Áine

Chapter 1

AINE

My father's voice is unmistakable as he begs our leader for mercy, his words loud as he offers himself instead. My mother's teary pleading makes its way to my ears shortly after, the sound almost entirely drowned out by the jeers of the mob.

It seems the entire village has gathered to witness my execution, the first one in years.

They shout foul curses at me, the more daring of the bunch going as far as to throw rocks in my direction. I manage to dodge a particularly large one, but the effort has me tripping. I stumble, my arms darting out to catch me as I fall.

The crowd releases a massive cheer as my body makes contact with the ground. I let out a slight hiss as my wrist twists painfully beneath me but otherwise remain silent. They don't want to hear what I have to say, and any noise from me will only deepen their contempt.

Our leader steps forward after dismissing my father, his presence quieting the others. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I look to him in desperation, hoping to find some sort of forgiveness. He offers none, his expression cold.

It's a sharp change from the smiles he used to give me when we were younger.

My wrongdoings outweigh any semblance of friendship we once had.

"Aine Ladhe," he announces, his voice loud to ensure everybody can hear. "You are being sentenced to death as a result of capital murder."

He takes another step toward me, and I let out a ragged sob as I kick the dirt and scramble back a few feet. I don't want to die. It was an accident.

"I'm sorry," I beg, ignoring the angry shouts of the crowd. "Please. I'm sorry."

Our leader shakes his head, his eyes trailing from the bloody soles of my feet to my dirt-covered auburn hair. I choke back a sob as he brings his attention to the bloodhounds, the large animals sitting patiently at the feet of their handlers.

My chest heaves as I look at them. They'll be released in five minutes to hunt me down, their only job being to ensure death finds me should I manage to evade the beasts. I'm sure they've been starved these past few days, making them desperate for the meat that surrounds my bones.

My blood runs cold as one snaps its jaws in my direction. They know I'm dinner.

"Please," I beg again, not caring how weak I look as our leader begins to circle me.

His movements are slow and calculated as he rounds my body, his large frame imposing. Despite the hatred that shines in his eyes, I can't stop the hope that floods through me as he comes to a halt. He has to know it was an accident.

We've known one another our entire lives. He knows my character better than anybody else. He has to know.

A sharp scream rips from my throat as his foot abruptly stomps down on my arm, the bone cracking underneath his weight. I drop as my arms buckle beneath me and flail as he grabs my biceps and pulls me off the ground.

"Go!" He pushes me in the direction of the woods.

Scrambling to regain my balance, I lock eyes with my father. He looks awful, his clothing tattered and brown hair uncombed. We must look identical right about now. I ingrain the image of him into my memory as I turn and take off into the woods.

My broken arm hangs limply by my side and the tears that leak from my eyes blur my vision, but still, I run. I can hear the dogs as I escape, their whines loud as they wait for the command from their handlers to take off.

I jump over a small log, wincing as my knees buckle when I land painfully on a bundle of sticks. The soles of my feet are already injured from my time in confinement, and the landing has the dry skin ripping open.