The Flight - February 5th
The frantic clatter of hooves on the hard-packed earth heralded the woman and her ever-present persuers. A racing heartbeat and labored breathing were drowned out by the crude, laughing shouts that seemed to come from right behind her....and soon, they would be. They gained. Their black stallions, as wild as the men who rode them, were faster than her tan mare and more conditioned for this sort of crazed chase. She had known that marauders plagued the woodland, but rarely had she the need to travel so close to twilight without companion. The sight of a lone woman on horseback made an all too tempting target, and she dared not think of what would become her when she was caught.
She knew she had no chance. Her skill at horsemanship could be called lacking, at best. Why had she left' Alone" A....well....something had been uncovered that she would have rathered remain secret, and voices shouting "Witch!" had driven her out of the village. She had escaped torch and pitchfork, but only to be accosted by brigands. Truly, the death by the townsfolk would have been less torturous by far; yet, she would not give up without a fight, nor without leading them on a merry chase. And still, there was always the chance she would end up considered more trouble than the minor wealth they could plunder from her was worth.
The calls were louder now, closer, and their vile promises made her skin crawl. She urged her horse faster along the tree-flanked road, but the mare was already giving everything she had. A hole, unseen in the fading daylight, stumbled the animal and caused the rider to pitch out of her saddle. She landed smartly on her side and tumbled to a stop in the undergrowth. Pushing herself up quickly and ignoring the tingling sting felt all through her left arm, she dashed back out onto the path. The woman snatched up her cases, her livelihood, and ran back into the thickly wooded area. She left so much behind, trinkets and mementos from her younger days, but her life was much more important. Without looking back, she clambered through the dense foliage, barely able to see more than a few feet infront of her. With the dying light had come a fog, concealing her as neatly as if she had been wrapped in shadow. She silently thanked nature for Her protective embrace even as her shoulder clipped an outstreched tree branch.
Tell-tale skidding footprints would eventually lead the men to her, but as she ran, the voices became more distant as the men pored over what she had abandoned in her desperate flight. A feeling of safety lifted her heart as the fog grew thicker and the sounds of the men died away completely. She was forced to slow her pace until she was travelling at no more than a moderate walk, and, for a moment, a dizzy sensation had her leaning against a tree, lest she fall. Her eyes closed to stave off the sickening reeling of the world around her, but she stumbled and fell nonetheless. She was tired, exhausted, really....but she had to keep going. What if they still intended to come after her" The illusion of safety shattered, and she was once again wide awake with fear. She stood, noticing that the fog was not so thick up ahead, and made her way quickly toward the moonlit clearing....No....Upon reaching it, she saw that it was a thoroughfare that cut a wide swath out of the woodlands. Travellers dotted its length, even at this time of night.
The fog had kept to the trees. Out in the open, the night air was clear, nearly cloudless. She had little idea where to go, if she had become disoriented during her blind run through the forest....Deciding that one direction was as good as another, she turned to her left and followed in the direction that the majority of people were headed. She could only hope that it led to a town of somesort.
The frantic clatter of hooves on the hard-packed earth heralded the woman and her ever-present persuers. A racing heartbeat and labored breathing were drowned out by the crude, laughing shouts that seemed to come from right behind her....and soon, they would be. They gained. Their black stallions, as wild as the men who rode them, were faster than her tan mare and more conditioned for this sort of crazed chase. She had known that marauders plagued the woodland, but rarely had she the need to travel so close to twilight without companion. The sight of a lone woman on horseback made an all too tempting target, and she dared not think of what would become her when she was caught.
She knew she had no chance. Her skill at horsemanship could be called lacking, at best. Why had she left' Alone" A....well....something had been uncovered that she would have rathered remain secret, and voices shouting "Witch!" had driven her out of the village. She had escaped torch and pitchfork, but only to be accosted by brigands. Truly, the death by the townsfolk would have been less torturous by far; yet, she would not give up without a fight, nor without leading them on a merry chase. And still, there was always the chance she would end up considered more trouble than the minor wealth they could plunder from her was worth.
The calls were louder now, closer, and their vile promises made her skin crawl. She urged her horse faster along the tree-flanked road, but the mare was already giving everything she had. A hole, unseen in the fading daylight, stumbled the animal and caused the rider to pitch out of her saddle. She landed smartly on her side and tumbled to a stop in the undergrowth. Pushing herself up quickly and ignoring the tingling sting felt all through her left arm, she dashed back out onto the path. The woman snatched up her cases, her livelihood, and ran back into the thickly wooded area. She left so much behind, trinkets and mementos from her younger days, but her life was much more important. Without looking back, she clambered through the dense foliage, barely able to see more than a few feet infront of her. With the dying light had come a fog, concealing her as neatly as if she had been wrapped in shadow. She silently thanked nature for Her protective embrace even as her shoulder clipped an outstreched tree branch.
Tell-tale skidding footprints would eventually lead the men to her, but as she ran, the voices became more distant as the men pored over what she had abandoned in her desperate flight. A feeling of safety lifted her heart as the fog grew thicker and the sounds of the men died away completely. She was forced to slow her pace until she was travelling at no more than a moderate walk, and, for a moment, a dizzy sensation had her leaning against a tree, lest she fall. Her eyes closed to stave off the sickening reeling of the world around her, but she stumbled and fell nonetheless. She was tired, exhausted, really....but she had to keep going. What if they still intended to come after her" The illusion of safety shattered, and she was once again wide awake with fear. She stood, noticing that the fog was not so thick up ahead, and made her way quickly toward the moonlit clearing....No....Upon reaching it, she saw that it was a thoroughfare that cut a wide swath out of the woodlands. Travellers dotted its length, even at this time of night.
The fog had kept to the trees. Out in the open, the night air was clear, nearly cloudless. She had little idea where to go, if she had become disoriented during her blind run through the forest....Deciding that one direction was as good as another, she turned to her left and followed in the direction that the majority of people were headed. She could only hope that it led to a town of somesort.