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Back The Darkest Shore Save as PDF
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Karen Brooks
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. EXPLANATORY NOTE
  7. PART ONE
  8. One
  9. Two
  10. Three
  11. Four
  12. Five
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Fifteen
  23. Sixteen
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. PART TWO
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. PART THREE
  45. Thirty-Six
  46. Thirty-Seven
  47. Thirty-Eight
  48. Thirty-Nine
  49. Forty
  50. Forty-One
  51. Forty-Two
  52. Forty-Three
  53. Forty-Four
  54. Forty-Five
  55. Forty-Six
  56. Forty-Seven
  57. Forty-Eight
  58. Forty-Nine
  59. Fifty
  60. Fifty-One
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. PART FOUR
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Epilogue: Autumn 1706
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. GLOSSARY
  75. LIST OF CHARACTERS
  76. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

That day, the reverend stayed by Peter’s bedside for hours, reading and talking to him, reminding him over and over how like a son he was. The following day, Peter showed him his arms and stomach. There were bite marks as well as deeper wounds, some bleeding so freely the reverend was forced to ask for an unguent and bandages, but not before he’d invited in the bailies and the doctors from Edinburgh (who were thinking of leaving the town) to inspect his patient.

When Peter was in the midst of his fits, there were men who would try to still him, lift and bend his legs, turn his head. Even the strongest of them was unable to do so. Likewise, when they saw the gouges on his legs, the bite marks, the imprint of fingernails and what appeared to be bruises from pinching, they could find no evidence of who or what had made them. No instrument was to be found in Peter’s bedroom, and his parents and siblings denied harming him.

While Peter had days when nothing afflicted him, they were becoming rare. The more the reverend visited and spoke of Christian Shaw, Salem and other trials that found and punished witches, trials where the victim was hailed a hero by the good folk freed from bewitchment, the more frequent the attacks became.

The reverend told him Beatrix Laing had finally confessed to placing a charm upon him. Surprised to learn that Nicolas Lawson was involved too, Peter nonetheless dutifully reacted and shivered at the mention of her name, gratifying the reverend no end. Nevertheless, though the constables hunted for the wax image Beatrix claimed the two women had made, it could not be found.

When the reverend whispered to him that they would be bringing Beatrix Laing to his house on the morrow and into this very room so they could prove once and for all that she was indeed a witch, Peter knew his moment had come. The reverend was depending on Peter to help him prove to the bailies and any doubters in town that Beatrix Laing was in league with the devil. Only by doing this could he and Peter liberate Pittenweem from the curse this woman and her coven had brought upon them. A curse whose harm stretched beyond Peter’s suffering.