not to mention with the horseman still in him, they’ll be able to track him down and use him wherever he goes.Brom won’t get very far.”
Shoot.I forgot about that.“So once we save Brom, we’re going?”
He gnaws on his lip for a moment.“I feel I need to protect the students.”
“From what?”
“I don’t know,” he says tiredly.“You just have to trust me on that.I wouldn’t be much of a man if I turned my back on them.”He glances at me, his brow contorting.“But I wouldn’t be much of a man if I didn’t get you and Brom out of here either.I promise you, as soon as he is free from the horseman, we’ll go.Even if I’m not with you, I’ll make sure you and Brom get out.”
I balk, horror flaring in my chest.“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“I appreciate the loyalty, darling,” he says with a grateful smile.“But there might come a time when—”
“I said I am not going anywhere without you.And I’m not going anywhere without Brom either.I’m not leaving my men behind.”
He just nods at that, though he looks a little pleased at my devotion.
I sigh; whatever light I felt earlier has disappeared, and Crane leads me to the herb garden, which thankfully is also devoid of people.
“I need to make more of that poultice, just in case I end up shooting Brom again,” he says, gesturing to the plants, and I can’t tell if he’s joking or not.“Didn’t you say you needed something from here?”
I nod.God, do I need it more than ever.
