She led him over to a spot that had far fewer roots sticking up from the ground.
“How about we just take a moment to wait it out? Would that make ye feel better?” she asked.
As if in answer, the horse gave a small huff.
Just as she tossed the reins around one of the lower branches of the tree, the sky ignited in a flash of bright white light, and the followingboomshook the very ground beneath their feet.
The horse whinnied, rearing up on his hind legs as he broke free from the feeble knot Thalia had only just started tying. Before she could stop him, he was already galloping through the trees.
“Nay! Daenae leave me here alone! Wait! Wait!” she called, trying in vain to chase after the beast, but it was long gone.
She panted, exhausted from the journey and lack of proper rest, as she took in her surroundings again.
The storm had not only chased away her only companion but also all of the light. The darkness had crept in fast, and Thalia began to feel frightened. She wrapped her arms around herself to try to fight off the wave of despair that threatened to overtake her. She was well and truly lost now, and even if she knew the way back, she had no way of returning.
She started walking idly in the direction the horse had gone, and another crack of thunder sent a jolt of fear down her spine. The rain began to fall, and her only consolation was that the trees protected her from most of it. She was already caked with dirt; she did not want to add cold and wet to it.
“Maybe I should have stayed and taken me chances with Laird MacGibbon. Or maybe Uncle would have taken pity on me if I’d tried to talk with him,” she said aloud, if only to feel a little less alone. She dropped her head into her hands. “Oh, I fear I’ve made a terrible mistake in runnin’ away! How could I have been so foolish!”
She was so lost in her own self-pity that she almost didn’t hear it. A sniffle. She lifted her head, eyes swiveling around as she took in her surroundings. Then she heard it again, louder this time.
“Is someone there?” she called out.
She headed in the direction of the sound. She came around a wide tree where she found a small clearing with a large tan horse tied to a nearby branch. Behind the horse sat a little girl. She looked to be about seven years old, wearing what must have once been a pretty blue dress, but was now covered in mud. The girl’s head was buried in her knees as she tried to muffle her sobs.
Thalia quickly raced to her side, her own troubles forgotten.
“Are ye lost, too, lassie?” she asked, kneeling before the girl.
The girl looked up in surprise, before shaking her head.
“Are ye hurt?” Thalia murmured.
The girl shook her head again.
Thalia looked around once more. It seemed that they were alone, but she had heard stories from Caden, her brother-in-law, about how villains would use children to lure their victims in. How they set out little ones who would pretend to cry or be hurt, and then, when someone stopped to help, they would swoop in to rob or hurt them.
Thalia didn’t think this was the case, and even if it were, she could never stop herself from helping a child in need.
She turned her attention back to the girl, who had started crying again.
“Oh, daenae cry, lassie. Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll do me best to help ye,” she said gently.
The girl sniffed again, sweeping a hand over her face. “It’s… me faither,” she finally said. “Well, hesayshe’s me faither, but he’s nae. Nae really.”
“What do ye mean by that?” Thalia asked, confused.
It was the wrong question to ask; it seemed to make the girl angry. Her face scrunched up, and she pulled her knees up closer to her chest.
“It doesnae matter! I hate him!” she cried.
Thalia took a closer look at the girl. Despite the dirt on her clothes, she seemed to be in good health. She did not look malnourished, nor were there any visible bruises on her body.
It didn’t look like the girl was being abused, so maybe there was another reason why she had run away from home.
“Me name is Thalia,” Thalia shared. “What’s yers?”
The girl sniffed again. “I’m Daisy.”
