Masterful Trickery

II. A Journey to Meriwether

She heard the men shout behind her and her mind snapped back to her current dilemma.

"Oi!" she cried out as she pulled at Siege's reigns. She would not survive a chase on the road. She must find somewhere to hide. She looked to her right. She had reached the end of the Dark Forest.

Trying to ignore the approaching men, Alex made an easy decision.

She kicked Siege to a full gallop once again, pulling the reigns to direct the mare to the right, into a narrow path that led back into the Dark Forest.

"Go, Siege," she urged the mare which began to slow down. Alex could swear Siege was shaking with fear for who would not? It was the bloody Dark Forest! No sane man—or woman—would dare risk getting lost inside. There was not a thread of light, none but the sound of the animals hiding in stark darkness.

Alex had never ventured into this part of the forest before.

She knew a good portion of it. She knew there was a giant hole on the other side, but one ought to cross acres of darkness if they wanted to reach it. She had been to that brighter side but they had always taken the same path and they had lamps!

This one she had never stepped into.

As she heard the Guards' horses stop beside the road, just at the edge of the forest, the sounds of hooves hesitant, Alex held her breath.

Their voices were audible, arguing whether or not they ought to follow her. She urged Siege five steps deeper into the darkness, carrying with them their heavy, lifeless burden.

She jumped off the mare and guided it behind a large tree trunk. "Hush," she whispered to her horse. It stomped its hooves but made no sound.

Alex leaned against the trunk and closed her eyes.

She must take her chances here.

The village of Dartridge was another option, but she doubted the people would be welcoming to a bandit carrying a dead woman.

But it seemed she would have to stay for quite some time for her dreaded fear was realized.

"Bleedin' hell!" she cursed under her breath, pulling the unwilling Siege deeper into the forest as the Guards entered, holding their bloody lamps.

*****

The Guards did their best, they truly did. But their lamps brought them more trouble. The animals hiding in the dark began to come out of hiding, attracted by the yellow lights floating in midair. The Guards' horses did not like being surrounded by animals they could barely see and before the Guards knew it, the lamps became much of a hindrance as they all struggled to stay atop their horses while the animals jumped in distress, trying to escape the animals circling them.

One Guard nearly fell from his own horse and he was the first to shout, "Let's go, they could not survive this bloody place." He turned his horse around. "Off to Dartridge. It's the nearest village."

Alex finally allowed herself to breathe when the sound of hooves became distant and the shouts of the men rang from the road, heading toward the village of Dartridge.

Alex removed her coat and placed it over the dead woman. She stayed beside Siege, caressing the mare's hair to calm it down. The sounds of the animals began to dissipate as they returned to their hiding places.

Alex waited a few more minutes. Or perhaps she ought to stay here for another hour to be certain.

And then she would take the woman to Meriwether.

It shall not be an easy task, but it was the proper thing to do.

*****

Meriwether was located near the village of Blucksley.