Page 4

Chapter two

M y sword rested on the rocks near the river, glistening once again as I undressed out of the blood-stained clothing and placed them in the water.

The current was slow in this spot, making it harder for it to wash the blood stains out of my clothes but at least I wouldn't have to deal with them getting pulled away.

When I was finally able to lower myself into the cool blue liquid an unconscious low moan escaped my lips at the feeling of it caressing my skin.

Layers of dirt from the hunt washed off of me in the current like pieces of gold in oil.

My body took a good five minutes to scrub off, and another ten minutes for me to finally start to feel some semblance of clean.

It had been too long. Days spent in the in the rain and mud trying to track down this one beast had coated me in what felt like a second skin of pure filth.

Near the cottage, was a stream that I used to supply my water for the tub I acquired a few years back. But it didn't compared, however, to the utter euphoria of being able to fully submerge myself. It was as if the months of pain left me for at least a few seconds before returning in full force.

Once my hair was unknotted to the best of my fingers’ ability, I got out.

The waves of brown now falling mostly flat as they clung to my bare skin, all the way down to their ends at the middle of my back.

I gathered my clothes, spreading them out across a large rock to dry as I pulled my sword next to me—taking up a rock of my own to sit and watch the fish.

My small ears kept on alert as much as they could with the sound of the river.

I couldn't take any chances. While I hoped that the zalkrot was the beast that had been attacking the farmers cattle, there could just as easily be another lurking somewhere within the trees.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for my clothes to dry in the direct sunlight, and soon I was beginning my long trek back to the cottage. The trees thinned out, smelling of pine, as the brown carpet of soil began to disappear under blades of green. Glazed green eyes haunted my vision at the sight.

I reached the first snare, furthest from the cottage—nothing.

Despite my attempts to shut the day from my mind, it began to race with thoughts of the woman.

Did she have a husband? Was he waiting for her to come home?

What were they going to name the baby? The last thought had my heart clenching the most. To think of the life they could’ve had, only for it to end in such a horrific way.

The second snare came into view with movement that had my focus shifting.

I quickened my pace as the shrilling rabbit tried to fight the rope wrapped around its leg.

It was reflex anymore to pull out the brass dagger I kept tucked along the ankle of my boot and shove the blade through its skull to silence the childlike screams.

A long time ago, I would wince or feel regret for taking the lives of these defenseless animals, but after many years of near starvation, I realized it was either them or me.

Setting the trap once again, I continued my walk, now at a faster pace with the rodent swinging from my hand.

There were four rope snares and one spring trap in total, spread throughout the perimeter of the cottage.

I moved them to new spots every couple of days.

The spring trap—needed for the larger animals and beasts—was a costly expense that had taken a full month’s worth of pay.

Pay that was made from me killing the creatures that wreaked havoc on the farms along the outskirts of the nearby towns and cities.

With the increase in monsters, almost every spare coin went towards getting more traps—leaving me with nothing, as usual.

The rest of the snares came up empty, and I found myself on one of the paths winding through the woods—eyes locked on my boots while the rabbit swung in tandem with my sword in and out of my view.

I felt a familiar heaviness settle upon my shoulders with each footfall on the loose dirt adorned with a handful of pebbles and shadows of nearby ferns.

It's been three months since I walked this path with the world beneath me feeling whole. Like everything had happened for a reason. For me to be here . But now. . .

Dragging my gaze up, I stopped a few yards away from the element withered door.

Colorful glass bottles reflected the setting sun while they clinked together with the decorative figurines in the constant gentle wind of the valley.

The noise was a reminder that I was safe, for now, even though it did nothing to soothe me like it used to.

Instead, it reminded me of what felt like a different life.

—

A boiling pot of spices and flavors cooked in the fireplace—mixing together to pack the air with the delicious fragrance of squirrel stew.

My feet flew across the small open space of the living room with precise steps in tune with the melody pouring from my throat.

The swish of my soft dress fabric delicately grazed the skin around my ankles.

A rare smile formed as I slowed, continuing the melody with a hum. Sitting at the table with my steaming bowl of food, I grabbed the fresh loaf of bread and split it in two—silently wishing myself a happy eighteenth birthday.

—

Everything about me was a lie. My real name, the day I was born, everything about who I am, or was, is a mystery. One that I will most likely never solve.

Hugh saved me, in so many ways. Years spent being a captive would've been far worse if it weren't for him.

He secretly took me under his wing—naming, training, protecting, and caring for me.

As I got older, it became a tradition for him to sneak down to my cell, on the middle day in the ninth month, and we would celebrate my 'birthday' by splitting a piece of bread through the cell bars.

My heart squeezed in pain at the recollection.

Closing my eyes with a deep breath, I imagined another layer of bricks stacking on top of the many others.

The numbness took hold in my center and expanded out until every cell of my being quieted, and my renewed sense of self gave me enough strength to finish my journey to the door.

I didn't have much to fill the cottage other than the basics.

A table with two chairs hugging the wall that shared the kitchen, if you can even call it a kitchen.

There was a counter and a basin beneath the only unbroken window that I typically left uncovered during the day.

Running water and sewer were a luxury only found in the cities.

The small villages and random houses throughout the kingdoms were not as fortunate, but I at least had a basin.

On the opposing wall to the kitchen stood a large stone fireplace next to the small fraying leather sofa and bedroom door.

I soaked up the familiar scent of my home, trying to ignore his fading fragrance, before setting down the rabbit on the table and grabbing a couple of logs to revive the orange embers within the ashes.

If many years of surviving on my own has taught me anything, it's how to build a fire.

Flames flicked to life just as exhaustion from the hunt clutched its talons into me. By the time I prepared and finished the rabbit, it consumed me completely.

The sudden deafening silence of the glass bottles and figurines had me jolting awake, my sleep-drugged mind clearing with each quickening heartbeat. The sight of the door filled my vision, reminding me that I was on the couch after having been too tired to make it to my bed.

I instinctively reached for the hilt of my sword that was still attached on top of yesterday's clothes and froze. Holding my breath, I trained my wide eyes on the door, and waited. Waiting for the familiar clinking to return or for the conformation that I was going to have to fight.

The silence carried on, uninterrupted for nearly two minutes.

My heart pounded in my ears as my lungs screamed in agony.

Pressure built in my face, blurring the edges of my vision.

I was on the verge of either passing out or releasing my breath, letting whatever monster that was outside get the upper hand.

When I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, the music of the glass started again.

I released my breath quickly and quietly, hoping that the creature was far enough away to not hear.

The pressure left my face, blood circulating back through the rest of my body once more, leaving one thought running through my mind.

In all the years I have spent here, never has a beast gotten close enough to set off that alarm.

After the excitement that woke me up, I spent the rest of the night staring at the door, sword still in hand, waiting for the bastard to come back.

I finally got up when the need for fresh supplies had me snatching up my coin purse and beginning the walk to the city.

My head moved rapidly, turning to look at each rustle in the leaves or twig snap.

I was on edge and ready to find another thing to sink my sword into.

The beasts only came out at night, up until a few months ago.

Ever since, I’d been warning those who would listen and hunting for the monsters out during the day.

Saving my extra traps for the farms that asked for my help.

By the time I exited the tree line to the vast expanse of farms and the white stone horizon of the city, I started to feel less on edge.

Of the five kingdoms, Drine was the largest, full of the wealthiest cities and forests that stretched for miles.

It’s one of the three kingdoms where humans and faes coincided somewhat peacefully, and is currently ruled by King Dragoslav, a fae.

From what I've heard, he’s a new, ambitious king who inherited the throne only a few years ago.