Magic Girl

It would be easier for a man to break my neck than it would be for me to break theirs, I'm not to pround to abmit that. But tonight there seems to be no one out, Henry and I haven't come across another living soul since I changed clothes.

We are riding hard through dense forest and that’s taking it’s toll on the horses but I can see the trees beginning to thin out. Henry stops riding.

“ Do you smell that?” White puffs of smoke form when he speaks and he pulls at his cloak so that it no longer hides his face, brown hair tumbles down hanging in his eyes. I could kill him...I want to scream at him, what are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?

But then I smell it: smoke.

“ Hah, come on girl.” Henry coos at Marnie and slowly the old horse starts moving towards the smell of burning wood, Ari following behind.

I am the first to dismount when we spot the small stone cabin in the distance, hidden veiled by the darkness of night, I’m so excited that I almost forget Ari, and leave her to Henry’s care but the voice in the back of my head, the voice that has almost always gotten me out of near death situations tells me to keep my wits about me. So I stick my boots in the mud and wait for him to tie Ari and Marnie together and secure them to a tree.

“ Well, come on then.” Henry pats the neighing Ari and pulls his cloak tightly around himself shielding his body from the snow. I could care less about the weather, the snow that’s falling more and more heavy by the minute. We are so close now, that is the only thing that matters. My body is literally aching with anxiousness. Darkness and cold envelope us as we trudge towards the cabin.

“ You nervous?” Henry’s voice is impassive.

“ No.” I answer quickly, the answer I have been drilling into my head for the past eleven years of my existence. And now, I’m surprised to find that it’s true.

Five minutes and a dragged out silence later we are at the door of the cabin. Lamp oil light spills from the place, and carved neatly above the door post was a greeting, reading

Sanctuary.

I raise a clenched hand to the door, minuscule speaks of paint drift aimlessly to the floor under the pressure of my gloved fist. Once, twice and once again I knock and no one comes, Henry and I stand in nervous silence.

“He was supposed to be here.” I look at Henry and my hand ,almost instinctively, touches the handle of my dagger.

“ Supposed to.” He whispers to himself. Now Henry reaches for his crossbow and begins to say something when we hear a voice from behind us.

"Gracious spirits have mercy on me."

Henry and I turn around just in time to see a young woman's wicker basket crash out of her hands and onto the snow. For a moment the three of us just stand there, frozen in place.

The woman doesn't even dare to pick up her baskets - or it's contents - from the frozen earth. She looks like a deer with a spear pressed against it's chest; eyes wide, shallow breath and ready to sprint if need be.

" Who are you?" Henry doesn't have to speak loudly cut through our silcence but I suppose it was enough because the woman said something.

"I'll be thankin' you kindly for putting that away," She nods at Henry who still has his notched crossbow in hand. " And then I be thankin' you for telling me what you two are doing on my door step."

I look at Henry as he slowly lowers his crossbow and let my fingers brush against the leather grip of my dagger wondering if I'm going to have to us it. Somethings wrong, either Henry and I made a terrrible mistake or this woman is a lier.