Not All Heroes Are Guiltless

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I wake up in the morning, and it feels like I haven’t even slept. Dry tears are stained on my face from my lonely restless dream.I look around the cabin, and nothing has been touched. I sigh to myself in frustration. I walk to the basin and wash my face with the water. I sit down and try to eat as much of the roasted quail as I can. I made the decision to be on my way if he is tired of me, not even giving me a chance to apologize. It’s not like he plans to answer my questions. Hell, he hasn’t even answered the simple questions like his name.

I open the wardrobe and find a riding dress. I put it on, and of course, it fits fine. Everyone says I look exactly like my mother, I seem to always find even her tailored outfits perfect for me. I found the cloak he gave me on the first day. I really enjoy its pockets, and contrary to my first assumption, even in the summer sun, it keeps me from overheating. I step out of the cabin and begin walking through the forest. I truly have no clue where I am, but I’m sure I’ll find a road eventually.

After nearly half a day, I found a horse trail. Looking up and down it’s not a well-traveled trail, but it's still better than none.. I chose one direction and started walking. It's nearly sunset when I hear horses behind me. I glance back and notice the colors of Hou Ndour Regime. I’m filled with dread. I have a moment to decide to fight or flee. I always choose to fight.

'We should hide.' The voice says quickly, and I am instantly infuriated. Obviously, there is no belief in a trained warrior of Redland.

I pull my hood of the cloak tighter and relax my hands on my daggers. The horses get closer, I can now hear there are eight of them. The horses are just a few paces behind me when they stop, “Hold there! State your business.”

I keep my head low to show a more subjugated pose, “I’m going to visit my sister.”

The men chuckle to each other. The first man unsheathes his sword. The shining steel appears inside my hood and pulls it back. I stare away from the men to hope they will just move on. “You are quite the beauty. Hate for a young girl like you to be abducted from this deserted road. Come ride with me and I’ll take you to your sister’s.”

I purse my lips, “Oh no, dear sir. Don’t fear for me. I’ll be fine, I take this path often.”

Another man speaks up, “Sir, I don’t think it’s her. She’s not wearing a collar.”

I take my dagger and swipe the first speakers strap on his horse. The horse is spooked and rears up, and the man falls off his horse. My wolf suggests I growl lowly and make all the horses jump and buck in fright. The result is as much as she expected. It will give them a few seconds to deal with the chaos of the agitated horses.

I deflect a strike about my head with my right dagger. But before I can unsheathe my left dagger, I hear the twang of a crossbolt aimed at my heart. I flinch, but the cloak manages to stop the bolt, and it rolls down the folds of the cloak and lands near my feet. It's a point blank shot of a crossbolt, and I do not even take a scratch.

I don’t have a chance to assess the situation further when I have another attacker coming from behind me. He grabs me, and I try to kick out of his grip, but he’s too strong.

A deathly cold breeze leaves me shivering. The man releases his grasp, and I fall to my hands and knees in front of him. I see black tendrils stretch out around me, and I’m tentative to look around at the c*****e. The Shadow moves fluidly from one target to the next, accomplishing a quick penetrating slice on each of the men without a failed movement or even resistance. The horses ran away, scared, but I watched in awe as The Shadow kills without mercy. The black tendrils stretch out to touch each of his victims, and they burn in purple flames.

I shiver in horror as he turns back to me, and I’m locked in place. He reaches around me and lifts me up onto my feet. He shifts into his wolf form, and I jump on his back before he can order or threaten. He runs through the dense forest with ease. I grasp the fur around his neck tightly, and he doesn’t even whimper. It's in the middle of the night when we reach the cabin. He carries me bridal style and lays me on the bed.

I refuse to move and curl into a fetal position. I don’t even hide the sobs as I know he is there.