The Cursed Kingdom | Book 1 in The Cursed series

7

When I wake the stars are still out. My body screams in protest as I push myself off the damp ground. Every part of me aches, but I have to go on. When I stand up my head starts spinning, making me stumble for the first few steps. I long to just lay down again but with a final look at Dani a new found confidence surges through my body.

"I will avenge you my sweet. I will not let you be forgotten." I vow before I make my way to the tree line. I enter the still dark forest without much knowledge of where I am going. I could go to Othratha, surely Tolas' people will want to help. But I would have to pass by Crinyth again, who knows how heavily guarded it is by now? All Crinythian towns are a risk. Though the harbour in Coltown isn't too far from here, I could get a fare to the isle of Charmasse. And get killed by pirates. I sigh at the thought. If I can't pass by Crinyth, and I don't want to be keelhauled only one option remains. The southern carpenter town of Pinebourne, just beyond the Oranian forest. It is said that in the olden ages the forest had been a deceitful desert, once lost in the golden wasteland one would never return. Among those lost in the desert were a group of followers of the deity Orana, in search of a new place to worship their matron goddess. According to legend the nature goddess Orana herself pulled the trees from deep within the earth to protect her disciples from the blistering heat they had come to face. The land–now rich and green–quickly blossomed into a thriving civilization, ruled by the devotees who named the kingdom after their saviour.

With a sigh I start walking west. My dress is coated in a thick layer of dried blood, I don't even want to know what the rest of me looks like. Without any extra layers the cold air ruthlessly wraps itself around my body, only the thin fabric of my gown protects my exposed skin. The sun starts to rise, its first golden rays shining through the thicket. By now hunger makes its way into my mind but with no food in sight I have no choice but to keep going. I make sure to stay away from the roads. Even though I don't know if I am being followed I feel a lot more sure of my cause when I am hidden in the shadows. Every step of the way the events of the previous night keep replaying in my mind. I desperately want to cry but no tears will come, instead the intense sadness is replaced by a numb feeling that engulfs my entire body as I stroll mindlessly ahead.

Around midday I decide to take a break. My feet are sore and covered in blood, one of my shoes had been lost in the chase but I hardly notice. As I sit with my back against a tree and close my eyes, I imagine life as it once had been. I can see myself being lifted onto my father's shoulder, giggling loudly as I reached for one of the apples above my head. A smile plays on my lips when I remember the faces he used to make at me during my lessons. My tutors would tell me to concentrate with a frustrated sigh but the rest of the lesson I would be looking forward to seeing his face peek around the corner again.

Whenever I was free I would help Giselle plant her flowers and herbs. I would watch how Rosie would blush and stutter whenever Giselle spoke to her until finally their love affair started. Though Rosie still seems in awe whenever she sees her lover.

I remember Danika being born, and Iliyana being the happiest I ever saw her when she first got to hold her child. Her poor father. I think to myself when I remember the day. Dani's father Blythe is a sailor, currently securing a new trading routes. How am I supposed to tell him he has lost both his wife and child? How will I even reach him? Who knows where he is as of now? I can't imagine what it must feel like to come home after months on the sea only to be left all alone.

My thoughts bring me back to the night before and the eerie man that had killed my father. A shiver runs down my spine as I remember the feel of my body while it was in his grasp. It was as if I was paralyzed, though my body still moved but not of my own accord. No matter how strongly I fought my limbs wouldn't move until he forced me to. The memory of the helpless feeling makes me nauseous.

Before I can reminisce a moment longer I am pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of snapping twigs in the distance. In a panic I pull myself to my feet, frantically searching for a hiding place. When I hear voices accompanying the footsteps I decide to throw myself underneath some bushes. My heart beats loudly as I await my faith in the shadow of the bramble.

A/N Will the people in the forest be kind or is there more danger coming? Don't forget to vote!