Journey of a Girl

Journey of a Girl: Chapter One

It felt like coming home, being in the woods after such a long period away.

There was a comfort in having the trees around her, listening to the crunch of dirt and leaves underfoot, and inhaling the scent of damp moss. 

No more serving the whims of a foul hag. No more stench of society. No more twisted mockeries of nature.

But this was not home, she had to remind herself. Whenever Credence's thoughts tried to disrupt her peace, or the voice inside rose to acknowledge what had happened in the recent past, she stifled it and pushed her focus to the sound of the wind moving through the trees.

I am a wife—

"Stop it. I am no one."

I'm the queen of—

"BE QUIET!"

She slapped her hands over her ears and kicked up a cloud of dirt with her foot.

"I am nothing I don't want to be—I'm not even from the woods anymore!"

If someone had been spying on her, they might have thought she lost the last of her good sense. 

Grumbling under her breath, Credence resumed her walk, determined to prove to herself that she cared for nothing in the world. It was a freeing, though hopeless, feeling, that made her numb to everything. The sounds of the woods, which at one point would have sent her cowering, passed unnoticed. She did not fear the night, and when the sun began to dip she did not seek a cave or tree, but made a crude torch to light the path ahead.

And continued walking.

She paused only when she felt the need to sleep, be it day or night, and rested against a tree with no other shelter, without even bothering to raise a Circle of Protection around her.

The only real nuisance was the lack of proper meals.

Credence was growing tired of roots and berries—so when the smell of real cooking hit her nostrils, it stopped her instantly.

It was distant, carrying the punch of smoke with it. Her feet took her towards it, and in a short time she found herself in front of a tavern with red walls.

How could such a place be in the woods? What sort of people did it serve out here?

Red walls. I was looking for red walls once.

Was this the tavern from Ma's long-gone map, the second landmark on the way to Lilith's home, that she and Josiah were meant to find?

It doesn't matter, she chided herself. Nothing matters anymore.

Except the delicious smell wafting from the tavern.

Ajo would be hunting her. She didn't have endless days to reach the end of the woods. 

But their souls were no longer bound, and his search would be done blindly, without the aid of a vow made in blood.

A real meal in her belly and a real bed to sleep in...

It would only be one night, and surely Ajo would not descend upon her in a handful of hours.

A lone sign hung from a post by the front door, which simply read, Fighting Drunks Will Be Tossed. As she drew near, Credence heard laughter and the sound of clanging dishes. She hoped the owner would be as welcoming as the other tavern maid she knew, Sally.

A friend like her would prove invaluable right now.

Not wanting to appear rude and potentially earn the ire of her hosts, Credence knocked twice on the door and, remembering an old rule of the woods, called to those within: