Page 5 of Sky of Thorns

No one deigns to respond, and I’m ready to scream my frustration at them. Who the hell are these men, and why are they acting like I don’t exist when they sought me out for capture in the first place? My blood boils under my skin. Fine, the more they ignore me, the more I can work it in my favor. Every inch of me aches with bruising as I push myself off the forest floor and head towards the pool of water at the border of the clearing.

I reach into my well of magic once more, almost screaming when I can feel the depth of its suppression. Kneeling at the water’s edge, I can see my reflection in its silvery surface from the light of the full moon above. Dark circles bloom under my eyes, cheeks wind chapped. I dip my hands into the frigid water and splash my face, clearing my head. Careful not to let anyone see, I allow Lemon to come out from the pocket he is hiding in so he can have a sip of water. “We need to find a way to escape” I whisper to my ferret as he merrily dips his paws in the pond.

“Talking to yourself now, are you?” Aramis’s sarcastic voice interrupts my thought and sends Lemon running back into his hiding spot. His figure towers behind me, his head curiously tilted to one side, studying me.

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d give me some damn answers,” I respond as I push myself up and clear the dirt from my dress. “Rebels?” I shout, “You think I’m… a rebel? And my parents?” I scoff in amusement.

Aramis moves towards me, his hands gripping my wrists and forcefully tugging, making me stumble and nearly topple into him. Whispering in a language I can’t decipher, the rope unties, sliding across my skin before it falls loosely into his palms. He sneers with disgust as he releases me, shocking me when he grabs my chin, the rough calluses of his finger and thumb scraping across my skin. The hardness of his fingertips is just as rough as my hands, and the similarity is too much to bear.

“I am going to say this one last time, “ he replies gruffly. “Stop demanding answers you won’t receive. We’ve wasted time waiting for you to wake up since you’ve been out for nearly six hours.”

I raise my brow in disbelief. Taking a step back, I abruptly move my face to get his hand off of me. But Aramis follows my lead and steps uncomfortably close in my body space to continue his tirade. His seething anger curls around me, and I shiver with discomfort. “This journey to Shadowvale will take us a fortnight,ifwe travel in fit weather. These horses that you scoff at are true-bred stallions from the Brimdwell mountains and will make the journey without tiring.”

What, I’m supposed to be impressed with that?

I glance at the horses, who are, in fact, fine specimens. The horse Aramis forced me onto acknowledges my glance. He snorts with derision, and I scoff. Yes, we’re on the same page.

Aramis puts his fingers on my face once more and makes me look at him. “I don’t know if your little fainting episode was a terrible attempt at escaping, but we carry on. “ My body recoils from his touch, but he holds tight. “Now, I expect you to be a good little unicorn and ride well with us–on a horse–because we cannot afford to waste more time.” His hand falls from my face and we both take a step back, conscious of how close we were.

“We wouldn’t need to waste time putting me on a horse,” I muster, full of my own rage. “If you let me transform–”

“That is out of the question.” Aramis yells, and my body stiffens at his hatred and the way he steps back into my space. I’m so angry that I nearly attack him with outrage. But my head begins to pound, reminding me that I’m in no fit state to move against him. As outrageously enraged as I am at Aramis, I’ve gleaned important information: this is taking a fortnight.

And the horses are from the Brimdwell mountains. I furiously catalog all the maps in my head that I studied with my father. One of the most prominent peaks in Craeweth, located in the northeastern corner of Shadowvale, these mountains were famous for their steep inclines and the perpetual snow that covered them throughout the year. This means that if I manage to steal one of the horses I can rely on it taking me far away from these brutes until I can get this goddess damned cuff off my wrist. The handsome lines of his face are callous and cold. He turns on his heel and almost walks away until he decides there is something else worth saying. “As for what will happen to you, that is up to the king and queen to decide, so stop fucking asking.” His tone offers no room for argument. “Now go and relieve yourself. Don’t wander too far, or try to escape. I don’t need to touch you to hold you captive, and you don’t want to know what happens if you try escaping.” I wrap my arms around my torso as Aramis makes his way towards the horses.

“Ugh! You are so abhorrent!” I growl between clenched teeth, but loud enough for him to hear. Aramis turns around to lock eyes with mine and we have a battle of wills until another curl of wind sweeps against my hair, causing my breath to catch. Then another gust pushes me back and I fall, landing on the ground with a thump. Aramis smirks, and I huff with anger as I push myself back on my feet, standing tall, heat burning my cheeks. I turn on my heel and head beyond the edge of the forest, opposite the pool of water. I can hear the males chuckling behind me. One of them mimics my outrage and stumbling, and I have half a mind to tell them where exactly they can put their spoons. As soon as the shadows of the forest start blocking out the flickering light of the fire, Lemon climbs out of my pocket up to my shoulder and nuzzles my cheek.

“Oh, Lemon.” I sigh, running my fingers through my tangled dark brown hair. “What are we going to do?” He whimpers and climbs down my arm to inspect the simple iron bracelet that I was absently spinning around my wrist. He looks back up at me with concern.

“I know, boy. I don’t know what it is, or why it’s dampening my powers.” I sigh, furious at what has been taken. “I can’t heal or shift. My power is like a dead weight in my chest.” Lemon nudges at the cuff once more with his nose, places his paws on it, looking for a release catch, but fails. He chitters with annoyance. I smile ruefully at his indignation, feeling it in my bones. “Don’t worry–we’re going to escape somehow. I promise you.” I sigh and lay my hand on the tree next to me, bracing my weight when the familiar texture of moss brushes my fingertips.

Moss! It prefers to grow on north-facing surfaces because it favors the darker, more humid environment. I squeal in delight as one of my mother’s lessons springs to mind. It isn’t a solution, but at least, it gives me a sense of direction.

And where there is moss, there should be yarrow.

I search the ground away from the roots of the trees where the sunlight would filter in during the day. I have little time before my captors come looking for me. But just as I am about to give up, I spot what I’m looking for. The plant is small with a distinct cluster of small white flowers. They have faded and dried, but they will have to do. Settling myself on the ground, I make quick work, plucking as many leaves as I can grab and stuffing them in my spare pocket. The feathery leaves crush under my ministrations, filling my nostrils with a spicy, aromatic scent of fresh pine needles mixed with rosemary and oregano. Yarrow is one of the most common herbs for healing, and one of the first I learned how to use from my parents. This unexpected find will be able to help me with my wounds, and I’m grateful that perhaps someone is looking out for me.

I hear the crunch of feet from the direction of the camp and a deep male voice calling out my name. I lament not having more time to myself, but I gathered enough to help heal my wrists and temple and prevent infection. Standing up, I quickly look around.

Can I escape? Where can I go?

We are in the middle of the forest. My magic is dampened and my hands are bound, but this could be my only chance. I nimbly head away from the voices, weaving between the trees. My palms are slick with sweat and I pick up my pace. The undergrowth is thicker the further I move from the path and thorns tug at my skirts. Sweat beads along my brow, but I don’t have time to cover up my tracks. I only hope I’m fast enough to outrun them.

“Balderdash!” I lose my balance as my foot is caught on a raised root. My body hurls down a small hill. I land sprawled at the bottom near a small stream. Panting, I make a quick mental note of my body as I gingerly push myself up to a crouch. My ankle aches in protest as I place weight on it, but nothing appears to be broken. Small scratches cover my arms and my hair is a wild mess. Lemon pokes his head out of my pocket and my heart floods with relief that I did not crush him with my fall.

The sharp crack of wood snapping echoes, and the birds fall silent. I hold my breath. The sound of my heart pounds in my ears as my gut clenches. Even Lemon stops his chattering, curling into a ball in my pocket. Moments tick by.

The moon is already high in the sky, but I pray to the Goddess that it is still too light outside for the shadow beasts to be roaming the forest. Perhaps it was only a deer, spooked by my fall.

I cannot risk waiting any longer. I have to put more distance between myself and the camp. Rinsing my hands quickly in the stream, I wince as the ice cold water stings at the fresh scrapes. A shiver of apprehension runs down my spine as the memory of last night comes back to me. The power of his wind magic pinning me to the bed, unable to move. If only I had access to my powers, I could canter faster and further through this forest. “Oh, come on,” I utter as I push and twist at the iron band, trying to slip it off without luck. Sighing, I quickly glance behind before stepping over the stream and continuing.

This far away from the path, and deep into the forest, it all looks the same. My ankle aches dully with each step, hindering my progress. If I can only find somewhere to hide. I no longer hear the pursuit of my captors. Have they given up their chase that easily?

I duck under a branch. Exhaustion weighs heavily on me, but I push myself. I freeze as a loud crack echoes around me. Lemon hisses from my shoulder, his claws digging through the fabric into my skin. I close my eyes tightly and inhale through my nose. I had to have imagined it. The woods creak and groan all the time at home.

“As soon as we get back home, we’re packing our bags and heading to Nova Ether,” I whisper to Lemon as I step over a fallen log. “I’m going to find a way to train with the great healers of Kallistar, even if I have to beg at the Queen’s feet for acceptance. After everything mother did for her, it’s the least she could do.”

A flicker of shadow catches the corner of my eye and I pause, my breath catching in my chest.

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