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The mud gave way beneath Sirena’s frantic feet with each pounding step, slick and clinging, as though threatening to suck her right down into the depths of the earth.
Don’t look back! Don’t look back!
The sound of her rapid breathing and the pounding of her heart filled her ears like war drums, but through it she could still hear the dogs growling on her trail, the shouts of men in the clusters of trees, at once so close and yet just far enough for hope.
Don’t look don’t look don’t look!
A stray rock, slippery from the rain and mud and leaves, sent her sprawling across the rain-soaked ground, the wind rushing out of her lungs at the impact. Every part of her body throbbed with pain, and she could feel a slick rush of blood twisting around her slender forearm, her frame made frail by hunger and mistreatment. Her fingers dug frantically into the wet earth, looking for hold enough to pull herself to her feet, the sounds of her hunters growing louder in her ears with each passing second. She could feel the salt sting of tears in her eyes, though she hadn't remembered starting to cry.
No! No no no no!
In some small act of miracle, her fingers found purchase, closing hard around the root of a tree, the rough bark scratching her mud-slick palms as she pulled herself to her feet. She had to keep running. She had to. This was her only chance, her only small opening, and she had to take it now, lest she lose it forever.
Run! For the love of Hanali, RUN!
The hem of her wedding dress had gone to tatters beneath her feet, the golden fabric splotched beyond repair with mud and detritus from the forest floor. Leaves clung to the silk in random spatters, as numerous as the holes. A bitter, desperate taste filled her mouth, mingled with the taste of dirt and tears. The forest was a green blur around her, the voices behind her at once horribly near and then ever so far, the pounding of her heart drowning out almost every other sound in its fury.
Please let me get away, please! Please-please-please-please-please!
Her lungs and legs were burning from exertion as she darted frenetically down an incline, the forest sloping off into a rain-drenched ravine. Her footprints would be so obvious, she knew, a little trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow, but she didn’t dare stop to obscure them. Every noise, every snap of a branch or rustle of leaves could have been more men, waiting to snatch her up and spirit her off again.
Huffing with exertion, her throat dry and raw, she stumbled down the steep incline and across a small plateau before her feet came free of the reassuring ground and sent her end over end over a sudden drop. Her golden eyes watched, wide with horror, as the cliff side seemed to rise away from her in slow motion. She was falling, she realized, her body plummeting down through empty air for what seemed like an eternity.
…Until the water claimed her.
The sting of salt water brought her horror-numbed senses back almost at once, her wounds awash in burning pain. She beat her arms furiously into the current, writhing herself to the surface for a gasping breath. Everything felt aflame, inside and out. Her knees, elbows and palms had been skinned raw and a large gash circled her bicep, and her lungs, throat and muscles were burning from overuse. A thousand voices seemed to echo off the valley walls, near then far, a chorus of hounds echoing the angry words of men. She could see them moving, getting closer, armed with crossbows and swords and daggers and dogs. She took a deep breath and dove underneath the water, letting the current sweep her down the river like a fallen tree branch.
Straining, she struggled to hold her breath, pursing her lips tighter even as bubbles leaked between them, spiraling up to the surface. They were close, she knew it. If they saw her, she’d be done for. Their rough hands would drag her out of the water, and she’d be locked in that tower again until she played the good little girl and married Amaris. She clenched her fists in the ruined golden fabric, seconds seeming to tick away like lifetimes before she spotted the rocks.
Oh Seldarine, please let it work! Please, if I’ve any esteem at all in your eyes—PLEASE.
She kicked and pushed at the water, her limbs sluggish in the churning current, the fabric of her dress making it hard to swim as it tangled around her legs and drew her down. Her lungs felt like an inferno, desperately craving the fresh air just out of her reach. Bubbles pushed through her lips insistently, threatening to drown her as they disappeared out of sight. She twisted, writhing and wiggling, straining towards the rocks that might shield her from sight, her eyes stinging.
Finally, in a fit of frustration and desperation, she tore at the fabric with angry fingers, one rip giving way to another before the golden silk sunk away like a fallen leaf. Three strong kicks brought the rocks to her fingertips, her hands scrabbling over their ragged surface with all the desperation she had inside her. That first gasp of air, she swore, was the sweetest she’d ever taken. Cool air rushed into her lungs, and even though it hurt, she didn’t care. She was alive.
Skirting the shoreline, Sirena peered past the rocks, watching her captors buzz about the other side of the river, small and busy as ants. The current had pulled her a good ways down the river, just out of view behind the rocks. She was almost safe, almost. But she knew she had to keep moving or they’d find her eventually. She pushed her hands and knees into the mud and scrambled up the slope as quietly and quickly as she could, her nails biting into wet earth and dragging her up the steep incline inch by inch. At the top, she broke into a sprint. The forest passed by in a blur, trees and rocks falling away into a stream of earthen lines at the edge of her vision. The hours seemed to melt into each other, indistinguishable, a mess of fear and panic.
It was well past nightfall by the time she collapsed, exhausted, into a small overhang of dirt by a brook. She couldn’t run anymore. Everything hurt; her arms, her legs, her lungs, her hands, her hair… Her body was a screaming mass of writhing pain. She was suddenly aware of how cold she was, clad only in the corset and vestiges of her dress, tattered strips of golden silk hanging limply around her waist. She curled herself into a ball with an exhausted shudder and hid.
She couldn’t say when she fell asleep, but when she woke up it was light again. A new day. Nearly naked and covered in caked mud, Sirena took her time to listen to the forest before she crawled out of dirt. Everything was silent and still, the distant calls of birdsongs rising in the light of dawn.
She took one step, then another, her body shaking as she dared to hope.
Don’t look back! Don’t look back!
The sound of her rapid breathing and the pounding of her heart filled her ears like war drums, but through it she could still hear the dogs growling on her trail, the shouts of men in the clusters of trees, at once so close and yet just far enough for hope.
Don’t look don’t look don’t look!
A stray rock, slippery from the rain and mud and leaves, sent her sprawling across the rain-soaked ground, the wind rushing out of her lungs at the impact. Every part of her body throbbed with pain, and she could feel a slick rush of blood twisting around her slender forearm, her frame made frail by hunger and mistreatment. Her fingers dug frantically into the wet earth, looking for hold enough to pull herself to her feet, the sounds of her hunters growing louder in her ears with each passing second. She could feel the salt sting of tears in her eyes, though she hadn't remembered starting to cry.
No! No no no no!
In some small act of miracle, her fingers found purchase, closing hard around the root of a tree, the rough bark scratching her mud-slick palms as she pulled herself to her feet. She had to keep running. She had to. This was her only chance, her only small opening, and she had to take it now, lest she lose it forever.
Run! For the love of Hanali, RUN!
The hem of her wedding dress had gone to tatters beneath her feet, the golden fabric splotched beyond repair with mud and detritus from the forest floor. Leaves clung to the silk in random spatters, as numerous as the holes. A bitter, desperate taste filled her mouth, mingled with the taste of dirt and tears. The forest was a green blur around her, the voices behind her at once horribly near and then ever so far, the pounding of her heart drowning out almost every other sound in its fury.
Please let me get away, please! Please-please-please-please-please!
Her lungs and legs were burning from exertion as she darted frenetically down an incline, the forest sloping off into a rain-drenched ravine. Her footprints would be so obvious, she knew, a little trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow, but she didn’t dare stop to obscure them. Every noise, every snap of a branch or rustle of leaves could have been more men, waiting to snatch her up and spirit her off again.
Huffing with exertion, her throat dry and raw, she stumbled down the steep incline and across a small plateau before her feet came free of the reassuring ground and sent her end over end over a sudden drop. Her golden eyes watched, wide with horror, as the cliff side seemed to rise away from her in slow motion. She was falling, she realized, her body plummeting down through empty air for what seemed like an eternity.
…Until the water claimed her.
The sting of salt water brought her horror-numbed senses back almost at once, her wounds awash in burning pain. She beat her arms furiously into the current, writhing herself to the surface for a gasping breath. Everything felt aflame, inside and out. Her knees, elbows and palms had been skinned raw and a large gash circled her bicep, and her lungs, throat and muscles were burning from overuse. A thousand voices seemed to echo off the valley walls, near then far, a chorus of hounds echoing the angry words of men. She could see them moving, getting closer, armed with crossbows and swords and daggers and dogs. She took a deep breath and dove underneath the water, letting the current sweep her down the river like a fallen tree branch.
Straining, she struggled to hold her breath, pursing her lips tighter even as bubbles leaked between them, spiraling up to the surface. They were close, she knew it. If they saw her, she’d be done for. Their rough hands would drag her out of the water, and she’d be locked in that tower again until she played the good little girl and married Amaris. She clenched her fists in the ruined golden fabric, seconds seeming to tick away like lifetimes before she spotted the rocks.
Oh Seldarine, please let it work! Please, if I’ve any esteem at all in your eyes—PLEASE.
She kicked and pushed at the water, her limbs sluggish in the churning current, the fabric of her dress making it hard to swim as it tangled around her legs and drew her down. Her lungs felt like an inferno, desperately craving the fresh air just out of her reach. Bubbles pushed through her lips insistently, threatening to drown her as they disappeared out of sight. She twisted, writhing and wiggling, straining towards the rocks that might shield her from sight, her eyes stinging.
Finally, in a fit of frustration and desperation, she tore at the fabric with angry fingers, one rip giving way to another before the golden silk sunk away like a fallen leaf. Three strong kicks brought the rocks to her fingertips, her hands scrabbling over their ragged surface with all the desperation she had inside her. That first gasp of air, she swore, was the sweetest she’d ever taken. Cool air rushed into her lungs, and even though it hurt, she didn’t care. She was alive.
Skirting the shoreline, Sirena peered past the rocks, watching her captors buzz about the other side of the river, small and busy as ants. The current had pulled her a good ways down the river, just out of view behind the rocks. She was almost safe, almost. But she knew she had to keep moving or they’d find her eventually. She pushed her hands and knees into the mud and scrambled up the slope as quietly and quickly as she could, her nails biting into wet earth and dragging her up the steep incline inch by inch. At the top, she broke into a sprint. The forest passed by in a blur, trees and rocks falling away into a stream of earthen lines at the edge of her vision. The hours seemed to melt into each other, indistinguishable, a mess of fear and panic.
It was well past nightfall by the time she collapsed, exhausted, into a small overhang of dirt by a brook. She couldn’t run anymore. Everything hurt; her arms, her legs, her lungs, her hands, her hair… Her body was a screaming mass of writhing pain. She was suddenly aware of how cold she was, clad only in the corset and vestiges of her dress, tattered strips of golden silk hanging limply around her waist. She curled herself into a ball with an exhausted shudder and hid.
She couldn’t say when she fell asleep, but when she woke up it was light again. A new day. Nearly naked and covered in caked mud, Sirena took her time to listen to the forest before she crawled out of dirt. Everything was silent and still, the distant calls of birdsongs rising in the light of dawn.
She took one step, then another, her body shaking as she dared to hope.