The Betrayal Read Free

light.
    I shall take a short walk into the woods, Susannah decided.
    It felt good to be out of the dark house, away from the heat of the cooking hearth, away from the crying baby.
    Away from her chores and the watchful eyes of her mother.
    Away from the heavy fear that hovered over the entire village these days.
    Susannah stepped into the woods, dry twigs cracking beneath her heavy black shoes. As soon as she was hidden by the trees, she pulled off her cap and shook her hair free.
    She walked slowly, raising her face to the shafts of bright sunlight. Her dress caught on a low bramble. She tugged it free and kept walking.
    A scrabbling sound nearby made her spin around, just in time to see a brown and white chipmunk scurry under a pile of dead leaves.
    Susannah tossed her long hair back and took a deep breath. The air smelled piney and sweet.
    I’ not supposed to enjoy the woods, she thought, her smile slowly fading. Susannah had been taught that the woods were a place of evil.
    As if mirroring her thoughts, the trees grew thicker, shutting out the sunlight. It became evening-dark.
    Away from civilization, deep in the woods, was where the Evil One and his followers dwelt, Susannah had been taught.
    The witches of the village came here to dance their evil dances by moonlight with the Evil One and his servants. The Evil One and his servants lived deep in holes in the ground, hidden by scrub and thick shrubs. Susannah believed that if she wandered alone into the darkness of their domain, they might reach up and grab her and pull her down, down into their netherworld of eternal torture and darkness.
    The air grew cooler. From a low branch just above Susannah’s head a dove uttered a deep-throated moan, cold and sorrowful.
    Susannah shuddered.
    â€œIt is so dark, suddenly so cold,” she said.
    Time to go back.
    As she turned, she felt strong hands grab her from behind.
    â€œThe Evil One!” she cried.

Chapter 2

    â€œLet go of me!” Susannah screamed.
    To her surprise, the hands obediently released her.
    She spun around, her blue eyes wide with fright, and stared into the laughing face of Edward Fier. “Do I look like the Evil One to you?” he asked.
    Susannah felt her face redden. She glared angrily at him. “Yes, you must be the Evil One,” she said. “Why else would you be out in these woods?”
    â€œI followed you,” he replied, his expression solemn.
    Edward was tall and good-looking. He wore a wide-brimmed black hat over his straight dark brown hair, which fell below his ears. His gray doublet was made of the finest linen. The cuffs at the end of his sleeves were white and stiffly starched.
    His navy blue breeches ended just below the knee.Gray wool stockings covered his legs. On his feet were Dutch-style clogs fashioned of dark leather.
    No other young man in the village dressed as well as Edward. He seemed to take his clothing as seriously as he did everything else in life. In private some villagers criticized his fancy dress, accusing him of the sin of pride.
    But no one dared criticize him in public. For Edward was a Fier, Benjamin Fier’s son. And no one would dare say a word against Magistrate Fier or his son.
    As the trees shuddered around them in a sudden cold breeze, Edward’s dark brown eyes locked on Susannah’s. “We should not joke about the Evil One,” he said, lowering his voice. “My father says the Evil One’s slaves have overrun our village.”
    â€œI—I am so afraid these days,” Susannah confessed, lowering her gaze to the dark ground. “I keep dreaming about Faith Warburton. She—she was my friend,” Susannah stammered.
    â€œI know,” Edward muttered softly.
    â€œThey seized her as a witch … because she wore a red ribbon in her hair. Th-they
burned
her—!” Susannah’s words were cut short by a sob.
    Edward placed a hand on Susannah’s trembling shoulder. “I know