Page 61 of Dancing On Air

“Well, why is there blood on your dagger?”

“I killed a rat last night that was bothering me.” He nodded and she saw the dead rat under the bed and screamed.

“Shhhh,” he said, making a face and holding his hands up to his ears. “You are too loud for the middle of the night.”

“Middle of the night?” she asked. “Nay, Connor, it’s morning. Look.” She ran over and pulled open the shutter, letting the first rays of sunlight stream into the room.

“Ooooh, too bright,” he moaned, getting to his feet, still clutching her hair ribbon.

“Eleanor, I heard you scream. Is everything all right?” asked Raven from outside. She was off her horse and next to the window with her sword already unsheathed.

“Yes, everything is fine, Raven. It was just a dead rat that frightened me,” she told her cousin.

“Oh. All right.” Raven sheathed her sword and walked back to her horse.

“Why did you come here?” he asked, staggering to the kitchen. Eleanor followed right behind him. “You should be with my siblings at the abbey.”

“They are fine,” she told him. “But I wasn’t so sure about you.”

“Well, as you can see, I’m still here.” He held up his palms and when he did, the ribbon he was holding fell to the floor.

“I know. But I was so scared,” she said picking up the ribbon. “I thought you’d possibly been attached when I saw everything so disheveled.” She motioned to the overturned table and benches.

“And yet you still ventured into the house by yourself? Was that a smart thing to do?”

“I-I suppose not. But all I could think about was you. You were so upset when we left here last night.”

“Do you blame me? It was one hell of a day.”

“Nay, not at all. I just didn’t want you to be alone.”

“Oh.” He ran a hand through his long hair and righted the table and then picked up the benches and sat down. “Now I’m the damned hangman, since my father is gone.”

“Nay, Conner.” She sat down next to him and covered his hand with her own. “Please don’t even say that.”

“Well, it’s true. Just the thought of it would make anyone want to kill themselves.”

“I’m glad you stopped and didn’t go through with it. I’m happy you decided not to leave this world after all.”

“Eleanor, I don’t care about my life anymore. That’s not what kept me from taking my life, I told you. It was because of you. Also, because I kept thinking of my brother Leoric, and how terrified he was after assisting with the beheading yesterday.”

“Yes, he did seem very upset.”

“If I were to kill myself, that would mean Leoric would have to take the position of hangman. He could never handle it. I couldn’t lay that burden on his shoulders the way my father laid it on mine.”

“Connor, what are you going to do? I know you’re the executioner now, but I don’t want to believe it,” she said softly.

“Neither do I.” He patted his chest, pulling out a metal flask from under his tunic. He uncorked the flask and raised it to his lips. Only a few drops of whisky came out. “Dammit,” he shouted, throwing the container across the room.

“Drinking more won’t solve your problems.”

“Nay, but I see now why my father spent all our money on whisky. It was the only way he could get through all the voices in his head taunting him because of what he had to do.”

“What’s going to happen now?” she asked. “I know you don’t want to kill anyone.”

“I have no choice. As soon as the soldiers show up at my door with the order of an execution, I’ll have to carry it out.”

“Couldn’t you refuse to do it?” she asked.