Prologue: part 2

It's cowardly, I know. No, it was stupid! It had me right where it wanted me. It was taking its time, slowly. And yet-

And yet I so daringly shot at it, agitated it. If there was even the slightest chance of my survival, it was gone.

What was I thinking? My wings were shot useless, my feet were tired from the running I had been doing for the past hour, and-

I was beginning to exhaust my magic power while constantly using it to fight off lowly forest creatures, hide my tracks, and hide my presence.

Of course. My presence. The Doth is blind and deaf and it barely ever relies on its sense of smell because it can not distinguish scents despite having such a sensitive sense of smell.

This means it relies solely on its ability to sense our power, our presence. The greater power a faerie possesses, the stronger its presence becomes.

So what if -

What if I lure it back to where I was running from?

Surely, the mixed presence of hundreds of fae soldiers will be much stronger than mine alone. And then I...

There is not much time to contemplate. I changed my pace and focused my power on the speed at which I was running. The Doth is fast, I just needed to be faster.

My night vision allowed me to see much more clearly and much farther into the forest, I could hear its screeching and snarling from right behind me as if it was about to devour me right this instant.

There. I could see bits of light, light from torches, and I knew the soldiers were still there.

I dared to take a glance back at the Doth.

So you want fae meat? I shall offer you 370 of it in exchange for mine.

"There she is!" One of the soldiers had called out upon the sight of me, alerting the rest.

"Why is she running this way?" I could hear the confusion of the smarter soldiers. Best to run.

"There's something behind her..." and they beheld.

They did not dare move an inch, not for a good long while before the Doth's loud snarl filled the entire forest.

It has found its prey. It has found a good load of them and it was going to enjoy.

Hundreds of weaponry clattered as they hit the ground. The soldiers turned back to run, hitting each other, pushing each other, stumbling and running on top of each other.

Anything, to be out of the Doth's radar.

They no longer remembered that they had a fugitive to hunt, no longer remembered the monstrous artefact I stole and possessed.

They no longer remembered their emperor's absolute command to bring me to him alive.

Their survival instinct screamed louder.

I felt a foreign dark power writhing from underneath the secret pocket I had in my dress.

My dress, now shredded and cut up to my knees.

The small little gemstone I had stolen from Emperor Rowan's guarded Castle.

I was not going to let it fall into their hands again. The amount of darkness that they had spread, I don't care even if I had to risk my life I would -

A sharp tug of pain pierced my heart, followed by another.

Poison-coated arrows... I had pulled them out from my wings, but my healing process was slow thanks to the poison.

Foxglove.

I hissed as I left the soldiers with the Doth and ran once again, away from the forest, away from Nethyria.

I would cross the Nethyrian borders, and by the time I leave this forest, my wings would have been healed enough to fly me across the borders.

Beads of sweat dripped down my face as I ran, the gemstone throbbing inside my pockets as if it wanted to pierce through the pieces of fabric.

Foxglove acts fast. Had I been any normal fae, I'd have been dead by now. Or well on my way to death.

I could see it. The end of the forest, the Nethyrian borders.

Anticipation filled me as I gasped, panted, and ran.

Cross it, Aurora, get out. Run. Go far away. Beyond these borders, they cannot track you.

Destroy that gemstone even if it destroys you.

Just a bit more. Only... a bit more...

Darkness began shrouding my vision, some part of me screamed at the agony that the foxglove was unleashing upon my heart and on my body, while the other part screamed at me to hold on and cross the border.

You're so close Aurora...

I could see the great walls. I could see the way out through my dimmed vision, and I could see the darkness that had started to surround it.

I could see branches and twigs that kept holding on to me as if they had a will of their own. My eyes were closing.

The wall. The trees. The end of the forest. The ground... the fallen leaves. Was I falling?

A set of hands... why are the ground and leaves getting smaller? And vaster. I can see the trees now, the forest, half of it. The border, beyond.

I could feel colder gusts of wind touching my face and flowing through my hair.

I was in the air. With a side glance, I could see the most beautiful pair of wings I had ever laid eyes on.

Who was carrying me?

No. Was I about to get dragged back to the emperor?

I struggled, only to find the arm wrapping around me tighter.

"Hold on. I'm not taking you back to Rowan." That was all that person said before he flew down to the lands beyond the border so swiftly that I had to close my eyes for the impact.

Who was this person?

Beyond the borders... he had saved me, for what reason?

I had no more energy to think. My eyes closed along with my consciousness that slipped away.