Hunted by a Night Fae

Chapter 9

I was deep in the woods by the time a second horn sounded. It was distant, but not far enough away for my liking. I pounded sore feet harder into the soft dirt of the forest floor, feeling it cake between my wet toes.

The scent of the forest hit me. It was sweet, the smell of tree sap and blooming flowers, but underneath it was the strong scent of decay. It surrounded me, pushing me faster.

Faster. Run faster.

The waving branches of the trees reached for me. They had long, winding arms covered in luminescent green moss. I tried not to think of the eerie way it reflected the shafts of moonlight that penetrated through the trees overhead. They snagged on my thin dress, ripping at it and shredding its long flowing skirt, leaving it in shambles. A thorny bush scratched at my skin as I passed by, suddenly closer than I had thought it was. I cried out in pain, then quickly silenced it, deftly aware of the ominous silence around me.

All I could hear was the patter of my feet, and the gasping breaths from my mouth.

Eyes—thousands of eyes, were following me. Faces appeared in the trees. The knots rearranged so that they looked like Ronan's wide, gleeful smile. I could still see the way blood had soaked him from head to foot.

I ran faster.

A wind rustled the leaves, whispering as it muffled the sounds of my own footsteps. Compared to all the malicious things in Faerie, the wind that brushed past my skin reminded me of an old friend. I embraced it, moving deeper into the wood.

Snap.

The silence around me broke, halting me in my tracks. I stared into the quiet darkness, my chest rising and falling as I tried to steady my breaths. I spun around to look where I had come from, only now the path looked different.

Confused, I turned in a circle scanning the trees. Nothing was in the same place as it was before. Was I deeper, or back at the beginning? There was a glow through the trees, light spilling in. But the closer I got to it, the darker the woods became. My mouth went dry. The memory of sweet faerie wine snatched at me, and I wished I could drown in it.

I closed my eyes. I turned off my other thoughts and listened. The wind brushed past me, a gentle caress, carrying with it a scent that didn't fit any of the others in the forest. It was a foul mix of musk and grime. It came from my left.

I spun in the opposite direction, pushing through the trees as silently as possible. I slowed down to watch my footing. Instinct took hold of me. I urged my feet to move as silently as air, almost feeling them become lighter beneath me.

Dirt stained my white dress, and a splatter of blood smeared one side of my arm. I uttered a soft curse under my breath, feeling the wind come up behind me.

I placed a hand over my arm, hoping that somehow the barrier of my hand might protect me from what was coming.

The bushes beside me rustled. A shadowy figure stood in the darkness. It was tall, though not monstrous in shape. Metal caught the light. I squinted to try and focus on it, but it blurred, another rustle whispering through the trees as it disappeared.

Realization hit me and sweat slicked my skin.

I had been found.

I veered in the opposite direction from the figure, hoping that somehow I could lose my pursuer. I delved deeper through the trees, hopping over long tangled roots.

Quickening my pace, I pounded through the trees. Instead of grasping for me, they moved away, clearing a straight path ahead. I pushed myself harder than ever, pure adrenaline powering my limbs. My breaths came in rapid pants. Go faster.

But still, I wasn't fast enough.

There was a shadow in the trees. Then a sniff as it prowled just out of sight. I heard soft pants, not nearly as harsh as mine, and the light tread of boot-clad feet. I stumbled back, turning to go the way I had come from, only to discover the path I had come down was now a mess of tangled branches. There was no way I could go back through there.

"Pretty girl," slithered voice from the darkened leaves. I could hear my pursuer moving closer, no longer attempting to hide the crunch of twigs beneath his boots. I turned and turned, scanning the foliage for a way to...

A flicker of light shone between two trees, a gap just large enough for me to slip through. I didn't think, I just jolted towards it, slipping past. Again the light glowed, a bright beacon amongst the darkness around me. I did not know why I trusted it, but I did. I ran towards where it was, stopping once I was there to look around for it again. The wind gusted towards me, pushing me back. I fought it, one foot in front of the other.

Spying the light, I started towards it. I no longer heard anyone behind me. A voice whispered, a soft exhale.

"Heather."

I ran in the direction of the voice, following the glowing light. It was leading me further and further away from the creature behind me. Whatever this mysterious light was, it was helping me. I just knew it. Whispers filled the air, a chorus of my name.

Heather, Heather, Heather. Heather, Heather.

Somewhere, beneath my numbness, a frightening warning pushed to be heard. I ignored it. I had no place for fear right now. Fear would not do me any good.

I slowed my pace as the light brightened, an orb that appeared to float above the ground. Finally, it stilled, staying stationary as I approached. I moved past crooked trees into a small clearing, reaching my hand to the light, wishing to grasp it. For some reason, if I could take hold of it, I knew everything would be alright.

Just as my hand was about to plunge into the light's glow, it disappeared. Darkness fell like a heavy cloak around me, plunging me into momentary blindness,

With the loss of the light, my other senses flooded back. There was a snuff and a grunt, and the slick sound of lips smacking together.

Slowly, I turned to see where the small orb of light had led me.

I wasn't alone.