My Magistrate Husband Drew His Sword When the Priest Claimed Our Son Carried His Slain Enemy's Soul — But the Truth in the Safe Changed Everything
The first hint of gray light touched the eastern peaks as I left Julian’s room, the weight of his secret pressing down on me. I had to think, to find a way. But Garth was always one step ahead.
Below, in the magistrate’s study, a lamp still burned. I heard voices, low and urgent.
“Caleb!” Garth’s voice carried clearly through the thick oak door. His tone was sharp, commanding. “Get in here, boy.”
Young Caleb Taggart, barely 22, the newest town guard, entered the study. I saw his shadow through the frosted glass of the door, his uniform stiff and new. He was a good boy, earnest and loyal, fresh out of his apprenticeship at the smithy.
“Yes, Magistrate?” Caleb’s voice was reedy, eager to please.
Garth’s next words made my blood run cold. “Julian has been afflicted. A border curse, boy. From Red Ridge. It threatens all 340 souls in Oakhaven.”
I pressed my ear against the wood, my heart pounding. A curse? This was Garth’s explanation?
“He must be quarantined,” Garth continued, his voice taking on a grim, authoritative tone. “Inside the chapel grounds. Until the blessing of the dawn ceremony can purge this evil. No one in. No one out.”
I could hear the scratch of Garth’s quill on parchment, likely writing an official order.
“But… Magistrate,” Caleb stammered, “Julian? He looked fine just last night.”
“Appearances deceive, Caleb,” Garth said, his voice laced with practiced conviction. “This is spiritual rot. Silent, insidious. If it spreads, Oakhaven falls. Your duty, boy, is to protect this town. Protect its people.”
I heard Caleb swallow hard. “Yes, Magistrate. I understand.”
“Take two men,” Garth ordered. “Bolt the heavy oak doors from the outside. Stand guard. And if anyone, *anyone*, tries to approach, they are to be turned away. Especially my wife, Clara. She has been… unsettled by this affliction.”
My knuckles went white as I gripped the banister. He was twisting the truth, preying on Caleb’s loyalty and the town’s superstition. He was using fear to isolate Julian. And me.
I heard the scrape of chairs, the heavy footsteps of Caleb leaving the study. A moment later, a chill wind swept through the manor as the main door opened and closed.
I darted to the window, peering out into the fading night. I saw Caleb, his youthful face set with solemn purpose, marching towards the chapel with two other guards. Their lanterns swayed, casting long, dancing shadows.
They reached the chapel. I watched in horror as Caleb instructed them to retrieve the heavy iron bolts. The sound of solid wood scraping against stone echoed even across the distance. A moment later, the huge oak doors of the chapel were secured.
Julian was trapped. Under the pretense of a curse, Garth had stripped him of his freedom, his ascension, and his right to speak. I was now barred from my own son, by a young man who believed he was doing God’s work. The valley was silent, but a different kind of battle had just begun.
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