England, West Coast
Devonshire, Dartmoor
St George, Skirrid Inn
5 November 1898, 6:34 pm

Rumbles of thunder and thunderstorms of lightning. Pounding rain, the buzz of flies, shouting, and quivering heartbeats. All of this could have been loud enough to drown out the soft clicking, but at that very moment, the world decided to hold its breath for a tiny second. As if everything had conspired against the seekers, even the weather and fate.

The click echoed treacherously loudly in the room and at that moment Elly's head suddenly turned to the side. Her eyes caught the doctor, whose fingers had gripped the gun at his side, and pulled back the hammer.

Crowford was not quick enough to interfere in time as Elly flung Ben aside with a mighty blow. He crashed into the Andrews' wardrobe and the inhuman force behind the impact caused the wood to collapse noisily beneath him as if he were made of paper. Ben felt the bursting of the wardrobe panels. His bones cracked and a pained scream escaped his throat. A picture fell clattering from the wall to the floor as he lay in the rubble. Groaning, he tried to pull himself up. The cupboard lost its remaining stability and collapsed and broken wood scattered into the chaos around the soldier's body.

Groaning, he lay there, squinting his eyes. His shoulder hurt excruciatingly, and as soon as he tried to touch it he felt dizzy. Dots flickered before his eyes as he held his arm, gasping, and rolled to the side in the mess of broken boards and clothes. God, she had nearly broken every bone in his body! Elly was superhumanly strong and physically superior to them. 

"Kyle... stay away from her!" he pressed out between clenched teeth. They couldn't get within her reach!

Ben's ears rang and buzzed. He felt dizzy. His senses and thoughts were confused and would not obey him. Love spells... how could he let himself be spun by this! How could he resist? "Stop it!" the soldier gritted out between clenched teeth. Wood fell clattering to the floor, splinters slipping from his shoulder. Still, he did not want her harmed. There was infinite pity in his chest for the girl. Even though there was a dead body dangling there, a corpse lying in the marriage bed. Even though she had done unspeakable things. He wanted her to be happy. He felt as if his mind was torn in two. Was it because of her spell?

"Stop it! Surrender to Mrs. Oldren! If you haven't killed anyone, then you have nothing to fear! But you have to cooperate with us and calm down!" he groaned, propping his unharmed arm on his own knee. It took too much strength for him to sit up. Pain throbbed like his own heartbeat in his muscles.

"You liars!" roared Elly meanwhile, her eyes appearing almost black in the dull darkness. She screamed so loudly and beside herself that saliva sprang from her lips. "They just want to take me away! They want to lock me up, just like YOU!" everything about her posture changed, then suddenly she spoke another language. Fluent English was lost in foreign words, similar in places and Kyle was reminded of Mrs. Jäger's German words. Then Elly's fingers suddenly pointed at Ben. "But I'm not going to be locked up! I'm not leaving here!"

"Miss Oldren!" Crowford's voice cut into the tense atmosphere. This time it was unusually cold and his gaze was on the girl with a new expression. Ben had only seen him like this once before. It reminded him of the situation in the forest. Transformed from one moment to the next. "I won't say it again. This far and no further. Stop it. Now."

"Or else WHAT?!" The girl jutted her chin. "No one will stand in the way of my happiness again!" she raised her hands, but the mage was quicker.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder struck the room. A deafening bang, as if lightning had struck right between you. It wiped Elly off her feet. The blast hurled everything away from the mage, catapulting every object in a concentric circle outwards from the slender man. Petals burst open, scattering into the air and swirling away. Window panes shook and floorboards cracked under Crowford's feet. Dust swirled from every corner and plaster was torn from the walls. As if she were equally weightless, Elly's slender body was seized by an invisible force and knocked back. She bounced against the wall and fell to the floor with a thudding sound against it.

Dr. Archer couldn't help but stare at Kyle. Seeing someone work was one thing. But a wizard had to be extremely skilled in a spell to cast it wordlessly.

Clattering loudly, a copper umbrella stand fell over, the umbrellas and sticks inside slipping out with a clatter. Gasping, the girl remained to lie on her stomach. The force of the spell had loosened the knot of her hair, strands falling into her tear-stained face and into her eyes, which were now large and full of wild fury directed at Crowford. She looked like a wild animal. Completely beside herself, far from any clear thought.

The mage straightened to his full height and stretched his back. He took up an upright, warning position. Ready to fight if he had to and now it was his eyes that were honed and narrowed on the girl. "Mrs. Oldren you are nothing more than a hedge witch. A bungler with a bit of talent for magic. You are no match for someone like me." The mage rumbled and took a step towards the woman. "It is horrible what has happened to you. We will send help to you. But enough is enough now."

Help. Elly could not know what he meant by that, but Ben did. The Order had its ways of dealing with people like Elly. Only WHAT happened to those people after they were handed over to the Seekers... no one knew. And he doubted it was a more pleasant fate than what she was currently imagining. The fate of women who ended up in closed institutions, locked behind bars "for their own good". But Elly was a danger. To herself and others. That fact was in his mind, but something prevented it from gaining solid ground there. Dr. Archer felt as if he were in a daze.

"Hedgewitch..." muttered Elly, then she let out a shrill laugh. It echoed off the walls like a house of mirrors in a cabinet of curiosities. "I'll show you what a hedge witch can do!" she barked out. Her fingers clasped the umbrella stand and jerked it forward. Benjamin opened his mouth. He wanted to warn his comrade, but he was not fast enough.

Accelerated by her superhuman strength, the projectile whizzed through the air and hit Crowford full force in the stomach before he could even think of dodging. The mage fell backward and slid across the floor until he hit the foot of the bed. For a moment, all the air was forced out of the mage's lungs with a loud audible gasp and he visibly rolled his eyes.

Elly, meanwhile, rose staggeringly, reached out, and curled her fingers down. Tilting her head, a rapt grin on her features, she looked at Ben. Her mouth was contorted so wide it was almost ear to ear. Then she licked her lips, slowly and almost ritually. Benjamin couldn't help but look. He was head over heels for her.

"Mr. Archer." purred Elly suddenly, her voice chirping like a nightingale.

Benjamin felt the magic in the air this time, tasted the sickening sweetness on his tongue, and wanted to spit it out for a split second. He didn't want this. It had to stop! It was an icy shiver that crawled down his spine with thousands of spiders, but then suddenly dissipated hotly in his stomach and loins. His senses and his will melted for this woman.

"Would you be so kind as to put the gun to your head and pull the trigger?" chirped Elly adorably and sweetly. She reached out and did a half turn with the joint, clenched the hand into a fist except for two fingers, then held it out like a gun. Benjamin felt a hot tingling in his fingertips, then his hand went abhorrently numb.

"Mrs. Oldren! Stop it!" Panic surged up in Crowford's voice like a bird flapping its wings nervously. The mage pushed the piece of metal off his body and tried to ignore nausea and dizziness as he pulled himself up.

"Kyle!" Dr. Archer stammered out the name hoarsely. He could do nothing about it as his hand gripped the revolver again. His body simply disobeyed him as his fingers gripped the weapon tighter. He followed Elly's movement as she put her fingers to her chin. Trembling, Ben mentally braced himself against the compulsion that made his muscles tremble. At the same time, her sweet words purred in his mind. Their effect had trapped him, sticky as a spider's web. He felt unable to move and was frozen as if someone had attached invisible strings to him and was now pulling them relentlessly. A puppet, ready to dance. Fingers trembling and eyes dilated, Ben stared down the barrel of his gun, aimed at his face. A black hole, like the abyss of death. His arm went up, pressing the cold barrel against his chin.

Ben's heart lurched. It raced and stumbled over its own rhythm. Ben tried to do something. To command his body, but it disobeyed him. He felt the cold metal of the weapon that had served him so often. He had carried it in the war, he had carried it when he awoke in the desert sands. He possessed it the years afterward when he sought an explanation for what had happened in Egypt. This gun had protected him from street riffraff, it was familiar to him and he looked after it every day. He oiled this revolver, cleaned it, reassembled it, and loaded each bullet into the cylinder. The revolver was a part of him, his protection... would it seal his end now? Ben squinted his eyes. He thought of how it had felt in Egypt. The heat, the pain, the cold... the way death breathed into his neck, the icy breath, and then...

"QUIT IT NOW!" thundered Kyle's voice.

Ben couldn't breathe.

Elly's laughter echoed off the walls, then she crooked her thumb.

The gunshot cracked.

The muzzle flash briefly lit the room like a lightning bolt. Smoke rose from the barrel, lost in the light breeze, and the smell of gunpowder settled into the sweetness of death and flowers. Benjamin stared. Elly stared. Her eyes were wide and wide. Stunned, her gaze slid down at herself and Ben saw a reflection of himself in Sudan. The stunning moment time stood still. Blood gushed from the hole in her chest, oozed out, and ran down her. Benjamin's gaze flew across the room and fastened on Crowford, in whose hands was a small-caliber weapon. His breathing was heavy, his eyes as wide as Elly's.

The maid dropped to her knees, slumped, and felt for her chest. Her hands were smeared with the red of her blood, leaving red stains on the night robe. A whimper escaped her lips and Benjamin now rushed towards the woman. He ignored the pain, suddenly barely feeling it as it wavered at the edge of his perception. Ben reached Elly just in time as her body threatened to topple to the side. He caught her, knelt beside her, and held her in his arms.

"I didn't want to be alone anymore..." The long, dark lashes fluttered, and the look became unclear. "I wanted..."

"Shhhh..." Ben murmured soothingly, wrapping the girl tighter in his arms. His trembling fingers ran over her mop of hair, brushing a tangled strand from her face. Ben looked at the bullet wound, the exact position, and how the blood soaked the thin nightgown like spilled wine. The look of a doctor assessing what her chances were.

She reached out her trembling fingers and cold fingertips stroked Benjamin's bruised neck. "I'm sorry..." Elly gagged, blood oozing from between her lips. She trembled, convulsed, and grasped at his arm as if seeking support. Hot tears streamed from her eyes, flowed down her cheeks, and were lost in all the blood.

"It'll be over in a moment..." whispered Ben in an occupied voice. His heart was clammy. Like a dog that had been thrown into the water and saw no land. He put his hand over hers, simply so she wouldn't have to be alone.

"Thank you..." just a whisper that faded into the rushing wind of a storm. Elly smiled. And then she closed her eyes forever. Dr. Archer blinked. The threads that had held him suddenly lost strength, support, and tension. They crumbled into invisible dust. And he felt as if he could suddenly breathe properly again. His gaze was on the features of the woman who now seemed so calm. As if she were simply sleeping peacefully.