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I held perfectly still and waited. My pulse thundered loudly, and I was certain it would give me away.

For a long moment, I heard nothing but the rustling of squirrels and the occasional chirping of birds. The animals fell silent as the fae males crashed through the trees, drawing nearer and nearer.

“… damn witchcraft,” one of them was grumbling. “To hell with her. Let’s go back.”

“If she’s got magic potions in that bag, it’ll make us rich,” said another. “I could use a good pile of coins.”

“We’ll find her,” said a third—Seb, if I wasn’t mistaken. “You see the size of her? Ain’t no way she’d run very far.”

They were panting, and one of them let out a weary groan. They paused a few feet away from me, and I held my breath, worried the sound would draw them to me.

“I don’t hear nothing,” said one of them.

I continued to hold my breath while my heart slammed against my ribcage.

Please, I thought. Please just leave.

“Seb?” one of them asked.

Seb made a frustrated sound. “I don’t see her.”

Something was digging into my side. A branch perhaps? It stung, but I bit down on my lip hard, my eyes stinging with tears.

Another long moment passed. I was about to scream as the branch dug deeper.

At long last, one of the males cursed loudly. “Forget her. The bitch ain’t worth it. Let’s get out of here before we get lost.”

I closed my eyes, relief coursing through me. Still, I remained frozen as their loud footsteps retreated through the forest. Even when I couldn’t hear them anymore, I kept waiting, just in case. I let loose several breaths, allowing myself time to breathe.

One minute passed. Then another.

After the third minute, I carefully extracted myself from the bush. A thorn had snagged on my calf, and I wrenched it free with a hiss of pain. Blood trickled from where it had pricked me, but it wasn’t too bad. I could get it bandaged up when I got home.

Rising to my feet, I scanned my surroundings with a frown. Where was home? I was fairly certain I’d come from the left. That had to be where the path was. But the trees all blended together, and it was impossible to identify anything familiar.

I trudged forward, sidestepping roots and thorns as I headed to where I knew the path should be. Minutes passed. I wiped sweat from my forehead and glanced around. The path had to be close. It had to be.

Twenty minutes later, I still hadn’t found it.

Fear crept into my chest. What if the path was in the other direction? What if I was just traveling farther away from the cabin?

I whirled around, then faltered. Storms, where the hell was I? Tall, narrow pine trees surrounded me, mingling with a few sturdy oak trees. I knew there was a particularly thick oak tree somewhere near the path, but none of these trees resembled the one I remembered.

I wrung my hands together, my pulse spiking. Clearly, the path wasn’t where I thought it was.

Dread seeped into me. I was hopelessly lost.

Hours passed as I wandered aimlessly through the woods. The sky was darkening, and I knew I would be in even worse trouble when it was too dark to see. My legs and feet throbbed from walking for so long. I took breaks often, sitting down on leaves and dirt to catch my breath.

I was well and truly lost.

At least I still had my satchel. I chewed on a piece of dried meat I’d packed, though it wasn’t nearly enough to satiate my growling stomach. I sifted through the contents, cursing when I found several shattered vials, the shards of glass clinking from the movement.

And my supply of tonic was gone. They must have fallen out during the attack.

The sun would be setting soon. I’d have to spend the night in the woods.

Terror filled my chest, making it difficult to breathe. I sucked in great, wheezing breaths, struggling to calm myself.