A Story of Blood and Thorns

Chapter 8

By the time night has taken over the sky, we've made it halfway to our destination. Isadora spreads out my blanket for comfort while I get a fire going. The stars wink at us from above. A few flakes of snow drift down on us as we prepare our area for rest.

As I lay on the blanket with my eyes raised to the sky, I think about how I got here. What happened to me seven years ago? What would have happened if Isadora hadn't found me? I can't help but think that this path was inevitable. Every decision leads me back to Isadora and every discovery has led me to believe I'm the lost princess. It can't be a coincidence.

Something is tugging at my strings of fate.

And that scares me.

Not being in charge of where I go, what I do, where I end up scares me. Bad. I glance over to the sleeping girl beside me and wonder if she's on the same path as I am, or if hers will split from mine sometime in the future. What then? Do we never see each other or do we keep in touch?

My thoughts spin out of control and I toss a rein over them, leading me back to my original one. How did I end up in the woods? Seven said the king, maybe my father, had me poisoned because of my beauty. My flashback dream said I was taken by a creature of Caelius. And the book said I was merely lost and never found.

Hopefully, when I go to the palace, I'll find answers to all my questions, good or bad. At this point, I'll take anything as long as it's the truth.

The following day, we set off at dawn. Water and mud from the melting snow splash over our feet, covering us with dirt. I almost lose my shoes a couple of times. The ground seems determined to eat us up.

Isadora plows ahead, ignoring the soupy mess beneath us. Her boots stomp through puddles without a care in the world. I'm more careful, hopping around the pools of mud and stepping through the shallower water. We travel like that all day, her in a straight line in front of me, and me following her, jumping like a frog all over the place.

The only times we stop are when the sun is the highest in the sky for lunch and when it's on the horizon to find her hut. It blends in so well with its surroundings that we miss it the first two times we pass by. Isadora tells me to skip on the fire because of the new predators. They don't mind anything. She says they'll attack multiple times, even while wounded. She doesn't say what they are or how to hide from them.

The only thing we do is sleep.

We reach the next town by midday. The rain beat us here and leaves puddles the length of my legs along the streets. I skirt around them as we march into the crowd.

The air hangs heavy over our heads, and I refrain from pulling down my hood to muse my hair. Sweat sticks to my face under my mask. Isadora stays by my side, eyeing everything as if they're a threat. Which, I suppose, they are to me. One look and we won't have enough money to buy food to get to the capital.

"Wait here," Isadora says. We've stopped outside a bakery. The wonderful smell of freshly baked bread makes me drool a bit. "I'll be right back."

I wander to the window while she heads inside. A bell jingles as the door closes behind her. Mountains of cakes and sweets create a feast for my eyes behind the glass. Several loaves of bread are pushed together to form a miniature house, complete with icing on top to look like snow. My mouth begins to water.

Isadora comes back out and spots me with my nose pressed against the window. She pulls me away, saying that we'll get something sweet later. For now, she needs to trade.

She leaves me in the square to wander around while she sets up her stand. I drift over to a stand selling bracelets of all kinds. The little bit of money I have left in my pocket warms in my fist as I scan the jars for the perfect one for Isadora.