To See With Closed Eyes

9. Escape

DAY 63 – AUTUMN

After dinner, you walk calmly to this joke of a cabin you share with your sister, making sure no one is following you. You wake your sister up, explain what is going on in the fewer words necessary. You can't panic, it isn't the right time. You're confident and calm. What other choice do you have? She understands everything, feeding from your calmness. You walk to the boats, looking like two women simply taking a walk in the dark town. You stumble across a couple of drunks, tripping over their own feet. But when you see guards on the dock, you stop.

It is Margery who takes your hand and leads you to a farm. Four horses are grazing outside.

"I know where they keep the saddles, wait for me." She whispers. She goes in, unbothered. You spy the surrounding. No suspicion seems to have been raised. When she comes back, she saddled them on, picking the two tallest horses. Without question, you know she had found a way to care for them in those two months. They were used to her at this point. She always loved those beasts.

"Do you know the way out?"

You did, but barely. Especially in the dark, it will be easier to get lost than find a way. All you know is that you need to find another village and buy a boat with the little money you could spare from what you already stole. Or, if you could find a way to get someone to get you there, it would be even better. 

She helps you up and easily gets herself on after. She climbs on the beast like it is nothing. You  walk slowly to the road, glancing a few time left and right. Before anyone can say anything, you're galloping, speeding off to the roads until there is scarcely one.

Suddenly, as you're almost completely out of Kattegat, further you'd ever been, your horse stops. His four hooves locking in place. It throws you off balance so much you fly out the saddle to the ground. The horse speeds away in a panic, returning back. A sharp pain stains your left arm and you grab it, groaning. The bone is sticking out, a gruesome spectacle of blood.

You can hear your sister struggle with her horses behind you. "Don't get down!" you whisper-yell. 

That's when you see the bush in front of you move. 

"Are you okay?"

You shush her, focusing on the leaves moving. The pain is a barely a thought. Alone in the woods, no weapons to defend yourself with, this could be your downfall. Petrify, you stay in place. Two wolves, the biggest you have ever seen walk around. One shows his impressive teeth and you knew it is over. You've lost.

"Margery, go," you tell her.

"What? No!" You could hear her horse pacing behind you, nervous noises coming out of its nostrils.

Both wolves' eyes were entirely on you, completely ignoring your sister and the horse. But why haven't they attacked yet? You're an easy kill. They circle you, punishing you for your carelessness.

"If you get off that horse, I will never forgive you," you add. One of the wolves approaches, you can see, in the moonlight glare, his huge paws. And the claws that could easily rip out your eyes.

"I can't leave you." She sniffles and sobs.

One of the wolves stare up at her and licks his lips.

That's when you lose it. You scream and throw yourself at it, the growl of the animal sending your sister's horse into a frantic run, completely ignoring her request to stop. It claws your face and you scream in pain. You're aware that you lost before the fight began, you're not that stupid as to think you ever had a chance.