I pushed myself away and began to cry as I realized that I most likely would not make it out of this forest. I screamed as loudly as I could, knowing it would do next to nothing. The man towered over me and grinned, showing me his razor sharpteeth.
“Princess Octavia,” he laughed and walked closer. “Princess Octavia…Darick,” he said just before he straddled me and collected both of my wrists in one of his hands. He was too strong and I could not move my hands. “Princess Octavia of The Darick Kingdom…Princess to the RoyalDarick.”
I opened my mouth to scream again and felt the worst pain I had ever experienced. The pain had been so severe that it forced my eyes to close. I thought that I had been dreaming when I opened them. I was still in the nightmare. The man still had my arms pinned over my head by my wrists and his teeth pierced my flesh. As he syphoned life out of me, all that came to mind were my parents andKlyn.
“My father will find out,” I muttered as the top of his head faded in and out of my line ofsight.
His loud laugh made me force my eyes open, though I could barely keep them alert; I was dying. As my blood ran out the side of his mouth, he said, “I fully intend for your father to findout.”
Screams and cries from the dinner hall filled my head as I faded in and out. I was alone in the woods, left to die. It became more difficult to breathe, and I knew it would not be long now. Soon the pain would be gone. The last thing I remembered seeing before I shut my eyes had been that hideous man and the creepy mark on his neck. The screams and everything else around mefaded.
* * *
Running.
I sensed that someone was running towards me before I had felt the feet on the ground. And I felt the feet pounding on the ground before I had heard them. Was Idreaming?
“Princess…” I faintly heard moments before gentle hands wrapped around my shoulders to shake me. “Oh, Octavia,” a man said my name inanguish.
Klyn. I fought to open my eyes. I had been too weak to move my arms, but he must have detected that I had been trying to move my arms and he took hold of myhand.
“Klyn,” I murmured weakly, “Klyn my neck,” I rasped and tried to turn myhead.
“Shh, Octavia. I am going to pick you up, my dear. Hold on as best as youcan.”
As Klyn picked me up, I could not avoid crying out in pain. I tried reaching for my neck, but Klyn insisted that I stayed still. I leaned my head against his chest as he carried me deeper into the woods. Was that right? Why were we going deeper into the woods? Why not towards the dining hall? Myparents!
“Klyn—”
“Octavia, please keep quiet, dear,” heurged.
“But—”
“Trust me,dear.”
As Klyn lumbered deeper into the woods with me in his arms, I noticed he had been limping. Was he injured? Even in the darkness I could almost see his pale faceclearly.
“Klyn,” I whispered. He ignored me and kept walking. “Please put me down so you can rest,Klyn.”
He ignored my requests and kept walking deep into the night. The pain in my neck was unbearable and I continued to fade in and out untildawn.
“We are almost there,” hemumbled.
Where?
My mouth was so dry and I had been too tired to muster any strength to talk. I pried my eyes open and looked in the direction he walked in. Ahead of us was a small campsite with a soft blueglow.
“A witch?” I weakly asked and began tocough.
“Tiara Rathmore,” Klyn said.Rathmore?Had I heard him correctly? “Yes, a witch. Rest Octavia,dear.”
I was in and out again and faintly heard Klyn and Tiara as they talked. I picked up on certain words and tried to concentrate, but my body felt so weird and lethargic. I had passed out again but opened my eyes when I heard Klyn’s voice again. This time when I awoke, I noticed that my neck felt sticky and wet, but I began to stir restlessly when I heard him talk about the Queen.Mother!
“Klyn—”
“I am right here, shh, please rest, dear. You will make it,” Klyn coughed hard and I reached for hishand.
“You said something about the Queen. Where is my mother?” I asked as my eyes darted around the room. The pain in my head forced me to close my eyesagain.
