Of Ash & Linen

When the sounds of the balefire reached her ears twenty minutes later, Ava was ready. She pulled a half empty burlap sack down from the top of a pile. Making quick work of the ropes she dropped the sack for a moment to lift the lid of a loosely closed crate. First, she dumped out most of the apples from sack, leaving about a dozen. Then she grabbed handfuls of the dried meat from the crate and shoved them into the sack with the apples. Moving onto the only other crate she was able to open, she added a tightly wrapped bundle of goat cheese. After adding a few of the purple fruits, she tested its weight.

She tossed the bag over her shoulder and considered a moment. Returning the sack to the ground, she removed four apples and a few handfuls of the dried meat. Then she retied the ropes and tested the weight of the sack on her shoulder again. Better, she decided. She didn’t know how much food she would need to make the trip back to Minore, but she knew the sack had to be light so that it wouldn’t encumber her ability to run. That was the most important part, running away.

Forcing herself to breathe evenly, Ava took a moment to calm her nerves while she listened to the sounds of the Vorosi. She heard the same noises she always heard this time of night, all coming from the center of camp. Reassured that all was going to plan, Ava pulled her sack of pilfered food tighter and turned to leave the tent. She paused only a moment, sparing a thought for Nyra. The thin strand of guilt that accompanied the remembrance of the old woman unsettled her. It was just as well, she thought, that she was leaving tonight before she could form anymore foolish attachments to her captors.

Not giving herself any more time to be disappointed in herself, Ava quietly pulled the tent flap open and stepped out. She had done it, crossed a line that could not be uncrossed. She was no longer complacent in her own captivity. A smile captured her lips and she was suddenly no longer afraid. She could do this; she would do this.

Taking a long moment to look around carefully, Ava saw that she was indeed alone. The entire Vorosi camp was still enjoying the balefire far behind her. She walked forward gingerly, keeping close to the edge of the tents as she went. She did not have far to go to reach the north edge of camp, the same direction from which the Vorosi had first brought her into camp several days ago.

Ava had surmised in her many days of mental planning, that she could follow the path left by the Vorosi back to the ruined Deimos camp. From there finding the king’s road should be a simple task.

Stopping abruptly, Ava crouched beside the last tent, the one on the very edge of camp. She gave her shoulder a rest as she looked across the clearing that lay between her and the forest. It was here that she would be the most exposed, the most likely to be caught. She scanned her surroundings carefully, but still found no sign of any onlookers. Taking a deep breath, Ava hoisted the sack once more, stepped from the safety of the tents, and ran as fast as she could towards the trees.

Her legs pumped steadily, having fully recovered from her last sprint. The grass was wild and thick, grabbing at her ankles with every step. Sharp pains etched along the skin of her shins as the blades cut like tiny swords. The sack bounced along behind her crudely slamming into her back every couple of paces, but she did not slow. Her strides grew in confidence as she neared the forest. She was almost there.

Eagerness fueled her final few steps as she burst into the line of trees. Branches snagged her dress and leaves slapped her face as she barreled through the forest. A particularly jagged branch caught the side of her neck and she stumbled to a stop, gasping from the sudden, stinging pain.

Desperate for breath, Ava let the sack drop and fell to her knees. In and out, in and out; she focused only on breathing for a few minutes. Once she had control of that, she gingerly touched the cut on her neck. Her fingers came away with only a small amount of blood. A similar inspection of her legs showed only minor cuts and abrasions there as well.

After the adrenaline had left her, she was left with a shaky feeling of relief. She smiled again, knowing the hardest part was over. Now she needed to put as much distance between herself and the Vorosi as possible before dawn. If all continued to go as planned, she wouldn’t be discovered missing until Nyra arrived with her breakfast. Ava chuckled softly at her cleverness.

From within the forest, Ava heard her laughter echoed back to her. She froze. This chuckle was much deeper in tone and more sinister in quality. Had she imagined it? Remaining still, Ava strained, listening. Silence. Not even the sounds of the balefire reached her here.

Sighing to release some of the tension within her, Ava reached for her bag of food. Another chuckle twisted out of the trees behind her and fear clambered up her spine. This time she knew it was real. Someone was behind her.

A low whistle, shattering the façade of calm she had been trying to maintain, and Ava jumped to her feet. Turning, she scanned the darkness around her looking for the source of the noise. The menacing laughter came again, and she snapped her eyes to its place of origin in time to see a man emerge from the shadows only twenty paces from where she stood.

He was Vorosi. Ava had never seen him before, but she recognized his dark, earthy clothing and long braided hair as the distinct style the Vorosi warriors wore. He was big, he was walking toward her without a sound, and most unsettling of all, he was smiling like a wolf that had just cornered a rabbit.

Forgetting the sack where it lay, Ava turned and dashed away through the trees. Laughter followed at her heels.

Underbrush and tree roots threatened to fell her. The branches did not lessen their assault as they continued to snag her dress, her sleeves, her hair. Her breathing turned again to panting much too quickly. She listened for the man but heard no sounds over the symphony of noises her clumsy, panicked race through the forest produced.

Her legs began to weaken. Finally, a tree root caught her toes she lacked the strength to recover, tumbling to the ground. She lay there on her stomach, exhausted and vulnerable as the laughter descended upon her again. Refusing to surrender, Ava began to push herself up. Hands grabbed her from behind and threw her back down before releasing her just as abruptly.

Ava gasped in shock as her face and chest crashed to the forest floor. The man chuckled again and heavy boots landed on the ground next to her, one leisurely step at a time. One breaths, two. Ava watched the boots and counted out five breaths before she tried again. This time one of the boots came up and slammed down into her back with so much force that the air was knocked from Ava’s lungs when she collided with the earth.

Tears leaked from her eyes as air seeped back into her chest. The laughter came again, amused at her weakness. The wolf was excited with his prey. He reached down and grabbed the fabric of her dress, using it to flip her over so she could see him.

The twisted joy she saw in his face made her sick.

He pulled her up by her shoulders so that her face was close to his.

“You looked so eager rushing across that field, darting around like a nervous deer,” he smiled again. His voice was deep and sharp at the same time. “I just had to let you make it. You wanted it so badly.” He laughed.

Ava whimpered. This seemed to please him and he continued.

“This forest, girl, you tore through it so loudly I would have found you even if I hadn’t caught sight of you leaving the camp. Did you think we had no guards at our borders?”

She tried to turn away but he jerked her back until she looked him in the eyes again.

“You will never escape. You’re with the Vorosi now. You belong to us.” As he said this, his eyes traveled the length of her body, finally returning to settle on her eyes again. He flashed her one final grin before his fist came down on her temple hard. Ava tried to escape the blackness, but it caught her as easily as the warrior had. She felt her body sag to the ground as the world faded to nothing.

*This manuscript is complete, I am finalizing some edits to the next 26 chapters. Message me if you have enjoyed the first ten chapters and I will post the remainig chapters.