Marcroft

Prologue: Death and Cursed Vow

The crowd behind her screamed, "Witch!" and kept pointing at her as she stood before the judges apathetically. She was not afraid of them, nor was she sorry for what she had done. They had caught her red-handed; this is true; they saw her using witchcraft to strike down that boy who threatened her and her older brother. He was now dead because of her and she did not regret it.

She turned to everyone behind her and searched for her brother Joseph and found him, his eyes were full of fear for her. Her expression softened and bit her bottom lip; she didn't want to leave him but nothing could save her now.

"Emily Marcroft," the head-judge spoke. "Thou stand before this court tried for the crime of witchcraft. Thou plead guilty. Before the sentencing begins, do thou have something to say on thy behalf?"

Emily turned back to the judges. She stared at them coldly and they turned away from her gaze. She just shook her head and then spoke.

"Aye, it is true that I killed that boy. I killed him because he threatened Joseph and myself. What the threat was, thou will never know because we will not tell. What I have left to say to thee is this: May God have mercy and thy souls. For Lilith and Joseph shall not!!"

The crowd all gasped and murmured at what she said and the judges just stared dumbfounded at her words. Joseph in the background just grinned and vanished before anyone noticed he was even there.

Minutes later the judges returned from the back room and sat back down before Emily who remained on the stand. Joseph appeared again in Emily's vision range but nobody else's. His expression returned to its worried state, his sister was all he had left after their parents died.

"…Burned at the stake," was all Emily heard from the judge's mouth. Her eyes snapped wide and Joseph tried to fight his way through the crowd to reach her.

Two townsmen grabbed Emily roughly and dragged her out into the courtyard where the bonfire was ready to be lit. She struggled and screamed for she feared fire. They tied her down tightly, the ropes almost breaking her ribs as she sobbed, calling out to her brother to help her.

Joseph tried to fight through the crowd but he was caught in the middle they set it aflame. He watched in horror as the flame roared and reach the skies, hearing Emily scream his name and crying. The townspeople stood back and watched the young witch burn.

When Emily slowly stopped screaming black clouds covered the skies, Joseph glanced up and lightning started to crash and it began to downpour, dowsing the flames and putting them out. Joseph hurried and ran towards his sister and cut her free. He gathered her into his arms and jumped down and ran towards their home with the entire town chasing him. He barely made it into his house.

Joseph locked it and shoved the table in front of it and shut the windows. He gently placed Emily on the bed; she was burned badly and there was very little bleeding from her charred flesh. Her young beautiful was so awful nobody could tell she was human.

He lowered his head to her chest hoping to hear a heartbeat, but sadly heard nothing. He shook his head in disbelief, thinking his hearing was wrong; and so he checked her pulse on her wrist. Nothing. Joseph continued to shake his head as she cried.

"Emily," he sobbed. "You can't be dead…you're not dead. Please tell me your alive!! Emily!!" He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. "You can't be dead……you're too strong to die. My sister, my love, come back I beg you!!"

The door was finally broken down. The judges walked into the house and saw Joseph stood with his back turned to them. The table was taken away from the door a while ago and on top of it was Emily's body wrapped in a bed sheet. Joseph stood before the table with his hands firmly on the edges.

"Thou must keep it down," he said quietly. "You almost woke up Emily."

"She's dead, Joseph Marcroft," said one judge.

Joseph shook his head. "Nay, she's very much alive. She's just sleeping."

The looked at each other before the head-judge stepped forward. "Joseph Marcroft, thou are under arrest for the crimes of witchcraft."

"Thou have no evidence."

"And what of the storm?"

"What of it? Perhaps God was saving my sister instead of me."

The judge stared at his back, wanting to force him around but feared he might put a spell over him if he were.

"At thy sister's trail she said Timmy Roberts threatened thee and thy sister. What was the threat? What is it that thou has to hide?"

"Nothing that is any of thy business. Now leave before I force thee to leave."

"Thou did cause the storm did thee? Joseph!"

Joseph turned around and faced the judges, his face holding a calm but firm expression. "My parents died when Emily was just a babe, do you remember how they died? They were burned --- burned in the same accidental fire that killed the Morgan family. I raised her by myself since then. My sister is my life, and thou took her away tonight. However, she is still here just in another form. And with Lilith as my witness, until the day we're reunited, until she is back in my arms my sister and I will live forever!!"

"Joseph!"

"I pray thee leave now."

"Joseph Marcroft!"

"NOW!!!" Joseph's eyes flared red and the judges were thrown out of the house and the door slammed behind them.

The head-judge ran to open the door again but it wouldn't open. He shoved it with all his might but there was no success. At this time the townspeople were returning to the Marcroft home. He looked and a man with a torch and took it and threw it on the roof and it slowly started to catch fire. More torches began to get thrown at the house, breaking in through the windows and soon the entire house was on fire.

And all the time Joseph sat on the table with his sister's body cradled in his lap, continuously repeating to himself, "My sister and I will live forever………until the day we're reunited."