13 Will O' Wisp

Running through the rocky terrain, Lily grimaced as pebbles got inside her slippers.

Not minding the prickly sensation on her soles, she kept climbing the steep slope.

"Lily, you shouldn't do this." Killer muttered as he dangled from the girl's pocket.

But the girl disregarded him. "Hazel, please be alright." She prayed while wiping off her tears.

Stumbling for a few times and scraping her knees in the process, she refused to give up and continued advancing.

As she heard chuckles and sneered, she halted and dove behind a thick bush.

"Lily, we will be caught!" Killer hissed.

"Keep quiet Killer." She hissed back at him.

Searching for the sounds, she caught a glimpse of Hazel on the ground.

One of the men, whom Lily recognized as the Azalean head knight, caught Hazel's hair. The Azalean general gave him a long sword.

Covering her mouth, Lily prevented herself from screaming. Tears fell like rain as the blade was swung and Hazel's head flew off from her body.

Sobs threatened to come out, but she clamped her mouth tight to prevent herself from getting discovered.

"Ha... Hazel..." she hyperventilated while tremors racked through her body.

"Heard that?" she barely heard a gruff voice asked.

The general took a step towards her hiding place. "It seemed to be coming from here."

Lily hid herself while taking note of the knights who killed her maid. Though her heart beat fast at the thought of being discovered, she forced herself to remain calm.

"I'm pretty sure, you are just hearing things." Briar suddenly appeared and replied which made the general stop his steps.

"You highness!" they paid respect to the prince.

"Let's head back to the palace." Briar commanded. "there is nothing else here."

Lily managed to calm herself down by the time the knights left. With trembling limbs, she got out from the her hiding place.

"Lily, we need to leave." Killer tried to catch her attention. But as usual the girl ignored him.

"Hazel..." she cried out. Her eyes caught Hazel's severed head, which was impaled by a spear.

Absentmindedly, she walked near Hazel's head. With shaking hands, she took the head and screamed. "Hazel!"

Blood smeared the white fabric of her nightdress as she hugged Hazel's head.

~~~

Totally forgetting what Hazel instructed her to do, Lily kept walking where her feet led her. It was already half past noon when she reached the nearest village from the castle.

"Lily, I don't think we should head that way." Killer said as he eyed the burnt houses.

Lily regretted going through that path. The sight broke her heart. Lifeless bodies and blood scattered everywhere. From the looks of the remnants, the survival rate is close to none.

But she bravely made her way out of town. Looking back, she took note of the wasted place. She knew she had nowhere else to go. Not knowing what to do next, she entered the Forest of Silence and aimlessly wandered through it.

Not being used to long walks, Lily's feet felt like they were going to fall off. Blisters had already formed on her soles. Knowing that she was still inside their Kingdom's territory, she could not stop.

She was walking aimlessly for god-knows-how-long. Her stomach had been growling from hunger, so Lily was forced to look for food.

Unfortunately, the only ones that she could find were small fruits and few berries, which could only appease a bit of her hunger.

As the day was slowly coming to an end, Lily knew that she needed to find shelter. Knowledge of the danger lurking in the forest made her continue trudging a worn out trail. She came upon a small settlement at the edge of the woods.

"Lily, I think they may be able to help us." Killer tried to lighten up the mood.

Hope rekindled in her heart as she observed the settlement which had about twenty thatched houses. A few adults were busy with their activities while children were playing just around the corners.

"Let us give it a try then." she mused.

As the young princess stepped foot by the settlement's gate, a raw scream rippled the air. Women took their children away and hid, while men began arming themselves with every day tools as weapons.

The people had a very good reason to avoid or fear her like a plague. Not only her face was covered with dirt, Lily's clothes were ripped.

She had used a portion of her dress to wrap up Hazel's head. She kept it close to her bosom, thus blood had seeped through the fabric and dyed her chest and waist area red.

"please help us." Killer begged.

The effect was opposite of what they had anticipated. Instead of helping her, people shooed her away. Children threw stones at her.

While men lit their torches and brought forth pitch forks and other blades. With the people hot on her heels, Lily was forced to flee once again.

Before she could fully run away, an arrow flew towards her. Seeing his mistress in danger, Killer managed to intercept it.

Unfortunately, the metal pierces through the bear and ripping a good part of his chest. The enclosed mana that kept him alive burst out. Light emitted from his body which temporarily blinded the people.

"Go Lily. You need to escape." His voice encouraged the girl to move.

Tears fell down from her eyes due to losing her remaining companion. Wiping her eyes harshly, she muttered. "I will not let your sacrifice go to waste."

She pushed her feet to their limits and ran off.

Lily came upon a cliff and knew that she had to jump to avoid those who pursue her. Without second thoughts, she flung herself to the crevice while hugging Hazel's head tightly.

The princess braced herself for impact and was surprised to plunge into waters. She was caught by a current which took her downstream.

Keeping Hazel's head near her with one hand, she used her other hand to swim to the shore. Blood trailed on the waters as the severed head got soaked.

The day had come to an end and the whole place was already shrouded with the darkness. Due the wet fabric covering her body and the cold evening air caressing her skin, the young girl's teeth chattered.

Not only her need to feed made her weak but also fatigue began overwhelming her frail frame. As black spots covered her vision, the girl was left with no choice but to welcome the embrace of darkness and death with open arms.

~~~

Broken, exhausted and hungry, the princess lied down by the muddy bank. She was close to giving up but a gentle voice called out to her.

"Lily... Lily." It cried out. "Get up!"

Lily would have ignored it but something happened which finally made her shot up from her lying position.

Zeke's charm suddenly radiated which made Hazel's amulet light up in response. Warmth emitted from both items which made the girl's hopelessness gradually dissipate.

The area began to glow as small licks of fire appeared. The flames had appeared out of nowhere and form a curvy line which illuminated a less trodden path into strange woods.

"Will o' wisp." The princess whispered as she eyed the floating flames. "Is it possible that they are here to be my guide?"

The flames seemed to dance as if nodding their answers.

With renewed resolve, the girl struggled to get up and embark on another journey.

The princess began following the light. The nearest to her would disappear once she advanced forward. The flame would then emerge at the end of the line.

The process continued until she reached a swamp. Then the place darkened as the wisps disappeared.

Puzzled, she looked around using the radiance of Zeke's charm. Her feet stopped just in time before they could submerge into the water. Added to that, she noticed that she was surrounded by nightshades.

From afar, a small house was in view. Her heart throbbed with erratic beats. Whether they were due to anxiety, excitement or fear, Lily didn't know. '

Reaching the door, Lily hesitated. "Should I knock? What if they would shoo me away like the people at the settlement?"

Her stomach grumbled at that moment. Throwing all caution and doubts in the air, she decided to knock.

"I have lost everything. So I had nothing to lose any more." She mused as she let her knuckles rapped three times at the door.

Lily's heart almost jumped out of her chest as the door suddenly burst open.

"Oh Hazel! I knew you would be back home!" a young woman exclaimed. She would have pulled Lily into a hug but she stopped short when her dark eyes took note of the girl before her.

"Wait! You are not Hazel. Where is my cousin? I could sense her faint presence." The woman even looked around to find the lady-in-waiting.

Lily was tongue tied. If this woman was Hazel's cousin, then it only meant that she's a witch!

However, apart from her loose black robe, there was nothing witchy about her at all. She didn't look like an old hag with long pointed nose and warts. The woman was in fact young and beautiful.

Bewildered, the woman turned her attention towards Lily. After taking a blunt sniff, her dark eyes zeroed in on the bundle that the princess was keeping close to her bloody chest.

"You!" she hissed as her hand shot and caught Lily's throat in a tight lock.

The girl gasped and tried to pry her hands off. In doing so, she dropped the bundle where Hazel's head was wrapped. The severed head tumbled and stopped a few inches near the woman's feet.

"How dare you taint your hands with my precious Hazel's blood! You murderer!" The woman snarled as her eyes turned pitch black.

Her fingers had enclosed tightly around the young girl's throat and her fingernails were digging into Lily's skin.

"I..." Lily panted as she could not form the words due to oxygen deprivation.

The woman's grip began to tighten which made Lily turn almost blue. "Am I going to die like this?"

A tear slid down her face and fell on the amulet she was wearing. The reaction was instant.