answered to no tugs of conscience and Aaron was content in this path that he had chosen, as well.
One of his spies had told him of a riding party that arrived at the neighboring village to pay a visit to that haughty Rhianna du Montefort’s keep. His man said the guests were riding under the king’s flag. Perhaps, the king had gotten word that Randall was dead and that du Montefort Keep needed to be fortified. The problem was; Randall du Montefort was not dead. Aaron had his guards ambush Randall on his return from an emissary mission. While Aaron wanted nothing better than to murder his foe, he could not bring suspicion to himself.
He wanted to claim the high and mighty witch and take her lands for his own. If Randall was found murdered, Aaron Jasper was not fool enough to think that he would be named the main suspect in the deed. Instead, he had du Montefort beaten and tortured just for the sport of it. Randall du Montefort would never permit any Jasper to marry his precious sister. The witch had been carefully protected and coddled. Randall made no bones that he thought the likes of anyone named Jasper was beneath the station of his sister. Therefore, Aaron Jasper took extra pleasure in giving Randall his comeuppance. He was not so high and mighty after Aaron was finished with him.
Aaron Jasper saw to it that when Randall was at his weakest from the beatings, that he was drugged with a potent spirit to quell his memory. It had worked, too. The man could not even remember his name. It was positively brilliant. Aaron wanted to try a similar dose on the girl, but only enough so she forgot her haughty place, for he wanted her to remember the pain he intended to inflict on her.
Oh, but Aaron Jasper had gotten complacent. Somehow, the bastard brother escaped. Aaron could not fathom how, for in his state, Randall could not have gone far and in fact, he may have ended up dead after all. He had been starved, beaten and drugged. More than likely, he would not have been able to survive. There had been no retaliation against him. The royal envoy that had arrived at Montefort had made no threats to Morcar Keep, so Aaron Jasper thought perhaps he may still have been in the clear.
During most of his life, Aaron had the misfortune of bearing pustules and angry red inflammations on his face, neck and back. Aaron had sought to find ways to heal the constant skin eruptions that had plagued and marred him his entire life, marking him undesirable to females. While cures were never forthcoming, his studies soon turned him to darker practices of alchemy and black magic. His dabbling with these arts created still another reason that the du Montefort witch would be valuable for his taking. She was known for her sorcery in these parts and Aaron thought he could soon turn her to dark witchcraft with perhaps the proper amount of pain.
He might also be able to dose her with some of his most powerful vapors until she became bendable to his will. He absently fingered the scar that ran down his cheek from the hollow socket where his eye had once been. If his pocked skin made him undesirable, that horrible disfigurement now sealed his fate. He had been careless that day, as well, and came out the worse for it when he had sought to pilfer a man’s purse. He had thought the bastard was well in his cups when he reached for the coins. Instead, the man surprised him and beat him at his own game. It was a steep price to pay for the paltry purse of coins. The dagger meant to take his life slipped and carved out a ridge in his face that looked like a twisted road and took out his eye in the process. Just thinking on that day caused rage to boil forth again. His maiming would not matter once he had the du Montefort witch ensnared. He just had to plan a way to get to her, especially now with the royal envoy at her doorstep.
Grimacing so that the jagged scar in his cheek turned a livid white, Aaron Jasper thought perhaps there was another reason that the
One of his spies had told him of a riding party that arrived at the neighboring village to pay a visit to that haughty Rhianna du Montefort’s keep. His man said the guests were riding under the king’s flag. Perhaps, the king had gotten word that Randall was dead and that du Montefort Keep needed to be fortified. The problem was; Randall du Montefort was not dead. Aaron had his guards ambush Randall on his return from an emissary mission. While Aaron wanted nothing better than to murder his foe, he could not bring suspicion to himself.
He wanted to claim the high and mighty witch and take her lands for his own. If Randall was found murdered, Aaron Jasper was not fool enough to think that he would be named the main suspect in the deed. Instead, he had du Montefort beaten and tortured just for the sport of it. Randall du Montefort would never permit any Jasper to marry his precious sister. The witch had been carefully protected and coddled. Randall made no bones that he thought the likes of anyone named Jasper was beneath the station of his sister. Therefore, Aaron Jasper took extra pleasure in giving Randall his comeuppance. He was not so high and mighty after Aaron was finished with him.
Aaron Jasper saw to it that when Randall was at his weakest from the beatings, that he was drugged with a potent spirit to quell his memory. It had worked, too. The man could not even remember his name. It was positively brilliant. Aaron wanted to try a similar dose on the girl, but only enough so she forgot her haughty place, for he wanted her to remember the pain he intended to inflict on her.
Oh, but Aaron Jasper had gotten complacent. Somehow, the bastard brother escaped. Aaron could not fathom how, for in his state, Randall could not have gone far and in fact, he may have ended up dead after all. He had been starved, beaten and drugged. More than likely, he would not have been able to survive. There had been no retaliation against him. The royal envoy that had arrived at Montefort had made no threats to Morcar Keep, so Aaron Jasper thought perhaps he may still have been in the clear.
During most of his life, Aaron had the misfortune of bearing pustules and angry red inflammations on his face, neck and back. Aaron had sought to find ways to heal the constant skin eruptions that had plagued and marred him his entire life, marking him undesirable to females. While cures were never forthcoming, his studies soon turned him to darker practices of alchemy and black magic. His dabbling with these arts created still another reason that the du Montefort witch would be valuable for his taking. She was known for her sorcery in these parts and Aaron thought he could soon turn her to dark witchcraft with perhaps the proper amount of pain.
He might also be able to dose her with some of his most powerful vapors until she became bendable to his will. He absently fingered the scar that ran down his cheek from the hollow socket where his eye had once been. If his pocked skin made him undesirable, that horrible disfigurement now sealed his fate. He had been careless that day, as well, and came out the worse for it when he had sought to pilfer a man’s purse. He had thought the bastard was well in his cups when he reached for the coins. Instead, the man surprised him and beat him at his own game. It was a steep price to pay for the paltry purse of coins. The dagger meant to take his life slipped and carved out a ridge in his face that looked like a twisted road and took out his eye in the process. Just thinking on that day caused rage to boil forth again. His maiming would not matter once he had the du Montefort witch ensnared. He just had to plan a way to get to her, especially now with the royal envoy at her doorstep.
Grimacing so that the jagged scar in his cheek turned a livid white, Aaron Jasper thought perhaps there was another reason that the
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