50 - The Gold Bird

Her heart pounded loudly. Don't focus on the pursuers, she reminded herself. Focus on the path. Looking down, her shoes had holes and her dress was ragged. Her hair was loose from the braided do she had before. She didn't know how long she had been running... Since she last left her mother.

Being small, she was able to slide through the cracks when it seemed impassable. Move forward, she thought. She had been running so long. Her head was getting delirious. Anemone's eyes were losing focus. She stumbled and tripped over some rocks on the path.

She landed on her face, scratching her smooth cheek. Getting up, she touched the scratch. Her mother will be mad about it. Tears fell down her cheeks. She wiped them harshly. She can't cry as she needs to... find...

In front of her... was the shrine.

A small pond separated her from the shrine. A huge gold statue of a bird stared at her. It's wings were raised, about to fly away. Small orbs of lights scattered around the area. It was a beautiful sight... but the water was what she needed most. She crawled toward the pond.

Her hands scooped up the clear water and drank. It tasted refreshing. It gave her some energy back. She didn't care if it was dirty or not. Drinking another scoop, she heard the footsteps.

"There she is!"

A deep masculine voice rang out in the silence. Anemone picked her sword up and turned to face them. There were only five soldiers. Their uniform was dark black. Her father was right. No crest or insignia gave them away. They wore hoods and masks, covering their identity.

Even so, Anemone could see scorch marks... tears... One was holding a broken arm. She'll need to defeat them to move forward. She can defeat them. She told herself, this will be like practice. Only that she would kill them. For them to be here, her mother must've been defeated.

That thought filled her with despair... Anger... Rage. She had lost both her parents tonight from these men. How dare they target her? Her parents? She will show no mercy. She will kill them. Her first kill...

"Is she the child we are suppose to kill?" one man asked to the others. The leader, the one who was more forward than the others, nodded and lifted his sword.

"She should be easier than her parents. If it wasn't the beast, we would have been killed for sure."

"That bitch's mother was such a pain to deal with. All those fucking traps," snarled one on the right.

The one on the left laughed. "Her father was a pain. It was nice seeing him skewered!"

They all laughed as they came closer. The leader raised his sword. "This child will be the last one. We can go claim the reward after this. Let's make this quick. Surround her so she doesn't escape!"

They circled around her. Anemone closed her eyes for a moment. The training she was taught must've been for this moment. She was good at close combat. She was good at riposting. Anemone will not let anger cloud her, like her battle for heir.

This will be a fight for her life.