The Red Winter

Chapter Seven - P2

      I wrapped my shawl closer around my shoulders and my greyhound, Whitely, rubbed itself against my burgundy dress to try and keep warm in the winter's frost. I had been warned about going out after dark anyway and in this frightful weather I was restricted to the indoors but I found the snow captivating and besides, my siblings left the grounds quite often. Judging by his shivering, I don't think Whitely agreed with me.

      There was a loud crash of pots from the kitchen, so loud that I jumped in surprise and Whitely bolted into the woods. Quickly I ran after him, my shawl falling to the ground and my feet hit the soft white snow, I realized I had entered the forest and blackness surrounded me indefinitely. I was lost; I had turned so many times in my chase for Whitely I would never make it back.

      "Whitely!" 

      "Look Stef, it's the baby of the Hillington's." The speaker was Romanian, his voice filled the empty void of space and I looked for somewhere to go but I knew I would be followed.

      "Who are you?" I said as loudly as I dared to the brutish face illuminated by a flaming torch.

      "No need to fear little one, we're just poor men from the village," his voice sounded too nice to be true and I couldn't see the friend of his. Nervously, I turned to get away from the man and his invisible friend.

      "I wonder how much Vladimir would pay to get his daughter back." I felt arms wrap around my waist and throw me over a shoulder like a rag doll. "We'll send him a lock of hair, piece by piece until it's all gone and then we'll begin to lose limbs. Or we'll just kill her to prove a point." 

      I screamed as loud as I could and the man's friend, Stef, threw me at a tree. My head flew back and hit the bark with such a force I felt blood draw and I cried out loud, if I got out of here alive I would never leave the castle again. Now I knew why I couldn't go out, people would hurt the mortal Hillington children for no reason other than their parentage.

      Stef walked towards me, clearing my aching head I tried to tell myself to run but my feet were stuck to the floor. That's when a sword removed Stef's head from his body, it rolled across the ground and his body collapsed in front of me. I had seen dead bodies before, but never something as gruesome as that.

      The man who saved me was definitely a werewolf, I had seen them before but never had I been this close to one or even spoke to them.

      "Are you injured?" He looked at me with concerned wild green eyes.

      "The back of my head is bleeding but it doesn't hurt!" I said as bravely as I could.

      He took my cold hand in his gloved one and walked fast through the woods, I had to run to keep up with him and several times I stumbled over rocks and other growth.

      "What is your name, wolf?" I asked and he glared at me.

      "I'm known as Cadby, Lady Hillington." 

      I tripped over a rock and was about to fall when out of nowhere my brother's arms reached out and grabbed hold of me, it was Elric, Lysander had a sword at Cadby's throat. Cadby put his hands up in a sign of peace.

      "I came across her in the woods, two hunters were trying to take her and I was only trying to help." Lysander's sword went down slightly but his grip didn't loosen.

      "It's true brother! Please don't hurt him," I screamed at Lysander and Elric held me slightly tighter, one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other like iron around my small waist.