“I know girl, I know,” the rider spoke, their voice soft and gentle. As they reached forwards to pat their horse reassuringly, Raxx spotted a satchel strapped to the saddle. It was made from silk.
The shadow demon yanked the sodden bag from his back and glanced between them. This was the same satchel as the one he had earlier uncovered in the snow.
Raxx sprinted ahead in an attempt to get a better look at the figure astride the horse. A faint, eerie light seemed to glow from beneath the heavy hood, but it was no use. He couldn’t quite make out their features. They possessed majick, he could sense it thrumming from them.
Who was this person? Clearly, they were wealthy which meant they were faerie, but why were they here? His plans to inform the king fell by the wayside and Raxx’s gut churned with concern as he stalked behind the rider. He had a bad feeling about this.
Chapter Two
Faye felt like every hair on her body was standing on end. Gaia, her trusty steed, could sense it as well. Something wasn’t right in this part of the forest. What was she thinking, travelling alone and in the dark? Faye felt a cold sweat break out on her back beneath her thick riding gear.
The princess had been out on the road all day. She knew she should have pulled up and found somewhere to camp before the last of the daylight faded, but her fear for her sister, Lori, had pushed her onwards. It was now the early hours of the morning and she was exhausted, aching and frozen. Her toes throbbed inside her boots.
Though she had been on edge, expecting her father’s men to leap from the bushes at any moment, Faye hadn’t felt likethisbefore.
“Hello?” she called out. Her voice echoed around the empty forest.
Her majick swirled inside her, clawing at the inside of her skull. What was happening? The shadows of the dark forest seemed to close in around her. Faye tightened her grip on her reins.
Gaia jogged ahead, the horse’s muscles tense and bunched, prepared to take flight at any given moment. Faye swallowed and attempted to slow her breathing. Horses were flighty animals and Gaia was feeding off her nervous energy. She needed to calm herself down before her horse spooked and bolted, careening through the forest.
Faye released a staggered breath and smoothed her hand, encased in a leather glove, down the side of Gaia’s neck.
“Ssh,” she soothed, patting the mare softly.
Gaia relaxed a fraction, but her ears were still pricked upright, flicking backwards and forwards as she attempted to locate whatever was causing this strange atmosphere.
Faye couldn’t believe the forest had become so dark. Unnervingly, it seemed darker here than before. The pines loomed overhead, blocking any faint light from the sky above.
“Hello? Is someone there?”
A twig cracked in the darkness and Faye shivered, feeling the cold tendrils of terror encase her. She had been doing so well. Why was she losing control of herself now? Panic gripped her and she trembled.
Gaia snorted nervously and threw her head up into the air. The horse hopped, taking her weight from her front hooves and threatening to rear.
With a grimace of effort, Faye wrestled the mare back into submission and nudged her heels into Gaia’s sides, urging the horse on.
Gaia leapt forward and they charged along the deserted road. Faye glanced over her shoulder, dirt and snow spraying into the air in their wake. The forest was dark and vacant, but something niggled at her. She gritted her teeth and sat forwards out of the saddle, encouraging her companion into a faster gallop.
Gaia obediently increased the speed of her gait. The evening air was bitter as they thundered ahead. Though most of Faye’s face was covered by a thick scarf, the small sections of exposed skin burnt from the cold.
Faye’s distress was lessening, but the sick sense of dread that had settled in her stomach refused to leave her. She glanced over her shoulder again. Still nothing.
As Gaia began to tire, huge clouds of hot breath puffed from the horse’s nostrils into the night sky. Though she was loath to slow, Faye sat back and pulled her steed up. Gaia snorted, relieved to finally be able to catch her breath.
Faye needed to find a place to rest. Her horse needed food and shelter and she was chilled to the bone. She had remained on the main tracks from Awrelwood and was both dismayed and relieved not to have seen much in the way of civilisation.
Her exhaustion weighed heavily on her. She was carrying a tent, but desperately didn’t want to pitch up alone and in the darkness - not with this chilling sense of foreboding now lingering over her.
They rounded a corner and Faye’s hopes soared as a spear of light shone out through the forest. She breathed a sigh of relief. A building, at last.
As they approached, she spotted a row of hitching posts outside the strange establishment. Faye hopped down from Gaia’s back, wincing as pain shot up her cold, stiff legs. She hobbled forwards with her reins hooked over her arm, to look through the murky window panes.
It was quiet inside. Faye watched as a middle-aged woman wiped a rag over some glasses. The princess stared, dumbstruck. The woman had neat, curved horns at either side of her head. A demon? But that couldn’t be… Demons were hideous, terrifying beasts with claws and fangs.
Faye shivered and turned to stare over her shoulder, straining her eyes through the darkness. She wasn’t alone out here.
She looked through the window of the inn again. The demon woman had a kind, friendly face and between the threat that lurked in the forest and the woman inside, Faye knew which fate she would rather face. She hastily hitched Gaia to a post and unfastened her satchel from the saddle. Tucking her bag over her shoulder, she sucked in a breath and pushed the heavy wooden door open. The princess stumbled into the quiet room, sagging with relief as a wave of warmth hit her cold face. The demon woman stilled, staring at her with wide eyes.
