Moon Blessed

Chapter 19 ~ Woodland Offerings

    Nastasia picked her way through thick undergrowth, following the distant sound of rippling water. It had been four days since they arrived in the Woods and her food supply was nearly exhausted. She ate sparingly, but knew she had to find some other form of sustenance soon.

    Hunting wouldn't be much of an option right now. She had no bow to hunt with, or any idea of how to trap a rabbit. Nor did she know how to clean the animal once she caught it. What she did know how to catch and clean were fish.

    She'd often gone fishing with Alexei in the pond within the palace maze. If she could reach Lake Pontus, hopefully she'd be able to catch her next meal. If she had time, she'd catch some extra fish to cook or dry as well.

    Twigs snapped and Nastasia paused, her heart stumbling over itself. She reached for the hilt of her sword, but didn't draw it. Moxie was rigid beside her, snorting nervously. Nastasia stroked her neck but didn't speak.

    She had learned to remain silent the first night in the Woods. The spirits were drawn to sound and warmth. That was why she had to hurry. She couldn't let a fire burn throughout the night or she'd be overrun by spirits.

    Nastasia waited a few seconds longer, then coaxed Moxie onward. She loosed a shaky breath and braced a hand on the horse's neck, attempting to calm them both. Her shadows remained ever present, clinging to her wrists regardless of her efforts to disperse them. Nastasia relaxed as the sound of water grew louder. She was close to the lake.

    The trees were thinning out up ahead. She could make out a glimpse of blue waves beyond them and a smile spread across her lips. "Come on, Girl. We're nearly there," she said to Moxie. Nastasia grabbed a short branch and stuck it through the growing bundle attached to Moxie's saddle. "We'll be safe here for a while. Hopefully, anyway."

    Nastasia shivered, recalling the sleepless nights that had already passed. Her first night in the Woods was awful. She hadn't truly believed in the story Lord Anton told, and that had been a mistake.

    The spirits were real. They'd come at sunset, wailing and screaming with inhuman cries. And one by one, the screams of her fellow Knights had joined them. Nastasia had yet to find any bodies, but she was almost certain at least a few Knights had perished.

    The fact that she was still alive was nothing short of a miracle. When the spirits woke, they'd been drawn to the warmth of her small campfire. Nastasia had made the foolish mistake of screaming, and that had brought the spirits' attention to her.

    Her sword had no effect on the apparitions, so she'd done the only other thing she could think of and ran. She'd run until the first rays of dawn appeared and the spirits' cries ceased. Then, she'd fallen into a dead sleep and repeated the process the next night.

    By the third night, Nastasia had tired of running. When the spirits came, she forced herself to stay still, not even daring to breathe for fear of making a sound. Inevitably, a few of the spirits heard her and approached. Nastasia sent a burst of starlit magic barreling into them and ran again, not bothering to see what affects her magic had on the spirits.

    She was hoping to avoid the spirits entirely tonight by remaining near the outskirts of the forest. Lord Anton had advised against that, but she wasn't trying to win the tournament after all. She only wanted to last long enough to acquaint herself with the men vying for her hand.

    So far, she was unimpressed by almost all of the ones she'd seen. Nastasia gave a disgusted groan as she led Moxie towards the bank of the lake. To her dismay, the trees reached all the way to the sapphire water.

    She tied Moxie to one of the tree branches and removed the load from the mare's back. Grumbling under her breath, Nastasia began to rip up grass to clear a spot for her fire. "I still can't believe what Sir Kamenev said about me. Is that all he looks for in a woman? Round hips and a full bodice?"