The Key (#1 of Anna Kippling Series) Paranormal romance by A.D. Duling (8 page)

“I know it hurts dear, but we will fix that
real quick!” Harmon comforted her and passed her off to Hayden, who
had quickly climbed up onto his horse. It hurt during the exchange
and she whimpered again. His arms cradled her and she slumped into
his lap. He gripped the reins and gave Thunder a light nudge. The
horse cantered off taking them towards the house. People had
already gathered in the street from the commotion and watched them
pass by.

“It’s the girl, Anna Kippling! She’s been
hurt….” Somebody yelled out.

Chapter 11

C
orrine was already waiting for them on the porch. Hayden
steered the horse over to her and she helped him climb down. He
carried Anna up to her room and laid her down on the bed. Corrine
came in a moment later carrying bottles and bandages. She sat them
down on the nightstand and gently pulled the blanket off of
Anna.

Her clothing was tattered; Corrine grabbed a
pair of scissors from the nightstand and carefully started cutting
the clothing away. Hayden looked away as she did.

“Help me turn her on her side,” she asked
her son.

He embarrassedly looked back down and helped
her. Anna cried out as they turned her. “I’m so sorry dear, I know
this hurts,” she soothed.

She worked quickly and as gently as she
could to get the clothing off of her without hurting her .They laid
her gently back down and Corrine grabbed a small blanket off a
chair and lay it across Anna’s breasts; she had left her underwear
on her.

“She’s covered now; help me clean her
wounds,” she ordered her son. He opened his eyes and she handed him
a bottle and cloth.

He opened the lid and smelled it. “What is
this?” he asked her.

“Medicinal oil that I mixed up.” she
answered. She opened her own bottle and poured some onto her cloth.
“Anna we are going to clean your wounds, the doctor should be here
any minute with medicine for your pain. Ok… this is going to sting
a bit!” She warned and laid the cloth against the first abrasion;
Anna babbled incoherently in response.

Both began to clean her wounds as delicately
as they could, thankful most did not bother her too much. However,
some stung her badly! Her reaction of an “Ouch” meant not too bad
and a hiss through the teeth meant really bad! On those they worked
more quickly.

Corrine was just covering the girl with a
blanket when the doctor arrived. She stepped aside so he could
examine her and Hayden waited outside.

“
Her wounds appear to be
only superficial and there are no broken bones,” he told her and
re-covered her.

He looked at her neck, “She’s going to be
bruised awhile, but again no serious injury.” He dug into his bag
and pulled out two vials. “Mix this in her drink; they should help
with the pain and prevent any infection.” he handed them to
Corrine.

He checked her pupils. “My dear can you tell
me your name?” he asked.

“Anna,” she croaked.

“Good! Now can you wiggle your fingers for
me on both hands?” he asked her.

Her fingers hurt, especially on her left
hand, but she managed to still wiggle them.

“The swelling should go down by tomorrow,
they will be stiff… so move them often and that should help with
that!” He instructed her as he closed his bag. He stood up and
looked back to Corrine, “You did a great job cleaning those wounds
Corrine! Just keep applying that ointment to her wounds about every
two hours and that should help them heal up quickly!” He assured
her. She thanked him and he walked over to the door and opened it;
Hayden was standing on the other side.

“She’s taken quite a beating, but she’ll
pull through!” He told him and patted him on the back.

Hayden thanked him and stepped aside so he
could pass. He walked back into the room and shut the door behind
him. Corrine had just finished dressing her in a nightgown. H
pulled the chair sitting against the wall closer the bed and sat
down. Anna’s head was turned towards him; she opened her eyes and
looked at him. He stroked her head and she watched him for a while.
With each gentle stroke her eyes grew heavier; until she finally
closed her eyes in defeat. He stayed there while she slept.

Chapter 12

T
he sun’s rays passed through the window pane and shined in
her face; waking her up. She went to sit up, but stopped when she
felt the pain; her whole body hurt and felt like one big bruise!
She found Hayden sleeping in a chair next to her. He looked
completely uncomfortable in the position he was in; head tilted
back to the right and legs sprawled out to the left.

He was also snoring and a bit of drool had
slipped down his cheek. She couldn’t help to laugh and then quickly
covered her mouth to muffle it, but his eyes shot open and she was
caught!

He sat up and wiped his mouth with the back
of his sleeve. “How long have you been watching me?” he asked her
and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Long enough to know that you snore and
drool!” she teased.

He laughed. “Can you blame me? I normally
don’t sleep sitting up.”

She smiled back. “How’s your neck?”

He reached up and rubbed it again. “Stiff!”
he replied and then reached down and scooped her hand up in his.
“At least they are not swollen anymore, do they hurt much?” he
asked her.

She shook her head. “No, they’re just
stiff,” she wiggled them a little.

He stood up and stretched, “I’m hungry. How
about you?” he asked her.

She nodded in response.

“You relax here and I will go prepare us a
wonderful breakfast feast!” he announced.

She laughed. He leaned down and kissed her
on the forehead, “I’ll be right back!” and he left her.

She stared at the closed door for a while
after he left. Many different emotions had suddenly swarmed her and
tears welded up in her eyes. She blinked; sending them streaming
down her cheeks. She and pulled a pillow out from behind her and
started to cry. She pressed it against her mouth to muffle her
sobs. She was sad, angry and afraid all at the same time!

Her safe little bubble that she had lived in
for so long at home was not around her in this place! What she had
just gone through was unimaginable! She wanted so badly to scream
for her mother and run home! Yet the man she could hear climbing up
the staircase weighed heavily against that.

She could hear two voices now; one that was
a woman’s.She quickly wiped her eyes just as the door opened and in
walked Hayden carrying a tray; followed by a very beautiful young
woman. Her clothing was elegant and you could sense an aristocratic
aura about her.

“Anna, I would like to introduce to you
Empress Anya.” Hayden announced.

The Empress smiled, “Hello Anna, I have been
anxious to meet you, but I wish under better circumstances! How are
you feeling?”

Anna smiled back. “A little tender your
highness, but I’ll survive!”

The Empress laughed. “I know you are lying
for my sake, but thank you!”

Hayden sat the tray down on the nightstand
next to the bed, “I will leave you two to talk.” He gave a slight
bow to the Empress, a wink to Anna and he left the room.

The Empress walked over and sat down in the
chair next to her, “It is well known that you are here to save me
Anna, I cannot lie to you on how much this frightens me… yet it
reassures me at the same time.” She expressed.

“Reassured is the last thing I would expect
you to be feeling right now; especially after how sourly I handled
this recent incident!”

The Empress shook her head. “You handled
that very bravely and with quick wit, my dear. I don’t see how that
went sour?”

Anna sat up a little more and grimaced; the
Empress quickly stood up and helped her get comfortable. She
thanked her and the Empress sat back down. “Your highness, what
worries me most is just how capable I am in saving your life.”

“Anna you are stronger than you think you
are.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot and I sure
hope so.”

The Empress leaned forward in her seat,
“Anna, I was told about your book and about it being able to answer
any question you ask it. Is this really true?”

Anna nodded.

“May I see it?” the Empress asked.

Anna nodded again and looked to the
nightstand, it was not there. “You know… I actually don’t know
where it is right now, we will have to ask Hayden when he comes
back.”

“Perhaps it is in the drawer!” She suggested
and opened the drawer. She roughly pushed the items around as she
looked.

Anna watched in astonishment! The Empress
noticed her expression and quickly composed herself. She gently
shut the drawer and returned to her chair.

“Excuse my behavior, but please understand
my excitement over this! Anything that could help change the
outcome of my future is very important!” She explained herself.

Anna nodded. “I understand. I’m sure Hayden
knows exactly where it is. If you could go and ask him, I am sure
we will find it right away.” she suggested.

“Yes, of course!” She stood up and walked
over to the door.

“Oh, wait your highness…You may need this.”
Anna reached up and undid the clasp to her necklace and pulled the
pendent out from inside her nightgown.

The Empress reached over and snatched it out
of her hand; revealing a tattoo of a crow on the inside of her
forearm.

“Where did you get this?” She asked, almost
in a growl.

Anna blinked, surprised again by the woman’s
actions and her unusual tattoo. “It was my Grandmothers.” She
answered her.

She looked at the bottom, “Where is the key
that opens this?”

Anna was taken back on how familiar the
Empress was with the pendant. “I think Hayden might have it.” She
answered again.

“
Of course, I will go to
him!” The Empress shot out and quickly left the room clutching the
pendant.

Anna felt uneasy about
what had just happened. She always saw royalty as being refined;
this “Empress” was far from that. And the tattoo she saw… someone
as elegant as an Empress would not have such a mark!
That’s because this woman is not the Empress! You
idiot!
The words shot in her mind and she
quickly threw the covers off. She turned her body and slid her legs
over the side.

Every bit of that movement hurt! But she
continued her climb out of bed and rushed over to the door. She was
already panting by the time she reached the stairs. She could hear
voices below and leaning against the rail, she hurried down!

The imposter had her back to her when she
reached the bottom. She was still talking to Hayden and Harmon.
Anna stumbled over and tackled her to the floor! Both men jumped
back, surprised by her attack. The woman fought underneath her, but
Anna kept her arms wrapped a tight as she could around the
woman.

“
This is not the Empress!”
She screamed up at them. Hayden quickly grabbed the woman’s arm and
pulled her up; Harmon helped Anna.

“
How dare you!” The woman
shrieked, but Hayden still held on.

Corrine rushed into the room, “Anna what are
you doing?!”

“
Pull the sleeve back on
her right arm.” She told Hayden.

He did as she asked, revealing the crow
tattoo. Corrine shook her head; “The Empress is my friend and she
does not have a tattoo!” she confirmed.

The woman laughed sinisterly; “Such a smart
girl! Such a brave one too!” she spat. “Here to save the Empress!”
she hissed.

Anna walked over and yanked the pendant out
of the woman’s hand, she then looked at Hayden. “Where is my book?”
she asked him.

“I’ll tie her up son; you take her back
upstairs before she collapses.” Harmon walked over and grabbed the
woman’s arm.

He was right she was about to; she could
feel her legs start to give beneath her. Hayden picked her up and
carried her back up to her room. He laid her down on the bed and
walked around to the dresser.

“I placed it in here when we were stripping
you, I’m surprised it even stayed in your pocket!” he expressed.
She leaned back and pulled the covers back over her. He closed the
drawer and carried it over to her. He placed it on her lap and then
reached inside his pocket. “I meant to put I back inside, but
forgot!” He pulled out the tiny key to the pendant.

She sat the pendant down on the night stand,
“I had given this to the woman, thinking you had. That was how I
saw the tattoo.”

Corrine came into the room with a glass of
water and carried it over to the night stand. She sat it down and
grabbed one of the vials the doctor had given her earlier. She
poured a measured amount into the water and stirred it with the
spoon. She handed the glass to her to drink.

Anna took it and drank it quickly. When she
finished she handed the glass back to her. “Thank you Corrine, I
needed that!”

Corrine laughed. “I would think so, after a
match like that!” she teased her.

Anna opened her book. “Where is the
Empress?” she asked it.

She was
captured
last
night, during your attack
.
It answered her
.

“Where was she taken too?”

She
is locked up in the
Chancellor’s castle
.

“So my attack was just a distraction.”

“I don’t think that was entirely a
distraction.” Hayden commented. “Remember, the Chancellor also
wants you dead.” He pointed out.

“Hayden, we need to leave as soon as
possible!” She shut her book and went to climb out of bed again,
but he put his hand on her shoulders and pushed her back down.

“We will Anna, but right now you are in no
condition for a rescue.” He gently stressed and recovered her.