Page 1 of Spirit Trials
Chapter 1
I shift on the branch, being careful not to make a sound. My legs have long since fallen asleep, but any movement will alert any wildlife in the area of my presence. I’ve been out here all day. The sun will descend soon, but I refuse to go home empty handed, like I have every other day for the past three weeks. Wildlife is scarce these days with the cold season approaching. If I don’t find something soon; we won’t make it through the winter. My mother and younger brother are counting on me, as are other villagers, and I refuse to let them down.
I adjust the cloth covering my hair. The bright red color would catch attention, and I’m trying to blend into the trees. The minutes tick past, and I will my stomach to stop growling. Food has been a little sparse, but I’m hoping to change that today. I check the horizon and know there’s less than an hour of daylight left. I suck back a frustrated breath as I look around, wondering if I should move again. But I know this is the best vantage point for miles. I’ve just about given up hope when I see something step out into the small clearing below. I pull my bow up to my shoulder in a slow, smooth motion, one I’ve done thousands of times. I hardly dare to breathe as a magnificent Emberstag steps out from among the trees. My mouth starts watering at the thought of fresh, tender meat.Focus.I push all thoughts aside and focus on waiting for the perfect moment to take this big fellow down. A moment of remorse hits me, as it always does. I hate taking the life of something so beautiful and majestic, but right now it’s his life or ours. And I'm going to choose my family—my mother and younger brother and myself—and my village every time. I take a steady breath and loosen mymuscles as I wait for him to move just a little bit more.Steady. One more step.I silently will him to step to where I need him to. Suddenly, he lifts his head. I know what’s going to happen before it happens; he’s going to bolt. I never take my eyes off him and release the arrow before he moves. My arrow slices through the air and hits him right in between the shoulder blades. It’s a clean shot. The stag drops, and elation fills my chest as I begin my descent down the tree. I’m not quiet as I run through the underbrush to get to my prize. A huge bolt of relief fills me as I drop on my knees next to what will be our saving grace this winter.
I pull my knife from my boot, but before I start on the task ahead of me, somebody steps out from the trees. I shoot to my feet, surprised I didn’t hear him approach. I notice everything that happens in these woods. I take him in instantly. He’s a burly guy, probably middle-aged with red hair that’s darker than mine, lots of muscle, and not anyone I’ve ever seen before. He holds a bow in his hands, and he looks down at the Emberstag before looking back to me. I grasp my own bow tighter and step further in front of my prize. I don’t want to fight him, but if he thinks he’s going to take my kill from me, he’s got another thing coming to him. Before either of us says a word, another man joins us.
“You missed?” the newcomer with blond hair says.
I shift on my feet, keeping a careful eye on the two of them. I’m not stupid; I know I can’t take down two full-grown men.
“I didn’t miss; I didn’t take the shot,” the red-bearded one says in a gruff voice.
I lift my chin. “It’s mine; I brought it down.”
For the first time, both men’s gazes shift to mine. I fight the urge to take a step back. These two are formidable. The second guy is just as muscular as the first but younger. He smiles at me, but it doesn’t do anything to take away from the danger I feelcoming off these guys. I know what they see when they look at me. A girl about average in height, tan from hours of hard work outside, green eyes, and my most memorable feature—bright red curls, usually tangled. “You, uh, brought this bad boy down?” the blond guy asks, looking between his buddy and me.
“Yes, I did.” When they both take a step forward, I lift my bow and nock an arrow. It’s as easy as breathing to me. I point my arrow at first one; then the other. “I will warn you; I don’t miss.”
The blond-haired guy grins, like I’m being funny; and I resist the urge to teach him a lesson. A sound comes from behind them, and I stare as two more men, both with dark hair, step into the clearing. I don’t know who to point at first, not when all of them are big men and give off a sense of danger that I would be an idiot to ignore. I soundlessly take them in. It's obvious they’ve all been traveling for a while. Their overgrown beards and longish hair testify to that fact, as do the clothes they’re wearing. They look like they’ve been out in the woods for weeks; though I know for a fact they haven’t been inthesewoods. I would have known. They’re obviously not from around here. Smiley, as I’ve nicknamed him in my head, turns his gaze away from me—like he’s not even worried that I’m a threat.
One of the newcomers steps forward, and I take him in. He’s tall and muscular and terrifying. There’s a vibe of pure danger coming off him. “Bag it and let’s go,” he says in a low voice. Dangerous or not, they’re not taking my kill.
“I don’t think so,” I say, lining up my arrow with his heart. “This is my kill.”
The dangerous guy stares at me like he doesn’t understand what I’m saying. He glances over at the big burly red-haired guy. “You missed?”
“Why does everybody keep asking that?” the redhead growls. “I didn’t miss; she took it down first.”
Four sets of eyes turn to me, and I realize I need to take control of this situation that is quickly spiraling out of control. “He’s right. Now, if you all would like to keep moving on your way, that would be great.”
The blond-haired guy lives up to the nickname I gave him and smiles again before looking at the dark-haired, dangerous one. “Hear that, Boss? She wants us to get lost.”
“I heard her,” the dangerous, dark-haired one practically growls. “Let’s go.” He gives me one more look before turning and walking back the way he came. The other dark-haired guy who didn’t say anything follows him without a word. I stare at the two left, wondering if they’re going to follow their obvious leader or if they’re going to fight me for the stag.
“Well, can’t say this hasn’t been entertaining,” Smiley says. He tips his head at me and then turns and walks away, whistling. I stare after the strange man before I realize the burly red head has moved closer. I whirl around, pointing my bow at him. He doesn’t seem bothered in the least.
“You want help with that?” he asks, nodding at the Emberstag.
I don’t take my eyes off him, nor do I release my hold on my taut bow. “No.”
He rubs the back of his neck, like something’s bothering him. “It’s going to be heavy.”
“I’ve got it,” I say in an icy voice. I don’t know what his game is, but I’m not playing it. He finally grumbles something and then turns and leaves. I stare at the area where they all disappeared, not letting down my guard. When several minutes pass, I finally lower my bow. I relax my tight shoulders and get to work, getting the stag ready to transport. It’s almost fully dark when I finally whistle for Clover, my horse. After securing the stag, I lead Clover through the dark woods. The moon isn’t visible tonight, but that’s okay. I know these woods like the backof my hand. It takes a little while, but we finally make it back to our village.
I smell the smoke from the chimneys before our village comes into view. A sense of peace fills me, knowing that I can contribute not only to my family but to others in my village. I lead Clover past the cottages that all look almost exactly the same and stop at ours. I walk around to the small patch of grass behind our home. “Thanks, Girl.” I lean forward and give Clover a kiss on her snout before I begin the hard work of removing the Emberstag from her back. I drag the animal around to the front of the house and throw open the door. “Zeph, come help me.” With large eyes, my younger brother comes over and helps me drag it in.
“Oh my,” my mother breathes from her chair by the fire; but she makes no move to get up, not that I expected her to. She gave up on life after my father died, leaving me to take care of her and my younger brother when I was just ten. At nineteen, I’m more than capable of it.
I drag the stag to the middle of the room, blood trailing in our wake. “I’ll clean it up. This will get us through the winter,” I say, wiping my hands on my pants. “Now, you,” I say, whirling around to my brother. “Go clean your hands and help me get this meat ready for winter.”
My brother and I spend the next two hours preparing the meat that will last us through the winter. There’s so much of it; we’ll be able to share with our village and still have plenty. When the task is finally finished, I haul the carcass back out to the woods and leave it for other animals to feast on. Using a bucket and soap, I scrub the stains out of the hard wooden planks. They won’t ever be truly gone, but at least they’re less noticeable. “Can we have some of that meat for breakfast tomorrow?” my brother whispers to me when we’re done with the floors.
I smile at the excitement in his voice and rub his head affectionately. “Yes.” At ten, he’s starting to grow into the man he will become one day, but he’s still young. I struggle with wanting to protect him and yet help him develop into the man he needs to be. “You need to get to sleep.” We’re both whispering, so we don’t wake our mom who went to bed about an hour ago. He nods and walks over to the bed he shares with mom. Right before he crawls in next to her, he returns to me, surprising me with a hug. It takes me a moment to wrap my arms around him because he stopped being affectionate with me probably a year or so ago, claiming he’s too old for that kind of stuff. I still make him hug me, but I usually have to force it. So, this hug catches me unaware.
“Thanks for taking care of us,” he whispers against my shoulder. Without another word, he walks over to the bed and pulls back the covers and slides in. I grab one of the coarse blankets from the chair my mom vacated and throw it around my shoulders before stepping outside. I shiver and pull the blanket closer as I step away from our one-bedroom home. Looking up, I take in the vastness of the sky and the thousands of stars twinkling. The night sky has always been my favorite. There’s just something about the peacefulness of it, the vastness of the universe appearing right at my fingertips. My mind returns to the men in the woods today, and I’m beyond grateful to the Maker that I got to that stag ahead of the men.
I stay outside for a while before I move back inside and begin the process of thawing out. When I’m less chilled and the fire’s died down, I pull out my mattress from its hiding place under my mom’s bed and lay down. I stare at the bouncing embers in the fireplace, unable to sleep. I can only blame the uneasy feeling I have on running into those strange men today. I stare at the dying flames for a long time before my eyes eventually drift shut.
