Chapter Eleven
The feeling of revulsion that hit her was so sudden that Ceana felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her lungs. She gasped and keeled over and would have fallen if Torcall hadn’t caught her. Crouched, she fought her way out of the crowd, with Torcall assisting her. She gasped once she was free again, despite fresh air, but the damage had been done. The image was imprinted in her head, and at that moment, she knew that for as long as she lived, she would never forget the image she had just seen.
Unwillingly, she started to sob. She found it hard to breathe as well and choked on each sob as it came out. Torcall’s arms were around her before she knew it, and even as the sobs caused her body to quiver and shake, he held her to him and didn’t let her go.
“Ceana!” he called. “Ceana, look at me.” If she hadn’t been crying so much, she would have wondered how she was supposed to look at him when she was pressed so tightly into him, but she didn’t hear his words. The horror she had seen had entrapped her mind, and she was finding it hard to hear anything else.
“Ceana!” Torcall pulled away from her and cupped her face in his hands. He looked deep into her brown eyes that were clouded with tears.
Through the haze of her clouded eyes, Ceana found it hard to see him, but he didn’t give up.
“Ye have to stop cryin’, he said firmly but feelingly. “Stop, calm down. Ye will be okay.”
Ceana gasped and nodded frantically until he took her into his arms again.
Torcall realized that he wouldn’t be able to get through to her at that moment, and so he simply took her in his arms and held her until she stopped sobbing.
“I am sorry,” he soothed, “I am so sorry that ye saw that.”
Ceana nodded weakly. She turned her head to the crowd, but Torcall turned her to him.
“Nay,” said, “do nae look at it. Ye must get home. I wish I would be able to stay with ye as I do nae want ye to be alone, but I cannae.”
Ceana nodded again, not saying anything. Seeing that she was somewhat stable, Torcall led her to her horse and helped her mount.
“Can ye ride? Are ye certain?” he asked her.
A somewhat-calm Ceana nodded. “I can,” she said with a raspy voice.
Torcall paused with a worried look on his face, but he nodded. His displeasure at the need for her to ride was apparent, and guilt at his care filled her. She had been so enamored of her own feelings of horror that she hadn’t noticed him.
A glance at him showed just how white he had become.
“How are ye?” she asked him, still seated on her horse.
Torcall shook his head.
“Speak,” she urged.
“I ken her,” Torcall said with empty eyes. “I ken her.”
* * *
Ceana made it into her room mere moments before her ma barged into her room. She sat on her bed, frightened that her mother had checked on her prior to that moment and found her room empty.
“Ceana!” her mother said with a sad look in her eyes. Her stride was so determined that she forgot to shut the door fully.
“Aye?”
Ceana realized that she had cried not too long ago and that it would be obvious to see from her reddened eyes. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, and she expected the worst.
“Oh, me love,” her mother said and sat beside her. “Another body was found.”
“What?” she asked, trying her best to feign surprise.
“They found another dead girl.” Her mother held her face in her hands and shook her head bitterly.
Ceana said nothing. She had never been skilled at deceit, so she panicked. What would her mother think of her? Someone was dead, and she was showing no sympathy.
