The night was cool and quiet and as Idris lay awake in her bed, she couldn't help but think it was too quiet. The trees were standstill and not even a cricket whispered. It was like the calm after lightening strike before the thunder. A sense of foreboding was weighing heavily on her and her stomach was in knots. After a bit of tossing and turning, she got up, got dressed and started cleaning her knives. Abruptly she picked up the sound of hurried footsteps, like shuffling and running. She flattened herself against the wall behind the door and peeped through the window. Whoever it was hadn't reached her compound yet, but now she could hear their heavy breathing and heartbeat. As usual, she chalked that ability to being in the wild most of the time and depending on her senses in hunting. Soon enough a bulky man burst through their fence and hurried to the front door. Idris planted her feet firmly and prepared to pounce but as soon as the head popped into the house, "Ranch?"
"Listen lass, you need to leave right now. I brought you some items but you have to go right now before they come!"
"What? Why? Who's coming? What about my father?!"
"The villagers...they're planning on executing you on claims of witchery and assault. I'm sorry lass but your father is dead. No the villagers didn't kill him, he drank himself to death. You have to go now!"
Idris knew that fighting the chief's sons would come to bite her in the ass. She just assumed it wouldn't be this serious. Her father was dead? She couldn't believe it. Shoving two pairs of pants and shirts in a ruck sack bag tears made their way down her cheeks. It was unfair and she hated the villagers for it. She packed up the dried meats she was to sell in the market the next day and a sob broke out of her lips.
" I am sorry lass. You do not deserve any of this. I will see to it that your father is buried." Ranch said handing her a bag that he carried with her quiver of arrows and bow. As they headed out in the darkness, Idris knew there was only one place she could hide, the forest. But as she face that direction Ranch held her back. " Where are you going. You know that's the place they'd search first. You have to leave through the other side of the forest."
" What? Are you insane? That is the dark forest. No one ever goes there. How would I survive in there!"
" That's your only chance. No one ever goes there, so no one will follow you. You are a resourceful young woman, I know you'll find your way. Come on now." As they breached the edge of the dark forest, they noticed the tiny dots of orange lights coming up to Idris' house. The villagers were really coming to get her. She was surprised when a pair of strong arms picked her up easily and held her tightly. "Go now. I have to leave. Be careful out there lass," Ranch said and departed quickly in the opposite direction. So she stepped into the forest to begin a new life that she was sure would be dangerously short-lived.
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Back at the village, the villagers who were after Idris couldn't find her anywhere. Blake, who was leading them was so furious that they didn't get their revenge after what she did back at the lagoon that he decided to torch the whole house down. "It was a shack hole anyway," he said as they watched the flames higher.
Early that morning, the market was full of life and busy. The square was decorated and clean in preparation for the oncoming traders from the Ivy kingdom. Soon enough, an announcement was made that they had arrived at the outskirts of the village. The villagers watched them with fear and slight awe. They were remarkably different from anything they had ever seen. Black hair and equally black eyes that seemed like endless pits of an abyss. The men couldn't equally get their eyes off their magnificent horses, strong built with shiny manes and the woman that was with them. She was strikingly beautiful. Her hair was long to her lower back with greyish tips, her skin was white and flawless.
As the visitors continued to peruse through the market trading and exchanging goods one little girl could help but exclaim, "Mama, she has hair like that of the girl from the cottage," while pointing at the beautiful woman. A collective gasp run through the crowd as the woman slowly approached the girl and her mother. "What girl does she speak of?" she asked. "Pardon her miss, she meant no disrespect, the girl from the cottage is the outcast of the village. We believe she is a witch!" the mother explained. The beautiful woman's eyes flared and seemed to glow for a second making the little girl gasp. "A witch? You don't say, where can I find her?"
"You can't. She left the village. We have no idea of her whereabouts miss."
After a whole day of trading, the visitors were ready to leave and go on with their journey with fresh goods, food and water in their water skins.
"Gwen, what was that about. What were you talking about with that lady at the market?" Enrique asked. " Your grace, the ladie's child claimed there was a girl with hair similar to ours in the village. I thought nothing of it but went to look for her anyway, I couldn't find her. I was told she went into the Dark Forest. "
" Alone? Outrageous! She won't last a day in there!. Had we been here earlier we might have rescued her. " Enrique replied. He couldn't help but worry for the girl. The route they had travelled passed along the edges of the Dark Forest. Once they had been attacked by three wolves with red eyes. There had been strange moaning sounds and distant roars. Sometimes even a soothing melody. He was certain that whatever resided in the Dark Forest was incredibly malicious and evil. He couldn't imagine what would happen to a helpless young lady out there.
Enrique was the second prince after Andres, the heir to the crown. Being the second son guaranteed him a lot of freedom as all his father's attention was on making Andres the suitable rule. Therefore, Enrique was able to indulge in any activities he wishes like travelling to trade, hunting and exploring. Their mother the Queen had succumbed to a strange disease that the healers couldn't cure when Enrique was just a wee babe. He could hardly recall his mother's face. He was so lost in thought he did not notice the fog that came out of nowhere swallowing them. As he gasped realizing he was having trouble breathing, he glance around noticing that his entire entourage were on the ground choking and clawing at their throats. "It's a f..ff... fog summoner. Wind.. need ....wind." Gwen gasped out before she collapsed. It was hard to concentrate with the lack of air, but Enrique swayed his hands in a circular motion then thrust forward and a powerful wind swept the entire place. Twigs and leave s flew everywhere and his companions were finally able to breathe.
Gwen was fast to get on her feet while the other companions drew their swords in readiness. Everything was very still, they couldn't seem to find the fog summoner. The air was still dense and Enrique had no doubt whoever the attacker was, was still there. "They can camouflage." he whispered to Gwen as he lifted his hand and signalled his men to be ready. As he concentrated on his surroundings he let himself levitate in the air and focused. Then he saw it, a spot where the air seemed so thick it looked like a smudge. He blasted a powerful swing of wind that pushed the figure to the ground. Immediately one of the men threw a chain slinger that wrapped around the figure holding it still. Forced to show itself, a lady with pure white hair appeared. Even her eyebrows and lashes were white. Her skin was so pale the only splash of color on her was the tattoo of a Green dragon.
"She is almost of age. She will be the most powerful. She will be of the Demons and Foggers. She will be on our side." she rasped out. Before any of them could react, the fog summoner shoved a leaf in her mouth and begun to shake violently as black veins appeared on her neck and arms. She burst into flames and turned to nothing but ash.
Enrique was shocked by the whole incident. Fog summoners tended to keep to themselves high in the mountains while the demons preferred the underground. They were not on the best terms with the Ivy kingdom, there was an existence of a very frail truce and he was sure it had been broken. The reason, he couldn't tell all he knew was that he had to get home as soon as possible.