Page 5 of A Hunt So Wicked
“It’s the beasts I’m worried about,” he announced and then promptly closed his eyes and relaxed fully.
The beasts? Aren’t they one in the same? Animals and beasts?
“Father?” I whispered, hating to keep him from sleeping, but there was something in his voice, the way he’d said it and his behavior since those guards showed up… it was off. He didn’t so much as twitch a muscle in response to my voice. I was being paranoid. It was probably the effects of the medicine and a long, very eventful day.
I needed to push those thoughts away now, though, because I had a lot of things to do and not a lot of time to do them in.
That night, I didn’t sleep. I worked throughout the night, preparing Father’s medicines, leaving instructions for him and the neighbors on how to make them if needed and when to take each one. Packing was fast enough, considering I only owned two dresses and I was wearing one. I never put much stock in material items, mostly because we could never afford much, and honestly because the things that were important to me were the people in my life that I cared about. My students, my father, our neighbors, a few friends from childhood who had moved away and started families of their own.
I learned a long time ago that the number of people you care about doesn't matter, they just have to mean something to you. Keeping my circle small and close was how I liked it. A rooster’s call broke me out of my thoughts and I knew dawn would be breaking shortly. Sneaking back into my father’s room as quietly as possible, I stared down at him for a moment before placing a letter on his nightstand along with a glass of water. He was always thirsty in the mornings and he might even feel groggy because of his medicine last night.
“I love you so much,” I spoke softly. “Be safe and I’ll see you in a month or so.” I wiped a runaway tear from my cheek and let myself slip out of his room.
Be strong, Evie. You’re doing this. You will do this.
I wrapped my shawl around my shoulders and scooped up my satchel. With my hand on the door, I inhaled my anxieties and worries deeply, and as I swung the door open and felt the first rays of the sunlight hit my face, I exhaled nothing but strength and determination.
It was a new day, and I was ready.
Chapter two
Noteventhehighwinds and relentless rain could keep the smile from my face as we traveled toward The Isle. I had insisted on bringing my own horse. There was no way I would be riding two days on the back of one of these guards’ saddles. We had stopped for a break since nobody could see more than arm’s length in front of them, but the dense forest just off the road provided a bit of cover.
“We have half a day to go and if this cursed rain would let up, we could make it before nightfall,” the guard I’d nicknamed Brow, announced as he wiped the rain from his eyebrow, which is what earned him his name.Two became one, I thought to myself and chuckled. Normally I wouldn’t reduce myself to such petty behavior but honestly, all the man had done for nearly two days was complain.
He sneered at me. “You certainly changed your attitude since hearing the news of your selection.”
I shrugged and pulled my cloak tighter around my body. “I simply cannot wait to meet the royals.” The statement sounded convincing enough since I was about to get a big payout from this whole farce.
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Some of the most beautiful women in the realm have been selected in the past and, well—” His unkind gaze took in what he could of my body. “You’re just not one of them.”
Another guard, one I’d named Curly, thanks to his long, white blond curls, punched Brow in the shoulder. “Oi! We don’t speak to ladies that way, Eddie. The Captain would have yer ass for that!”
I let his words slide off of me, right along with the rain. Was I thin? That was laughable. But I was strong, capable, and happy. Not to mention, I quite liked my body the way it was. If Brow thought I was going to be affected by his assessment of my physical prowess, he would be waiting for an eternity. The two men were arguing more aggressively now, but I tuned them out, preferring to show my horse, Drifter, some love instead.
Just as my hand brushed his dark brown muzzle, he reared up with a loud whinny. “Whoa, boy. Whoaaa.” But he wasn’t having any of it, especially when the other horses started acting spooked two seconds later.
“What’s going—”
A loud, hair-raising noise broke through the rain and wind. I spun around, eyes wide, expecting to see something jump out of the fog.
“What in the Goddess’s name was that?"
“Sounded like a growl…”
“Horses are losing their heads over it, whatever it is!”
Nobody was paying attention to me as I stood frozen to the spot, trying to see through the trees. The low rumble started again, deeper this time, which seemed impossible. A large, dark shape flashed through the wall of rain, and that was sufficient for me. I’d seen enough.
“Need to go, NOW!” I shouted, waiting for Drifter to get into position for me to hop up into my saddle.
“What? Is the lady scared by a little bit of nature?” Brow spat at me, arms crossed.
I wasn’t going to wait around. If these idiots didn’t know the sound of wolves when they heard them, there was no hope. “Then stay here and meet the wolves that are encircling us at this very moment! Let’s fly, Drifter!” I urged my horse to spring into action and he didn’t disappoint me. The laughter that followed me as we fled quickly turned to screams of pain and horror. Howls pierced the air in an almost mocking symphony as the pack harmonized together.
“Fuck! Faster, Drift! Go, boy!” I urged, using my legs to relay the message. The last thing we needed would be for the wolves to follow us. Hopefully, the guards were keeping their attention. Drifter jumped with ease over a fallen tree, getting us back to the road. As terrified as I was, I chanced a glance behind me and sighed when I didn’t see anything. It wasn’t until I spun back around that I caught a glimpse of a dark shadow to my right, hidden just barely through the rain.
My eyes narrowed, desperate to find out what was chasing us, but it vanished. The rain suddenly let up enough to reveal the massive wolf standing in the middle of the road, crouched down and snarling. The speed with which we were moving wouldn’t give us enough time to stop. We were going to run right into it.
