《These Dark and Lovely Woods》 Chapter One I crouched beside the mutilated rabbit carcass. It was the tenth I¡¯d found in two weeks. Each had suffered a different fate: the first had bled out a few feet away from its ears; the seventh had been impaled on the antlers of a long-dead stag. This one had a hole where its guts should be, as if something had taken a bite out of it. Next to it was a pile of intestines on a generous chunk of brown rabbit pelt. The teeth marks matched neither wolf nor bear, but no human mouth could be this big. It¡¯d be a while before the flesh started to rot, considering the weather. The crisp late-autumn air turned my breath into mist, and the sun was a pale spot in the sky, obscured by an even sheet of white clouds. I turned the stiff remains over with my gloved hand and stuck a finger under the skin to see if anything was left of the ribs. Why would a predator take a bite out of its prey only to spit it out? To watch it twitch and die for amusement? The thought made me shudder. I sat up straight, listening for birds. Chirps flowed between the naked branches and I breathed out; whatever had done this wasn¡¯t around anymore. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sweet thing,¡± I mumbled to the bloody remains. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a proper burial when I return home.¡± Based on the locations of each rabbit, combined with the freshness of the corpses, I figured the creature was moving closer and closer to Dorotea. I pulled my hatchet out of its sheath on my hip and swatted at a spent berry bush as I continued my trek toward town. Should I warn them? Wolves and bears were common sights in these woods, but anything else would be enough to cause panic. Then again, nobody was supposed to be out here. People expected the woods in the north, especially beyond the wall, to be dangerous. Any warning I gave would be met with scorn and more than one ¡°I told you so.¡± No, I¡¯d keep this to myself. I¡¯d lived in this forest for as long as I could remember and never encountered anything like this, but it only targeted small prey, and I had traps around my home to protect me should the creature decide for a change in diet. I¡¯d find it and kill it, in time.
The only thing separating ¡ª or, according to some, protecting ¡ª Dorotea from the Emerald Vast was the wall of iron. It closed off the Choke, a strip of land connecting Adelheid to the unknown forests of the north. The wall was a behemoth of heavy gray stone in a steel frame, with a door every hundred paces, stretching beyond the limits of the town. The iron doors were never locked, though also rarely opened, except the one closest to the path I took to and from my family¡¯s estate. The metal wailed as I pushed it open, sending birds flying toward the sky. I¡¯d once taken the time to test each door to see if they were all equally loud, and they were. At first I¡¯d thought their hinges had rusted, before realizing they had been designed this way. The wind picked up as soon as I left the forest, tearing into the dried grass covering the vast fields north of my home. I wrapped my coat tighter around myself before spotting three pale smudges in the distance. One of them waved at me. I waved back with a smile. I hadn¡¯t seen Sin¨¦ad in three weeks now, though it felt longer than that, it always did. There were no people in this world that could make me miss them like she could. ¡°Sidra!¡± she hollered. Then she grabbed her skirts and ran toward me, leaving her friends behind. ¡°Why are you out without a coat?¡± I shouted. It was a miracle she didn¡¯t trip over her own feet in that long dress of hers, but she did tear up dirt behind her, staining its hem. ¡°It wasn¡¯t so cold a moment ago! I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need one!¡± Sin¨¦ad gasped with an apologetic smile, as if I was the one freezing. We met in the middle of the path, and she embraced me tightly. I breathed in the familiar scent of lavender soap, now tinged with cinnamon. Had she been baking? When we released each other, the air seemed colder than before. I shrugged off my coat and threw it around her shoulders. It was a fair bit too small, but better than nothing. ¡°But what about you?¡± Sin¨¦ad protested. ¡°You know I never get sick.¡± She looked at me with wide eyes full of worry, but didn¡¯t argue further. Instead, she grabbed and squeezed my hand. ¡°I¡¯ve much to tell you!¡± Red strands of hair escaped from under her light blue bonnet, which she held to her head to make sure it wouldn¡¯t be carried off by the wind. Her freckled cheeks were rosy from the cold and exercise, and she smiled so wide one could fit peas into her dimples. ¡°Then I can¡¯t wait to hear it.¡± Sin¨¦ad hooked her arm around mine and bounced beside me while we walked. She hummed to herself instead of sharing this apparently wonderful news, though I assumed she wanted to tell me the whole thing uninterrupted once we were alone. When we returned to her patient friends, I nodded hello. They curtsied with stiff expressions. One of them, the brunette, threw a dubious glance at my coat hanging off of Sin¨¦ad¡¯s shoulders. Despite having met both numerous times, I could never remember who was who. I wasn¡¯t well-acquainted with the people in Dorotea, to the disappointment of my family and the relief of the people, no doubt. ¡°My apologies for running off. I will try to contain my excitement next time,¡± Sin¨¦ad chirped. ¡°It is only natural to want to share such news with a family member,¡± replied the blonde girl. ¡°Indeed! Shall we go inside, then?¡± The girls exchanged alarmed looks. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to intrude,¡± said the brunette. ¡°I¡¯m sure you and Miss Carver have a lot of catching up to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not intruding at all!¡± Sin¨¦ad insisted, too polite to acknowledge their discomfort with her half-wild stepsister. ¡°I think it would be inappropriate to impose ourselves on a family matter. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Rhi?¡± said the blonde. ¡°Indeed,¡± replied the brunette. Right, the blonde was Alma, the brunette Rhiannon. I wondered what Sin¨¦ad would think if she knew I couldn¡¯t keep track of her two closest friends. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Her smile faded, but her grip on my arm tightened. Why was she disappointed? This wasn¡¯t the first time the inhabitants of this town refused to associate with me. ¡°Then I look forward to next week, Rhi! I¡¯ll bring apple pie, like we discussed!¡± With that, we parted ways, Alma and Rhiannon returning the way they¡¯d come, and Sin¨¦ad and I walking eastward to our home.
¡°And so the Atwoods¡¯ carriage broke down in the middle of the square and Mrs. Atwood claims it was sabotage, see, because her daughter was to take the carriage to the Nelsons¡¯ ball a fortnight ago ¡ª and it was to be her debut ¡ª and Mrs. Atwood was not-so-subtly implying that the Desmonds were behind it. You know, because of the whole powdered donut fiasco and because she thinks the Desmonds think Miss Atwood is a threat to Miss Desmond¡¯s prospects with Mr. Howard Nelson ¡­¡± ¡°Sin¨¦ad ¡­¡± ¡°¡­ and in response, Mr. and Mrs. Desmond are now spreading rumors about doctors and clerics visiting the Atwood in the middle of the night ¡ª supposedly for Mrs. Atwood¡¯s mental treatment? They¡¯re essentially implying she is delusional, and I can¡¯t blame them for defending themselves, but I also think that the carriage thing is very fortunate timing for them even though I¡¯m hesitant to take any definite side on this, but Rhiannon says ¡ª¡° ¡°Sin¨¦ad!¡± She snapped her mouth shut with a knowing smile and blinked innocently. ¡°What? I was just catching you up on the latest gossip. Don¡¯t you want to know what¡¯s going on while you¡¯re away?¡± ¡°If I did, I¡¯d be around to see it,¡± I scoffed. ¡°Now, what was that good news you were going to share?¡± Predictably, she shrugged and patted my hand where it was squeezed in the soft bend of her elbow. ¡°I was getting there! Now, Rhiannon says that the Atwoods are actually rapidly losing money ¡ª you know, because of Mr. Atwood¡¯s supposed gambling addiction ¡ª and that this is only a ploy to stir up gossip to cover for the fact that they can no longer afford carriage maintenance and will soon lose even their horses. But Alma says ¡ª¡° I did my best, truly, but even though it was Sin¨¦ad speaking, I couldn¡¯t for the life of me keep up with whatever she was saying. Names disassociated from faces floated in and out of the stream of words, events and dates mixed with opinions and speculations as if both had equal value, all becoming a sludge of information that was impossible to navigate lest you were at the very center of society. I lived in a cottage several miles away from town; Sin¨¦ad may as well have been casting a spell in an ancient language. Maybe that was why I was starting to get so confused I almost stumbled over the steps of our porch. ¡°Wait, so are the Desmonds the ones that were hosting the ball?¡± I asked as we entered the hallway. ¡°No-no, the Desmonds were to attend, the Nelsons were hosting. But the Desmonds are supposed to host in a fortnight. It¡¯s unlikely the Atwoods will be invited, but it might look like they¡¯re admitting guilt if they don¡¯t invite them ¡ª¡° ¡°They¡¯re supposed to invite the people who accused them of sabotage? Seems backwards.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing, it¡¯s not clear whether they¡¯ll be invited or not, because ¡ª¡° ¡°Ah, Miss Carver. You¡¯re back.¡± The housekeeper, Mrs. Tremaine, came into the hall from the servant entrance and gave me a quick glance, her large, stern face carefully blank. ¡°And how long will you be staying this time?¡± Sin¨¦ad fell silent as well and joined her in staring at me. Her gaze was softer and more curious than that of Mrs. Tremaine, who made it feel like any answer I offered would be wrong. ¡°A few days, maybe,¡± I replied. I rarely stayed longer, but I also rarely knew exactly how many days it¡¯d be each time. I wasn¡¯t bound to any schedule but my own whims. Mrs. Tremaine gave a short nod and took a step to her left, revealing a mousy young woman standing a little behind her hefty frame, staring at me like I was some mythical beast spoken of in legends. The girl shifted on her feet and dropped her gaze to the floor after our eyes met. ¡°This is Sarah. She¡¯s the new housemaid hired by the mistress. Sarah, this is Miss Sidra Carver, the master¡¯s daughter.¡± Sarah curtsied and mumbled something that sounded like it being a pleasure to meet me. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was expected to do. Clara was the one in charge of the servants. Besides, hadn¡¯t there been a different housemaid only a few months ago? I could¡¯ve sworn I saw some young woman help Sin¨¦ad change her bedsheets once. I turned to Sin¨¦ad, ¡°What happened to, um, what was it? Emma?¡± ¡°Emma got married, remember? It was a lovely wedding, too. Mother and I made macarons!¡± Then a spark lit up her gray eyes. ¡°Sarah, would you be so kind and bring some tea and muffins to my room? The miniature blueberry ones.¡± ¡°Two cups of tea, Miss Sin¨¦ad?¡± said Sarah in a tone that was a lot more relaxed and familiar. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± ¡°And does Miss Carver require a bath to be prepared before tea?¡± Mrs. Tremaine said, her voice a little too loud. Sarah blushed deeply while Sin¨¦ad¡¯s smile slipped from her face, but she said nothing in reply. The question wasn¡¯t addressed to her, and she probably thought I could use a bath as well. ¡°Sure,¡± I said, shrugging to hide my annoyance. I supposed servants had a right to make sport of their employers, though I doubted that¡¯s what Father and Clara were paying them for. ¡°Very good. Sarah will let you know when the tub is ready.¡± Both keeper and maid curtsied and left the hall silently, leaving Sin¨¦ad and me in uneasy silence. From behind the door came Sarah¡¯s voice, ¡°That was a little cruel, Mrs. Tremaine.¡± ¡°It is also cruel to show up looking like that in a civilized home. Guess who cleans all that dirt she dragged in? You do.¡± I glanced down to my boots. They weren¡¯t that dirty. Sin¨¦ad¡¯s weren¡¯t much cleaner in comparison. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them, they don¡¯t know you as well as the rest of us,¡± Sin¨¦ad said gently. She patted me on the shoulder, adding, ¡°Now, let¡¯s go upstairs and see what you¡¯ll wear today!¡± Chapter Two I wanted to argue against it, as we were in the privacy of our own home and weren¡¯t expecting any company, but I couldn¡¯t rob her of the fun of trying to wring my appearance into something more pleasant, though the effort was similar to carving a statue out of dried mud. After she picked out a dress for me and I had my (unfortunately much needed) bath, I was beginning to lose patience. ¡°Surely it¡¯s time now,¡± I urged after she sat me down at the vanity in her bedroom and started tugging at my clean and damp hair to wrangle it into a braid. ¡°Time?¡± she said, blinking with false ignorance. ¡°Sin¨¦ad ¡­¡± ¡°Oh, fine! Now, as you remember, I was there with Alma and Rhi, and this was right after I¡¯d danced my second with Mr. Jasper Clemens ¡ª which was nice even though he kept stepping on my toes ¡ª when the doors to the ballroom opened and everyone fell silent. And then ¡­!¡± She grabbed my shoulders and leaned down so her face was right next to mine, smiling at me in the mirror like she was about to deliver the world¡¯s happiest news. ¡°A beautiful man enters the room. And I mean beautiful, easily the most handsome man I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± Ah. Another one of Sin¨¦ad¡¯s infatuations, then. This one sounded dire. Sin¨¦ad let go of me and walked to her bedside table as she continued, ¡°He was introduced as Lord Sylas Thorne, but nobody at the ball recognized him. The Nelsons were obviously delighted with having proper nobility attending the gathering, so they weren¡¯t going to complain about the intrusion.¡± She pulled out the jewelry box where she kept a particularly tiny sketchbook, the one where she would draw the various monthly loves of her life. She opened it eagerly and returned to me. I¡¯d been expecting yet another young son of a minor noble or gentry, but the beautifully detailed portrait depicted a far more mature man than most of her previous sparks. He looked several years older than me, late twenties perhaps, with shoulder-length light hair and sharp cheekbones. His lapels were decorated with intricate floral patterns, an odd fashion statement that marked him as either foreign or someone of high birth who could afford a peculiar taste. He was also unusually handsome. Knowing Sin¨¦ad¡¯s talent, she wasn¡¯t exaggerating his features. I handed the sketchbook back to Sin¨¦ad, feeling more confused than enlightened, and she regarded it with a soft gaze before putting it away. That previous breathless enthusiasm was gone when she spoke again, her speech gentle and purposeful. ¡°He approached me as soon as our eyes met across the room, and said he¡¯d heard much about my beauty. And then he asked me to dance. And we did. And then he asked me again, and again I said yes. When he asked a third time I obviously had to say no, but he still wouldn¡¯t leave my side for the rest of the evening.¡± I clenched my jaw. I was the least knowledgeable person in these matters, but wasn¡¯t a gentleman supposed to divide his attention during these events? ¡°We met a few times after the Nelsons¡¯ ball. Once at the duck pond, you know the one? He was feeding them bread when I got there, said he had a hunch I liked little lives because I have a kind spirit. Can you imagine someone saying that? It sounds so silly, but when he said it, I felt so ¡­ so ¡­!¡± She was right, it sounded silly. Everything she described was a romantic¡¯s dream, something most adults would be able to tell from reality. But Sin¨¦ad was seventeen. And this Lord Thorne was decidedly not. ¡°I¡¯ll spare you the details, but Sidra ¡­ I¡¯m engaged.¡± Sin¨¦ad watched me through the mirror, hand closing protectively around a silver band on her ring finger that I hadn¡¯t noticed until now. I looked at my reflection and saw what Sin¨¦ad must¡¯ve seen: eyebrows raised in astonishment, upper lip pulled up in shock ¡ª eyes wide with disapproval. ¡°You¡¯re angry.¡± What else was I supposed to feel? Sin¨¦ad had not only found herself a man, but gotten engaged during the three weeks I¡¯d been gone. Had she gone mad? Though she¡¯d always been easy to impress, I¡¯d never taken her for a fool. Seeing her heartbroken expression, I picked my words carefully. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit sudden? You barely know this man.¡± ¡°I know him well enough.¡± She put her hand gently over the jewelry box where she¡¯d hidden the drawing of her fianc¨¦. ¡°Our souls were made the same.¡± He¡¯d put those words in her mouth. I could imagine his pretty lips moving as he spoke them to her, convincing her of the utter bullshit he was spewing by making it seem profound. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°He¡¯s of noble birth?¡± I managed, speaking with surgical precision. ¡°When did he move here?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t. He¡¯s only here on business, fetching some sort of cargo.¡± ¡°Business? What business could a lord have? Aside from seducing and collecting child brides,¡± I scoffed. Hurt flashed in Sin¨¦ad¡¯s eyes and she averted her gaze, picking at some dried paint on her fingernail. ¡°He¡¯s not much older than us. And he never seduced me, Sidra. We¡¯ve only talked. Perhaps for longer than what is considered proper, but it was always civil and polite, never inappropriate.¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯s a con artist?¡± ¡°No! Con artists try to get you to hand over your money or invest in something, he was only interested in my company. What would a lord gain from marrying minor gentry, hmm? He¡¯d stand to lose face, reputation, maybe even the society of other nobles! That means he must be genuine. What else do I have to offer someone like him besides my love?¡± Sin¨¦ad finished her spirited defense of her paramour and watched me intently, waiting for a response. Unfortunately, the more I heard about this man, the less I liked him. While I had no authority on the machinations of nobles and their reasons for entering marriages with the lower classes, I did know something else she would give him without question: control. That was something many men coveted, regardless of status. But I couldn¡¯t outright call Sin¨¦ad naive and demand she called off her engagement. I had to show my doubts without looking dismissive of her happiness. ¡°His conversation must be very interesting if it convinced you to marry him on such short notice.¡± ¡°It is! He¡¯s a wonderful man, extremely talented, well-mannered, and worldly!¡± she sputtered. Then she shrank away and sat at the edge of her bed, hands clasped together in her lap. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be happy for me.¡± I turned around and looked into her eyes to make sure she was listening to every word. ¡°Sin¨¦ad, I don¡¯t want to get in the way of your marriage¡± ¡ª just saying the word made me sick to my stomach ¡ª ¡°I only want to make sure you¡¯re not doing something you¡¯ll regret.¡± She blinked rapidly like she had a hard time understanding me. Then she shook her head. ¡°I want this,¡± she said. ¡°I want to marry him, Sidra. It¡¯s difficult to explain to someone who¡¯s never experienced it, but it¡¯s as if he¡¯s meant for me, put on this world for me and nobody else. Now that I¡¯ve met him, I don¡¯t think any other man could make me happy.¡± What things had he said to make her believe this? I couldn¡¯t imagine them, but the look in her eyes was so desperate and pleading that she couldn¡¯t have been anything but sincere. She believed herself in love with him, destined for him. How was I supposed to tell her otherwise? Was it even right for me to try? I stood from the chair and sat next to her on the bed, placing my hand on her shoulder. ¡°Sin¨¦ad, I understand that you like this man very much, but if you¡¯re truly meant to be, then there¡¯s no reason to rush into this. He will wait for you if he truly wants you. If you decide too quickly, you might regret it later on. Marriage is more than just living with the one you love, and there are many other changes and responsibilities to consider.¡± I tried to sound as soothing and rational as possible, which was hard work when all I wanted was to find this Lord Thorne and tell him that marrying a seventeen-year-old would be his last mistake. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I mean, he never actually proposed, you know? I just assumed ¡­¡± ¡°Assumed what?¡± ¡°He asked if I wanted to be his forever, and I said yes. That¡¯s the same as a proposal, right?¡± The urge to strangle this man with my bare hands was almost overwhelming now, and I caught myself squeezing Sin¨¦ad¡¯s shoulder like it was his throat. He¡¯d seduced (even if she didn¡¯t like to call it that) a young woman barely out of childhood and made her promise things she couldn¡¯t possibly understand or fulfill. I grasped Sin¨¦ad¡¯s plump, soft fingers gently between my rough and callused ones. ¡°I would say it¡¯s a proposal, yes. But it¡¯s not too late to say no. When are you meeting him again?¡± ¡°Tomorrow evening. He said he wanted to show me his home up north, but would wait to ask my mother for permission to travel first.¡± The lord asking for permission would¡¯ve lessened his other offenses, were it not for what Sin¨¦ad had said right before. I ran my thumbs over her knuckles, trying to calm myself and her at once. I recalled the map in one of Mother¡¯s books, showing the entire country of Adelheid: a large peninsula surrounded by ice-cold sea, dotted with cities and towns and villages, connected by a tiny strip of land to a deep green, oppressive emptiness up north. It was empty because no cartographer dared to travel that far ¡ª not because it was deserted. ¡°Sin¨¦ad, there is to the north but the forest. Dorotea is the end of human civilization. You know that, right?¡± Her eyes grew round with fear. ¡°Oh. Of course. I-it must be a misunderstanding.¡± She laughed nervously. ¡°I was so entranced by his description of the place that I must¡¯ve misheard!¡± ¡°Or ¡­¡± I lowered my voice, ¡°¡­ maybe he does live up north.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen him many times, Sidra. And he showed up to a crowded ball and nobody thought he was anything but ¡­ human.¡± She said the last word quietly, almost whispering, lest the wrong ears caught the insinuation. I hoped she was right, for all our sakes. But even if he didn¡¯t live in the north, I wouldn¡¯t let Sin¨¦ad marry him. I¡¯d keep a close eye on the man tomorrow evening. If he hurt my little sister, I¡¯d tear him to shreds. ¡°But I think you¡¯re right. I will speak to Sylas. Postpone the engagement,¡± Sin¨¦ad sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will understand.¡± ¡°If he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll make him.¡± She gave me a stern look, ¡°Sidra, no. I forbid you from being mean to him. He¡¯s lovely and charming, and I¡¯m sure you two will get along once this is all sorted out. I told him a lot about you, you know?¡± Talking about him seemed to make her feel better, so I listened intently as we resumed the beauty ritual we¡¯d interrupted before. Apparently, Sin¨¦ad wasn¡¯t sure what business Lord Thorne was involved in or even what made him a lord, which was another nail in his coffin, but she assured me he must¡¯ve been not only noble but extremely wealthy as well. He wore plenty of gold, see, and his clothes were odd but of impeccable quality, something that made people take a second and even third look whenever he walked by. Other women had been interested in him, though he¡¯d only had eyes for Sin¨¦ad, and they¡¯d spoken about everything between heaven and earth. They¡¯d spoken so much yet she knew so little of him. How could I trust someone like that? I said nothing of my suspicions to Sin¨¦ad. Hopefully, this would sort itself out, and I¡¯d be there to wipe her tears once it was all over. Chapter Three Part of the reason I didn¡¯t like sleeping at home was the silence. Aside from the house settling and the quiet shuffling of servant skirts, there was no noise to keep me company as I fell asleep. So when the clink of pebbles against my window came minutes after I blew out the candle on the bedside table, I welcomed it, though I usually disapproved of him approaching me instead of the other way around. I kicked the duvet off my legs and shivered as my feet touched the cold wooden floor. My rarely-used nightgown was terribly thin and far too large, offering no protection from the chilly midnight air. I tiptoed over to the window and looked down. Moonlight illuminated the shape of a familiar man, a shadow against the pale, frost-kissed ground. He waved uncertainly, probably unable to see my face in the darkness, but lighting a candle would draw too much attention. I waved back and put a finger to my lips, then pointed off into the distance to our usual meeting spot up the hill, an abandoned barn. He shook his head, then waved for me to come down. I sighed and nodded before leaving the window to get dressed. We¡¯d been having these nighttime visits for a little over a year and a half, and he¡¯d only gotten more and more careless. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d visited me without warning, and I wouldn¡¯t care so much if his reputation wasn¡¯t at stake. Reese Brennan¡¯s ¡°courtship¡± began years ago, months of longing glances and ¡°accidental¡± meetings culminating in him asking for my hand in marriage. I¡¯d refused, of course. I¡¯d never seen myself as a wife or a mother. But I liked him well enough, and had offered him something else. Though reluctant at first, thinking it wouldn¡¯t be proper to sleep with a woman without having married her, he¡¯d accepted. I quietly left my bedroom and sneaked through the dark hallways, all the way down to the vacant kitchen, still warm from the day¡¯s work. I slipped through the door leading to the backyard and made sure it was firmly closed behind me. Reese was waiting with his back against the wall, still right below my window. Eager to get caught, apparently. I approached him with the most disappointed expression I could muster, but his smile was so wide I could see it even in low light, and his immediate embrace was welcome in the frigid air. So much for that. ¡°There you are,¡± he whispered against my shoulder. ¡°Been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°A little over a month,¡± I replied. ¡°What did I tell you about coming here unannounced?¡± ¡°Rather late for a visit, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± I sighed, ¡°You know what I mean.¡± ¡°I missed you. Is that so bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say disturbing my sleep is pretty bad.¡± He pulled away, though his arms remained around my waist and he held me pressed against his chest. We regarded each other in coy silence; he was lithe and a head taller than I, and handsomer than I deserved, if I were to believe the gossip. ¡°Alma told me you were back and I wanted to speak to you as soon as possible,¡± Reese replied, feigning innocence. I reluctantly untangled myself from him. ¡°Go on, then. Why did you come here, since you¡¯re not in the mood for the usual?¡± The following silence and his meaningful stare meant he was certainly in the mood for something. ¡°Will you walk with me?¡± he offered. ¡°I think this will be a long discussion.¡± Reese took me on a slow stroll across the fields leading up to the dark tree line of the forest. He didn¡¯t hesitate to give me his coat, thankfully, and held my hand tightly as we walked. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to marry me,¡± he said, raising his voice to speak over the wind. ¡°But I¡¯ve been thinking: what if I come to live with you in the woods?¡± Ah. So it had finally come to this. I¡¯d thought about it too, of course. I¡¯d almost suggested it myself on several occasions, but always found a reason not to. What would his peers think of him? How would it affect his future? Would he have a future at all? And how would he survive in the wild without the proper knowledge? The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He deserved a normal, respectable life. Once his affection for me cooled, he should be able to return to civilization without any consequences. Besides, I knew myself well enough to understand that these were only excuses. The real reason I never suggested it was because I enjoyed my isolation. I decided to be honest with him; he deserved that much. He¡¯d been a dear friend, perhaps something more, and I was always happy enough to return to him after weeks or even months of absence. But if I was never absent, would I learn to miss him? Did I care for him so deeply that I¡¯d stand having him around, constantly invading the space I¡¯d made mine over the last five years since Mother died? The answer was no. It was cruel how quickly it came to me. ¡°I¡¯ve been alone for so long, I don¡¯t know how to be anything else. And I worry you might grow tired of me if we spend too much time together.¡± ¡°I would never grow tired of you. But will you at least think about it? We could try it for a few weeks, and if we don¡¯t like it, we¡¯ll continue as we have?¡± ¡°And what will people say when they see you return from the woods after weeks of living with me as if we were married?¡± ¡°Let me worry about that, alright? You worry about letting me try.¡± I nodded but decided against making any promises. ¡°What even inspired this? You¡¯ve never expressed an interest in the wilderness. Wanting a life with me is not the same as living like me, you know. What will you get out of it besides my constant company?¡± My question made Reese fall silent as he stared at me, almost waiting for something. ¡°We¡¯ve been stagnant. We can¡¯t be doing this¡±¡ª he gestured between us ¡ª¡°forever. I want ¡­ more.¡± More. The hope in his eyes was suffocating. I knew what he meant. And he knew I couldn¡¯t give it to him. He¡¯d always known, because I¡¯d never lied. The only reason I found comfort in his arms was because it was the only thing I¡¯d ever searched for in the first place. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have nothing more to give,¡± I said. ¡°What about us, then?¡± he asked. I breathed deeply to calm my nerves, knowing what was coming. ¡°If our paths lead in different directions, maybe there¡¯s no point to this anymore.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you want.¡± ¡°What do you want, Sidra? Do you know?¡± Reese asked with a gentle smile. ¡°Do you want to live alone in the forest, wild and free for the rest of your life?¡± He made it sound so aspirational. I appreciated that. Most people in town spoke of me like one would about someone with a particularly disgusting disease, as if my partly self-imposed isolation was something that should be corrected, and if not that, shunned. ¡°If you¡¯re not sure you want the life you have right now, how can you be sure you don¡¯t want a life with me? Or let me in to share yours?¡± What he suggested wouldn¡¯t be much different from marriage; we¡¯d simply live in a forest instead of an estate. Inevitably, I¡¯d get pregnant, and I¡¯d give birth for his sake more than my own. I tried ¡ª like I¡¯d done many times before ¡ª to imagine our wedding. I pictured myself in a beautiful white dress, twirling with Reese in our first dance as a married couple. The image changed to show a faceless child on my hip and two more beside me, pulling at the hem of my shirt. This Sidra smiled at them to hide the pain in her eyes, so they wouldn¡¯t know their mother had never wanted their existence. My lungs felt like they¡¯d shrunk, like there wasn¡¯t enough air to breathe. I lifted my gaze to the trees on the distant hill, hiding the wall of iron that separated this world from the other, and reminded myself that this future would never come true and that the woodland, with its fresh winds and eternal solitude, was the only place I could truly call home. ¡°I belong in the forest,¡± I mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything else.¡± ¡°Sidra, that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°And you belong here, where you can live the life you want.¡± Reese came closer, taking my hands in his. ¡°If the forest is your only choice, have you really made a choice at all? What if you¡¯re detaching yourself from the rest of us for no reason? If you tried, you might find yourself enjoying a life here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late. People have already made up their minds about me.¡± ¡°Who cares what they think? You have your family, and you will have mine, that¡¯s all you need!¡± he insisted. That may have been true, but it didn¡¯t matter. My mother had taught me how to live and survive alone in the forest, where nobody else was around to help. She hadn¡¯t taught me how to live among others, a skill which came naturally to her, but not to me. After she died, my last connection to the proper world was severed. Poor Father had always been distant, awkward, and became even more so after Mother¡¯s passing. The time when I could live like a human being had long passed. All that was left of me was a husk that knew only how to survive. I wouldn¡¯t subject Reese to a life with me, no matter how much he thought he wanted it. And I wouldn¡¯t subject myself to a life with him, either. Even his warmth would suffocate me one day. ¡°Think about it. You don¡¯t have to marry me, but making yourself live out there in the woods isn¡¯t the solution. The folk here are not as bad as you think we are.¡± I knew that, and I¡¯d never implied they were. My isolation was entirely my doing. ¡°You need to return to the world, Sidra,¡± Reese said. I nodded without meeting his gaze. Entertaining the idea that he could be right, I wondered what would happen if I tried coming back. I could follow in Father¡¯s footsteps, inherit his land and manage farmer salaries. Or I¡¯d join Sin¨¦ad and Clara in society. I doubted I¡¯d be good at either of those things. The only obvious option, one others would insist I choose, would be to marry Reese. No other man in Dorotea wanted me, and he was already far better and more respectable than I deserved. I didn¡¯t have to worry about these things in the forest. All my thoughts revolved around surviving the next day and preparing for the winter. It was an empty existence, but I preferred it to a miserable one. Reese squeezed my hands and gave me a tentative smile. ¡°I won¡¯t keep you any longer, but I promise, I¡¯ll prove to you that life here can be good.¡± It was good. But it wasn¡¯t for me. I hoped, sooner or later, he¡¯d understand. Chapter Four Sin¨¦ad fluttered around the parlor, dusting things that didn¡¯t need dusting and moving things that didn¡¯t need moving. She wore an apron to cover her lovely pink dress and kept muttering to herself about how unsightly everything was, how Sylas would run for the hills when he saw the filth she lived in, how she¡¯d never get married because no man wanted a woman who couldn¡¯t keep a house ¡­ Clara had humored her at first, even ordering Sarah to help Sin¨¦ad clean, but eventually realized the grime her daughter saw was invisible and sent the maid away. Now we were all waiting patiently in the drawing room for Lord Sylas Thorne to arrive, though neither Father nor Grandmother looked particularly interested in being there. With Sin¨¦ad too busy to initiate a conversation, all four of us sat in our own corners of the room in dead silence. Clara remained by the window, watching for a carriage, while Father thumbed through a book without reading it. His chestnut brown hair was dusted with silver. He would soon be forty-three. Mother would¡¯ve been forty. Father noticed me staring and blinked a couple of times like he¡¯d seen a stranger, before giving me a tiny smile which was mostly concealed by his thick mustache. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Clara. ¡°When is that man to arrive?¡± she huffed and glanced again at the clock on the hearth. Sin¨¦ad grabbed the vase of flowers beside the clock and moved it to the windowsill where her mother stood, for the third time this evening. She had yet to decide which surface was less crowded. ¡°Shortly after six,¡± Grandmother replied from her cozy spot near the fire without looking up from her knitting. I¡¯d never understood why she insisted on playing the role of a senile old woman, sitting there with a thick blanket over her knees and rocking back and forth in her chair; she was barely sixty. Clara rolled her eyes. ¡°I know when he said he would arrive, but it is already half past six. What wretch makes his future in-laws wait?¡± ¡°Mama!¡± Sin¨¦ad protested, but that¡¯s where the argument died out, because even when berating him, Clara had already given her approval. I bit my tongue. Bean ¡ª the fat, mangy little beast whose job was to hunt for rats and mice ¡ª waddled up to me and let out a horrid, whiny sound. I grimaced and gave it a slight shove with my foot in Clara¡¯s direction, since she was the one who¡¯d taken pity on it when she scooped the kitten up from a puddle beside its dead siblings. It came in whenever it pleased to either demand food from the soft-hearted in our family or cuddle up by a fire during a storm. Suppose I disliked it so much because it reminded me of myself. ¡°The shamelessness of you! Have you stooped to kicking animals?¡± Clara warned before taking the cat into her arms. ¡°I just nudged it,¡± I replied. ¡°Him.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I tugged impatiently at the wolf fang hanging from a cord around my neck and stared past Clara into the darkness outside. The sound of the crackling fire and occasional pitter-patter of rain against the window filled the room. Since Thorne hadn¡¯t formally proposed to Sin¨¦ad yet, I expected he¡¯d ask our parents for her hand tonight, assuming he intended to do it at all. As usual, I wasn¡¯t quite sure how Father would react, but I trusted Clara to at least give Thorne a good questioning before agreeing to anything. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Father cleared his throat, ¡°What was his name again, dear?¡± ¡°Lord Sylas Thorne. Nobility. The proper kind.¡± Clara stood up straighter with a smile on her face, though I wasn¡¯t sure if she was being sarcastic or not. ¡°He is a ¡®lord¡¯ here on ¡®business,¡¯¡± I said, perhaps too disdainfully. ¡°We don¡¯t know what business, and I¡¯m wondering why a nobleman has a job to begin with.¡± Clara didn¡¯t acknowledge my words, but the lack of a clear dismissal meant she had to be thinking the same thing. ¡°Sidra! Please come help me!¡± Sin¨¦ad¡¯s voice came from somewhere upstairs. I jumped out of my seat and hurried out of the room, since there was clearly no need for me here. Sin¨¦ad was in her bedchamber, standing in front of the vanity. As soon as I closed the door behind me, she whirled around with a panicked expression. Judging by the way she kept tugging at her braid and the periwinkle ribbon tangled in it, she¡¯d found yet another thing to fret over. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do with my hair,¡± she whined. ¡°The braid was pretty, why did you ruin it?¡± ¡°I thought I could wrap it around my head like Mama does, but my hands are shaking too badly.¡± I pressed Sin¨¦ad down into the chair in front of the mirror and patiently untangled the silk band out of her hair, before picking up her hairbrush and combing through the remains of the braid. ¡°If Lord Thorne loves you, he¡¯ll love your hair too, no matter what it looks like,¡± I said. ¡°I know. But I want it to look good. Don¡¯t you ever want to look good for Mr. Brennan?¡± No, though I didn¡¯t say that. I replied with a noncommittal shrug instead. ¡°If this Lord Thorne so much as looks at your hair wrong¡± ¡ª I said slowly as I started twisting it back into a neat, simple braid ¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll rip his out of his head.¡± ¡°Sidra!¡± Sin¨¦ad sounded exasperated but couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I can never tell if you¡¯re a blessing or a curse.¡± ¡°Why not both?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± We were silent for a while as I continued braiding. The sun had set an hour ago, and the candles on the vanity made Sin¨¦ad¡¯s eyes glitter like tiny jewels. She kept fidgeting, smoothing out her skirt, checking under her nails, picking at an almost-healed scratch no doubt gifted to her by Bean. She was so desperate to please this stranger, this lowlife who¡¯d never deserve her and who no doubt had no real feelings for her. ¡°You should¡¯ve asked your mother for help,¡± I mumbled. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything more complex than braids.¡± In truth, I was more worried about yanking the hair out of her scalp by accident; I had to breathe deeper to suppress the building rage. ¡°No, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here,¡± Sin¨¦ad replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you.¡± ¡±Go marry the first boy who looked at you.¡± ¡±I¡¯m serious!¡± I tied the silk band around the end of the braid and let it fall against her back. ¡±There. Go be serious at Lord Thorne with your new hairdo.¡± She reached back to thumb at it before standing up. When she turned around, her sweet, round face was unusually somber. It didn¡¯t become her to look this miserable. ¡±What¡¯s wrong? You look beautiful, I promise.¡± ¡±It¡¯s not that.¡± ¡±Then what is it?¡± ¡±I¡¯m not sure. I just have this feeling, you know?¡± She searched my eyes for an answer I didn¡¯t have. ¡±Like everything¡¯s about to change. And I don¡¯t want that. I worry for you.¡± ¡±For me?¡± ¡±Yes. If I marry, what will happen to you? I know you don¡¯t love Mr. Brennan. And if I leave, you¡¯ll be alone.¡± She seized my hands as if hoping her touch would keep me company throughout the rest of my life. My heart ached, but I¡¯d always known this would happen, and I was prepared. Her happiness took priority over mine. ¡±I thought you wanted to break off the engagement?¡± I asked. ¡±Yes, but I¡¯ll marry eventually. I want a family. But I want you to be a part of it, too. I can¡¯t stand the thought of you out there, alone, with nobody to return to.¡± I¡¯d still have Father and Grandmother, though we both knew that wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep me coming back. ¡±I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, wondering if I was lying or not. ¡±Worry about yourself.¡± ¡±I think I have enough people worrying about me,¡± Sin¨¦ad sighed. "That¡¯s nonsense. Besides, you¡¯re only seventeen. When it¡¯s time for you to get married, you¡¯ll be happy to leave your grumpy old sister behind.¡± She shook her head. ¡±No, I won¡¯t.¡± Running her thumbs over my knuckles, she added, ¡±I¡¯m sorry if this sounds terrible, but I¡¯m glad my mother married your father. Otherwise I may never have met you. No girl could ask for a better sister, or best friend.¡± She was so melancholy I had a hard time keeping myself from choking up. Sin¨¦ad had no reason to be saying these things now, unless she¡¯d changed her mind about marrying Sylas and wanted to go through with this stupid engagement after all. I took her hands between mine, ¡±I¡¯ll still be here. We¡¯ll always be sisters, no matter what happens. You can marry as many people as you want, but you won¡¯t get rid of me that easily.¡± She giggled, some of her anxiety melting away. ¡±Good! I was worried all my husbands would scare you off.¡± ¡±I¡¯d worry more about me scaring off your husbands.¡± Chapter Five A handsome man dressed in fine clothes graced our doorstep, smiling at us kindly. Despite Sin¨¦ad¡¯s artistic talent, she had failed to capture the experience of looking at Lord Thorne in the flesh. With golden locks spilling onto his shoulders and a fair complexion, he was almost otherworldly, and when he looked at Sin¨¦ad, his delicate-featured face grew even more beautiful, eyes twinkling like emeralds in the dim light around us. He remained upright when we bowed and curtsied. His gaze was fixed upon Sin¨¦ad, overflowing with adoration unfit for a man of his station and age. Clara was immediately spellbound, and Father remained frustratingly silent when Thorne took a seat next to Sin¨¦ad and took her hands in his. He shouldn¡¯t be touching her. ¡°How was your journey?¡± Sin¨¦ad asked sweetly in the awkward silence that followed the exchange of introductions and pleasantries. ¡°Very quick. I did not intend to make you wait, my dear, but I heard it is good to be fashionably late around these parts.¡± Sin¨¦ad giggled. ¡°Are people not fashionably late where you¡¯re from, Lord Thorne?¡± Clara inquired breathlessly. He tore his gaze away from Sin¨¦ad to give her mother a long look, the warmth in his eyes replaced by polite boredom. ¡°Not usually, no. One is expected to arrive in time so as not to miss any of the festivities,¡± he said pleasantly. ¡°Oh, well they certainly sound like a fun bunch!¡± Everyone but Grandmother and I exchanged polite laughter. My skin prickled with discomfort as I glanced at Sin¨¦ad. She was smiling, too, her gaze adoringly locked on her paramour¡¯s beautiful profile. It was difficult to think of my next move as doubt flooded my chest. She was happy. And so was everyone else, clearly. Why should I intrude on that? I steeled myself. Even though I¡¯d always known Sin¨¦ad would eventually marry, that I¡¯d find some fault with whichever man she chose, this was far too sudden, and Thorne far too suspicious, to let continue. ¡°I don¡¯t think I caught where you were from?¡± I asked, my tone a little too light as I tried to hide my disdain. Lord Thorne¡¯s lips pulled into a slow smile. Silence fell. Instead of replying, he turned to Clara. ¡°Sidra, you shame us all by treating honored guests as criminals!¡± she spat, and I stared at her. I knew Clara didn¡¯t appreciate how my presence made our family look, but to berate me openly in front of a guest? I didn¡¯t think she was capable of it. What if Lord Thorne spread word of our uneasy relationship? They¡¯d call Clara an evil step-mother, or me a parasite. Clara would never risk such a thing, no matter how much she disliked me. She gathered herself and turned back to the man, ¡°Excuse her, Lord Thorne, she¡¯s half-feral. We can barely get her to dress properly, much less understand the rules of society.¡± He bowed his head in a gracious acceptance of her apology, and my question went unanswered. After a short yet awkward silence, Clara spoke again. ¡°Would you like some tea, my lord?¡± With the way her eyes sparkled, I almost believed she was the one who wanted to marry him. ¡°Unfortunately, I will have to decline. In truth, I am only here to ask your permission to take Sin¨¦ad to my estate. I want to show her the true beauty of the autumn season.¡± Lord Thorne squeezed Sin¨¦ad¡¯s hand and looked at her with a gentle smile. Clara may have been right in that I didn¡¯t know much about proper etiquette, but I was certain he was supposed to decline more gracefully than that, not to mention how boldly he admitted his intent. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Clara herself didn¡¯t mind this transgression. The suggestion of Sin¨¦ad spending time alone with a strange man at a mystery location seemed to actually please her. ¡°What a wonderful idea!¡± she gasped, clapping her hands together. But why? How could she possibly justify this to herself? Why would she want to? Sin¨¦ad was her pride and joy, not someone to be pawned off to the richest man who asked. I looked to Father for help, who only stared blankly in front of him. I knew he didn¡¯t truly consider Sin¨¦ad to be his daughter, but I¡¯d expected him to at least suggest we wait for some time to pass before agreeing to something like this. Even I knew how improper it all sounded. If Clara did not suspect Lord Thorne of foul play, she should¡¯ve at least been aware of what sort of rumors would spread if this was allowed to continue without at least a public engagement. Grandmother had been knitting diligently during the whole ordeal, wearing an unusual frown, and hadn¡¯t even acknowledged Lord Thorne when he first entered. Finally, I glanced toward Sin¨¦ad. Worry marred her smile. I knew she would never refuse something if her mother encouraged it, doubly so if the man she was infatuated with had suggested it in the first place. Fine. If this journey was inevitable, I would have to adapt. ¡°Perhaps you would be so gracious as to extend your invitation to the rest of us? Or at least myself and Sin¨¦ad¡¯s mother, if there isn¡¯t room for everyone?¡± I suggested in what I thought was a polite tone. Sin¨¦ad excitedly drew in breath to reply, but Clara had other ideas. ¡°Preposterous! What a willful girl you are, forcing your company on a stranger!¡± ¡°You¡¯re about to let a stranger take your daughter away to who knows where!¡± I retorted. ¡°Sidra! Enough!¡± I stared at Grandmother in surprise. She never scolded me, but now, she watched me with a tight-jawed fury as if hoping to scare me into obedience. The atmosphere in the room changed like someone had opened a window. I realized nobody, save for perhaps Sin¨¦ad, wanted me here. It was a familiar feeling. Fine. Let Sin¨¦ad travel wherever she wanted. I would simply have to track the carriage and follow them on foot, without telling a soul. ¡°Please excuse her,¡± Clara begged Lord Thorne. ¡°She¡¯s always been wild. Uncultured, if you will.¡± The softness she¡¯d offered him disappeared as soon as she looked at me again. Thorne smiled obligingly and turned his gaze on me, filled with condescending pity. ¡°No harm done. Every creature has a place under the sun. Even those that haven¡¯t quite found it yet.¡± Sin¨¦ad said something that sounded like the whine of a wounded puppy, but I couldn¡¯t hear her. All sound disappeared, became a hum at the back of my mind as Thorne¡¯s eyes bore into me. I¡¯d never met a man with eyes like his. Like arrows piercing my chest and nailing me to the spot. He was still smiling kindly at me, but I feared what would happen if I looked away, like turning my back on a predator, with the stalemate being the only thing keeping me from certain death. But death didn¡¯t come when I looked away, and I was allowed to exit the room without issue. Instead of going to my bedroom, I passed the stairs and continued down the hall, taking refuge in Grandmother¡¯s bedroom. As soon as the door closed behind me, I knelt on the floor and pressed my ear against the tiny gap between the door and its frame. I had to hold my breath to make out their conversation. Sin¨¦ad mumbled something too quiet for me to hear, to which Thorne chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t let people like your sister prevent you from finding happiness, my sweet.¡± I clenched my jaw. No wonder Sin¨¦ad found him so attractive; he pretended to act in her best interest. ¡°Indeed,¡± Clara replied heartily. ¡°You should go, Sin¨¦ad. It¡¯s a wonderful opportunity to get out of this miserable little town and see more of the world!¡± I scoffed. ¡°More of the world?¡± As if a new forest would be any different from the ones she¡¯d seen before. Maybe her infatuation would make it more beautiful or some such nonsense, but even then she could appreciate the woods here just the same. Besides, Clara had always hated it when Sin¨¦ad spoke of potentially leaving town when she got married. Why the sudden distaste for Dorotea? Sin¨¦ad said something quiet again, though I managed to catch the word ¡°outside.¡± ¡°Of course, my sweet.¡± The pet name made my teeth itch. Steps came from the end of the corridor, and soon Sin¨¦ad and Thorne had excused themselves and left the estate. I sighed heavily and turned around, staring through the darkness in the room at the wooden box under Grandmother¡¯s bed. She kept something personal there, something from her home country across the sea, and I¡¯d never found it in me to pry. Everyone was acting strangely, but that didn¡¯t matter. Where their judgment failed, mine would prevail. The only person who could stop me from intervening in Sin¨¦ad¡¯s love life was Sin¨¦ad, and she had yet to decline my help. If she wanted me to break off the engagement, or accompany her to Thorne¡¯s estate, I would do it no matter how angry it made anyone else. I stood up, suddenly exhausted. Before I could decide what to do next, the door opened behind me. Grandmother¡¯s face was cut from determination. Her eyes were terrified. ¡°Go.¡± The word remained in the air. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Go. Now.¡± She held something toward me, her thin arms shaking with the effort. One of my axes. I stared at her. She¡¯d gone mad. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± ¡°Sidra,¡± she hissed, thrusting the ax into my hands. ¡°He¡¯s not what he seems.¡± Terror flooded my lungs. A thousand questions begged to be asked, but the urgency in Grandmother¡¯s voice was tangible. I yanked the weapon out of her hands and bolted out into the darkness. Chapter Six Lord Thorne¡¯s ornate carriage stood by the road, the two white horses pulling it giving me cold, calm glares as I passed them. I spotted Sin¨¦ad¡¯s pale dress further up the hills. They were walking up the path toward the forest, Lord Thorne¡¯s arm wrapped around her waist. I didn¡¯t want them spotting me quite yet, so I slowed my pace and hid my ax behind my back as I quietly followed them. This dress would be hard to run in. I hoped I wouldn¡¯t have to. After a short moment, Thorne pulled her closer and they stopped in the middle of the path. I gritted my teeth. Seeing that man put his hands on her, the way he touched her as if she had no will of her own ¡ª it made me shudder. Sin¨¦ad took a step away, kneading her fingers like she did when she was nervous. He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but she must''ve finally told him about not wanting to marry him yet, because his hand quickly fell back to his side. He leaned in, towering over her, his hands moving to her neck as if to caress it. She recoiled. There was a pause. Then he stepped closer. ¡°Hey! Keep your hands to yourself!¡± Lord Thorne threw a single glance my way before turning back to Sin¨¦ad. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you!¡± I shouted. ¡°Sin¨¦ad, get away from him!¡± If she heard me, she didn¡¯t obey. Instead her body went stiff, then completely slack as her knees buckled. Lord Thorne caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground. I watched what happened next without understanding what I was seeing. Massive wings sprouted from Lord Thorne¡¯s back. White and feathery like a dove¡¯s, they beat once, twice, and lifted them both off the ground. Wind tore at Thorne¡¯s hair when he looked toward me. The blood on my veins stopped flowing. My body locked itself, limbs turning to stone and vision growing dark. All sound vanished, leaving only the desperate pounding of my heart. Then he turned away, and I stumbled forward as the world spun, suddenly able to breathe again. I looked up just in time to see him turn north, and Sin¨¦ad¡¯s lifeless arm fell to the side as he began to fly away. Somewhere in a distant part of my mind, I realized he was taking her to the Emerald Vast. ¡°No!" I gathered my skirts and ran as fast as my legs would carry me. They were too far away to throw the ax, too high up, and disappearing rapidly. Soon, his form vanished among the trees and I lost sight of Sin¨¦ad. But I kept running. I wouldn¡¯t let him take her. My own breath and footsteps were the only sounds keeping me company, the image of Sin¨¦ad disappearing the only thing I could see in the darkness. The familiar woods stood silent and watching. Everything felt alien. Unreal. My body moved on instinct. The iron door roared like a war horn as I forced it open, heavier than ever, and shut behind me with an echoing clang. ¡°Sin¨¦ad!¡± The sound of my own voice grounded me back in reality as I narrowly avoided slamming into a tree, stumbled over its roots and landed onto a rock with a grunt. I got up and kept on; there was no time for pain. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Sidra!" There! Between the trees. Something small and white and fragile. My little sister on the ground, her tiny voice pushing back the fury clouding my vision. I sprinted across the uneven forest floor and fell to my knees beside her. ¡°Sin¨¦ad! Are you alright?¡± ¡°I-I think so?¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. I felt dizzy all of a sudden and cold air and then, when you opened the door, he screamed and we fell ...¡± She was whole, but trembling as I pulled her against me. I couldn¡¯t remember hugging her this hard before, like my body wanted to become a fortress around hers. I had to remind myself she needed to breathe before I could let her go. Sin¨¦ad grabbed her forehead like she couldn¡¯t believe her own words. She wasn¡¯t crying, but her face kept twisting like she was about to, her eyes wide with fear. I embraced her again to make sure she wouldn¡¯t disappear into thin air. Darkness made it hard to make out more than the closest tree trunks, but I knew this forest. I¡¯d lead us back to safety even if I couldn¡¯t see the way. It was the silence that worried me more. There were no crickets, no rustling of leaves, nothing. The forest was holding its breath. ¡°We need to get out of here, fast,¡± I said. Not waiting for an answer, I pulled her up and put my arm around her to make sure she wouldn¡¯t fall behind. ¡°Did we really fly?¡± she gasped as we half-ran through the woods. ¡°I think I saw wings ¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That was all I could say. ¡°I told him I wanted to take some time to think about our relationship. He said I¡¯d promised to be his forever. I thought it was just a saying.¡± So did I. Then I remembered Grandmother¡¯s tales of enchanting, dangerous men who looked human but weren¡¯t, how they could seduce you and leave you with nothing. They and their ilk were the reason the iron wall existed. I pressed Sin¨¦ad tighter to my side. This couldn¡¯t be happening. Why her? Why now? "It''s alright," I breathed, trying to sound calm for her sake. "Everything will be alright." As I pulled my sister along, her feet moved slower and slower until she stopped altogether. I spun around. ¡°Sin¨¦ad, it¡¯s dangerous out here! Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Even in the darkness, the light of the moon reflected in her wide open eyes. The fear on her face turned my blood ice cold. ¡°I made a promise.¡± The words came out in splintered whispers. ¡°I must do as I promised.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t break my promise!¡± I grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. ¡°Who cares about your promise? Didn¡¯t you see what he was?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± She choked on her words as they bubbled up in her throat, mixing with her sobs. ¡°I must do what I promised. There is no other choice.¡± She took hold of my wrists as if to tear them away from her, but her hands were shaking, and her nails cut into my skin like she feared what would happen if she let go. Her eyes were drowning in desperate tears. Something was making her body work against her. I tried to pull Sin¨¦ad along, but she dug her heels into the ground, sobbing. ¡°I¡¯ll have to carry you, then,¡± I breathed. Sin¨¦ad tried to back away from me while nodding profusely, her mouth too twisted to form words. I stubbornly pulled her closer and reached behind her knees to pick her up, turning my face away to avoid her flailing arms. ¡°Don¡¯t let him take me!¡± she screamed while trying to get out of my grip. ¡°Sidra, please!¡± "I won''t! I promise!" Her fist landed a strike across my temple. The sudden force of it made me stagger and covered my vision in twitching stars, and Sin¨¦ad took this opportunity to push away from my grasp, landing on the ground before my feet. I blinked rapidly, keeping Sin¨¦ad¡¯s form in my sight as I struggled to steady myself and stop the ground from wobbling. Whatever made her do this knew I wouldn¡¯t hurt her, but did everything in its power to hurt me. ¡°Fight it, Sin¨¦ad!¡± I urged her. But she¡¯d already gone further into the forest, further north. Something moved toward her across the ground before I could reach out. Sin¨¦ad yelped in terror as thick, twisted roots shot from the earth and wrapped around her legs. "Sin¨¦ad! Hold on!" I threw myself toward her, hoping to grab hold of something, anything, but caught nothing but handfuls of dead leaves. She was already feet away as the roots pulled her from me and deeper into the ground. ¡°Sidra! Help me!¡± For a moment, the forest floor was a massive mouth, gaping wide open as my sister clawed at its lips to stay above the surface. The next, she slipped down its throat, and the earth swallowed her whole.