At the early break of dawn, Luiza woke up in sweats and a few tears. Once again, she dreamt of her mother, but soon it was transitioned to the burning men.
With a disoriented mind, she went to the balcony with her bare feet. The sky was covered in gray clouds, and underneath it, the sun rose, its orange hue reflecting on the town square.
Delia knocked on the door, bringing her back to reality. "Come in," she said, and she walked towards her bed. The maid cleaned the room and then dressed Luiza in a sage green silk gown, and over it, she wore a spencer. With a bonnet, they exited the room. The dining hall was empty, and a very light breakfast was served.
Wiping her lips with the serviettes, Luiza left the hall and graciously strode outside. Two suitcases made of leather were brought outside, and Luiza herself carried a handwoven bag where a few of her books were placed.
"Milady, Duke has sent this." Butler Edward gave her a pouch made of silk, which was a big heap of lies. The other day, it was Sir Arcanum who had left it to the butler on his behalf.
She nodded and placed it in her bag. The luggage was placed around her, and the servings stood a few inches away from her.
She tore the paper from the day before, and immediately she was transported to the Fern Hart city of Eunoia, which bordered the Evermore. The entire city was under a blanket of snow.
The sudden exposure to magic made her feel dizzy. Her nose started to feel reddish. She turned around and could see many faces but was not courageous enough to chat with them.
"Excuse me, miss! Are you on your way to evermore?" A young boy whose face was slightly covered in snouts from the chimney asked her.
"Yes, I am. Can you find me a carriage that goes to Ever Hills?" She handed him a silver coin from her pouch. "You will get the other coin when you find the carriage," she explained, and the boy left, saying, "Surely, milady!" with a huge grin.
She felt stranded and scared as she stood where she had landed alone. The farther she gazed, the snowier it was. Her feet started to twitch because of the cold.
She took a long breath, but each time she exhaled, a cloudy vapor formed around her. The strong fragrance of burning wood, the murmurs of people, and the tos and fros of carriages surrounded her.
In a while, the little boy came back with a young man who wore a beret tunic and waistcoat.
"Milady, are these your bags? Let's head to the carriage; it is extremely cold here." The man carried both bags, and they headed to the inner part of the city, where many carriages were placed.
"Milady!" the little boy called out. "Um?" She slightly slouched to listen.
"Be careful, milady. Many bandits live here." The boy warned, and she hummed in response.
"Then, Milady, my coin?" The little boy's eyes glistened.
She had a smirk. He was a quick and efficient lad. "Here you go!" She threw a silver coin, and he caught it. Thanking the left and finding other customers.
The coachman placed the luggage in his carriage, and she got inside.
It was warmer inside, and the windows from both sides were closed by the curtain. The carriage started, and they embarked on the journey. She lifted the curtains and viewed the snowfall and the thick blanket of snow over the path.
It was a silent ride, and in a while, her eyelids started to get heavy. In the warmth of the small carriage, she went to sleep.
"Bang!" The loud thud woke her up. Again, a round of such loud sounds followed. Fine and awoke, she felt terror down her spine. Her heart pounded, and her movements froze.
"MILADY!! IT SEEMS SOMEONE IS TRYING TO HUNT US!" The carriage man cried as he whipped his horse to run faster. The horses were startled by the constant loud banging and started to astray the man's command.
A gun shoots the horse's leg and almost throws the coachman off his seat.
"Milady!! Please jump from the left window and run!" He screamed, and her blood ran cold. How could she? But the carriage started to falter. It vigorously shook her and threw her off her seat.
"Ah!" she whined and tried to stand up again. The horses continued to kick and be on a rampage while the gunshots were loud and clear. Despite the scare, she opened the left door of the carriage and took a deep breath.
She clung to the handle and saw the wheels of the carriage undone. On the turn where the trees were sparse, she closed her eyes and jumped onto the heaps of snow.
"Milady!" The coach cried as the horses ran off.
She opened her eyes; her hands felt frosty, and her surroundings were covered in snow. With no clear directions and the sound of guns only coming nearer, she stood up and started to run. She inhaled the cool, crisp air, and the show started to cover her eyelashes and eyebrows.
She could only run so far. Her feet started to give up, and her heavy gown only made her heave more. The little chirps of birds suddenly flew into the sky in a huge group when a gunshot one of the birds, and she could hear a man's gruff voice: "SHE MUST BE SOMEWHERE HERE! FIND HER!"
Her legs started to get heavy and numb. Her throat started to prick, and she felt dry. As she looked around, every path seemed the same. Surrounded by pine forests, she shook off the trees for a swift second and ran. She did the same for a few trees and started to run again.
"Ah!" She could hear a few men's voices. They must have been hit by the large show on the pine's leaves.
"Bang!" She could feel the reverberation very close to her. It hit a few centimeters below her foot!
"Ahhh!" she screamed and ran for her mere life. Behold, in front of her, the dense forest thinned out and a river appeared. The river was frozen, and a thick layer of ice covered it. Her hands felt icy, and she could not feel her legs. She could not see either, but in a hurry, she jumped onto the block of ice and tried crossing the river.
"BANG BANG BANG!" Many gunshots were made to the river and her. The bullets could not hurt her, but before she could cross, the ice beneath her cracked, and all of a sudden, her entire body was tossed into the cold, freezing water. Her hands tried to hold the edge, but alas, her numb hands could only do so much.