The farther and faster she ran through the thick woods, the more determined the young woman became not to look back at the path behind her. She was old enough to know that she could not close her eyes and make the evil that followed her go away. But she did believe that she could try to outrun it.
Though the sun had already started to set, there had been no other choice but for her to flee into the cover of the woods. Twilight loomed and dark shadows were forming. Dry twigs snapped loudly beneath her bare, battered feet as her pace quickened in the dying light. She gritted her teeth in pain, but her footsteps fell certain and swift upon the faint, rocky footpath.
Wiping at the sweat on her brow, her soot-stained fingertips smeared black marks across her face. She let herself think for a moment of the flames that had consumed her home and driven her into the woods. Rage and fear boiled in her gut as her legs kicked furiously against the ground. Her long, auburn hair whipped madly around her face while she raced deeper into the forest.
Around her neck hung a strap of leather from which a medallion dangled and swung wildly. With her heart pounding violently in her ears, she reached for the pendant. It was a bronze medallion, etched with the picture of man’s head on top of a dragon’s body. She clenched it tightly against her.
Limbs and brush cluttered the path, so she struggled to push them aside as she ran. Fearing she had strayed from the faint trail, she stopped and studied the ground under her feet. Except for the panting of her breath, the trees stood still and silent while her eyes darted in every direction, searching for any sign she was not alone.
Shadows danced upon the forest floor as heavy, dark clouds scurried across the sky. Raising her eyes to the towering treetops, her wobbling legs buckled beneath her. When she collapsed, her cheek smacked hard against a stone. Stunned and in pain, she lay on the cold ground. A single tear rolled down her face.
Thunder rumbled from the clouds gathering above her. With as much courage as possible, she picked herself up from the damp forest floor. Wincing, she held her jaw tenderly in her hand. Lifting her skirt, she saw that her legs had bloody scrapes and scratches.
With relief, she saw the rolled parchment map still tied snugly to her thigh. She tightened the cord holding it in place. Her father, a mapmaker, had been here before. But he never dreamed that his daughter would be the one to need his map. And it was needed for this reason: to find her way from the lands of Kilhaven. She must flee to safety from a monstrous beast. Sighing deeply, the girl begged her legs to find the strength to carry her forward.
She thought that she saw a clearing in the trees ahead and treaded warily toward the light. Hiding behind a sturdy, soaring tree trunk, she peeked carefully around its great width. Her heart sank when she saw the edge of a cliff looming beyond the border of the tree line.
A black crow perched upon a rock overlooking the cliff’s steep sea wall. He squawked madly at her and soared into the sky as she approached from the trees. Stepping to the edge of the cliff, she peered cautiously over the side and down at the murky sea raging far below.
Disturbed by her weight, the slippery gravel beneath her bare feet loosened and shifted. Recoiling from the cliff’s edge, she watched tiny pebbles slide and fall over the side toward the churning sea and jagged rocks waiting far below.
Ahead of her, an endless ocean spread across the horizon, where the last rays of the day’s setting sun danced across the water. Looking back toward the woods, she shivered at the thought of the cold shadows within the forest. These shadows waited for her to return to their grasp.
There was no place left for her to hide. She did not want to jump, but she would not allow herself to be captured. As she stood and stared into the abyss below, a blast of wind hit her back. Pushed forward, she stumbled to regain her precarious toehold upon the earth, until she realized that her body was being lifted into the air.
Higher and higher she soared, until the cliff disappeared beneath the clouds. A mighty grip held her ankles and dragged her upside down through the heavens, like a hawk returning to its nest with a trophy. Her arms twisted and fought the beast’s grip, but she could not turn herself upright to see its body or face.
“Let me go!” she screamed.
The grip slackened, and she kicked her free legs wildly through the air. Her chest heaved, but she did not panic. Falling ever faster, she closed her eyes and waited for the water to shatter her bones and swallow her body.
“I wish I could fly,” she whispered softly to the wispy clouds floating past.
Her pounding heart thumped bittersweet in her chest. A smoldering fire sparked in her gut and raged though her body. She felt as if she was burning from the inside out. The fire’s flames burned hotter than she could bear.
At the end, just before the waves rushed up to meet her, she thought of his face. Closing her eyes tightly, she smiled.
“I will love you forever,” she whispered. “And some day I will see you again.” The sound of crashing waves drowned out her last weeping gasps.