Wicked Hunt

Chapter Seven, Part I

Halle: Victor Of The Forest

Dark shapes twisted around her as the masked man released her sweaty hand. She barely saw his outline as he gestured for her to step forward, into a small clearing devoid of light. The princess could see nothing, and the smoke from earlier had messed with her senses, making the trees blur together. Halle stumbled into the damp grass and shivered. When she turned around, the man was gone.

"H... Hello?" Halle called in a panicked voice. "Hello!"

"Find your way out," the voice drifted to her from somewhere in the trees. He was abandoning her. "Find your way out and become the Victor of the Forest.

"I can't see anything!" she shouted. "Come back, Bruce!" The back of her throat ached. "I know it's you behind that mask!" Halle took off sprinting into the blackness and tripped over a rough tree root. She fell, scraping her knee as the thin material of her dress ripped. "Damn it!" She grabbed the fabric and jerked it up, creating an even wider tear.

A bird screeched in a tree above her, sending her heart into a frenzied gallop. Her head snapped up, searching for the creature, but all she saw was the spindly silhouettes of the tree branches stretching upward. The moon, nestled within the dark sky's depths, was a pale crooked sliver. It acted like the night's smirk, laughing at her. Slowly, the princess got to her feet.

Something scurried behind her, and Halle whipped her head around, the crown of twigs wobbling back and forth on her head. Her fingers rose up and she grabbed the broken branches stuck in her hair. Attempting to pluck the headpiece from her head was a complete failure. All her shaking fingers did was break small pieces off to get lost in her curls. Halle lowered her hands, wound them into the fabric of her skirt. She needed to calm down. Taking a deep breath and releasing it brought a little comfort. The cracking of brambles directly behind her though, sent her darting through the forest again, her breath coming in wracking huffs.

Sharp twigs tore at her face, grabbing at her soft cheeks like prodding fingers. Wet clung to her ankles and tried to hold her back. Halle stumbled on, wide eyed and as brash as an ox. The scent of damp bark infiltrated her nostrils and made her gag. Retching, the princess's body trembled as she continued her torrent race. Finally, she grasped a slender tree trunk and forced herself to stop. Her heart raced, thumping so wildly that she feared it might dash all the way up her throat.

Halle pressed her forehead to the tree, gasping for breath again. The darkness pressed in around her, forming a box. She was trapped in the forest, and she would never get out. Her breath caught again, and her head swam from lack of air.

Calm. Down. Right. Now.

She remembered what Adrian had told her to do right before a sword fight. Close your eyes. Close your eyes and breathe. Halle didn't want to close her eyes, but she forced herself to. All around her, the sounds and smells of the forest assaulted her. Ryker knew what was watching her now. The thought of something observing her, hidden amongst the shifting shadows made her skin crawl. She shuddered, unable to shake the feeling of being watched, of being hunted.

These people are sick. This is how I am to prove myself to Clive? she wondered. Well, what the hell does he have to do for me? Fury mingled with fear. Halle willed it to overtake her, beat the terror away. Anger, she could use as her weapon. Fear was just a weight, something to hold her down. And she needed to move. The princess opened her eyes and blinked through the darkness surrounding her. She clung to the faint hum of the insects, using it was a grounding device, something to listen to that was always in the background.

"All right," she said out loud. "You're all right." Halle let go of the tree and stepped back. Her anger had simmered to a constant buzz, shifting to determination. Another breath was released, and finally she felt calm. Squinting allowed her to barely make out the shapes in the darkness.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. The faint smell of smoke in the distance burned her nostrils. Halle sniffed again. The scent was coming from the left. She took a step in that direction. If she followed the smell of smoke, she could make her way back out of the forest.

Stay calm.

Her eyes opened again. She raised her hand up and wiggled her fingers in front of her face, but she couldn't see anything. They were brought closer, and she could barely make them out. She clenched them into a fist and lowered her hand to her side. Taking a hesitant step, she moved around the thin tree before her. Her feet shuffled forward, and her hands moved about in front of her to make sure she didn't hit anything. She gripped another tree branch and pulled herself forward. Sweat leaked down her back, pooling at her waist. The fabric of her gown stuck to her, but she didn't want to put either one of her hands behind her because Halle just wanted to keep moving forward.

As she picked her way through branches and thorns, the princess kept telling herself to remain calm and be brave. She paused as she made her way down a slope into a patch of brambles. Her nose was lifted into the air. Right. Her legs plodded down the dip and she used her fingers to grip another twisted branch. Halle used it to pull herself up against the tree it belonged to.

"Okay." She sniffed again and rotated her neck around. "Keep moving."

She continued like this, encouraging herself in her mind, for what seemed like hours. She was drenched in sweat and had leaves stuck in her hair. Mud was dried under her fingernails, and Halle's cheeks were scraped and scratched. The skirt of her dress was ripped on both sides, her legs cut up like a sparring board. The forest was claiming her, making her its own.

As Halle made her way through the forest, the scent of charred wood intensified. The silence that had disturb her before was now a calming presence. It meant that nothing was following her. As she parted two branches that scratched at her fingers, she could make out the faint flicker of the enormous fire in the distance. She allowed herself a tired smile. She was so close to making it out. So close.

A full grin bloomed on her lips as she pushed her way through another patch of thorns. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as relief settled into her chest. The promise of warmth and maybe some food pushed her onward. Peace was enveloping her until she stepped around the next tree in front of her.

A dark shape rippled about ten paces in front of her, shifting the trees behind a sheer shadow. A feeling of such malevolence nearly choked her. It grasped her throat, making her fall to her knees. Halle sat up clawing at her throat. Slowly, the force released its grip on her throat. Tears streaking down her cheeks, Halle sat back.

"What the hell?"