Jack Frost: King of Thieves

CHAPTER XLV: Tephra

The sheriff had finished shaving and had put on his finest day clothes. He opened the door of his house intending to greet the tax collectors properly and to demonstrate to all in the village that he was the Crown's chosen representative here in Dorfeld. Perhaps that would earn him the sort of deference he deserved.

Upon looking out at the town, though, he couldn't help but notice that the king's men seemed to have gone a bit far in their collection of taxes. Throughout the village, bedlam reigned. People were screaming, not in outrage, but in terror. Houses burned, men and women lay dead and wounded in the street. Yes, these people needed discipline, but this struck him as too much.

Several of the Alsace-Lorraine soldiers stood just in front of his house along with the bald, bearded man who had come to the town days before. The sheriff thought his name was Kay.

He greeted this man as if they were old friends.

"Excusez-moi!" he said. Excuse me.

Kay turned to look at him.

"I'm Alsace-Lorraine on my mother's side," the sheriff went on in a confidential tone.

"Ah, ouí!" said the bald man.

The sheriff's smile broadened and he winked at the man. "Ah, ouí."

Another group of men hurried past, also carrying brands. Kay barked an order to one of them, and the man threw one of the burning brands through the window of the sheriff's house.

In moments, flames were crackling within and dark smoke began to pour from the window.

The sheriff's first thought was to rush inside and try to put out the fire. But Kay was watching him, and the sheriff thought better of it. If all went as planned, he would have plenty of gold to build himself a new one. Or he would take Burlington Manor as his own.

Alone in the barn, Elsa began to wonder if she had been singled out in recognition of her status as a landowner and the wife of a knight, or if she was being held in preparation for special ill-treatment. Kay's comment about her not belonging in line with the others seemed to suggest the former. But everything about his manner and that of his henchman made her fear the latter.

She had been alone in her dusty prison for perhaps a quarter of an hour when she heard someone unlocking the door. She moved quickly to the far wall and stood with her back pressed against it. Sunlight filtered in between the boards of the walls, slanting through the barn unevenly, in broad, hazy planes. She pulled her knife free, hid it in her sleeve, and placed her hands behind her against the wall.

The door opened, and Kay walked in. He paused, looking her up and down and smiling in a way that made her skin crawl. After a moment, he closed the door and secured it from within. He crossed to her, regarded her once more, and then removed his belt and sword.

Elsa watched him, certain now that he intended to rape her. He stepped so close to her that his chest was nearly pressed against her breasts. Looking down at the laces of her bodice, he grinned and began to untie them.

Elsa turned her head to the side as if shamed. But she allowed the blade to slip down from her sleeve into the palm of her hand. Still, she didn't move, and Kay pressed even closer, his breath hot on her face and neck.

She brought her arms out from behind her and as he moved to kiss her, she plunged her dagger into his back. He gasped, his mouth opening, his eyes going wide. He grabbed for her throat, but Elsa leant back against the wall and kicked at him with all her strength.