Shadow & Light

Chapter 13

Runners on, jacket zipped tight, sword sheath and satchel strapped to my back. I was ready. I gathered the rough rope in my arms–tossing it out the window where it thudded softly against the stone walls. No time to look back or second guess. My decision had been made up and this was it.

I was never going to be prepared for this life–the mate, the perfect happy family, a whole kingdom. I was still different and when the kingdom found out that I was a freak of nature I would be outcast once again. Nothing had really changed in my life, not really. So, that left me on my own to change things. If I could just get out of here I could find myself a town where no one knew me and start over. I could finally be someone different.

I climbed up onto the window ledge and held tight to the rope, easing myself out until I was hanging. I said a silent prayer to whatever higher power was up there watching me so that I wouldn't plummet to my death. I moved fast, feet planted on the wall, arms straining and hands cramping from the weight of my muscular frame. I kicked off of the wall, hands moving one over the other lower down the rope, then swung back and my feet landed once again. This continued for five minutes.

Halfway down I heard some voices around the wall of the building and held my breath. The guard who was patrolling before must have ran into another guard. They were chatting. How was his wife? Shirley was good, busy with the kids. Oh how was little Temia doing with her ballet lessons? She was a natural born dancer, would become a professional and dance in performances all around the realm one day-- he was sure of it. I forced myself quietly onward, this distraction should buy me a few extra minutes. Once at the one story mark I pulled my dagger out of my holster and began cutting the rope. Duck and roll and don't break your bones. The free fall from the rope took mere seconds but time slowed for a moment. I felt my heart leap into my throat, drumming up through my ears like the beat of a song. The air rushed to meet my falling form. In an instant I was rolling on the ground. Ow. I executed the roll flawlessly, my clothes covered in a layer of dirt, but it still hurt. I would have some bruises later but a quick assessment for anything broken came up clean. I was up, crouched and crawling rapidly towards the shrubbery mere feet away.

The guards rushed over to this side of the castle at my commotion, but saw nothing. I just hoped they wouldn't look up. A goodbye between the men who needed to focus on their jobs and my guard was back to patrolling. Alone once again I sprung into action, adrenaline coursing through my veins making the world around me fall away. I had trained, I ran, I was made for this. My lithe muscles worked in overdrive and I cleared the distance between the castles and the dense trees line in no time. If this were any other moment I would revel in it. The crisp night air whipped into my face, my hair flying like a dark flag. This felt like freedom. Collapsing to the ground I took a moment to sit in the dirt and catch my breath once I was sure that I was clear from view.

All of the sudden I heard the muffled shouts of my guard and turned to watch in frozen horror as he stared at my open window and rope hanging out of it. You weren't supposed to look up. Three more guards surrounded him as they took in my last minute escape route. T minus five minutes before they alerted my brother and mate. They shouted at each other in panic, arms flapping in the air as two ran off towards the other side of the castle.

I jumped into action, sprinting through the trees, doing so as silently as possible while running for my life. I counted the seconds in my head, each one a ticking time bomb that spurred me on. I ran and ran until the forest blurred around me and I was no longer aware of where I was, I just knew that distance was key.

My lungs began to burn, air scraping out in short, wheezing puffs. Every nerve and muscle of my legs screamed in agony. My running shoes were excellent at minimizing impact from footfalls but not from rocks and branches stabbing through the ground. My face and limbs were being assaulted by prickling pine branches and thick greenery. I had to stop. Crouched over I did my best to catch my ragged breaths.

One look around told me I was very lost. With no clue of where I was, my map was useless. I certainly hadn't planned far enough in my head to consider the guards spotting my escape. But then again I had barely planned this at all. I cursed myself---I knew better than to execute a hasty plan. But I had needed out and my primitive brain took control to make sure I got out. I stood and focused, listening for any sort of noise. Maybe I could find a little town. I had been running for so long that I was surely out of the capital of Ilecron by now. Something trickling in the distance broke my train of thought. A stream. I ran towards the noise and broke through the trees. There it was in all its glory, something for me to use as a landmark on this map.

Placing the items strapped to my back down to relieve the aching from the weight. I yanked out the map and my eyes flew over the images and words. I wanted to go northwest, up in a diagonal from the castle towards Kovantree. There I should be far enough that I wouldn't be found. I caught sight of a skinny blue line, a vein of water so thin it was almost nonexistent. This went west, in the direction of a bigger lake and a small city whose name I would never be able to pronounce. Then I saw another river that ran up the map in an almost straight line to the top of Ilecron. I decided my best plan would be to run through foliage and forests, avoiding any visible roads where I could be spotted. I would follow this lake west to that little city and hopefully find somewhere warm to rest for a few hours. With my finger I followed the map until I reached that second river and followed that north, determining that I could veer west to a small town labelled Ivoreaux that I had to guess was an hour walk from the shoreline. This would take all of tonight and tomorrow so I'd better start now. But one problem entered my mind-which direction would I go. Judging by the map, if I chose wrong I would end up right back in the center of Ilecron.

I looked in both directions of the river and saw it stopped about a yard away from me to my right. That way would take me back to Ilecron. So I turned left and started up the river bank, the softer mud here creating traction that was less than pleasant for my tired legs. I walked on, losing all sense of time. I couldn't see the sky well, Ilecron's forests were much too thick, a canopy of leaves blocking out the moon. I missed the stars, longing to see them out here in the wilderness.

Malichi and James must have been freaking out at this point, the guards having alerted them a while ago. From what little I knew about those men they had surely gathered a search party of guards and set out to find me, so constant movement was key. My heart panged in my chest, a little notice that I had indeed started to care for these men. I hated that I would be hurting them, that they were probably worried sick. I just needed to remember that this is what I wanted, but the farther I got from my mate the more my heart called out to him, begging me to turn around. No. We continue on. I thought in response to the longing.

A twig snapped somewhere in the distance, drawing me out of my thoughts, and I froze like prey alerted to a hunter. Had they found me? No this was in the opposite direction of the castle so any guards would be coming from the opposite direction. That meant this was a stranger. Someone who could easily label me a threat. I looked very much like an assassin, cloaked in black with blades strapped to my back. If I came across someone who looked like me in the woods I wouldn't ask too many questions before ending their life, kill or be killed. I was not about to be killed before even getting the chance to start my new life, which meant I needed to hide. I scurried over to a bush and crouched low, evening my breathing to soft, quiet puffs as I watched carefully through the branches for movement. Bushes rattled, trees swayed, and my chest lurched. Then a buck stepped into view. Ah yes, the threat. We locked eyes from my hiding place, its ears twisting as it assessed my threat level, and it made this snort-wheeze at me. It clearly did not like me, and when he realized I wasn't going to pounce he ran off into the woods to my right. I let out a soft laugh at the encounter but those laughs grew louder and I grew hysterical. Relief was replaced by overwhelming exhaustion that bordered on delirium. I had gone insane but I just couldn't stop. I clutched my stomach as it cramped and I gasped for air. There was no threat before but there sure would be now with how loud I was laughing. That sobered me real fast. My laughter faded to hiccuped giggles and I stood, needing to put some distance between myself and this area in case anyone had heard me and was coming to see who the crazy lady laughing in the forest was.

Up ahead maybe two hundred meters away, I saw warm yellow light beaming through the leaves and almost cried out in relief and excitement. I had done it. I had actually done it. I had made it to this small town relatively unharmed. As I stepped out of the forest, dodging a pine tree branch that wanted to poke my eye out, I took in the quaint cottages and shops littering the area up ahead. This was peaceful. I imagined that if this weren't so close to the castle I would settle down here instead. This place seemed to have minimal buildings, and I had to hazard a guess that less than five hundred people lived here.

I walked the empty streets at a brisk pace, searching each cottage and store front for a while before finally landing on a quaint two story cottage. It was wider than the others with a sign about the oak door reading 'Mimi's Inn' in cursive letters. Mimi sounded like a sweet old fae who baked pies and tended to a garden. I grabbed hold of the bronze door handle and pulled it open. A bell tinkling above my head announced my entrance as my foot landed on the hard wood floors, clearly worn from countless guests who had passed through before me. I brushed my dirty shoes off on the door mat before stepping up to a long desk in front of a half wall. The older fae sitting behind the desk had strawberry blonde curls and kind, crinkled blue eyes. I looked past her to the right and saw a diner style restaurant with a few patrons sitting at the log bar. The boisterous laughter and clinking glasses of beer mixed with warm lights drew me in and called me to go have a drink and relax. The ambiance here was so welcoming I almost cried on the spot.

I stepped up to the reception desk and smiled at the older fae. "Hi. My name is...Melody...and I need a place to stay for a few hours." I patted my jacket pockets and pulled out the silver coins I had brought. Back in Wrelia I was paid for my sword lessons so I had enough to get by for the next week if I was careful. "I can pay for a full night no problem."

The lady looked me up and down with a frown. I'm sure she noticed the fact that I looked like a disaster. My hair was pulled back but had been yanked about by stray branches and twigs, and my clothes were covered in dirt. Despite this she nodded at me and handed me a room key. "Your room is room twelve. Take the stairs to your left and it'll be all the way down the hall. You can pay in the morning."

I took the little key from her outstretched hand but shook my head, "If it is alright with you I would rather pay now." If I needed to run for whatever reason I wanted to make sure I was squared away.

"Alright then dear, that'll be fifty." I frowned, that seemed cheap for one night, but decided not to push it and just handed her the silver coins. With that I turned and trudged my aching body up the rickety old stairs. I was met with a hall of rooms when I got to the top, six rooms with dark wood doors on each side, cream wallpaper extending the inviting environment from downstairs. Alright, now time to find my room. Down the hall just as she said. Reaching the door with the number twelve on it I inserted the key into the lock and turned, then opened the creaky door. This place had seen better days.

Kicking off my shoes at the door I stepped inside the room, it was what one could expect for a fifty silver stay. To the left of the entrance was a door that led into a bathroom. The queen bed along the left wall past that was covered in white linens. An armchair in the far right corner of the room. A small dresser with six drawers across from the queen sized bed. It was perfect for a small nap. The entire room was lined with the same wallpaper as out in the hallway. Out the window by the armchair I could see a small balcony lined with wrought iron bars. Cozy. Too bad I wouldn't be here very long.

I placed my satchel on the bed, my sword holster leaned against one side in case I needed easy access to my weapon. I sat on the bed and contemplated my next moves. I could go downstairs and get something to eat and drink, but the less people that saw me the better, lest they get word of a girl running away from a kingdom. By my guess Malichi would be sending out word of my disappearance soon. I hoped he and James were okay but couldn't dwell on that much.

I took out one of the jars of water I packed in my satchel and took a sip, savouring the cooling sensation splashing down my throat. I needed that. I took off my coat and laid it and my satchel on the floor next to the holster. I would give myself two hours to rest my weary body but after that I needed to get out of dodge and continue my journey up north. I laid atop the comforter, my back thumping against the plush surface, and let my heavy lids drift shut.