Webnovel

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Hidden Stranger

It had been one week since Freya Rivière escaped that tower, escaped her so-called uncle. One week since she wandered this gods-damned forest, probably walking in circles, she had no idea. She'd given up leaving a trail, marking where she'd already been. No wonder it was called the Yarra forest...it drove travelers insane. Just like it started to do to her.

Since her escape, she spent her nights dreaming about those ten years of torture, ten years of being locked up in a tower, with nothing but her maid, and books, books being her only escape, her only way out into the world. The real world. But it wasn't to keep her locked up from the dangers of the world away from her, but rather to keep her away from the world. An abomination they called her. Because of what she revealed about herself ten years ago. Power. Raw magic that flowed through her veins. So powerful that she was shackled and given tonics to weaken her, so that it would never manifest, never show what a monster she was.

But her maid, Phillipa, her only friend...the only one she could trust. She sent up a silent prayer to the Gods everyday for her soul to Rest In Peace. She'd helped Freya escape, but before that, she taught Freya everything there was to know in the world, even taught her how to fight and protect herself, preparing her for this moment. One week without the tonic also meant her powers awakening too...but so far, it lay dormant within her, however, she learned that her senses had heightened too. Her sense of smell, hearing, feeling, speed and strength.

Thunder rumbled ahead, making her stop in her tracks and look up toward the dark grey sky, clouds the shades of purple and grey, the same like her eyes, were thick in the sky, coming together and making the air thick and cold. She closed her eyes as a cool breeze blew past her, some strands of dark hair loosening from her waist length braid, the breeze carrying the scent of the pine trees around her, with a hint of dirt and rain...but also that distinct, different scent she picked up earlier this morning. It was animal, but spicy and leathery, with a tinge of jasmine...

She had a feeling that something or someone was trailing her, hunting her. Maybe it was one of her uncles spies, who'd come to take her back. Or maybe they were sent to kill her instead. Even though she seemed to be dressed casually in black leathers, a jacket and boots, she was still heavily armed beneath. All she would show was her family's dagger- dragons claw, an heirloom Phillipa snagged that night of her escape. It was gold and encrusted with rubies of different shapes and sizes, an only indication that she descended from a royal bloodline, of dukes and duchesses. Until her parents were killed and her uncle took her in, locking her up in that tower, telling her that she was the reason they were dead, because if the way she would show-off with her powers.

For years she had believed that, prayed to her parents and ask them to forgive her, prayed to whatever Gods that were listening to her to redeem her. And she would cry herself to sleep every night. But that all changed when Phillipa came in the one morning to give her a bath, and told her that her uncle had sold out her parents, got them killed and took her away, telling her lies about what really happened.

Loud thunder crackled in the skies above as her temper rose at the betrayal of her uncle. She jumped a little, still untrained. Which is why she needed to get to Mereen. It was the only place where she could learn how to control her powers. She stalked off to a canopy of trees, finding a large, hollowed out tree, and set up camp there. She wouldn't risk a fire, not when there was someone hunting her, and because she had no place to make a fire instead of in the rain, which now poured from the sky and into the earth.

She reached into her pack to take out whatever food she had left, only to find a handful of berries. It wasn't much to sate her growling hunger, but it would have to do, until the rain would subside and she'd have to go out and look for more. She ate the berries and then lay on her side- her back still raw from the pain of being whipped daily, whenever her uncle thought she should be punished. He'd strip her bare and whip her in her tower, with his personal guards watching her, sneering at her and taking in her nakedness...so often that she took the pain and humiliation daily, never uttered a sound as leather and bone met skin. And not like she could run away from it either...since she was shackled around her ankles, in case she decided to run or escape. Sometimes, she'd be left alone to lay in her blood and urine, days would pass and she'd lie on the floor, without food or water. Her ears were mauled and cut...the only horrible thing on her...more warped than actual ears. She wrapped her arms around herself, keeping whatever warmth she had and fell asleep, her dreams taking her back to the tower, back to her uncle...

~

It was three days after the storm and she walked on, never going near the roads, because roads meant people, people meant danger, especially since she was a fugitive, and word would probably be out that she was on the run. So she stuck to the forest. But that scent she got that morning still lingered. She was definitely being followed then. But even as she tried to lose her predator, they seemed to never have lost her trail, never looked the other way. It felt as if they were breathing down her neck with every step she took. So she let them believe that she was scared, let them believe that she was stupid and oblivious to their presence.

~

On the fifth day, her predator seemed to leave her alone. Their scent had gone and she even stopped to look around and let out a sigh of relief, triumph written across her face. She spent the rest of her day moving as fast as she could, picking fruits, berries and anything edible. However, the sweltering heat slowed her down, making her drink all her water from her skin. She stopped when she heard running water, and dragged herself to the river, filling her skin, even drinking the water straight from the river, and then shook her jacket off, dipping her arms into the cold water and then washed her face and neck, letting the water run down her neck and chest...the cold was welcoming to her hot, sweaty body. She half thought of stripping right there and jumping in, but a crack of a twig beneath boots made her go deathly still. She raised her head slowly, looking up to see a pair of violet blue eyes glaring not at her, but at something behind her, which she dared not turn to look at.

The eyes belonged to a beautiful boy- man, who was not much older than her. His powerful muscles was visible even under his dark clothes and cloak. With tan skin and short, blue black hair. His eyes met hers briefly before snapping back to the thing behind her. There was nothing human about him, even as he let out a low growl. Her throat bobbed, once...twice...as she realized that she was caught in the middle of a hunt, from either party.

"Run east," he said with a deep, powerful voice. She realized that he'd spoken to her, eyes still on that thing behind her. Her skin lay in front of her and her jacket was next to her. She slowly reached out a shaking hand when the man snarled at her.

"Go!" he said jumping over the river with inhuman agility, launching himself at the creature behind her. She grabbed her things and bolted east, not sure why she even listened to the man, even when he might end up gutting her too. She dared a look over her shoulder at the man and beast. It looked like a hound, massive for its size and not a hound at all. Three heads she saw, with an arrow tipped tail, its body was muscled, with a sleek black coat. She didn't know what the creature was, never encountered it in any of her books. But she ran, using all her strength to put enough distance between herself and her predators. A loud roar echoed through the forest, making her cover her ears as it rang in her head. She wasn't sure if it was the young man or the creature. She didn't dare stop either, so she pumped her leg muscles, willing them to go on, even as she lost her breath and felt dizziness taking over, felt winded from the run, she pushed on, not giving up.

She dared to look over her shoulder again and then hit something hard and sticky, falling back onto her ass. The impact had her head spinning and she looked up, seeing the young man covered in black blood, his expression hard and eyes glaring down at her, arms across his chest. Her heart was in her throat, spider walking away from the man, but he stepped towards her as if she moved slowly, and then she twirled and got to her feet, trying to run, but he grabbed her arm, his grip was tight as he pulled her close to him, so close that they were sharing breath and that she got his scent, animal, spice, leather and jasmine. Her predator had finally caught her.

"Please...spare my life," she panted, shaking, using her other hand to reach for dragons claw, but found that it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" he asked, holding up her dagger to her left, she made to grab it, but he pushed her back, examining the dagger.

"If you want valuables, please, take my pack, but not the dagger," she said. He snorted and continued looking at the dagger.

"You royals and your love for decor," he spat, elongated canines flashing, tossing the dagger at her feet.

"You were following me....why?" she asked, keeping her chin up.

"Because I know you're not human," he said,"so what are you?"

"I don't know," she replied, not letting her gaze falter, even as the man looked like he wanted to kill her.

"What are you doing in the forest?" he asked.

"Walking," she answered.

"For over a week?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. She let out a sigh.

"Just tell me if you're going to kill me or not," she said. A flicker of dark amusement reached his mouth, but his eyes were still hard and cold.

"I'll kill you when I see fit and when I've asked you all my questions," he growled out.

"Are you working for him then?" she asked. He frowned.

"Who?" he asked.

"Armaden Rivière," she hissed the name, but knew that he wasn't, since he seemed to have no idea who he was.

"Are you running away from him?" he asked.

"Yes," she said softly.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because he held me captive," she said.

"What for?" he asked.

"For not being human," she said with a tilt of her lips. Not revealing anything about who she was and what her heritage was. She looked around her then, finding a place to escape, and spotted an open way through the brush. His eyes flickered to where she looked and he snorted again.

"You can't outrun me even if you tried," he said.

"Let me go peacefully...I promise not to say a word about you," she said. He scoffed.

"What did the Cerberus want from you?" he asked instead.

"Is that what that creature was?" she asked,"I have no idea why it would want me. Maybe for food."

"You're a bag of bones and you reek. I hardly doubt it, or anything, would want to eat you," he said, the insult like a slap to the face, but she guessed he was right. But she turned red at his remark anyway, words and curses on the tip of her tongue.

"Let's go girl," he said.

"I have a name you know. And I'm not going anywhere with you," she snapped.

"I don't care about your name, and if you don't follow, I will chain you to a tree and whip you," he growled. Something within her snapped at his words. She felt herself becoming feral, felt it going over the edge. Dark clouds forming in the skies above.

"Don't!" she snarled viciously in his face,"Don't you dare! I'll have you cut up into pieces and burning in some hole before you even realize." He frowned and blinked at her, his only reaction before she stepped away, her breathing ragged and her eyes stinging with tears, threatening to fall. She didn't want his pity, didn't want to tell him anything about her life, so she controlled those tears, pushing it down, down, down into her darkness. The clouds shifted, but remained in the sky, covering the blistering sun. At least that was the only good thing today. He turned to walk and never turned back to see if she followed. But she did anyway, more reason for protection if there were any more cerebrus in the forest.