Author: Patricia Schupp
Title:
Untitled
Description: A young woman, accused of witchcraft, flees to
Sleepy Hollow and finds herself in an eldritch sort of bargain with the Hessian.
Violence:
Not really.
Sex: Yes.
Language: A slight bit of swearing.
There are many stories pertaining to the town of
Sleepy Hollow and it's elusive Hessian rider. May are things of pure fiction,
others truth. Some are a distorted blend. It is the listener's choice and duty
to decide which is which for themselves. This story will be a good chance for
you to exercise that choice. It takes place a time after Ichabod and his lovely
wife, Katrina, left with their young ward, Masbath, to the city. They all still
live; but Ichabod is now an old man with many proteges, the most intelligent
and prominent being a young Mister Abraham Burns. It is therefore no wonder
Ichabod chose to take Burns with him to Sleepy Hollow when the murders of the
horseman suddenly started once again
"You're certain this is a truly dead man, sir?" Burns
and Ichabod were in a carriage, bumping along the road to Sleep Hollow. The
trip brought a strong sense of Nostalgia to Ichabod. With young Masbath driving
the carriage, he felt this wouldn't take long, and he could return to his
lovely white witch Katrina. Ichabod was jolted from his memories by Burns, and
turned to the serious situation at hand.
"Yes, if it is the Hessian. I saw him, fought him myself
even, and he is quite real." Ichabod looked thoughtful. "How someone
found his grave, however is a mystery. We never told anyone where it was, which
leads me to believe someone is merely impersonating the Horseman to get away
with murder."
"How will we be able to tell, sir?" Burns found it hard
to believe in ghosts, but he vowed to keep an open mind, considering Katrina
had shown him a bit of magic herself, making him a believer that not everything
is as it seems.
"The wounds, Burns. If they are cauterized, as if from an
intense flame, then it is the Horseman. If not, a mortal person." Ichabod
looked out the window and could see the village approaching. He was confident
things would work out well.
Marilene Stonten was new to Sleepy Hollow. She had fled her previous
home, accused of witchcraft. Even if the accusations were true, she had no wish
to feel a rope around her neck for her beliefs or abilities. So she had used
that which they accused her of and made her escape, being drawn here to the
quiet place surrounded by trees. She was reassured by the fact that there were
no people strong in magic here. For those with the sense, her power stood out
like a beacon. In Sleepy Hollow she had found the safety she had so longed for.
Mary, as she often introduced herself as, was twenty-four, and
unmarried. This was often considered scandalous, seeing as she was considered a
true beauty, with long red-blond hair and extremely deep blue eyes, but she
didn't care. She had found no one whom she connected with, so was happy on her
own. Her home was small, but cozy for her. She was aware of the Horseman's
activities, had been since he had first rode. His own power, though unlike her
own, was like a shout in the night, waking her from her deepest sleep.
At the time Ichabod, Burns, and Masbath rode into town, she was on
her way out of the local store. She saw them ride up and could see the amateur
protection around Ichabod. He had gray hair, but stood strait and without the
aid of a cane. His eyes spoke of an inquisitive mind and scientific
intelligence.
The other two with him looked close in age, around twenty perhaps.
The driver hoped down with practiced agility. He was as tall as the older
gentleman with short cropped hair and ears that seemed outrageously too big for
his head. The other man that came out of the carriage had longer brown hair,
was slightly taller than both the other two men, and had dark eyes. They all
stopped to look around, the driver and older gentleman looking as if they knew
this place. The other poor man looked lost and turned to Mary and approached
with a smile.
"Hello Madam, could you answer a few questions for me?"
He had a deep voice with a slight accent she couldn't place.
"Of course good sir, but it might be polite if I knew your
name. My own is Mary."
"How rude of me, of course. My name is Abraham Burns. Myself
and Mr. Ichabod Crane are here to investigate the murders of recent."
"Ah. So will you hunt the Horseman, or the person controlling
him?" It was a simple question, she hadn't even thought about it. When he
looked at her with surprise, and the other man, Ichabod, looked at her as well,
she regretted it.
"You mean to say he is really out again?" Ichabod had
come over and curiosity warred with fear in his eyes.
"Well, that is what they say. I myself have not seen him, but
you can hear him some nights." She felt uncertain how to say it was truly
the Horseman and not a fake, but feared for her life.
Ichabod looked faintly disappointed but inclined his head in
thanks and walked down the street to the local inn. Burns and the other man
followed behind. Mary left toward her home as quickly as possible, not daring
to look back as she felt Burns turn and watch her.
After they had seen to their sleeping arrangements, they went
about the town asking anyone if they knew if it was indeed the Horseman and if
anything or anyone had was out of place or new. The only new arrival to Sleepy
Hollow in the last two years was Mary, and while she was liked, few knew much
about her or her past.
"She is a bit of a mystery, isn't she?" Masbath and
Ichabod had just come out of one of the homes, where the woman claimed Mary
danced with shadows. Masbath acted much as a servant to Ichabod, but was more
like a son to the old man.
"Yes she is. And currently she is our only suspect."
They walked down the street a ways, finally running into Burns. They all stayed
silent as Ichabod thought, finally stopping in front of the inn. "It will
be dark soon. This may be the best time to go and question our mystery
woman."
They started walking again, Burns looking a bit confused.
"Why now?"
"Because," Masbath piped in, "before the Horseman
only came out at night. From what we've heard, that seems to be true this time
as well." Burns nodded his head and followed his mentor, looking at all
the houses as they walked by. The shadows were getting longer and the sky was
painted a deep red, as if someone had smeared blood across the horizon.
Mary's house was the very last on her side. It was small, but a
warm light shone through the window, and humming could be heard from within.
The three men walked up and Ichabod rapped lightly on the door. The humming
ceased immediately and the door opened a crack. Seeing the three investigators,
she sighed and opened the door to allow them in.
"I'm going to guess you've heard some rather interesting
things in the village about me." It was no question, just a simple
statement. The inside of the house was warm and cozy, with a bed in the corner
and a small table with three chairs. One lone rocking chair stood near the
fireplace. Some flowers and other plants hung from he ceiling to dry.
"Yes, as a matter of fact we did." Ichabod sat at one of
the chairs at the table, while Masbath and Burns did likewise. They introduced
Masbath to Mary and sat in an awkward silence. Ichabod had learned the dangers
of accusing someone too quickly, and wanted to be certain of his decision
before he did it again.
"Where did you live before you moved here?" Burns was
the one who finally broke the silence.
"It was another small town, a bit north of here. There was
nothing special about it and I just felt like moving." She said it
casually, but inside was getting more nervous by the minute. She knew part of
it was from them, but part was also due to the fact that HE would be out again
tonight, and to catch the one controlling his spirit, they'd have to be out
searching for the caster.
"You just felt like leaving? Just like that?" Burns
snapped his fingers, and by a twist of fate, the Horseman came out at that
moment, causing Mary to jump. He narrowed his eyes at her as she thought of
what to say, her thoughts drawn outside.
"Ah, yes. Just like that." She stuttered. She got up
suddenly and went to the fire, putting a pot of water on to boil.
"Is something wrong Miss Stonten?" Ichabod had learned
her last name in one of the houses he had visited.
Off in the other end of town, the Horseman stopped his mount in
front of a good-sized house. He unsheathed his sword with hardly a sound and
took out his hatchet. As he kicked in the door, screams from within broke the
silence of the night.
"No. It's just that it's dark now and they say he only comes
out at night." She gave a nervous little laugh. Ichabod got up and looked
down at her, seeing as she was shorter than he was by an inch or so.
"Is there something you want to tell us?" He looked
angry, when suddenly Mary's eyes went wide and she stopped looking at him. He
waved his hand in front of her face, and getting no response, the other two got
up to see what was wrong.
The man in the house was no threat. The Horseman decapitated him
in one sweep of his sword. The woman was foolish enough to attack him from
behind with a frying pan. He took care of her with a backward swing of his ax.
He heard weeping in the room adjoining and walked to the door, kicking it open.
Huddled together on the floor were twins, two girls not two years old with dark
brown hair and wide green eyes. They cried harder as he walked in, raising his
sword to dispatch them as well.
Mary suddenly clutched her head and summoned all her power.
Ignoring the men in her house, even now looking at her worriedly, and all
helpless to know what she saw in her minds eye. She screamed out one word
before collapsing. "Stop!"
The sword swung down with a swishing sound as it displaced the
air, but stopped an inch from the terrified children as he heard the word
reverberate through him. He staggered back and seemed to look around for where
the unknown sound came from, then realized it was not anywhere nearby for
hearing to detect. Looking at the twins briefly, he turned and walked out of
the house, the heads of their parents in his hand, and remounted his faithful
steed. Spurring it on, he rode back to the tree, still feeling that unknown
power.
Mary came back to consciousness slowly, hearing worried voices
around her. She opened her eyes, seeing sunlight streaming in through her
window. She lay in her bed, Ichabod and one of the women from the village
talking quietly at the table. They turned to look at her when she sat up and
Ichabod came over to sit on her bed, motioning the woman to leave.
"How are you?" He looked genuinely concerned, but a
sudden thought struck Mary.
"Are the children all right?" He was shocked by the
question, but nodded anyway. She sighed with relief and smiled at him.
"Then I'm just fine." She settled back and closed her eyes, still
tired from using too much of her strength.
"Are you controlling the Horseman?" Ichabod decided the direct
approach was best. Mary opened her eyes and looked at him as if he were mad.
"Of course I'm not! Why would I want to kill people? I don't
know anyone here well enough to have a reason to kill them, let alone want
to!" She stared at Ichabod as if he was a heartless man as Burns walked
in.
"So?" He looked at her suspiciously.
"She says she didn't do it, and I'm inclined to believe
her." Ichabod got up and motioned for Burns to sit down. "For one
thing, we never saw her cast any spell, and the skull is no where in
here." He suddenly looked over at Mary. "She may be able to help us
though. If there is some way she could perhaps lead us to who is controlling
the Horseman, then-"
"What do you mean? How could I lead you to the killer?"
She was nervous around this one; he seemed to know a bit more than she'd tend
to like.
"You are a witch?" He didn't seem to like the word, like
it was an insult. She looked at him and didn't say anything. "You can tell
me, my wife, Katrina knows magic. Even Burns here has seen it." Burns
nodded and she looked back and forth between the two of them.
"That's why you have a protection about you." She looked
at Ichabod and laughed slightly at his startled look. "I can see it silly.
Yes, I know magic, but I'm probably a bit stronger than your wife." She
looked down at her hands. "I can't tell you who is controlling him, or
lead you to them. If I try I can tell whom he will attack when he rises, but
only after he is up and riding." Her voice got a bit softer. "I could
though try and ask him if he knows who controls him, he wouldn't be able to
stop them, but he could tell me."
"Only one problem with that though." Burns spoke up. She
looked up at him questioningly. "No head."
She giggled at him. "Just because something can't be seen,
doesn't mean it can't be felt and heard if you know how. Besides," she
added, "he is dead, isn't he? So I can talk to him, I can communicate with
the dead." She smirked at Burns and looked very proud of herself.
"When can we do this?" Ichabod was anxious to get home
to Katrina. She had been very worried about his leaving.
"Tonight will work fine. If he goes to kill, of course."
They all agreed to meet outside Mary's house at dusk and Burns and Ichabod left
to allow her to rest more.
Once outside, a carriage came up and out leapt Katrina. The years
hadn't dimmed her beauty, and the few silver hairs made her look sophisticated.
She flung her arms around the stunned Ichabod and said she came to help.
"But Katrina!" Ichabod pried her arms from around his
neck. "This is serious and very dangerous!" She wasn't listening to
him at all, just started walking toward the inn. Burns trailed behind as
Ichabod tried vainly to convince her to leave and go home. He knew she would
never go home, not so long as Ichabod was here.
They all met outside Mary's house at the appointed time, Katrina
included. Even with the brief introduction, the two women became friends
easily, sharing their magic background. Her mother and grandmother had taught
Mary, before a fire had claimed their lives. He father had encouraged her in
the arts, knowing it was what his wife had wanted. They learned about the
accusation and her fleeing the town she had lived in since her father died
finally of loneliness. By the time the girls were finished, they were a ways
from the town, into the woods.
"So do we just wait?" Burns asked.
"Sorry, yes, that's all we can-" Mary broke off abruptly
and shook her head. "He's out."
The Horseman rode quickly, knowing whom he was to kill tonight and
where to find him. The owner of the power from the previous night was out as
well, but he had to keep his attention focused on his target. His controller
was angry, and while he didn't fear him, he feared never returning to his rest.
He urged his horse on faster as he approached Ichabod Crane.
"So who is his target?" Burns was ready to run and warn
the person to go to the church as quickly as they could.
Mary closed her eyes and then looked up at Ichabod. Katrina caught
what she meant and ran to her husband. "You should get to the Church as
quickly as you can. We all probably should." Mary and the rest off them
started running. They all stopped as one when they heard the beat of hooves.
Turning, they saw the Horseman rein in and dismount, walking toward them and
drawing his sword.
"Oh God, we're all dead." Masbath stood in shock as the
Horseman came closer, remembering when he had seen him before.
Mary stood for a moment lost in fascination. He walked forward
with an almost animalistic grace, well built and she could see his face. A
ghost of a shape, it was obviously from a time before he had sharpened his
teeth and gone mad with killing. The eyes were an incredible blue, and he was
almost to them when she suddenly came back to herself and swept her arms up and
around her. "Don't move, any of you!" They all stood still as the
Horseman raised his sword and swung it down, hitting an invisible barrier. Mary
visibly flinched under the force of the strike, but the barrier held.
"Thank God." Burns breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't thank him yet, I can't hold this for too long."
The Horseman continued to assault the barrier, each time making Mary flinch
worse and get a little paler.
"Then what do we do?" Katrina stared in horror at the
Horseman.
"When I say run, all of you run to the church." Mary
pulled out a sword she had been hiding under her cloak. "I will stall him
for as long as I can, so run quickly."
"But-" Ichabod felt bad about a woman as the hero here,
but she silenced him with a look.
Mary turned back to face the Horseman and as he brought his sword
down again, she yelled, "Run!" and raised her sword to meet his. She
heard the others run, but his attention was solely on this woman who dared to
defy him. Her father had taught her how to fight, but he was far better and
much stronger. Soon she was injured and bleeding from many cuts, but nothing
serious. He was only toying with her.
He knocked the sword from her hand and pulled her in close to him.
He wasn't cold like she had thought he might be, but was faintly warm, with the
smell of leather. She felt him muscles under the leather as he moved the sword
to stab her in the side. She was so tired; she didn't care any more. Ichabod
and the others were safe now, and that's all that mattered.
He stopped before stabbing her though. Confused, she looked up at
his ghost face, seeing the curiosity and confusion there. He tilted his head to
the side slightly and narrowed his eyes. It's you. It wasn't a question, just a
statement spoken quite clearly in her mind. She gasped slightly as she realized
he, of all people, could feel how strong her power was. He smiled slightly and
dropped his sword, moving his gloved hand up to move a strand of hair from her
eyes.
She suddenly became very aware of his body pressed against hers,
but his horse whinnying broke the moment. He stepped back and called his horse
over. After mounting, he stopped and leaned down, pressing his hand on her
chest, he felt her heartbeat and then rode away quickly. Feeling very alone
suddenly, she listened to his power as the tone had changed, becoming slightly
darker and more seductive. She tried to ignore it as she ran as fast as she
could toward the church.
"We shouldn't have left her!" Katrina was sobbing on
Ichabod's shoulder, standing just inside the church. She had started sobbing as
soon as the Horseman had appeared out of the woods. They were within a quick
jump of shelter if the Horseman tried to get him the same way it had gotten Katrina's
father.
"We had no choice. She wanted it this way." He tried to
calm her and keep an eye on the prancing form of the Horseman's steed with him
on it, pacing back and forth in front of the church.
"Oh don't sound so melodramatic!" They both turned to
the sound of Mary's voice as she leapt over the fence. The Horseman turned
toward her and she stopped and seemed entranced as she looked at him. Shaking
her head, she ran over to Katrina and Ichabod, meeting Katrina halfway in an
embrace.
"She's alive!" Masbath and Burns came running out,
Masbath in the lead. "What happened?"
Mary looked uncomfortable. "Well, you see, he was about to
kill me when he suddenly stopped."
"He stopped? Why?" Burns sounded suspicious again.
"Well, you see his power and mine it's rather different, except
for the strength. So he felt it and stopped instead of destroy it." She
looked at their shocked faces and back at the Horseman as he hefted a fence
spike. Realizing they were in the open, Mary suddenly stepped in front of
Ichabod.
The Horseman stopped and gripped the wood tightly, making it creak
under the presser. Why do you stop me? He sounded frustrated, and realizing
that they couldn't hear him, she stepped forward a step.
"I can't let you hurt Ichabod. He's trying to help you!"
She took another step forward.
I am not so easily stopped from my assigned mission. I am told to
kill him, so I must obey.
"Isn't there any way to keep you from killing him?" She
took another step forward. He studied her with the face only she could see.
Yes. But only one way and that is if you come with me.
Mary gasped and ignored the inquires coming from behind her.
"Tell me first, if you can, who is it that is controlling you?"
Without words, she got a picture of a man in the forest, kneeling beside a fire
with the skull beside him. Mary turned to the others. "You'll find the man
responsible for this in the forest. I don't recognize him, so he must live out
there. You might want to wait until after sunrise to look as well, just in
case." She turned and started walking toward the Horseman, who had
dismounted and stood waiting for her.
"Where are you going?" Katrina walked forward before
Ichabod stopped her.
"To keep Ichabod safe, he wants me to go with him." She
turned and smiled at her friend. "Don't worry, he doesn't want to kill me.
I'll be alright." She sounded far surer than she felt. She turned back to
the Horseman and leapt over the fence. He helped her mount the horse, then got
on behind her. Turning the horse, they rode off into the forest.
They rode in silence until they were almost to the tree. She
shivered uncontrollably and leaned back into him. She heard a sort of laugh in
her mind as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Being so close to him, she
could feel the power from him like a heartbeat, only stronger. The power inside
her was responding, beating in almost the same rhythm.
Finally he stopped the horse and helped her down. He slapped the
horse on the back and it rode off into the forest. He pulled Mary close to him
and she closed her eyes as she felt his lips that shouldn't have been there
brush against her throat. His hands explored everywhere, running over every
curve. The pulse of power between them got stronger and more insistent.
Trailing kisses down the front of her dress, he stopped at her
breasts briefly, making her moan. She called on her magic to untie the dress in
back, letting him slip it off of her. Standing only in her undergarments, she
tugged at his gloves and then pulled off his cloak and shirt, running her hands
over the muscles on his chest. She heard light chuckling in her mind as he
proceeded to take off the rest of her cloths, caressing every part of her.
She felt his own arousal through his pants and pulled on them. He
stopped suddenly and she felt the power controlling him calling out. Wrapping
him in her own magic, he became more demanding, taking his pants off quickly
and pushing her gently to the ground. He stuck to fondling her breasts and
kissing her, the magic wrapping tightly around them, increasing the sensations.
He thrust into her quite suddenly, pulling her to him tightly.
Because of the power moving between them, she didn't feel any pain at the
breaking of her virginity. He began thrusting into her at the pulse of the
magic, getting faster with the pulse. She wrapped her legs around his waist and
could only hold on as the sensations assaulted her. She felt the presser
building and heard someone crying out. She realized it was herself, his own scream
echoing in her mind as he came, bringing her over the edge. He kissed her once,
for the first time on the lips, before she passed into blissful oblivion.
Mary awoke some time later, by herself. Sunlight was streaming in
through the trees, birds were singing off somewhere. She looked around and saw
her cloths near by, the Horseman's own cloak covering her still. She lay there
for a while, just content, then got up and dressed. She could feel Ichabod and
the others not too far away from where she was, so she decided to stay and
wait. She was glad for her magic, when it helped lace up her dress.
They ran up to her when they saw her sitting calmly on a stump.
Katrina hugged her even Burns looked relieved to see she was okay.
"What happened?" Masbath looked at her, seeing noting
obviously wrong.
"Well we talked, sort of. Not about anything really, I just
had to shield him with, my magic to keep the one controlling him from getting
through." It was almost the truth, and they seemed to accept it. "Have
you found him yet?" They all shook their head no. They decided to split up
and look for the mystery man in-groups, then meet back by the tree near dusk.
They searched everywhere, but couldn't find the man. Ichabod found
an old fire, and brought the news to the group. Dusk found them worried and no
closer to solving the problem. Mary started walking toward the tree, knowing
the Horseman would need to be kept from killing Ichabod again. She found she
didn't mind, and was looking forward to it when she stopped and looked in the
bright, insane eyes of the man from her vision.
Mary called for Ichabod and the others as the man laughed. He held
up the skull and the tree shook, the Horseman and his great black stallion
jumping out. They all stopped at a distance, except Mary who took a step
forward.
"Why? Why do you torment him and call him out every
night?" She saw the Horseman dismount and draw his sword out of the corner
of her eye, but he stayed where he was.
"Why not? I hold the power! I have the ability to do anything
I must to avenge my love!" At Mary's confused look he got angry.
"Lady Van Tassel you stupid bitch! Who else would deserve my love!"
He proceeded to laugh insanely, then stopped and pointed at Mary. "Kill her!
She has interfered enough!" The Horseman took a step forward, but stopped
and looked at her. "What are you waiting for? Kill her!" He took
another step forward and lifted his sword, then stopped again and lowered it,
looking at her. She saw the change as he got angry and turned toward the insane
man. He walked forward until he was thrown back by a spell, landing on the
ground.
Burns took the opportunity to run forward and tackle the man.
Masbath joined him and together they wrestled the skull out of his hand. In the
struggle, they dropped the skull and Mary walked over to it, picked it up, and
carried it over to the Horseman who had gotten up and was walking toward them.
Ichabod and Katrina looked away as his head grew back. Masbath and
Burns were busy struggling with the man, and Mary just watched. The Horseman
looked down at her, his face now as it had been when he died. He walked over to
the struggling bodies and brought his sword up. He stabbed it down, perfectly
going through the man's heart, and missing both Burns and Masbath who scurried
away quickly.
"You will go back now?" Mary spoke up. The Horseman
turned and looked at her, then walked over. He leaned down and gave her a brief
kiss on the cheek, with the mental promise of future dreams. He then remounted
and rode into the tree, leaving them all alive, except for the loony man.
Mary turned and walked away from the tree purposefully. Katrina
caught up with her. "More happened than you told us, didn't it?"
"Yes. He's very much a part of me now." Mary smiled
briefly.
"What will you do now?" Katrina asked. Ichabod and the
others were carrying the body with them and couldn't hear the conversation.
"Travel, I think. Maybe go west." Mary hugged the
Horseman's cloak tighter to her.
"You'll leave? Just like that?" Katrina couldn't believe
it.
Mary turned to look at her; her eyes seemed to shift slightly.
"Yes. Just like that."